385 research outputs found
A Bragg glass phase in the vortex lattice of a type II superconductor
Although crystals are usually quite stable, they are sensitive to a
disordered environment: even an infinitesimal amount of impurities can lead to
the destruction of the crystalline order. The resulting state of matter has
been a longstanding puzzle. Until recently it was believed to be an amorphous
state in which the crystal would break into crystallites. But a different
theory predicts the existence of a novel phase of matter: the so-called Bragg
glass, which is a glass and yet nearly as ordered as a perfect crystal. The
lattice of vortices that can contain magnetic flux in type II superconductors
provide a good system to investigate these ideas. Here we show that neutron
diffraction data of the vortex lattice in type II superconductors provides
unambiguous evidence for a weak, power-law decay of the crystalline order
characteristic of a Bragg glass. The theory also predicts accurately the
electrical transport properties of superconductors; it naturally explains the
observed phase transition and the dramatic jumps in the critical current
associated with the melting of the Bragg glass. Moreover the model explains
experiments as diverse as X-ray scattering in disordered liquid crystals and
conductivity of electronic crystals.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
An extragalactic supernebula confined by gravity
Little is known about the origins of the giant star clusters known as
globular clusters. How can hundreds of thousands of stars form simultaneously
in a volume only a few light years across the distance of the sun to its
nearest neighbor? Radiation pressure and winds from luminous young stars should
disperse the star-forming gas and disrupt the formation of the cluster.
Globular clusters in our Galaxy cannot provide answers; they are billions of
years old. Here we report the measurement of infrared hydrogen recombination
lines from a young, forming super star cluster in the dwarf galaxy, NGC 5253.
The lines arise in gas heated by a cluster of an estimated million stars, so
young that it is still enshrouded in gas and dust, hidden from optical view. We
verify that the cluster contains 4000-6000 massive, hot "O" stars. Our
discovery that the gases within the cluster are bound by gravity may explain
why these windy and luminous O stars have not yet blown away the gases to allow
the cluster to emerge from its birth cocoon. Young clusters in "starbursting"
galaxies in the local and distant universe may be similarly gravitationally
confined and cloaked from view.Comment: Letter to Natur
Evidence of Andreev bound states as a hallmark of the FFLO phase in -(BEDT-TTF)Cu(NCS)
Superconductivity is a quantum phenomena arising, in its simplest form, from
pairing of fermions with opposite spin into a state with zero net momentum.
Whether superconductivity can occur in fermionic systems with unequal number of
two species distinguished by spin, atomic hyperfine states, flavor, presents an
important open question in condensed matter, cold atoms, and quantum
chromodynamics, physics. In the former case the imbalance between spin-up and
spin-down electrons forming the Cooper pairs is indyced by the magnetic field.
Nearly fifty years ago Fulde, Ferrell, Larkin and Ovchinnikov (FFLO) proposed
that such imbalanced system can lead to exotic superconductivity in which pairs
acquire finite momentum. The finite pair momentum leads to spatially
inhomogeneous state consisting of of a periodic alternation of "normal" and
"superconducting" regions. Here, we report nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
measurements providing microscopic evidence for the existence of this new
superconducting state through the observation of spin-polarized quasiparticles
forming so-called Andreev bound states.Comment: 6 pages, 5 fig
Molecular Cloning of a New Immunomodulatory Protein from Anoectochilus formosanus which Induces B Cell IgM Secretion through a T-Independent Mechanism
An immunomodulatory protein (IPAF) was purified and cloned from Anoectochilus formosanus, an Orchidaceae herbal plant in Asia. The major targeting immune cells of IPAF and its modulating effects toward B lymphocytes were investigated. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was conducted to clone the IPAF gene, and the obtained sequence was BLAST compared on the NCBI database. MACS-purified mouse T and B lymphocytes were stimulated with IPAF and the cell proliferation, activation, and Igs production were examined. IPAF comprised a 25 amino acids signal peptide and a 138 amino acids protein which was homologous to the lectins from Orchidaceae plant. IPAF selectively induced the cell proliferation in mouse splenic B lymphocytes but not T lymphocytes. The IPAF-induced B cells exhibited increased CD69 and MHC class II expression, and a dose- and time-dependent enhancement in IgM production. These results suggested potential benefits of IPAF to strengthen the humoral immunity
Spin-Imbalance in a One-Dimensional Fermi Gas
Superconductivity and magnetism generally do not coexist. Changing the
relative number of up and down spin electrons disrupts the basic mechanism of
superconductivity, where atoms of opposite momentum and spin form Cooper pairs.
