9,046 research outputs found
Studies of Carbonaceous Materials Using Raman Spectroscopy
Various carbonaceous materials including graphene, treated biochar, and C60 were studied using Raman spectroscopy with particular attention given to the treatment process
and the Raman enhancement methods. Such studies that focus on the treatment process are useful in determining the extent to which the species was affected via shifts in the
Raman peaks. Previous collaborations have proven successful when multiple samples were studied and analyzed. The attempt to create a novel Raman enhancement technique via combination of two previously recorded techniques was ultimately unsuccessful but further work is necessary
Investigating the Relationship between Small and Large Scale Test Methods for the Combustion Toxicity of Cables
This project aimed to investigate the relationship between large and small-scale testing for the combustion toxicity of cables. This was done to see if it was viable for small-scale testing to replace or act as a screening method for the large-scale test to try and reduce monetary, time and manpower costs. Also investigated was the comparison of combustion toxicity between Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and a selection of Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSOH) cable materials
Gap and channelled plasmons in tapered grooves: a review
Tapered metallic grooves have been shown to support plasmons --
electromagnetically coupled oscillations of free electrons at metal-dielectric
interfaces -- across a variety of configurations and V-like profiles. Such
plasmons may be divided into two categories: gap-surface plasmons (GSPs) that
are confined laterally between the tapered groove sidewalls and propagate
either along the groove axis or normal to the planar surface, and channelled
plasmon polaritons (CPPs) that occupy the tapered groove profile and propagate
exclusively along the groove axis. Both GSPs and CPPs exhibit an assortment of
unique properties that are highly suited to a broad range of cutting-edge
nanoplasmonic technologies, including ultracompact photonic circuits,
quantum-optics components, enhanced lab-on-a-chip devices, efficient
light-absorbing surfaces and advanced optical filters, while additionally
affording a niche platform to explore the fundamental science of plasmon
excitations and their interactions. In this Review, we provide a research
status update of plasmons in tapered grooves, starting with a presentation of
the theory and important features of GSPs and CPPs, and follow with an overview
of the broad range of applications they enable or improve. We cover the
techniques that can fabricate tapered groove structures, in particular
highlighting wafer-scale production methods, and outline the various photon-
and electron-based approaches that can be used to launch and study GSPs and
CPPs. We conclude with a discussion of the challenges that remain for further
developing plasmonic tapered-groove devices, and consider the future directions
offered by this select yet potentially far-reaching topic area.Comment: 32 pages, 34 figure
Laser optical separation of chiral molecules
The optical trapping of molecules with an off-resonant laser beam involves a forward-Rayleigh scattering mechanism. It is shown that discriminatory effects arise on irradiating chiral molecules with circularly polarized light; the complete representation requires ensemble-weighted averaging to account for the influence of the trapping beam on the distribution of molecular orientations. Results of general application enable comparisons to be drawn between the results for two limits of the input laser intensity. It emerges that, in a racemic mixture, there is a differential driving force whose effect, at high laser intensities, is to produce differing local concentrations of the two enantiomers
Solar Electric Propulsion Vehicle Demonstration to Support Future Space Exploration Missions
Human and robotic exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will require enabling capabilities that are efficient, affordable, and reliable. Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) is highly advantageous because of its favorable in-space mass transfer efficiency compared to traditional chemical propulsion systems. The NASA studies have demonstrated that this advantage becomes highly significant as missions progress beyond Earth orbit. Recent studies of human exploration missions and architectures evaluated the capabilities needed to perform a variety of human exploration missions including missions to Near Earth Objects (NEOs). The studies demonstrated that SEP stages have potential to be the most cost effective solution to perform beyond LEO transfers of high mass cargoes for human missions. Recognizing that these missions require power levels more than 10X greater than current electric propulsion systems, NASA embarked upon a progressive pathway to identify critical technologies needed and a plan for an incremental demonstration mission. The NASA studies identified a 30kW class demonstration mission that can serve as a meaningful demonstration of the technologies, operational challenges, and provide the appropriate scaling and modularity required. This paper describes the planning options for a representative demonstration 30kW class SEP mission
