1,423 research outputs found
Simulations of Protoplanetary Disk Dispersal: Stellar Mass Dependence of the Disk Lifetime
Recent infrared and submillimeter observations suggest that the
protoplanetary disk lifetime depends on the central stellar mass. The disk
dispersal is thought to be driven by viscous accretion, magneto-hydrodynamics
(MHD) winds, and photoevaporation by the central star. We perform a set of
one-dimensional simulations of long-term disk evolution that include all the
three processes. We vary the stellar mass in the range of 0.5-7M, and
study the mass dependence of the disk evolution. We show that a significant
fraction of the disk gas is lost by MHD winds in the early stage, but the later
disk evolution is mainly governed by photoevaporation. The disk radius
decreases as photoevaporation clears out the gas in the outer disk efficiently.
The qualitative evolutionary trends of the disk mass are remarkably similar for
the wide range of the central stellar mass we consider, and the time evolution
of the disk mass can be well fitted by a simple function. The dispersal time is
approximately ten million years for low mass stars with weak mass dependence,
but gets as short as two million years around a 7M star. In the
latter case, a prominent inner hole is formed by the combined effect of
accretion and MHD winds within about one million years. The strength of the MHD
wind and viscous accretion controls the overall mass-loss rate, but does not
alter the dependence of the dispersal timescale on the central stellar mass.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 1 tabl
Unique terminal regions and specific deletions of the segmented double-stranded RNA genome of Alternaria alternata virus 1, in the proposed family Alternaviridae
Alternaria alternata virus 1 (AaV1) has been identified in the saprophytic fungus Alternaria alternata strain EGS 35-193. AaV1 has four genomic double-stranded (ds)RNA segments (dsRNA1-4) packaged in isometric particles. The 3' end of each coding strand is polyadenylated (36-50nt), but the presence of a cap structure at each 5' end has not previously been investigated. Here, we have characterized the AaV1 genome and found that it has unique features among the mycoviruses. We confirmed the existence of cap structures on the 5' ends of the AaV1 genomic dsRNAs using RNA dot blots with anti-cap antibodies and the oligo-capping method. Polyclonal antibodies against purified AaV1 particles specifically bound to an 82kDa protein, suggesting that this protein is the major capsid component. Subsequent Edman degradation indicated that the AaV1 dsRNA3 segment encodes the major coat protein. Two kinds of defective AaV1 dsRNA2, which is 2,794bp (844 aa) in length when intact, appeared in EGS 35-193 during subculturing, as confirmed by RT-PCR and northern hybridization. Sequence analysis revealed that one of the two defective dsRNA2s contained a 231bp deletion, while the other carried both the 231bp deletion and an additional 465bp deletion in the open reading frame. Both deletions occurred in-frame, resulting in predicted proteins of 767 aa and 612 aa. The fungal isolates carrying virions with the defective dsRNA2s showed impaired growth and abnormal pigmentation. To our best knowledge, AaV1 is the first dsRNA virus to be identified with both 5' cap and 3'poly(A) structures on its genomic segments, as well as the specific deletions of dsRNA2
Evidence for unconventional superconducting fluctuations in heavy-fermion compound CeNi2Ge2
We present evidence for unconventional superconducting fluctuations in a
heavy-fermion compound CeNiGe. The temperature dependence of the
Ge nuclear-spin-lattice-relaxation rate indicates the
development of magnetic correlations and the formation of a Fermi-liquid state
at temperatures lower than K, where is constant. The
resistance and measured on an as-grown sample decrease below K and K, respectively; these
are indicative of the onset of superconductivity. However, after annealing the
sample to improve its quality, these superconducting signatures disappear.
These results are consistent with the emergence of unconventional
superconducting fluctuations in close proximity to a quantum critical point
from the superconducting to the normal phase in CeNiGe.Comment: 4pages,5figures,to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Simulation of the many-body dynamical quantum Hall effect in an optical lattice
We propose an experimental scheme to simulate the many-body dynamical quantum
Hall effect with ultra-cold bosonic atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice.
