44 research outputs found
Quantization and Periodicity of the Axion Action in Topological Insulators
The Lagrangian describing the bulk electromagnetic response of a
three-dimensional strong topological insulator contains a topological `axion'
term of the form '\theta E dot B'. It is often stated (without proof) that the
corresponding action is quantized on periodic space-time and therefore
invariant under '\theta -> \theta +2\pi'. Here we provide a simple, physically
motivated proof of the axion action quantization on the periodic space-time,
assuming only that the vector potential is consistent with single-valuedness of
the electron wavefunctions in the underlying insulator.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, version2 (section on axion action quantization of
non-periodic systems added
Finite-temperature Screening and the Specific Heat of Doped Graphene Sheets
At low energies, electrons in doped graphene sheets are described by a
massless Dirac fermion Hamiltonian. In this work we present a semi-analytical
expression for the dynamical density-density linear-response function of
noninteracting massless Dirac fermions (the so-called "Lindhard" function) at
finite temperature. This result is crucial to describe finite-temperature
screening of interacting massless Dirac fermions within the Random Phase
Approximation. In particular, we use it to make quantitative predictions for
the specific heat and the compressibility of doped graphene sheets. We find
that, at low temperatures, the specific heat has the usual normal-Fermi-liquid
linear-in-temperature behavior, with a slope that is solely controlled by the
renormalized quasiparticle velocity.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to J. Phys.
Effect of Telithromycin (HMR 3647) on Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil Killing of Staphylococcus aureus in Comparison with Roxithromycin
HMR 3647 (telithromycin), a new ketolide, is active on intracellular pathogens. It was previously demonstrated that it inhibits superoxide anion production in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, at concentrations which inhibit 50% of the control response of about 55 μg/ml (5 min) to 30 μg/ml (30 min); these values are similar to those obtained with roxithromycin, a classical erythromycin A derivative. Here we investigated whether these drugs modified the bactericidal activity of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) on four strains of Staphylococcus aureus with different profiles of susceptibility to macrolides and ketolides. We found that the main factor involved in killing was the antibacterial potency of the drugs, although combinations of antibiotics with PMN were slightly more active than each component used alone against two of the four strains. In addition, high concentrations of the drugs, which impaired the PMN oxidative burst, did not impair PMN bactericidal activity. Likewise, some cytokines which enhance PMN oxidative metabolism did not modify PMN bactericidal activity in the presence or absence of macrolides or ketolides. These data suggest that oxygen-independent mechanisms contribute to the bactericidal activity of PMN on these strains of S. aureus. Both live and/or heat-killed bacteria impaired the uptake of telithromycin and roxithromycin (but not that of levofloxacin, a quinolone) in a concentration-dependent manner, owing to a modulation of PMN transductional systems involved in the activation of the macrolide carrier