262 research outputs found
Magnetic-field dependence of antiferromagnetic structure in CeRh1-xCoxIn5
We investigated effects of magnetic field H on antiferromagnetic (AF)
structures in CeRh_{1-x}Co_xIn_5 by performing the elastic neutron scattering
measurements. By applying H along the [1,-1,0] direction, the incommensurate AF
state with the propagation vector of q_{h1}=(1/2,1/2,0.297) observed at H=0 is
replaced by the commensurate AF state with the q_{c2} = (1/2, 1/2, 1/4)
modulation above 2 T for x=0.23, while the AF states with the
q_{c1}=(1/2,1/2,1/2) and q_{h2}=(1/2,1/2,0.42) modulations seen at H=0 change
into a single q_{c1}-AF state above ~1.6 T for x=0.7. These results suggest the
different types of AF correlation for Co concentrations of 0.23 and 0.7 in an
applied magnetic field H.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of ICM2009
(Karlsruhe, Germany
Cell-Type Specific Oxytocin Gene Expression from AAV Delivered Promoter Deletion Constructs into the Rat Supraoptic Nucleus in vivo
The magnocellular neurons (MCNs) in the hypothalamus selectively express either oxytocin (OXT) or vasopressin (AVP) neuropeptide genes, a property that defines their phenotypes. Here we examine the molecular basis of this selectivity in the OXT MCNs by stereotaxic microinjections of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors that contain various OXT gene promoter deletion constructs using EGFP as the reporter into the rat supraoptic nucleus (SON). Two weeks following injection of the AAVs, immunohistochemical assays of EGFP expression from these constructs were done to determine whether the EGFP reporter co-localizes with either the OXT- or AVP-immunoreactivity in the MCNs. The results show that the key elements in the OT gene promoter that regulate the cell-type specific expression the SON are located −216 to −100 bp upstream of the transcription start site. We hypothesize that within this 116 bp domain a repressor exists that inhibits expression specifically in AVP MCNs, thereby leading to the cell-type specific expression of the OXT gene only in the OXT MCNs
Antiferromagnetism and Superconductivity in Cerium based Heavy Fermion Compounds
The study of competing ground states is a central issue in condensed matter
physic. In this article we will discuss the interplay of antiferromagnetic
order and unconventional superconductivity in Ce based heavy-fermion compounds.
In all discussed examples superconductivity appears at the border of magnetic
order. Special focus is given on the pressure-temperature-magnetic field phase
diagram of CeRhIn5 and CeCoIn5 which allows to discuss microscopic coexistence
of magnetic order and superconductivity in detail. A striking point is the
similarity of the phase diagram of different classes of strongly correlated
systems which is discussed briefly. The recently discovered non-centrosymmetric
superconductors will open a new access with the possible mixing of odd and even
parity pairing.Comment: 38 pages, 22 figures, to be published in Comptes rendues - Physiqu
Simulations of Mixed Morphology Supernova Remnants With Anisotropic Thermal Conduction
We explore the role of anisotropic thermal conduction on the evolution of
supernova remnants through interstellar media with a range of densities via
numerical simulations. We find that a remnant expanding in a dense environment
can produce centre-bright hard x-ray emission within 20 kyr, and centre-bright
soft x-ray emission within 60 kyr of the supernova event. In a more tenuous
environment, the appearance of a centre-bright structure in hard x-rays is
delayed until about 60 kyr. The soft x-ray emission from such a remnant may not
become centre bright during its observable lifetime. This can explain the
observations that show that mixed-morphology supernova remnants preferentially
occur close to denser, molecular environments. Remnants expanding into denser
environments tend to be smaller, making it easier for thermal conduction to
make larger changes in the temperatures of their hot gas bubbles. We show that
the lower temperatures make it very favorable to use high-stage ions as
diagnostics of the hot gas bubbles in SNRs. In particular, the distribution of
O VIII transitions from shell-bright at early epochs to centre-bright at later
epochs in the evolution of an SNR expanding in a dense ISM when the physics of
thermal conduction is included.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Monthly Notice
Antiferromagnetism and Superconductivity in CeRhIn
We discuss recent results on the heavy fermion superconductor CeRhIn
which presents ideal conditions to study the strong coupling between the
