102 research outputs found
Quantum Melting of the Charge Density Wave State in 1T-TiSe2
We report a Raman scattering study of low-temperature, pressure-induced
melting of the CDW phase of 1T-TiSe2. Our Raman scattering measurements reveal
that the collapse of the CDW state occurs in three stages: (i) For P<5 kbar,
the pressure dependence of the CDW amplitude mode energies and intensities are
indicative of a ``crystalline'' CDW regime; (ii) for 5 < P < 25 kbar, there is
a decrease in the CDW amplitude mode energies and intensities with increasing
pressure that suggests a regime in which the CDW softens, and may decouple from
the lattice; and (iii) for P>25 kbar, the absence of amplitude modes reveals a
melted CDW regime.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Commensurability oscillations in the rf conductivity of unidirectional lateral superlattices: measurement of anisotropic conductivity by coplanar waveguide
We have measured the rf magnetoconductivity of unidirectional lateral
superlattices (ULSLs) by detecting the attenuation of microwave through a
coplanar waveguide placed on the surface. ULSL samples with the principal axis
of the modulation perpendicular (S_perp) and parallel (S_||) to the microwave
electric field are examined. For low microwave power, we observe expected
anisotropic behavior of the commensurability oscillations (CO), with CO in
samples S_perp and S_|| dominated by the diffusion and the collisional
contributions, respectively. Amplitude modulation of the Shubnikov-de Haas
oscillations is observed to be more prominent in sample S_||. The difference
between the two samples is washed out with the increase of the microwave power,
letting the diffusion contribution govern the CO in both samples. The failure
of the intended directional selectivity in the conductivity measured with high
microwave power is interpreted in terms of large-angle electron-phonon
scattering.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Interaction of surface acoustic waves with a two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of spin splitting of the Landau bands
The absorption and variation of the velocity of a surface acoustic wave of
frequency = 30 MHz interacting with two-dimensional electrons are
investigated in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures with an electron density at =1.5 - 4.2 K in magnetic fields up to 7 T.
Characteristic features associated with spin splitting of the Landau level are
observed. The effective g factor and the width of the spin-split Landau bands
are determined: and =0.6 meV. The greater width of the
orbital-split Landau bands (2 meV) relative to the spin-split bands is
attributed to different shielding of the random fluctuation potential of
charged impurities by 2D electrons. The mechanisms of the nonlinearities
manifested in the dependence of the absorption and the velocity increment of
the SAW on the SAW power in the presence of spin splitting of the Landau levels
are investigated.Comment: Revtex 5 pages + 5 EPS Figures, v.2 - minor corrections in text and
pic
Distinction between the Poole-Frenkel and tunneling models of electric field-stimulated carrier emission from deep levels in semiconductors
The enhancement of the emission rate of charge carriers from deep-level defects in electric field is routinely used to determine the charge state of the defects. However, only a limited number of defects can be satisfactorily described by the Poole-Frenkel theory. An electric field dependence different from that expected from the Poole-Frenkel theory has been repeatedly reported in the literature, and no unambiguous identification of the charge state of the defect could be made. In this article, the electric field dependencies of emission of carriers from DX centers in AlxGa1-xAs:Te, Cu pairs in silicon, and Ge:Hg have been studied applying static and terahertz electric fields, and analyzed by using the models of Poole-Frenkel and phonon assisted tunneling. It is shown that phonon assisted tunneling and Poole-Frenkel emission are two competitive mechanisms of enhancement of emission of carriers, and their relative contribution is determined by the charge state of the defect and by the electric-field strength. At high-electric field strengths carrier emission is dominated by tunneling independently of the charge state of the impurity. For neutral impurities, where Poole-Frenkel lowering of the emission barrier does not occur, the phonon assisted tunneling model describes well the experimental data also in the low-field region. For charged impurities the transition from phonon assisted tunneling at high fields to Poole-Frenkel effect at low fields can be traced back. It is suggested that the Poole-Frenkel and tunneling models can be distinguished by plotting logarithm of the emission rate against the square root or against the square of the electric field, respectively. This analysis enables one to unambiguously determine the charge state of a deep-level defect
Interaction Corrections to Two-Dimensional Hole Transport in Large Limit
The metallic conductivity of dilute two-dimensional holes in a GaAs HIGFET
(Heterojunction Insulated-Gate Field-Effect Transistor) with extremely high
mobility and large is found to have a linear dependence on temperature,
consistent with the theory of interaction corrections in the ballistic regime.
Phonon scattering contributions are negligible in the temperature range of our
interest, allowing comparison between our measured data and theory without any
phonon subtraction. The magnitude of the Fermi liquid interaction parameter
determined from the experiment, however, decreases with
increasing for r_{s}\agt22, a behavior unexpected from existing
theoretical calculations valid for small .Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Triggering of the dsRNA Sensors TLR3, MDA5, and RIG-I Induces CD55 Expression in Synovial Fibroblasts
Background: CD55 (decay-accelerating factor) is a complement-regulatory protein highly expressed on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). CD55 is also a ligand for CD97, an adhesion-type G protein-coupled receptor abundantly present on leukocytes. Little is known regarding the regulation of CD55 expression in FLS. Methods: FLS isolated from arthritis patients were stimulated with pro-inflammatory cytokines and Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. Transfection with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) and 5'-triphosphate RNA were used to activate the cytoplasmic double-stranded (ds)RNA sensors melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) and retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I). CD55 expression, cell viability, and binding of CD97-loaded beads were quantified by flow cytometry. Results: CD55 was expressed at equal levels on FLS isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis. CD55 expression in RA FLS was significantly induced by IL-1 beta and especially by the TLR3 ligand poly(I:C). Activation of MDA5 and RIG-I also enhanced CD55 expression. Notably, activation of MDA5 dose-dependently induced cell death, while triggering of TLR3 or RIG-I had a minor effect on viability. Upregulation of CD55 enhanced the binding capacity of FLS to CD97-loaded beads, which could be blocked by antibodies against CD55. Conclusions: Activation of dsRNA sensors enhances the expression of CD55 in cultured FLS, which increases the binding to CD97. Our findings suggest that dsRNA promotes the interaction between FLS and CD97-expressing leukocyte
Inflammatory Response and Chemokine Expression in the White Matter Corpus Callosum and Gray Matter Cortex Region During Cuprizone-Induced Demyelination
The effector T cell response to influenza infection
Influenza virus infection induces a potent initial innate immune response, which serves to limit the extent of viral replication and virus spread. However, efficient (and eventual) viral clearance within the respiratory tract requires the subsequent activation, rapid proliferation, recruitment, and expression of effector activities by the adaptive immune system, consisting of antibody producing B cells and influenza-specific T lymphocytes with diverse functions. The ensuing effector activities of these T lymphocytes ultimately determine (along with antibodies) the capacity of the host to eliminate the viruses and the extent of tissue damage. In this review, we describe this effector T cell response to influenza virus infection. Based on information largely obtained in experimental settings (i.e., murine models), we will illustrate the factors regulating the induction of adaptive immune T cell responses to influenza, the effector activities displayed by these activated T cells, the mechanisms underlying the expression of these effector mechanisms, and the control of the activation/differentiation of these T cells, in situ, in the infected lungs
Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data
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