Direct observation and control of near-field radiative energy transfer in a natural hyperbolic material

Heat control is a key issue in nano-electronics, where new efficient energy transfer mechanisms are highly sought after. In this respect, there is indirect evidence that high-mobility hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)-encapsulated graphene exhibits hyperbolic out-of-plane radiative energy transfer when driven out-of-equilibrium. Here we directly observe radiative energy transfer due to the hyperbolic phonon polaritons modes of the hBN encapsulant in intrinsic graphene devices under large bias, using mid-infrared spectroscopy and pyrometry. By using different hBN crystals of varied crystalline quality, we engineer the energy transfer efficiency, a key asset for compact thermal management of electronic circuits.Comment: 21 pages including Supplementary Material (Main text: 10 pages, 4 figures

A nationwide pilot study on breast cancer screening in Peru

"Introduction: A high prevalence of advanced breast cancer (BC) is a common scenario in Latin America. In Peru, the frequency of BC at Stages III/IV is ≈50% despite implementation of a programme for breast cancer screening (BCS) along the country. We carried out a study to assess the feasibility and develop an instrument to evaluate the knowledge, barriers and perception about BCS in a nationwide pilot study in Peru among candidates for BCS. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of 2,558 reports indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline-Ovid and EMBASE, regarding to our study theme. In total, 111 were selected and a 51-items survey was developed (eight items about sociodemographic characteristics). Patients were recruited in public hospitals or private clinics, in rural and urban areas of nine departments of Peru. Results: We surveyed 488 women from: Lima (150), Cajamarca (93), Ica (59), Arequipa (56), Loreto (48), Ancash (38), Junín (15), Puerto Maldonado (15) and Huancavelica (14); 27.9% of them were from rural areas. The mean of age was 53.3 years (standard deviation ± 9.1). Regarding education level, 29.8% had primary, 33.2% secondary and 37.0% higher education. In total, 28.7% of women did not know the term ‘mammogram’ and 47.1% reported never receiving a BCS (36.9% from urban and 73.5% from rural population). In women that underwent BCS, only 67% knew it is for healthy women. In total, 54.1% of patients had low levels of knowledge about risk factors for BC (i.e. 87.5% of women respond that injuries in the breast produce cancer). Cultural, economic and geographic barriers were significantly associated with having a mammogram where 56.9% of participants considered a cost ≤ 7 USD as appropriate. Mammogram was perceived as too painful for 54.9% of women. In addition, women with a self-perception of low-risk for BC and a fatalistic perception of cancer were less likely to have a BCS. Conclusion: We found that it is feasible to conduct a large-scale study in Peru. The results of this pilot study highlight an urgent need of extensive education and awareness about BCS in Peru.

Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter

Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{$6\times 10^{19}$eV}. The anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less than $3.1^\circ$ from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc (using the V\'eron-Cetty and V\'eron $12^{\rm th}$ catalog). An updated measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009. The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more precise measurement. The correlating fraction is $(38^{+7}_{-6})$, compared with $21$ expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early estimate of $(69^{+11}_{-13})$. The enlarged set of arrival directions is examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects: galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic expectation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics on 31 August 201

Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Carboplatin plus Docetaxel in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Combined Analysis of Two Cohorts

Recent studies demonstrate that addition of neoadjuvant (NA) carboplatin (Cb) to anthracycline/taxane chemotherapy improves pathological complete response (pCR) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Effectiveness of anthracycline-free, platinum combinations in TNBC is not well known. Here we report efficacy of NA carboplatin + docetaxel (CbD) in TNBC

Formation and migration of transverse bars along a tidal sandy coast deduced from multi-temporal Lidar datasets

