730 research outputs found
Itinerant chiral ferromagnetism in a trapped Rashba spin-orbit coupled Fermi gas
How ferromagnetic phases emerge in itinerant systems is an outstanding
problem in quantum magnetism. Here we consider a repulsive two-component Fermi
gas confined in a two dimensional isotropic harmonic potential and subject to a
large Rashba spin-orbit (SO) coupling, whose single-particle dispersion can be
tailored by adjusting the SO coupling strength. We show that the interplay
among SO coupling, correlation effects and mean-field repulsion leads to a
competition between ferromagnetic and non-magnetic phases. At intermediate
interaction strengths, ferromagnetic phase emerges which can be well described
by the mean-field Hartree-Fock theory; whereas at strong interaction strengths,
a strongly correlated non-magnetic phase is favored due to the
beyond-mean-field quantum correlation effects. Furthermore, the ferromagnetic
phase of this system possesses a chiral current density induced by the Rashba
spin-orbit coupling, whose experimental signature is investigated.Comment: Main text: 5 pages, 6 figures; Supplement: 4 pages, 2 figure
Exposure of the Hidden Anti-Ferromagnetism in Paramagnetic CdSe:Mn Nanocrystals
We present theoretical and experimental investigations of the magnetism of
paramagnetic semiconductor CdSe:Mn nanocrystals and propose an efficient
approach to the exposure and analysis of the underlying anti-ferromagnetic
interactions between magnetic ions therein. A key advance made here is the
build-up of an analysis method with the exploitation of group theory technique
that allows us to distinguish the anti-ferromagnetic interactions between
aggregative Mn2+ ions from the overall pronounced paramagnetism of magnetic ion
doped semiconductor nanocrystals. By using the method, we clearly reveal and
identify the signatures of anti-ferromagnetism from the measured temperature
dependent magnetisms, and furthermore determine the average number of Mn2+ ions
and the fraction of aggregative ones in the measured CdSe:Mn nanocrystals.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure
High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells Based on Low-Temperature Processed Electron Extraction Layer
Organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is considered one of the most promising energy harvesting technologies due to its high power conversion efficiency (PCE). The T. Miyasaka group first reported the methylammonium lead halide (CH3NH3PbX3) as a light absorber of dye-sensitized solar cells with a PCE of 3.8% in 2009. Over the past decade, many research groups have been dedicated to constructing high-performance PSCs and have obtained fantastic progress. Before commercialization, many issues have to be overcome. To extend the application of PSCs, flexible PSCs are seen as the preferred choice. However, the conventional process requires high-temperature procedures that are incompatible with the production of flexible PSCs. Here, we specifically focus on the recent developments of the low-temperature process strategies for fabricating high-performance PSCs. This mini-review briefly discusses the development in low-temperature processed metal oxide and carbon-based electron extraction layer (EEL). The approaches for low-temperature solution-processed PSCs are introduced and then the various PSCs with distinctive EEL are discussed. Overall, this mini-review contributes to a better understanding of the low-temperature processed electron extraction layer. Strategies and perspectives are also provided for further high-performance PSCs
Application of Metabolomics in Traditional Chinese Medicine Differentiation of Deficiency and Excess Syndromes in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus
Metabolic profiling is widely used as a probe in diagnosing diseases. In this study, the metabolic profiling of urinary carbohydrates was investigated using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and multivariate statistical analysis. The kernel-based orthogonal projections to latent structures (K-OPLS) model were established and validated to distinguish between subjects with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). The model was combined with subwindow permutation analysis (SPA) in order to extract novel biomarker information. Furthermore, the K-OPLS model visually represented the alterations in urinary carbohydrate profiles of excess and deficiency syndromes in patients with diabetes. The combination of GC/MS and K-OPLS/SPA analysis allowed the urinary carbohydrate metabolic characterization of DM patients with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes, including biomarkers different from non-DM patients. The method presented in this study might be a complement or an alternative to TCM syndrome research
Induction of apoptosis by the retinoid inducible growth regulator RIG1 depends on the NC motif in HtTA cervical cancer cells
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Retinoid-inducible gene 1 (RIG1), also known as tazarotene-induced gene 3 or retinoic-acid receptor responder 3, is a growth regulator, which induces apoptosis and differentiation. RIG1 is classified into the NC protein family. This study investigated functional domains and critical amino acids associated with RIG1-mediated cell death and apoptosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-tagged RIG1 variants, RIG1 proteins with deletion at the NC domain significantly decreased cell death induced by RIG1, and fusion variants containing only the NC domain significantly induced apoptosis of HtTA cervical cancer cells. The EGFP-RIG1-induced apoptosis was significantly decreased in cells expressing N<sup>112</sup>C<sup>113 </sup>motif double- (NC→FG) or triple- (NCR→FGE) mutated RIG1 variants. Using dodecapeptides, nuclear localization and profound cell death was observed in HtTA cells expressing wild type RIG1<sub>111–123 </sub>or Leu<sup>121</sup>-mutated RIG1<sub>111–123</sub>:L→ C peptide, but peptides double- or triple-mutated at the NC motif alone, RIG1<sub>111–123</sub>:NC→FG or RIG1<sub>111–123</sub>:NCR→FGE, were cytoplasmically localized and did not induce apoptosis. The RIG1<sub>111–123 </sub>also induced apoptosis of A2058 melanoma cells but not normal human fibroblasts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The NC domain, especially the NC motif, plays the major role in RIG1-mediated pro-apoptotic activity. The RIG1<sub>111–123 </sub>dodecapeptide exhibited strong pro-apoptotic activity and has potential as an anticancer drug.</p
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