231 research outputs found
A single transcription factor is sufficient to induce and maintain secretory cell architecture
We hypothesized that basic helixâloopâhelix (bHLH) MIST1 (BHLHA15) is a âscaling factorâ that universally establishes secretory morphology in cells that perform regulated secretion. Here, we show that targeted deletion of MIST1 caused dismantling of the secretory apparatus of diverse exocrine cells. Parietal cells (PCs), whose function is to pump acid into the stomach, normally lack MIST1 and do not perform regulated secretion. Forced expression of MIST1 in PCs caused them to expand their apical cytoplasm, rearrange mitochondrial/lysosome trafficking, and generate large secretory granules. Mist1 induced a cohort of genes regulated by MIST1 in multiple organs but did not affect PC function. MIST1 bound CATATG/CAGCTG E boxes in the first intron of genes that regulate autophagosome/lysosomal degradation, mitochondrial trafficking, and amino acid metabolism. Similar alterations in cell architecture and gene expression were also caused by ectopically inducing MIST1 in vivo in hepatocytes. Thus, MIST1 is a scaling factor necessary and sufficient by itself to induce and maintain secretory cell architecture. Our results indicate that, whereas mature cell types in each organ may have unique developmental origins, cells performing similar physiological functions throughout the body share similar transcription factor-mediated architectural âblueprints.
Vortex in a d-wave superconductor at low temperatures
A systematic perturbation theory is developed to describe the magnetic
field-induced subdominant - and -wave order parameters in the mixed
state of a -wave superconductor, enabling us to obtain, within
weak-coupling BCS theory, analytic results for the free energy of a d-wave
superconductor in an applied magnetic field H_{c1}\ltsim H\ll H_{c2} from
down to very low temperatures. Known results for a single isolated vortex
in the Ginzburg-Landau regime are recovered, and the behavior at low
temperatures for the subdominant component is shown to be qualitatively
different. In the case of subdominant pair component, superfluid
velocity gradients and an orbital Zeeman effect are shown to compete in
determining the vortex state, but for realistic field strengths the latter
appears to be irrelevant. On this basis, we argue that recent predictions of a
low-temperature phase transition in connection with recent thermal conductivity
measurements are unlikely to be correct.Comment: 20 RevTEX pages, 6 EPS figures; considerably expanded versio
Adjusting aggregation modes and photophysical and photovoltaic properties of diketopyrrolopyrrole-based small molecules by introducing BâN bonds
The packing mode of small-molecular semiconductors in thin films is an important factor that controls the performance of their optoelectronic devices. Designing and changing the packing mode by molecular engineering is challenging. Three structurally related diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based compounds were synthesized to study the effect of replacing CâC bonds by isoelectronic dipolar BâN bonds. By replacing one of the bridging CâC bonds on the peripheral fluorene units of the DPP molecules by a coordinative BâN bond and changing the BâN bond orientation, the optical absorption, fluorescence, and excited-state lifetime of the compounds can be tuned. The substitution alters the preferential aggregation of the molecules in the solid state from H-type (for CâC) to J-type (for BâN). Introducing BâN bonds thus provides a subtle way of controlling the packing mode. The photovoltaic properties of the compounds were evaluated in bulk heterojunctions with a fullerene acceptor and showed moderate performance as a consequence of suboptimal morphologies, bimolecular recombination, and triplet-state formation
Statistical Determination of Bulk Flow Motions
We present here a new parameterization for the bulk motions of galaxies and
clusters (in the linear regime) that can be measured statistically from the
shape and amplitude of the two-dimensional two-point correlation function. We
further propose the one-dimensional velocity dispersion (v_p) of the bulk flow
as a complementary measure of redshift-space distortions, which is
model-independent and not dependent on the normalisation method. As a
demonstration, we have applied our new methodology to the C4 cluster catalogue
constructed from Data Release Three (DR3) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We
find v_p=270^{+433}km/s (also consistent with v_p=0) for this cluster sample
(at z=0.1), which is in agreement with that predicted for a WMAP5-normalised
LCDM model (i.e., v_p(LCDM=203km/s). This measurement does not lend support to
recent claims of excessive bulk motions (\simeq1000 km/s) which appear in
conflict with LCDM, although our large statistical error cannot rule them out.
From the measured coherent evolution of v_p, we develop a technique to
re-construct the perturbed potential, as well as estimating the unbiased matter
density fluctuations and scale--independent bias.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
A step towards testing general relativity using weak gravitational lensing and redshift surveys
Using the linear theory of perturbations in General Relativity, we express a
set of consistency relations that can be observationally tested with current
and future large scale structure surveys. We then outline a stringent
model-independent program to test gravity on cosmological scales. We illustrate
the feasibility of such a program by jointly using several observables like
peculiar velocities, galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing. After
addressing possible observational or astrophysical caveats like galaxy bias and
redshift uncertainties, we forecast in particular how well one can predict the
lensing signal from a cosmic shear survey using an over-lapping galaxy survey.
