128 research outputs found
Catechol estrogens stimulate insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells via activation of the transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) channel
Estrogen hormones play an important role in controlling glucose homeostasis and pancreatic β-cell function. Despite the significance of estrogen hormones for regulation of glucose metabolism, little is known about the roles of endogenous estrogen metabolites in modulating pancreatic β-cell function. In this study, we evaluated the effects of major natural estrogen metabolites, catechol estrogens, on insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells. We show that catechol estrogens, hydroxylated at positions C2 and C4 of the steroid A ring, rapidly potentiated glucose-induced insulin secretion via a nongenomic mechanism. 2-Hydroxyestrone, the most abundant endogenous estrogen metabolite, was more efficacious in stimulating insulin secretion than any other tested catechol estrogens. In insulin-secreting cells, catechol estrogens produced rapid activation of calcium influx and elevation in cytosolic free calcium. Catechol estrogens also generated sustained elevations in cytosolic free calcium and evoked inward ion current in HEK293 cells expressing the transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) cation channel. Calcium influx and insulin secretion stimulated by estrogen metabolites were dependent on the TRPA1 activity and inhibited with the channel-specific pharmacological antagonists or the siRNA. Our results suggest the role of estrogen metabolism in a direct regulation of TRPA1 activity with potential implications for metabolic diseases
Structural and rheological properties of medium-chain triacylglyceride oleogels
This research studied the effect of gelator molecules on structural properties of oleogels containing medium-chain triacylglycerides (MCTs). To this aim, a large selection of gelators (rapeseed wax RAW, rice wax RW, sunflower wax SW, beeswax BW, monoglycerides MG, and \u3b3-oryzanol and \u3b2-sitosterol mixture \u3b3+\u3b2) at increasing concentrations (5\u201315% w/w) was considered. Results showed that RAW was not able to structure MCT at any concentration. However, addition of 5% (w/w) of MG, SW and BW resulted to a self-standing gel. Regarding \u3b3+\u3b2 and RW, gel structures were generated at 10% (w/w). By increasing the concentration, a reinforcement of the network strength was highlighted by the progressive increase of the rheological parameters. The strongest oleogel obtained by \u3b3+\u3b2 at 10% (w/w) and further BW and RW at 15% (w/w) concentration. These findings could provide interesting information in the choice of the best performing MCT structuring agent for intended food applications
Infrared anomalous Hall effect in SrRuO: Evidence for crossover to intrinsic behavior
The origin of the Hall effect in many itinerant ferromagnets is still not
resolved, with an anomalous contribution from the sample magnetization that can
exhibit extrinsic or intrinsic behavior. We report the first mid-infared (MIR)
measurements of the complex Hall (), Faraday (), and Kerr
() angles, as well as the Hall conductivity () in a
SrRuO film in the 115-1400 meV energy range. The magnetic field,
temperature, and frequency dependence of the Hall effect is explored. The MIR
magneto-optical response shows very strong frequency dependence, including sign
changes. Below 200 meV, the MIR changes sign between 120 and 150
K, as is observed in dc Hall measurements. Above 200 meV, the temperature
dependence of is similar to that of the dc magnetization and the
measurements are in good agreement with predictions from a band calculation for
the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE). The temperature and frequency
dependence of the measured Hall effect suggests that whereas the behavior above
200 meV is consistent with an intrinsic AHE, the extrinsic AHE plays an
important role in the lower energy response.Comment: The resolution of figures is improve
Optical Conductivity and Hall Coefficient in High-Tc Superconductors: Significant Role of Current Vertex Corrections
We study AC conductivities in high-Tc cuprates, which offer us significant
information to reveal the true electronic ground states. Based on the
fluctuation-exchange (FLEX) approximation, current vertex corrections (CVC's)
are correctly taken into account to satisfy the conservation laws. We find the
significant role of the CVC's on the optical Hall conductivity in the presence
of strong antiferromagnetic (AF) fluctuations. This fact leads to the failure
of the relaxation time approximation (RTA). As a result, experimental highly
unusual behaviors, (i) prominent frequency and temperature dependences of the
optical Hall coefficient, and (ii) simple Drude form of the optical Hall andge
for wide range of frequencies, are satisfactorily reproduced. In conclusion,
both DC and AC transport phenomena in (slightly under-doped) high-Tc cuprates
can be explained comprehensively in terms of nearly AF Fermi liquid, if one
take the CVC's into account.Comment: 5 page
Electronic structure of ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs probed by sub-gap magneto-optical spectroscopy
We employ Faraday and Kerr effect spectroscopy in the infrared range to
investigate the electronic structure of Ga1-xMnxAs near the Fermi energy. The
band structure of this archetypical dilute-moment ferromagnetic semiconductor
has been a matter of controversy, fueled partly by previous measurements of the
unpolarized infrared absorption and their phenomenological impurity-band
interpretation. The infrared magneto-optical effects we study arise directly
from the spin-splitting of the carrier bands and their chiral asymmetry due to
spin-orbit coupling. Unlike the unpolarized absorption, they are intimately
related to ferromagnetism and their interpretation is much more microscopically
constrained in terms of the orbital character of the relevant band states. We
show that the conventional theory of the disordered valence band with dominant
As p-orbital character and coupled by kinetic-exchange to Mn local moments
accounts semi-quantitatively for the overall characteristics of the measured
infrared magneto-optical spectra.Comment: 4 pages 3 figure
Review of the ELI-NP-GBS low level rf and synchronization systems
The Gamma Beam System (GBS) of ELI-NP is a linac based gamma-source in construction at Magurele (RO) by the European consortium EuroGammaS led by INFN. Photons with tunable energy and with intensity and brilliance well beyond the state of the art will be produced by Compton back-scattering between a high quality electron beam (up to 740 MeV) and a 515 nm intense laser pulse. Production of very intense photon flux with narrow bandwidth requires multi-bunch operation at 100 Hz repetition rate. A total of 13 klystrons, 3 S-band (2856 MHz) and 10 C-band (5712 MHz) will power a total of 14 Travelling Wave accelerating sections (2 S-band and 12 C-band) plus 3 S-band Standing Wave cavities (a 1.6 cell RF gun and 2 RF deflectors). Each klystron is individually driven by a temperature stabilized LLRF module, for a maximum flexibility in terms of accelerating gradient, arbitrary pulse shaping (e.g. to compensate beam loading effects in multi-bunch regime) and compensation of long-term thermal drifts. In this paper, the whole LLRF system architecture and bench test results, the RF reference generation and distribution together with an overview of the synchronization system will be described
Internal Transitions of Two-Dimensional Charged Magneto-Excitons X-: Theory and Experiment
Internal spin-singlet and spin-triplet transitions of charged excitons X- in
magnetic fields in quantum wells have been studied experimentally and
theoretically. The allowed X- transitions are photoionizing and exhibit a
characteristic double-peak structure, which reflects the rich structure of the
magnetoexciton continua in higher Landau levels (LL's). We discuss a novel
exact selection rule, a hidden manifestation of translational invariance, that
governs transitions of charged mobile complexes in a magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physica
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