155 research outputs found
Decoupling of superconducting layers in magnetic superconductor RuSr_{2}GdCu_{2}O_{8}
We propose the model for magnetic properties of the magnetic superconductor
RuSrGdCuO, which incorporates the theory of the
superconducting/ferromagnetic multilayers. The transition line , on
which the Josephson coupled superconducting planes are decoupled, i.e. , is calculated as a function of the exchange energy . As the
result of this decoupling a nonmonotonic behavior of magnetic properties, like
the lower critical field , Josephson plasma frequency, etc. is realized
near (or by crossing) the line. The obtained results are used in
analyzing the newly discovered antiferromagnetic ruthenocuprate
RuSrGdCuO with possible weak ferromagnetic order in the RuO
planes.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figs embede
Theory of Interplay of Nuclear Magnetism and Superconductivity in AuIn2
The recently reported coexistence of a magnetic order, with the critical
temperature T_M=35 \mu*K, and superconductivity, with the critical temperature
T_S=207 m*K, in AuIn_2 is studied theoretically. It is shown that
superconducting (S) electrons and localized nuclear magnetic moments (LM's)
interact dominantly via the contact hyperfine (EX) interaction, giving rise to
a spiral (or domain-like) magnetic order in superconducting phase. The
electromagnetic interaction between LM's and S electrons is small compared to
the EX one giving minor contribution to the formation of the oscillatory
magnetic order. In clean samples (l>\xi_0) of AuIn the oscillatory magnetic
order should produce a line of nodes in the quasiparticle spectrum of S
electrons giving rise to the power law behavior. The critical field H_c(T=0) in
the coexistence phase is reduced by factor two with respect to its bare value.Comment: 4 pages with 2 PS figures, RevTeX, submitted to Physical Review B -
Rapid Communication
Symbol algebras and cyclicity of algebras after a scalar extension
Пусть F —поле. Для семейства центральных простых F-алгебр мы доказываем,
что существует регулярное расширение E/F, сохраняющее индексы F-алгебр, такое
что все алгебры семейства циклические после расширения скаляров до E. Пусть A—
центральная простая F-алгебра степени n и примитивный корень степени n из едини-
цы принадлежит F. Построено квазиаффинное F-многообразие Symb(A), такое что
для расширения L/F многообразие Symb(A) обладает L-рациональной точкой то-
гда и только тогда, когда A⊗F L—символ-алгебра. Пусть A—центральная простая
F-алгебра степени n и K/F —циклическое расширение степени n. Построено ква-
зиаффинное F-многообразие C(A,K), такое что для расширения L/F со свойством
[KL : L] = [K : F] многообразие C(A,K) обладает L-рациональной точкой тогда и
только тогда, когда KL—подполе алгебры A⊗F L
Structural and electrical transport properties of superconducting Au{0.7}In{0.3} films: A random array of superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) Josephson junctions
The structural and superconducting properties of Au{0.7}In{0.3} films, grown
by interdiffusion of alternating Au and In layers, have been studied. The films
were found to consist of a uniform solid solution of Au{0.9}In{0.1}, with
excess In precipitated in the form of In-rich grains of various Au-In phases
(with distinct atomic compositions), including intermetallic compounds. As the
temperature was lowered, these individual grains became superconducting at a
particular transition temperature (Tc), determined primarily by the atomic
composition of the grain, before a fully superconducting state of zero
resistance was established. From the observed onset Tc, it was inferred that up
to three different superconducting phases could have formed in these
Au{0.7}In{0.3} films, all of which were embedded in a uniform Au{0.9}In{0.1}
matrix. Among these phases, the Tc of a particular one, 0.8 K, is higher than
any previously reported for the Au-In system. The electrical transport
properties were studied down to low temperatures. The transport results were
found to be well correlated with those of the structural studies. The present
work suggests that Au{0.7}In{0.3} can be modeled as a random array of
superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) Josephson junctions. The
effect of disorder and the nature of the superconducting transition in these
Au{0.7}In{0.3} films are discussed.Comment: 8 text pages, 10 figures in one separate PDF file, submitted to PR
Guidance in social and ethical issues related to clinical, diagnostic care and novel therapies for hereditary neuromuscular rare diseases: "translating" the translational.
Drug trials in children engage with many ethical issues, from drug-related safety concerns to communication with patients and parents, and recruitment and informed consent procedures. This paper addresses the field of neuromuscular disorders where the possibility of genetic, mutation-specific treatments, has added new complexity. Not only must trial design address issues of equity of access, but researchers must also think through the implications of adopting a personalised medicine approach, which requires a precise molecular diagnosis, in addition to other implications of developing orphan drugs. It is against this background of change and complexity that the Project Ethics Council (PEC) was established within the TREAT-NMD EU Network of Excellence. The PEC is a high level advisory group that draws upon the expertise of its interdisciplinary membership which includes clinicians, lawyers, scientists, parents, representatives of patient organisations, social scientists and ethicists. In this paper we describe the establishment and terms of reference of the PEC, give an indication of the range and depth of its work and provide some analysis of the kinds of complex questions encountered. The paper describes how the PEC has responded to substantive ethical issues raised within the TREAT-NMD consortium and how it has provided a wider resource for any concerned parent, patient, or clinician to ask a question of ethical concern. Issues raised range from science related ethical issues, issues related to hereditary neuromuscular diseases and the new therapeutic approaches and questions concerning patients rights in the context of patient registries and bio-banks. We conclude by recommending the PEC as a model for similar research contexts in rare diseases
The regulatory subunit of PKA-I remains partially structured and undergoes β-aggregation upon thermal denaturation
Background: The regulatory subunit (R) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is a modular flexible protein that responds with large conformational changes to the binding of the effector cAMP. Considering its highly dynamic nature, the protein is rather stable. We studied the thermal denaturation of full-length RIα and a truncated RIα(92-381) that contains the tandem cyclic nucleotide binding (CNB) domains A and B. Methodology/Principal Findings: As revealed by circular dichroism (CD) and differential scanning calorimetry, both RIα proteins contain significant residual structure in the heat-denatured state. As evidenced by CD, the predominantly α-helical spectrum at 25°C with double negative peaks at 209 and 222 nm changes to a spectrum with a single negative peak at 212-216 nm, characteristic of β-structure. A similar α→β transition occurs at higher temperature in the presence of cAMP. Thioflavin T fluorescence and atomic force microscopy studies support the notion that the structural transition is associated with cross-β-intermolecular aggregation and formation of non-fibrillar oligomers. Conclusions/Significance: Thermal denaturation of RIα leads to partial loss of native packing with exposure of aggregation-prone motifs, such as the B' helices in the phosphate-binding cassettes of both CNB domains. The topology of the β-sandwiches in these domains favors inter-molecular β-aggregation, which is suppressed in the ligand-bound states of RIα under physiological conditions. Moreover, our results reveal that the CNB domains persist as structural cores through heat-denaturation. © 2011 Dao et al
Energy- and flux-budget turbulence closure model for stably stratified flows. Part II: the role of internal gravity waves
We advance our prior energy- and flux-budget turbulence closure model
(Zilitinkevich et al., 2007, 2008) for the stably stratified atmospheric flows
and extend it accounting for additional vertical flux of momentum and
additional productions of turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent potential energy
(TPE) and turbulent flux of potential temperature due to large-scale internal
gravity waves (IGW). Main effects of IGW are following: the maximal value of
the flux Richardson number (universal constant 0.2-0.25 in the no-IGW regime)
becomes strongly variable. In the vertically homogeneous stratification, it
increases with increasing wave energy and can even exceed 1. In the
heterogeneous stratification, when IGW propagate towards stronger
stratification, the maximal flux Richardson number decreases with increasing
wave energy, reaches zero and then becomes negative. In other words, the
vertical flux of potential temperature becomes counter-gradient. IGW also
reduce anisotropy of turbulence and increase the share of TPE in the turbulent
total energy. Depending on the direction (downward or upward), IGW either
strengthen or weaken the total vertical flux of momentum. Predictions from the
proposed model are consistent with available data from atmospheric and
laboratory experiments, direct numerical simulations and large-eddy
simulations.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figures, revised versio
Evolution of the TOR Pathway
The TOR kinase is a major regulator of growth in eukaryotes. Many components of the TOR pathway are implicated in cancer and metabolic diseases in humans. Analysis of the evolution of TOR and its pathway may provide fundamental insight into the evolution of growth regulation in eukaryotes and provide a practical framework on which experimental evidence can be compared between species. Here we performed phylogenetic analyses on the components of the TOR pathway and determined their point of invention. We find that the two TOR complexes and a large part of the TOR pathway originated before the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor and form a core to which new inputs have been added during animal evolution. In addition, we provide insight into how duplications and sub-functionalization of the S6K, RSK, SGK and PKB kinases shaped the complexity of the TOR pathway. In yeast we identify novel AGC kinases that are orthologous to the S6 kinase. These results demonstrate how a vital signaling pathway can be both highly conserved and flexible in eukaryotes
Dynamic Switch of Negative Feedback Regulation in Drosophila Akt–TOR Signaling
Akt represents a nodal point between the Insulin receptor and TOR signaling, and its activation by phosphorylation controls cell proliferation, cell size, and metabolism. The activity of Akt must be carefully balanced, as increased Akt signaling is frequently associated with cancer and as insufficient Akt signaling is linked to metabolic disease and diabetes mellitus. Using a genome-wide RNAi screen in Drosophila cells in culture, and in vivo analyses in the third instar wing imaginal disc, we studied the regulatory circuitries that define dAkt activation. We provide evidence that negative feedback regulation of dAkt occurs during normal Drosophila development in vivo. Whereas in cell culture dAkt is regulated by S6 Kinase (S6K)–dependent negative feedback, this feedback inhibition only plays a minor role in vivo. In contrast, dAkt activation under wild-type conditions is defined by feedback inhibition that depends on TOR Complex 1 (TORC1), but is S6K–independent. This feedback inhibition is switched from TORC1 to S6K only in the context of enhanced TORC1 activity, as triggered by mutations in tsc2. These results illustrate how the Akt–TOR pathway dynamically adapts the routing of negative feedback in response to the activity load of its signaling circuit in vivo
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