Mean-field theory of the spin-1/2 transverse field Ising model with a negative thermal expansion.

A generalized spin-1/2 transverse field Ising model with a negative thermal expansion of the lattice is introduced and investigated using standard methods of statistical mechanics. Besides the volume-dependent magnetic energy, the static lattice energy, and anharmonic Einstein phonon energy are also considered in calculations. Analytic relations for the Gibbs free energy, magnetic moments, and equations of state are obtained, taking into account a simple volume dependence of all energy contributions. The ground-state and finite-temperature phase diagrams are discussed in detail for the strong and weak magneto-elastic coupling. It is clearly demonstrated that the generalized spin-1/2 transverse field Ising model exhibits a novel critical behavior, due to the strong negative expansion of the lattice, which is controlled by the strength of magneto-elastic coupling. The presented approach can be easily modified to study also other magnetic and non-magnetic crystalline models of solids.

A novel critical behavior of the spin-1 Blume-Capel model with a distance-dependent nearest-neighbor exchange interaction and magneto-elastic coupling.

A generalized spin-1 Blume-Capel model with distance/volume dependent nearest-neighbor exchange interaction is introduced and investigated using the standard methods of statistical mechanics. Besides of the volume-dependent magnetic energy, the static electromagnetic energy and anharmonic Einstein phonon contribution are also taken into account. Taking the simple volume dependence of all energy contributions we have obtained the equation of state, magnetic moment, internal and Helmholtz free energy of the system. The ground-state and finite-temperature phase diagrams are obtained and discussed in detail. Is it shown that the generalized spin-1 Blume-Capel model exhibits a novel critical behavior appearing due to magnetostriction and thermal volume variations. The presented approach is very universal and easily applicable to many other theoretical models in different fields of solid state physics.

Thermodynamic description of the Ising antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice with selective dilution by a modified pair-approximation method.

The pair-approximation method is modified in order to describe systems with geometrical frustration. The Ising antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice with selective dilution (Kaya-Berker model) is considered and a self-consistent thermodynamic description of this model is obtained. For this purpose, the Gibbs free energy as a function of temperature, concentration of magnetic atoms on the selected sublattice, and external magnetic field is derived. In particular, the phase diagram is constructed and a comparison of different methods is presented. The thermodynamic quantities are discussed in the context of their physical validity, and the improvement in the description introduced by the modified method is emphasized.

Exact results of a generalized Wu model with two- and four-spin interactions.

The mixed spin-1/2 and spin-S(B) Ising model with two- and four-spin interactions on the honeycomb lattice is studied by the use of a generalized star-triangle transformation. The exact results for the phase diagrams, magnetization, correlation functions, internal energy, specific heat, and quadrupolar susceptibility are obtained and discussed.

Measurement of different forms of tissue plasminogen activator in plasma.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated assays to measure both total tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and the three principle forms of tPA in plasma: active tPA, tPA complexed with plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), and tPA complexed with C1-inhibitor. METHODS: Active tPA was measured by use of an indirect amidolytic assay and immunofunctional assays. tPA/PAI-1, tPA/C1-inhibitor, and total tPA antigen were measured by use of microtiter plates coated with anti-tPA antibodies and, respectively, anti-PAI-1, anti-C1-inhibitor, and anti-tPA antibodies conjugated to peroxidase. RESULTS: The immunofunctional tPA assay detected 1 U/L (0.001 U/mL) tPA and recovered 108% +/- 12% of active tPA added to samples containing high (mean, 60 000 IU/L) PAI-1 activities vs a detection limit of 10 U/L (0.01 U/mL) and 13% +/- 25% recovery for the indirect amidolytic tPA activity assay. For measurement of tPA/PAI-1 complex, polyclonal anti-PAI-1 conjugates recovered 112% +/- 20% of the expected tPA/PAI-1 vs recovery of only 38% +/- 16% when monoclonal anti-PAI-1 conjugates were used. Of three methods tested, two total tPA antigen assays correlated well (r(2) = 0.85) and showed recoveries near 100%, whereas the third method showed lower correlations, higher intercepts, and falsely high recovery. A single anti-tPA capture antibody that performed the best in the individual assay evaluations was used to measure the different forms of tPA in 22 samples with a range of tPA and PAI-1 values. The sum of the molar concentrations of active tPA, tPA/PAI-1, and tPA/C1-inhibitor using the optimized methods was equal to 94% +/- 7% of measured total tPA. CONCLUSION: Optimized assays based on a single anti-tPA capture antibody can be used to accurately measure the major forms of tPA in plasma.