150 research outputs found
Fluctuation-dissipation theorem and flux noise in overdamped Josephson junction arrays
The form of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem for a resistively shunted
Josephson juction array is derived with the help of the method which
explicitely takes into acoount screening effects. This result is used to
express the flux noise power spectrum in terms of frequency dependent sheet
impedance of the array. The relation between noise amplitude and parameters of
the detection coil is analysed for the simplest case of a single-loop coil.Comment: ReVTeX, 8 page
Width of the Zero-Field Superconducting Resistive Transition in the Vicinity of the Localization Threshold
Resistive superconducting zero-field transition in amorphous In-O films in
states from the vicinity of the insulator-superconductor transition is analyzed
in terms of two characteristic temperatures: the upper one, , where the
finite amplitude of the order parameter is established and the lower one,
, where the phase ordering takes place. It follows from the
magnetoresistance measurements that the resistance in between, ,
cannot be ascribed to dissipation by thermally dissociated vortex pairs. So, it
is not Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii transition that happens at .Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Mode-locking in ac-driven vortex lattices with random pinning
We find mode-locking steps in simulated current-voltage characteristics of
ac-driven vortex lattices with {\it random} pinning. For low frequencies there
is mode-locking above a finite ac force amplitude, while for large frequencies
there is mode-locking for any small ac force. This is correlated with the
nature of temporal order in the different regimes in the absence of ac drive.
The mode-locked state is a frozen solid pinned in the moving reference of
frame, and the depinning from the step shows plastic flow and hysteresis.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Mode-locking in driven vortex lattices with transverse ac-drive and random pinning
We find mode-locking steps in simulated current-voltage characteristics of
driven vortex lattices with {\it random} pinning when an applied ac-current is
{\it perpendicular} to the dc-current. For low frequencies there is
mode-locking only above a non-zero threshold ac force amplitude, while for
large frequencies there is mode-locking for any small ac force. This is
consistent with the nature of {\it transverse} temporal order in the different
regimes in the absence of an applied ac-drive. For large frequencies the
magnitude of the fundamental mode-locked step depends linearly with the ac
force amplitude.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, .tar.gz fil
Dynamic ordering and frustration of confined vortex rows studied by mode-locking experiments
The flow properties of confined vortex matter driven through disordered
mesoscopic channels are investigated by mode locking (ML) experiments. The
observed ML effects allow to trace the evolution of both the structure and the
number of confined rows and their match to the channel width as function of
magnetic field. From a detailed analysis of the ML behavior for the case of
3-rows we obtain ({\it i}) the pinning frequency , ({\it ii}) the onset
frequency for ML ( ordering velocity) and ({\it iii}) the
fraction of coherently moving 3-row regions in the channel. The
field dependence of these quantities shows that, at matching, where is
maximum, the pinning strength is small and the ordering velocity is low, while
at mismatch, where is small, both the pinning force and the ordering
velocity are enhanced. Further, we find that , consistent
with the dynamic ordering theory of Koshelev and Vinokur. The microscopic
nature of the flow and the ordering phenomena will also be discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure, submitted to PRB. Discussion has been improved
and a figure has been adde
GRP78 Mediates Cell Growth and Invasiveness in Endometrial Cancer.
Abstract
Recent studies have indicated that endoplasmic reticulum stress, the unfolded protein response activation and altered GRP78 expression can play an important role in a variety of tumors development and progression. Very recently we reported for the first time that GRP78 is increased in endometrial tumors. However, whether GRP78 could play a role in the growth and/or invasiveness of endometrial cancer cells is still unknown. Here we report that the silencing of GRP78 expression affects both cell growth and invasiveness of Ishikawa and AN3CA cells, analyzed by the (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and transwell migration assay, respectively. At variance with Ishikawa cells, AN3CA cells showed, besides an endoplasmic reticulum, also a plasma membrane GRP78 localization, evidenced by both immunofluorescence and cell membrane biotinylation experiments. Intriguingly, flow cytometry experiments showed that the treatment with a specific antibody targeting GRP78 C-terminal domain caused apoptosis in AN3CA but not in Ishikawa cells. Induction of apoptosis in AN3CA cells was not mediated by the p53 pathway activation but was rather associated to reduced AKT phosphorylation. Interestingly, immunofluorescence analysis evidenced that endometrioid adenocarcinoma tissues displayed, similarly to AN3CA cells, also a GRP78 plasma membrane localization. These data suggest that GRP78 and its plasma membrane localization, might play a role in endometrial cancer development and progression and might constitute a novel target for the treatment of endometrial cancer
Adenoviral gene transfer of PLD1-D4 enhances insulin sensitivity in mice by disrupting phospholipase D1 interaction with PED/PEA-15.
