Valley Splitting Theory of SiGe/Si/SiGe Quantum Wells

We present an effective mass theory for SiGe/Si/SiGe quantum wells, with an emphasis on calculating the valley splitting. The theory introduces a valley coupling parameter, $v_v$, which encapsulates the physics of the quantum well interface. The new effective mass parameter is computed by means of a tight binding theory. The resulting formalism provides rather simple analytical results for several geometries of interest, including a finite square well, a quantum well in an electric field, and a modulation doped two-dimensional electron gas. Of particular importance is the problem of a quantum well in a magnetic field, grown on a miscut substrate. The latter may pose a numerical challenge for atomistic techniques like tight-binding, because of its two-dimensional nature. In the effective mass theory, however, the results are straightforward and analytical. We compare our effective mass results with those of the tight binding theory, obtaining excellent agreement.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Version submitted to PR

Resonant X-Ray Scattering from the Quadrupolar Ordering Phase of CeB_6

We theoretically investigate the origin of the resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) signal near the Ce $L_{III}$ absorption edge in the quadrupolar ordering phase of CeB$_6$, considering the intersite interaction between the $\Gamma_8$ states in the initial state. The anisotropic charge distribution of the $4f$ states modulates the $5d$ states through the intra-atomic Coulomb interaction and thereby generates a large RXS superlattice intensity. The temperature and magnetic field dependence indicates that the induced dipolar and octupolar orders have little influence on the RXS spectra, in good agreement with the recent experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Momentum dependence of the energy gap in the superconducting state of optimally doped Bi2(Sr,R)2CuOy (R=La and Eu)

The energy gap of optimally doped Bi2(Sr,R)2CuOy (R=La and Eu) was probed by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) using a vacuum ultraviolet laser (photon energy 6.994 eV) or He I resonance line (21.218 eV) as photon source. The results show that the gap around the node at sufficiently low temperatures can be well described by a monotonic d-wave gap function for both samples and the gap of the R=La sample is larger reflecting the higher Tc. However, an abrupt deviation from the d-wave gap function and an opposite R dependence for the gap size were observed around the antinode, which represent a clear disentanglement between the antinodal pseudogap and the nodal superconducting gap.Comment: Submitted as the proceedings of LT2

Adhesion and Endocytosis of Calcium Oxalate Crystals on Renal Tubular Cells

The present investigation was designed to study interactions between Madin-Darby canine kidney (MOCK) cells and calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals and to clarify the significance of these crystal-cell interactions in stone pathogenesis. MOCK cells cultured in the presence of COM crystals showed a time-dependent uptake of crystals; this was specific for COM crystals. In the dynamic model system designed to study these phenomena under more physiological conditions, COM crystals adhered to the cell surface and were subsequently internalized. In this endocytotic process, the microvilli of the cell appeared to play an important role. The observation by scanning electron microscopy of complexes consisting of aggregated COM crystals and cell debris led us to speculate that adhesion and endocytosis of crystals might provide the calculus nidus for aggregation and retention of crystals in the renal tubule. Furthermore, glycosaminoglycans and the macromolecular fraction of human urine were shown to have the ability to inhibit the cellular uptake of crystals. Evidence that similar processes may also occur in vivo was obtained using an experimental stone model in rats. Our experiments revealed that most of the COM crystals adhered to the tubular cells and some crystals were endocytosed by the cell. Thus, these crystal-cell interactions might be one of the earliest processes in the formation of kidney stones. Further elucidation of the mechanism and the regulatory factors involved in this process may provide new insight into stone pathogenesis

Effects of human hair and nail proteins and their films on rat mast cells

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comArticleJOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN MEDICINE. 19(6): 2335-2342 (2008)journal articl

Fluctuation Effects on the Quadrupolar Ordering in Magnetic Field

Effects of magnetic field on the quadrupolar ordering are investigated with inclusion of fluctuation of order parameters. For the simplest model with the nearest-neighbor quadrupolar interaction, the transition temperature and the specific heat are derived by the use of the recently proposed effective medium theory. It is shown that magnetic field H has two competing effects on the quadrupolar ordering; one is to encourage the ordering by suppressing the fluctuation among different components of order parameters, and the other is to block the ordering as in antiferromagnets. The former is found to be of order H^2 and the latter of order H^4. Hence the fluctuation is suppressed for weak fields, and the transition temperature increases with magnetic field. The fluctuation effect is so strong that the entropy released at the quadrupolar ordering is only about half of the full value ln 4 even without the Kondo effect.Comment: 10 pages including 3 Postscript figure