suppression of antiferromagnetic order and the appearance of unconventional
superconductivity. The appearance of superconductivity as function of pressure
is strongly connected to the suppression of the magnetic order. Under magnetic
field, the re-entrance of magnetic order inside the superconducting state shows
that antiferromagnetism nucleates in the vortex cores. The suppression of
antiferromagnetism in CeRhIn by Sn doping is compared to that under
hydrostatic pressure.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Proc. Int. Conf. Heavy
Electrons (ICHE2010) J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 80 (2011
The quantum critical point in CeRhIn_5: a resistivity study
The pressure--temperature phase diagram of CeRhIn_5 has been studied under
high magnetic field by resistivity measurements. Clear signatures of a quantum
critical point has been found at a critical pressure of p_c = 2.5 GPa. The
field induced magnetic state in the superconducting state is stable up to the
highest field. At p_c the antiferromagnetic ground-state under high magnetic
field collapses very rapidly. Clear signatures of p_c are the strong
enhancement of the resistivity in the normal state and of the inelastic
scattering term. No clear T2 temperature dependence could be found for
pressures above T_c. From the analysis of the upper critical field within a
strong coupling model we present the pressure dependence of the coupling
parameter lambda and the gyromagnetic ratio g. No signatures of a spatially
modulated order parameter could be evidenced. A detailed comparison with the
magnetic field--temperature phase diagram of CeCoIn_5 is given. The comparison
between CeRhIn_5 and CeCoIn_5 points out the importance to take into account
the field dependence of the effective mass in the calculation of the
superconducting upper critical field H_c2. It suggests also that when the
magnetic critical field H_(0) becomes lower than H_c2 (0)$, the persistence of
a superconducting pseudo-gap may stick the antiferromagnetism to H_c2 (0).Comment: 15 pages, 20 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Lattice Gas Automata for Reactive Systems
Reactive lattice gas automata provide a microscopic approachto the dynamics
of spatially-distributed reacting systems. After introducing the subject within
the wider framework of lattice gas automata (LGA) as a microscopic approach to
the phenomenology of macroscopic systems, we describe the reactive LGA in terms
of a simple physical picture to show how an automaton can be constructed to
capture the essentials of a reactive molecular dynamics scheme. The statistical
mechanical theory of the automaton is then developed for diffusive transport
and for reactive processes, and a general algorithm is presented for reactive
LGA. The method is illustrated by considering applications to bistable and
excitable media, oscillatory behavior in reactive systems, chemical chaos and
pattern formation triggered by Turing bifurcations. The reactive lattice gas
scheme is contrasted with related cellular automaton methods and the paper
concludes with a discussion of future perspectives.Comment: to appear in PHYSICS REPORTS, 81 revtex pages; uuencoded gziped
postscript file; figures available from [email protected] or
[email protected]
Nanoparticles of Poly(Lactide-Co-Glycolide)-d-a-Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol 1000 Succinate Random Copolymer for Cancer Treatment
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies could provide potential solutions. In this research, a novel biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-d-a-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (PLGA-TPGS) random copolymer was synthesized from lactide, glycolide and d-a-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) by ring-opening polymerization using stannous octoate as catalyst. The obtained random copolymers were characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, GPC and TGA. The docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles made of PLGA-TPGS copolymer were prepared by a modified solvent extraction/evaporation method. The nanoparticles were then characterized by various state-of-the-art techniques. The results revealed that the size of PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles was around 250 nm. The docetaxel-loaded PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles could achieve much faster drug release in comparison with PLGA nanoparticles. In vitro cellular uptakes of such nanoparticles were investigated by CLSM, demonstrating the fluorescence PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles could be internalized by human cervix carcinoma cells (HeLa). The results also indicated that PLGA-TPGS-based nanoparticles were biocompatible, and the docetaxel-loaded PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles had significant cytotoxicity against Hela cells. The cytotoxicity against HeLa cells for PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles was in time- and concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, PLGA-TPGS random copolymer could be acted as a novel and promising biocompatible polymeric matrix material applicable to nanoparticle-based drug delivery system for cancer chemotherapy
