19 research outputs found
Phenomenological description of the microwave surface impedance and complex conductivity of high- single crystals
Measurements of the microwave surface impedance and
of the complex conductivity of high-quality, high- single
crystals of YBCO, BSCCO, TBCCO, and TBCO are analyzed. Experimental data of
and are compared with calculations based on a modified
two-fluid model which includes temperature-dependent quasiparticle scattering
and a unique temperature variation of the density of superconducting carriers.
We elucidate agreement as well as disagreement of our analysis with the salient
features of the experimental data. Existing microscopic models are reviewed
which are based on unconventional symmetry types of the order parameter and on
novel mechanisms of quasiparticle relaxation.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, 1 tabl
Efficient Genetic Method for Establishing Drosophila Cell Lines Unlocks the Potential to Create Lines of Specific Genotypes
Analysis of cells in culture has made substantial contributions to biological research. The versatility and scale of in vitro manipulation and new applications such as high-throughput gene silencing screens ensure the continued importance of cell-culture studies. In comparison to mammalian systems, Drosophila cell culture is underdeveloped, primarily because there is no general genetic method for deriving new cell lines. Here we found expression of the conserved oncogene RasV12 (a constitutively activated form of Ras) profoundly influences the development of primary cultures derived from embryos. The cultures become confluent in about three weeks and can be passaged with great success. The lines have undergone more than 90 population doublings and therefore constitute continuous cell lines. Most lines are composed of spindle-shaped cells of mesodermal type. We tested the use of the method for deriving Drosophila cell lines of a specific genotype by establishing cultures from embryos in which the warts (wts) tumor suppressor gene was targeted. We successfully created several cell lines and found that these differ from controls because they are primarily polyploid. This phenotype likely reflects the known role for the mammalian wts counterparts in the tetraploidy checkpoint. We conclude that expression of RasV12 is a powerful genetic mechanism to promote proliferation in Drosophila primary culture cells and serves as an efficient means to generate continuous cell lines of a given genotype
Nitric Oxide Releasing Materials Triggered by Near-Infrared Excitation Through Tissue Filters
Novel materials for the phototherapeutic release of the bioregulator nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide) are described. Also reported is a method for scanning these materials with a focused NIR beam to induce photouncaging while minimizing damage from local heating. The new materials consist of poly(dimethylsiloxane) composites with near-infrared-to-visible upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) that are cast into a biocompatible polymer disk (PD). These PDs are then impregnated with the photochemical nitric oxide precursor Roussin's black salt (RBS) to give UCNP_RBS_PD devices that generate NO when irradiated with 980 nm light. When the UCNP_RBS_PD composites were irradiated with NIR light through filters composed of porcine tissue, physiologically relevant NO concentrations were released, thus demonstrating the potential of such devices for minimally invasive phototherapeutic applications