25 research outputs found
Quantum spin Hall phase in multilayer graphene
The so called quantum spin Hall phase is a topologically non trivial
insulating phase that is predicted to appear in graphene and graphene-like
systems. In this work we address the question of whether this topological
property persists in multilayered systems. We consider two situations: purely
multilayer graphene and heterostructures where graphene is encapsulated by
trivial insulators with a strong spin-orbit coupling. We use a four orbital
tight-binding model that includes the full atomic spin-orbit coupling and we
calculate the topological invariant of the bulk states as well as the
edge states of semi-infinite crystals with armchair termination. For
homogeneous multilayers we find that even when the spin-orbit interaction opens
a gap for all the possible stackings, only those with odd number of layers host
gapless edge states while those with even number of layers are trivial
insulators. For the heterostructures where graphene is encapsulated by trivial
insulators, it turns out that the interlayer coupling is able to induce a
topological gap whose size is controlled by the spin-orbit coupling of the
encapsulating materials, indicating that the quantum spin Hall phase can be
induced by proximity to trivial insulators.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Real space mapping of topological invariants using artificial neural networks
Topological invariants allow to characterize Hamiltonians, predicting the
existence of topologically protected in-gap modes. Those invariants can be
computed by tracing the evolution of the occupied wavefunctions under twisted
boundary conditions. However, those procedures do not allow to calculate a
topological invariant by evaluating the system locally, and thus require
information about the wavefunctions in the whole system. Here we show that
artificial neural networks can be trained to identify the topological order by
evaluating a local projection of the density matrix. We demonstrate this for
two different models, a 1-D topological superconductor and a 2-D quantum
anomalous Hall state, both with spatially modulated parameters. Our neural
network correctly identifies the different topological domains in real space,
predicting the location of in-gap states. By combining a neural network with a
calculation of the electronic states that uses the Kernel Polynomial Method, we
show that the local evaluation of the invariant can be carried out by
evaluating a local quantity, in particular for systems without translational
symmetry consisting of tens of thousands of atoms. Our results show that
supervised learning is an efficient methodology to characterize the local
topology of a system.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Individual Shrink Wrapping of Zucchini Fruit Improves Postharvest Chilling Tolerance Associated with a Reduction in Ethylene Production and Oxidative Stress Metabolites
We have studied the effect of individual shrink wrapping (ISW) on the postharvest performance of refrigerated fruit from two zucchini cultivars that differ in their sensitivity to cold storage: Sinatra (more sensitive) and Natura (more tolerant). The fruit was individually shrink wrapped before storing at 4°C for 0, 7 and 14 days. Quality parameters, ethylene and CO2 productions, ethylene gene expression, and oxidative stress metabolites were assessed in shrink wrapped and non-wrapped fruit after conditioning the fruit for 6 hours at 20°C. ISW decreased significantly the postharvest deterioration of chilled zucchini in both cultivars. Weight loss was reduced to less than 1%, pitting symptoms were completely absent in ISW fruit at 7 days, and were less than 25% those of control fruits at 14 days of cold storage, and firmness loss was significantly reduced in the cultivar Sinatra. These enhancements in quality of ISW fruit were associated with a significant reduction in cold-induced ethylene production, in the respiration rate, and in the level of oxidative stress metabolites such as hydrogen peroxide and malonyldialdehyde (MDA). A detailed expression analysis of ethylene biosynthesis, perception and signaling genes demonstrated a downregulation of CpACS1 and CpACO1 genes in response to ISW, two genes that are upregulated by cold storage. However, the expression patterns of six other ethylene biosynthesis genes (CpACS2 to CpACS7) and five ethylene signal transduction pathway genes (CpCTR1, CpETR1, CpERS1, CpEIN3.1 and CpEN3.2), suggest that they do not play a major role in response to cold storage and ISW packaging. In conclusion, ISW zucchini packaging resulted in improved tolerance to chilling concomitantly with a reduction in oxidative stress, respiration rate and ethylene production, as well as in the expression of ethylene biosynthesis genes, but not of those involved in ethylene perception and sensitivity.This work was supported by grants AGL2011-30568-C02/ALI from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and AGR1423 from the ConsejerĂa de EconomĂa, InnovaciĂłn y Ciencia, Junta de AndalucĂa, Spain. Z.M. acknowledges FPU program scholarships from MEC, Spain. S.M. is funded by grant PTA2011-479-I from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
Exposure to arsenic via drinking water induces 5-hydroxymethylcytosine alteration in rat
Arsenic exposure has been implicated to alter DNA methylation process in vitro and in vivo, but it remains obscure whether it disrupts DNA demethylation process, which is pivotal for epigenetic regulation. The objective of this descriptive study was to investigate the relationship between arsenic exposure and 5-methylcytosine (5mC), 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) alterations in various organs. In this study, we exposed male Sprague?Dawley rats to sodium arsenite (0.5, 2 or 10 ppm) via drinking water for 8 weeks. Spleen accumulated 2- to 3-fold higher arsenic levels than liver and heart. Lower arsenic levels were observed in the kidney, pancreas and lung. No significant arsenic-induced global 5mC alterations were observed in the majority of investigated organs. However, arsenic induced organ-specific alterations of 5hmC and/or 5hmC/5mC in some investigated organs, i.e. lung, heart, kidney, pancreas and spleen. Our observations suggest that 5hmC is a more sensitive biomarker of arsenic-induced impacts on epigenetic processes than 5mC. Moreover, demethylation via hydroxylation of 5mC appears to play a central role in the toxic mechanism of arsenic