Probing the quantum behavior of a nanomechanical resonator coupled to a double quantum dot

Author name used in this publication: Shi-Hua Ouyang2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Seebeck Effect in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Creating temperature gradients in magnetic nanostructures has resulted in a new research direction, i.e., the combination of magneto- and thermoelectric effects. Here, we demonstrate the observation of one important effect of this class: the magneto-Seebeck effect. It is observed when a magnetic configuration changes the charge based Seebeck coefficient. In particular, the Seebeck coefficient changes during the transition from a parallel to an antiparallel magnetic configuration in a tunnel junction. In that respect, it is the analog to the tunneling magnetoresistance. The Seebeck coefficients in parallel and antiparallel configuration are in the order of the voltages known from the charge-Seebeck effect. The size and sign of the effect can be controlled by the composition of the electrodes' atomic layers adjacent to the barrier and the temperature. Experimentally, we realized 8.8 % magneto-Seebeck effect, which results from a voltage change of about -8.7 {\mu}V/K from the antiparallel to the parallel direction close to the predicted value of -12.1 {\mu}V/K.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, 2 table

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells do not enhance intra-synovial tendon healing despite engraftment and homing to niches within the synovium

Intra-synovial tendon injuries display poor healing, which often results in reduced functionality and pain. A lack of effective therapeutic options has led to experimental approaches to augment natural tendon repair with autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) although the effects of the intra-synovial environment on the distribution, engraftment and functionality of implanted MSCs is not known. This study utilised a novel sheep model which, although in an anatomically different location, more accurately mimics the mechanical and synovial environment of the human rotator cuff, to determine the effects of intra-synovial implantation of MSCs

Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Dogs with Mammary Tumors: Short and Long Fragments and Integrity Index

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been considered an interesting diagnostic/prognostic plasma biomarker in tumor-bearing subjects. In cancer patients, cfDNA can hypothetically derive from tumor necrosis/apoptosis, lysed circulating cells, and some yet unrevealed mechanisms of active release. This study aimed to preliminarily analyze cfDNA in dogs with canine mammary tumors (CMTs). Forty-four neoplastic, 17 non-neoplastic disease-bearing, and 15 healthy dogs were recruited. Necrosis and apoptosis were also assessed as potential source of cfDNA on 78 CMTs diagnosed from the 44 dogs. The cfDNA fragments and integrity index significantly differentiated neoplastic versus non-neoplastic dogs (P<0.05), and allowed the distinction between benign and malignant lesions (P<0.05). Even if without statistical significance, the amount of cfDNA was also affected by tumor necrosis and correlated with tumor size and apoptotic markers expression. A significant (P<0.01) increase of Bcl-2 in malignant tumors was observed, and in metastatic CMTs the evasion of apoptosis was also suggested. This study, therefore, provides evidence that cfDNA could be a diagnostic marker in dogs carrying mammary nodules suggesting that its potential application in early diagnostic procedures should be further investigated

BosR (BB0647) Controls the RpoN-RpoS Regulatory Pathway and Virulence Expression in Borrelia burgdorferi by a Novel DNA-Binding Mechanism

In Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the Lyme disease spirochete, the alternative σ factor σ54 (RpoN) directly activates transcription of another alternative σ factor, σS (RpoS) which, in turn, controls the expression of virulence-associated membrane lipoproteins. As is customary in σ54-dependent gene control, a putative NtrC-like enhancer-binding protein, Rrp2, is required to activate the RpoN-RpoS pathway. However, recently it was found that rpoS transcription in Bb also requires another regulator, BosR, which was previously designated as a Fur or PerR homolog. Given this unexpected requirement for a second activator to promote σ54-dependent gene transcription, and the fact that regulatory mechanisms among similar species of pathogenic bacteria can be strain-specific, we sought to confirm the regulatory role of BosR in a second virulent strain (strain 297) of Bb. Indeed, BosR displayed the same influence over lipoprotein expression and mammalian infectivity for strain Bb 297 that were previously noted for Bb strain B31. We subsequently found that recombinant BosR (rBosR) bound to the rpoS gene at three distinct sites, and that binding occurred despite the absence of consensus Fur or Per boxes. This led to the identification of a novel direct repeat sequence (TAAATTAAAT) critical for rBosR binding in vitro. Mutations in the repeat sequence markedly inhibited or abolished rBosR binding. Taken together, our studies provide new mechanistic insights into how BosR likely acts directly on rpoS as a positive transcriptional activator. Additional novelty is engendered by the facts that, although BosR is a Fur or PerR homolog and it contains zinc (like Fur and PerR), it has other unique features that clearly set it apart from these other regulators. Our findings also have broader implications regarding a previously unappreciated layer of control that can be involved in σ54–dependent gene regulation in bacteria

Nitrogen Level Changes the Interactions between a Native (Scirpus triqueter) and an Exotic Species (Spartina anglica) in Coastal China

The exotic species Spartina anglica, introduced from Europe in 1963, has been experiencing a decline in the past decade in coastal China, but the reasons for the decline are still not clear. It is hypothesized that competition with the native species Scirpus triqueter may have played an important role in the decline due to niche overlap in the field. We measured biomass, leaf number and area, asexual reproduction and relative neighborhood effect (RNE) of the two species in both monoculture and mixture under three nitrogen levels (control, low and high). S. anglica showed significantly lower biomass accumulation, leaf number and asexual reproduction in mixture than in monoculture. The inter- and intra-specific RNE of S. anglica were all positive, and the inter-specific RNE was significantly higher than the intra-specific RNE in the control. For S. triqueter, inter- and intra-specific RNE were negative at the high nitrogen level but positive in the control and at the low nitrogen level. This indicates that S. triqueter exerted an asymmetric competitive advantage over S. anglica in the control and low nitrogen conditions; however, S. anglica facilitated growth of S. triqueter in high nitrogen conditions. Nitrogen level changed the interactions between the two species because S. triqueter better tolerated low nitrogen. Since S. anglica is increasingly confined to upper, more nitrogen-limited marsh areas in coastal China, increased competition from S. triqueter may help explain its decline