The COOH-terminal domain of agrin signals via a synaptic receptor in central nervous system neurons
Agrin is a motor neuronâderived factor that directs formation of the postsynaptic apparatus of the neuromuscular junction. Agrin is also expressed in the brain, raising the possibility that it might serve a related function at neuronâneuron synapses. Previously, we identified an agrin signaling pathway in central nervous system (CNS) neurons, establishing the existence of a neural receptor that mediates responses to agrin. As a step toward identifying this agrin receptor, we have characterized the minimal domains in agrin that bind and activate it. Structures required for agrin signaling in CNS neurons are contained within a 20-kD COOH-terminal fragment of the protein. Agrin signaling is independent of alternative splicing at the z site, but requires sequences that flank it because their deletion results in a 15-kD fragment that acts as an agrin antagonist. Thus, distinct regions within agrin are responsible for receptor binding and activation. Using the minimal agrin fragments as affinity probes, we also studied the expression of the agrin receptor on CNS neurons. Our results show that both agrin and its receptor are concentrated at neuronâneuron synapses. These data support the hypothesis that agrin plays a role in formation and/or function of CNS synapses
Influence of Cytomatrix Proteins on Water and on Ions in Cells
This review concerns the influence that cytomatrix proteins have on the motional properties of water and on the major inorganic ions in cells. The techniques we used for study of water in cells and on the cytomatrix proteins include: pulsed NMR of water protons, quench cooled ice crystal imprint size, and osmotic behavior. The technique for study of ions involved use of electron-probe X-ray microanalysis of thin cryosections of cells. The cytomatrix was found to play the major role in determining the extent of hydration water in cells, The amount of hydration water varied greatly between cell types (e.g., lens fiber cells have no detectable bulk water) and varied in the same cell type studied under different states (e.g., unfertilized and fertilized sea urchin eggs). Aggregation of cytomatrix proteins (actin in particular) is a determinant of the extent of hydration water in cells. Hydration water appears not to participate in the ideal osmotic equation of van\u27t Hoff. The ionic content of cells does not accurately predict the chemical activity of the ions in cytoplasm. A major proportion of intracellular K+ and a substantial fraction of Cl- was found to be influenced by the cytomatrix such that their diffusion was impaired. The cytomatrix is responsible for the decreased motional properties of a substantial portion of cellular water and ions
An Improved Method for Estimating the Masses of Stars with Transiting Planets
To determine the physical parameters of a transiting planet and its host star
from photometric and spectroscopic analysis, it is essential to independently
measure the stellar mass. This is often achieved by the use of evolutionary
tracks and isochrones, but the mass result is only as reliable as the models
used. The recent paper by Torres et al (2009) showed that accurate values for
stellar masses and radii could be obtained from a calibration using T_eff, log
g and [Fe/H]. We investigate whether a similarly good calibration can be
obtained by substituting log rho - the fundamental parameter measured for the
host star of a transiting planet - for log g, and apply this to star-exoplanet
systems. We perform a polynomial fit to stellar binary data provided in Torres
et al (2009) to obtain the stellar mass and radius as functions of T_eff, log
rho and [Fe/H], with uncertainties on the fit produced from a Monte Carlo
analysis. We apply the resulting equations to measurements for seventeen
SuperWASP host stars, and also demonstrate the application of the calibration
in a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis to obtain accurate system parameters
where spectroscopic estimates of effective stellar temperature and metallicity
are available. We show that the calibration using log rho produces accurate
values for the stellar masses and radii; we obtain masses and radii of the
SuperWASP stars in good agreement with isochrone analysis results. We ascertain
that the mass calibration is robust against uncertainties resulting from poor
photometry, although a good estimate of stellar radius requires good-quality
transit light curve to determine the duration of ingress and egress.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in A&
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