175 research outputs found
Magnetic and electric phase control in epitaxial EuTiO from first principles
We propose a design strategy - based on the coupling of spins, optical
phonons, and strain - for systems in which magnetic (electric) phase control
can be achieved by an applied electric (magnetic) field. Using first-principles
density-functional theory calculations, we present a realization of this
strategy for the magnetic perovskite EuTiO.Comment: Significantly revised for clarit
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Identification of a carbohydrate-based endothelial ligand for a lymphocyte homing receptor.
Lymphocyte attachment to high endothelial venules within lymph nodes is mediated by the peripheral lymph node homing receptor (pnHR), originally defined on mouse lymphocytes by the MEL-14 mAb. The pnHR is a calcium-dependent lectin-like receptor, a member of the LEC-CAM family of adhesion proteins. Here, using a soluble recombinant form of the homing receptor, we have identified an endothelial ligand for the pnHR as an approximately 50-kD sulfated, fucosylated, and sialylated glycoprotein, which we designate Sgp50 (sulfated glycoprotein of 50 kD). Recombinant receptor binding to this lymph node-specific glycoprotein requires calcium and is inhibitable by specific carbohydrates and by MEL-14 mAb. Sialylation of the component is required for binding. Additionally, the glycoprotein is precipitated by MECA-79, an adhesion-blocking mAb reactive with lymph node HEV. A related glycoprotein of approximately 90 kD (designated as Sgp90) is also identified
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A homing receptor-IgG chimera as a probe for adhesive ligands of lymph node high endothelial venules.
The binding of lymphocytes to high endothelial venules (HEV) within peripheral lymph nodes (pln) is thought to be mediated by a lectinlike adhesion molecule termed the pln homing receptor (pln HR). The cloning and sequencing of cDNAs encoding both murine and human pln HR revealed that these adhesion molecules contain protein motifs that are homologous to C-type or calcium dependent lectin domains as well as to epidermal growth factor (egf) and complement-regulatory protein domains. We have produced a novel, antibody-like form of the murine HR by joining the extracellular region of the receptor to a human IgG heavy chain. This antibody-like molecule is capable of recognizing carbohydrates, blocking the binding of lymphocytes to pln HEV, and serving as a histochemical reagent for the staining of pln HEV. This murine HR-IgG chimera should prove useful in analyzing the distribution of the HR ligand(s) in normal as well as in inflammatory states
Broken parity and a chiral ground state in the frustrated magnet CdCr2O4
We present a model describing the lattice distortion and incommensurate
magnetic order in the spinel CdCr2O4, a good realization of the Heisenberg
"pyrochlore" antiferromagnet. The magnetic frustration is relieved through the
spin-Peierls distortion of the lattice involving a phonon doublet with odd
parity. The distortion stablizes a collinear magnetic order with the
propagation wavevector q=2\pi(0,0,1). The lack of inversion symmetry makes the
crystal structure chiral. The handedness is transferred to magnetic order by
the relativistic spin-orbit coupling: the collinear state is twisted into a
long spiral with the spins in the ac plane and q shifted to 2\pi(0,\delta,1).Comment: Incremental changes in response to referee report
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The complement binding-like domains of the murine homing receptor facilitate lectin activity.
