The origin of the anomalous superconducting properties of MgB(2)

Magnesium diboride differs from ordinary metallic superconductors in several important ways, including the failure of conventional models to predict accurately its unusually high transition temperature, the effects of isotope substitution on the critical transition temperature, and its anomalous specific heat. A detailed examination of the energy associated with the formation of charge-carrying pairs, referred to as the 'superconducting energy gap', should clarify why MgB(2) is different. Some early experimental studies have indicated that MgB(2) has multiple gaps, but past theoretical studies have not explained from first principles the origin of these gaps and their effects. Here we report an ab initio calculation of the superconducting gaps in MgB(2) and their effects on measurable quantities. An important feature is that the electronic states dominated by orbitals in the boron plane couple strongly to specific phonon modes, making pair formation favourable. This explains the high transition temperature, the anomalous structure in the specific heat, and the existence of multiple gaps in this material. Our analysis suggests comparable or higher transition temperatures may result in layered materials based on B, C and N with partially filled planar orbitals.     

Enhancement of the high-magnetic-field critical current density of superconducting MgB2 by proton irradiation

Magnesium diboride, MgB2, has a relatively high superconducting transition temperature, placing it between the families of low- and high-temperature (copper oxide based) superconductors. Supercurrent flow in MgB2 is unhindered by grain boundaries, making it potentially attractive for technological applications in the temperature range 20-30 K. But in the bulk material, the critical current density (Jc) drops rapidly with increasing magnetic field strength. The magnitude and field dependence of the critical current are related to the presence of structural defects that can 'pin' the quantized magnetic vortices that permeate the material, and a lack of natural defects in MgB2 may be responsible for the rapid decline of Jc with increasing field strength. Here we show that modest levels of atomic disorder induced by proton irradiation enhance the pinning of vortices, thereby significantly increasing Jc at high field strengths. We anticipate that either chemical doping or mechanical processing should generate similar levels of disorder, and so achieve performance that is technologically attractive in an economically viable way.     

Phagocytosis and clearance of apoptotic cells is mediated by MER

Apoptosis is fundamental to the development and maintenance of animal tissues and the immune system. Rapid clearance of apoptotic cells by macrophages is important to inhibit inflammation and autoimmune responses against intracellular antigens. Here we report a new function for Mer, a member of the Axl/Mer/Tyro3 receptor tyrosine kinase family. mer(kd) mice with a cytoplasmic truncation of Mer had macrophages deficient in the clearance of apoptotic thymocytes. This was corrected in chimaeric mice reconstituted with bone marrow from wild-type animals. Primary macrophages isolated from mer(kd) mice showed that the phagocytic deficiency was restricted to apoptotic cells and was independent of Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis or ingestion of other particles. The inability to clear apoptotic cells adequately may be linked to an increased number of nuclear autoantibodies in mer(kd) mice. Thus, the Mer receptor tyrosine kinase seems to be critical for the engulfment and efficient clearance of apoptotic cells. This has implications for inflammation and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus.     

Controlled surface charging as a depth-profiling probe for mesoscopic layers

Probing the structure of material layers just a few nanometres thick requires analytical techniques with high depth sensitivity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provides one such method, but obtaining vertically resolved structural information from the raw data is not straightforward. There are several XPS depth-profiling methods, including ion etching, angle-resolved XPS (ref. 2) and Tougaard's approach, but all suffer various limitations. Here we report a simple, non-destructive XPS depth-profiling method that yields accurate depth information with nanometre resolution. We demonstrate the technique using self-assembled multilayers on gold surfaces; the former contain 'marker' monolayers that have been inserted at predetermined depths. A controllable potential gradient is established vertically through the sample by charging the surface of the dielectric overlayer with an electron flood gun. The local potential is probed by measuring XPS line shifts, which correlate directly with the vertical position of atoms. We term the method 'controlled surface charging' and expect it to be generally applicable to a large variety of mesoscopic heterostructures.     

Polarization rotation mechanism for ultrahigh electromechanical response in single-crystal piezoelectrics

Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical to electrical energy (and vice versa), are crucial in medical imaging, telecommunication and ultrasonic devices. A new generation of single-crystal materials, such as Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PZN-PT) and Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT), exhibit a piezoelectric effect that is ten times larger than conventional ceramics, and may revolutionize these applications. However, the mechanism underlying the ultrahigh performance of these new materials-and consequently the possibilities for further improvements-are not at present clear. Here we report a first-principles study of the ferroelectric perovskite, BaTiO3, which is similar to single-crystal PZN-PT but is a simpler system to analyse. We show that a large piezoelectric response can be driven by polarization rotation induced by an external electric field. Our computations suggest how to design materials with better performance, and may stimulate further interest in the fundamental theory of dielectric systems in finite electric fields.     

射频PECVD方法生长含氢非晶碳膜的结构及摩擦学性能

利用射频等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术在不锈钢表面制备了含氢非晶碳膜.采用Raman光谱、红外光谱、X射线光电子能谱和原子力显微镜等研究了薄膜的微观结构和表面形貌,在栓盘摩擦磨损试验机上考察了薄膜在不同载荷与滑动速度下的摩擦学性能.结果表明:所制备的含氢非晶碳膜具有典型的类金刚石结构特征,薄膜均匀、致密,表面粗糙度小;薄膜与不锈钢球对磨时显示出良好的抗磨减摩性能;薄膜的抗磨减摩性能同对磨件表面上形成的转移膜以及摩擦过程中薄膜结构的石墨化相关.     

Conformation of ribonuclease S-protein.

Ribonuclease S-protein exhibits a pH-dependent conformational transition between folded and unfolded states, and some unfolded S-protein persists up to pH 8. The histidine C2 proton resonance of the unfolded species was erroneously assigned by Bradbury et al. to histidine residue 119 of the folded species.     

Cooperative tandem binding of met repressor of Escherichia coli

We present biochemical and genetic data to support the hypothesis that the Escherichia coli met repressor, MetJ, binds to synthetic and natural operator sequences in tandem arrays such that repression depends not only on the affinity of the DNA-protein interaction, but also on protein-protein contacts along the tandem array. This represents a novel form of regulatory switch. Furthermore, there seems to be homology between the organization of the met and trp operators.