Frustrated minority spins in GeNi2O4

Recently, two consecutive phase transitions were observed, upon cooling, in an antiferromagnetic spinel GeNi$_2$O$_4$ at $T_{N1}=12.1$ K and $T_{N2}=11.4$ K, respectively \cite{matsuno, crawford}. Using unpolarized and polarized elastic neutron scattering we show that the two transitions are due to the existence of frustrated minority spins in this compound. Upon cooling, at $T_{N1}$ the spins on the \kagome planes order ferromagnetically in the plane and antiferromagnetically between the planes (phase I), leaving the spins on the triangular planes that separate the \kagome planes frustrated and disordered. At the lower $T_{N2}$, the triangular spins also order in the $$ plane (phase II). We also present a scenario involving exchange interactions that qualitatively explains the origin of the two purely magnetic phase transitions

Characteristics of Japanese wrestlers with respect to function and structure of limbs

It is well known that hypertrophy and strength gain of the human skeletal muscle are induced by muscle training. It has also been shown that the training effect on size and strength of the skeletal muscle are altered the different athletic training protocols (1, 4). From these findings, it seems possible that wrestlers possess the hypertrophied muscle and stronger muscle strength by specific training. In the present study, we assess the functional and structural characteristics of the skeletal muscle in Japanese wrestlers

Analysis of adam12-mediated ephrin-a1 cleavage and its biological functions

Accumulating evidence indicates that an elevated ephrin-A1 expression is positively correlated with a worse prognosis in some cancers such as colon and liver cancer. The detailed mechanism of an elevated ephrin-A1 expression in a worse prognosis still remains to be fully elucidated. We previously reported that ADAM12-cleaved ephrin-A1 enhanced lung vascular permeability and thereby induced lung metastasis. However, it is still unclear whether or not cleaved forms of ephrin-A1 are derived from primary tumors and have biological activities. We identified the ADAM12-mediated cleavage site of ephrin-A1 by a Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and checked levels of ephrin-A1 in the serum and the urine derived from the primary tumors by using a mouse model. We found elevated levels of tumor-derived ephrin-A1 in the serum and the urine in the tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, inhibition of ADAM-mediated cleavage of ephrin-A1 or antagonization of the EphA receptors resulted in a significant reduction of lung metastasis. The results suggest that tumor-derived ephrin-A1 is not only a potential biomarker to predict lung metastasis from the primary tumor highly expressing ephrin-A1 but also a therapeutic target of lung metastasis

Vibrational properties of phonons in random binary alloys: An augmented space recursive technique in the k-representation

We present here an augmented space recursive technique in the k-representation which include diagonal, off-diagonal and the environmental disorder explicitly : an analytic, translationally invariant, multiple scattering theory for phonons in random binary alloys.We propose the augmented space recursion (ASR) as a computationally fast and accurate technique which will incorporate configuration fluctuations over a large local environment. We apply the formalism to $Ni_{55}Pd_{45}$, Ni_{88}Cr_12} and $Ni_{50}Pt_{50}$ alloys which is not a random choice. Numerical results on spectral functions, coherent structure factors, dispersion curves and disordered induced FWHM's are presented. Finally the results are compared with the recent itinerant coherent potential approximation (ICPA) and also with experiments.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, 23 figure

Phase transition in the collisionless regime for wave-particle interaction

Gibbs statistical mechanics is derived for the Hamiltonian system coupling self-consistently a wave to N particles. This identifies Landau damping with a regime where a second order phase transition occurs. For nonequilibrium initial data with warm particles, a critical initial wave intensity is found: above it, thermodynamics predicts a finite wave amplitude in the limit of infinite N; below it, the equilibrium amplitude vanishes. Simulations support these predictions providing new insight on the long-time nonlinear fate of the wave due to Landau damping in plasmas.Comment: 12 pages (RevTeX), 2 figures (PostScript

