5,351 research outputs found
Electronic Structure of Electron-doped Sm1.86Ce0.14CuO4: Strong `Pseudo-Gap' Effects, Nodeless Gap and Signatures of Short Range Order
Angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) data from the electron doped cuprate
superconductor SmCeCuO shows a much stronger pseudo-gap
or "hot-spot" effect than that observed in other optimally doped -type
cuprates. Importantly, these effects are strong enough to drive the
zone-diagonal states below the chemical potential, implying that d-wave
superconductivity in this compound would be of a novel "nodeless" gap variety.
The gross features of the Fermi surface topology and low energy electronic
structure are found to be well described by reconstruction of bands by a
order. Comparison of the ARPES and optical data from
the sample shows that the pseudo-gap energy observed in optical data is
consistent with the inter-band transition energy of the model, allowing us to
have a unified picture of pseudo-gap effects. However, the high energy
electronic structure is found to be inconsistent with such a scenario. We show
that a number of these model inconsistencies can be resolved by considering a
short range ordering or inhomogeneous state.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Pemodelan Lahan Basah Potensial Berdasarkan Indeks Topografi di Bretagne, Prancis
Wetlands represent an important natural resource which supports natural biodiversity. In France, in mentioned wetlands, it called potential wetlands, which have potential in its use.Topography and geomorphology play a major role for the development of wetlands and are decisive factors for modeling wetlands extension.The importance of identifying wetlands, can be used as a basis for determining the development priorities that will be based on technical and socioeconomic aspects The objective of this research was to predict the spatial extent of potential wetlands in Brittany, France from a topographic index calibrated on a set of 10 detailed soil maps. In identifying potential wetlands, it based on soil hydromorphwhich conducted by method 4 criteria. The following four stages of analysis were respectively categorized: (a) identification hidromorphy, (b) calculation topographic index, (c) calculation of threshold, (d) validation.A threshold method was conducted between soil maps and topographic index to indicate the similarity condition. We use for threshold and validation a new way using 120 combination of soil maps. The result oftopographic index was 4.7 and it was applied for all Brittany
Does microbleed predict haemorrhagic transformation after acute atherothrombotic or cardioembolic stroke?
OBJECTIVES: Cerebral microbleeds (MBs) are known to be indicative of bleeding-prone microangiopathy and may predict incident intracerebral haemorrhage. However, there is controversy concerning the causal relationship between the presence of MBs and haemorrhagic transformation (HTf) after ischaemic stroke. METHODS: Of the 1034 patients with acute ischaemic stroke who were consecutively admitted to our hospital, 377 patients with stroke due to large-artery atherothrombosis or cardioembolism were selected for participation in this study. We examined the MBs using T2*-weighted gradient-echo MRI performed within 24 hours after admission, and the incidence of HTf was assessed using follow-up brain MRI during the hospitalisation period. RESULTS: Of the 377 patients with stroke, 234 were male (62.1%) and the mean age was 66.2 +/-11.7 years. MBs were initially found in 109 patients (28.9%), and newly incident HTf was noted during the hospitalisation period in 74 patients (19.6%). The presence of MBs was not increased in the patients with HTf (24.3% vs. 30.0% in the patients without HTf; p = 0.331). In addition, the number of MBs was not higher in the patients with HTf (0.7+/-1.5 vs. 1.8+/-8.1; p = 0.234). This lack of significance between MBs and HTf persisted after stratification by stroke mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that underlying MBs do not predict incident HTf after acute ischaemic stroke. The clinical significance of MBs should be differentially evaluated according to the type of disease (intracerebral haemorrhage vs. HTf)
Terahertz underdamped vibrational motion governs protein-ligand binding in solution
Low-frequency collective vibrational modes in proteins have been proposed as being responsible for efficiently directing biochemical reactions and biological energy transport. However, evidence of the existence of delocalized vibrational modes is scarce and proof of their involvement in biological function absent. Here we apply extremely sensitive femtosecond optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy to study the depolarized Raman spectra of lysozyme and its complex with the inhibitor triacetylchitotriose in solution. Underdamped delocalized vibrational modes in the terahertz frequency domain are identified and shown to blue-shift and strengthen upon inhibitor binding. This demonstrates that the ligand-binding coordinate in proteins is underdamped and not simply solvent-controlled as previously assumed. The presence of such underdamped delocalized modes in proteins may have significant implications for the understanding of the efficiency of ligand binding and protein–molecule interactions, and has wider implications for biochemical reactivity and biological function
Current quark mass effects on chiral phase transition of QCD in the improved ladder approximation
Current quark mass effects on the chiral phase transition of QCD is studied
in the improved ladder approximation. An infrared behavior of the gluon
propagator is modified in terms of an effective running coupling. The analysis
is based on a composite operator formalism and a variational approach. We use
the Schwinger-Dyson equation to give a ``normalization condition'' for the
Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis effective potential and to isolate the ultraviolet
divergence which appears in an expression for the quark-antiquark condensate.
