Particle interactions and lattice dynamics: Scenarios for efficient bidirectional stochastic transport?

Intracellular transport processes driven by molecular motors can be described by stochastic lattice models of self-driven particles. Here we focus on bidirectional transport models excluding the exchange of particles on the same track. We explore the possibility to have efficient transport in these systems. One possibility would be to have appropriate interactions between the various motors' species, so as to form lanes. However, we show that the lane formation mechanism based on modified attachment/detachment rates as it was proposed previously is not necessarily connected to an efficient transport state and is suppressed when the diffusivity of unbound particles is finite. We propose another interaction mechanism based on obstacle avoidance that allows to have lane formation for limited diffusion. Besides, we had shown in a separate paper that the dynamics of the lattice itself could be a key ingredient for the efficiency of bidirectional transport. Here we show that lattice dynamics and interactions can both contribute in a cooperative way to the efficiency of transport. In particular, lattice dynamics can decrease the interaction threshold beyond which lanes form. Lattice dynamics may also enhance the transport capacity of the system even when lane formation is suppressed.Comment: 25 pages, 17 figures, 2 table

Broadband dielectric response of CaCu3Ti4O12: From dc to the electronic transition regime

We report on phonon properties and electronic transitions in CaCu3Ti4O12, a material which reveals a colossal dielectric constant at room temperature without any ferroelectric transition. The results of far- and mid-infrared measurements are compared to those obtained by broadband dielectric and millimeter-wave spectroscopy on the same single crystal. The unusual temperature dependence of phonon eigenfrequencies, dampings and ionic plasma frequencies of low lying phonon modes are analyzed and discussed in detail. Electronic excitations below 4 eV are identified as transitions between full and empty hybridized oxygen-copper bands and between oxygen-copper and unoccupied Ti 3d bands. The unusually small band gap determined from the dc-conductivity (~200 meV) compares well with the optical results.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Dielectric behavior of Copper Tantalum Oxide

A thorough investigation of the dielectric properties of Cu2Ta4O12, a material crystallizing in a pseudo-cubic, perovskite-derived structure is presented. We measured the dielectric constant and conductivity of single crystals in an exceptionally broad frequency range up to GHz frequencies and at temperatures from 25 - 500 K. The detected dielectric constant is unusually high (reaching values up to 105) and almost constant in a broad frequency and temperature range. Cu2Ta4O12 possesses a crystal structure similar to CaCu3Ti4O12, the compound for which such an unusually high dielectric constant was first observed. An analysis of the results using a simple equivalent circuit and measurements with different types of contact revealed that extrinsic interfacial polarization effects, derived from surface barrier capacitors are the origin of the observed giant dielectric constants. The intrinsic properties of Cu2Ta4O12 are characterized by a (still relatively high) dielectric constant in the order of 100 and by charge transport via hopping conduction of Anderson-localized charge carriers.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Jouranl of Physical Chemestr

Defect properties of vanadium doped barium titanate ceramics

X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, electron probe microanalysis(EPMA), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) powder spectra (9 and 34 GHz) and the magnetic susceptibility of BaTiO3 + 0.04 BaO + 0.01 V2O5 ceramics were studied to investigate the valence states of V ions and their solubility in the BaTiO3 lattice. In samples sintered at 1400 °C in air, only about 0.1 mol% V is incorporated in the BaTiO3 lattice being in V4+ and V5+ valence state, respectively. 95% of the nominal V dopant content occurs in the secondary phase Ba3(V/Ti)2O8. All BaTiO3 samples investigated are in tetragonal phase at room temperature. In the as-sintered samples V4+ is detected at temperatures T 25 K and vanishing at T > 250 K, which is caused by V2+ ions. This spectrum is characterized by a simultaneous HFS and fine structure splitting constituted by allowed and forbidden transitions. Both V4+ and V2+ ions are incorporated at Ti4+ sites of the BaTiO3 lattic

Colossal dielectric constants in single-crystalline and ceramic CaCu3Ti4O12 investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy

