SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “factorization”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 739 records · Page 41

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2015

Resveratrol upregulates Egr-1 expression and activity involving extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and ternary complex factors

Many intracellular functions have been attributed to resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytoalexin found in grapes and in other plants. Here, we show that resveratrol induces the expression of the transcription factor Egr-1 in human embryonic kidney cells. Using a chromosomally embedded Egr-1-responsive reporter gene, we show that the Egr-1 activity was significantly elevated in resveratrol-treated cells, indicating that the newly synthesized Egr-1 protein was biologically active. Stimulus-transcription coupling leading to the resveratrol-induced upregulation of Egr-1 expression and activity requires the protein kinases Raf and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase ERK, while MAP kinase phosphatase-1 functions as a nuclear shut-off device that interrupts the signaling cascade connecting resveratrol stimulation with enhanced Egr-1 expression. On the transcriptional level, Elk-1, a key transcriptional regulator of serum response element-driven gene transcription, connects the intracellular signaling cascade elicited by resveratrol with transcription of the Egr-1 gene. These data were corroborated by the observation that stimulation of the cells with resveratrol increased the transcriptional activation potential of Elk-1. The SRE as well as the GC-rich DNA binding site of Egr-1 function as resveratrol-responsive elements. Thus, resveratrol regulates gene transcription via activation of the stimulus-regulated protein kinases Raf and ERK and the stimulus-responsive transcription factors TCF and Egr-1. - Highlights: • The plant polyphenol resveratrol upregulates Egr-1 expression and activity. • The stimulation of Egr-1 requires the protein kinases ERK and Raf. • Resveratrol treatment upregulates the transcriptional activation potential of Elk-1. • Resveratrol-induced stimulation of Egr-1 requires ternary complex factors. • Two distinct resveratrol-responsive elements were identified.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Vascular endothelial growth factor mediates ceramide 1-phosphate-stimulated macrophage proliferation

Highlights: • C1P promotes macrophage proliferation through stimulation of VEGF secretion. • C1P-stimulated VEGF secretion is mediated by the PI3K/Akt-1 and MEK/ERK-2 pathways. • Blockade of VEGF receptor-2 inhibited C1P-stimulated macrophage proliferation. The bioactive sphingolipid ceramide 1-phosphate (C1P) regulates cell division in a variety of cell types including macrophages. However, the mechanisms involved in this action are not completely understood. In the present work we show that C1P stimulates the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in RAW264.7 macrophages, and that this growth factor is essential for stimulation of cell proliferation by C1P. The stimulation of VEGF release was dependent upon activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB-1 also known as Akt-1), and mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase (MEK)/extracellularly regulated kinase-2 (ERK-2) pathways, as inhibition of these kinases with selective pharmacological inhibitors or with specific gene silencing siRNA, abrogated VEGF release. A key observation was that sequestration of VEGF with a neutralizing antibody, or treatment with VEGF siRNA abolished C1P-stimulated macrophage growth. Also, inhibition of the pathways involved in C1P-stimulated VEGF release inhibited the stimulation of macrophage growth by C1P. Moreover, blockade of VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), which is the primary receptor for VEGF, with the pharmacological inhibitor DMH4, or with specific VEGFR-2 siRNA, substantially inhibited C1P-stimulated cell growth. It can be concluded that stimulation of VEGF release is a key factor in the promotion of macrophage proliferation by C1P.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2017

Mimicking the Bioactivity of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Using Supramolecular Nanoribbons

