Matrix Adhesion Polarizes Heart Progenitor Induction In The Invertebrate Chordate Ciona Intestinalis

Cell-matrix adhesion strongly influences developmental signaling. Resulting impacts on cell migration and tissue morphogenesis are well characterized. However, the in vivo impact of adhesion on fate induction remains ambiguous. Here, we employ the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis to delineate an essential in vivo role for matrix adhesion in heart progenitor induction. In Ciona pre-cardiac founder cells, invasion of the underlying epidermis promotes localized induction of the heart progenitor lineage. We found that these epidermal invasions are associated with matrix adhesion along the pre-cardiac cell/epidermal boundary. Through targeted manipulations of RAP GTPase activity, we were able to manipulate pre-cardiac cell-matrix adhesion. Targeted disruption of pre-cardiac cell-matrix adhesion blocked heart progenitor induction. Conversely, increased matrix adhesion generated expanded induction. We were also able to selectively restore cell-matrix adhesion and heart progenitor induction through targeted expression of Ci-Integrin β2. These results indicate that matrix adhesion functions as a necessary and sufficient extrinsic cue for regional heart progenitor induction. Furthermore, time-lapse imaging suggests that cytokinesis acts as an intrinsic temporal regulator of heart progenitor adhesion and induction. Our findings highlight a potentially conserved role for matrix adhesion in early steps of vertebrate heart progenitor specification

Tables of maximum likelihood estimating functions for singly truncated and singly censored samples from the normal distribution

Tables of maximum likelihood estimating functions for singly truncated and singly censored samples from normal distributio

Significant enhancement of irreversibility field in clean-limit bulk MgB2

Low resistivity ("clean") MgB2 bulk samples annealed in Mg vapor show an increase in upper critical field Hc2(T) and irreversibility field Hirr(T) by a factor of 2 in both transport and magnetic measurements. The best sample displayed Hirr above 14 T at 4.2 K and 6 T at 20 K. These changes were accompanied by an increase of the 40 K resistivity from 1.0 to 18 microohm-cm and a lowering of the resistivity ratio from 15 to 3, while the critical temperature Tc decreased by only 1-2 K. These results point the way to make prepare MgB2 attractive for magnet applications.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letter

Non-linear effect of uniaxial pressure on superconductivity in CeCoIn5

We study single-crystal CeCoIn5 with uniaxial pressure up to 3.97 kbar applied along the c-axis. We find a non-linear dependence of the superconducting transition temperature Tc on pressure, with a maximum close to 2 kbar. The transition also broadens significantly as pressure increases. We discuss the temperature dependence in terms of the general trend that Tc decreases in anisotropic heavy-fermion compounds as they move towards three-dimensional behavior.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Magnetic field induced lattice anomaly inside the superconducting state of CeCoIn5_5: evidence of the proposed Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state

We report high magnetic field linear magnetostriction experiments on CeCoIn$_5$ single crystals. Two features are remarkable: (i) a sharp discontinuity in all the crystallographic axes associated with the upper superconducting critical field $B_{c2}$ that becomes less pronounced as the temperature increases; (ii) a distinctive second order-like feature observed only along the c-axis in the high field (10 T $\lesssim B \leq B_{c2}$) low temperature ($T \lesssim$ 0.35 K) region. This second order transition is observed only when the magnetic field lies within 20$^o$ of the ab-planes and there is no signature of it above $B_{c2}$, which raises questions regarding its interpretation as a field induced magnetically ordered phase. Good agreement with previous results suggests that this anomaly is related to the transition to the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting state.Comment: 3 figures, 5 page

Uncovering the Hidden Order in URu2Si2 by Impurity Doping

We report the use of impurities to probe the hidden order parameter of the strongly correlated metal URu_2Si_2 below the transition temperature T_0 ~ 17.5 K. The nature of this order parameter has eluded researchers for more than two decades, but is accompanied by the development of a partial gap in the single particle density of states that can be detected through measurements of the electronic specific heat and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate. We find that impurities in the hidden order phase give rise to local patches of antiferromagnetism. An analysis of the coupling between the antiferromagnetism and the hidden order reveals that the former is not a competing order parameter but rather a parasitic effect of the latter.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Diameter quality control of Nb3Sn wires for MQXF cables in the USA

The 0.850 ± 0.003 mm Nb3Sn wires for the low-beta quadrupole magnets 'MQXFA' procured for the U.S. LHC Accelerator R&D Program (LARP) and the U.S. High Luminosity LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project (US HL-LHC AUP, or simply AUP) are received at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). There, the wires are respooled and then fabricated into Rutherford cables for winding coils. As part of the quality control program, AUP obtains from the wire manufacturer values of the maximum, average, minimum, and standard deviation of the two orthogonal axes, which are assessed prior to shipment approval. At LBNL, a dual-axis optical micrometer is used to measure the wire diameter of each spool every ∼30 cm prior to cabling. This helps decide whether wire pieces with abnormal diameters should be distributed across the cable cross section, in order to improve cable parameter quality and mechanical stability consistency. This paper presents: 1) diameter data of LARP cables and of the first AUP cables made using wires acquired under LARP; 2) our deviation acceptance/rejection justification; and 3) the impact of wire diameter statistics on cable fabrication

Gravity localization on thick branes: a numerical approach

We introduce a numerical procedure to investigate the spectrum of massive modes and its contribution for gravity localization on thick branes. After considering a model with an analytically known Schroedinger potential, we present the method and discuss its applicability. With this procedure we can study several models even when the Schroedinger potential is not known analytically. We discuss both the occurrence of localization of gravity and the correction to the Newtonian potential given by the massive modes.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figure