Theoretical investigation of TbNi_{5-x}Cu_x optical properties

In this paper we present theoretical investigation of optical conductivity for intermetallic TbNi_{5-x}Cu_x series. In the frame of LSDA+U calculations electronic structure for x=0,1,2 and on top of that optical conductivities were calculated. Disorder effects of Ni for Cu substitution on a level of LSDA+U densities of states (DOS) were taken into account via averaging over all possible Cu ion positions for given doping level x. Gradual suppression and loosing of structure of optical conductivity at 2 eV together with simultaneous intensity growth at 4 eV correspond to increase of Cu and decrease of Ni content. As reported before [Knyazev et al., Optics and Spectroscopy 104, 360 (2008)] plasma frequency has non monotonic doping behaviour with maximum at x=1. This behaviour is explained as competition between lowering of total density of states on the Fermi level N(E_F) and growing of number of carriers. Our theoretical results agree well with variety of recent experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Specific features of the electronic structure and spectral properties of NdNi5 - xCux compounds

The spectral properties of the intermetallic compounds NdNi5 - xCux (x = 0, 1, 2) have been studied using optical ellipsometry in the wavelength range 0.22-16 μm. It has been established that substitution of copper atoms for nickel leads to noticeable changes in the optical absorption spectra, plasma frequencies, and relaxation frequencies of conduction electrons. Spin-polarized calculations of the electronic structure of these compounds have been performed in the local spin density approximation allowing for strong electron correlations (LSDA + U method) in the 4f shell of the rare-earth ion. The calculated electron densities of states have been used to interpret the experimental dispersion curves of optical conductivity in the interband light absorption region. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Influence of aluminum impurity on the electronic structure and optical properties of the TbNi5 intermetallic compound

The electronic structure of the TbNi5 - xAlx intermetallic compounds (x = 0, 1, 2) is calculated in the local electron density approximation with the correction to strong electron correlations in 4f shell of terbium ions. Spectral properties of these compounds are measured by ellipsometry in a wavelength range of 0. 22-16 μm. Frequency dependences of optical conductivity in the region of interband optical absorption are interpreted based on the results of calculations of electron densities of states. The relaxation and plasma frequencies of conduction electrons are determined. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Copper-doping effects in electronic structure and spectral properties of SmNi5

The electronic structure and optical properties of the SmNi5-xCux (x = 0, 1, 2) compounds are studied. The band spectra of the studied intermetallics were calculated with LDA + U + SO method supplementing the local density approximation with a correction for strong electron interaction on the shell of the rare-earth element. Optical properties were studied by ellipsometry method in the wide wavelength range. It was found that the substitution of copper for nickel leads to local changes in the optical conductivity spectra. Both the spectroscopic measurements and theoretical calculations demonstrate the presence of a broad absorption band around 4 eV associated with the Cu 3d → Ni 3d electron transitions and increasing with the grown of copper content. The experimental dispersion curves of optical conductivity in the interband absorption region were interpreted using the results of the calculations. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC

A crystallographic phase transition within the magnetically ordered state of Ce_2Fe_17

X-ray diffraction experiments were performed on polycrystalline and single-crystal specimens of Ce$_{2}$Fe$_{17}$ at temperatures between 10 K and 300 K. Below $T_{\mathrm{t}}$ = 118$\pm$2 K, additional weak superstructure reflections were observed in the antiferromagnetically ordered state. The superstructure can be described by a doubling of the chemical unit cell along the $\mathbf{c}$ direction in hexagonal notation with the same space group $R \bar{3} m$ as the room-temperature structure. The additional antiferromagnetic satellite reflections observed in earlier neutron diffraction experiments can be conclusively related to the appearance of this superstructure.Comment: 8 pages, figures, submitted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Влияние диборнола-ГЭК на электрофизиологические параметры в период восстановления кровотока в миокарде кролика