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) is a multifunctional growth factor that has pleiotropic effects in different tissues and organs. In particular, FGF-2 has a special role in angiogenesis, an important process in development, wound healing, cell survival, and differentiation. Therefore, incorporating biological agents like FGF-2 within therapeutic biomaterials is a potential strategy to create angiogenic bioactivity for the repair of damaged tissue caused by trauma or complications that arise from age and/or disease. However, the use of growth factors as therapeutic agents can be costly and does not always bring about efficient tissue repair due to rapid clearance from the targeted site. An alternative would be a stable supramolecular nanostructure with the capacity to activate the FGF-2 receptor that can also assemble into a scaffold deliverable to tissue. We report here on peptide amphiphiles that incorporate a peptide known to activate the FGF-2 receptor and peptide domains that drive its self-assembly into supramolecular nanoribbons. These FGF2-PA nanoribbons displayed the ability to increase the proliferation and migration of the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro to the same extent as the native FGF-2 protein at certain concentrations. We confirmed that this activity was specific to the FGFR1 signaling pathway by tracking the phosphorylation of downstream signaling effectors such ERK1/2 and pH3. These results indicated the specificity of FGF2-PA nanoribbons in activating the FGF-2 signaling pathway and its potential application as a supramolecular scaffold that can be used in vivo as an alternative to the encapsulation and delivery of the native FGF-2 protein.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Identifying Key Environmental Factors Explaining Temporal Patterns of DOC Export From Watersheds in the Conterminous United States

The export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from a watershed is a key component of the terrestrial biosphere carbon cycle. There is a need to improve our understanding of how and by how much various environmental factors are driving the temporal patterns of DOC export in order to accurately model and evaluate terrestrial carbon storage and fluxes. In this synthesis, we compiled observational data sets from 14 watersheds in the conterminous United States spanning the time period from 1981 to 2017. We used these data sets to examine the relative impacts of various climate, atmospheric deposition, and land cover factors on the temporal patterns of DOC export across watersheds of different sizes and landscape conditions, as well as the time-series autocorrelation of DOC export. Overall, our results suggest that the dominant factor on an annual scale was the amount of precipitation, which had a positive correlation with DOC export from a watershed. Overall increasing nitrogen deposition was coincident with increasing DOC export, and increasing sulfur deposition was coincident with declining DOC export. The seasonal pattern of DOC export was strongly regulated by air temperature, the long-term trend was negatively influenced by increasing sulfur deposition, and no obvious autocorrelation was detected in DOC export. In addition, higher rates of DOC export were positively correlated with greater area of wetlands within a watershed, but was not found to be strongly related to any of the other land cover types.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2013

Measurement of the isovector axial form factor at Q{sup 2} = 0.23 (GeV/c){sup 2}

We present the preliminary value of the measurement of the parity violating asymmetry in the cross section of quasi-elastic scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons on deuteron at backward angles at Q{sup 2} = 0.23. The preliminary asymmetry is A{sub PV}{sup d}(Q{sup 2} = 0.23) = (−20.77±0.84{sub stat}±1.23{sub syst})10{sup −6}. From this value a preliminary linear combination of the G{sub M}{sup s} and the isovector axial form factor G{sub A} can be extracted G{sub A}{sup T = 1}+0.59G{sub M}{sup s} = −0.53±0.37±0.02. Combining this preliminary linear combination with that extracted from the measurement of the parity violating asymmetry on proton, already publish, it is possible to disentagle the form factors and thus we can obtain a preliminary experimental determination of the isovector axial form factor G{sub A}{sup T = 1} = −0.43±0.46.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2013

g-factor anisotropy in nanowire-based InAs quantum dots

The determination and control of the electron g-factor in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are fundamental prerequisites in modern concepts of spintronics and spin-based quantum computation. We study the dependence of the g-factor on the orientation of an external magnetic field in quantum dots (QDs) formed between two metallic contacts on stacking fault free InAs nanowires. We extract the g-factor from the splitting of Kondo resonances and find that it varies continuously in the range between |g*| = 5 and 15.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2014

Determination of g-factor in a quantum well channel with a strong Rashba effect

Using the Shubnikov−de Haas oscillation measurement, the g-factor of carriers in a strong Rashba system is observed. To determine g-factor of carriers in the InAs quantum well channel with a strong Rashba effect, the magnetic fields are simultaneously applied along the in-plane direction and the perpendicular direction. The perpendicular field drives the oscillation of conductance for measuring Rashba spin orbit interaction and the in-plane field parallel to the Rashba field interacts with Rashba effect and modifies the intrinsic Rashba parameter. The total field inside the channel is a combination of the Rashba field and the in-plane field, so the modification of Rashba parameter gives a g-factor value of ∼13 in our system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2013

