Effect of the spin-orbit interaction and the electron phonon coupling on the electronic state in a silicon vacancy

The electronic state around a single vacancy in silicon crystal is investigated by using the Green's function approach. The triply degenerate charge states are found to be widely extended and account for extremely large elastic softening at low temperature as observed in recent ultrasonic experiments. When we include the LS coupling $\lambda_{\rm Si}$ on each Si atom, the 6-fold spin-orbital degeneracy for the $V^{+}$ state with the valence +1 and spin 1/2 splits into $\Gamma_{7}$ doublet groundstates and $\Gamma_{8}$ quartet excited states with a reduced excited energy of $O(\lambda_{\rm Si}/10)$. We also consider the effect of couplings between electrons and Jahn-Teller phonons in the dangling bonds within the second order perturbation and find that the groundstate becomes $\Gamma_{8}$ quartet which is responsible for the magnetic-field suppression of the softening in B-doped silicon.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Electronic Structure of Charge- and Spin-controlled Sr_{1-(x+y)}La_{x+y}Ti_{1-x}Cr_{x}O_{3}

We present the electronic structure of Sr_{1-(x+y)}La_{x+y}Ti_{1-x}Cr_{x}O_{3} investigated by high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy. In the vicinity of Fermi level, it was found that the electronic structure were composed of a Cr 3d local state with the t_{2g}^{3} configuration and a Ti 3d itinerant state. The energy levels of these Cr and Ti 3d states are well interpreted by the difference of the charge-transfer energy of both ions. The spectral weight of the Cr 3d state is completely proportional to the spin concentration x irrespective of the carrier concentration y, indicating that the spin density can be controlled by x as desired. In contrast, the spectral weight of the Ti 3d state is not proportional to y, depending on the amount of Cr doping.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Application of different organic and mineral fertilizers on the growth, yield and nutrient accumulation of rice in a Japanese ordinary paddy field

A rice cultivation study was conducted at Kyushu University farm. Cow manure (CM), poultry manure (PM), rice straw + urea mix-application (SU), urea (UF) and M-coat, a slow released compound fertilizer (M-coat) were used as the N sources by comparing with no application (Control). Treatments were made with two levels application of each N source at 40 (level I) and 80 kg N ha-1(level II) excluding M-coat. In all urea treatments, three split applications were made. A study of soil incubation was conducted for 2 weeks to investigate the mineralized N of applied mineral and organic fertilizer. Plant growth characters, dry matter, yield and plant nutrient accumulations were higher in mineral fertilization than organic. Mineral fertilization was observed in correlation with the larger crop removal. PM-II as an organic matter provided comparatively higher nutrient accumulations which in turn enhanced the growth and yield of rice. CM and SU gave the lower plant growth, yield and nutrient accumulation. Mineralized N was higher in sole mineral N applications. Organic matter with high C/N ratio provided very low mineralized N and its net N mineralization percentage. Negative values of net N mineralization percentage were observed in SU due to N immobilization. Keywords: Cow Manure, Mineralized N, Paddy Soil, Poultry Manure, Rice (Oryza sativa L.), Rice Stra

Facilitation of I Kr current by some hERG channel blockers suppresses early afterdepolarizations.

Drug-induced block of the cardiac rapid delayed rectifying potassium current (I Kr), carried by the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channel, is the most common cause of acquired long QT syndrome. Indeed, some, but not all, drugs that block hERG channels cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias. However, there is no clear method to distinguish between drugs that cause deadly arrhythmias and those that are clinically safe. Here we propose a mechanism that could explain why certain clinically used hERG blockers are less proarrhythmic than others. We demonstrate that several drugs that block hERG channels, but have favorable cardiac safety profiles, also evoke another effect; they facilitate the hERG current amplitude in response to low-voltage depolarization. To investigate how hERG facilitation impacts cardiac safety, we develop computational models of I Kr block with and without this facilitation. We constrain the models using data from voltage clamp recordings of hERG block and facilitation by nifekalant, a safe class III antiarrhythmic agent. Human ventricular action potential simulations demonstrate the ability of nifekalant to suppress ectopic excitations, with or without facilitation. Without facilitation, excessive I Kr block evokes early afterdepolarizations, which cause lethal arrhythmias. When facilitation is introduced, early afterdepolarizations are prevented at the same degree of block. Facilitation appears to prevent early afterdepolarizations by increasing I Kr during the repolarization phase of action potentials. We empirically test this prediction in isolated rabbit ventricular myocytes and find that action potential prolongation with nifekalant is less likely to induce early afterdepolarization than action potential prolongation with dofetilide, a hERG channel blocker that does not induce facilitation. Our data suggest that hERG channel blockers that induce facilitation increase the repolarization reserve of cardiac myocytes, rendering them less likely to trigger lethal ventricular arrhythmias

Radial distribution function of semiflexible polymers

We calculate the distribution function of the end--to--end distance of a semiflexible polymer with large bending rigidity. This quantity is directly observable in experiments on single semiflexible polymers (e.g., DNA, actin) and relevant to their interpretation. It is also an important starting point for analyzing the behavior of more complex systems such as networks and solutions of semiflexible polymers. To estimate the validity of the obtained analytical expressions, we also determine the distribution function numerically using Monte Carlo simulation and find good quantitative agreement.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 1 figure. Also available at http://www.cip.physik.tu-muenchen.de/tumphy/d/T34/Mitarbeiter/frey.htm

Spatial Constraint Corrections to the Elasticity of dsDNA Measured with Magnetic Tweezers

In this paper, we have studied, within a discrete WLC model, the spatial constraints in magnetic tweezers used in single molecule experiments. Two elements are involved: first, the fixed plastic slab on which is stuck the initial strand, second, the magnetic bead which pulls (or twists) the attached molecule free end. We have shown that the bead surface can be replaced by its tangent plane at the anchoring point, when it is close to the bead south pole relative to the force. We are led to a model with two parallel repulsive plates: the fixed anchoring plate and a fluctuating plate, simulating the bead, in thermal equilibrium with the system. The bead effect is a slight upper shift of the elongation, about four times smaller than the similar effect induced by the fixed plate. This rather unexpected result, has been qualitatively confirmed within the soluble Gaussian model. A study of the molecule elongation versus the countour length exhibits a significant non-extensive behaviour. The curve for short molecules (with less than 2 kbp) is well fitted by a straight line, with a slope given by the WLC model, but it does not go through the origin. The non-extensive offset gives a 15% upward shift to the elongation of a 2 kbp molecule stretched by a 0.3 pN force.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures An explanatory figure has been added. The physical interpretation of the results has been made somewhat more transparen