5,323 research outputs found
Magnetocaloric effect in nano- and polycrystalline manganite
samples were prepared in nano- and polycrystalline
forms by sol-gel and solid state reaction methods, respectively, and
structurally characterized by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The magnetic
properties determined by ac susceptibility and dc magnetization measurements
are discussed. The magnetocaloric effect in this nanocrystalline manganite is
spread over a broader temperature interval than in the polycrystalline case.
The relative cooling power of the poly- and nanocrystalline manganites is used
to evaluate a possible application for magnetic cooling below room temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 5 (double) figures, 1 table, 16 references; submitted to
Appl. Phys.
Simultaneous Multi-Wavelength Observations of Magnetic Activity in Ultracool Dwarfs. I. The Complex Behavior of the M8.5 Dwarf TVLM513-46546
[Abridged] We present the first simultaneous radio, X-ray, ultraviolet, and
optical spectroscopic observations of the M8.5 dwarf TVLM513-46546, with a
duration of 9 hours. These observations are part of a program to study the
origin of magnetic activity in ultracool dwarfs, and its impact on
chromospheric and coronal emission. Here we detect steady quiescent radio
emission superposed with multiple short-duration, highly polarized flares;
there is no evidence for periodic bursts previously reported for this object,
indicating their transient nature. We also detect soft X-ray emission, with
L_X/L_bol~10^-4.9, the faintest to date for any object later than M5, and a
possible weak X-ray flare. TVLM513-46546 continues the trend of severe
violation of the radio/X-ray correlation in ultracool dwarfs, by nearly 4
orders of magnitude. From the optical spectroscopy we find that the Balmer line
luminosity exceeds the X-ray luminosity by a factor of a few, suggesting that,
unlike in early M dwarfs, chromospheric heating may not be due to coronal X-ray
emission. More importantly, we detect a sinusoidal H-alpha light curve with a
period of 2 hr, matching the rotation period of TVLM513-46546. This is the
first known example of such Balmer line behavior, which points to a co-rotating
chromospheric hot spot or an extended magnetic structure, with a covering
fraction of about 50%. This feature may be transitory based on the apparent
decline in light curve peak during the four observed maxima. From the radio
data we infer a large scale steady magnetic field of ~100 G, in good agreement
with the value required for confinement of the X-ray emitting plasma. The radio
flares, on the other hand, are produced in a component of the field with a
strength of ~3 kG and a likely multi-polar configuration.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Detection of lithium in nearby young late-M dwarfs
Late M-type dwarfs in the solar neighborhood include a mixture of very
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs which is difficult to disentangle due to the
lack of constraints on their age such as trigonometric parallax, lithium
detection and space velocity.
We search for young brown dwarf candidates among a sample of 28 nearby late-M
dwarfs with spectral types between M5.0 and M9.0, and we also search for debris
disks around three of them.
Based on theoretical models, we used the color , the -band absolute
magnitude and the detection of the Li I 6708 doublet line as a strong
constraint to estimate masses and ages of our targets. For the search of debris
disks, we observed three targets at submillimeter wavelength of 850 m.
We report here the first clear detections of lithium absorption in four
targets and a marginal detection in one target. Our mass estimates indicate
that two of them are young brown dwarfs, two are young brown dwarf candidates
and one is a young very low-mass star. The closest young field brown dwarf in
our sample at only 15 pc is an excellent benchmark for further studying
physical properties of brown dwarfs in the range 100150 Myr. We did not
detect any debris disks around three late-M dwarfs, and we estimated upper
limits to the dust mass of debris disks around them.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Periodic Radio and H-alpha Emission from the L Dwarf Binary 2MASSW J0746425+200032: Exploring the Magnetic Field Topology and Radius of an L Dwarf
[Abridged] We present an 8.5-hour simultaneous radio, X-ray, UV, and optical
observation of the L dwarf binary 2MASSW J0746+20. We detect strong radio
emission, dominated by short-duration periodic pulses at 4.86 GHz with
P=124.32+/-0.11 min. The stability of the pulse profiles and arrival times
demonstrates that they are due to the rotational modulation of a B~1.7 kG
magnetic field. A quiescent non-variable component is also detected, likely due
to emission from a uniform large-scale field. The H-alpha emission exhibits
identical periodicity, but unlike the radio pulses it varies sinusoidally and
is offset by exactly 1/4 of a phase. The sinusoidal variations require
chromospheric emission from a large-scale field structure, with the radio
pulses likely emanating from the magnetic poles. While both light curves can be
explained by a rotating mis-aligned magnetic field, the 1/4 phase lag rules out
a symmetric dipole topology since it would result in a phase lag of 1/2
(poloidal field) or zero (toroidal field). We therefore conclude that either
(i) the field is dominated by a quadrupole configuration, which can naturally
explain the 1/4 phase lag; or (ii) the H-alpha and/or radio emission regions
are not trivially aligned with the field. Regardless of the field topology, we
use the measured period along with the known rotation velocity (vsini=27 km/s),
and the binary orbital inclination (i=142 deg), to derive a radius for the
primary star of 0.078+/-0.010 R_sun. This is the first measurement of the
radius of an L dwarf, and along with a mass of 0.085+/-0.010 M_sun it provides
a constraint on the mass-radius relation below 0.1 M_sun. We find that the
radius is about 30% smaller than expected from theoretical models, even for an
age of a few Gyr.Comment: Submitted to Ap
Als3 is a Candida albicans invasin that binds to cadherins and induces endocytosis by host cells.