We finally discuss the specific physics probed this way and illustrate how
gravity models would fail such a test.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Base cations and micronutrients in soil aggregates as affected by enhanced nitrogen and water inputs in a semi-arid steppe grassland
The intensification of grassland management by nitrogen (N) fertilization and irrigation may threaten the future integrity of fragile semi-arid steppe ecosystems by affecting the concentrations of base cation and micronutrient in soils. We extracted base cations of exchangeable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), and sodium (Na) and extractable micronutrients of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) from three soil aggregate sizes classes (microaggregates, 2 mm) from a 9-year N and water field manipulation study. There were significantly more base cations (but not micronutrients) in microaggregates compared to macroaggregates which was related to greater soil organic matter and clay contents. Nitrogen addition significantly decreased exchangeable Ca by up to 33% in large and small macroaggregates and exchangeable Mg by up to 27% in three aggregates but significantly increased extractable Fe, Mn and Cu concentrations (by up to 262%, 150%, and 55%, respectively) in all aggregate size classes. However, water addition only increased exchangeable Na, while available Fe and Mn were decreased by water addition when averaging across all N treatments and aggregate classes. The loss of exchangeable Ca and Mg under N addition and extractable Fe and Mn in soil aggregates under water addition might potentially constrain the productivity of this semi-arid grassland ecosystem
Resultant pressure distribution pattern along the basilar membrane in the spiral shaped cochlea
Cochlea is an important auditory organ in the inner ear. In most mammals, it
is coiled as a spiral. Whether this specific shape influences hearing is still
an open problem. By employing a three dimensional fluid model of the cochlea
with an idealized geometry, the influence of the spiral geometry of the cochlea
is examined. We obtain solutions of the model through a conformal
transformation in a long-wave approximation. Our results show that the net
pressure acting on the basilar membrane is not uniform along its spanwise
direction. Also, it is shown that the location of the maximum of the spanwise
pressure difference in the axial direction has a mode dependence. In the
simplest pattern, the present result is consistent with the previous theory
based on the WKB-like approximation [D. Manoussaki, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96,
088701(2006)]. In this mode, the pressure difference in the spanwise direction
is a monotonic function of the distance from the apex and the normal velocity
across the channel width is zero. Thus in the lowest order approximation, we
can neglect the existance of the Reissner's membrane in the upper channel.
However, higher responsive modes show different behavior and, thus, the real
maximum is expected to be located not exactly at the apex, but at a position
determined by the spiral geometry of the cochlea and the width of the cochlear
duct. In these modes, the spanwise normal velocities are not zero. Thus, it
indicates that one should take into account of the detailed geometry of the
cochlear duct for a more quantitative result. The present result clearly
demonstrates that not only the spiral geometry, but also the geometry of the
cochlear duct play decisive roles in distributing the wave energy.Comment: 21 pages. (to appear in J. Biol. Phys.
Fractionalization patterns in strongly correlated electron systems: Spin-charge separation and beyond
We discuss possible patterns of electron fractionalization in strongly
interacting electron systems. A popular possibility is one in which the charge
of the electron has been liberated from its Fermi statistics. Such a
fractionalized phase contains in it the seed of superconductivity. Another
possibility occurs when the spin of the electron, rather than its charge, is
liberated from its Fermi statistics. Such a phase contains in it the seed of
magnetism, rather than superconductivity. We consider models in which both of
these phases occur and study possible phase transitions between them. We
describe other fractionalized phases, distinct from these, in which fractions
of the electron themselves fractionalize, and discuss the topological
characterization of such phases. These ideas are illustrated with specific
models of p-wave superconductors, Kondo lattices, and coexistence between
d-wave superconductivity and antiferromagnetism.Comment: 28 pages, 11 fig
How Photogenerated I<sub>2</sub> Induces I-Rich Phase Formation in Lead Mixed Halide Perovskites
Bandgap tunability of lead mixed halide perovskites (LMHPs) is a crucial characteristic for versatile optoelectronic applications. Nevertheless, LMHPs show the formation of iodide-rich (I-rich) phase under illumination, which destabilizes the semiconductor bandgap and impedes their exploitation. Here, it is shown that how I2, photogenerated upon charge carrier trapping at iodine interstitials in LMHPs, can promote the formation of I-rich phase. I2 can react with bromide (Brâ) in the perovskite to form a trihalide ion I2Brâ (IÎŽâ-IÎŽ+-BrÎŽâ), whose negatively charged iodide (IÎŽâ) can further exchange with another lattice Brâ to form the I-rich phase. Importantly, it is observed that the effectiveness of the process is dependent on the overall stability of the crystalline perovskite structure. Therefore, the bandgap instability in LMHPs is governed by two factors, i.e., the density of native defects leading to I2 production and the Brâ binding strength within the crystalline unit. Eventually, this study provides rules for the design of chemical composition in LMHPs to reach their full potential for optoelectronic devices.</p
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
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