Spin Dependent Tunneling in FM|semiconductor|FM structures

Here we show that ordinary band structure codes can be used to understand the mechanisms of coherent spin-injection at interfaces between ferromagnets and semiconductors. This approach allows the screening of different material combinations for properties useful for obtaining high tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). We used the Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Code (VASP) to calculate the wave function character of each band in periodic epitaxial Fe(100)|GaAs(100) and Fe(100)|ZnSe(100) structures. It is shown that Fe wave functions of different symmetry near Fermi energy decay differently in the GaAs and ZnSe.Comment: Accepted for publication in MMM'05 Proceedings. 7 pages, 5 figure

Rational design and dynamics of self-propelled colloidal bead chains: from rotators to flagella

The quest for designing new self-propelled colloids is fuelled by the demand for simple experimental models to study the collective behaviour of their more complex natural counterparts. Most synthetic self-propelled particles move by converting the input energy into translational motion. In this work we address the question if simple self-propelled spheres can assemble into more complex structures that exhibit rotational motion, possibly coupled with translational motion as in flagella. We exploit a combination of induced dipolar interactions and a bonding step to create permanent linear bead chains, composed of self-propelled Janus spheres, with a well-controlled internal structure. Next, we study how flexibility between individual swimmers in a chain can affect its swimming behaviour. Permanent rigid chains showed only active rotational or spinning motion, whereas longer semi-flexible chains showed both translational and rotational motion resembling flagella like-motion, in the presence of the fuel. Moreover, we are able to reproduce our experimental results using numerical calculations with a minimal model, which includes full hydrodynamic interactions with the fluid. Our method is general and opens a new way to design novel self-propelled colloids with complex swimming behaviours, using different complex starting building blocks in combination with the flexibility between them.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figure

Fingolimod for the treatment of neurological diseases—state of play and future perspectives

Sphingolipids are a fascinating class of signaling molecules derived from the membrane lipid sphingomyelin. They show abundant expression in the brain. Complex sphingolipids such as glycosphingolipids (gangliosides and cerebrosides) regulate vesicular transport and lysosomal degradation and their dysregulation can lead to storage diseases with a neurological phenotype. More recently, simple sphingolipids such ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) were discovered to signal in response to many extracellular stimuli. Forming an intricate signaling network, the balance of these readily interchangeable mediators is decisive for cell fate under stressful conditions.The immunomodulator fingolimod is the prodrug of an S1P receptor agonist. Following receptor activation, the drug leads to downregulation of the S1P1 receptor with the consequence of functional antagonism. Being the first drug to modulate the sphingolipid signaling pathway, it was marketed in 2010 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). At that time, immunomodulation was widely accepted as the key mechanism of fingolimod's efficacy in MS.But given the excellent passage of this lipophilic compound into the brain and its massive brain accumulation as well as the abundant expression of S1P receptors on brain cells, it is conceivable that fingolimod also affects brain cells directly. Indeed, a seminal study showed that the protective effect of fingolimod in experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), a murine MS model, is lost in mice lacking the S1P1 receptor on astrocytes, arguing for a specific role of astrocytic S1P signaling in multiple sclerosis. In this review, we discuss the role of sphingolipid mediators and their metabolizing enzymes in neurologic diseases and putative therapeutic strategies arising thereof

Моделювання еволюції надпотужних конвективних утворень над Кримом під час проходження смерчів

Предметом даного дослідження були умови формування осередків надпотужних вертикальних рухів, сильних вихорів та надпотужних конвективних утворень під час проходження смерчів над центральною частиною Криму 22 липня 2002 р. Тривимірні прогностичні мікрофізичні моделі фронтальних систем хмар з урахуванням та без урахування складного рельєфу, розроблені в УкрНДГМІ, було адаптовано до умов розвитку хмарності в екстремальних умовах розвитку смерчів. Проведено декілька серій чисельних експериментів для пошуку ключових параметрів, які спричиняли та визначали характер розвитку вихрових утворень і процесів, що їх супроводжують.Предметом исследования в работе были условия формирования ячеек сверхмощных вертикальных движений, сильных вихрей, сверхмощных конвективных образований во время прохождения смерчей над центральной частью Крыма 22 июля 2002 года. Трехмерные прогностические микрофизические модели с учетом и без учета орографии, разработанные в УкрНИГМИ, были адаптированы для условий эволюции фронтальных облачных систем в экстремальных условиях развития смерчей. Проведено несколько серий численных экспериментов с целью поиска ключевых параметров, определяющих характер развития вихревых образований и сопровождающих их явлений

Some aspects of rock mechanics applicable to underground coal mining

Three aspects of rock mechanics, namely, in-situ stress estimation by acoustic emission (AB) method, strength of rock mass and role of chemicals to reduce the strength are covered. It i:s possible to detect the previously applied maximum stress by stressing a rock specimen to the point where there is a substantial increase in AB activity .This is known as Kaiser effect. From the AB signatures in the second and subsequent loading.s, AB take-off point was identified more easily than in the fIrst loading. In determining the compressive strength of rock mass, two factors have to be considered, namely, the size effect on the compressive strength of intact rock and the effect of dis,continuities on the compressive strength of rock mass. Although a modified Bieniawski criterion gives best agreement \u27 .ith the triaxial test data, modifications have been suggested to Hoek-Brown criterion due to its popularity. It is po~;sible to reduce the tensile strength of sandstone by saturating it with weak chemical solutions made with dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, polyethylene oxide and aluminium chloride by up to 30%. In the case of compressive strength, there is no appreciable effect. The possible explanation is that the chemical solutions produce an effect on the strength of sandstone only when the failure mechanism is dominated by tensile mode

