On the Possibility of Using Mn4N as a Neutron Polarizer

Abstract. Manganese nitride, Mn4N has been investigated by means of unpolarized as well as polarized neutron diffraction technique. It was found that both (100) and (110) reflections of this compound could produce almost 100% polarized, monochromatic neutrons. Furthermore, the two reflections provide opposite senses of polarization. While (100) reflects neutrons with spins aligned opposite to the magnetization, (110) reflection provides neutrons with spins parallel to the magnetization. This would offer possibility of producing polarized, monochromatic neutrons of either state of polarization by switching from one reflection to the other, without the use of electronic flipping devices. Sari. Nitrida mangan, Mn4N telah diteliti dengan teknik difraksi neutron tak-terpolarisasi maupun terpolarisasi. Ternyata kedua refleksi, (100) dan (110), dapat menghasilkan hampir 100% neutron terpolarisasi serta monokromatik. Lebih lanjut diketahui bahwa kedua refleksi tersebut menghasilkan polarisasi yang berlawanan arah. Refleksi (100) hanya memantulkan neutron dengan polarisasi yang berlawanan arah dengan magnetisasi, sedangkan refleksi (110) menghasilkan neutron dengan polarisasi searah dengan magnetisasi. Hal ini membuka kemungkinan untuk memproduksi neutron monokromatik dengan salah satu keadaan polarisasi, dengan cara berpindah dari suatu refleksi ke refleksi lainnya tanpa menggunakan alat elektronik

Inelastic Neutron scattering in CeSi_{2-x}Ga_x ferromagnetic Kondo lattice compounds

Inelastic neutron scattering investigation on ferromagnetic Kondo lattice compounds belonging to CeSi_{2-x}Ga_{x}, x = 0.7, 1.0 and 1.3, system is reported. The thermal evolution of the quasielastic response shows that the Kondo interactions dominate over the RKKY interactions with increase in Ga concentration from 0.7 to 1.3. This is related to the increase in k-f hybridization with increasing Ga concentration. The high energy response indicates the ground state to be split by crystal field in all three compounds. Using the experimental results we have calculated the crystal field parameters in all three compounds studied here.Comment: 12 Pages Revtex, 2 eps figures

Oct4 Is Crucial for Transdifferentiation of Hepatocytes to Biliary Epithelial Cells in an in Vitro Organoid Culture Model

BACKGROUND: Hepatocyte to biliary transdifferentiation has been documented in various models of bile duct injury. In this process, mature hepatocytes transform into mature biliary epithelial cells by acquiring biliary phenotypic markers. Several signaling pathways including PI3 kinase, Notch, Hes1, Sox9, and Hippo are shown to be involved in the process. However, if Oct4 is involved in hepatocyte to biliary transdifferentiation is unknown. METHODS: We investigated the role of Oct4 in hepatocyte to biliary transdifferentiation utilizing an in vitro organoid culture system as a model of transdifferentiation. Oct4 was inhibited using adenovirus containing Oct4 shRNA. Hepatocyte specific HNF-4α and biliary specific HNF-1β & CK19 expression were assessed to gauge the extent of transdifferentiation. RESULTS: Oct4 was induced during hepatocyte to biliary transdifferentiation. Oct4 inhibition significantly downregulated the appearance of biliary cells from hepatocytes. This was accompanied by a significant downregulation of signaling pathways including Notch, Sox9, and Hippo. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that Oct4 is crucial for hepatocyte to biliary transdifferentiation and maturation and that it acts upstream of Notch, Sox9, and Hippo signaling in this model. This finding identifies new signaling through Oct4 in plasticity between hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells, which can be potentially utilized to identify new strategies in chronic biliary diseases