Lynx: A High-Resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar

Lynx is a high resolution, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that has been designed and built by Sandia National Laboratories in collaboration with General Atomics (GA). Although Lynx may be operated on a wide variety of manned and unmanned platforms, it is primarily intended to be fielded on unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, it may be operated on the Predator, I-GNAT, or Prowler II platforms manufactured by GA Aeronautical Systems, Inc. The Lynx production weight is less than 120 lb. and has a slant range of 30 km (in 4 mm/hr rain). It has operator selectable resolution and is capable of 0.1 m resolution in spotlight mode and 0.3 m resolution in stripmap mode. In ground moving target indicator mode, the minimum detectable velocity is 6 knots with a minimum target cross-section of 10 dBsm. In coherent change detection mode, Lynx makes registered, complex image comparisons either of 0.1 m resolution (minimum) spotlight images or of 0.3 m resolution (minimum) strip images. The Lynx user interface features a view manager that allows it to pan and zoom like a video camera. Lynx was developed under corporate finding from GA and will be manufactured by GA for both military and commercial applications. The Lynx system architecture will be presented and some of its unique features will be described. Imagery at the finest resolutions in both spotlight and strip modes have been obtained and will also be presented

Metallothionein I as a direct link between therapeutic hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and cerebral protection in stroke

National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung, and blood Institute (NIH/NHLBI (HL125572-01A1)); Malcolm Feist Cardiovascular Fellowship program; National Institute of General Medical Sciences COBRE Grant (P30- GM110703) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research- KAKENHI, 16H07356)

Long-time discrete particle effects versus kinetic theory in the self-consistent single-wave model

The influence of the finite number N of particles coupled to a monochromatic wave in a collisionless plasma is investigated. For growth as well as damping of the wave, discrete particle numerical simulations show an N-dependent long time behavior resulting from the dynamics of individual particles. This behavior differs from the one due to the numerical errors incurred by Vlasov approaches. Trapping oscillations are crucial to long time dynamics, as the wave oscillations are controlled by the particle distribution inhomogeneities and the pulsating separatrix crossings drive the relaxation towards thermal equilibrium.Comment: 11 pages incl. 13 figs. Phys. Rev. E, in pres

Src Dependent Pancreatic Acinar Injury Can Be Initiated Independent of an Increase in Cytosolic Calcium

Several deleterious intra-acinar phenomena are simultaneously triggered on initiating acute pancreatitis. These culminate in acinar injury or inflammatory mediator generation in vitro and parenchymal damage in vivo. Supraphysiologic caerulein is one such initiator which simultaneously activates numerous signaling pathways including non-receptor tyrosine kinases such as of the Src family. It also causes a sustained increase in cytosolic calcium- a player thought to be crucial in regulating deleterious phenomena. We have shown Src to be involved in caerulein induced actin remodeling, and caerulein induced changes in the Golgi and post-Golgi trafficking to be involved in trypsinogen activation, which initiates acinar cell injury. However, it remains unclear whether an increase in cytosolic calcium is necessary to initiate acinar injury or if injury can be initiated at basal cytosolic calcium levels by an alternate pathway. To study the interplay between tyrosine kinase signaling and calcium, we treated mouse pancreatic acinar cells with the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate. We studied the effect of the clinically used Src inhibitor Dasatinib (BMS-354825) on pervanadate or caerulein induced changes in Src activation, trypsinogen activation, cell injury, upstream cytosolic calcium, actin and Golgi morphology. Pervanadate, like supraphysiologic caerulein, induced Src activation, redistribution of the F-actin from its normal location in the sub-apical area to the basolateral areas, and caused antegrade fragmentation of the Golgi. These changes, like those induced by supraphysiologic caerulein, were associated with trypsinogen activation and acinar injury, all of which were prevented by Dasatinib. Interestingly, however, pervanadate did not cause an increase in cytosolic calcium, and the caerulein induced increase in cytosolic calcium was not affected by Dasatinib. These findings suggest that intra-acinar deleterious phenomena may be initiated independent of an increase in cytosolic calcium. Other players resulting in acinar injury along with the Src family of tyrosine kinases remain to be explored. © 2013 Mishra et al