Mn L3,2 X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy And Magnetic Circular Dichroism In Ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)P

We have measured the X-ray absorption (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Mn L3,2 edges in ferromagnetic Ga1-xMnxP films for 0.018<x<0.042. Large XMCD asymmetries at the L3 edge indicate significant spin-polarization of the density of states at the Fermi energy. The spectral shapes of the XAS and XMCD are nearly identical with those for Ga1-xMnxAs indicating that the hybridization of Mn d states and anion p states is similar in the two materials. Finally, compensation with sulfur donors not only lowers the ferromagnetic Curie temperature but also reduces the spin polarization of the hole states.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure; To appear in the Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors (ICPS-28, Vienna, Austria, July 24-28, 2006

How Transmembrane Inner Ear (TMIE) plays role in the auditory system: A mystery to us

Different cellular mechanisms contribute to the hearing sense, so it is obvious that any disruption in such processes leads to hearing impairment that greatly influences the global economy and quality of life of the patients and their relatives. In the past two decades, transmembrane inner ear (TMIE) protein has received a great deal of research interest because its impairments cause hereditary deafness in humans. This evolutionarily conserved membrane protein contributes to a fundamental complex that plays role in the maintenance and function of the sensory hair cells. Although the critical roles of the TMIE in mechanoelectrical transduction or hearing procedures have been discussed, there are little to no review papers summarizing the roles of the TMIE in the auditory system. In order to fill this gap, herein, we discuss the important roles of this protein in the auditory system including its role in mechanotransduction, olivocochlear synapse, morphology and different signalling pathways; we also review the genotype-phenotype correlation that can per se show the possible roles of this protein in the auditory system. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Pneumococcal Gene Complex Involved in Resistance to Extracellular Oxidative Stress

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a Gram-positive bacterium which is a member of the normal human nasopharyngeal flora but can also cause serious disease such as pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis. Throughout its life cycle, S. pneumoniae is exposed to significant oxidative stress derived from endogenously produced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and from the host through the oxidative burst. How S. pneumoniae, an aerotolerant anaerobic bacterium that lacks catalase, protects itself against hydrogen peroxide stress is still unclear. Bioinformatic analysis of its genome identified a hypothetical open reading frame belonging to the thiol-specific antioxidant (TlpA/TSA) family, located in an operon consisting of three open reading frames. For all four strains tested, deletion of the gene resulted in an approximately 10-fold reduction in survival when strains were exposed to external peroxide stress. However, no role for this gene in survival of internal superoxide stress was observed. Mutagenesis and complementation analysis demonstrated that all three genes are necessary and sufficient for protection against oxidative stress. Interestingly, in a competitive index mouse pneumonia model, deletion of the operon had no impact shortly after infection but was detrimental during the later stages of disease. Thus, we have identified a gene complex involved in the protection of S. pneumoniae against external oxidative stress, which plays an important role during invasive disease.

Multiband GaNAsP Quaternary Alloys

We have synthesized GaN{sub x}As{sub 1-y}P{sub y} alloys (x {approx} 0.3-1% and y = 0-0.4) using nitrogen N ion implantation into GaAsP epilayers followed by pulsed laser melting and rapid thermal annealing techniques. As predicted by the band anticrossing model, the incorporation of N splits the conduction band (E{sub M}) of the GaAs{sub 1-y}P{sub y} substrate, and strong optical transitions from the valence band to the lower (E{sub -}) and upper (E{sub +}) conduction subbands are observed. The relative strengths of the E{sub -} and E{sub +} transition change as the localized N level E{sub N} emerges from the conduction band forming narrow intermediate band for y &gt; 0.3. The results show that GaN{sub x}As{sub 1-x-y}P{sub y} alloys with y &gt; 0.3 is a three band semiconductor alloy with potential applications for high-efficiency intermediate band solar cells