International audienceA field of long-crested transverse bars was monitored from a 2.5-year series of topographic Lidar surveys in the vicinity of a tidal inlet on the macrotidal (mean spring tidal range = 7 to 12 m) west coast of Cotentin (Normandy, France). The bar field, the alongshore extent of which is about 1.8 km, is composed of a total of 8 bars with lengths varying from 320 m to 1300 m and mean heights comprised between 0.5 m and 2.5 m. Bar cross-sections are variable between bars and for a single bar, and also over time. The surveys show a consistent northward migration of the bars at a mean rate of about 2 m/month, but the rate is larger in winter than in summer. The Lidar observations show that the tidal inlet, located at the southern limit of the bar field where the bars start forming, comprises a large sediment platform that acts as a source of sand for the bars. The ebb jet debouching from the inlet is deflected northward by the ambient strong shore-parallel tidal currents in this large tide-range setting, and this may be the primary mechanism leading to the emplacement of the bars. Smaller wave-formed swash bars that further feed the development of these large transverse bars have also been observed. Monitoring of bar migration in the course of six consecutive spring tides with fair-weather conditions showed that strong spring tidal currents are sufficient to drive bar mobility in the absence of waves. Storm wave resuspension of sand is thus expected to enhance bar mobility rates, as shown by the higher rates of winter bar migration compared to the summer rates. The ebb jet explains the slower bar migration rates at the vicinity of the inlet, these rates increasing with distance northward of the inlet as the tidal currents become unimpeded. The main difference between these macrotidal transverse bars and their counterparts in microtidal settings resides in these strong tidal currents that are the essential driver of bar migration, unlike the wave-driven migration of microtidal bars. The large tidal range, in conjunction with storm wave activity, also induces longshore and seasonal variability in bar morphology. The transverse bars of Normandy appear to be inscribed in a sand circulation system involving the west Cotentin coast, the large ebb tidal delta from which they are formed, and the central Cotentin embayment where they are ultimately incorporated into the nearshore sand pool. Longer-term field hydrodynamic monitoring and modelling will be required in order to further elucidate the mode of formation of these transverse bars

Tidal modulation of wave-setup and wave-induced currents on the Aboré coral reef

International audienceAs waves break on a reef, they create a radiation stress gradient that drives wave-setup and wave-induced currents. In this paper, tidally modulated wave-induced current and wave-setup are presented and analysed from field measurements performed on the Aboré coral reef in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia. We show, in agreement with analytical models by Symonds et al (1995) and Hearn (1999), that this tidally modulated wave circulation is mainly controlled by the difference between the depth at the breakpoint and the water depth over the reef. A specific calibration of these models is proposed for the Aboré reef

Field observations of an evolving rip current on a meso-macrotidal well-developed inner bar and rip morphology

International audienceThe Aquitanian Coast (France) is a high-energy meso-macrotidal environment exhibiting a highly variable double sandbar system. The inner and the outer bar generally exhibit a bar and rip morphology and persistent crescentic patterns, respectively. In June 2007, an intense five-day field experiment was carried out at Biscarrosse Beach. A large array of sensors was deployed on a well-developed southward-oriented bar and rip morphology. Daily topographic surveys were carried out together with video imaging to investigate beach morphodynamic evolution. During the experiment, offshore significant wave height ranged from 0.5 to 3 m, with a persistent shore-normal angle. This paper identifies two types of behavior of an observed rip current: (1) for low-energy waves, the rip current is active only between low and mid tide with maximum mean rip current velocity reaching 0.8 m/s for an offshore significant wave height (Hs) lower than 1 m; (2) for high-energy waves (Hs≈ 2.5–3 m), the rip current was active over the whole tide cycle with the presence of persistent intense offshore-directed flows between mid and high tide. For both low and high-energy waves, very low-frequency pulsations (15–30 min) of the mean currents are observed on both feeder and rip channels. A persistent slow shoreward migration of the sandbar was observed during the experiment while no significant alongshore migration of the system was measured. Onshore migration during the high-energy waves can be explained by different sediment transport processes such as flow velocity skewness, wave asymmetry or bed ventilation. High-frequency local measurements of the bed evolution show the presence of significant (in the order of 10 cm) fluctuations (in the order of 1 h). These fluctuations, observed for both low- and high-energy waves, are thought to be ripples and megaripples, respectively and may play an important but still poorly understood role in the larger scale morphodynamics. The present dataset improves the knowledge of rip dynamics as well as the morphological response of strongly alongshore non-uniform meso-macrotidal beaches