Quasinodal lines in rhombohedral magnetic materials

A well-established result in condensed matter physics states that materials crystallizing in symmetry groups containing glide reflection symmetries possess nodal lines on the energy bands. These nodal lines are topologically protected and appear on the fixed planes of the reflection in reciprocal space. In the presence of inversion symmetry, the energy bands are degenerate and the band crossings on the fixed plane may be one-dimensional, or may intersect in points, including the case of empty intersection. In the latter case, the crossing is partially or totally avoided, thus producing lines on reciprocal space where the energy gap may be small, and in the former, the nodal lines will endure, thus producing Dirac or double nodal lines. In addition, if the material crystallizes in a ferromagnetic phase where the glide reflection symmetry is broken, the nodal lines hybridize, thus defining lines in reciprocal space where the energy gap may be small. In this work, we concentrate our efforts on the study of nodal lines that hybridize due to magnetization; we have coined the term of quasinodal lines for those lines in reciprocal space where the energy gap is small (less than what can be detected experimentally ∼25 meV). We study magnetic trifluorides and trioxides which crystallize in magnetic space groups 167.107 and 161.71 and we show the existence of quasinodal lines on these materials. We furthermore show that whenever the quasinodal lines are located around the Fermi level then interesting charge and spin transport effects are induced and can be used to detect experimentally these lines. Of particular interest are the half-metallic ferromagnetic phases of PdF3 and LiCuF3 where the large signal of the anomalous Hall conductance is due to the presence of the quasinodal lines on the Fermi level

Isotopic compositions of sulfides in exhumed high-pressure terranes: Implications for sulfur cycling in subduction zones

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2019. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 20(7), (2019): 3347-3374, doi:10.1029/2019GC008374.Subduction is a key component of Earth's long‐term sulfur cycle; however, the mechanisms that drive sulfur from subducting slabs remain elusive. Isotopes are a sensitive indicator of the speciation of sulfur in fluids, sulfide dissolution‐precipitation reactions, and inferring fluid sources. To investigate these processes, we report δ34S values determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy in sulfides from a global suite of exhumed high‐pressure rocks. Sulfides are classified into two petrogenetic groups: (1) metamorphic, which represent closed‐system (re)crystallization from protolith‐inherited sulfur, and (2) metasomatic, which formed during open system processes, such as an influx of oxidized sulfur. The δ34S values for metamorphic sulfides tend to reflect their precursor compositions: −4.3 ‰ to +13.5 ‰ for metabasic rocks, and −32.4 ‰ to −11.0 ‰ for metasediments. Metasomatic sulfides exhibit a range of δ34S from −21.7 ‰ to +13.9 ‰. We suggest that sluggish sulfur self‐diffusion prevents isotopic fractionation during sulfide breakdown and that slab fluids inherit the isotopic composition of their source. We estimate a composition of −11 ‰ to +8 ‰ for slab fluids, a significantly smaller range than observed for metasomatic sulfides. Large fractionations during metasomatic sulfide precipitation from sulfate‐bearing fluids, and an evolving fluid composition during reactive transport may account for the entire ~36 ‰ range of metasomatic sulfide compositions. Thus, we suggest that sulfates are likely the dominant sulfur species in slab‐derived fluids.All isotopic data and analysis locations are detailed in the supporting information accompanying this article. The authors would like to thank B. Monteleone and M. Yates for assistance with SIMS and EPMA analyses, respectively. J. Selverstone is thanked for providing samples and D. Whitney for providing additional field context. The authors would also like to thank J. Alt, C. LaFlamme, and an anonymous reviewer for their thoughtful and thorough reviews, as well as careful editorial handling by J. Blichert‐Toft. This project was funded by National Science Foundation Grant EAR 1725301 awarded to A. M. C. and a Geological Society of America grant to J. B. W.2019-12-1

Characterization of the Adherence of Clostridium difficile Spores: The Integrity of the Outermost Layer Affects Adherence Properties of Spores of the Epidemic Strain R20291 to Components of the Intestinal Mucosa

Indexación: Web of Science.Clostridium difficile is the causative agent of the most frequently reported nosocomial diarrhea worldwide. The high incidence of recurrent infection is the main clinical challenge of C. difficile infections (CBI). Formation of C. difficile spores of the epidemic strain R20291 has been shown to be essential for recurrent infection and transmission of the disease in a mouse model. However, the underlying mechanisms of how these spores persist in the colonic environment remains unclear. In this work, we characterized the adherence properties of epidemic R20291 spores to components of the intestinal mucosa, and we assessed the role of the exosporium integrity in the adherence properties by using cdeC mutant spores with a defective exosporium layer. Our results showed that spores and vegetative cells of the epidemic R20291 strain adhered at high levels to monolayers of Caco-2 cells and mucin. Transmission electron micrographs of Caco-2 cells demonstrated that the hair-like projections on the surface of R20291 spores are in close proximity with the plasma membrane and microvilli of undifferentiated and differentiated monolayers of Caco-2 cells. Competitive-binding assay in differentiated Caco-2 cells suggests that spore-adherence is mediated by specific binding sites. By using spores of a cdeC mutant we demonstrated that the integrity of the exosporium layer determines the affinity of adherence of C. difficile spores to Caco-2 cells and mucin. Binding of fibronectin and vitronectin to the spore surface was concentration-dependent, and depending on the concentration, spore-adherence to Caco-2 cells was enhanced. In the presence of an aberrantly-assembled exosporium (cdeC spores), binding of fibronectin, but not vitronectin, was increased. Notably, independent of the exosporium integrity, only a fraction of the spores had fibronectin and vitronectin molecules binding to their surface. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the integrity of the exosporium layer of strain R20291 contributes to selective spore adherence to components of the intestinal mucosa.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2016.00099/ful