Objective. Dibornol-HES, a water-soluble drug based on the derivative of 2,6-diisobornyl-4-methylphenol Dibornol conjugated with hydroxyethyl starch, can reduce the occurrence and severity of arrhythmias by preventive intravenous administration, but it is unknown whether the drug could reduce the myocardial arrhythmogenicity once ischemia has developed at the developed ischemia.Materials and methods. In the model of acute ischemia / reperfusion of the rabbit heart, the effect of Dibornol-HEC (80 mg/kg body weight of the animal) on the electrophysiological indices characterizing myocardial arrhythmogenicity (global and border dispersion of repolarization) was studied during the restoration of blood flow. In the model of acute ischemia / reperfusion with 64 unipolar epicardial leads, the activation-recovery intervals were measured and global and border dispersion of repolarization in the native rabbits (control group, n = 9) and in the rabbits treated by Dibornol-HES (on the 25th minute of occlusion, the experimental group, n = 6).Results. The introduction of Dibornol-HES did not lead to a change in the electrocardiographic parameters of rabbits. By the 30th minute of the coronary occlusion on the ECG in the animals of the control and the experimental groups, the intervals RR, QT, QTc were shortened (p < 0.05). In the animals of both groups by the 30th minute of coronary occlusion, the global dispersion of repolarization increased (p < 0.05), the boundary dispersion of repolarization also increased (p < 0.05), due to the decrease in the duration of the activation-recovery intervals in the ischemic zone (p < 0.05). During the 30-minute reperfusion the magnitude of the global dispersion of repolarization did not change in animals of the both groups, and the magnitude of the border dispersion of repolarization in the control rabbits decreased (p < 0.05), while in the rabbits treated by Dibornol-HES the border dispersion of repolarization did not changed.Conclusion. In rabbits of the experimental group, the values of the global and border dispersions of repolarization did not differ from those of the animals in the control group. Therefore, the administration to Dibornol-HES just prior to reperfusion does not lead to the decrease in the dispersion of repolarization increased as a result of acute ischemic myocardial damage.Введение. Диборнол-ГЭК, водорастворимый лекарственный препарат на основе производного 2,6-диизоборнил-4-метилфенола диборнола, конъюгированного гидроксиэтилкрахмалом, способен снижать возникновение и тяжесть аритмий при превентивном внутривенном введении. Однако о данных, способен ли препарат снижать аритмогенность миокарда при его введении в момент уже развившейся ишемии, не известно.Цель работы – исследование влияния препарата диборнола-ГЭК на электрофизиологические показатели сердца кролика в период восстановления кровотока в миокарде.Материалы и методы. В модели острой ишемии (реперфузии) сердца кролика изучено действие диборнола-ГЭК (80 мг/кг массы тела животного) на электрофизиологические показатели, характеризующие аритмогенность миокарда (глобальная и пограничная дисперсии реполяризации, длительность интервала «активация–восстановление») в период восстановления кровотока. У нативных кроликов (контрольная группа, n = 9) и кроликов, получавших внутривенно диборнол-ГЭК (на 25-й мин окклюзии, опытная группа, n = 6), в модели острой ишемии (реперфузии) в 64 униполярных эпикардиальных отведениях измерены интервалы «активация – восстановление», величина глобальной и пограничной дисперсии.Результаты. Введение диборнола-ГЭК не приводило к изменению электрокардиографических параметров кроликов. К 30-й мин коронарной окклюзии на электрокардиограмме у животных контрольной и опытной групп выявлено укорочение интервалов RR, QT, QTc (p < 0,05). У животных обеих групп к 30-й мин ишемии глобальная дисперсия реполяризации увеличилась (p < 0,05), пограничная дисперсия реполяризации также увеличилась (p < 0,05) за счет уменьшения длительности интервалов «активация – восстановление» в ишемизированной зоне (p < 0,05). В период 30-минутной реперфузии величина глобальной дисперсии реполяризации не изменялась у животных обеих групп, а величина пограничной дисперсии реполяризации у контрольных кроликов уменьшилась (p < 0,05), в то время как у кроликов, которым вводили диборнол-ГЭК, нет.Заключение. Значения глобальных и пограничных дисперсий реполяризации у кроликов экспериментальной группы не отличались от значений животных в контрольной группе. Поэтому введение диборнола-ГЭК непосредственно перед реперфузией не приводит к уменьшению дисперсии реполяризации, увеличенной в результате острого ишемического повреждения миокарда

Multiple TORC1-Associated Proteins Regulate Nitrogen Starvation-Dependent Cellular Differentiation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoes differentiation into filamentous-like forms and invades the growth medium as a foraging response to nutrient and environmental stresses. These developmental responses are under the downstream control of effectors regulated by the cAMP/PKA and MAPK pathways. However, the upstream sensors and signals that induce filamentous growth through these signaling pathways are not fully understood. Herein, through a biochemical purification of the yeast TORC1 (Target of Rapamycin Complex 1), we identify several proteins implicated in yeast filamentous growth that directly associate with the TORC1 and investigate their roles in nitrogen starvation-dependent or independent differentiation in yeast.We isolated the endogenous TORC1 by purifying tagged, endogenous Kog1p, and identified associated proteins by mass spectrometry. We established invasive and pseudohyphal growth conditions in two S. cerevisiae genetic backgrounds (Σ1278b and CEN.PK). Using wild type and mutant strains from these genetic backgrounds, we investigated the roles of TORC1 and associated proteins in nitrogen starvation-dependent diploid pseudohyphal growth as well as nitrogen starvation-independent haploid invasive growth.We show that several proteins identified as associated with the TORC1 are important for nitrogen starvation-dependent diploid pseudohyphal growth. In contrast, invasive growth due to other nutritional stresses was generally not affected in mutant strains of these TORC1-associated proteins. Our studies suggest a role for TORC1 in yeast differentiation upon nitrogen starvation. Our studies also suggest the CEN.PK strain background of S. cerevisiae may be particularly useful for investigations of nitrogen starvation-induced diploid pseudohyphal growth