C/EBPβ Promotes Transition from Proliferation to Hypertrophic Differentiation of Chondrocytes through Transactivation of p57Kip2
BACKGROUND: Although transition from proliferation to hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes is a crucial step for endochondral ossification in physiological skeletal growth and pathological disorders like osteoarthritis, the underlying mechanism remains an enigma. This study investigated the role of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta) in chondrocytes during endochondral ossification. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Mouse embryos with homozygous deficiency in C/EBPbeta (C/EBPbeta-/-) exhibited dwarfism with elongated proliferative zone and delayed chondrocyte hypertrophy in the growth plate cartilage. In the cultures of primary C/EBPbeta-/- chondrocytes, cell proliferation was enhanced while hypertrophic differentiation was suppressed. Contrarily, retroviral overexpression of C/EBPbeta in chondrocytes suppressed the proliferation and enhanced the hypertrophy, suggesting the cell cycle arrest by C/EBPbeta. In fact, a DNA cell cycle histogram revealed that the C/EBPbeta overexpression caused accumulation of cells in the G0/G1 fraction. Among cell cycle factors, microarray and real-time RT-PCR analyses have identified the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p57(Kip2) as the transcriptional target of C/EBPbeta. p57(Kip2) was co-localized with C/EBPbeta in late proliferative and pre-hypertrophic chondrocytes of the mouse growth plate, which was decreased by the C/EBPbeta deficiency. Luciferase-reporter and electrophoretic mobility shift assays identified the core responsive element of C/EBPbeta in the p57(Kip2) promoter between -150 and -130 bp region containing a putative C/EBP motif. The knockdown of p57(Kip2) by the siRNA inhibited the C/EBPbeta-induced chondrocyte hypertrophy. Finally, when we created the experimental osteoarthritis model by inducing instability in the knee joints of adult mice of wild-type and C/EBPbeta+/- littermates, the C/EBPbeta insufficiency caused resistance to joint cartilage destruction. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: C/EBPbeta transactivates p57(Kip2) to promote transition from proliferation to hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes during endochondral ossification, suggesting that the C/EBPbeta-p57(Kip2) signal would be a therapeutic target of skeletal disorders like growth retardation and osteoarthritis
Spider-Venom Peptides as Bioinsecticides
Over 10,000 arthropod species are currently considered to be pest organisms. They are estimated to contribute to the destruction of ~14% of the world’s annual crop production and transmit many pathogens. Presently, arthropod pests of agricultural and health significance are controlled predominantly through the use of chemical insecticides. Unfortunately, the widespread use of these agrochemicals has resulted in genetic selection pressure that has led to the development of insecticide-resistant arthropods, as well as concerns over human health and the environment. Bioinsecticides represent a new generation of insecticides that utilise organisms or their derivatives (e.g., transgenic plants, recombinant baculoviruses, toxin-fusion proteins and peptidomimetics) and show promise as environmentally-friendly alternatives to conventional agrochemicals. Spider-venom peptides are now being investigated as potential sources of bioinsecticides. With an estimated 100,000 species, spiders are one of the most successful arthropod predators. Their venom has proven to be a rich source of hyperstable insecticidal mini-proteins that cause insect paralysis or lethality through the modulation of ion channels, receptors and enzymes. Many newly characterized insecticidal spider toxins target novel sites in insects. Here we review the structure and pharmacology of these toxins and discuss the potential of this vast peptide library for the discovery of novel bioinsecticides
- …