Nearly forty years ago Fulde and Ferrell and Larkin and Ovchinnikov proposed an
exotic pairing mechanism (FFLO) where magnetism is accommodated by formation of
pairs with finite momentum. Despite intense theoretical and experimental
efforts, however, polarized superconductivity remains largely elusive. Here we
report experimental measurements of density profiles of a two spin mixture of
ultracold 6Li atoms trapped in an array of one dimensional (1D) tubes, a system
analogous to electrons in 1D wires. At finite spin imbalance, the system phase
separates with an inverted phase profile in comparison to the three-dimensional
case. In 1D we find a partially polarized core surrounded by wings composed of
either a completely paired BCS superfluid or a fully polarized Fermi gas,
depending on the degree of polarization. Our observations are in quantitative
agreement with theoretical calculations in which the partially polarized phase
is found to be a 1D analogue of the FFLO state. This study demonstrates how
ultracold atomic gases in 1D may be used to create non-trivial new phases of
matter, and also paves the way for direct observation and further study of the
FFLO phase.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figure
Turnip mosaic potyvirus probably first spread to Eurasian brassica crops from wild orchids about 1000 years ago
Turnip mosaic potyvirus (TuMV) is probably the most widespread and damaging virus that infects cultivated brassicas worldwide. Previous work has indicated that the virus originated in western Eurasia, with all of its closest relatives being viruses of monocotyledonous plants. Here we report that we have identified a sister lineage of TuMV-like potyviruses (TuMV-OM) from European orchids. The isolates of TuMV-OM form a monophyletic sister lineage to the brassica-infecting TuMVs (TuMV-BIs), and are nested within a clade of monocotyledon-infecting viruses. Extensive host-range tests showed that all of the TuMV-OMs are biologically similar to, but distinct from, TuMV-BIs and do not readily infect brassicas. We conclude that it is more likely that TuMV evolved from a TuMV-OM-like ancestor than the reverse. We did Bayesian coalescent analyses using a combination of novel and published sequence data from four TuMV genes [helper component-proteinase protein (HC-Pro), protein 3(P3), nuclear inclusion b protein (NIb), and coat protein (CP)]. Three genes (HC-Pro, P3, and NIb), but not the CP gene, gave results indicating that the TuMV-BI viruses diverged from TuMV-OMs around 1000 years ago. Only 150 years later, the four lineages of the present global population of TuMV-BIs diverged from one another. These dates are congruent with historical records of the spread of agriculture in Western Europe. From about 1200 years ago, there was a warming of the climate, and agriculture and the human population of the region greatly increased. Farming replaced woodlands, fostering viruses and aphid vectors that could invade the crops, which included several brassica cultivars and weeds. Later, starting 500 years ago, inter-continental maritime trade probably spread the TuMV-BIs to the remainder of the world
Assessing Internet addiction using the parsimonious Internet addiction components model - a preliminary study [forthcoming]
Internet usage has grown exponentially over the last decade. Research indicates that excessive Internet use can lead to symptoms associated with addiction. To date, assessment of potential Internet addiction has varied regarding populations studied and instruments used, making reliable prevalence estimations difficult. To overcome the present problems a preliminary study was conducted testing a parsimonious Internet addiction components model based on Griffiths’ addiction components (2005), including salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse. Two validated measures of Internet addiction were used (Compulsive Internet Use Scale [CIUS], Meerkerk et al., 2009, and Assessment for Internet and Computer Game Addiction Scale [AICA-S], Beutel et al., 2010) in two independent samples (ns = 3,105 and 2,257). The fit of the model was analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results indicate that the Internet addiction components model fits the data in both samples well. The two sample/two instrument approach provides converging evidence concerning the degree to which the components model can organize the self-reported behavioural components of Internet addiction. Recommendations for future research include a more detailed assessment of tolerance as addiction component
Wheat-barley hybridization – the last forty years
Abstract Several useful alien gene transfers have
been reported from related species into wheat (Triticum
aestivum), but very few publications have dealt
with the development of wheat/barley (Hordeum
vulgare) introgression lines. An overview is given
here of wheat 9 barley hybridization over the last
forty years, including the development of
wheat 9 barley hybrids, and of addition and translocation
lines with various barley cultivars. A short
summary is also given of the wheat 9 barley hybrids
produced with other Hordeum species. The meiotic
pairing behaviour of wheat 9 barley hybrids is presented,
with special regard to the detection of wheat–
barley homoeologous pairing using the molecular
cytogenetic technique GISH. The effect of in vitro
multiplication on the genome composition of intergeneric
hybrids is discussed, and the production and
characterization of the latest wheat/barley translocation
lines are presented. An overview of the agronomical
traits (b-glucan content, earliness, salt tolerance,
sprouting resistance, etc.) of the newly developed
introgression lines is given. The exploitation and
possible use of wheat/barley introgression lines for
the most up-to-date molecular genetic studies
(transcriptome analysis, sequencing of flow-sorted
chromosomes) are also discussed
Identification of Antifreeze Proteins and Their Functional Residues by Support Vector Machine and Genetic Algorithms based on n-Peptide Compositions
For the first time, multiple sets of n-peptide compositions from antifreeze protein (AFP) sequences of various cold-adapted fish and insects were analyzed using support vector machine and genetic algorithms. The identification of AFPs is difficult because they exist as evolutionarily divergent types, and because their sequences and structures are present in limited numbers in currently available databases. Our results reveal that it is feasible to identify the shared sequential features among the various structural types of AFPs. Moreover, we were able to identify residues involved in ice binding without requiring knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of these AFPs. This approach should be useful for genomic and proteomic studies involving cold-adapted organisms
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