1,100 research outputs found
Ferromagnetic resonance force microscopy on a thin permalloy film
Ferromagnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (FMRFM) offers a means of performing
local ferromagnetic resonance. We have studied the evolution of the FMRFM force
spectra in a continuous 50 nm thick permalloy film as a function of probe-film
distance and performed numerical simulations of the intensity of the FMRFM
probe-film interaction force, accounting for the presence of the localized
strongly nonuniform magnetic field of the FMRFM probe magnet. Excellent
agreement between the experimental data and the simulation results provides
insight into the mechanism of FMR mode excitation in an FMRFM experiment.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Mid-Infrared Ethane Emission on Neptune and Uranus
We report 8- to 13-micron spectral observations of Neptune and Uranus from
the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility spanning more than a decade. The
spectroscopic data indicate a steady increase in Neptune's mean atmospheric
12-micron ethane emission from 1985 to 2003, followed by a slight decrease in
2004. The simplest explanation for the intensity variation is an increase in
stratospheric effective temperature from 155 +/- 3 K in 1985 to 176 +/- 3 K in
2003 (an average rate of 1.2 K/year), and subsequent decrease to 165 +/- 3 K in
2004. We also detected variation of the overall spectral structure of the
ethane band, specifically an apparent absorption structure in the central
portion of the band; this structure arises from coarse spectral sampling
coupled with a non-uniform response function within the detector elements. We
also report a probable direct detection of ethane emission on Uranus. The
deduced peak mole fraction is approximately an order of magnitude higher than
previous upper limits for Uranus. The model fit suggests an effective
temperature of 114 +/- 3 K for the globally-averaged stratosphere of Uranus,
which is consistent with recent measurements indicative of seasonal variation.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 16 pages, 10 figures, 2 table
SFTA2 - a novel secretory peptide highly expressed in the lung - is modulated by lipopolysaccharide but not hyperoxia
Tissue-specific transcripts are likely to be of importance for the corresponding organ. While attempting to define the specific transcriptome of the human lung, we identified the transcript of a yet uncharacterized protein, SFTA2. In silico analyses, biochemical methods, fluorescence imaging and animal challenge experiments were employed to characterize SFTA2. Human SFTA2 is located on Chr. 6p21.33, a disease-susceptibility locus for diffuse panbronchiolitis. RT-PCR verified the abundance of SFTA2-specific transcripts in human and mouse lung. SFTA2 is synthesized as a hydrophilic precursor releasing a 59 amino acid mature peptide after cleavage of an N-terminal secretory signal. SFTA2 has no recognizable homology to other proteins while orthologues are present in all mammals. SFTA2 is a glycosylated protein and specifically expressed in nonciliated bronchiolar epithelium and type II pneumocytes. In accordance with other hydrophilic surfactant proteins, SFTA2 did not colocalize with lamellar bodies but colocalized with golgin97 and clathrin-labelled vesicles, suggesting a classical secretory pathway for its expression and secretion. In the mouse lung, Sfta2 was significantly downregulated after induction of an inflammatory reaction by intratracheal lipopolysaccharides paralleling surfactant proteins B and C but not D. Hyperoxia, however, did not alter SFTA2 mRNA levels. We have characterized SFTA2 and present it as a novel unique secretory peptide highly expressed in the lung
Self-field effects upon the critical current density of flat superconducting strips
We develop a general theory to account self-consistently for self-field
effects upon the average transport critical current density Jc of a flat
type-II superconducting strip in the mixed state when the bulk pinning is
characterized by a field-dependent depinning critical current density Jp(B),
where B is the local magnetic flux density. We first consider the possibility
of both bulk and edge-pinning contributions but conclude that bulk pinning
dominates over geometrical edge-barrier effects in state-of-the-art YBCO films
and prototype second-generation coated conductors. We apply our theory using
the Kim model, JpK(B) = JpK(0)/(1+|B|/B0), as an example. We calculate Jc(Ba)
as a function of a perpendicular applied magnetic induction Ba and show how
Jc(Ba) is related to JpK(B). We find that Jc(Ba) is very nearly equal to
JpK(Ba) when Ba > Ba*, where Ba* is the value of Ba that makes the net flux
density zero at the strip's edge. However, Jc(Ba) is suppressed relative to
JpK(Ba) at low fields when Ba < Ba*, with the largest suppression occurring
when Ba*/B0 is of order unity or larger.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, minor revisions to add four reference
Limits on Phase Separation for Two-Dimensional Strongly Correlated Electrons
From calculations of the high temperature series for the free energy of the
two-dimensional t-J model we construct series for ratios of the free energy per
hole. The ratios can be extrapolated very accurately to low temperatures and
used to investigate phase separation. Our results confirm that phase separation
occurs only for J/t greater than 1.2. Also, the phase transition into the phase
separated state has Tc of approximately 0.25J for large J/t.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
On the Liaison Between Superconductivity and Phase Separation
Models of strongly correlated electrons that tend to phase separate are
studied including a long-range 1/r repulsive interaction. It is observed that
charge-density-wave states become stable as the strength of the 1/r term, , is increased. Due to this effect, the domain of stability of the
superconducting phases that appear near phase separation at is not enlarged by a 1/r interaction as naively expected. Nevertheless,
superconductivity exists in a wide region of parameter space, even if phase
separation is suppressed. Our results have implications for some theories of
the cuprates.Comment: 11 pages, 9 postscript figures are appende
Gliotoxin effects on fungal growth: Mechanisms and exploitation
Although initially investigated for its antifungal properties, little is actually known about the effect of
gliotoxin on Aspergillus fumigatus and other fungi. We have observed that exposure of A. fumigatus to
exogenous gliotoxin (14 lg/ml), under gliotoxin-limited growth conditions, results in significant alteration
of the expression of 27 proteins (up- and down-regulated >1.9-fold; p < 0.05) including de novo
expression of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase, up-regulated allergen Asp f3 expression and down-regulated
catalase and a peroxiredoxin levels. Significantly elevated glutathione GSH levels (p < 0.05), along with
concomitant resistance to diamide, were evident in A. fumigatus ∆gliT, lacking gliotoxin oxidoreductase,
a gliotoxin self-protection gene. Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletents (∆sod1 and ∆yap1) were hypersensitive
to exogenous gliotoxin, while ∆gsh1 was resistant. Significant gliotoxin-mediated (5 µg/ml) growth
inhibition (p < 0.001) of Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus niger, Cochliobolus heterostrophus
and Neurospora crassa was also observed. Growth of Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium graminearum and
Aspergillus oryzae was significantly inhibited (p < 0.001) at gliotoxin (10 lg/ml), indicating differential
gliotoxin sensitivity amongst fungi. Re-introduction of gliT into A. fumigatus DgliT, at a different locus
(ctsD; AFUA_4G07040, an aspartic protease), with selection on gliotoxin, facilitated deletion of ctsD without
use of additional antibiotic selection markers. Absence of ctsD expression was accompanied by restoration
of gliT expression, and resistance to gliotoxin. Thus, we propose gliT/gliotoxin as a useful
selection marker system for fungal transformation. Finally, we suggest incorporation of gliotoxin sensitivity
assays into all future fungal functional genomic studies
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