129 research outputs found
Local moment formation in zinc doped cuprates
We suggest that when zinc is substituted for copper in the copper oxide
planes of high superconductors, it does not necessarily have a valency
of 2+. Rather, the valency of a zinc impurity should be determined by its
surrounding medium. In order to study this hypothesis, we examine the effect of
static impurities inducing diagonal disorder within a one band Hubbard model
coupled to a localised state. We use this model to discuss the physics of zinc
doping in the cuprates. Specifically, we discuss the formation of local moments
near impurity sites and the modification of the transverse spin susceptibility
in the antiferromagnetic state.Comment: 7 pages RevTex, includes 4 figure
Electronic Structure of Te and As Covered Si(211)
Electronic and atomic structures of the clean, and As and Te covered Si(211)
surface are studied using pseudopotential density functional method. The clean
surface is found to have (2 X 1) and rebonded (1 X 1) reconstructions as stable
surface structures, but no \pi-bonded chain reconstruction. Binding energies of
As and Te adatoms at a number of symmetry sites on the ideal and (2 X 1)
reconstructed surfaces have been calculated because of their importance in the
epitaxial growth of CdTe and other materials on the Si(211) surface. The
special symmetry sites on these surfaces having the highest binding energies
for isolated As and Te adatoms are identified. But more significantly, several
sites are found to be nearly degenerate in binding energy values. This has
important consequences for epitaxial growth processes. Optimal structures
calculated for 0.5 ML of As and Te coverage reveal that the As adatoms dimerize
on the surface while the Te adatoms do not. However, both As and Te covered
surfaces are found to be metallic in nature.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
T cell-prolymphocytic leukemia detected in a patient of breast cancer at the time of recurrence: a case report
Two-dimensional Vortices in Superconductors
Superconductors have two key characteristics. They expel magnetic field and
they conduct electrical current with zero resistance. However, both properties
are compromised in high magnetic fields which can penetrate the material and
create a mixed state of quantized vortices. The vortices move in response to an
electrical current dissipating energy which destroys the zero resistance
state\cite{And64}. One of the central problems for applications of high
temperature superconductivity is the stabilization of vortices to ensure zero
electrical resistance. We find that vortices in the anisotropic superconductor
BiSrCaCuO (Bi-2212) have a phase transition from
a liquid state, which is inherently unstable, to a two-dimensional vortex
solid. We show that at high field the transition temperature is independent of
magnetic field, as was predicted theoretically for the melting of an ideal
two-dimensional vortex lattice\cite{Fis80,Gla91}. Our results indicate that the
stable solid phase can be reached at any field as may be necessary for
applications involving superconducting magnets\cite{Has04,Sca04,COHMAG}. The
vortex solid is disordered, as suggested by previous studies at lower
fields\cite{Lee93,Cub93}. But its evolution with increasing magnetic field
displays unexpected threshold behavior that needs further investigation.Comment: 5 pages and 4 figures. submitted to Nature Physic
The FKBP52 Cochaperone Acts in Synergy with β-Catenin to Potentiate Androgen Receptor Signaling
FKBP52 and β-catenin have emerged in recent years as attractive targets for prostate cancer treatment. β-catenin interacts directly with the androgen receptor (AR) and has been characterized as a co-activator of AR-mediated transcription. FKBP52 is a positive regulator of AR in cellular and whole animal models and is required for the development of androgendependent tissues. We previously characterized an AR inhibitor termed MJC13 that putatively targets the AR BF3 surface to specifically inhibit FKBP52-regulated AR signaling. Predictive modeling suggests that β-catenin interacts with the AR hormone binding domain on a surface that overlaps with BF3. Here we demonstrate that FKBP52 and β-catenin interact directly in vitro and act in concert to promote a synergistic up-regulation of both hormone-independent and -dependent AR signaling. Our data demonstrate that FKBP52 promotes β-catenin interaction with AR and is required for β-catenin co-activation of AR activity in prostate cancer cells. MJC13 effectively blocks β-catenin interaction with the AR LBD and the synergistic up-regulation of AR by FKBP52 and β-catenin. Our data suggest that co-regulation of AR by FKBP52 and β-catenin does not require FKBP52 PPIase catalytic activity, nor FKBP52 binding to Hsp90. However, the FKBP52 proline-rich loop that overhangs the PPIase pocket is critical for synerg