Novel Photosensitizers Trigger Rapid Death of Malignant Human Cells and Rodent Tumor Transplants via Lipid Photodamage and Membrane Permeabilization

BACKGROUND: Apoptotic cascades may frequently be impaired in tumor cells; therefore, the approaches to circumvent these obstacles emerge as important therapeutic modalities. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our novel derivatives of chlorin e(6), that is, its amide (compound 2) and boronated amide (compound 5) evoked no dark toxicity and demonstrated a significantly higher photosensitizing efficacy than chlorin e(6) against transplanted aggressive tumors such as B16 melanoma and M-1 sarcoma. Compound 5 showed superior therapeutic potency. Illumination with red light of mammalian tumor cells loaded with 0.1 µM of 5 caused rapid (within the initial minutes) necrosis as determined by propidium iodide staining. The laser confocal microscopy-assisted analysis of cell death revealed the following order of events: prior to illumination, 5 accumulated in Golgi cysternae, endoplasmic reticulum and in some (but not all) lysosomes. In response to light, the reactive oxygen species burst was concomitant with the drop of mitochondrial transmembrane electric potential, the dramatic changes of mitochondrial shape and the loss of integrity of mitochondria and lysosomes. Within 3-4 min post illumination, the plasma membrane became permeable for propidium iodide. Compounds 2 and 5 were one order of magnitude more potent than chlorin e(6) in photodamage of artificial liposomes monitored in a dye release assay. The latter effect depended on the content of non-saturated lipids; in liposomes consisting of saturated lipids no photodamage was detectable. The increased therapeutic efficacy of 5 compared with 2 was attributed to a striking difference in the ability of these photosensitizers to permeate through hydrophobic membrane interior as evidenced by measurements of voltage jump-induced relaxation of transmembrane current on planar lipid bilayers. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The multimembrane photodestruction and cell necrosis induced by photoactivation of 2 and 5 are directly associated with membrane permeabilization caused by lipid photodamage

The General Transcriptional Repressor Tup1 Is Required for Dimorphism and Virulence in a Fungal Plant Pathogen

A critical step in the life cycle of many fungal pathogens is the transition between yeast-like growth and the formation of filamentous structures, a process known as dimorphism. This morphological shift, typically triggered by multiple environmental signals, is tightly controlled by complex genetic pathways to ensure successful pathogenic development. In animal pathogenic fungi, one of the best known regulators of dimorphism is the general transcriptional repressor, Tup1. However, the role of Tup1 in fungal dimorphism is completely unknown in plant pathogens. Here we show that Tup1 plays a key role in orchestrating the yeast to hypha transition in the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis. Deletion of the tup1 gene causes a drastic reduction in the mating and filamentation capacity of the fungus, in turn leading to a reduced virulence phenotype. In U. maydis, these processes are controlled by the a and b mating-type loci, whose expression depends on the Prf1 transcription factor. Interestingly, Δtup1 strains show a critical reduction in the expression of prf1 and that of Prf1 target genes at both loci. Moreover, we observed that Tup1 appears to regulate Prf1 activity by controlling the expression of the prf1 transcriptional activators, rop1 and hap2. Additionally, we describe a putative novel prf1 repressor, named Pac2, which seems to be an important target of Tup1 in the control of dimorphism and virulence. Furthermore, we show that Tup1 is required for full pathogenic development since tup1 deletion mutants are unable to complete the sexual cycle. Our findings establish Tup1 as a key factor coordinating dimorphism in the phytopathogen U. maydis and support a conserved role for Tup1 in the control of hypha-specific genes among animal and plant fungal pathogens

Multiple Signals Converge on a Differentiation MAPK Pathway

An important emerging question in the area of signal transduction is how information from different pathways becomes integrated into a highly coordinated response. In budding yeast, multiple pathways regulate filamentous growth, a complex differentiation response that occurs under specific environmental conditions. To identify new aspects of filamentous growth regulation, we used a novel screening approach (called secretion profiling) that measures release of the extracellular domain of Msb2p, the signaling mucin which functions at the head of the filamentous growth (FG) MAPK pathway. Secretion profiling of complementary genomic collections showed that many of the pathways that regulate filamentous growth (RAS, RIM101, OPI1, and RTG) were also required for FG pathway activation. This regulation sensitized the FG pathway to multiple stimuli and synchronized it to the global signaling network. Several of the regulators were required for MSB2 expression, which identifies the MSB2 promoter as a target “hub” where multiple signals converge. Accessibility to the MSB2 promoter was further regulated by the histone deacetylase (HDAC) Rpd3p(L), which positively regulated FG pathway activity and filamentous growth. Our findings provide the first glimpse of a global regulatory hierarchy among the pathways that control filamentous growth. Systems-level integration of signaling circuitry is likely to coordinate other regulatory networks that control complex behaviors