354 research outputs found
Effect of n+-GaAs thickness and doping density on spin injection of GaMnAs/n+-GaAs Esaki tunnel junction
We investigated the influence of n+-GaAs thickness and doping density of
GaMnAs/n+-GaAs Esaki tunnel junction on the efficiency of the electrical
electron spin injection. We prepared seven samples of GaMnAs/n+-GaAs tunnel
junctions with different n+-GaAs thickness and doping density grown on
identical p-AlGaAs/p-GaAs/n-AlGaAs light emitting diode (LED) structures.
Electroluminescence (EL) polarization of the surface emission was measured
under the Faraday configuration with external magnetic field. All samples have
the bias dependence of the EL polarization, and higher EL polarization is
obtained in samples in which n+-GaAs is completely depleted at zero bias. The
EL polarization is found to be sensitive to the bias condition for both the
(Ga,Mn)As/n+-GaAs tunnel junction and the LED structure.Comment: 4pages, 4figures, 1table, To appear in Physica
Spin-dependent tunneling in modulated structures of (Ga,Mn)As
A model of coherent tunneling, which combines multi-orbital tight-binding
approximation with Landauer-B\"uttiker formalism, is developed and applied to
all-semiconductor heterostructures containing (Ga,Mn)As ferromagnetic layers. A
comparison of theoretical predictions and experimental results on
spin-dependent Zener tunneling, tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR), and
anisotropic magnetoresistance (TAMR) is presented. The dependence of spin
current on carrier density, magnetization orientation, strain, voltage bias,
and spacer thickness is examined theoretically in order to optimize device
design and performance.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, submitted to PR
Spin-polarized current amplification and spin injection in magnetic bipolar transistors
The magnetic bipolar transistor (MBT) is a bipolar junction transistor with
an equilibrium and nonequilibrium spin (magnetization) in the emitter, base, or
collector. The low-injection theory of spin-polarized transport through MBTs
and of a more general case of an array of magnetic {\it p-n} junctions is
developed and illustrated on several important cases. Two main physical
phenomena are discussed: electrical spin injection and spin control of current
amplification (magnetoamplification). It is shown that a source spin can be
injected from the emitter to the collector. If the base of an MBT has an
equilibrium magnetization, the spin can be injected from the base to the
collector by intrinsic spin injection. The resulting spin accumulation in the
collector is proportional to , where is the proton
charge, is the bias in the emitter-base junction, and is the
thermal energy. To control the electrical current through MBTs both the
equilibrium and the nonequilibrium spin can be employed. The equilibrium spin
controls the magnitude of the equilibrium electron and hole densities, thereby
controlling the currents. Increasing the equilibrium spin polarization of the
base (emitter) increases (decreases) the current amplification. If there is a
nonequilibrium spin in the emitter, and the base or the emitter has an
equilibrium spin, a spin-valve effect can lead to a giant magnetoamplification
effect, where the current amplifications for the parallel and antiparallel
orientations of the the equilibrium and nonequilibrium spins differ
significantly. The theory is elucidated using qualitative analyses and is
illustrated on an MBT example with generic materials parameters.Comment: 14 PRB-style pages, 10 figure
Thymulin inhibits monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension modulating interleukin-6 expression and suppressing p38 pathway
The pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) includes an inflammatory response. Thymulin, a zinc-dependent thymic hormone, has important immunobiological effects by inhibiting various proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We investigated morphological and hemodynamic effects of thymulin administration in a rat model of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PH, as well as the pattern of proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and the intracellular pathways involved. Adult Wistar rats received an injection of MCT (60 mg/kg, sc) or an equal volume of saline. One day after, the animals randomly received during 3 wk an injection of saline, vehicle (zinc plus carboxymethyl cellulose), or thymulin (100 ng/kg, sc, daily). At d 23-25, the animals were anesthetized for hemodynamic recordings, whereas heart and lungs were collected for morphometric and molecular analysis. Thymulin prevented morphological, hemodynamic, and inflammatory cardiopulmonary profile characteristic of MCT-induced PH, whereas part of these effects were also observed in MCT-treated animals injected with the thymulin's vehicle containing zinc. The pulmonary thymulin effect was likely mediated through suppression of p38 pathway.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (No. POCI/SAVFCF/60803/2004; POCTI/SAV-MMO/61547/2004 and PTDC/SAV-FCF/65793/2006) through Cardiovascular R&D Unit (FCT No. 51/94). R.S.M. was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (reference SFRH/BPD/15408/2005
Cardiac Transcription Factor Nkx2.5 Is Downregulated under Excessive O-GlcNAcylation Condition
Post-translational modification of proteins with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is linked the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. We investigated whether Nkx2.5 protein, a cardiac transcription factor, is regulated by O-GlcNAc. Recombinant Nkx2.5 (myc-Nkx2.5) proteins were reduced by treatment with the O-GlcNAcase inhibitors STZ and O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyroanosylidene)-amino-N-phenylcarbamate; PUGNAC) as well as the overexpression of recombinant O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT-flag). Co-immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that myc-Nkx2.5 and OGT-flag proteins interacted and myc-Nkx2.5 proteins were modified by O-GlcNAc. In addition, Nkx2.5 proteins were reduced in the heart tissue of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and O-GlcNAc modification of Nkx2.5 protein increased in diabetic heart tissue compared with non-diabetic heart. Thus, excessive O-GlcNAcylation causes downregulation of Nkx2.5, which may be an underlying contributing factor for the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy
Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications
Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and
manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. This article
reviews the current status of this subject, including both recent advances and
well-established results. The primary focus is on the basic physical principles
underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and
spin-polarized transport in semiconductors and metals. Spin transport differs
from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to
spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling. The authors discuss in detail spin
decoherence mechanisms in metals and semiconductors. Various theories of spin
injection and spin-polarized transport are applied to hybrid structures
relevant to spin-based devices and fundamental studies of materials properties.
