17 research outputs found
Growth and linear optical properties of CuCl nanocrystals
Linear optical properties of CuCl nanocrystals in a NaCl matrix have been studied using optical absorption, cathodoluminescence and X-ray diffraction measurements. Our measurements showed that CuCl nanocrystals were really formed. Their average size was estimated to be 2.2 nm. Consistently with confinement effect resulting from the low size of the nanocrystals, a blue shift of excitonic levels is observed by comparison to the bulk crystal. Our analysis showed that the effect of thermal annealing depends on the temperature, the annealing time and the nature of cooling
Statistical Model of Superconductivity in a 2D Binary Boson-Fermion Mixture
A two-dimensional (2D) assembly of noninteracting, temperature-dependent,
composite-boson Cooper pairs (CPs) in chemical and thermal equilibrium with
unpaired fermions is examined in a binary boson-fermion statistical model as
the superconducting singularity temperature is approached from above. The model
is derived from {\it first principles} for the BCS model interfermion
interaction from three extrema of the system Helmholtz free energy (subject to
constant pairable-fermion number) with respect to: a) the pairable-fermion
distribution function; b) the number of excited (bosonic) CPs, i.e., with
nonzero total momenta--usually ignored in BCS theory--and with the appropriate
(linear, as opposed to quadratic) dispersion relation that arises from the
Fermi sea; and c) the number of CPs with zero total momenta. Compared with the
BCS theory condensate, higher singularity temperatures for the Bose-Einstein
condensate are obtained in the binary boson-fermion mixture model which are in
rough agreement with empirical critical temperatures for quasi-2D
superconductorsComment: 16 pages and 4 figures. This is a improved versio
Linear to quadratic crossover of Cooper pair dispersion relation
Cooper pairing is studied in three dimensions to determine its binding energy
for all coupling using a general separable interfermion interaction. Also
considered are Cooper pairs (CPs) with nonzero center-of-mass momentum (CMM). A
coupling-independent {\it linear} term in the CMM dominates the pair excitation
energy in weak coupling and/or high fermion density, while the more familiar
quadratic term prevails only in the extreme low-density (i.e., vacuum) limit
for any nonzero coupling. The linear-to-quadratic crossover of the CP
dispersion relation is analyzed numerically, and is expected to play a central
role in a model of superconductivity (and superfluidity) simultaneously
accommodating a BCS condensate as well as a Bose-Einstein condensate of CP
bosons.Comment: 13 pages plus 2 figure
Two-dimensional Bose-Einstein Condensation in Cuprate Superconductors
Transition temperatures calculated using the BCS model
electron-phonon interaction without any adjustable parameters agree with
empirical values for quasi-2D cuprate superconductors. They follow from a
two-dimensional gas of temperature-dependent Cooper pairs in chemical and
thermal equilibrium with unpaired fermions in a boson-fermion (BF) statistical
model as the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) singularity temperature is
approached from above. The {\it linear} (as opposed to quadratic) boson
dispersion relation due to the Fermi sea yields substantially higher 's
with the BF model than with BCS or pure-boson BEC theories.Comment: 7 pages including 2 figure
The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance
INTRODUCTION
Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.
RATIONALE
We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs).
RESULTS
Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants.
CONCLUSION
Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century
Ab Initio Study of Confinement and Surface Effects in AlN Nanowires
International audienc
Ab initio study of confinement and surface effects in hexagonal AlN nanotubes
International audienc