Depletion of protein kinase C (PKC) by 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) enhances platinum drug sensitivity in human ovarian carcinoma cells

Down-regulation of protein kinase C (PKC) by 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) enhances the sensitivity of human ovarian carcinoma 2008 cells to various types of platinum compounds such as cisplatin (DDP), carboplatin and (–)-(R)-2-aminomethylpyrrolidine (1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylato)-platinum(II) monohydrate (DWA) by a factor of two- to threefold. TPA enhanced the sensitivity of the DDP-resistant 2008/C13*5.25 subline to each of these three drugs to the same extent as for the 2008 cells. The extent of PKC down-regulation and drug sensitization depended on the duration of TPA exposure; maximum effect was achieved with a 48 h pretreatment. Sensitization was TPA concentration-dependent and was maximal at 0.05 μM TPA. 2008 cells expressed only the PKCα and PKCζ isoforms. Western blot analysis revealed that whereas the expression of PKCα was reduced by TPA the level of PKCζ was not affected. These results suggest that PKCα is the isotype responsive to TPA in these cells and that platinum drug sensitivity can be modulated by this isoform alone. In parallel to its effect on PKCα, TPA decreased cellular glutathione content by 30 ± 3 (standard deviation (s.d.) % in 2008 cells and by 41 ± 3 (s.d.) % in 2008/C13*5.25 cells. TPA also increased accumulation of DDP and DWA by 70%, although this effect was limited to the 2008/C13*5.25 cells. TPA rendered 2008 and 2008/C13*5.25 cells resistant to cadmium chloride by a factor of 3.7 and 3.6-fold respectively, suggesting a significant increase in cellular metallothionein content. Although the mechanism of TPA induced sensitization is not yet fully understood, this study points to a central role for PKCα in modulating platinum drug sensitivity. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Evaluation of the microseismic motion at the KAGRA site based on the ocean wave data

The microseismic motion, which is the ambient ground vibration caused by ocean waves, affects ground-based gravitational detectors. In this study, we characterized the properties of the microseismic motion at the KAGRA site and the ocean waves at 13 coasts of Japan, such as the seasonal variation and the correlation between them. As a result, it almost succeeded to explain the microseismic motion at the KAGRA site by the principal components of the ocean wave data. One possible application of this study is the microseismic forecast and its example is also shown

Size Dependence In The Disordered Kondo Problem

We study here the role randomly-placed non-magnetic scatterers play on the Kondo effect. We show that spin relaxation effects (with time $\tau_s^o$)in the vertex corrections to the Kondo self-energy lead to an exact cancellation of the singular temperature dependence arising from the diffusion poles. For a thin film of thickness $L$ and a mean-free path $\ell$, disorder provides a correction to the Kondo resistivity of the form $\tau_s^o/(k_FL\ell^2)\ln T$ that explains both the disorder and sample-size depression of the Kondo effect observed by Blachly and Giordano (PRB {\bf 51}, 12537 (1995)).Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, 2 Postscript figure

Resonant X-Ray Scattering from CeB6_{6}

We calculate the resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) spectra near the Ce $L_{\rm III}$ absorption edge in CeB$_6$, on the basis of a microscopic model that the $4f$ states of Ce are atomic while the $5d$ states form an energy band with a reasonable density of states. In the initial state, we employ an effective Hamiltonian of Shiina {\it et al}. in the antiferro-quadrupole (AFQ) ordering phase, while we construct the wave function consistent with the neutron scattering experiment in the magnetic ground state. In the intermediate state, we take full account of the intra-atomic Coulomb interaction. Without assuming any lattice distortion, we obtain sufficient RXS intensities on the AFQ superlattice spot. We obtain the spectral shape, the temperature and magnetic field dependences in good agreement with the experiment, thus demonstrating the mechanism that the intensity is brought about by the modulation of $5d$ states through the anisotropic term of the $5d$-$4f$ Coulomb interaction. In the magnetic ground state, a small pre-edge peak is found by the $E_2$ process. On the magnetic superlattice spot, we get a finite but considerably small intensity. The magnetic form factor is briefly discussed.Comment: Latex, 10 pages, 12 figures. To be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., Vol.71, No. 7 (2002