7,243 research outputs found
Interpocket polarization model for magnetic structures in rare-earth hexaborides
The origin of peculiar magnetic structures in cubic rare-earth (R)
hexaborides RB_6 is traced back to their characteristic band structure. The
three sphere-like Fermi surfaces induce interpocket polarization of the
conduction band as a part of a RKKY-type interaction. It is shown for the
free-electron-like model that the interpocket polarization gives rise to a
broad maximum in the intersite interaction I(q) around q=(1/4,1/4,1/2) in the
Brillouin zone. This maximum is consistent with the superstructure observed in
R=Ce, Gd and Dy. The wave-number dependence of I(q) is independently extracted
from analysis of the spin-wave spectrum measured for NdB_6. It is found that
I(q) obtained from fitting the data has a similarly to that derived by the
interpocket polarization model, except that the absolute maximum now occurs at
(0,0,1/2) in consistency with the A-type structure. The overall shape of I(q)
gives a hint toward understanding an incommensurate structure in PrB_6 as well.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to J.Phys.Soc.Jp
Magneto-shear modes and a.c. dissipation in a two-dimensional Wigner crystal
The a.c. response of an unpinned and finite 2D Wigner crystal to electric
fields at an angular frequency has been calculated in the dissipative
limit, , where is the scattering rate. For
electrons screened by parallel electrodes, in zero magnetic field the
long-wavelength excitations are a diffusive longitudinal transmission line mode
and a diffusive shear mode. A magnetic field couples these modes together to
form two new magneto-shear modes. The dimensionless coupling parameter where and are the
speeds of transverse and longitudinal sound in the collisionless limit and
and are the tensor components of the
magnetoconductivity. For , both the coupled modes contribute
to the response of 2D electrons in a Corbino disk measurement of
magnetoconductivity. For , the electron crystal rotates rigidly in
a magnetic field. In general, both the amplitude and phase of the measured a.c.
currents are changed by the shear modulus. In principle, both the
magnetoconductivity and the shear modulus can be measured simultaneously.Comment: REVTeX, 7 pp., 4 eps figure
Computation of microdosimetric distributions for small sites
Object of this study is the computation of microdosimetric functions for sites which are too small to permit experimental determination of the distributions by Rossi-counters. The calculations are performed on simulated tracks generated by Monte-Carlo techniques.
The first part of the article deals with the computational procedure. The second part presents numerical results for protons of energies 0.5, 5, 20 MeV and for site diameters of 5, 10, 100 nm
Bone morphogenetic protein 7 sensitizes O6-methylguanine methyltransferase expressing-glioblastoma stem cells to clinically relevant dose of temozolomide.
BackgroundTemozolomide (TMZ) is an oral DNA-alkylating agent used for treating patients with glioblastoma. However, therapeutic benefits of TMZ can be compromised by the expression of O6-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) in tumor tissue. Here we used MGMT-expressing glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) lines as a model for investigating the molecular mechanism underlying TMZ resistance, while aiming to explore a new treatment strategy designed to possibly overcome resistance to the clinically relevant dose of TMZ (35 μM).MethodsMGMT-expressing GSC cultures are resistant to TMZ, and IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) is estimated at around 500 μM. Clonogenic GSC surviving 500 μM TMZ (GSC-500 μM TMZ), were isolated. Molecular signatures were identified via comparative analysis of expression microarray against parental GSC (GSC-parental). The recombinant protein of top downregulated signature was used as a single agent or in combination with TMZ, for evaluating therapeutic effects of treatment of GSC.ResultsThe molecular signatures characterized an activation of protective stress responses in GSC-500 μM TMZ, mainly including biotransformation/detoxification of xenobiotics, blocked endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and inhibited growth/differentiation. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) was identified as the top down-regulated gene in GSC-500 μM TMZ. Although augmenting BMP7 signaling in GSC by exogenous BMP7 treatment did not effectively stop GSC growth, it markedly sensitized both GSC-500 μM TMZ and GSC-parental to 35 μM TMZ treatment, leading to loss of self-renewal and migration capacity. BMP7 treatment induced senescence of GSC cultures and suppressed mRNA expression of CD133, MGMT, and ATP-binding cassette drug efflux transporters (ABCB1, ABCG2), as well as reconfigured transcriptional profiles in GSC by downregulating genes associated with EMT/migration/invasion, stemness, inflammation/immune response, and cell proliferation/tumorigenesis. BMP7 treatment significantly prolonged survival time of animals intracranially inoculated with GSC when compared to those untreated or treated with TMZ alone (p = 0.0017), whereas combination of two agents further extended animal survival compared to BMP7 alone (p = 0.0489).ConclusionsThese data support the view that reduced endogenous BMP7 expression/signaling in GSC may contribute to maintained stemness, EMT, and chemoresistant phenotype, suggesting that BMP7 treatment may provide a novel strategy in combination with TMZ for an effective treatment of glioblastoma exhibiting unmethylated MGMT
Photorespiration: metabolic pathways and their role in stress protection
Photorespiration results from the oxygenase reaction catalysed by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/
oxygenase. In this reaction glycollate-2-phosphate is produced and subsequently metabolized in the
photorespiratory pathway to form the Calvin cycle intermediate glycerate-3-phosphate. During this metabolic
process, CO2 and NH3 are produced and ATP and reducing equivalents are consumed, thus
making photorespiration a wasteful process. However, precisely because of this ine¤ciency, photorespiration
could serve as an energy sink preventing the overreduction of the photosynthetic electron transport
chain and photoinhibition, especially under stress conditions that lead to reduced rates of photosynthetic
CO2 assimilation. Furthermore, photorespiration provides metabolites for other metabolic processes, e.g.
glycine for the synthesis of glutathione, which is also involved in stress protection. In this review, we
describe the use of photorespiratory mutants to study the control and regulation of photorespiratory pathways.
In addition, we discuss the possible role of photorespiration under stress conditions, such as
drought, high salt concentrations and high light intensities encountered by alpine plants
Comparison of X-ray and gamma-ray dose-response curves for pink somatic mutations in Tradescantia clone 02
Microdosimetric data indicate that the mean specific energy,zeta, produced by individual charged particles from X rays and gamma rays is different for the two radiation qualities by nearly a factor of two. In order to test whether this influences the initial, linear component in the dose-effect relations, a comparison was made between dose-response curves for pink somatic mutations inTradescantia clone 02 stamen hairs following X and gamma irradiations. Absorbed doses ranged from 2.66 to 300 rad. The results are in agreement with predictions made on the basis of microdosimetric data. At low doses gamma rays are substantially less effective than X rays. The RBE of gamma rays vs. X rays at low doses was approximately 0.6, a value lower than those usually reported in other experimental systems
Crystalline electric field effects in the electrical resistivity of PrOsSb
The temperature and magnetic field dependencies of the electrical
resistivity of the recently discovered heavy fermion superconductor
\PrOsSb{} have features that are associated with the splitting of the Pr
Hund's rule multiplet by the crystalline electric field (CEF). These features
are apparently due to magnetic exchange and aspherical Coulomb scattering from
the thermally populated CEF-split Pr energy levels. The data
in zero magnetic field can be described well by calculations based on CEF
theory for various ratios of magnetic exchange and aspherical Coulomb
scattering, and yield CEF parameters that are qualitatively consistent with
those previously derived from magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and
inelastic neutron scattering measurements. Calculated isotherms for a
ground state qualitatively account for the `dome-shaped' feature
in the measured isotherms.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte
Working with simple machines
A set of examples is provided that illustrate the use of work as applied to
simple machines. The ramp, pulley, lever and hydraulic press are common
experiences in the life of a student and their theoretical analysis therefore
makes the abstract concept of work more real. The mechanical advantage of each
of these systems is also discussed so that students can evaluate their
usefulness as machines.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Ribosomal Proteins RPS11 and RPS20, Two Stress-Response Markers of Glioblastoma Stem Cells, Are Novel Predictors of Poor Prognosis in Glioblastoma Patients.
Glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) co-exhibiting a tumor-initiating capacity and a radio-chemoresistant phenotype, are a compelling cell model for explaining tumor recurrence. We have previously characterized patient-derived, treatment-resistant GSC clones (TRGC) that survived radiochemotherapy. Compared to glucose-dependent, treatment-sensitive GSC clones (TSGC), TRGC exhibited reduced glucose dependence that favor the fatty acid oxidation pathway as their energy source. Using comparative genome-wide transcriptome analysis, a series of defense signatures associated with TRGC survival were identified and verified by siRNA-based gene knockdown experiments that led to loss of cell integrity. In this study, we investigate the prognostic value of defense signatures in glioblastoma (GBM) patients using gene expression analysis with Probeset Analyzer (131 GBM) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, and protein expression with a tissue microarray (50 GBM), yielding the first TRGC-derived prognostic biomarkers for GBM patients. Ribosomal protein S11 (RPS11), RPS20, individually and together, consistently predicted poor survival of newly diagnosed primary GBM tumors when overexpressed at the RNA or protein level [RPS11: Hazard Ratio (HR) = 11.5, p<0.001; RPS20: HR = 4.5, p = 0.03; RPS11+RPS20: HR = 17.99, p = 0.001]. The prognostic significance of RPS11 and RPS20 was further supported by whole tissue section RPS11 immunostaining (27 GBM; HR = 4.05, p = 0.01) and TCGA gene expression data (578 primary GBM; RPS11: HR = 1.19, p = 0.06; RPS20: HR = 1.25, p = 0.02; RPS11+RPS20: HR = 1.43, p = 0.01). Moreover, tumors that exhibited unmethylated O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) or wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) were associated with higher RPS11 expression levels [corr (IDH1, RPS11) = 0.64, p = 0.03); [corr (MGMT, RPS11) = 0.52, p = 0.04]. These data indicate that increased expression of RPS11 and RPS20 predicts shorter patient survival. The study also suggests that TRGC are clinically relevant cells that represent resistant tumorigenic clones from patient tumors and that their properties, at least in part, are reflected in poor-prognosis GBM. The screening of TRGC signatures may represent a novel alternative strategy for identifying new prognostic biomarkers
3C 295, a cluster and its cooling flow at z=0.46
We present ROSAT HRI data of the distant and X-ray luminous (L_x(bol)=2.6^
{+0.4}_{-0.2} 10^{45}erg/sec) cluster of galaxies 3C 295. We fit both a
one-dimensional and a two-dimensional isothermal beta-model to the data, the
latter one taking into account the effects of the point spread function (PSF).
For the error analysis of the parameters of the two-dimensional model we
introduce a Monte-Carlo technique. Applying a substructure analysis, by
subtracting a cluster model from the data, we find no evidence for a merger,
but we see a decrement in emission South-East of the center of the cluster,
which might be due to absorption. We confirm previous results by Henry &
Henriksen(1986) that 3C 295 hosts a cooling flow. The equations for the simple
and idealized cooling flow analysis presented here are solely based on the
isothermal beta-model, which fits the data very well, including the center of
the cluster. We determine a cooling flow radius of 60-120kpc and mass accretion
rates of dot{M}=400-900 Msun/y, depending on the applied model and temperature
profile. We also investigate the effects of the ROSAT PSF on our estimate of
dot{M}, which tends to lead to a small overestimate of this quantity if not
taken into account. This increase of dot{M} (10-25%) can be explained by a
shallower gravitational potential inferred by the broader overall profile
caused by the PSF, which diminishes the efficiency of mass accretion. We also
determine the total mass of the cluster using the hydrostatic approach. At a
radius of 2.1 Mpc, we estimate the total mass of the cluster (M{tot}) to be
(9.2 +/- 2.7) 10^{14}Msun. For the gas to total mass ratio we get M{gas}/M{tot}
=0.17-0.31, in very good agreement with the results for other clusters of
galaxies, giving strong evidence for a low density universe.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
- …