Study of the effect of properties of material on vacuum breakdown initiated by laser radiation

In this work, the effect of various properties of materials on vacuum breakdown initiated by laser radiation is considered. Estimating calculations are performed which show that the material of the target electrode distinctly affects the minimum energy of laser radiation needed for igniting a vacuum spark. The experimental studies carried out confirm the estimating calculations, and a number of materials are revealed which can be arranged in order of increase in the energy needed for the formation of breakdown in vacuum by the impact of a laser pulse.     

Force Chain Characteristics and Effects of a Dense Granular Flow System in a Third Body Interface During the Shear Dilatancy Process

In order to investigate the characteristics of force chains in a granular flow system, a parallel plate shear cell is constructed to simulate the shear movement of an infinite parallel plate and observe variations in relevant parameters. The shear dilatancy process is divided into three stages, namely, plastic strain, macroscopic failure, and granular recombination. The stickslip phenomenon is highly connected with the evolution of force chains during the shear dilatancy process. The load–distribution rate curves and patterns of the force chains are utilized to describe the load-carrying behaviors and morphologic changes of force chains separately. Force chains, namely, “diagonal gridding,” “tadpole-shaped,” and “pinnate” are defined according to the form of the force chains in the corresponding three stages.     

Molecular dynamics study of cluster structure and rotational wave properties in solid-state nanostructures

Molecular dynamics simulation was performed to study the formation of cluster structure, interfaces, and surfaces with different curvature radii in a perfect nanocrystal passed through by a nonlinear wave. It is shown that this process is a type of nanostructure self-organization in response to an external energy flux with subsequent development of a strong rotational field.     

Formation and pharmacological activity of silicon—chitosan-containing glycerohydrogels obtained by biomimetic mineralization

The biomimetic sol—gel synthesis of silicon—chitosan-containing glycerohydrogels was carried out using silicon tetraglycerolate as a precursor. It was found that chitosan accelerates gel formation in weakly acidic media. In more acidic media, the kinetics of the process changes according to the curve with a maximum, which can be attributed to different mechanisms of silanol condensation before and after the isoelectric point. The investigated silicon—chitosan-containing glycerohydrogels exhibit antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activity. The synthesized hybrid glycerohydrogels are promising materials for biomedical applications.     

Wimp searches with gamma rays in the Fermi era: Challenges,methods and results

The launch of the gamma-ray telescope Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) started a pivotal period in indirect detection of dark matter. By outperforming expectations, for the first time a robust and stringent test of the paradigm of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) is within reach. In this paper, we discuss astrophysical targets for WIMP detection and the challenges they present, review the analysis tools which have been employed to tackle these challenges, and summarize the status of constraints on and the claimed detections in the WIMP parameter space. Methods and results will be discussed in comparison to Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes. We also provide an outlook on short term and longer term developments.     

Fatigue life enhancement by irradiation of 12Cr1MoV steel with a Zr<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion beam. Mesoscale deformation and fracture

The structure and properties of 12Cr1MoV steel irradiated with a zirconium ion beam were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and micro- and nanoindentation. It is shown that the modification covers the entire cross-section of the irradiated specimens to a depth of 1 mm. The data on irradiation-induced structural changes are used to interpret the changes in mechanical properties of the irradiated specimens under static and cyclic loading. Particular attention is given to analysis of strain estimation by the digital image correlation method.     

Synthesis of a disaccharide of phenolic glycolipid from Mycobacterium leprae (PGL-I) and its conjugates with bovine serum albumin

Russian Chemical Bulletin - Terminal disaccharide fragment of phenolic glycolipid from Mycobacterium leprae (PGL-I) was synthesized as a glycoside with 4-(2-aminoethoxy)phenyl aglycon. The obtained...