Novel neutron resonance mode in dx2-y2-wave superconductors

We show that a new resonant magnetic excitation at incommensurate momenta, observed recently by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on YBa2Cu3O6.85 and YBa2Cu3O6.6, is a spin exciton. Its location in the Brillouin zone and its frequency are determined by the momentum dependence of the particle-hole continuum. We identify several features that distinguish this novel mode from the previous resonance mode observed near Q=(pi,pi).     

Multi-GeV energy gain in a plasma-wakefield accelerator

A plasma-wakefield accelerator has accelerated particles by over 2.7 GeV in a 10 cm long plasma module. A 28.5 GeV electron beam with 1.8 x 10(10) electrons is compressed to 20 microm longitudinally and focused to a transverse spot size of 10 microm at the entrance of a 10 cm long column of lithium vapor with density 2.8 x 10(17) atoms/cm3. The electron bunch fully ionizes the lithium vapor to create a plasma and then expels the plasma electrons. These electrons return one-half plasma period later driving a large amplitude plasma wake that in turn accelerates particles in the back of the bunch by more than 2.7 GeV.     

Monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension correlates with upregulation of connective tissue growth factor expression in the lung

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by structural and functional changes in the lung including proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and excessive collagen synthesis. Although connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is known to promote cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, and extracellular matrix production in various tissues, studies on the role of CTGF in pulmonary hypertension have been limited. Here, we examined CTGF expression in the lung tissues of male Sprague Dawley rats treated with monocrotaline (MCT, 60 microg/kg), a pneumotoxic agent known to induce PH in animals. Establishment of PH was verified by the significantly increased right ventricular systolic pressure and right ventricle/left ventricle weight ratio in the MCT-treated rats. Histological examination of the lung revealed profound muscular hypertrophy in the media of pulmonary artery and arterioles in MCT-treated group. Lung parenchyma, vein, and bronchiole did not appear to be affected. RT-PCR analysis of the lung tissue at 5 weeks indicated significantly increased expression of CTGF in the MCT-treated group. In situ hybridization studies also confirmed abundant CTGF mRNA expression in VSMCs of the arteries and arterioles, clustered pneumocytes, and infiltrated macrophages. Interestingly, CTGF mRNA was not detected in VSMCs of vein or bronchiole. In saline-injected control, basal expression of CTGF was seen in bronchial epithelial cells, alveolar lining cells, and endothelial cells. Taken together, our results suggest that CTGF upregulation in arterial VSMC of the lung might be important in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. Antagonizing the role of CTGF could thus be one of the potential approaches for the treatment of PH.     

Controlling the materials properties and nanostructure of a single-component dendritic gel by adding a second component

This paper reports a dendritic system which is capable of forming both one-component and two-component gels--interestingly the addition of the second component can either increase or decrease the degree of gelation, depending on dendritic generation.     

Micro-synthesis and electron ionization mass spectral analysis of O-alkyl N,N-dialkylphosphoramidocyanidates

This communication describes microsynthesis and GC/MS analysis of O-alkyl N,N-dialkylphosphoramidocyanidates (ADAPCs), which are analogues of chemical warfare agent, Tabun. The study was undertaken with a view to develop spectral data base of ADAPCs for verification purpose of Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Reported microsynthetic approach has advantages over traditional synthesis in terms of efficiency, synthetic waste, and exposure to toxic chemicals. GC/MS analysis of variety of these compounds (ADAPCs) was performed. Based on the obtained mass spectra of structurally diverse ADAPCs, the fragmentation routes are proposed, which explains most of the characteristic ions.     

Kinetic model for the chiral symmetry breaking transition in the growth front of a conglomerate crystal phase

In its molten phase, 1,1'-binaphthyl is racemic due to its high racemization rate, but it can crystallize as a conglomerate of R and S crystals. Our experiments have indicated that, under some conditions, the crystal growth front of 1,1'-binaphthyl shows many of the characteristics of an open system in which chiral symmetry is broken; i.e., the growing solid phase becomes predominantly R or S. Here we present a kinetic model to explain the observed chiral symmetry breaking. The model is based on growth due to attachment of R or S growth units to a crystal surface in a supercooled melt. Chiral symmetry breaking occurs due to chirally autocatalytic formation of R or S growth units on the growth surface. Unlike the many models suggested and studied in the 1980s, there is no cross-inhibition between R- and S-enantiomer in the model presented here. In our model, asymmetric and symmetric steady-state solutions that do not intersect were found. Through linear stability analysis, the critical point, at which a symmetric solution becomes unstable and makes a transition to an asymmetric solution, is determined.     

Microsynthesis and electron ionisation mass spectrometric analysis of chemical weapons convention (CWC)-related O,O-dialkyl-N,N-dialkylphosphoramidates

The paper describes microsynthesis and GC/EIMS analysis of O,O-dialkyl-N,N-dialkylphosphoramidates (DADAPs). DADAPs belong to schedule 2B6 category of chemical weapons convention (CWC), as they are important markers of the chemical warfare agent Tabun and its analogues. The study was undertaken to develop a spectral database of DADAPs for verification of CWC. The reported synthetic strategy can be adopted to prepare several analogues of DADAPs simultaneously and rapidly during official proficiency tests, for the unambiguous identification of analytes within a short period. Based on the EIMS data of more than 60 compounds, fragmentation routes are proposed which explain the formation of most of the characteristic fragment ions. Subtle differences in EIMS of isomeric DADAPs are discussed to facilitate their identification.     

Magneto infrared absorption in high electron density GaAs quantum wells

Magneto infrared absorption measurements have been performed in a highly doped GaAs quantum well which has been lifted off and bonded to a silicon substrate, in order to study the resonant polaron interaction. It is found that the pinning of the cyclotron energy occurs at an energy close to that of the transverse optical phonon of GaAs. This unexpected result is explained by a model taking into account the full dielectric constant of the quantum well.     

Scalable methods for the construction and analysis of virtual combinatorial libraries

One can distinguish between two kinds of virtual combinatorial libraries: viable and accessible . Viable libraries are relatively small in size, are assembled from readily available reagents that have been filtered by the medicinal chemist, and often have a physical counterpart. Conversely, accessible libraries can encompass millions or billions of structures, typically include all possible reagents that are in principle compatible with a particular reaction scheme, and they can never be physically synthesized in their entirety. Although the analysis of viable virtual libraries is relatively straightforward, the handling of large accessible libraries requires methods that scale well with respect to library size. In this work, we present novel, efficient and scalable techniques for the construction, analysis, and in silico screening of massive virtual combinatorial libraries.