160 research outputs found
Observation of Feshbach-like resonances in collisions between ultracold molecules
We observe magnetically tuned collision resonances for ultracold Cs2
molecules stored in a CO2-laser trap. By magnetically levitating the molecules
against gravity, we precisely measure their magnetic moment. We find an avoided
level crossing which allows us to transfer the molecules into another state. In
the new state, two Feshbach-like collision resonances show up as strong
inelastic loss features. We interpret these resonances as being induced by Cs4
bound states near the molecular scattering continuum. The tunability of the
interactions between molecules opens up novel applications such as controlled
chemical reactions and synthesis of ultracold complex molecules
`St\"uckelberg interferometry' with ultracold molecules
We report on the realization of a time-domain `St\"uckelberg interferometer',
which is based on the internal state structure of ultracold Feshbach molecules.
Two subsequent passages through a weak avoided crossing between two different
orbital angular momentum states in combination with a variable hold time lead
to high-contrast population oscillations. This allows for a precise
determination of the energy difference between the two molecular states. We
demonstrate a high degree of control over the interferometer dynamics. The
interferometric scheme provides new possibilities for precision measurements
with ultracold molecules.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Experimental Evidence for Efimov Quantum States
Three interacting particles form a system which is well known for its complex
physical behavior. A landmark theoretical result in few-body quantum physics is
Efimov's prediction of a universal set of weakly bound trimer states appearing
for three identical bosons with a resonant two-body interaction. Surprisingly,
these states even exist in the absence of a corresponding two-body bound state
and their precise nature is largely independent of the particular type of the
two-body interaction potential. Efimov's scenario has attracted great interest
in many areas of physics; an experimental test however has not been achieved.
We report the observation of an Efimov resonance in an ultracold thermal gas of
cesium atoms. The resonance occurs in the range of large negative two-body
scattering lengths and arises from the coupling of three free atoms to an
Efimov trimer. We observe its signature as a giant three-body recombination
loss when the strength of the two-body interaction is varied near a Feshbach
resonance. This resonance develops into a continuum resonance at non-zero
collision energies, and we observe a shift of the resonance position as a
function of temperature. We also report on a minimum in the recombination loss
for positive scattering lengths, indicating destructive interference of decay
pathways. Our results confirm central theoretical predictions of Efimov physics
and represent a starting point from which to explore the universal properties
of resonantly interacting few-body systems.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of ICAP-2006 (Innsbruck
Viscosity Dependence of the Folding Rates of Proteins
The viscosity dependence of the folding rates for four sequences (the native
state of three sequences is a beta-sheet, while the fourth forms an
alpha-helix) is calculated for off-lattice models of proteins. Assuming that
the dynamics is given by the Langevin equation we show that the folding rates
increase linearly at low viscosities \eta, decrease as 1/\eta at large \eta and
have a maximum at intermediate values. The Kramers theory of barrier crossing
provides a quantitative fit of the numerical results. By mapping the simulation
results to real proteins we estimate that for optimized sequences the time
scale for forming a four turn \alpha-helix topology is about 500 nanoseconds,
whereas the time scale for forming a beta-sheet topology is about 10
microseconds.Comment: 14 pages, Latex, 3 figures. One figure is also available at
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~klimov/seq_I_H.html, to be published in Physical
Review Letter
Evidence for Efimov quantum states in an ultracold gas of cesium atoms
Systems of three interacting particles are notorious for their complex
physical behavior. A landmark theoretical result in few-body quantum physics is
Efimov's prediction of a universal set of bound trimer states appearing for
three identical bosons with a resonant two-body interaction.