Candida albicans is the most common cause of hematogenously disseminated and oropharyngeal candidiasis. Both of these diseases are characterized by fungal invasion of host cells. Previously, we have found that C. albicans hyphae invade endothelial cells and oral epithelial cells in vitro by inducing their own endocytosis. Therefore, we set out to identify the fungal surface protein and host cell receptors that mediate this process. We found that the C. albicans Als3 is required for the organism to be endocytosed by human umbilical vein endothelial cells and two different human oral epithelial lines. Affinity purification experiments with wild-type and an als3delta/als3delta mutant strain of C. albicans demonstrated that Als3 was required for C. albicans to bind to multiple host cell surface proteins, including N-cadherin on endothelial cells and E-cadherin on oral epithelial cells. Furthermore, latex beads coated with the recombinant N-terminal portion of Als3 were endocytosed by Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing human N-cadherin or E-cadherin, whereas control beads coated with bovine serum albumin were not. Molecular modeling of the interactions of the N-terminal region of Als3 with the ectodomains of N-cadherin and E-cadherin indicated that the binding parameters of Als3 to either cadherin are similar to those of cadherin-cadherin binding. Therefore, Als3 is a fungal invasin that mimics host cell cadherins and induces endocytosis by binding to N-cadherin on endothelial cells and E-cadherin on oral epithelial cells. These results uncover the first known fungal invasin and provide evidence that C. albicans Als3 is a molecular mimic of human cadherins
Layer-by-layer assembly of nanotheranostic particles for simultaneous delivery of docetaxel and doxorubicin to target osteosarcoma
\ua9 2024 Author(s).Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare form of primary bone cancer, impacting approximately 3.4
7 106 individuals worldwide each year, primarily afflicting children. Given the limitations of existing cancer therapies, the emergence of nanotheranostic platforms has generated considerable research interest in recent decades. These platforms seamlessly integrate therapeutic potential of drug compounds with the diagnostic capabilities of imaging probes within a single construct. This innovation has opened avenues for enhanced drug delivery to targeted sites while concurrently enabling real-time monitoring of the vehicle\u27s trajectory. In this study, we developed a nanotheranostic system employing the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique on a core containing doxorubicin (DOXO) and in-house synthesized carbon quantum dots. By utilizing chitosan and chondroitin sulfate as polyelectrolytes, we constructed a multilayered coating to encapsulate DOXO and docetaxel, achieving a coordinated co-delivery of both drugs. The LbL-functionalized nanoparticles exhibited an approximate size of 150 nm, manifesting a predominantly uniform and spherical morphology, with an encapsulation efficiency of 48% for both drugs. The presence of seven layers in these systems facilitated controlled drug release over time, as evidenced by in vitro release tests. Finally, the impact of the LbL-functionalized nanoparticles was evaluated on U2OS and Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells. The synergistic effect of the two drugs was found to be crucial in inducing cell death, particularly in Saos-2 cells treated with nanoparticles at concentrations higher than 10 μg/ml. Transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed the internalization of the nanoparticles into both cell types through endocytic mechanisms, revealing an underlying mechanism of necrosis-induced cell death
Simultaneous Multi-Wavelength Observations of Magnetic Activity in Ultracool Dwarfs. II. Mixed Trends in VB10 and LSR1835+32 and the Possible Role of Rotation
[Abridged] As part of our on-going investigation of magnetic activity in
ultracool dwarfs we present simultaneous radio, X-ray, UV, and optical
observations of LSR1835+32 (M8.5), and simultaneous X-ray and UV observations
of VB10 (M8), both with a duration of about 9 hours. LSR1835+32 exhibits
persistent radio emission and H-alpha variability on timescales of ~0.5-2 hr.
The detected UV flux is consistent with photospheric emission, and no X-ray
emission is detected to a deep limit of L_X/L_bol<10^-5.7. The H-alpha and
radio emission are temporally uncorrelated, and the ratio of radio to X-ray
luminosity exceeds the correlation seen in F-M6 stars by >2x10^4. Similarly,
L_Halpha/L_X>10 is at least 30 times larger than in early M dwarfs, and
eliminates coronal emission as the source of chromospheric heating. The lack of
radio variability during four rotations of LSR1835+32 requires a uniform
stellar-scale field of ~10 G, and indicates that the H-alpha variability is
dominated by much smaller scales, <10% of the chromospheric volume. VB10, on
the other hand, shows correlated flaring and quiescent X-ray and UV emission,
similar to the behavior of early M dwarfs. Delayed and densely-sampled optical
spectra exhibit a similar range of variability amplitudes and timescales to
those seen in the X-rays and UV, with L_Halpha/L_X~1. Along with our previous
observations of the M8.5 dwarf TVLM513-46546 we conclude that late M dwarfs
exhibit a mix of activity patterns, which points to a transition in the
structure and heating of the outer atmosphere by large-scale magnetic fields.
We find that rotation may play a role in generating the fields as evidenced by
a tentative correlation between radio activity and rotation velocity. The X-ray
emission, however, shows evidence for super-saturation at vsini>25 km/s.Comment: Submitted to Ap
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