261 research outputs found
Realization of a Tunable Artificial Atom at a Supercritically Charged Vacancy in Graphene
The remarkable electronic properties of graphene have fueled the vision of a
graphene-based platform for lighter, faster and smarter electronics and
computing applications. One of the challenges is to devise ways to tailor its
electronic properties and to control its charge carriers. Here we show that a
single atom vacancy in graphene can stably host a local charge and that this
charge can be gradually built up by applying voltage pulses with the tip of a
scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The response of the conduction electrons
in graphene to the local charge is monitored with scanning tunneling and Landau
level spectroscopy, and compared to numerical simulations. As the charge is
increased, its interaction with the conduction electrons undergoes a transition
into a supercritical regime 6-11 where itinerant electrons are trapped in a
sequence of quasi-bound states which resemble an artificial atom. The
quasi-bound electron states are detected by a strong enhancement of the density
of states (DOS) within a disc centered on the vacancy site which is surrounded
by halo of hole states. We further show that the quasi-bound states at the
vacancy site are gate tunable and that the trapping mechanism can be turned on
and off, providing a new mechanism to control and guide electrons in grapheneComment: 18 pages and 5 figures plus 14 pages and 15 figures of supplementary
information. Nature Physics advance online publication, Feb 22 (2016
Sestrin2 Modulates AMPK Subunit Expression and Its Response to Ionizing Radiation in Breast Cancer Cells
Background: The sestrin family of stress-responsive genes (SESN1-3) are suggested to be involved in regulation of metabolism and aging through modulation of the AMPK-mTOR pathway. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an effector of the tumour suppressor LKB1, which regulates energy homeostasis, cell polarity, and the cell cycle. SESN1/2 can interact directly with AMPK in response to stress to maintain genomic integrity and suppress tumorigenesis. Ionizing radiation (IR), a widely used cancer therapy, is known to increase sestrin expression, and acutely activate AMPK. However, the regulation of AMPK expression by sestrins in response to IR has not been studied in depth. Methods and Findings: Through immunoprecipitation we observed that SESN2 directly interacted with the AMPKa1b1c1 trimer and its upstream regulator LKB1 in MCF7 breast cancer cells. SESN2 overexpression was achieved using a Flag-tagged SESN2 expression vector or a stably-integrated tetracycline-inducible system, which also increased AMPKa1 and AMPKb1 subunit phosphorylation, and co-localized with phosphorylated AMPKa-Thr127 in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, enhanced SESN2 expression increased protein levels of LKB1 and AMPKa1b1c1, as well as mRNA levels of LKB1, AMPKa1, and AMPKb1. Treatment of MCF7 cells with IR elevated AMPK expression and activity, but this effect was attenuated in the presence of SESN2 siRNA. In addition, elevated SESN2 inhibited IR-induced mTOR signalling and sensitized MCF7 cells to IR through an AMPK-dependent mechanism
Tuning a Circular p-n Junction in Graphene from Quantum Confinement to Optical Guiding
The motion of massless Dirac-electrons in graphene mimics the propagation of
photons. This makes it possible to control the charge-carriers with components
based on geometrical-optics and has led to proposals for an all-graphene
electron-optics platform. An open question arising from the possibility of
reducing the component-size to the nanometer-scale is how to access and
understand the transition from optical-transport to quantum-confinement. Here
we report on the realization of a circular p-n junction that can be
continuously tuned from the nanometer-scale, where quantum effects are
dominant, to the micrometer scale where optical-guiding takes over. We find
that in the nanometer-scale junction electrons are trapped in states that
resemble atomic-collapse at a supercritical charge. As the junction-size
increases, the transition to optical-guiding is signaled by the emergence of
whispering-gallery modes and Fabry-Perot interference. The creation of tunable
junctions that straddle the crossover between quantum-confinement and
optical-guiding, paves the way to novel design-architectures for controlling
electronic transport.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure
Endothelin receptor B antagonists decrease glioma cell viability independently of their cognate receptor
Background:
Endothelin receptor antagonists inhibit the progression of many cancers, but research into their influence on glioma has been limited.
