2,222 research outputs found
A eubacterial origin for the human tRNA nucleotidyltransferase?
tRNA CCA-termini are generated and maintained by tRNA nucleotidyltransferases. Together with poly(A) polymerases and other enzymes they belong to the nucleotidyltransferase superfamily. However, sequence alignments within this family do not allow to distinguish between CCA-adding enzymes and poly(A) polymerases. Furthermore, due to the lack of sequence information about animal CCA-adding enzymes, identification of corresponding animal genes was not possible so far. Therefore, we looked for the human homolog using the baker's yeast tRNA nucleotidyltransferase as a query sequence in a BLAST search. This revealed that the human gene transcript CGI-47, (\#AF151805) deposited in GenBank is likely to encode such an enzyme. To identify the nature of this protein, the cDNA of the transcript was cloned and the recombinant protein biochemically characterized, indicating that CGI-47 encodes a bona fide CCA-adding enzyme and not a poly(A) polymerase. This confirmed animal CCA-adding enzyme allowed us to identify putative homologs from other animals. Calculation of a neighbor-joining tree, using an alignment of several CCA-adding enzymes, revealed that the animal enzymes resemble more eubacterial ones than eukaryotic plant and fungal tRNA nucleotidyltransferases, suggesting that the animal nuclear cca genes might have been derived from the endosymbiotic progenitor of mitochondria and are therefore of eubacterial origin
Field Induced Nodal Order Parameter in the Tunneling Spectrum of YBaCuO Superconductor
We report planar tunneling measurements on thin films of
YBaCuO at various doping levels under magnetic fields. By
choosing a special setup configuration, we have probed a field induced energy
scale that dominates in the vicinity of a node of the d-wave superconducting
order parameter. We found a high doping sensitivity for this energy scale. At
Optimum doping this energy scale is in agreement with an induced
order parameter. We found that it can be followed down to low fields at optimum
doping, but not away from it.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Transition from a mixed to a pure d-wave symmetry in superconducting optimally doped YBaCuO thin films under applied fields
We have probed the Landau levels of nodal quasi-particles by tunneling along
a nodal direction of (110) oriented YBaCuO thin films with a
magnetic field applied perpendicular to the planes, and parallel to the
film's surface. In optimally doped films and at low temperature, finite energy
nodal states are clearly observed in films thinner than the London penetration
depth. Above a well defined temperature the order parameter reverts to a pure
\emph{d}-wave symmetry.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Andreev reflections on Y1-xCaxBa2Cu3O7-delta evidence for an unusual proximity effect
We have measured Andreev reflections between an Au tip and
Y_{1-x}Ca_{x}Ba_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7 - \delta} thin films in the in-plane orientation.
The conductance spectra are best fitted with a pair potential having the
"d_{x^{2}-y^{2}+is" symmetry. We find that the amplitude of the "is" component
is enhanced as the contact transparency is increased. This is an indication for
an unusual proximity effect that modifies the pair potential in the
superconductor near the surface with the normal metal.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Proximity effect in granular superconductor-normal metal structures
We fabricated three-dimensional disordered Pb-Cu granular structures, with
various metal compositions. The typical grain size of both metals is smaller
than the superconductor and normal metal coherence lengths, thus satisfying the
Cooper limit. The critical temperature of the samples was measured and compared
with the critical temperature of bilayers. We show how the proximity effect
theories, developed for bilayers, can be modified for random mixtures and we
demonstrate that our experimental data fit well the de Gennes weak coupling
limit theory in the Cooper limit. Our results indicate that, in granular
structures, the Cooper limit can be satisfied over a wide range of
concentrations.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Superconducting proximity effects in metals with a repulsive pairing interaction
Studies of the superconducting proximity effect in normal
conductor/superconductor junctions almost universally assume no
effective electron-electron coupling in the region. While such an
approximation leads to a simple description of the proximity effect, it is
unclear how it could be rigorously justified. We reveal a much more complex
picture of the proximity effect in bilayers, where is a clean s-wave
BCS superconductor and is a simple metal with a repulsive effective
electron coupling. We elucidate the proximity effect behavior using a highly
accurate method to self-consistently solve the Bogoliubov-deGennes equations.
We present our results for a wide range of values of the interface scattering,
the Fermi wave vector mismatch, the temperature, and the ratio of the
effective interaction strengths in the and region. We find that the
repulsive interaction, represented by a negative , strongly alters the
signatures of the proximity effect as can be seen in the spatial dependence of
the Cooper pair amplitude and the pair potential, as well as in the local
density of states near the interface.Comment: 12 pages, including 10 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Phase transition between d-wave and anisotropic s-wave gaps in high temperature oxides superconductors
We study models for superconductivity with two interactions: due to
antiferromagnetic(AF) fluctuations and due to phonons, in a weak coupling
approach to the high temperature superconductivity. The nature of the two
interactions are considerably different; is positive and sharply peaked
at (,) while is negative and peaked at () due to
weak phonon screening. We numerically find (a) weak BCS attraction is enough to
have high critical temperature if a van Hove anomaly is at work, (b) (AF)
is important to give d-wave superconductivity, (c) the gap order parameter
is constant(s-wave) at extremely overdope region and it
changes to anisotropic s-wave as doping is reduced, (d) there exists a first
order phase transition between d-wave and anisotropic s-wave gaps. These
results are qualitatively in agreement with preceding works; they should be
modified in the strongly underdope region by the presence of antiferromagnetic
fluctuations and ensuing AF pseudogap.Comment: 4 pages in RevTex (double column), 4 figure
Extending Interval from Seventeen to Nineteen Days in the Melengestrol Acetate - Prostaglandin Estrous Synchronization Program for Heifers
Two experiments were conducted to determine whether extending the interval between removal of melengestrol acetate (MGA) from feed and injection of prostaglandin F2α (PGF) from 17 to 19 d would affect synchronization of estrus, conception, and pregnancy rates of beef heifers. In both experiments, heifers were fed MGA for 14 d, and PGF was given at either 17 or 19 d after cessation of MGA feeding. Heifers were observed for estrus and artificially inseminated for 5 d after PGF injection.
In Exp. 1, 240 yearling heifers were randomly assigned to either a 17- or a 19-d treatment group according to estrous status and day of the estrous cycle. In Exp. 2, 1409 yearling heifers on a cooperating ranch were randomly assigned to the same two treatment groups without knowledge of estrous status. The PGF injection at 19 d (Exp. 1) caused a higher (Ph after the injection compared with heifers receiving the injection at 17 d. A greater percentage (Pd group were in the late luteal phase of the estrous cycle at the time of PGF injection compared with the heifers in the 17-d group, and pregnancy rates were higher for the heifers in the late luteal phase.
In Exp. 2, heifers injected with PGF at 19 d after MGA had a greater (Pd breeding period, and had higher (Pd (7.6%) and 50 d of breeding (5.5%), compared with heifers injected with PGF 17 d after withdrawal of MGA. These results indicate that the PGF injection given at 19 d after removal of MGA from the diet increases synchronized estrous response and results in higher pregnancy rates in heifers compared with the 17-d injection treatment
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