56 research outputs found
Spatial fragmentation of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential
We present a theoretical study of the ground state of a Bose-Einstein
condensate with repulsive inter-particle interactions in a double-well
potential, using a restricted variational principle. Within such an approach,
there is a transition from a single condensate to a fragmented condensate as
the strength of the central barrier of the potential is increased. We determine
the nature of this transition through approximate analytic as well as numerical
solutions of our model in the regime where the inter-particle interactions can
be treated perturbatively. The degree of fragmentation of the condensate is
characterized by the degrees of first-order and second-order spatial coherence
across the barrier.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Immune cell populations and cytokine production in spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes after laparoscopic surgery versus conventional laparotomy in mice
PURPOSE: There is evidence that open as well as minimally invasive abdominal surgery impair post-operative innate and acquired immune function. To compare the impact of these approaches as well as the one of different peritoneal gas exposures on immune function, we investigated cellular as well as cytokine-based immune parameters in mesenteric lymph nodes and the spleen postoperatively.
METHODS: Mice (n = 26) were randomly assigned to the 4 study groups: (1) sham controls undergoing anesthesia alone, (2) laparotomy, and (3) air, or (4) carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum. Mice were sacrificed 48 h after the intervention, and their spleens and mesenteric lymph nodes were harvested. Cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ), splenic T cell subpopulations (cytotoxic T cells, T helper cells, and regulatory T cells) were analyzed.
RESULTS: TNF-α production of splenocytes 16 h after ex vivo lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation was significantly increased in the laparotomy group compared to all other groups. In contrast, TNF-α production of lymph node cells and IL-6 production of splenocytes after ex vivo LPS stimulation did not differ significantly between the groups. The numbers of regulatory T cells (Treg) in the spleen differed between groups. A significant reduction in Treg cell frequency was detected in the CO(2) insufflation group compared to the laparotomy and the air insufflation group.
CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate a distinct difference in immune effector functions and cellular composition of the spleen with regard to splenic TNF-α production and increased numbers of Treg cells in the spleen. These findings are in line with a higher peritoneal inflammatory status consequent to peritoneal air rather than CO(2) exposure. Treg turned out to be key modulators of postoperative dysfunction of acquired immunity
Theory of Bose-Einstein condensation in trapped gases
The phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation of dilute gases in traps is
reviewed from a theoretical perspective. Mean-field theory provides a framework
to understand the main features of the condensation and the role of
interactions between particles. Various properties of these systems are
discussed, including the density profiles and the energy of the ground state
configurations, the collective oscillations and the dynamics of the expansion,
the condensate fraction and the thermodynamic functions. The thermodynamic
limit exhibits a scaling behavior in the relevant length and energy scales.
Despite the dilute nature of the gases, interactions profoundly modify the
static as well as the dynamic properties of the system; the predictions of
mean-field theory are in excellent agreement with available experimental
results. Effects of superfluidity including the existence of quantized vortices
and the reduction of the moment of inertia are discussed, as well as the
consequences of coherence such as the Josephson effect and interference
phenomena. The review also assesses the accuracy and limitations of the
mean-field approach.Comment: revtex, 69 pages, 38 eps figures, new version with more references,
new figures, various changes and corrections, for publ. in Rev. Mod. Phys.,
available also at http://www-phys.science.unitn.it/bec/BEC.htm
Correlating Raman Spectral Signatures with Carrier Mobility in Epitaxial Graphene: A Guide to Achieving High Mobility on the Wafer Scale
We report a direct correlation between carrier mobility and Raman topography
of epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on silicon carbide (SiC). We show the Hall
mobility of material on the Si-face of SiC [SiC(0001)] is not only highly
dependent on thickness uniformity but also on monolayer strain uniformity. Only
when both thickness and strain are uniform over a significant fraction (> 40%)
of the device active area does the mobility exceed 1000 cm2/V-s. Additionally,
we achieve high mobility epitaxial graphene (18,100 cm2/V-s at room
temperature) on the C-face of SiC [SiC(000-1)] and show that carrier mobility
depends strongly on the graphene layer stacking. These findings provide a means
to rapidly estimate carrier mobility and provide a guide to achieve very high
mobility in epitaxial graphene. Our results suggest that ultra-high mobilities
(>50,000 cm2/V-s) are achievable via the controlled formation of uniform,
rotationally faulted epitaxial graphene.Comment: 13 pages including supplimental material. Submitted to Nature
Materials 2/23/200
mTORC1 is essential for early steps during Schwann cell differentiation of amniotic fluid stem cells and regulates lipogenic gene expression.
Schwann cell development is hallmarked by the induction of a lipogenic profile. Here we used amniotic fluid stem (AFS) cells and focused on the mechanisms occurring during early steps of differentiation along the Schwann cell lineage. Therefore, we initiated Schwann cell differentiation in AFS cells and monitored as well as modulated the activity of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, the major regulator of anabolic processes. Our results show that mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) activity is essential for glial marker expression and expression of Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein (SREBP) target genes. Moreover, SREBP target gene activation by statin treatment promoted lipogenic gene expression, induced mTORC1 activation and stimulated Schwann cell differentiation. To investigate mTORC1 downstream signaling we expressed a mutant S6K1, which subsequently induced the expression of the Schwann cell marker S100b, but did not affect lipogenic gene expression. This suggests that S6K1 dependent and independent pathways downstream of mTORC1 drive AFS cells to early Schwann cell differentiation and lipogenic gene expression. In conclusion our results propose that future strategies for peripheral nervous system regeneration will depend on ways to efficiently induce the mTORC1 pathway
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