Dirac metals (gapless semiconductors) are believed to turn into Weyl metals when perturbations, which break either time reversal symmetry or inversion symmetry, are employed. However, no experimental evidence has been reported for the existence of Weyl fermions in three dimensions. Applying magnetic fields near the topological phase transition from a topological insulator to a band insulator in Bi1-xSbx we observe not only the weak antilocalization phenomenon in magnetoconductivity near zero magnetic fields (B<0.4  T), but also its upturn above 0.4 T only for E//B. This "incompatible" coexistence between weak antilocalization and "negative" magnetoresistivity is attributed to the Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly ("topological" E·B term) in the presence of weak antilocalization corrections.

Weyl metal is regarded as a platform toward interacting topological states of matter, where its topological structure gives rise to anomalous transport phenomena, referred to as chiral magnetic effect and "negative" magneto-resistivity, the origin of which is chiral anomaly. Recently, the negative magneto-resistivity has been observed with the signature of weak anti-localization at x = 3 ∼ 4 % in Bi1−xSbx, where magnetic field is applied in parallel with electric field (E B). Based on the Boltzmann-equation approach, we find the negative magneto-resistivity in the presence of weak anti-localization. An essential ingredient is to introduce the topological structure of chiral anomaly into the Boltzmann-equation approach, resorting to semi-classical equations of motion with Berry curvature.

Cantilevers fabricated by means of micromachining techniques are usually used for atomic force microscopy. In this paper, the spring constant of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever is determined by using a large-scale cantilever. Since the spring constant of the large-scale cantilever is calibrated accurately, the spring constant of the AFM cantilever is determined precisely by measuring the deflections of both cantilevers simultaneously using heterodyne interferometry. The slope of the force curve gives the spring constant of the AFM cantilever. It is not necessary to measure the dimensions of the AFM cantilever in the proposed method. Although this method is simple, the spring constant of the AFM cantilever is obtained accurately.

Subscribe to PCMR and stay up-to-date with the only journal committed to publishing basic research in melanoma and pigment cell biology As a member of the IFPCS or the SMR you automatically get online access to PCMR. Sign up as a member today at www.ifpcs.org or at www.societymelanomaresarch.org SummaryRhododendrol, an inhibitor of melanin synthesis developed for lightening/whitening cosmetics, was recently reported to induce a depigmentary disorder principally at the sites of repeated chemical contact. Rhododendrol competitively inhibited mushroom tyrosinase and served as a good substrate, while it also showed cytotoxicity against cultured human melanocytes at high concentrations sufficient for inhibiting tyrosinase. The cytotoxicity was abolished by phenylthiourea, a chelator of the copper ions at the active site, and by specific knockdown of tyrosinase with siRNA. Hence, the cytotoxicity appeared to be triggered by the enzymatic conversion of rhododendrol to active product(s). No reactive oxygen species were detected in the treated melanocytes, but up-regulation of the CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein gene responsible for apoptosis and/ or autophagy and caspase-3 activation were found to be tyrosinase dependent. These results suggest that a tyrosinase-dependent accumulation of ER stress and/or activation of the apoptotic pathway may contribute to the melanocyte cytotoxicity.

Norzoanthamine, an alkaloid isolated from Zoanthus sp., can suppress the loss of bone weight and strength in ovariectomized mice. Norzoanthamine derivatives can also strongly inhibit the growth of P-388 murine leukemia cell lines and human platelet aggregation. However, norzoanthamine's densely functionalized complex stereostructure and scarce availability from natural sources have proved a synthetic challenge. We report the stereoselective total synthesis of norzoanthamine in 41 steps, with an overall yield of 3.5% (an average of 92% yield each step).