Kaluza-Klein Formalism of General Spacetimes

I describe the Kaluza-Klein approach to general relativity of 4-dimensional spacetimes. This approach is based on the (2,2)-fibration of a generic 4-dimensional spacetime, which is viewed as a local product of a (1+1)-dimensional base manifold and a 2-dimensional fibre space. It is shown that the metric coefficients can be decomposed into sets of fields, which transform as a tensor field, gauge fields, and scalar fields with respect to the infinite dimensional group of the diffeomorphisms of the 2-dimensional fibre space. I discuss a few applications of this formalism.Comment: RevTex, no figure

In vivo measurement of hemodynamic information in stenosed rat blood vessels using X-ray PIV

Measurements of the hemodynamic information of blood flows, especially wall shear stress (WSS), in animal models with circulatory vascular diseases (CVDs) are important to understand the pathological mechanism of CVDs. In this study, X-ray particle image velocimetry (PIV) with high spatial resolution was applied to obtain velocity field information in stenosed blood vessels with high WSS. 3D clips fabricated with a 3D printer were applied to the abdominal aorta of a rat cadaver to induce artificial stenosis in the real blood vessel of an animal model. The velocity and WSS information of blood flows in the stenosed vessel were obtained and compared at various stenosis severities. In vivo measurement was also conducted by fastening a stenotic clip on a live rat model through surgical intervention to reduce the flow rate to match the limited temporal resolution of the present X-ray PIV system. Further improvement of the temporal resolution of the system might be able to provide in vivo measurements of hemodynamic information from animal disease models under physiological conditions. The present results would be helpful for understanding the relation between hemodynamic characteristics and the pathological mechanism in animal CVD models.110Ysciescopu

Performance of RF MEMS switches at low temperatures

The actuation voltage of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) \ud metal switches was investigated at temperatures ranging from 10 to 290 K. The investigation shows a 50% increase in the actuation voltage at low temperature. A comparison has been made using a published model and showed similar increment of actuation voltage at low temperature

Microfluidics for simultaneous quantification of platelet adhesion and blood viscosity

Platelet functions, including adhesion, activation, and aggregation have an influence on thrombosis and the progression of atherosclerosis. In the present study, a new microfluidic-based method is proposed to estimate platelet adhesion and blood viscosity simultaneously. Blood sample flows into an H-shaped microfluidic device with a peristaltic pump. Since platelet aggregation may be initiated by the compression of rotors inside the peristaltic pump, platelet aggregates may adhere to the H-shaped channel. Through correlation mapping, which visualizes decorrelation of the streaming blood flow, the area of adhered platelets (A(Platelet)) can be estimated without labeling platelets. The platelet function is estimated by determining the representative index I-A.T based on A(Platelet) and contact time. Blood viscosity is measured by monitoring the flow conditions in the one side channel of the H-shaped device. Based on the relation between interfacial width (W) and pressure ratio of sample flows to the reference, blood sample viscosity (mu) can be estimated by measuring W. Biophysical parameters (IA.T, mu) are compared for normal and diabetic rats using an ex vivo extracorporeal model. This microfluidic-based method can be used for evaluating variations in the platelet adhesion and blood viscosity of animal models with cardiovascular diseases under ex vivo conditions.119Ysciescopu

Long-term starin monitoring data of jacket-type offshore structure for tidal current power generation under severe tidal current environments

Structural strain responses of the jacket-type Uldolmok tidal current power plant structure under severe\ud tidal environments were analyzed using long-term measurement data from construction to normal operation. From the\ud measured data during construction, it was found that there were significant changes in strain responses at the steps of\ud jacket lifting, weight-block loading, pile ejection and insertion. Strains due to permanent and tidal current loads were\ud analyzed during removal work on one among six jacket legs, and it was found that the strains due to permanent load\ud were much significantly changed after removal of on jacket leg. From the measurement data during normal operation, it\ud was observed that strain responses were obviously fluctuated with M2 and M4 tidal periods and also with relatively\ud short period of about 11 min due to the peculiar tidal characteristics in the Uldolmok strait

