689 research outputs found
Bond-orientational ordering and shear rigidity in modulated colloidal liquids
From Landau-Alexander-McTague theory and Monte-Carlo simulation results we
show that the modulated liquid obtained by subjecting a colloidal system to a
periodic laser modulation has long range bond-orientational order and non-zero
shear rigidity. From infinite field simulation results we show that in the
modulated liquid phase, the translational order parameter correlation function
decays to zero exponentially while the correlation function for the
bond-orientational order saturates to a finite value at large distances.Comment: 8 pages, elsart documentclass, to be published in Physica A as part
of proceedings for Stat-Phys 3, Calcutt
ARQ-197, a small-molecule inhibitor of c-Met, reduces tumour burden and prevents myeloma-induced bone disease in vivo
The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met, its ligand HGF, and components of the downstream signalling pathway, have all been implicated in the pathogenesis of myeloma, both as modulators of plasma cell proliferation and as agents driving osteoclast differentiation and osteoblast inhibition thus, all these contribute substantially to the bone destruction typically caused by myeloma. Patients with elevated levels of HGF have a poor prognosis, therefore, targeting these entities in such patients may be of substantial benefit. We hypothesized that ARQ-197 (Tivantinib), a small molecule c-Met inhibitor, would reduce myeloma cell growth and prevent myeloma-associated bone disease in a murine model. In vitro we assessed the effects of ARQ-197 on myeloma cell proliferation, cytotoxicity and c-Met protein expression in human myeloma cell lines. In vivo we injected NOD/SCID-γ mice with PBS (non-tumour bearing) or JJN3 cells and treated them with either ARQ-197 or vehicle. In vitro exposure of JJN3, U266 or NCI-H929 cells to ARQ-197 resulted in a significant inhibition of cell proliferation and an induction of cell death by necrosis, probably caused by significantly reduced levels of phosphorylated c-Met. In vivo ARQ-197 treatment of JJN3 tumour-bearing mice resulted in a significant reduction in tumour burden, tumour cell proliferation, bone lesion number, trabecular bone loss and prevented significant decreases in the bone formation rate on the cortico-endosteal bone surface compared to the vehicle group. However, no significant differences on bone parameters were observed in non-tumour mice treated with ARQ-197 compared to vehicle, implying that in tumour-bearing mice the effects of ARQ-197 on bone cells was indirect. In summary, these res ults suggest that ARQ-197 could be a promising therapeutic in myeloma patients, leading to both a reduction in tumour burden and an inhibition of myeloma-induced bone disease
Pressure and linear heat capacity in the superconducting state of thoriated UBe13
Even well below Tc, the heavy-fermion superconductor (U,Th)Be13 has a large
linear term in its specific heat. We show that under uniaxial pressure, the
linear heat capacity increases in magnitude by more than a factor of two. The
change is reversible and suggests that the linear term is an intrinsic property
of the material. In addition, we find no evidence of hysteresis or of latent
heat in the low-temperature and low-pressure portion of the phase diagram,
showing that all transitions in this region are second order.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Electron-impact broadening of the 3s-3p lines in low-Z Li-like ions
The collisional electron-impact line widths of the 3s-3p transitions in
Li-like ions from B III to Ne VIII are calculated with the convergent
close-coupling (CCC) method from the atomic collision theory. The elastic and
inelastic contributions to the line broadening and their Z-scaling are
discussed in detail, and comparisons with recent experimental and theoretical
results are also presented. It is found that similar to our previous study of
line broadening in Be-like ions, the difference between experimental and CCC
results monotonically increases with the spectroscopic charge of an ion.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. To be published in JQSR
Can brewer-sponsored ‘drink responsibly’ warning message be effective without alcohol policies in Nigeria?
Alcohol availability, use and misuse and their related problems are rising in many parts of the African continent and this has been attributed to many factors such as non-existent or ineffective regulatory measures. In contemporary Nigeria, while a culture of intoxication is growing, there are no regulatory measures in the form of alcohol policies to reduce it. What exists is brewer-sponsored self-regulation. This paper therefore, critically analyses this self-imposed 'drink responsibly' warning message, arguing that because responsible drinking messages are strategically designed to serve the interest of alcohol industries, it cannot be effective. The paper further argues that because there are no definitions of standard drinks and where alcohol by volume (ABV) is scarcely inscribed on product labels of alcoholic beverages, such message will remain ineffective. Therefore, it recommends that an urgent step should be taken by the government to formulate and implement comprehensive evidence-based alcohol policies in Nigeria
Superfluidity vs Bose-Einstein condensation in a Bose gas with disorder
We investigate the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity
in a Bose gas at zero temperature with disorder. By using the Diffusion
Monte-Carlo method we calculate the superfluid and the condensate fraction of
the system as a function of density and strength of disorder. In the regime of
weak disorder we find agreement with the analytical results obtained within the
Bogoliubov model. For strong disorder the system enters an unusual regime where
the superfluid fraction is smaller than the condensate fraction.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Postscript figure
Monotonicity of quantum ground state energies: Bosonic atoms and stars
The N-dependence of the non-relativistic bosonic ground state energy is
studied for quantum N-body systems with either Coulomb or Newton interactions.
The Coulomb systems are "bosonic atoms," with their nucleus fixed, and the
Newton systems are "bosonic stars". In either case there exists some third
order polynomial in N such that the ratio of the ground state energy to the
respective polynomial grows monotonically in N. Some applications of these new
monotonicity results are discussed
Reversible Pressure-Induced Amorphization in Solid C70 : Raman and Photoluminescence Study
We have studied single crystals of by Raman scattering and
photoluminescence in the pressure range from 0 to 31.1 GPa. The Raman spectrum
at 31.1 GPa shows only a broad band similar to that of the amorphous carbon
without any trace of the Raman lines of . After releasing the pressure
from 31.1 GPa, the Raman and the photoluminescence spectra of the recovered
sample are that of the starting crystal. These results indicate that
the molecules are stable upto 31.1 GPa and the amorphous carbon high
pressure phase is reversible, in sharp contrast to the results on solid
. A qualitative explaination is suggested in terms of inter- versus
intra-molecular interactions.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett., 12 pages, RevTeX (preprint format), 3
figures available upon reques
Magnetic Field Effects on Neutron Diffraction in the Antiferromagnetic Phase of
We discuss possible magnetic structures in UPt based on our analysis of
elastic neutron-scattering experiments in high magnetic fields at temperatures
. The existing experimental data can be explained by a single-{\bf q}
antiferromagnetic structure with three independent domains. For modest in-plane
spin-orbit interactions, the Zeeman coupling between the antiferromagnetic
order parameter and the magnetic field induces a rotation of the magnetic
moments, but not an adjustment of the propagation vector of the magnetic order.
A triple-{\bf q} magnetic structure is also consistent with neutron
experiments, but in general leads to a non-uniform magnetization in the
crystal. New experiments could decide between these structures.Comment: 5 figures included in the tex
Scaling properties of the magnetic-field-induced specific heat of superconducting UBe
We report on measurements of the low-temperature specific heat Cp(T, B) of the unconventional superconductor UBe13 in magnetic fields up to 7 T. At B≈2 T, a substantial change in the magnetic-field dependence of the temperature derivative of the magnetic-field induced contribution to the electronic specific heat CH(T, B), resulting from the flow of supercurrents around the vortices, is observed, suggesting a crossover between two different regions in the superconducting phase diagram of UBe13. For fields B >2 T, CH(T, B) exhibits a scaling behavior with respect to TB-1/2, which provides substantial evidence for the existence of point nodes in the quasiparticle excitation spectrum of the superconductor
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