Non-spherical magnetic moment in MnAlGe

The magnetic structure factors of MnAlGe (space group P4/nmm) measured with polarised neutrons have been expressed in terms of the magnetic moment of the Mn atom (site symmetry tetrahedral with tetragonal distortion), the Bessel transforms 〈jn〉 of the Mn radial functions and the fractional occupancies of the moment density in the various crystal field orbitals. The measured structure factors were least-squares fitted with the theoretical expression involving 〈jn〉 appropriate to the Mn0, Mn+ and Mn2+ atoms. The best fit was got using Mn0 transforms, yielding 1.45μB as the Mn magnetic moment. The fractional occupancies of the moment density in the crystal field orbitals A1g, B1g Eg and B2g were obtained. This analysis shows the magnetic moment to be highly non-spherical with a large fractional occupancy (38%) in the A1g orbital directed along the tetragonal axis while the fractional occupancies of B1g and B2g are found to be 31% and 30% respectively. The fractional occupancy of the moment in the Eg orbital directed towards the Ge and Al atoms is very low (1%). The spatially averaged moment density of Mn in MnAlGe is more diffuse than that of Mn I and Mn II in isostructural Mn2Sb

Effect of Electron Energy Distribution Function on Power Deposition and Plasma Density in an Inductively Coupled Discharge at Very Low Pressures

A self-consistent 1-D model was developed to study the effect of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) on power deposition and plasma density profiles in a planar inductively coupled plasma (ICP) in the non-local regime (pressure < 10 mTorr). The model consisted of three modules: (1) an electron energy distribution function (EEDF) module to compute the non-Maxwellian EEDF, (2) a non-local electron kinetics module to predict the non-local electron conductivity, RF current, electric field and power deposition profiles in the non-uniform plasma, and (3) a heavy species transport module to solve for the ion density and velocity profiles as well as the metastable density. Results using the non-Maxwellian EEDF model were compared with predictions using a Maxwellian EEDF, under otherwise identical conditions. The RF electric field, current, and power deposition profiles were different, especially at 1mTorr, for which the electron effective mean free path was larger than the skin depth. The plasma density predicted by the Maxwellian EEDF was up to 93% larger for the conditions examined. Thus, the non-Maxwellian EEDF must be accounted for in modeling ICPs at very low pressures.Comment: 19 pages submitted to Plasma Sources Sci. Techno

Increased Lysis of Stem Cells but Not Their Differentiated Cells by Natural Killer Cells; De-Differentiation or Reprogramming Activates NK Cells

The aims of this study are to demonstrate the increased lysis of stem cells but not their differentiated counterparts by the NK cells and to determine whether disturbance in cell differentiation is a cause for increased sensitivity to NK cell mediated cytotoxicity. Increased cytotoxicity and augmented secretion of IFN-γ were both observed when PBMCs or NK cells were co-incubated with primary UCLA oral squamous carcinoma stem cells (UCLA-OSCSCs) when compared to differentiated UCLA oral squamous carcinoma cells (UCLA-OSCCs). In addition, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were also lysed greatly by the NK cells. Moreover, NK cells were found to lyse human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs), human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) significantly more than their differentiated counterparts or parental lines from which they were derived. It was also found that inhibition of differentiation or reversion of cells to a less-differentiated phenotype by blocking NFκB or targeted knock down of COX2 in monocytes significantly augmented NK cell cytotoxicity and secretion of IFN-γ. Taken together, these results suggest that stem cells are significant targets of the NK cell cytotoxicity. However, to support differentiation of a subset of tumor or healthy untransformed primary stem cells, NK cells may be required to lyse a number of stem cells and/or those which are either defective or incapable of full differentiation in order to lose their cytotoxic function and gain the ability to secrete cytokines (split anergy). Therefore, patients with cancer may benefit from repeated allogeneic NK cell transplantation for specific elimination of cancer stem cells

Loss of c-Met Disrupts Gene Expression Program Required for G2/M Progression during Liver Regeneration in Mice

conditional knockout mice to determine the effects of c-Met dysfunction in hepatocytes on kinetics of liver regeneration. primary hepatocytes and partially restored expression levels of mitotic cell cycle regulators albeit to a lesser degree as compared to control cultures.In conclusion, our results assign a novel non-redundant function for HGF/c-Met signaling in regulation of G2/M gene expression program via maintaining a persistent Erk1/2 activation throughout liver regeneration