Giant g-factors of natural impurities in synthetic quartz

We report the observation of g-factors of natural paramagnetic impurities in a pure synthetic quartz crystal at milli-Kelvin temperatures. Measurements are made by performing spectroscopy using multiple high-Q whispering gallery modes sustained in the crystal. Extreme sensitivity of the method at low temperatures allows the determination of natural residual impurities introduced during the crystal growth. We observe g-factors that significantly differ from integer multiples of the electron g-factor in vacuum, and with values of up to 7.6, which reveals much stronger coupling between impurities and the crystal lattice than in previous studies. Both substitutional and interstitial ions are proposed as candidates for the observed interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

The exact wavefunction factorization of a vibronic coupling system

We investigate the exact wavefunction as a single product of electronic and nuclear wavefunction for a model conical intersection system. Exact factorized spiky potentials and nodeless nuclear wavefunctions are found. The exact factorized potential preserves the symmetry breaking effect when the coupling mode is present. Additionally nodeless wavefunctions are found to be closely related to the adiabatic nuclear eigenfunctions. This phenomenon holds even for the regime where the non-adiabatic coupling is relevant, and sheds light on the relation between the exact wavefunction factorization and the adiabatic approximation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2014

High quality factor nanocrystalline diamond micromechanical resonators limited by thermoelastic damping

We demonstrate high quality factor thin-film nanocrystalline diamond micromechanical resonators with quality factors limited by thermoelastic damping. Cantilevers, single-anchored and double-anchored double-ended tuning forks, were fabricated from 2.5 μm thick in-situ boron doped nanocrystalline diamond films deposited using hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Thermal conductivity measured by time-domain thermoreflectance resulted in 24 ± 3 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} for heat transport through the thickness of the diamond film. The resonant frequencies of the fabricated resonators were 46 kHz–8 MHz and showed a maximum measured Q ≈ 86 000 at f{sub n} = 46.849 kHz. The measured Q-factors are shown to be in good agreement with the limit imposed by thermoelastic dissipation calculated using the measured thermal conductivity. The mechanical properties extracted from resonant frequency measurements indicate a Young's elastic modulus of ≈788 GPa, close to that of microcrystalline diamond.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

Unequal density effect on static structure factor of coupled electron layers

In order to understand the ordered phase, if any, in a real coupled electron layers (CEL), there is a need to take into account the effect of unequal layer density. Such phase is confirmed by a strong peak in a static structure factor. With the aid of quantum/dynamical version of Singwi, Tosi, Land and Sjölander (so-called qSTLS) approximation, we have calculated the intra- and interlayer static structure factors, S{sub ll}(q) and S{sub 12}(q), over a wide range of density parameter r{sub sl} and interlayer spacing d. In our present study, the sharp peak in S{sub 22}(q) has been found at critical density with sufficiently lower interlayer spacing. Further, to find the resultant effect of unequal density on intra- and interlayer static structure factors, we have compared our results with that of the recent CEL system with equal layer density and isolated single electron layer.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2014

Hadronic form factors in kaon photoproduction

We have revisited the effect of hadronic form factors in kaon photoproduction process by utilizing an isobaric model developed for kaon photoproduction off the proton. The model is able to reproduce the available experimental data nicely as well as to reveal the origin of the second peak in the total cross section, which was the main source of confusion for decades. Different from our previous study, in the present work we explore the possibility of using different hadronic form factors in each of the KΛN vertices. The use of different hadronic form factors, e.g. dipole, Gaussian, and generalized dipole, has been found to produce a more flexible isobar model, which can provide a significant improvement in the model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2014