We study the current quark mass effects on the order parameter at zero
temperature and density. We then calculate the effective potential at finite
temperature and density and investigate the current quark mass effects on the
chiral phase transition. We find a smooth crossover for , and a
first-order phase transition for , T=0. Critical exponents are also
studied and our model gives the classical mean-field values. We also study the
temperature dependence of masses of scalar and pseudoscalar bosons. A critical
end point in the - plane is found at MeV,
MeV.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure
An initial event in insect innate immune response: structural and biological studies of interactions between β-1,3-glucan and the N-terminal domain of β-1,3-glucan recognition protein
In response to invading microorganisms, insect β-1,3-glucan recognition protein (βGRP), a soluble receptor in the hemolymph, binds to the surfaces of bacteria and fungi and activates serine protease cascades that promote destruction of pathogens by means of melanization or expression of antimicrobial peptides. Here we report on the NMR solution structure of the N-terminal domain of βGRP (N-βGRP) from Indian meal moth (Plodia interpunctella), which is sufficient to activate the prophenoloxidase (proPO) pathway resulting in melanin formation. NMR and isothermal calorimetric titrations of N-βGRP with laminarihexaose, a glucose hexamer containing β-1,3 links, suggest a weak binding of the ligand. However, addition of laminarin, a glucose polysaccharide (~ 6 kDa) containing β-1,3 and β-1,6 links that activates the proPO pathway, to N-βGRP results in the loss of NMR cross-peaks from the backbone 15N-1H groups of the protein, suggesting the formation of a large complex. Analytical ultra centrifugation (AUC) studies of formation of N-βGRP:laminarin complex show that ligand-binding induces sel-fassociation of the protein:carbohydrate complex into a macro structure, likely containing six protein and three laminarin molecules (~ 102 kDa). The macro complex is quite stable, as it does not undergo dissociation upon dilution to sub-micromolar concentrations. The structural model thus derived from the present studies for N-βGRP:laminarin complex in solution differs from the one in which a single N-βGRP molecule has been proposed to bind to a triple helical form of laminarin on the basis of an X-ray crystallographic structure of N-βGRP:laminarihexaose complex [Kanagawa, M., Satoh, T., Ikeda, A., Adachi, Y., Ohno, N., and Yamaguchi, Y. (2011) J. Biol. Chem. 286, 29158-29165]. AUC studies and phenoloxidase activation measurements carried out with the designed mutants of N-βGRP indicate that electrostatic interactions involving Asp45, Arg54, and Asp68 between the ligand-bound protein molecules contribute in part to the stability of N-βGRP:laminarin macro complex and that a decreased stability is accompanied by a reduced activation of the proPO pathway. Increased β-1,6 branching in laminarin also results in destabilization of the macro complex. These novel findings suggest that ligand-induced self-association of βGRP:β-1,3-glucan complex may form a platform on a microbial surface for recruitment of downstream proteases, as a means of amplification of the initial signal of pathogen recognition for the activation of the proPO pathway
Evidence of the Generation of Isosaccharinic Acids and Their Subsequent Degradation by Local Microbial Consortia within Hyper-Alkaline Contaminated Soils, with Relevance to Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste Disposal
The contamination of surface environments with hydroxide rich wastes leads to the formation of high pH (>11.0) soil profiles. One such site is a legacy lime works at Harpur Hill, Derbyshire where soil profile indicated in-situ pH values up to pH 12. Soil and porewater profiles around the site indicated clear evidence of the presence of the α and β stereoisomers of isosaccharinic acid (ISA) resulting from the anoxic, alkaline degradation of cellulosic material. ISAs are of particular interest with regards to the disposal of cellulosic materials contained within the intermediate level waste (ILW) inventory of the United Kingdom, where they may influence radionuclide mobility via complexation events occurring within a geological disposal facility (GDF) concept. The mixing of uncontaminated soils with the alkaline leachate of the site resulted in ISA generation, where the rate of generation in-situ is likely to be dependent upon the prevailing temperature of the soil. Microbial consortia present in the uncontaminated soil were capable of surviving conditions imposed by the alkaline leachate and demonstrated the ability to utilise ISAs as a carbon source. Leachate-contaminated soil was sub-cultured in a cellulose degradation product driven microcosm operating at pH 11, the consortia present were capable of the degradation of ISAs and the generation of methane from the resultant H2/CO2 produced from fermentation processes. Following microbial community analysis, fermentation processes appear to be predominated by Clostridia from the genus Alkaliphilus sp, with methanogenesis being attributed to Methanobacterium and Methanomassiliicoccus sp. The study is the first to identify the generation of ISA within an anthropogenic environment and advocates the notion that microbial activity within an ILW-GDF is likely to influence the impact of ISAs upon radionuclide migration
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