Electron Self-Energy of High Temperature Superconductors as Revealed by Angle Resolved Photoemission

In this paper, we review some of the work our group has done in the past few years to obtain the electron self-energy of high temperature superconductors by analysis of angle-resolved photoemission data. We focus on three examples which have revealed: (1) a d-wave superconducting gap, (2) a collective mode in the superconducting state, and (3) pairing correlations in the pseudogap phase. In each case, although a novel result is obtained which captures the essense of the data, the conventional physics used leads to an incomplete picture. This indicates that new physics needs to be developed to obtain a proper understanding of these materials.Comment: 5 pages, revtex, 3 encapsulated postscript figures, SNS97 proceeding

Metformin as a Therapeutic Target in Endometrial Cancers.

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in developed countries. Its increasing incidence is thought to be related in part to the rise of metabolic syndrome, which has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of hyperestrogenic and hyperinsulinemic states. This has consequently lead to an increase in other hormone-responsive cancers as well e.g., breast and ovarian cancer. The correlation between obesity, hyperglycemia, and endometrial cancer has highlighted the important role of metabolism in cancer establishment and persistence. Tumor-mediated reprogramming of the microenvironment and macroenvironment can range from induction of cytokines and growth factors to stimulation of surrounding stromal cells to produce energy-rich catabolites, fueling the growth, and survival of cancer cells. Such mechanisms raise the prospect of the metabolic microenvironment itself as a viable target for treatment of malignancies. Metformin is a biguanide drug that is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes that has beneficial effects on various markers of the metabolic syndrome. Many studies suggest that metformin shows potential as an adjuvant treatment for uterine and other cancers. Here, we review the evidence for metformin as a treatment for cancers of the endometrium. We discuss the available clinical data and the molecular mechanisms by which it may exert its effects, with a focus on how it may alter the tumor microenvironment. The pleiotropic effects of metformin on cellular energy production and usage as well as intercellular and hormone-based interactions make it a promising candidate for reprogramming of the cancer ecosystem. This, along with other treatments aimed at targeting tumor metabolic pathways, may lead to novel treatment strategies for endometrial cancer

Tunneling spectra of submicron Bi2_2Sr2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta} intrinsic Josephson junctions: evolution from superconducting gap to pseudogap

Tunneling spectra of near optimally doped, submicron Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ intrinsic Josephson junctions are presented, and examined in the region where the superconducting gap evolves into pseudogap. The spectra are analyzed using a self-energy model, proposed by Norman {\it et al.}, in which both quasiparticle scattering rate $\Gamma$ and pair decay rate $\Gamma_{\Delta}$ are considered. The density of states derived from the model has the familiar Dynes' form with a simple replacement of $\Gamma$ by $\gamma_+$ = ($\Gamma$ + $\Gamma_{\Delta}$)/2. The $\gamma_+$ parameter obtained from fitting the experimental spectra shows a roughly linear temperature dependence, which puts a strong constraint on the relation between $\Gamma$ and $\Gamma_{\Delta}$. We discuss and compare the Fermi arc behavior in the pseudogap phase from the tunneling and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments. Our results indicate an excellent agreement between the two experiments, which is in favor of the precursor pairing view of the pseudogap.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

A robust method for the amplification of RNA in the sense orientation

BACKGROUND: Small quantities of RNA (1–4 μg total RNA) available from biological samples frequently require a single round of amplification prior to analysis, but current amplification strategies have limitations that may restrict their usefulness in downstream genomic applications. The Eberwine amplification method has been extensively validated but is limited by its ability to produce only antisense RNA. Alternatives lack extensive validation and are often confounded by problems with bias or yield attributable to their greater biological and technical complexity. RESULTS: To overcome these limitations, we have developed a straightforward and robust protocol for amplification of RNA in the sense orientation. This protocol is based upon Eberwine's method but incorporates elements of more recent amplification techniques while avoiding their complexities. Our technique yields greater than 100-fold amplification, generates long transcript, and produces mRNA that is well suited for use with microarray applications. Microarrays performed with RNA amplified using this protocol demonstrate minimal amplification bias and high reproducibility. CONCLUSION: The protocol we describe here is readily adaptable for the production of sense or antisense, labeled or unlabeled RNA from intact or partially-degraded prokaryotic or eukaryotic total RNA. The method outperforms several commercial RNA amplification kits and can be used in conjunction with a variety of microarray platforms, such as cDNA arrays, oligonucleotide arrays, and Affymetrix GeneChip™ arrays

A mechanism linking Id2-TGFβ crosstalk to reversible adaptive plasticity in neuroblastoma

The ability of high-risk neuroblastoma to survive unfavorable growth conditions and multimodal therapy has produced an elusive childhood cancer with remarkably poor prognosis. A novel phenomenon enabling neuroblastoma to survive selection pressure is its capacity for reversible adaptive plasticity. This plasticity allows cells to transition between highly proliferative anchorage dependent (AD) and slow growing, anoikis-resistant anchorage independent (AI) phenotypes. Both phenotypes are present in established mouse and human tumors. The differential gene expression profile of the two cellular phenotypes in the mouse Neuro2a cell line delineated pathways of proliferation in AD cells or tyrosine kinase activation/ apoptosis inhibition in AI cells. A 20 fold overexpression of inhibitor of differentiation 2 (Id2) was identified in AD cells while up-regulation of genes involved in anoikis resistance like PI3K/Akt, Erk, Bcl2 and integrins was observed in AI cells. Similarly, differential expression of Id2 and other genes of interest were also observed in the AD and AI phenotypes of human neuroblastoma cell lines, SK-N-SH and IMR-32; as well as in primary human tumor specimens. Forced down-regulation of Id2 in AD cells or overexpression in AI cells induced the cells to gain characteristics of the other phenotype. Id2 binds both TGFβ and Smad2/3 and appears critical for maintaining the proliferative phenotype at least partially through negative regulation of the TGFβ/Smad pathway. Simultaneously targeting the differential molecular pathways governing reversible adaptive plasticity resulted in 50% cure of microscopic disease and delayed tumor growth in established mouse neuroblastoma tumors. We present a mechanism that accounts for reversible adaptive plasticity and a molecular basis for combined targeted therapies in neuroblastoma

