451 research outputs found
Immunomodulation by imiquimod in patients with high-risk primary melanoma.
Imiquimod is a synthetic Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist approved for the topical treatment of actinic keratoses, superficial basal cell carcinoma, and genital warts. Imiquimod leads to an 80-100% cure rate of lentigo maligna; however, studies of invasive melanoma are lacking. We conducted a pilot study to characterize the local, regional, and systemic immune responses induced by imiquimod in patients with high-risk melanoma. After treatment of the primary melanoma biopsy site with placebo or imiquimod cream, we measured immune responses in the treated skin, sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), and peripheral blood. Treatment of primary melanomas with 5% imiquimod cream was associated with an increase in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the skin, and CD4+ T cells in the SLN. Most of the CD8+ T cells in the skin were CD25 negative. We could not detect any increases in CD8+ T cells specifically recognizing HLA-A(*)0201-restricted melanoma epitopes in the peripheral blood. The findings from this small pilot study demonstrate that topical imiquimod treatment results in enhanced local and regional T-cell numbers in both the skin and SLN. Further research into TLR7 immunomodulating pathways as a basis for effective immunotherapy against melanoma in conjunction with surgery is warranted
Determining the Surface-To-Bulk Progression in the Normal-State Electronic Structure of Sr2RuO4 by Angle-Resolved Photoemission and Density Functional Theory
In search of the potential realization of novel normal-state phases on the
surface of Sr2RuO4 - those stemming from either topological bulk properties or
the interplay between spin-orbit coupling (SO) and the broken symmetry of the
surface - we revisit the electronic structure of the top-most layers by ARPES
with improved data quality as well as ab-initio LDA slab calculations. We find
that the current model of a single surface layer (\surd2x\surd2)R45{\deg}
reconstruction does not explain all detected features. The observed
depth-dependent signal degradation, together with the close quantitative
agreement with LDA+SO slab calculations based on the LEED-determined surface
crystal structure, reveal that (at a minimum) the sub-surface layer also
undergoes a similar although weaker reconstruction. This points to a
surface-to-bulk progression of the electronic states driven by structural
instabilities, with no evidence for Dirac and Rashba-type states or surface
magnetism.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Further information and PDF available
at: http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~quantmat/ARPES/PUBLICATIONS/articles.htm
Na2IrO3 as a spin-orbit-assisted antiferromagnetic insulator with a 340 meV gap
We study Na2IrO3 by ARPES, optics, and band structure calculations in the
local-density approximation (LDA). The weak dispersion of the Ir 5d-t2g
manifold highlights the importance of structural distortions and spin-orbit
coupling (SO) in driving the system closer to a Mott transition. We detect an
insulating gap {\Delta}_gap = 340 meV which, at variance with a Slater-type
description, is already open at 300 K and does not show significant temperature
dependence even across T_N ~ 15 K. An LDA analysis with the inclusion of SO and
Coulomb repulsion U reveals that, while the prodromes of an underlying
insulating state are already found in LDA+SO, the correct gap magnitude can
only be reproduced by LDA+SO+U, with U = 3 eV. This establishes Na2IrO3 as a
novel type of Mott-like correlated insulator in which Coulomb and relativistic
effects have to be treated on an equal footing.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review Letters. Auxiliary and related material
can be found at:
http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~quantmat/ARPES/PUBLICATIONS/articles.htm
Rashba spin-splitting control at the surface of the topological insulator Bi2Se3
The electronic structure of Bi2Se3 is studied by angle-resolved photoemission
and density functional theory. We show that the instability of the surface
electronic properties, observed even in ultra-high-vacuum conditions, can be
overcome via in-situ potassium deposition. In addition to accurately setting
the carrier concentration, new Rashba-like spin-polarized states are induced,
with a tunable, reversible, and highly stable spin splitting. Ab-initio slab
calculations reveal that these Rashba state are derived from the 5QL
quantum-well states. While the K-induced potential gradient enhances the spin
splitting, this might be already present for pristine surfaces due to the
symmetry breaking of the vacuum-solid interface.Comment: A high-resolution version can be found at
http://www.physics.ubc.ca/~quantmat/ARPES/PUBLICATIONS/Articles/BiSe_K.pd
Charge order driven by Fermi-arc instability in Bi2201
The understanding of the origin of superconductivity in cuprates has been
hindered by the apparent diversity of intertwining electronic orders in these
materials. We combined resonant x-ray scattering (REXS), scanning-tunneling
microscopy (STM), and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to
observe a charge order that appears consistently in surface and bulk, and in
momentum and real space within one cuprate family, Bi2201. The observed wave
vectors rule out simple antinodal nesting in the single-particle limit but
match well with a phenomenological model of a many-body instability of the
Fermi arcs. Combined with earlier observations of electronic order in other
cuprate families, these findings suggest the existence of a generic
charge-ordered state in underdoped cuprates and uncover its intimate connection
to the pseudogap regime.Comment: A high resolution version can be found at
http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~quantmat/ARPES/PUBLICATIONS/Articles/Bi2201_CDW_REXS_STM.pdf
Alberi e pavimentazioni
La presentazione illustrer\ue0 gli effetti di una sperimentazione in corso dal 2011 finalizzata a studiare gli effetti di diverse tipologie di pavimentazioni sulla crescita e la fisiologia di due specie arboree, oltre che su alcuni parametri fisici del suolo. Verranno illustrate le principali problematiche derivanti dall'impermeabilizzazione del suolo e possibili metodo per porvi rimedio, tra cui pavimentazioni alternative e il verde urbano. Infine, sar\ue0 chiarito quali siano gli stress tipici che possono ridurre i servizi ecosistemici degli alberi in ambienti pavimentati
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