We first show that the required model Hamiltonian of a spin-1/2 Heisenberg
chain with an effective magnetic field and tunable parameters can be realized
in this system. For dynamical response to ramping the external fields, the
quantized plateaus emerge in the Berry curvature of the interacting atomic spin
chain as a function of the effective spin-exchange interaction. The
quantization of this response in the parameter space with the
interaction-induced topological transition characterizes the many-body
dynamical quantum Hall effect. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this phenomenon
can be observed in practical cold-atom experiments with numerical simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; accepted in Quantum Information Processin
RhoJ integrates attractive and repulsive cues in directional migration of endothelial cells
During angiogenesis, VEGF acts as an attractive cue for endothelial cells (ECs), while Sema3E mediates repulsive cues. Here, we show that the small GTPase RhoJ integrates these opposing signals in directional EC migration. In the GTP-bound state, RhoJ interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of PlexinD1. Upon Sema3E stimulation, RhoJ released from PlexinD1 induces cell contraction. PlexinD1-bound RhoJ further facilitates Sema3E-induced PlexinD1-VEGFR2 association, VEGFR2 transphosphorylation at Y1214, and p38 MAPK activation, leading to reverse EC migration. Upon VEGF stimulation, RhoJ is required for the formation of the holoreceptor complex comprising VEGFR2, PlexinD1, and neuropilin-1, thereby preventing degradation of internalized VEGFR2, prolonging downstream signal transductions via PLCγ, Erk, and Akt, and promoting forward EC migration. After conversion to the GDP-bound state, RhoJ shifts from PlexinD1 to VEGFR2, which then terminates the VEGFR2 signals. RhoJ deficiency in ECs efficiently suppressed aberrant angiogenesis in ischemic retina. These findings suggest that distinct Rho GTPases may act as context-dependent integrators of chemotactic cues in directional cell migration and may serve as candidate therapeutic targets to manipulate cell motility in disease or tissue regeneration
Clarification of mural cell coverage of vascular endothelial cells by live imaging of zebrafish
Mural cells (MCs) consisting of vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes cover the endothelial cells (ECs) to regulate vascular stability and homeostasis. Here, we clarified the mechanism by which MCs develop and cover ECs by generating transgenic zebrafish lines that allow live imaging of MCs and by lineage tracing in vivo. To cover cranial vessels, MCs derived from either neural crest cells or mesoderm emerged around the preformed EC tubes, proliferated and migrated along EC tubes. During their migration, the MCs moved forward by extending their processes along the inter-EC junctions, suggesting a role for inter-EC junctions as a scaffold for MC migration. In the trunk vasculature, MCs derived from mesoderm covered the ventral side of the dorsal aorta (DA), but not the posterior cardinal vein. Furthermore, the MCs migrating from the DA or emerging around intersegmental vessels (ISVs) preferentially covered arterial ISVs rather than venous ISVs, indicating that MCs mostly cover arteries during vascular development. Thus, live imaging and lineage tracing enabled us to clarify precisely how MCs cover the EC tubes and to identify the origins of MCs
Interaction and filling induced quantum phases of dual Mott insulators of bosons and fermions
Many-body effects are at the very heart of diverse phenomena found in
condensed-matter physics. One striking example is the Mott insulator phase
where conductivity is suppressed as a result of a strong repulsive interaction.
Advances in cold atom physics have led to the realization of the Mott
insulating phases of atoms in an optical lattice, mimicking the corresponding
condensed matter systems. Here, we explore an exotic strongly-correlated system
of Interacting Dual Mott Insulators of bosons and fermions. We reveal that an
inter-species interaction between bosons and fermions drastically modifies each
Mott insulator, causing effects that include melting, generation of composite
particles, an anti-correlated phase, and complete phase-separation. Comparisons
between the experimental results and numerical simulations indicate intrinsic
adiabatic heating and cooling for the attractively and repulsively interacting
dual Mott Insulators, respectively
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