Experimental work is reviewed with the emphasis on projected applications, in
which external electric and magnetic fields and illumination by light will be
used to control spin and charge dynamics to create new functionalities not
feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics.Comment: invited review, 36 figures, 900+ references; minor stylistic changes
from the published versio
Homozygosity Mapping on Homozygosity Haplotype Analysis to Detect Recessive Disease-Causing Genes from a Small Number of Unrelated, Outbred Patients
Genes involved in disease that are not common are often difficult to identify; a method that pinpoints them from a small number of unrelated patients will be of great help. In order to establish such a method that detects recessive genes identical-by-descent, we modified homozygosity mapping (HM) so that it is constructed on the basis of homozygosity haplotype (HM on HH) analysis. An analysis using 6 unrelated patients with Siiyama-type α1-antitrypsin deficiency, a disease caused by a founder gene, the correct gene locus was pinpointed from data of any 2 patients (length: 1.2–21.8 centimorgans, median: 1.6 centimorgans). For a test population in which these 6 patients and 54 healthy subjects were scrambled, the approach accurately identified these 6 patients and pinpointed the locus to a 1.4-centimorgan fragment. Analyses using synthetic data revealed that the analysis works well for IBD fragment derived from a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) who existed less than 60 generations ago. The analysis is unsuitable for the genes with a frequency in general population more than 0.1. Thus, HM on HH analysis is a powerful technique, applicable to a small number of patients not known to be related, and will accelerate the identification of disease-causing genes for recessive conditions
Spin-polarized Zener tunneling in (Ga,Mn)As
We investigate spin-polarized inter-band tunneling through measurement of
(Ga,Mn)As based Zener tunnel diode. By placing the diode under reverse bias,
electron spin polarization is transferred from the valence band of p-type
(Ga,Mn)As to the conduction band of an adjacent n-GaAs layer. The resulting
current is monitored by injection into a quantum well light emitting diode
whose electroluminescence polarization is found to track the magnetization of
the (Ga,Mn)As layer as a function of both temperature and magnetic field.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Submitted, Physical Review B15 Rapid
Communication
Electron Spin Polarization in Resonant Interband Tunneling Devices
We study spin-dependent interband resonant tunneling in double-barrier
InAs/AlSb/ GaMnSb heterostructures. We demonstrate that these structures can be
used as spin filters utilizing spin-selective tunneling of electrons through
the light-hole resonant channel. High densities of the spin polarized electrons
injected into bulk InAs make spin resonant tunneling devices a viable
alternative for injecting spins into a semiconductor. Another striking feature
of the proposed devices is the possibility of inducing additional resonant
channels corresponding to the heavy holes. This can be implemented by
saturating the in-plane magnetization in the quantum well.Comment: 11 pages, 4 eps figure
GluRδ2 Expression in the Mature Cerebellum of Hotfoot Mice Promotes Parallel Fiber Synaptogenesis and Axonal Competition
Glutamate receptor delta 2 (GluRdelta2) is selectively expressed in the cerebellum, exclusively in the spines of the Purkinje cells (PCs) that are in contact with parallel fibers (PFs). Although its structure is similar to ionotropic glutamate receptors, it has no channel function and its ligand is unknown. The GluRdelta2-null mice, such as knockout and hotfoot have profoundly altered cerebellar circuitry, which causes ataxia and impaired motor learning. Notably, GluRdelta2 in PC-PF synapses regulates their maturation and strengthening and induces long term depression (LTD). In addition, GluRdelta2 participates in the highly territorial competition between the two excitatory inputs to the PC; the climbing fiber (CF), which innervates the proximal dendritic compartment, and the PF, which is connected to spiny distal branchlets. Recently, studies have suggested that GluRdelta2 acts as an adhesion molecule in PF synaptogenesis. Here, we provide in vivo and in vitro evidence that supports this hypothesis. Through lentiviral rescue in hotfoot mice, we noted a recovery of PC-PF contacts in the distal dendritic domain. In the proximal domain, we observed the formation of new spines that were innervated by PFs and a reduction in contact with the CF; ie, the pattern of innervation in the PC shifted to favor the PF input. Moreover, ectopic expression of GluRdelta2 in HEK293 cells that were cocultured with granule cells or in cerebellar Golgi cells in the mature brain induced the formation of new PF contacts. Collectively, our observations show that GluRdelta2 is an adhesion molecule that induces the formation of PF contacts independently of its cellular localization and promotes heterosynaptic competition in the PC proximal dendritic domain
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