Role of Shape in Particle-Lipid Membrane Interactions:From Surfing to Full Engulfment

Understanding and manipulating the interactions between foreign bodies and cell membranes during endo- and phagocytosis is of paramount importance, not only for the fate of living cells but also for numerous biomedical applications. This study aims to elucidate the role of variables such as anisotropic particle shape, curvature, orientation, membrane tension, and adhesive strength in this essential process using a minimal experimental biomimetic system comprising giant unilamellar vesicles and rod-like particles with different curvatures and aspect ratios. We find that the particle wrapping process is dictated by the balance between the elastic free energy penalty and adhesion free energy gain, leading to two distinct engulfment pathways, tip-first and side-first, emphasizing the significance of the particle orientation in determining the pathway. Moreover, our experimental results are consistent with theoretical predictions in a state diagram, showcasing how to control the wrapping pathway from surfing to partial to complete wrapping by the interplay between membrane tension and adhesive strength. At moderate particle concentrations, we observed the formation of rod clusters, which exhibited cooperative and sequential wrapping. Our study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanistic intricacies of endocytosis by highlighting how the interplay between the anisotropic particle shape, curvature, orientation, membrane tension, and adhesive strength can influence the engulfment pathway.</p

Role of shape in particle-lipid membrane interactions: from surfing to full engulfment

Understanding and manipulating the interactions between foreign bodies and cell membranes during endo- and phagocytosis is of paramount importance, not only for the fate of living cells but also for numerous biomedical applications. This study aims to elucidate the role of variables such as anisotropic particle shape, curvature, orientation, membrane tension, and adhesive strength in this essential process, using a minimal experimental biomimetic system comprising giant unilamellar vesicles and rod-like particles with different curvatures and aspect ratios. We find that the particle wrapping process is dictated by the balance between the elastic energy penalty and adhesion energy gain, leading to two distinct engulfment pathways, tip-first and side-first, emphasizing the significance of the particle orientation in determining the pathway. Moreover, our experimental results are consistent with theoretical predictions in a state diagram, showcasing how to control the wrapping pathway from surfing to partial to complete wrapping by the interplay between membrane tension and adhesive strength. At moderate particle concentrations, we observed the formation of rod clusters, which exhibited cooperative and sequential wrapping. Our study not only contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the mechanistic intricacies of endocytosis by highlighting how the interplay between the anisotropic particle shape, curvature, orientation, membrane tension, and adhesive strength can influence the engulfment pathway but also provides a foundational base for future research in the field

No association of androgen receptor GGN repeat length polymorphism with infertility in Indian men

Androgens, acting through the androgen receptor (AR), play a role in secondary sexual differentiation from the prenatal stage to adulthood, including spermatogenesis. The AR gene has 2 polymorphic trinucleotide repeats (CAG and GGN) in exon 1. The CAG repeat length polymorphism has been well studied in a variety of medical conditions, including male infertility. Many of these studies have shown an association of the expanded CAG repeats with male infertility, although this is not true for all populations. The GGN repeat, in contrast, has been less thoroughly studied. Thus far, only 4 reports worldwide have analyzed the GGN repeat, alone or in combination with the CAG repeat, in male infertility cases. No such study has been undertaken on infertile Indian men. Therefore, we have analyzed AR-GGN repeats in a total of 595 Indian males, including 277 azoospemric, 97 oligozoospermic, and 21 oligoteratozoospermic cases, along with 200 normozoospermic controls. The analysis revealed no difference in the mean number or the range of the repeat between cases (mean=21.51 repeats, range 15-26 repeats) and controls (mean 21.58 repeats, range 15-26 repeats). Furthermore, no difference was observed when azoospermic (mean=21.53 repeats, range 15-26 repeats), oligozoospermic (mean=21.46 repeats, range 15-26 repeats), and oligoteratozoospermic cases (mean=21.48, range 19-26 repeats) were compared individually with the controls

A colloidal viewpoint on the finite sphere packing problem: the sausage catastrophe

It is commonly believed that the most efficient way to pack a finite number of equal-sized spheres is by arranging them tightly in a cluster. However, mathematicians have conjectured that a linear arrangement may actually result in the densest packing. Here, our combined experimental and simulation study provides a realization of the finite sphere packing problem by studying non-close-packed arrangements of colloids in a flaccid lipid vesicle. We map out a state diagram displaying linear, planar and cluster conformations of spheres, as well as bistable states which alternate between cluster-plate and plate-linear conformations due to membrane fluctuations. Finally, by systematically analyzing truncated polyhedral packings, we identify clusters of $56\leq N \leq 70$ spheres, excluding $N=57$ and 63, that pack more efficiently than linear arrangements

Fabrication of polyhedral particles from spherical colloids and their self-assembly into rotator phases

Particle shape is a critical parameter that plays an important role in self-assembly, for example, in designing targeted complex structures with desired properties. In the last decades an unprecedented range of monodisperse nanoparticle systems with control over the shape of the particles have become available. In contrast, the choice of micron-sized colloidal building blocks of particles with flat facets, i.e., particles with polygonal shapes, is significantly more limited. This can be attributed to the fact that, contrary to nanoparticles, the larger colloids are significantly harder to synthesize as single crystals. Herein, we demonstrate that the simplest building block, such as the micron-sized polymeric spherical colloidal particle, is already enough to fabricate particles with regularly placed flat facets, including completely polygonal shapes with sharp edges. As an illustration that the yields are high enough for further self-assembly studies we demonstrate the formation of 3D rotator phases of fluorescently labelled, micron-sized and charged rhombic dodecahedron particles. Our method for fabricating polyhedral particles opens a new avenue for designing new materials.Comment: 5 pages, published in Angewandte Chemie International Editio