Counterintuitively, these states even exist in the absence of a corresponding
two-body bound state. Since the formulation of Efimov's problem in the context
of nuclear physics 35 years ago, it has attracted great interest in many areas
of physics. However, the observation of Efimov quantum states has remained an
elusive goal. Here we report the observation of an Efimov resonance in an
ultracold gas of cesium atoms. The resonance occurs in the range of large
negative two-body scattering lengths, arising from the coupling of three free
atoms to an Efimov trimer. Experimentally, we observe its signature as a giant
three-body recombination loss when the strength of the two-body interaction is
varied. We also detect a minimum in the recombination loss for positive
scattering lengths, indicating destructive interference of decay pathways. Our
results confirm central theoretical predictions of Efimov physics and represent
a starting point with which to explore the universal properties of resonantly
interacting few-body systems. While Feshbach resonances have provided the key
to control quantum-mechanical interactions on the two-body level, Efimov
resonances connect ultracold matter to the world of few-body quantum phenomena.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure
Future therapeutic targets in rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent joint inflammation. Without adequate treatment, patients with RA will develop joint deformity and progressive functional impairment. With the implementation of treat-to-target strategies and availability of biologic therapies, the outcomes for patients with RA have significantly improved. However, the unmet need in the treatment of RA remains high as some patients do not respond sufficiently to the currently available agents, remission is not always achieved and refractory disease is not uncommon. With better understanding of the pathophysiology of RA, new therapeutic approaches are emerging. Apart from more selective Janus kinase inhibition, there is a great interest in the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor pathway, Bruton's tyrosine kinase pathway, phosphoinositide-3-kinase pathway, neural stimulation and dendritic cell-based therapeutics. In this review, we will discuss the therapeutic potential of these novel approaches
Stabilizing Salt-Bridge Enhances Protein Thermostability by Reducing the Heat Capacity Change of Unfolding
Most thermophilic proteins tend to have more salt bridges, and achieve higher thermostability by up-shifting and broadening their protein stability curves. While the stabilizing effect of salt-bridge has been extensively studied, experimental data on how salt-bridge influences protein stability curves are scarce. Here, we used double mutant cycles to determine the temperature-dependency of the pair-wise interaction energy and the contribution of salt-bridges to ΔCp in a thermophilic ribosomal protein L30e. Our results showed that the pair-wise interaction energies for the salt-bridges E6/R92 and E62/K46 were stabilizing and insensitive to temperature changes from 298 to 348 K. On the other hand, the pair-wise interaction energies between the control long-range ion-pair of E90/R92 were negligible. The ΔCp of all single and double mutants were determined by Gibbs-Helmholtz and Kirchhoff analyses. We showed that the two stabilizing salt-bridges contributed to a reduction of ΔCp by 0.8–1.0 kJ mol−1 K−1. Taken together, our results suggest that the extra salt-bridges found in thermophilic proteins enhance the thermostability of proteins by reducing ΔCp, leading to the up-shifting and broadening of the protein stability curves
Targeting neuroinflammation for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative pathologies: A role for the peptide analogue of thymulin (PAT)
Introduction: Inflammation has a vital task in protecting the organism, but when deregulated, it can have serious pathological consequences. The central nervous system (CNS) is capable of mounting immune and inflammatory responses, albeit different from that observed in the periphery. Neuroinflammation, however, can be a major contributor to neurodegenerative diseases and constitute a major challenge for medicine and basic research. Areas covered: Both innate and adaptive immune responses normally play an important role in homeostasis within the CNS. Microglia, astrocytes and neuronal cells express a wide array of toll-like receptors (TLR) that can be upregulated by infection, trauma, injuries and various exogenic or endogenic factors. Chronic hyper activation of brain immune cells can result in neurotoxic actions due to excessive production of several pro-inflammatory mediators. Several studies have recently described an important role for targeting receptors such as nicotinic receptors located on cells in the CNS or in other tissues for the control of inflammation. Expert opinion: Thymulin and its synthetic peptide analogue (PAT) appear to exert potent anti-inflammatory effects at the level of peripheral tissues as well as at the level of the brain. This effect involves, at least partially, the activation of cholinergic mechanisms. © 2012 Informa UK, Ltd
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