Lattice strain effects on the optical properties of MoS2 nanosheets.

"Strain engineering" in functional materials has been widely explored to tailor the physical properties of electronic materials and improve their electrical and/or optical properties. Here, we exploit both in plane and out of plane uniaxial tensile strains in MoS2 to modulate its band gap and engineer its optical properties. We utilize X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy to quantify the strains in the as-synthesized MoS2 nanosheets and apply measured shifts of Raman-active modes to confirm lattice strain modification of both the out-of-plane and in-plane phonon vibrations of the MoS2 nanosheets. The induced band gap evolution due to in-plane and out-of-plane tensile stresses is validated by photoluminescence (PL) measurements, promising a potential route for unprecedented manipulation of the physical, electrical and optical properties of MoS2

lncRNA-dependent mechanisms of androgen-receptor-regulated gene activation programs.

Although recent studies have indicated roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in physiological aspects of cell-type determination and tissue homeostasis, their potential involvement in regulated gene transcription programs remains rather poorly understood. The androgen receptor regulates a large repertoire of genes central to the identity and behaviour of prostate cancer cells, and functions in a ligand-independent fashion in many prostate cancers when they become hormone refractory after initial androgen deprivation therapy. Here we report that two lncRNAs highly overexpressed in aggressive prostate cancer, PRNCR1 (also known as PCAT8) and PCGEM1, bind successively to the androgen receptor and strongly enhance both ligand-dependent and ligand-independent androgen-receptor-mediated gene activation programs and proliferation in prostate cancer cells. Binding of PRNCR1 to the carboxy-terminally acetylated androgen receptor on enhancers and its association with DOT1L appear to be required for recruitment of the second lncRNA, PCGEM1, to the androgen receptor amino terminus that is methylated by DOT1L. Unexpectedly, recognition of specific protein marks by PCGEM1-recruited pygopus 2 PHD domain enhances selective looping of androgen-receptor-bound enhancers to target gene promoters in these cells. In 'resistant' prostate cancer cells, these overexpressed lncRNAs can interact with, and are required for, the robust activation of both truncated and full-length androgen receptor, causing ligand-independent activation of the androgen receptor transcriptional program and cell proliferation. Conditionally expressed short hairpin RNA targeting these lncRNAs in castration-resistant prostate cancer cell lines strongly suppressed tumour xenograft growth in vivo. Together, these results indicate that these overexpressed lncRNAs can potentially serve as a required component of castration-resistance in prostatic tumours

Ring-based ultrasonic virtual point detector with applications to photoacoustic tomography

This is the published version. Copyright © 2007 American Institute of PhysicsAn ultrasonic virtual point detector is constructed using the center of a ring transducer. The virtual point detector provides ideal omnidirectional detection free of any aperture effect. Compared with a real point detector, the virtual one has lower thermal noise and can be scanned with its center inside a physically inaccessible medium. When applied to photoacoustictomography, the virtual point detector provides both high spatial resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio. It can also be potentially applied to other ultrasound-related technologies

Spin-Hall effect with quantum group symmetry

We construct a model of spin-Hall effect on a noncommutative 4 sphere with isospin degrees of freedom (coming from a noncommutative instanton) and invariance under a quantum orthogonal group. The corresponding representation theory allows to explicitly diagonalize the Hamiltonian and construct the ground state; there are both integer and fractional excitations. Similar models exist on higher dimensional noncommutative spheres and noncommutative projective spaces.Comment: v2: 14 pages, latex. Several changes and additional material; two extra sections added. To appear in LMP. Dedicated to Rafael Sorkin with friendship and respec

Birkhoff's Theorem in f(T) Gravity up to the Perturbative Order

f(T) gravity, a generally modified teleparallel gravity, has become very popular in recent times as it is able to reproduce the unification of inflation and late-time acceleration without the need of a dark energy component or an inflation field. In this present work, we investigate specifically the range of validity of Birkhoff's theorem with the general tetrad field via perturbative approach. At zero order, Birkhoff's theorem is valid and the solution is the well known Schwarzschild-(A)dS metric. Then considering the special case of the diagonal tetrad field, we present a new spherically symmetric solution in the frame of f(T) gravity up to the perturbative order. The results with the diagonal tetrad field satisfy the physical equivalence between the Jordan and the so-called Einstein frames, which are realized via conformal transformation, at least up to the first perturbative order.Comment: 8 pages, no figure. Final version, accepted for publication in EPJ