Over-expression of phosphoprotein enriched in diabetes/phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes (PED/PEA-15) causes insulin resistance by interacting with the D4 domain of phospholipase D1 (PLD1). Indeed, the disruption of this association restores insulin sensitivity in cultured cells over-expressing PED/PEA-15. Whether the displacement of PLD1 from PED/PEA-15 improves insulin sensitivity in vivo has not been explored yet. In this work we show that treatment with a recombinant adenoviral vector containing the human D4 cDNA (Ad-D4) restores normal glucose homeostasis in transgenic mice overexpressing PED/PEA-15 (Tg ped/pea-15) by improving both insulin sensitivity and secretion. In skeletal muscle of these mice, D4 over-expression inhibited PED/PEA-15-PLD1 interaction, decreased Protein Kinase C alpha activation and restored insulin induced Protein Kinase C zeta activation, leading to amelioration of insulin-dependent glucose uptake. Interestingly, Ad-D4 administration improved insulin sensitivity also in high-fat diet treated obese C57Bl/6 mice. We conclude that PED/PEA-15-PLD1 interaction may represent a novel target for interventions aiming at improving glucose tolerance
Rectification and Phase Locking for Particles on Two Dimensional Periodic Substrates
We show that a novel rectification phenomena is possible for overdamped
particles interacting with a 2D periodic substrate and driven with a
longitudinal DC drive and a circular AC drive. As a function of DC amplitude,
the longitudinal velocity increases in a series of quantized steps with
transverse rectification occuring near these transitions. We present a simple
model that captures the quantization and rectification behaviors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 postscript figure
The Superconducting Transition Temperatures of Fe1+xSe1--y, Fe1+xSe1--yTey and (K/Rb/Cs)zFe2--xSe2
In a recent contribution to this journal, it was shown that the transition
temperatures of optimal high-Tc compounds obey the algebraic relation, Tc0 =
kB-1{\beta}/\ell{\zeta}, where \ell is related to the mean spacing between
interacting charges in the layers, {\zeta} is the distance between interacting
electronic layers, {\beta} is a universal constant and kB is Boltzmann's
constant. The equation was derived assuming pairing based on interlayer Coulomb
interactions between physically separated charges. This theory was initially
validated for 31 compounds from five different high-Tc families (within an
accuracy of \pm1.37 K). Herein we report the addition of Fe1+xSe1-y and
Fe1+xSe1-yTey (both optimized under pressure) and AzFe2-xSe2 (for A = K, Rb, or
Cs) to the growing list of Coulomb-mediated superconducting compounds in which
Tc0 is determined by the above equation. Doping in these materials is
accomplished through the introduction of excess Fe and/or Se deficiency, or a
combination of alkali metal and Fe vacancies. Consequently, a very small number
of vacancies or interstitials can induce a superconducting state with a
substantial transition temperature. The confirmation of the above equation for
these Se-based Fe chalcogenides increases to six the number of superconducting
families for which the transition temperature can be accurately predicted.Comment: 16 pages, 54 references 3 figures 1 tabl
Temperature dependence and mechanisms for vortex pinning by periodic arrays of Ni dots in Nb films
Pinning interactions between superconducting vortices in Nb and magnetic Ni
dots were studied as a function of current and temperature to clarify the
nature of pinning mechanisms. A strong current dependence is found for a square
array of dots, with a temperature dependent optimum current for the observation
of periodic pinning, that decreases with temperature as (1-T/Tc)3/2. This same
temperature dependence is found for the critical current at the first matching
field with a rectangular array of dots. The analysis of these results allows to
narrow the possible pinning mechanisms to a combination of two: the interaction
between the vortex and the magnetic moment of the dot and the proximity effect.
Moreover, for the rectangular dot array, the temperature dependence of the
crossover between the low field regime with a rectangular vortex lattice to the
high field regime with a square configuration has been studied. It is found
that the crossover field increases with decreasing temperature. This dependence
indicates a change in the balance between elastic and pinning energies,
associated with dynamical effects of the vortex lattice in the high field
range.Comment: 12 text pages (revtex), 6 figures (1st jpeg, 2nd-6th postscript)
accepted in Physical Review
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