Properties of Graphene: A Theoretical Perspective

In this review, we provide an in-depth description of the physics of monolayer and bilayer graphene from a theorist's perspective. We discuss the physical properties of graphene in an external magnetic field, reflecting the chiral nature of the quasiparticles near the Dirac point with a Landau level at zero energy. We address the unique integer quantum Hall effects, the role of electron correlations, and the recent observation of the fractional quantum Hall effect in the monolayer graphene. The quantum Hall effect in bilayer graphene is fundamentally different from that of a monolayer, reflecting the unique band structure of this system. The theory of transport in the absence of an external magnetic field is discussed in detail, along with the role of disorder studied in various theoretical models. We highlight the differences and similarities between monolayer and bilayer graphene, and focus on thermodynamic properties such as the compressibility, the plasmon spectra, the weak localization correction, quantum Hall effect, and optical properties. Confinement of electrons in graphene is nontrivial due to Klein tunneling. We review various theoretical and experimental studies of quantum confined structures made from graphene. The band structure of graphene nanoribbons and the role of the sublattice symmetry, edge geometry and the size of the nanoribbon on the electronic and magnetic properties are very active areas of research, and a detailed review of these topics is presented. Also, the effects of substrate interactions, adsorbed atoms, lattice defects and doping on the band structure of finite-sized graphene systems are discussed. We also include a brief description of graphane -- gapped material obtained from graphene by attaching hydrogen atoms to each carbon atom in the lattice.Comment: 189 pages. submitted in Advances in Physic

Measurement of azimuthal asymmetries in inclusive charged dipion production in e+e−e^+e^- annihilations at s\sqrt{s} = 3.65 GeV

We present a measurement of the azimuthal asymmetries of two charged pions in the inclusive process $e^+e^-\rightarrow \pi\pi X$ based on a data set of 62 $\rm{pb}^{-1}$ at the center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=3.65$ GeV collected with the BESIII detector. These asymmetries can be attributed to the Collins fragmentation function. We observe a nonzero asymmetry, which increases with increasing pion momentum. As our energy scale is close to that of the existing semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering experimental data, the measured asymmetries are important inputs for the global analysis of extracting the quark transversity distribution inside the nucleon and are valuable to explore the energy evolution of the spin-dependent fragmentation function.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Study of D+→K−π+e+νeD^{+} \to K^{-} \pi^+ e^+ \nu_e

We present an analysis of the decay $D^{+} \to K^{-} \pi^+ e^+ \nu_e$ based on data collected by the BESIII experiment at the $\psi(3770)$ resonance. Using a nearly background-free sample of 18262 events, we measure the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(D^{+} \to K^{-} \pi^+ e^+ \nu_e) = (3.71 \pm 0.03 \pm 0.08)\%$. For $0.8<m_{K\pi}<1.0$ GeV/$c^{2}$ the partial branching fraction is $\mathcal{B}(D^{+} \to K^{-} \pi^+ e^+ \nu_e)_{[0.8,1]} = (3.33 \pm 0.03 \pm 0.07)\%$. A partial wave analysis shows that the dominant $\bar K^{*}(892)^{0}$ component is accompanied by an \emph{S}-wave contribution accounting for $(6.05\pm0.22\pm0.18)\%$ of the total rate and that other components are negligible. The parameters of the $\bar K^{*}(892)^{0}$ resonance and of the form factors based on the spectroscopic pole dominance predictions are also measured. We also present a measurement of the $\bar K^{*}(892)^{0}$ helicity basis form factors in a model-independent way.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Study of J/ψJ/\psi and ψ(3686)→Σ(1385)0Σˉ(1385)0\psi(3686)\rightarrow\Sigma(1385)^{0}\bar\Sigma(1385)^{0} and Ξ0Ξˉ0\Xi^0\bar\Xi^{0}

We study the decays of $J/\psi$ and $\psi(3686)$ to the final states $\Sigma(1385)^{0}\bar\Sigma(1385)^{0}$ and $\Xi^0\bar\Xi^{0}$ based on a single baryon tag method using data samples of $(1310.6 \pm 7.0) \times 10^{6}$ $J/\psi$ and $(447.9 \pm 2.9) \times 10^{6}$ $\psi(3686)$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decays to $\Sigma(1385)^{0}\bar\Sigma(1385)^{0}$ are observed for the first time. The measured branching fractions of $J/\psi$ and $\psi(3686)\rightarrow\Xi^0\bar\Xi^{0}$ are in good agreement with, and much more precise, than the previously published results. The angular parameters for these decays are also measured for the first time. The measured angular decay parameter for $J/\psi\rightarrow\Sigma(1385)^{0}\bar\Sigma(1385)^{0}$, $\alpha =-0.64 \pm 0.03 \pm 0.10$, is found to be negative, different to the other decay processes in this measurement. In addition, the "12\% rule" and isospin symmetry in the $J/\psi$ and $\psi(3686)\rightarrow\Xi\bar\Xi$ and $\Sigma(1385)\bar{\Sigma}(1385)$ systems are tested.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. This version is consistent with paper published in Phys.Lett. B770 (2017) 217-22