Methods:
We treated glioma cell lines, LN-229 and SW1088, and melanoma cell lines, A375 and WM35, with two endothelin receptor type B (ETRB)-specific antagonists, A-192621 and BQ788, and quantified viable cells by the capacity of their intracellular esterases to convert non-fluorescent calcein AM into green-fluorescent calcein. We assessed cell proliferation by labeling cells with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester and quantifying the fluorescence by FACS analysis. We also examined the cell cycle status using BrdU/propidium iodide double staining and FACS analysis. We evaluated changes in gene expression by microarray analysis following treatment with A-192621 in glioma cells. We examined the role of ETRB by reducing its expression level using small interfering RNA (siRNA).
Results:
We report that two ETRB-specific antagonists, A-192621 and BQ788, reduce the number of viable cells in two glioma cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We describe similar results for two melanoma cell lines. The more potent of the two antagonists, A-192621, decreases the mean number of cell divisions at least in part by inducing a G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Microarray analysis of the effects of A-192621 treatment reveals up-regulation of several DNA damage-inducible genes. These results were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Importantly, reducing expression of ETRB with siRNAs does not abrogate the effects of either A-192621 or BQ788 in glioma or melanoma cells. Furthermore, BQ123, an endothelin receptor type A (ETRA)-specific antagonist, has no effect on cell viability in any of these cell lines, indicating that the ETRB-independent effects on cell viability exhibited by A-192621 and BQ788 are not a result of ETRA inhibition.
Conclusion:
While ETRB antagonists reduce the viability of glioma cells in vitro, it appears unlikely that this effect is mediated by ETRB inhibition or cross-reaction with ETRA. Instead, we present evidence that A-192621 affects glioma and melanoma viability by activating stress/DNA damage response pathways, which leads to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. This is the first evidence linking ETRB antagonist treatment to enhanced expression of DNA damage-inducible genes
Spinning strings and integrable spin chains in the AdS/CFT correspondence
In this introductory review we discuss dynamical tests of the AdS_5 x S^5
string/N=4 super Yang-Mills duality. After a brief introduction to AdS/CFT we
argue that semiclassical string energies yield information on the quantum
spectrum of the string in the limit of large angular momenta on the S^5. The
energies of the folded and circular spinning string solutions rotating on a S^3
within the S^5 are derived, which yield all loop predictions for the dual gauge
theory scaling dimensions. These follow from the eigenvalues of the dilatation
operator of N=4 super Yang-Mills in a minimal SU(2) subsector and we display
its reformulation in terms of a Heisenberg s=1/2 spin chain along with the
coordinate Bethe ansatz for its explicit diagonalization. In order to make
contact to the spinning string energies we then study the thermodynamic limit
of the one-loop gauge theory Bethe equations and demonstrate the matching with
the folded and closed string result at this loop order. Finally the known gauge
theory results at higher-loop orders are reviewed and the associated long-range
spin chain Bethe ansatz is introduced, leading to an asymptotic all-loop
conjecture for the gauge theory Bethe equations. This uncovers discrepancies at
the three-loop order between gauge theory scaling dimensions and string theory
energies and the implications of this are discussed. Along the way we comment
on further developments and generalizations of the subject and point to the
relevant literature.Comment: 40 pages, invited contribution to Living Reviews in Relativity. v2:
improvements in the text and references adde
Social Determinants of Long Lasting Insecticidal Hammock-Use Among the Ra-Glai Ethnic Minority in Vietnam: Implications for Forest Malaria Control
BACKGROUND: Long-lasting insecticidal hammocks (LLIHs) are being evaluated as an additional malaria prevention tool in settings where standard control strategies have a limited impact. This is the case among the Ra-glai ethnic minority communities of Ninh Thuan, one of the forested and mountainous provinces of Central Vietnam where malaria morbidity persist due to the sylvatic nature of the main malaria vector An. dirus and the dependence of the population on the forest for subsistence - as is the case for many impoverished ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia. METHODS: A social science study was carried out ancillary to a community-based cluster randomized trial on the effectiveness of LLIHs to control forest malaria. The social science research strategy consisted of a mixed methods study triangulating qualitative data from focused ethnography and quantitative data collected during a malariometric cross-sectional survey on a random sample of 2,045 study participants. RESULTS: To meet work requirements during the labor intensive malaria transmission and rainy season, Ra-glai slash and burn farmers combine living in government supported villages along the road with a second home at their fields located in the forest. LLIH use was evaluated in both locations. During daytime, LLIH use at village level was reported by 69.3% of all respondents, and in forest fields this was 73.2%. In the evening, 54.1% used the LLIHs in the villages, while at the fields this was 20.7%. At night, LLIH use was minimal, regardless of the location (village 4.4%; forest 6.4%). DISCUSSION: Despite the free distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and LLIHs, around half the local population remains largely unprotected when sleeping in their forest plot huts. In order to tackle forest malaria more effectively, control policies should explicitly target forest fields where ethnic minority farmers are more vulnerable to malaria
