70 research outputs found
A Scanning Tunneling Microscope/Scanning Electron Microscope System for the Fabrication of Nanostructures
Correlation of tunneling spectra with surface nano-morphology and doping in thin YBa2Cu3O7-delta films
Tunneling spectra measured on thin epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-delta films are found
to exhibit strong spatial variations, showing U and V-shaped gaps as well as
zero bias conductance peaks typical of a d-wave superconductor. A full
correspondence is found between the tunneling spectra and the surface
morphology down to a level of a unit-cell step. Splitting of the zero bias
conductance peak is seen in optimally-doped and overdoped films, but not in the
underdoped ones, suggesting that there is no transition to a state of broken
time reversal symmetry in the underdoped regimeComment: accepted to ep
Resistivity scaling and critical dynamics of fully frustrated Josephson-junction arrays with on-site dissipation
We study the scaling behavior and critical dynamics of the resistive
transition in Josephson-junction arrays, at f=1/2 flux quantum per plaquette,
by numerical simulation of an on-site dissipation model for the dynamics. The
results are compared with recent simulations using the
resistively-shunted-junction model. For both models, we find that the
resistivity scaling and critical dynamics of the phases are well described by
the same critical temperature as for the chiral (vortex-lattice) transition,
with a power-law divergent correlation length. The behavior is consistent with
the single transition scenario, where phase and chiral variables order at the
same temperature, but with different dynamic exponents z for phase coherence
and chiral order.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Flux-Induced Vortex in Mesoscopic Superconducting Loops
We predict the existence of a quantum vortex for an unusual situation. We
study the order parameter in doubly connected superconducting samples embedded
in a uniform magnetic field. For samples with perfect cylindrical symmetry, the
order parameter has been known for long and no vortices are present in the
linear regime. However, if the sample is not symmetric, there exist ranges of
the field for which the order parameter vanishes along a line, parallel to the
field. In many respects, the behavior of this line is qualitatively different
from that of the vortices encountered in type II superconductivity. For samples
with mirror symmetry, this flux-induced vortex appears at the thin side for
small fluxes and at the opposite side for large fluxes. We propose direct and
indirect experimental methods which could test our predictions.Comment: 6 pages, Latex, 4 figs., uses RevTex, extended to situations far from
cylindrical symmetr
Quasi-One-Dimensional Topological-Excitation Liquid in Bi2212 from Tunneling Spectroscopy
Tunneling measurements have been carried out on heavily underdoped, slightly
overdoped and partially Ni-substituted Bi2212 single crystals by using a
break-junction technique. We find that in-plane tunneling spectra below Tc are
the combination of incoherent part from the pseudogap and coherent
quasiparticle peaks. There is a clear correlation between the magnitude of the
pseudogap and the magnitude of the superconducting gap in Bi2212. The analysis
of the data suggests that the tunneling pseudogap in Bi2212 is predominantly a
charge-density-wave gap on dynamical charge stripes. The tunneling
characteristics corresponding to the quasiparticle peaks are in excellent
agreement with theoretical predictions made for a quasi-one dimensional
topological-excitation liquid. In addition, the analysis of data measured by
different techniques shows that the phase coherence along the c-axis is
established at Tc due to spin fluctuations in local antiferromagnetic domains
of CuO2 planes.Comment: Supercond. Sci. Technol. (16 pages
Akt1-associated actomyosin remodelling is required for nuclear lamina dispersal and nuclear shrinkage in epidermal terminal differentiation
Keratinocyte cornification and epidermal barrier formation are tightly controlled processes, which require complete degradation of intracellular organelles, including removal of keratinocyte nuclei. Keratinocyte nuclear destruction requires Akt1-dependent phosphorylation and degradation of the nuclear lamina protein, Lamin A/C, essential for nuclear integrity. However, the molecular mechanisms that result in complete nuclear removal and their regulation are not well defined. Post-confluent cultures of rat epidermal keratinocytes (REKs) undergo spontaneous and complete differentiation, allowing visualisation and perturbation of the differentiation process in vitro. We demonstrate that there is dispersal of phosphorylated Lamin A/C to structures throughout the cytoplasm in differentiating keratinocytes. We show that the dispersal of phosphorylated Lamin A/C is Akt1-dependent and these structures are specific for the removal of Lamin A/C from the nuclear lamina; nuclear contents and Lamin B were not present in these structures. Immunoprecipitation identified a group of functionally related Akt1 target proteins involved in Lamin A/C dispersal, including actin, which forms cytoskeletal microfilaments, Arp3, required for actin filament nucleation, and Myh9, a component of myosin IIa, a molecular motor that can translocate along actin filaments. Disruption of actin filament polymerisation, nucleation or myosin IIa activity prevented formation and dispersal of cytoplasmic Lamin A/C structures. Live imaging of keratinocytes expressing fluorescently tagged nuclear proteins showed a nuclear volume reduction step taking less than 40 min precedes final nuclear destruction. Preventing Akt1-dependent Lamin A/C phosphorylation and disrupting cytoskeletal Akt1-associated proteins prevented nuclear volume reduction. We propose keratinocyte nuclear destruction and differentiation requires myosin II activity and the actin cytoskeleton for two intermediate processes: Lamin A/C dispersal and rapid nuclear volume reduction
Neurobeachin, a Regulator of Synaptic Protein Targeting, Is Associated with Body Fat Mass and Feeding Behavior in Mice and Body-Mass Index in Humans
Neurobeachin (Nbea) regulates neuronal membrane protein trafficking and is required for the development and functioning of central and neuromuscular synapses. In homozygous knockout (KO) mice, Nbea deficiency causes perinatal death. Here, we report that heterozygous KO mice haploinsufficient for Nbea have higher body weight due to increased adipose tissue mass. In several feeding paradigms, heterozygous KO mice consumed more food than wild-type (WT) controls, and this consumption was primarily driven by calories rather than palatability. Expression analysis of feeding-related genes in the hypothalamus and brainstem with real-time PCR showed differential expression of a subset of neuropeptide or neuropeptide receptor mRNAs between WT and Nbea+/â mice in the sated state and in response to food deprivation, but not to feeding reward. In humans, we identified two intronic NBEA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with body-mass index (BMI) in adult and juvenile cohorts. Overall, data obtained in mice and humans suggest that variation of Nbea abundance or activity critically affects body weight, presumably by influencing the activity of feeding-related neural circuits. Our study emphasizes the importance of neural mechanisms in body weight control and points out NBEA as a potential risk gene in human obesity
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