In the present work the authors report results of broadband dielectric spectroscopy on various samples of CaCu3Ti4O12, including so far only rarely investigated single crystalline material. The measurements extend up to 1.3 GHz, covering more than nine frequency decades. We address the question of the origin of the colossal dielectric constants and of the relaxational behavior in this material, including the second relaxation reported in several recent works. For this purpose, the dependence of the temperature- and frequency-dependent dielectric properties on different tempering and surface treatments of the samples and on ac-field amplitude are investigated. Broadband spectra of a single crystal are analyzed by an equivalent circuit description, assuming two highly resistive layers in series to the bulk. Good fits could be achieved, including the second relaxation, which also shows up in single crystals. The temperature- and frequency-dependent intrinsic conductivity of CCTO is consistent with the Variable Range Hopping model. The second relaxation is sensitive to surface treatment and, in contrast to the main relaxation, also is strongly affected by the applied ac voltage. Concerning the origin of the two insulating layers, we discuss a completely surface-related mechanism assuming the formation of a metal-insulator diode and a combination of surface and internal barriers.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Transport, magnetic, thermodynamic and optical properties in Ti-doped Sr_2RuO_4

We report on electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and magnetization, on heat capacity and optical experiments in single crystals of Sr_2Ru_(1-x)Ti_xO_4. Samples with x=0.1 and 0.2 reveal purely semiconducting resistivity behavior along c and the charge transport is close to localization within the ab-plane. A strong anisotropy in the magnetic susceptibility appears at temperatures below 100 K. Moreover magnetic ordering in c-direction with a moment of order 0.01 mu_B/f.u. occurs at low temperatures. On doping the low-temperature linear term of the heat capacity becomes reduced significantly and probably is dominated by spin fluctuations. Finally, the optical conductivity reveals the anisotropic character of the dc resistance, with the in-plane conductance roughly following a Drude-type behavior and an insulating response along c

Antitumour activity of pembrolizumab in advanced mucosal melanoma: a post-hoc analysis of KEYNOTE-001, 002, 006.

BackgroundMucosal melanoma is an aggressive melanoma with poor prognosis. We assessed efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced mucosal melanoma in KEYNOTE-001 (NCT01295827), -002 (NCT01704287), and -006 (NCT01866319).MethodsPatients received pembrolizumab 2 mg/kg every 3 weeks (Q3W) or 10 mg/kg Q2W or Q3W. Response was assessed by independent central review per RECIST v1.1.Results1567 patients were treated and 84 (5%) had mucosal melanoma. Fifty-one of 84 were ipilimumab-naive. In patients with mucosal melanoma, the objective response rate (ORR) was 19% (95% CI 11-29%), with median duration of response (DOR) of 27.6 months (range 1.1 + to 27.6). Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 2.8 months (95% CI 2.7-2.8), with median overall survival (OS) of 11.3 months (7.7-16.6). ORR was 22% (95% CI 11-35%) and 15% (95% CI 5-32%) in ipilimumab-naive and ipilimumab-treated patients.ConclusionPembrolizumab provides durable antitumour activity in patients with advanced mucosal melanoma regardless of prior ipilimumab

A model for bidirectional traffic of cytoskeletal motors

We introduce a stochastic lattice gas model including two particle species and two parallel lanes. One lane with exclusion interaction and directed motion and the other lane without exclusion and unbiased diffusion, mimicking a micotubule filament and the surrounding solution. For a high binding affinity to the filament, jam-like situations dominate the system's behaviour. The fundamental process of position exchange of two particles is approximated. In the case of a many-particle system, we were able to identify a regime in which the system is rather homogenous presenting only small accumulations of particles and a regime in which an important fraction of all particles accumulates in the same cluster. Numerical data proposes that this cluster formation will occur at all densities for large system sizes. Coupling of several filaments leads to an enhanced cluster formation compared to the uncoupled system, suggesting that efficient bidirectional transport on one-dimensional filaments relies on long-ranged interactions and track formation.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figure

Enhancement of spin mixing conductance in La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃/LaNiO₃/SrRuO₃ heterostructures

Spin pumping and the effective spin-mixing conductance in heterostructures based on magnetic oxide trilayers composed of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO), LaNiO3 (LNO), and SrRuO3 (SRO) are investigated. The heterostructures serve as a model system for an estimation of the effective spin-mixing conductance at the different interfaces. The results show that by introducing a LNO interlayer between LSMO and SRO, the total effective spin-mixing conductance increases due to the much more favorable interface of LSMO/LNO with respect to the LSMO/SRO interface. Nevertheless, the spin current into the SRO does not decrease because of the spin diffusion length of λLNO ≈ 3.2nm in the LNO. This value is two times higher than that of SRO. The results show the potential of using oxide interfaces to tune the effective spin-mixing conductance in heterostructures and to bring novel functionalities into spintronics by implementing complex oxides