Constraints on Nucleon Decay via "Invisible" Modes from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
Data from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory have been used to constrain the
lifetime for nucleon decay to ``invisible'' modes, such as n -> 3 nu. The
analysis was based on a search for gamma-rays from the de-excitation of the
residual nucleus that would result from the disappearance of either a proton or
neutron from O16. A limit of tau_inv > 2 x 10^{29} years is obtained at 90%
confidence for either neutron or proton decay modes. This is about an order of
magnitude more stringent than previous constraints on invisible proton decay
modes and 400 times more stringent than similar neutron modes.Comment: Update includes missing efficiency factor (limits change by factor of
2) Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Different Oxidative Stress Response in Keratinocytes and Fibroblasts of Reconstructed Skin Exposed to Non Extreme Daily-Ultraviolet Radiation
Experiments characterizing the biological effects of sun exposure have usually involved solar simulators. However, they addressed the worst case scenario i.e. zenithal sun, rarely found in common outdoor activities. A non-extreme ultraviolet radiation (UV) spectrum referred as âdaily UV radiationâ (DUVR) with a higher UVA (320â400 nm) to UVB (280â320 nm) irradiance ratio has therefore been defined. In this study, the biological impact of an acute exposure to low physiological doses of DUVR (corresponding to 10 and 20% of the dose received per day in Paris mid-April) on a 3 dimensional reconstructed skin model, was analysed. In such conditions, epidermal and dermal morphological alterations could only be detected after the highest dose of DUVR. We then focused on oxidative stress response induced by DUVR, by analyzing the modulation of mRNA level of 24 markers in parallel in fibroblasts and keratinocytes. DUVR significantly modulated mRNA levels of these markers in both cell types. A cell type differential response was noticed: it was faster in fibroblasts, with a majority of inductions and high levels of modulation in contrast to keratinocyte response. Our results thus revealed a higher sensitivity in response to oxidative stress of dermal fibroblasts although located deeper in the skin, giving new insights into the skin biological events occurring in everyday UV exposure
Atomically-thin micas as proton conducting membranes
Monolayers of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are highly permeable
to thermal protons. For thicker two-dimensional (2D) materials, proton
conductivity diminishes exponentially so that, for example, monolayer MoS2 that
is just three atoms thick is completely impermeable to protons. This seemed to
suggest that only one-atom-thick crystals could be used as proton conducting
membranes. Here we show that few-layer micas that are rather thick on the
atomic scale become excellent proton conductors if native cations are
ion-exchanged for protons. Their areal conductivity exceeds that of graphene
and hBN by one-two orders of magnitude. Importantly, ion-exchanged 2D micas
exhibit this high conductivity inside the infamous gap for proton-conducting
materials, which extends from 100 C to 500 C. Areal conductivity of
proton-exchanged monolayer micas can reach above 100 S cm-2 at 500 C, well
above the current requirements for the industry roadmap. We attribute the fast
proton permeation to 5 A-wide tubular channels that perforate micas' crystal
structure which, after ion exchange, contain only hydroxyl groups inside. Our
work indicates that there could be other 2D crystals with similar nm-scale
channels, which could help close the materials gap in proton-conducting
applications
Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets
containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass
energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The
measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1.
The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary
decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from
the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is
used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive
b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the
range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet
cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the
range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets
and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are
compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed
between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG +
Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet
cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive
cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse
momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final
version published in European Physical Journal
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