Leveraging Academic-Service Partnerships: Implications for Implementing the RWJ/IOM's Recommendations to Improve Quality, Access, and Value in Academic Medical Centers

Transformation of the current healthcare system is critical to achieve improved quality, safety, value, and access. Patients with multiple, chronic health conditions require integrated care coordination yet the current health care system is fragmented and complex. Nursing must play a key role in constructing a system that is value based and patient focused. The Robert Wood Johnson/Institute of Medicine (RWJ/IOM) report on the future of nursing outlines strategic opportunities for nursing to take a lead role in this transformation. Partnerships across academic institutions and health care systems have the potential to address issues through mutual goal setting, sharing of risks, responsibilities, and accountability, and realignment of resources. The purpose of this paper is to present Stony Brook University Medical Center's (SBUMC) academic-service partnership which implemented several of the RWJ/IOM recommendations. The partnership resulted in several initiatives that improved quality, safety, access, and value. It also characterized mutual goal setting, shared missions and values, and a united vision for health care

Evolution of the pairing pseudogap in the spectral function with interplane anisotropy

We study the pairing pseudogap in the spectral function as a function of interplane coupling. The analytical expressions for the self-energy in the critical regime are obtained for any degree of anisotropy. The frequency dependence of the self-energy is found to be qualitatively different in two and three dimensions, and the crossover from two to three dimensional behavior is discussed. In particular, by considering the anisotropy of the Fermi velocity and gap along the Fermi surface, we can qualitatively explain recent photoemission experiments on high temperature superconductors concerning the temperature dependent Fermi arcs seen in the pseudogap phase.Comment: 20 pages, revtex, 5 encapsulated postscript figures include

Visualization of oxytocin release that mediates paired pulse facilitation in hypothalamic pathways to brainstem autonomic neurons

Recent work has shown that oxytocin is involved in more than lactation and uterine contraction. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) contains neuroendocrine neurons that control the release of hormones, including vasopressin and oxytocin. Other populations of PVN neurons do not release hormones, but rather project to and release neurotransmitters onto other neurons in the CNS involved in fluid retention, thermoregulation, sexual behavior and responses to stress. Activation of oxytocin receptors can be cardioprotective and reduces the adverse cardiovascular consequences of anxiety and stress, yet how oxytocin can affect heart rate and cardiac function is unknown. While anatomical work has shown the presence of peptides, including oxytocin, in the projections from the PVN to parasympathetic nuclei, electrophysiological studies to date have only demonstrated release of glutamate and activation of fast ligand gated receptors in these pathways. In this study, using rats, we directly show, using sniffer CHO cells that express oxytocin receptors and the Ca2+ indicator R-GECO, that optogenetic activation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) expressing PVN fibers in the brainstem activates oxytocin receptors in the dorsomotor nucleus of the vagus (DMNV). We also demonstrate that while a single photoactivation of PVN terminals only activates glutamatergic receptors in brainstem cardiac vagal neurons (CVNs), neurons that dominate the neural control of heart rate, both the paired pulse facilitation, and sustained enhancement of glutamate release in this pathway is mediated by activation of oxytocin receptors. Our results provide direct evidence that a pathway from the PVN likely releases oxytocin and enhances short-term plasticity of this critical autonomic connection

Tracking Cooper Pairs in a Cuprate Superconductor by Ultrafast Angle-Resolved Photoemission

In high-temperature superconductivity, the process that leads to the formation of Cooper pairs, the fundamental charge carriers in any superconductor, remains mysterious. We use a femtosecond laser pump pulse to perturb superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+{\delta}, and study subsequent dynamics using time- and angle-resolved photoemission and infrared reflectivity probes. Gap and quasiparticle population dynamics reveal marked dependencies on both excitation density and crystal momentum. Close to the d-wave nodes, the superconducting gap is sensitive to the pump intensity and Cooper pairs recombine slowly. Far from the nodes pumping affects the gap only weakly and recombination processes are faster. These results demonstrate a new window into the dynamical processes that govern quasiparticle recombination and gap formation in cuprates.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figure

Fourier transform spectroscopy of d-wave quasiparticles in the presence of atomic scale pairing disorder

The local density of states power spectrum of optimally doped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+x}$ (BSCCO) has been interpreted in terms of quasiparticle interference peaks corresponding to an "octet'' of scattering wave vectors connecting k-points where the density of states is maximal. Until now, theoretical treatments have not been able to reproduce the experimentally observed weights and widths of these "octet'' peaks; in particular, the predominance of the dispersing "q$_1$'' peak parallel to the Cu-O bond directions has remained a mystery. In addition, such theories predict "background'' features which are not observed experimentally. Here, we show that most of the discrepancies can be resolved when a realistic model for the out-of-plane disorder in BSCCO is used. Weak extended potential scatterers, which are assumed to represent cation disorder, suppress large-momentum features and broaden the low-energy "q$_7$''-peaks, whereas scattering at order parameter variations, possibly caused by a dopant-modulated pair interaction around interstitial oxygens, strongly enhances the dispersing "q$_1$''-peaks.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure