2,273 research outputs found
Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in CuO
We present a parameter-free model which estimates the density of excitons in
CuO, related to experiments that have tried to create an excitonic
Bose-Einstein condensate. Our study demonstrates that the triplet-state
excitons move along adiabats and obey classical statistics, while the
singlet-state excitons are a possible candidate for forming a Bose-Einstein
condensate. Finally we show that the results of this study do not change
qualitatively in a two-dimensional exciton gas, which can be realized in a
quantum well.Comment: 6 pages, RevTex, 1 ps figur
Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-poly(ethylene oxide)-heparin block copolymers II: Surface characterization and in vitro assessments
Amphiphilic block copolymers containing poly(dimethylsiloxane), poly(ethylene oxide), as well as heparin-coated glass beads and tubes were evaluated for the amounts and activities of surface-immobilized heparin. Because the amphiphilic copolymer system is thermodynanmcally predicted to demonstrate low-energy phase enrichment on the surfaces of aircast films, studies were also undertaken to understand the in vitro results. Solvent-cast copolymer films have a heterogeneous microphase-separated structure according to transmission electron micrographs. Wilhelmy plate contact angle analysis indicates significant surface restructuring occurs upon hydration. Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy studies of the desiccated and hydrated films at two different sampling depths show compositional heterogeneity as a function of depth, as well as near surface restructuring allowing surface enrichment of the high-energy segments following contact with water. Significant concentrations of heparin are detected on the surface of these coatings by toluidine blue assays. In addition, a portion of the surface-bound heparin maintains its original bioactivity as determined by recalification times, thrombin times, and Factor Xa assays. These substrates were also tested for platelet adhesion and activation reactions in vitro using polymer-coated beads in rabbit platelet-rich plasma. Heparinized polymers promoted low levels of platelet adhesion and serotonin release. Surface concentrations of heparin from bioactivity assays were then correlated with platelet adhesion and the extent of platelet release to assess the efficacy of this heparin-immobilized copolymer as a blood-compatible material or coating
Functional brain mapping by blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast magnetic resonance imaging. A comparison of signal characteristics with a biophysical model
It recently has been demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging can be used to map changes in brain hemodynamics produced by human mental operations. One method under development relies on blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast: a change in the signal strength of brain water protons produced by the paramagnetic effects of venous blood deoxyhemoglobin. Here we discuss the basic quantitative features of the observed BOLD-based signal changes, including the signal amplitude and its magnetic field dependence and dynamic effects such as a pronounced oscillatory pattern that is induced in the signal from primary visual cortex during photic stimulation experiments. The observed features are compared with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of water proton intravoxel phase dispersion produced by local field gradients generated by paramagnetic deoxyhemoglobin in nearby venous blood vessels. The simulations suggest that the effect of water molecule diffusion is strong for the case of blood capillaries, but, for larger venous blood vessels, water diffusion is not an important determinant of deoxyhemoglobin-induced signal dephasing. We provide an expression for the apparent in-plane relaxation rate constant (R2*) in terms of the main magnetic field strength, the degree of the oxygenation of the venous blood, the venous blood volume fraction in the tissue, and the size of the blood vessel
Graft immaturity and safety concerns in transplanted human kidney organoids
For chronic kidney disease, regeneration of lost nephrons with human kidney organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is proposed to be an attractive potential therapeutic option. It remains unclear, however, whether organoids transplanted into kidneys in vivo would be safe or functional. Here, we purified kidney organoids and transplanted them beneath the kidney capsules of immunodeficient mice to test their safety and maturity. Kidney organoid grafts survived for months after transplantation and became vascularized from host mouse endothelial cells. Nephron-like structures in grafts appeared more mature than kidney organoids in vitro, but remained immature compared with the neighboring mouse kidney tissue. Ultrastructural analysis revealed filtration barrier-like structures, capillary lumens, and tubules with brush border in the transplanted kidney organoids, which were more mature than those of the kidney organoids in vitro but not as organized as adult mammalian kidneys. Immaturity was a common feature of three separate differentiation protocols by immunofluorescence analysis and single cell RNA sequencing. Stroma of transplanted kidney organoid grafts were filled with vimentin-positive mesenchymal cells, and chondrogenesis, cystogenesis, and stromal expansion were observed in the long term. Transcription profiles showed that long-term maintenance after kidney organoid transplantation induced transcriptomic reprogramming with prominent suppression of cell-cycle-related genes and upregulation of extracellular matrix organization. Our data suggest that kidney organoids derived from iPS cells may be transplantable but strategies to improve nephron differentiation and purity are required before they can be applied in humans as a therapeutic option.11Ysciescopuskc
Exceptionally Slow Rise in Differential Reflectivity Spectra of Excitons in GaN: Effect of Excitation-induced Dephasing
Femtosecond pump-probe (PP) differential reflectivity spectroscopy (DRS) and
four-wave mixing (FWM) experiments were performed simultaneously to study the
initial temporal dynamics of the exciton line-shapes in GaN epilayers. Beats
between the A-B excitons were found \textit{only for positive time delay} in
both PP and FWM experiments. The rise time at negative time delay for the
differential reflection spectra was much slower than the FWM signal or PP
differential transmission spectroscopy (DTS) at the exciton resonance. A
numerical solution of a six band semiconductor Bloch equation model including
nonlinearities at the Hartree-Fock level shows that this slow rise in the DRS
results from excitation induced dephasing (EID), that is, the strong density
dependence of the dephasing time which changes with the laser excitation
energy.Comment: 8 figure
Instability of a Bose-Einstein Condensate with Attractive Interaction
We study the stability of a Bose-Einstein condensate of harmonically trapped
atoms with negative scattering length, specifically lithium 7. Our method is to
solve the time-dependent nonlinear Schrodinger equation numerically. For an
isolated condensate, with no gain or loss, we find that the system is stable
(apart from quantum tunneling) if the particle number N is less than a critical
number N_c. For N > N_c, the system collapses to high-density clumps in a
region near the center of the trap. The time for the onset of collapse is on
the order of 1 trap period. Within numerical uncertainty, the results are
consistent with the formation of a "black hole" of infinite density
fluctuations, as predicted by Ueda and Huang. We obtain numerically N_c
approximately 1251. We then include gain-loss mechanisms, i.e., the gain of
atoms from a surrounding "thermal cloud", and the loss due to two- and
three-body collisions. The number N now oscillates in a steady state, with a
period of about 145 trap periods. We obtain N_c approximately 1260 as the
maximum value in the oscillations.Comment: Email correspondence to [email protected] ; 18 pages and 9 EPS
figures, using REVTeX and BoxedEPS macro
NMR quantum computation with indirectly coupled gates
An NMR realization of a two-qubit quantum gate which processes quantum
information indirectly via couplings to a spectator qubit is presented in the
context of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm. This enables a successful comprehensive
NMR implementation of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm for functions with three
argument bits and demonstrates a technique essential for multi-qubit quantum
computation.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. 10 additional figures illustrating output spectr
Dynamic instabilities induced by asymmetric influence: Prisoners' dilemma game on small-world networks
A two-dimensional small-world type network, subject to spatial prisoners'
dilemma dynamics and containing an influential node defined as a special node
with a finite density of directed random links to the other nodes in the
network, is numerically investigated. It is shown that the degree of
cooperation does not remain at a steady state level but displays a punctuated
equilibrium type behavior manifested by the existence of sudden breakdowns of
cooperation. The breakdown of cooperation is linked to an imitation of a
successful selfish strategy of the influential node. It is also found that
while the breakdown of cooperation occurs suddenly, the recovery of it requires
longer time. This recovery time may, depending on the degree of steady state
cooperation, either increase or decrease with an increasing number of long
range connections.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
A complete 3D numerical study of the effects of pseudoscalar-photon mixing on quasar polarizations
We present the results of three-dimensional simulations of quasar
polarizations in the presence of pseudoscalar-photon mixing in the
intergalactic medium. The intergalactic magnetic field is assumed to be
uncorrelated in wave vector space but correlated in real space. Such a field
may be obtained if its origin is primordial. Furthermore we assume that the
quasars, located at cosmological distances, have negligible initial
polarization. In the presence of pseudoscalar-photon mixing we show, through a
direct comparison with observations, that this may explain the observed large
scale alignments in quasar polarizations within the framework of big bang
cosmology. We find that the simulation results give a reasonably good fit to
the observed data.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, significant changes, to appear in EPJ
Structure Formation, Melting, and the Optical Properties of Gold/DNA Nanocomposites: Effects of Relaxation Time
We present a model for structure formation, melting, and optical properties
of gold/DNA nanocomposites. These composites consist of a collection of gold
nanoparticles (of radius 50 nm or less) which are bound together by links made
up of DNA strands. In our structural model, the nanocomposite forms from a
series of Monte Carlo steps, each involving reaction-limited cluster-cluster
aggregation (RLCA) followed by dehybridization of the DNA links. These links
form with a probability which depends on temperature and particle
radius . The final structure depends on the number of monomers (i. e. gold
nanoparticles) , , and the relaxation time. At low temperature, the
model results in an RLCA cluster. But after a long enough relaxation time, the
nanocomposite reduces to a compact, non-fractal cluster. We calculate the
optical properties of the resulting aggregates using the Discrete Dipole
Approximation. Despite the restructuring, the melting transition (as seen in
the extinction coefficient at wavelength 520 nm) remains sharp, and the melting
temperature increases with increasing as found in our previous
percolation model. However, restructuring increases the corresponding link
fraction at melting to a value well above the percolation threshold. Our
calculated extinction cross section agrees qualitatively with experiments on
gold/DNA composites. It also shows a characteristic ``rebound effect,''
resulting from incomplete relaxation, which has also been seen in some
experiments. We discuss briefly how our results relate to a possible sol-gel
transition in these aggregates.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
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