10,518 research outputs found
Stability of Horava-Lifshitz Black Holes in the Context of AdS/CFT
The anti--de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence is a
powerful tool that promises to provide new insights toward a full understanding
of field theories under extreme conditions, including but not limited to
quark-gluon plasma, Fermi liquid and superconductor. In many such applications,
one typically models the field theory with asymptotically AdS black holes.
These black holes are subjected to stringy effects that might render them
unstable. Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz gravity, in which space and time undergo
different transformations, has attracted attentions due to its power-counting
renormalizability. In terms of AdS/CFT correspondence, Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz
black holes might be useful to model holographic superconductors with Lifshitz
scaling symmetry. It is thus interesting to study the stringy stability of
Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz black holes in the context of AdS/CFT. We find that
uncharged topological black holes in Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz theory are
nonperturbatively stable, unlike their counterparts in Einstein gravity, with
the possible exceptions of negatively curved black holes with detailed balance
parameter close to unity. Sufficiently charged flat black holes for
close to unity, and sufficiently charged positively curved black
holes with close to zero, are also unstable. The implication to the
Ho\v{r}ava-Lifshitz holographic superconductor is discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. Updated version accepted by Phys. Rev. D, with
corrections to various misprints. References update
Dissipationless Anomalous Hall Current in the Ferromagnetic Spinel CuCrSeBr
In a ferromagnet, an applied electric field invariably produces an
anomalous Hall current that flows perpendicular to the plane
defined by and (the magnetization). For decades, the question
whether is dissipationless (independent of the scattering rate),
has been keenly debated without experimental resolution. In the ferromagnetic
spinel CuCrSeBr, the resistivity (at low temperature)
may be increased 1000 fold by varying (Br), without degrading the .
We show that (normalized per carrier, at 5 K) remains unchanged
throughout. In addition to resolving the controversy experimentally, our
finding has strong bearing on the generation and study of spin-Hall currents in
bulk samples.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Thermal Hall Conductivity as a Probe of Gap Structure in Multi-band Superconductors: The Case of
The sign and profile of the thermal Hall conductivity gives
important insights into the gap structure of multi-band superconductors. With
this perspective, we have investigated and the thermal
conductivity in which display large
peak anomalies in the superconducting state. The anomalies imply that a large
hole-like quasiparticle (qp) population exists below the critical temperature
. We show that the qp mean-free-path inferred from
reproduces the observed anomaly in , providing a consistent
estimate of a large qp population. Further, we demonstrate that the hole-like
signal is consistent with a theoretical scenario where despite potentially
large gap variations on the electron pockets, the minimal homogeneous gap of
the superconducting phase resides at a hole pocket. Implications for probing
the gap structure in the broader class of pnictide superconductors are
discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Orientation significantly updated from previous
(0811.4668v1) reflecting new theoretical understanding of experimental
results and physical implications. Introduction, discussion, and figures
updated including additional figure for model calculatio
Empires and Percolation: Stochastic Merging of Adjacent Regions
We introduce a stochastic model in which adjacent planar regions merge
stochastically at some rate , and observe analogies with the
well-studied topics of mean-field coagulation and of bond percolation. Do
infinite regions appear in finite time? We give a simple condition on
for this {\em hegemony} property to hold, and another simple condition for it
to not hold, but there is a large gap between these conditions, which includes
the case . For this case, a non-rigorous analytic
argument and simulations suggest hegemony.Comment: 13 page
Integrin α2β1 Expression Regulates Matrix Metalloproteinase-1-Dependent Bronchial Epithelial Repair in Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is caused by inhalation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which damages the bronchial epithelial barrier to establish local infection. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 plays a crucial role in the immunopathology of TB, causing breakdown of type I collagen and cavitation, but this collagenase is also potentially involved in bronchial epithelial repair. We hypothesized that the extracellular matrix (ECM) modulates M. tuberculosis-driven matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression by human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs), regulating respiratory epithelial cell migration and repair. Medium from monocytes stimulated with M. tuberculosis induced collagenase activity in bronchial epithelial cells, which was reduced by ~87% when cells were cultured on a type I collagen matrix. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 had a focal localization, which is consistent with cell migration, and overall secretion decreased by 32% on type I collagen. There were no associated changes in the specific tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Decreased matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion was due to ligand-binding to the α2β1 integrin and was dependent on the actin cytoskeleton. In lung biopsies, samples from patients with pulmonary TB, integrin α2β1 is highly expressed on the bronchial epithelium. Areas of lung with disrupted collagen matrix showed an increase in matrix metalloproteinases-1 expression compared with areas where collagen was comparable to control lung. Type I collagen matrix increased respiratory epithelial cell migration in a wound-healing assay, and this too was matrix metalloproteinase-dependent, since it was blocked by the matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001. In summary, we report a novel mechanism by which α2β1-mediated signals from the ECM modulate matrix metalloproteinase-1 secretion by HBECs, regulating their migration and epithelial repair in TB
Optical investigation of the charge-density-wave phase transitions in
We have measured the optical reflectivity of the quasi
one-dimensional conductor from the far infrared up to the
ultraviolet between 10 and 300 using light polarized along and normal to
the chain axis. We find a depletion of the optical conductivity with decreasing
temperature for both polarizations in the mid to far-infrared region. This
leads to a redistribution of spectral weight from low to high energies due to
partial gapping of the Fermi surface below the charge-density-wave transitions
at 145 K and 59 K. We deduce the bulk magnitudes of the CDW gaps and discuss
the scattering of ungapped free charge carriers and the role of fluctuations
effects
Structural and molecular basis of the assembly of the TRPP2/PKD1 complex
Mutations in PKD1 and TRPP2 account for nearly all cases of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). These 2 proteins form a receptor/ion channel complex on the cell surface. Using a combination of biochemistry, crystallography, and a single-molecule method to determine the subunit composition of proteins in the plasma membrane of live cells, we find that this complex contains 3 TRPP2 and 1 PKD1. A newly identified coiled-coil domain in the C terminus of TRPP2 is critical for the formation of this complex. This coiled-coil domain forms a homotrimer, in both solution and crystal structure, and binds to a single coiled-coil domain in the C terminus of PKD1. Mutations that disrupt the TRPP2 coiled-coil domain trimer abolish the assembly of both the full-length TRPP2 trimer and the TRPP2/PKD1 complex and diminish the surface expression of both proteins. These results have significant implications for the assembly, regulation, and function of the TRPP2/PKD1 complex and the pathogenic mechanism of some ADPKD-producing mutations
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The relationship of circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 levels with pericardial fat: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
Previous small studies have reported an association between circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels and pericardial fat volume in post-menopausal women and high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk patients. In this study, we investigated the relationship of FGF21 levels with pericardial fat volume in participants free of clinical CVD at baseline. We analysed data from 5765 men and women from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) with both pericardial fat volume and plasma FGF21 levels measured at baseline. 4746 participants had pericardial fat volume measured in at least one follow-up exam. After adjusting for confounding factors, ln-transformed FGF21 levels were positively associated with pericardial fat volume at baseline (β = 0.055, p < 0.001). When assessing change in pericardial fat volume over a mean duration of 3.0 years using a linear mixed-effects model, higher baseline FGF21 levels were associated with higher pericardial fat volume at baseline (2.381 cm3 larger in pericardial fat volume per one SD increase in ln-transformed FGF21 levels), but less pericardial fat accumulation over time (0.191 cm3/year lower per one SD increase in ln-transformed FGF21 levels). Cross-sectionally, higher plasma FGF21 levels were significantly associated with higher pericardial fat volume, independent of traditional CVD risk factors and inflammatory markers. However, higher FGF21 levels tended to be associated with less pericardial fat accumulation over time. Nevertheless, such change in pericardial fat volume is very modest and could be due to measurement error. Further studies are needed to elucidate the longitudinal relationship of baseline FGF21 levels with pericardial fat accumulation
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