Interplay among critical temperature, hole content, and pressure in the cuprate superconductors

Within a BCS-type mean-field approach to the extended Hubbard model, a nontrivial dependence of T_c on the hole content per unit CuO_2 is recovered, in good agreement with the celebrated non-monotonic universal behaviour at normal pressure. Evaluation of T_c at higher pressures is then made possible by the introduction of an explicit dependence of the tight-binding band and of the carrier concentration on pressure P. Comparison with the known experimental data for underdoped Bi2212 allows to single out an `intrinsic' contribution to d T_c / d P from that due to the carrier concentration, and provides a remarkable estimate of the dependence of the inter-site coupling strength on the lattice scale.Comment: REVTeX 8 pages, including 5 embedded PostScript figures; other required macros included; to be published in Phys. Rev. B (vol. 54

Proximity-Coupled CuO₂ Planes in High-<i>T</i>_c Superconductors: Evidence from Pressure Experiments up to 34 GPa on Y₂Ba₄Cu₇O_15.32

The Tc of superconducting Y₂Ba₄Cu₇O₁₅.₃₂ is measured up to a pressure of 33.7 GPa. After an initial increase from 95 K to 101.7 K a decrease down to 26.6 K is found, with a clear kink at 22 GPa. We demonstrate that Y₂Ba₄Cu₇O₁₅.₃₂ behaves as a multilayer of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and YBa₂Cu₄O₈ building blocks coupled via the proximity effect. These data are not consistent with the idea that the coupling of two adjacent CuO₂ planes is necessary for superconductivity

High Fat Diet Increases Circulating Endocannabinoids Accompanied by Increased Synthesis Enzymes in Adipose Tissue

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) controls energy balance by regulating both energy intake and energy expenditure. Endocannabinoid levels are elevated in obesity suggesting a potential causal relationship. This study aimed to elucidate the rate of dysregulation of the ECS, and the metabolic organs involved, in diet-induced obesity. Eight groups of age-matched male C57Bl/6J mice were randomized to receive a chow diet (control) or receive a high fat diet (HFD, 45% of calories derived from fat) ranging from 1 day up to 18 weeks before euthanasia. Plasma levels of the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine, AEA), and related N-acylethanolamines, were quantified by UPLC-MS/MS and gene expression of components of the ECS was determined in liver, muscle, white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) during the course of diet-induced obesity development. HFD feeding gradually increased 2-AG (+132% within 4 weeks, P Daglα and β in WAT and BAT. HFD also rapidly increased AEA (+81% within 1 week, P Nape-pld, specifically in BAT. Interestingly, Nape-pld expression in BAT correlated with plasma AEA levels (R2 = 0.171, β = 0.276, P < 0.001). We conclude that a HFD rapidly activates adipose tissue depots to increase the synthesis pathways of endocannabinoids that may aggravate the development of HFD-induced obesity..Analytical BioScience