1,384 research outputs found
Interference Effects Due to Commensurate Electron Trajectories and Topological Crossovers in (TMTSF)2ClO4
We report angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements on (TMTSF)2ClO4 that
provide strong support for a new macroscopic quantum phenomenon, the
interference commensurate (IC) effect, in quasi-one dimensional metals. In
addition to observing rich magnetoresistance oscillations, and fitting them
with one-electron calculations, we observe a clear demarcation of
field-dependent behavior at local resistance minima and maxima (versus field
angle). Anticipated by a theoretical treatment of the IC effect in terms of
Bragg reflections in the extended Brillouin zone, this behavior results from
1D-2D topological crossovers of electron wave functions as a function of field
orientation.Comment: 14 page
Serum (1 → 3)-β-d-glucan measurement as an early indicator of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and evaluation of its prognostic value
AbstractPneumocystis jirovecii (carinii) pneumonia (PJP) is a major cause of disease in immunocompromised individuals. However, until recently no reliable and specific serological parameters for the diagnosis of PJP have been available. (1 → 3)-β-d-Glucan (BG) is a cell wall component of P. jirovecii and of various other fungi. Data from the past few years have pointed to serum measurement of BG as a promising new tool for the diagnosis of PJP. We therefore conducted a retrospective study on 50 patients with PJP and 50 immunocompromised control patients to evaluate the diagnostic performance of serum BG measurement. Our results show an excellent diagnostic performance with a sensitivity of 98.0% and a specificity of 94%. While the positive predictive value was only 64.7%, the negative predictive value was 99.8% and therefore a negative BG result almost rules out PJP. BG levels were already strongly elevated in an average of 5 days and up to 21 days before microbiological diagnosis demonstrating that the diagnosis could have been confirmed earlier. BG levels at diagnosis and maximum BG levels during follow-up did not correlate with the outcome of patients or with the P. jirovecii burden in the lung as detected by Real-Time PCR. Therefore, absolute BG levels seem to be of no prognostic value. Altogether, BG is a reliable parameter for the diagnosis of PJP and could be used as a preliminary test for patients at risk before a bronchoalveolar lavage is performed
Photonic Crystal Vertical Cavity Lasers
Photonic crystal confinement in vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) is a robust and reliable technology for achieving operation in the fundamental lateral mode and is potentially applicable to a variety of materials systems and operating wavelengths. We demonstrate photonic crystal VCSELs operating in a single transverse mode with over 30 dB side mode suppression and over 1 mW of output power. These lasers have been subjected to a post-process technique to introduce the etched holes making up the photonic crystals that surround a centralized defect in which lasing occurs. We also show that coupling between adjacent defects in a photonic lattice is possible, further increasing the power available in the devices
Broadband spin-controlled focusing via logarithmic-spiral nanoslits of varying width
This work presents analytical, numerical and experimental demonstrations of light diffracted through a logarithmic spiral (LS) nanoslit, which forms a type of switchable and focus-tunable structure. Owing to a strong dependence on the incident photon spin, the proposed LS-nanoslit converges incoming light of opposite handedness (to that of the LS-nanoslit) into a confined subwavelength spot, while it shapes light with similar chirality into a donut-like intensity profile. Benefitting from the varying width of the LS-nanoslit, different incident wavelengths interfere constructively at different positions, i.e., the focal length shifts from 7.5 μm (at λ = 632.8 nm) to 10 μm (at λ = 488 nm), which opens up new opportunities for tuning and spatially separating broadband light at the micrometer scale
Justifications for the Probation Sanction Among Residents of Virginia--Cool or Un-Cool?
Perhaps as evidence of a growing cultural gap between our students and ourselves, one of the authors was recently amused when a student asked whether probation was a cool sanction. In this study, we begin an investigation into how cool the probation sanction is in the eyes of residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Specifically, we use data from a telephone survey of 840 registered voters to explore three questions. First, how often would they recommend the probation sanction in comparison to other sanctions? Second, how do they justify the sanction relative to justifications for other sanctions? Finally, are their justifications and sentencing recommendations consistent across crimes? We address these questions in this study to see whether the sanction is cool or uncool. In the review of literature, we discuss punishment justifications in general and probation as a punitive experience
Partial Transmutation of Singularities in Optical Instruments
Some interesting optical instruments such as the Eaton lens and the Invisible
Sphere require singularities of the refractive index for their implementation.
We show how to transmute those singularities into harmless topological defects
in anisotropic media without the need for anomalous material properties
Liquid Crystal-Solid Interface Structure at the Antiferroelectric-Ferroelectric Phase Transition
Total Internal Reflection (TIR) is used to probe the molecular organization
at the surface of a tilted chiral smectic liquid crystal at temperatures in the
vicinity of the bulk antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition. Data are
interpreted using an exact analytical solution of a real model for
ferroelectric order at the surface. In the mixture T3, ferroelectric surface
order is expelled with the bulk ferroelectric-antiferroelectric transition. The
conditions for ferroelectric order at the surface of an antiferroelectric bulk
are presented
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