The leukocyte homing receptor (HR), the endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule, and gmp140/platelet activation-dependent granule membrane protein are members of a family of adhesion molecules, termed the lectin cell adhesion molecules (LEC-CAMS) which are unified by a multi-domain structure containing a lectin motif, an epidermal growth factor-like (egf) motif, and variable numbers of a complement binding-like (CB) motif. Previous data have indicated a predominant role for the lectin motif in cell adhesion directed by the LEC-CAMS, although the egf-like domain of the HR may also play a potential role in cell binding. While the role(s) of the CB domains in the LEC-CAMS is currently not understood, they have been hypothesized to act as rigid spacers or stalks for lectin and perhaps, egf domain presentation. In this paper, we analyze the functional characteristics of murine HR-IgG chimeras containing the lectin, lectin plus egf, and lectin plus egf plus CB domains. The Mel 14 mAb, an adhesion blocking antibody which recognizes a conformational determinant in the N-terminus of the HR lectin domain, shows a significantly decreased affinity for a HR construct which lacks the CB motifs, consistent with the possibility that the CB domains are involved with lectin domain structure. In agreement with this conjecture, HR mutants lacking the CB domains show a profound decrease in lectin-specific interaction with the carbohydrate polyphosphomannan ester, suggesting that the changes in Mel 14 affinity for the lectin domain are reflected in lectin functionality. Various assays investigating the interactions between the HR deletion mutants and the peripheral lymph node high endothelium, including cell blocking, immunohistochemical staining, and radioactively labeled ligand binding, all showed that removal of the CB domains results in a lack of HR adhesive function. These results imply that the CB domains of the HR, and, by analogy, the other members of the LEC-CAM family, may play important structural roles involving induction of lectin domain conformation and resultant functionality
Strain-induced ferroelectricity in CaTiO from first principles
First principles calculations are used to investigate the effects of
epitaxial strain on the structure of the perovskite oxide CaTiO, with
particular focus on the stabilization of a ferroelectric phase related to a
polar instability hidden in the orthorhombic equilibrium bulk structure
but found in previous first-principles studies of the ideal cubic perovskite
high-symmetry reference structure. At 1.5% strain, we find an epitaxial
orientation transition between the - phase, favored for compressive
strains, and the - phase. For larger tensile strains, a polar
instability develops in the - phase and an epitaxial-strain-induced
ferroelectric phase is obtained with polarization along a direction
with respect to the primitive perovskite lattice vectors of the square
substrate.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Interplay of Spin-Orbit Interactions, Dimensionality, and Octahedral Rotations in Semimetallic SrIrO
We employ reactive molecular-beam epitaxy to synthesize the metastable
perovskite SrIrO and utilize {\it in situ} angle-resolved photoemission
to reveal its electronic structure as an exotic narrow-band semimetal. We
discover remarkably narrow bands which originate from a confluence of strong
spin-orbit interactions, dimensionality, and both in- and out-of-plane IrO
octahedral rotations. The partial occupation of numerous bands with strongly
mixed orbital characters signals the breakdown of the single-band Mott picture
that characterizes its insulating two-dimensional counterpart,
SrIrO, illustrating the power of structure-property relations for
manipulating the subtle balance between spin-orbit interactions and
electron-electron interactions
Electric-field switchable magnetization via the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction: FeTiO_3 versus BiFeO_3
In this article we review and discuss a mechanism for coupling between
electric polarization and magnetization that can ultimately lead to
electric-field switchable magnetization. The basic idea is that a ferroelectric
distortion in an antiferromagnetic material can "switch on" the
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction which leads to a canting of the
antiferromagnetic sublattice magnetizations, and thus to a net magnetization.
This magnetization M is coupled to the polarization P via a trilinear free
energy contribution of the form P(M x L), where L is the antiferromagnetic
order parameter. In particular, we discuss why such an invariant is present in
R3c FeTiO_3 but not in the isostructural multiferroic BiFeO_3. Finally, we
construct symmetry groups that in general allow for this kind of
ferroelectrically-induced weak ferromagnetism.Comment: 15 pages, 3 images, to appear in J. Phys: Condens. Matter Focus Issue
on Multiferroic
Blockade of the mental nerve for lower lip surgery as a safe alternative to general anesthesia in two very old patients
Purpose: Regional anesthesia is gaining popularity with anesthesiologists as it offers superb postoperative analgesia. However, as the sole anesthetic technique in high-risk patients in whom general anesthesia is not preferred, some regional anesthetic possibilities may be easily overlooked. By presenting two cases of very old patients with considerable comorbidities, we would like to bring the mental nerve field block under renewed attention as a safe alternative to general anesthesia and to achieve broader application of this simple nerve block. Patients and methods: Two very old male patients(84 and 91 years) both presented with an ulcerative lesion at the lower lip for which surgical removal was scheduled. Because of their considerable comorbidities and increased frailty, bilateral blockade of the mental nerve was considered superior to general anesthesia. As an additional advantage for the 84-year-old patient, who had a pneumonectomy in his medical history, the procedure could be safely performed in a beach-chair position to prevent atelectasis and optimize the ventilation/perfusion ratio of the single lung. The mental nerve blockades were performed intraorally in a blind fashion, after eversion of the lip and identifying the lower canine. A 5 mL syringe with a 23-gauge needle attached was passed into the buccal mucosa until it approximated the mental foramen, where 2 mL of lidocaine 2% with adrenaline 1:100.000 was injected. The other side was anesthetized in a similar fashion. Results: Both patients underwent the surgical procedure uneventfully under a bilateral mental nerve block and were discharged from the hospital on the same day. Conclusion: A mental nerve block is an easy-to-perform regional anesthetic technique for lower lip surgery. This technique might be especially advantageous in the very old, frail patient
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