Cohesin is a multiprotein, ringed complex that is most well-known for its role in stabilizing the association of sister chromatids between S phase and M. More recently, cohesin was found to be associated with transcriptional insulators, elements that are associated with the organization of chromatin into regulatory domains. The human MHC class II (MHC-II) locus contains 10 intergenic elements, ...

The electrical properties of grain boundaries are very different in insulators, semiconductors and metals. We present them briefly in the case of insulators and semiconductors and with more details in the case of metals.

Active and silenced chromatin domains are often in close juxtaposition to one another, and enhancer and silencer elements operate over large distances to regulate the genes in these domains. The lack of promiscuity in the function of these elements suggests that active mechanisms exist to restrict their activity. Insulators are DNA elements that restrict the effects of long-range regulatory ele...

Topological insulators are electronic materials that have a bulk band gap like an ordinary insulator but have protected conducted states on their edge or surface. These states are possible due to the combination of spinorbit interactions and time-reversal symmetry. The two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator is a quantum spin Hall insulator, which is a close cousin of the integer quantum Hal...

Topological insulators are materials with a bulk excitation gap generated by the spin-orbit interaction that are different from conventional insulators. This distinction is characterized by Z2 topological invariants, which characterize the ground state. In two dimensions, there is a single Z2 invariant that distinguishes the ordinary insulator from the quantum spin-Hall phase. In three dimensio...

An early triumph of quantum mechanics was the explanation of metallic and insulating behavior based on the filling of electronic bands. A complementary, classical picture of insulators depicts electrons as occupying localized and symmetric Wannier orbitals that resemble atomic orbitals. We report the theoretical discovery of band insulators for which electron filling forbids such an atomic desc...

Chern insulators are band insulators which exhibit a gap in the bulk and gapless excitations in the edge. Detection of Chern insulators is a serious challenge in cold atoms since the Hall transport measurements are technically unrealistic for neutral atoms. By establishing a natural correspondence between the time-reversal invariant topological insulator and the quantum anomalous Hall system, w...

With advances in genetic science, the dynamic structure of eukaryotic genome is considered as basis of gene expression regulation. Long-distance communication between regulatory elements and target promoters is critical and the mechanisms responsible for this connection are just starting to emerge. Chromatin insulators are key determinants of proper gene regulation and precise organization of c...

Partial dischagre is the precursor of insulators breakdown. In this work the propagation of electromagnetic radiation emitted from partial discharge in high voltage insulating materials is investigated. Three common dielectric materials used in power industry: polymer, epoxy resin and ceramics are studied. The results obtained are envisaged to support the development of appropriate sensors for ...

The spatial organization of metazoan genomes has a direct influence on fundamental nuclear processes that include transcription, replication, and DNA repair. It is imperative to understand the mechanisms that shape the 3D organization of the eukaryotic genomes. Chromatin insulators have emerged as one of the central components of the genome organization tool-kit across species. Recent advanceme...