Amino Acid Compositions of 27 Food Fishes and Their Importance in Clinical Nutrition
Proteins and amino acids are important biomolecules which regulate key metabolic pathways and serve as precursors for synthesis
of biologically important substances; moreover, amino acids are building blocks of proteins. Fish is an important dietary source of
quality animal proteins and amino acids and play important role in human nutrition. In the present investigation, crude protein
content and amino acid compositions of important food fishes from different habitats have been studied. Crude protein content
was determined by Kjeldahl method and amino acid composition was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography and
information on 27 food fishes was generated. The analysis showed that the cold water species are rich in lysine and aspartic acid,
marine fishes in leucine, small indigenous fishes in histidine, and the carps and catfishes in glutamic acid and glycine. The enriched
nutrition knowledge base would enhance the utility of fish as a source of quality animal proteins and amino acids and aid in their
inclusion in dietary counseling and patient guidance for specific nutritional needs
Aqueous extract of Terminalia arjuna prevents carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic and renal disorders
BACKGROUND: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) is a well-known hepatotoxin and exposure to this chemical is known to induce oxidative stress and causes liver injury by the formation of free radicals. Acute and chronic renal damage are also very common pathophysiologic disturbances caused by CCl(4). The present study has been conducted to evaluate the protective role of the aqueous extract of the bark of Termnalia arjuna (TA), an important Indian medicinal plant widely used in the preparation of ayurvedic formulations, on CCl(4 )induced oxidative stress and resultant dysfunction in the livers and kidneys of mice. METHODS: Animals were pretreated with the aqueous extract of TA (50 mg/kg body weight) for one week and then challenged with CCl(4 )(1 ml/kg body weight) in liquid paraffin (1:1, v/v) for 2 days. Serum marker enzymes, namely, glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were estimated in the sera of all study groups. Antioxidant status in both the liver and kidney tissues were estimated by determining the activities of the antioxidative enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST); as well as by determining the levels of thiobarbutaric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH). In addition, free radical scavenging activity of the extract was determined from its DPPH radical quenching ability. RESULTS: Results showed that CCl(4 )caused a marked rise in serum levels of GPT and ALP. TBARS level was also increased significantly whereas GSH, SOD, CAT and GST levels were decreased in the liver and kidney tissue homogenates of CCl(4 )treated mice. Aqueous extract of TA successfully prevented the alterations of these effects in the experimental animals. Data also showed that the extract possessed strong free radical scavenging activity comparable to that of vitamin C. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that the aqueous extract of the bark of TA could protect the liver and kidney tissues against CCl(4)-induced oxidative stress probably by increasing antioxidative defense activities
Phage Therapy and Photodynamic Therapy: Low Environmental Impact Approaches to Inactivate Microorganisms in Fish Farming Plants
Owing to the increasing importance of aquaculture to compensate for the progressive worldwide reduction of natural fish and to the fact that several fish farming plants often suffer from heavy financial losses due to the development of infections caused by microbial pathogens, including multidrug resistant bacteria, more environmentally-friendly strategies to control fish infections are urgently needed to make the aquaculture industry more sustainable. The aim of this review is to briefly present the typical fish farming diseases and their threats and discuss the present state of chemotherapy to inactivate microorganisms in fish farming plants as well as to examine the new environmentally friendly approaches to control fish infection namely phage therapy and photodynamic antimicrobial therapy
Theory of propagation of light through cylindrically symmetric multimode optical fibres: the WKB approximation
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