The 0 and the pi phase Josephson coupling through an insulating barrier with magnetic impurities

We have studied temperature and field dependencies of the critical current $I_{C}$ in the Nb-Fe$_{0.1}$Si$_{0.9}$-Nb Josephson junction with tunneling barrier formed by paramagnetic insulator. We demonstrate that in these junctions the co-existence of both the 0 and the $\pi$ states within one tunnel junction takes place which leads to the appearance of a sharp cusp in the temperature dependence $I_{C}(T)$ similar to the $I_{C}(T)$ cusp found for the $0-\pi$ transition in metallic $\pi$ junctions. This cusp is not related to the $0-\pi$ temperature induced transition itself, but is caused by the different temperature dependencies of the opposing 0 and $\pi$ supercurrents through the barrier.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review

Cytological and molecular description of Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis gen. et sp. nov., a microsporidian parasite of Daphnia magna, and establishment of Hamiltosporidium magnivora comb. nov.

We describe the new microsporidium Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis gen. et sp. nov. with an emphasis on its ultrastructural characteristics and phylogenetic position as inferred from the sequence data of SSU rDNA, alpha-and beta-tubulin. This parasite was previously identified as Octosporea bayeri Jirovec, 1936 and has become a model system to study the ecology, epidemiology, evolution and genomics of microsporidia - host interactions. Here, we present evidence that shows its differences from O. bayeri. Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis exclusively infects the adipose tissue, the ovaries and the hypodermis of Daphnia magna and is found only in host populations located in coastal rock pool populations in Finland and Sweden. Merogonial stages of H. tvaerminnensis have isolated nuclei; merozoites are formed by binary fission or by the cleaving of a plasmodium with a small number of nuclei. A sporogonial plasmodium with isolated nuclei yields 8 sporoblasts. Elongated spores are generated by the most finger-like plasmodia. The mature spores are polymorphic in shape and size. Most spores are pyriform (4.9-5.6x2.2-2.3 mu m) and have their polar filament arranged in 12-13 coils. A second, elongated spore type (6.8-12.0x1.6-2.1 mu m) is rod-shaped with blunt ends and measures 6.8-12.0x1.6-2.1 mu m. The envelope of the sporophorous vesicle is thin and fragile, formed at the beginning of the sporogony. Cytological and molecular comparisons with Flabelliforma magnivora, a parasite infecting the same tissues in the same host species, reveal that these two species are very closely related, yet distinct. Moreover, both cytological and molecular data indicate that these species are quite distant from F. montana, the type species of the genus Flabelliforma. We therefore propose that F. magnivora also be placed in Hamiltosporidium gen. nov

Nanogranular MgB2 thin films on SiC buffered Si substrates prepared by in-situ method

MgB2 thin films were deposited on SiC buffered Si substrates by sequential electron beam evaporation of B-Mg bilayer followed by in-situ annealing. The application of a SiC buffer layer enables the maximum annealing temperature of 830 C. The Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis confirms the growth of a nanogranular MgB2 film and the presence of a Mg2Si compound at the surface of the film. The 150-200 nm thick films show a maximum zero resistance critical temperature TC0 above 37 K and a critical current density JC ~ 106 A/cm2 at 11K.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letter

Electrical and structural properties of MgB2 films prepared by sequential deposition of B and Mg on the NbN buffered Si(100) substrate

We introduce a simple method of an MgB2 film preparation using sequential electron-beam evaporation of B-Mg two-layer (followed by in-situ annealing) on the NbN buffered Si(100) substrate. The Transmission Electron Microscopy analyses confirm a growth of homogeneous nanogranular MgB2 films without the presence of crystalline MgO. A sensitive measurement of temperature dependence of microwave losses shows a presence of intergranular weak links close the superconducting transition only. The MgB2 films obtained, about 200 nm thick, exhibit a maximum zero resistance critical temperature of 36 K and critical current density of 3x10^7 A/cm^2 at 13.2 KComment: 11 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys. Let

Transcriptomic profiling of host-parasite interactions in the microsporidian <i>Trachipleistophora hominis</i>

BACKGROUND: Trachipleistophora hominis was isolated from an HIV/AIDS patient and is a member of a highly successful group of obligate intracellular parasites. METHODS: Here we have investigated the evolution of the parasite and the interplay between host and parasite gene expression using transcriptomics of T. hominis-infected rabbit kidney cells. RESULTS: T. hominis has about 30 % more genes than small-genome microsporidians. Highly expressed genes include those involved in growth, replication, defence against oxidative stress, and a large fraction of uncharacterised genes. Chaperones are also highly expressed and may buffer the deleterious effects of the large number of non-synonymous mutations observed in essential T. hominis genes. Host expression suggests a general cellular shutdown upon infection, but ATP, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar production appear enhanced, potentially providing the parasite with substrates it cannot make itself. Expression divergence of duplicated genes, including transporters used to acquire host metabolites, demonstrates ongoing functional diversification during microsporidian evolution. We identified overlapping transcription at more than 100 loci in the sparse T. hominis genome, demonstrating that this feature is not caused by genome compaction. The detection of additional transposons of insect origin strongly suggests that the natural host for T. hominis is an insect. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that the evolution of contemporary microsporidian genomes is highly dynamic and innovative. Moreover, highly expressed T. hominis genes of unknown function include a cohort that are shared among all microsporidians, indicating that some strongly conserved features of the biology of these enormously successful parasites remain uncharacterised. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1989-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Measurement of the branching fractions of (B)over-bar -> D**l(-)(v)over-bar(l) decays in events tagged by a fully reconstructed B meson

We report a measurement of the branching fractions of D**- decays based on 417 fb-1 of data collected at the (4S) resonance with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e+e- storage rings. Events are selected by fully reconstructing one of the B mesons in a hadronic decay mode. A fit to the invariant mass differences m(D(*))-m(D(*)) is performed to extract the signal yields of the different D** states. We observe the D**- decay modes corresponding to the four D** states predicted by heavy quark symmetry with a significance greater than 5 standard deviations including systematic uncertainties

Notes for genera: basal clades of Fungi (including Aphelidiomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota)

Compared to the higher fungi (Dikarya), taxonomic and evolutionary studies on the basal clades of fungi are fewer in number. Thus, the generic boundaries and higher ranks in the basal clades of fungi are poorly known. Recent DNA based taxonomic studies have provided reliable and accurate information. It is therefore necessary to compile all available information since basal clades genera lack updated checklists or outlines. Recently, Tedersoo et al. (MycoKeys 13:1--20, 2016) accepted Aphelidiomycota and Rozellomycota in Fungal clade. Thus, we regard both these phyla as members in Kingdom Fungi. We accept 16 phyla in basal clades viz. Aphelidiomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota. Thus, 611 genera in 153 families, 43 orders and 18 classes are provided with details of classification, synonyms, life modes, distribution, recent literature and genomic data. Moreover, Catenariaceae Couch is proposed to be conserved, Cladochytriales Mozl.-Standr. is emended and the family Nephridiophagaceae is introduced