616 research outputs found
Age structure and dynamics of Cercidiphyllum japonicum sprouts based on growth ring analysis
ArticleFOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 213(1-3): 253-260 (2005)journal articl
Optical Hall Effect in the Integer Quantum Hall Regime
Optical Hall conductivity is measured from the Faraday
rotation for a GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction quantum Hall system in the terahertz
frequency regime. The Faraday rotation angle ( fine structure constant
mrad) is found to significantly deviate from the Drude-like behavior to
exhibit a plateau-like structure around the Landau-level filling . The
result, which fits with the behavior expected from the carrier localization
effect in the ac regime, indicates that the plateau structure, although not
quantized, still exists in the terahertz regime.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Modelling of platelet aggregation in aneurysm
Thrombi are often found in aneurysms and are considered to play an important role in rupture. It is crucial to scrutinise any correlation between the probability of rupture and the extent to which thrombi are generated in the aneurysm. Numerical techniques such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are promising tools in the biomedical field. However, there are, at present, no models that allow us to evaluate thrombus generation. The authors aim at the proposal of such a model. In the present study, the process of platelet aggregation is considered. In blood flow near the entry to an aneurysm, red blood cells are haemolysed due to high shear stress or high pressure. The ensuing release of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induces the aggregation. Making reference to actual aggregation curves of human plasma for various ADP concentrations, the authors have modelled the rate at which the density of aggregated platelets continues to increase in the aggregation process. A combination of CFD and the present model enables us to obtain the distribution of platelets clotting in an aneurysm
Similarity and contrasts between thermodynamic properties at the critical point of liquid alkali metals and of electron-hole droplets
The recent experimental study by means of time-resolved luminescence
measurements of an electron-hole liquid (EHL) in diamond by Shimano et al.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 88 (2002) 057404] prompts us to compare and contrast critical
temperature T_c and critical density n_c relations in liquid alkali metals with
those in electron-hole liquids. The conclusion drawn is that these systems have
similarities with regard to critical properties. In both cases the critical
temperature is related to the cube root of the critical density. The existence
of this relation is traced to Coulomb interactions and to systematic trends in
the dielectric constant of the electron-hole systems. Finally a brief
comparison between the alkalis and EHLs of the critical values for the
compressibility ratio Z_c is also given
Study of ortho-to-paraexciton conversion in CuO by excitonic Lyman spectroscopy
Using time-resolved - excitonic Lyman spectroscopy, we study the
orthoexciton-to-paraexcitons transfer, following the creation of a high density
population of ultracold orthoexcitons by resonant two-photon excitation
with femtosecond pulses.
An observed fast exciton-density dependent conversion rate is attributed to
spin exchange between pairs of orthoexcitons.
Implication of these results on the feasibility of BEC of paraexcitons in
CuO is discussed
Observation of the spin-charge thermal isolation of ferromagnetic Ga_{0.94}Mn_{0.06}As by time-resolved magneto-optical measurement
The dynamics of magnetization under femtosecond optical excitation is studied
in a ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga_{0.94}Mn_{0.06}As with a time-resolved
magneto-optical Kerr effect measurement with two color probe beams. The
transient reflectivity change indicates the rapid rise of the carrier
temperature and relaxation to a quasi-thermal equilibrium within 1 ps, while a
very slow rise of the spin temperature of the order of 500ps is observed. This
anomalous behavior originates from the thermal isolation between the charge and
spin systems due to the spin polarization of carriers (holes) contributing to
ferromagnetism. This constitutes experimental proof of the half-metallic nature
of ferromagnetic Ga_{0.94}Mn_{0.06}As arising from double exchange type
mechanism originates from the d-band character of holes
Homogenization of weakly coupled systems of Hamilton--Jacobi equations with fast switching rates
We consider homogenization for weakly coupled systems of Hamilton--Jacobi
equations with fast switching rates. The fast switching rate terms force the
solutions converge to the same limit, which is a solution of the effective
equation. We discover the appearance of the initial layers, which appear
naturally when we consider the systems with different initial data and analyze
them rigorously. In particular, we obtain matched asymptotic solutions of the
systems and rate of convergence. We also investigate properties of the
effective Hamiltonian of weakly coupled systems and show some examples which do
not appear in the context of single equations.Comment: final version, to appear in Arch. Ration. Mech. Ana
Preventing Phosphorylation of Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein 1a by MAP-Kinases Protects Mice from Fatty Liver and Visceral Obesity
The transcription factor sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1a plays a pivotal role in lipid metabolism. Using the SREBP-1a expressing human hepatoma cell line HepG2 we have shown previously that human SREBP-1a is phosphorylated at serine 117 by ERK-mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Using a combination of cell biology and protein chemistry approach we show that SREBP-1a is also target of other MAPK-families, i.e. c-JUN N-terminal protein kinases (JNK) or p38 stress activated MAP kinases. Serine 117 is also the major phosphorylation site in SREBP-1a for JNK. In contrast to that the major phosphorylation sites of p38 MAPK family are serine 63 and threonine 426. Functional analyses reveal that phosphorylation of SREBP-1a does not alter protein/DNA interaction. The identified phosphorylation sites are specific for both kinase families also in cellular context. To provide direct evidence that phosphorylation of SREBP-1a is a regulatory principle of biological and clinical relevance, we generated transgenic mice expressing mature transcriptionally active N-terminal domain of human SREBP–1a variant lacking all identified phosphorylaton sites designed as alb-SREBP-1aΔP and wild type SREBP-1a designed as alb-SREBP-1a liver specific under control of the albumin promoter and a liver specific enhancer. In contrast to alb-SREBP–1a mice the phosphorylation–deficient mice develop no enlarged fatty livers under normocaloric conditions. Phenotypical examination reveales a massive accumulation of adipose tissue in alb-SREBP-1a but not in the phosphorylation deficient alb-SREBP-1aΔP mice. Moreover, preventing phosphorylation of SREBP-1a protects mice also from dyslipidemia. In conclusion, phosphorylation of SREBP-1a by ERK, JNK and p38 MAPK-families resembles a biological principle and plays a significant role, in vivo
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