561 research outputs found
Magnetic ordering and fluctuation in kagome lattice antiferromagnets, Fe and Cr jarosites
Jarosite family compounds, KFe_3(OH)_6(SO_4)_2, (abbreviate Fe jarosite), and
KCr_3(OH)_6(SO_4)_2, (Cr jarosite), are typical examples of the Heisenberg
antiferromagnet on the kagome lattice and have been investigated by means of
magnetization and NMR experiments. The susceptibility of Cr jarosite deviates
from Curie-Weiss law due to the short-range spin correlation below about 150 K
and shows the magnetic transition at 4.2 K, while Fe jarosite has the
transition at 65 K. The susceptibility data fit well with the calculated one on
the high temperature expansion for the Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the kagome
lattice. The values of exchange interaction of Cr jarosite and Fe jarosite are
derived to be J_Cr = 4.9 K and J_Fe = 23 K, respectively. The 1H-NMR spectra of
Fe jarosite suggest that the ordered spin structure is the q = 0 type with
positive chirality of the 120 degrees configuration. The transition is caused
by a weak single-ion type anisotropy. The spin-lattice relaxation rate, 1/T_1,
of Fe jarosite in the ordered phase decreases sharply with lowering the
temperature and can be well explained by the two-magnon process of spin wave
with the anisotropy.Comment: REVTeX, 14 pages with 5 figures. Submitted to Canadian Journal of
Physic
Correct anteroposterior patterning of the zebrafish neurectoderm in the absence of the early dorsal organizer
Background
The embryonic organizer (i.e., Spemann organizer) has a pivotal role in the establishment of the dorsoventral (DV) axis through the coordination of BMP signaling. However, as impaired organizer function also results in anterior and posterior truncations, it is of interest to determine if proper anteroposterior (AP) pattern can be obtained even in the absence of early organizer signaling.
Results
Using the ventralized, maternal effect ichabod (ich) mutant, and by inhibiting BMP signaling in ich embryos, we provide conclusive evidence that AP patterning is independent of the organizer in zebrafish, and is governed by TGFβ, FGF, and Wnt signals emanating from the germ-ring. The expression patterns of neurectodermal markers in embryos with impaired BMP signaling show that the directionality of such signals is oriented along the animal-vegetal axis, which is essentially concordant with the AP axis. In addition, we find that in embryos inhibited in both Wnt and BMP signaling, the AP pattern of such markers is unchanged from that of the normal untreated embryo. These embryos develop radially organized trunk and head tissues, with an outer neurectodermal layer containing diffusely positioned neuronal precursors. Such organization is reflective of the presumed eumetazoan ancestor and might provide clues for the evolution of centralization in the nervous system.
Conclusions
Using a zebrafish mutant deficient in the induction of the embryonic organizer, we demonstrate that the AP patterning of the neuroectoderm during gastrulation is independent of DV patterning. Our results provide further support for Nieuwkoop's "two step model" of embryonic induction. We also show that the zebrafish embryo can form a radial diffuse neural sheath in the absence of both BMP signaling and the early organizer
Proton Spin Relaxation Induced by Quantum Tunneling in Fe8 Molecular Nanomagnet
The spin-lattice relaxation rate and NMR spectra of H in
single crystal molecular magnets of Fe8 have been measured down to 15 mK. The
relaxation rate shows a strong temperature dependence down to 400
mK. The relaxation is well explained in terms of the thermal transition of the
iron state between the discreet energy levels of the total spin S=10. The
relaxation time becomes temperature independent below 300 mK and is
longer than 100 s. In this temperature region stepwise recovery of the
H-NMR signal after saturation was observed depending on the return field of
the sweep field. This phenomenon is attributed to resonant quantum tunneling at
the fields where levels cross and is discussed in terms of the Landau-Zener
transition.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure
Slow Relaxation of Spin Structure in Exotic Ferromagnetic Phase of Ising-like Heisenberg Kagome Antiferromagnets
In the corner-sharing lattice, magnetic frustration causes macroscopic
degeneracy in the ground state, which prevents systems from ordering. However,
if the ensemble of the degenerate configuration has some global structure, the
system can have a symmetry breaking phenomenon and thus posses a finite
temperature phase transition. As a typical example of such cases, the magnetic
phase transition of the Ising-like Heisenberg antiferromagnetic model on the
kagome lattice has been studied. There, a phase transition of the
two-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising universality class occurs accompanying with
the uniform spontaneous magnetization. Because of the macroscopic degeneracy in
the ordered phase, the system is found to show an entropy-driven ordering
process, which is quantitatively characterized by the number of ``weathervane
loop''. We investigate this novel type of slow relaxation in regularly
frustrated system.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Histogram Monte Carlo study of multicritical behavior in the hexagonal easy-axis Heisenberg antiferromagnet
The results of a detailed histogram Monte-Carlo study of critical-fluctuation
effects on the magnetic-field temperature phase diagram associated with the
hexagonal Heisenberg antiferromagnet with weak axial anisotropy are reported.
The multiphase point where three lines of continuous transitions merge at the
spin-flop boundary exhibits a structure consistent with scaling theory but
without the usual umbilicus as found in the case of a bicritical point.Comment: 7 pages (RevTex 3.0), 1 figure available upon request, CRPS-93-1
On the Propagation of Slip Fronts at Frictional Interfaces
The dynamic initiation of sliding at planar interfaces between deformable and
rigid solids is studied with particular focus on the speed of the slip front.
Recent experimental results showed a close relation between this speed and the
local ratio of shear to normal stress measured before slip occurs (static
stress ratio). Using a two-dimensional finite element model, we demonstrate,
however, that fronts propagating in different directions do not have the same
dynamics under similar stress conditions. A lack of correlation is also
observed between accelerating and decelerating slip fronts. These effects
cannot be entirely associated with static local stresses but call for a dynamic
description. Considering a dynamic stress ratio (measured in front of the slip
tip) instead of a static one reduces the above-mentioned inconsistencies.
However, the effects of the direction and acceleration are still present. To
overcome this we propose an energetic criterion that uniquely associates,
independently on the direction of propagation and its acceleration, the slip
front velocity with the relative rise of the energy density at the slip tip.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
Long-term safety and efficacy of pegunigalsidase alfa: A multicenter 6-year study in adult patients with Fabry disease
Purpose: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the GLA gene encoding α-galactosidase (α-Gal)-A. We evaluated long-term safety/efficacy of pegunigalsidase alfa, a novel PEGylated α-Gal-A enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) now approved for FD. Methods: In a phase-1/2 dose-ranging study, 15 ERT-naive adults with FD completed 12 months of pegunigalsidase alfa and enrolled in this 60-month open-label extension of 1 mg/kg pegunigalsidase alfa infusions every 2 weeks. Results: Fifteen patients enrolled (8 males; 7 females); 10 completed ≥48 months (60 months total treatment), and 2 completed 60 months (72 months total treatment). During treatment, most treatment-emergent adverse events were mild/moderate in severity and all infusion-related reactions were mild/moderate in severity. Four patients were transiently positive for anti-pegunigalsidase alfa IgG. Patients showed continuous reduction in plasma lyso-Gb3 concentrations with mean (standard error) reduction of 76.1 [25.1] ng/mL from baseline to month 24. At 60 months, the estimated glomerular filtration rate slope was comparable to that observed in patients treated with other ERTs. Cardiac function assessments revealed stability; no cardiac fibrosis was observed. Conclusion: In this first long-term assessment of pegunigalsidase alfa administration in patients with FD, we found favorable safety/efficacy. Our data suggest long-term continuous benefits of pegunigalsidase alfa treatment in adults with FD
- …