Enhancing optical power of GaN-based light-emitting diodes by nanopatterning on indium tin oxide with tunable fill factor using multiple-exposure nanosphere-lens lithography

In this study, the multiple-exposure nanosphere-lens lithography method utilizing the polystyrene nanospheres with focusing behavior is investigated and introduced to fabricate diverse photonic crystals (PCs) on indium tin oxide to enhance the optical output power of GaN-based light-emitting diode (LED). Simulated results indicate that the focused light intensity decreases with increasing tilted angle due to the shadow effect introduced by adjacent nanospheres. The fill factor of nanopattern is tunable by controlling tilted angles and exposure times. To attain quadruple PC without overlapping patterns, mathematical calculation model is used to define the optimum range of tilted angles. Angular emission patterns and three-dimensional finite-difference time domain simulated results indicate that the enhanced light extraction of PC LEDs results mainly from diffused scattering effects, and the diffraction effects of PC on light extracted efficiency increase with the increase of fill factor. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the multiple PC can extract more light from GaN into air than common PC with same period and fill factor.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

Ab initio study of electron-ion structure factors in binary liquids with different types of chemical bonding

Electron-ion structure factors, calculated in ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, are reported for several binary liquids with different kinds of chemical bonding: metallic liquid alloy Bi–Pb, molten salt RbF, and liquid water. We derive analytical expressions for the long-wavelength asymptotes of the partial electron-ion structure factors of binary systems and show that the analytical results are in good agreement with the ab initio simulation data. The long-wavelength behaviour of the total charge structure factors for the three binary liquids is discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2014

Tuning the g-factor of neutral and charged excitons confined to self-assembled (Al,Ga)As shell quantum dots

We study the neutral exciton (X) and charged exciton (CX) transitions from (Al,Ga)As shell quantum dots located in core-shell nanowires, in the presence of a magnetic field. The g-factors and the diamagnetic coefficients of both the X and the CX depend on the orientation of the field with respect to the nanowire axis. The aspect ratio of the X wavefunction is quantified based on the anisotropy of the diamagnetic coefficient. For specific orientations of the magnetic field, it is possible to cancel the g-factor of the bright states of the X and the CX by means of an inversion of the sign of the hole's g-factor, which is promising for quantum information processing applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

Gallium nitride L3 photonic crystal cavities with an average quality factor of 16 900 in the near infrared

Photonic crystal point-defect cavities were fabricated in a GaN free-standing photonic crystal slab. The cavities are based on the popular L3 design, which was optimized using an automated process based on a genetic algorithm, in order to maximize the quality factor. Optical characterization of several individual cavity replicas resulted in an average unloaded quality factor Q = 16 900 at the resonant wavelength λ∼1.3 μm, with a maximal measured Q value of 22 500. The statistics of both the quality factor and the resonant wavelength are well explained by first-principles simulations including fabrication disorder and background optical absorption.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

High quality factor, fully switchable terahertz superconducting metasurface

We present a complementary THz metasurface realised with Niobium thin film which displays a quality factor Q = 54 and a fully switchable behaviour as a function of the temperature. The switching behaviour and the high quality factor are due to a careful design of the metasurface aimed at maximising the ohmic losses when the Nb is above the critical temperature and minimising the radiative coupling. The superconductor allows the operation of the cavity with high Q and the use of inductive elements with a high aspect ratio. Comparison with three dimensional finite element simulations highlights the crucial role of the inductive elements and of the kinetic inductance of the Cooper pairs in achieving the high quality factor and the high field enhancement.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2015

Longitudinal vector form factors in weak decays of nuclei

The longitudinal form factors of the weak vector current of particles with spin J = 1/2 and isospin I = 1/2 are determined by the mass difference and the charge radii of members of the isotopic doublets. The most promising reactions to measure these form factors are the reactions with large momentum transfers involving the spin-1/2 isotopic doublets with a maximum mass splitting. Numerical estimates of longitudinal form factors are given for nucleons and eight nuclear spin-1/2 isotopic doublets.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