Electrical Control of Magnetization in Charge-ordered Multiferroic LuFe2O4

LuFe2O4 exhibits multiferroicity due to charge order on a frustrated triangular lattice. We find that the magnetization of LuFe2O4 in the multiferroic state can be electrically controlled by applying voltage pulses. Depending on with or without magnetic fields, the magnetization can be electrically switched up or down. We have excluded thermal heating effect and attributed this electrical control of magnetization to an intrinsic magnetoelectric coupling in response to the electrical breakdown of charge ordering. Our findings open up a new route toward electrical control of magnetization.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure

Uspostava sendvič ELISE testa za goveđi plazma PON-1 i njegova prediktivna vrijednost za masnu jetru u mliječnih krava

The aim of this study to improve the clinical diagnosis of fatty livers (FL) in dairy cows by using the paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) enzyme as a detection index. Prokaryotic expression technology was used to generate recombinant bovine PON-1 protein. Mice were immunized with this protein to generate hybridoma cells, stably secreting anti-PON-1. Cells were injected into the peritoneal cavity of mice, and ascites were purified to generate bovine PON-1 monoclonal antibody. Rabbits were then immunized with this antigen, and a polyclonal antibody against bovine PON-1 was obtained. Using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, a double-antibody sandwich ELISA for plasma PON-1 was constructed. Plasma samples were collected from healthy (n = 13) and FL (n = 13) cows, and plasma PON-1 levels were detected using the PON-1 ELISA. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to analyze correlations between PON-1 levels and FL. Results showed that the ideal working concentration of the monoclonal antibody was 0.8 mg/mL, and the quantitative detection limit was 90 ng/mL. Plasma PON-1 levels were significantly lower in FL cows, when compared with healthy animals. It is concluded that PON-1 ELISA predicts risk factors for dairy cows with FL. PON-1 levels in plasma can be used as an early warning indicator for FL and concentration of 61.87 nmol/L was identified as warning index.Cilj ovog rada bio je unaprijediti kliničku dijagnostiku masne jetre (FL) u mliječnih krava upotrebom enzima paraoksonaze-1 (PON-1) kao indeksa za otkrivanje bolesti. Primijenjena je metoda prokariotske ekspresije kako bi se proizveo rekombinantni goveđi protein PON-1. Miševi su imunizirani ovim proteinom kako bi porizveli stanice hibridoma sa stabilnim izlučivanjem anti-PON-1. Stanice su injektirane u peritonealnu šupljinu miševa te je ascites pročišćen kako bi proizveo goveđa monoklonska protutijela PON-1. Tim su antigenom imunizirani kunići te je dobiveno poliklonsko antitijelo na goveđi PON-1. Upotrebom monoklonskih i poliklonskih antitijela uspostavljen je sendvič ELISA test dva sloja antitijela za plazmatski PON-1. Uzorci plazme prikupljeni su iz zdravih krava (n = 13) i krava s masnom jetrom (n = 13), dok su razine plazmatskog PON-1 detektirane upotrebom PON-1 ELISA. Analizom ROC krivulje analizirane su korelacije između razina PON-1 i FL-a. Rezultati pokazuju da je idealna radna koncentracija monoklonskih protutijela bila 0,8 mg/mL, a kvantitativno ograničenje detekcije 90 ng/mL. Razine plazmatskog PON-1 bile su znakovito niže u krava s masnom jetrom u usporedbi sa zdravim životinjama. Zaključeno je da je PON-1 dobiven ELISA-om prediktor rizičnih čimbenika za masnu jetru u krava. Plazmatske razine PON-1 mogu poslužiti kao rani pokazatelj masne jetre, a kao upozoravajući indeks pokazala se koncentracija od 61,87 nmol/L

Optimization of Drying Process for Squid-Laver Snack by a Combined Method of Fuzzy Synthetic and Response Surface Methodology

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of drying temperature (50–70°C) and drying time (3–5 h) on the physical properties and quality of squid-laver snack (SLS) using response surface methodology combined with a synthetic evaluation method to optimize the drying process conditions. Moisture content, water activity, color (L⁎, a⁎, b⁎), shear force, and overall acceptability were evaluated as responses. Increased drying times and higher temperatures significantly reduced the moisture content and water activity of SLS from 9.07% to 4.76% and 0.136 to 0.056, respectively (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the L⁎ and a⁎ values under different drying conditions. The quadratic effect of temperature and time was observed for the b⁎ value and overall acceptability of SLS. For shear force, a quadratic and interaction term for drying temperature and time on shear force was observed. In conclusion, the recommended optimal hot air-drying conditions for SLS are temperature and time of 70°C and 3 h, respectively

Perfect crossed Andreev reflection in the proximitized graphene/superconductor/proximitized graphene junctions

We study the crossed Andreev reflection and the nonlocal transport in the proximitized graphene/supercondcutor/proximitized graphene junctions with the pseudospin staggered potential and the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. The crossed Andreev reflection with the local Andreev reflection and the elastic cotunneling being completely eliminated can be realized for the electrons with the specific spin-valley index when the intrinsic spin-orbit couplings in the left graphene and the right graphene possess the opposite sign. The perfect crossed Andreev reflection with its probability equal to $100\%$ can be obtained in the space consisting of the incident angle and the energy of the electrons. The crossed conductance and its oscillation with the superconductor length are also investigated. The energy ranges for the crossed Andreev reflection without the local Andreev reflection and the elastic cotunneling are clarified for the different magnitudes of the pseudospin potential and the spin-orbit coupling. The spin-valley index of the electrons responsible for the perfect crossed Andreev reflection can be switched by changing the sign of the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling or exchanging the biases applied on the left graphene and the right graphene. Our results are helpful for designing the flexible and high-efficiency Cooper pair splitter based on the spin-valley degree of freedom.Comment: 9 pages,4 figure

Evaluation of a root extract gel from Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) as analgesic and anti-inflammatory therapy in rheumatoid arthritis in mice

Purpose: To develop and characterize an herbal gel prepared from methanol root extract of Urtica dioica (Urticaceae) (Stinging nettle) for the treatment of arthritis in mice.Methods: A methanol root extract from Urtica dioica was prepared, and a gel was then prepared using Carbopol 934. The prepared gel was subjected to various physical tests (color, appearance, pH, texture, viscosity) and in vivo evaluation, including primary skin irritation, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory tests, in arthritic mice and compared with 2 % indomethacin gel, which was used as standard.Results: The prepared herbal gel was of light gray color with a smooth texture. It showed a pH of 7.1 and a viscosity of 21.2 cps. The gel exhibited pseudoplastic rheology, as evidenced by shear thinning with increased shear rate. It was non-irritating to the skin in primary skin irritation test in mice and showed 55.05 % inhibition of paw edema in a carrageenan-induced hind rat paw edema model, comparable to that of the standard gel (53.93 %), after 24 h. The gel showed 58.21 % analgesia, versus 61.19 % analgesia for the indomethacin gel standard in writhing test.Conclusion: The topical gel from methanol root extract of U. dioica may be an efficacious and safe alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but this requires further investigations to ascertain its safety and clinical efficacy.Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Urtica dioica, Stinging nettle, Anti-inflammatory activity, Analgesic activity, Herbal therap