Evolution of asexual and sexual reproduction in the aspergilli

Aspergillus nidulans has long-been used as a model organism to gain insights into the genetic basis of asexual and sexual developmental processes both in other members of the genus Aspergillus, and filamentous fungi in general. Paradigms have been established concerning the regulatory mechanisms of conidial development. However, recent studies have shown considerable genome divergence in the fungal kingdom, questioning the general applicability of findings from Aspergillus, and certain longstanding evolutionary theories have been questioned. The phylogenetic distribution of key regulatory elements of asexual reproduction in A. nidulans was investigated in a broad taxonomic range of fungi. This revealed that some proteins were well conserved in the Pezizomycotina (e.g. AbaA, FlbA, FluG, NsdD, MedA, and some velvet proteins), suggesting similar developmental roles. However, other elements (e.g. BrlA) had a more restricted distribution solely in the Eurotiomycetes, and it appears that the genetic control of sporulation seems to be more complex in the aspergilli than in some other taxonomic groups of the Pezizomycotina. The evolution of the velvet protein family is discussed based on the history of expansion and contraction events in the early divergent fungi. Heterologous expression of the A. nidulans abaA gene in Monascus ruber failed to induce development of complete conidiophores as seen in the aspergilli, but did result in increased conidial production. The absence of many components of the asexual developmental pathway from members of the Saccharomycotina supports the hypothesis that differences in the complexity of their spore formation is due in part to the increased diversity of the sporulation machinery evident in the Pezizomycotina. Investigations were also made into the evolution of sex and sexuality in the aspergilli. MAT loci were identified from the heterothallic Aspergillus (Emericella) heterothallicus and Aspergillus (Neosartorya) fennelliae and the homothallic Aspergillus pseudoglaucus (=Eurotium repens). A consistent architecture of the MAT locus was seen in these and other heterothallic aspergilli whereas much variation was seen in the arrangement of MAT loci in homothallic aspergilli. This suggested that it is most likely that the common ancestor of the aspergilli exhibited a heterothallic breeding system. Finally, the supposed prevalence of asexuality in the aspergilli was examined. Investigations were made using A. clavatus as a representative ‘asexual’ species. It was possible to induce a sexual cycle in A. clavatus given the correct MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 partners and environmental conditions, with recombination confirmed utilising molecular markers. This indicated that sexual reproduction might be possible in many supposedly asexual aspergilli and beyond, providing general insights into the nature of asexuality in fungi.National Natural Science Foundation of China 31601446National Research Foundation of Korea 2016010945Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center of Global Frontier Projects 2015M3A6A8065838Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilGovernment of IraqMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad BIO2015-67148-

Characterization of dynamic hardening behavior using acceleration information

Crash analysis simulation is very important in automotive industry to assess automotive crashworthiness and safety. In the FE simulation, accurate dynamic hardening behavior should be used as input data to provide reliable results. But, it is difficult to obtain precise hardening properties at intermediate or high strain rates due to inaccurate measurement of load caused by the inertial effect. In this study, a new methodology was applied to retrieve dynamic strain hardening properties of sheet metal specimens. The virtual fields method (VFM) was adopted as an inverse method to identify hardening parameters without load information. As an initial study, Swift model for a rate independent hardening law was selected for an elasto-plastic constitutive model. In order to validate the proposed methodology in the experiments, a new type of high speed tensile tester for sheet metal specimens was built and high speed tensile tests were performed. Digital image correlation technique using a high-speed camera was utilized to measure strain and acceleration fields so that the identification is carried out from the measured quantities. The validation of the proposed VFM identification procedure using the acceleration will be performed by comparing with the conventional procedure using a load-cell. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.110Ysciescopu

The spectral geometry of the canonical Riemannian submersion of a compact Lie Group

Let G be a compact connected Lie group which is equipped with a bi-invariant Riemannian metric. Let m(x,y)=xy be the multiplication operator. We show the associated fibration m mapping GxG to G is a Riemannian submersion with totally geodesic fibers and we study the spectral geometry of this submersion. We show the pull back of eigenforms on the base have finite Fourier series on the total space and we give examples where arbitrarily many Fourier coefficients can be non-zero. We give necessary and sufficient conditions that the pull back of a form on the base is harmonic on the total space

Neutron beam test of CsI crystal for dark matter search

We have studied the response of Tl-doped and Na-doped CsI crystals to nuclear recoils and $\gamma$'s below 10 keV. The response of CsI crystals to nuclear recoil was studied with mono-energetic neutrons produced by the $^3$H(p,n)$^3$He reaction. This was compared to the response to Compton electrons scattered by 662 keV $\gamma$-ray. Pulse shape discrimination between the response to these $\gamma$'s and nuclear recoils was studied, and quality factors were estimated. The quenching factors for nuclear recoils were derived for both CsI(Na) and CsI(Tl) crystals.Comment: 21pages, 14figures, submitted to NIM

Electronic structures of doped anatase TiO2\rm TiO_{2}: Ti1−xMxO2\rm Ti_{1-x}M_{x}O_{2} (M=Co, Mn, Fe, Ni)

We have investigated electronic structures of a room temperature diluted magnetic semiconductor : Co-doped anatase $\rm TiO_{2}$. We have obtained the half-metallic ground state in the local-spin-density approximation(LSDA) but the insulating ground state in the LSDA+$U$+SO incorporating the spin-orbit interaction. In the stoichiometric case, the low spin state of Co is realized with the substantially large orbital moment. However, in the presence of oxygen vacancies near Co, the spin state of Co becomes intermediate. The ferromagnetisms in the metallic and insulating phases are accounted for by the double-exchange-like and the superexchange mechanism, respectively. Further, the magnetic ground states are obtained for Mn and Fe doped $\rm TiO_{2}$, while the paramagnetic ground state for Ni-doped $\rm TiO_{2}$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure