400 research outputs found
Longitude : a privacy-preserving location sharing protocol for mobile applications
Location sharing services are becoming increasingly popular. Although many location sharing services allow users to set up privacy policies to control who can access their location, the use made by service providers remains a source of concern. Ideally, location sharing providers and middleware should not be able to access users’ location data without their consent. In this paper, we propose a new location sharing protocol called Longitude that eases privacy concerns by making it possible to share a user’s location data blindly and allowing the user to control who can access her location, when and to what degree of precision. The underlying cryptographic algorithms are designed for GPS-enabled mobile phones. We describe and evaluate our implementation for the Nexus One Android mobile phone
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in transport through single molecule transistors
The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is shown to result in a canting of
spins in a single molecule transistor. We predict non-linear transport
signatures of this effect induced by spin-orbit coupling for the generic case
of a molecular dimer. The conductance is calculated using a master equation and
is found to exhibit a non-trivial dependence on the magnitude and direction of
an external magnetic field. We show how three-terminal transport measurements
allow for a determination of the coupling-vector characterizing the
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. In particular, we show how its orientation,
defining the intramolecular spin chirality, can be probed with ferromagnetic
electrodes
Oral vinorelbine and cisplatin with concomitant radiotherapy in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A feasibility study
Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has improved survival in inoperable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This phase I trial was performed in order to establish a dose recommendation for oral vinorelbine in combination with cisplatin and simultaneous radiotherapy. Patients and Methods: Previously untreated patients with stage IIIB NSCLC received concurrent chemoradiotherapy with 66 Gy and 2 cycles of cisplatin and oral vinorelbine which was administered at 3 different levels (40, 50 and 60 mg/m(2)). This was to be followed by 2 cycles of cisplatin/vinorelbine oral consolidation chemotherapy. The study goal was to determine the maximal recommended dose of oral vinorelbine during concurrent treatment. Results: 11 stage IIIB patients were entered into the study. The median radiotherapy dose was 66 Gy. Grade 3-4 toxicity included neutropenia, esophagitis, gastritis and febrile neutropenia. The dose-limiting toxicity for concurrent chemoradiotherapy was esophagitis. 9 patients received consolidation chemotherapy, with neutropenia and anemia/thrombocytopenia grade 3 being the only toxicities. The overall response was 73%. Conclusion: Oral vinorelbine 50 mg/m(2) (days 1, 8, 15 over 4 weeks) in combination with cisplatin 20 mg/m2 (days 1-4) is the recommended dose in combination with radiotherapy (66 Gy) and will be used for concurrent chemoradiotherapy in a forthcoming phase III trial testing the efficacy of consolidation chemotherapy in patients not progressing after chemoradiotherapy
Manufacturing and Installation of the Compound Cryogenic Distribution Line for the Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) [1] currently under construction at CERN will make use of superconducting magnets operating in superfluid helium below 2 K. A compound cryogenic distribution line (QRL) will feed with helium at different temperatures and pressures the local elementary cooling loops in the cryomagnet strings. Low heat inleak to all temperature levels is essential for the overall LHC cryogenic performance. Following a competitive tendering, CERN adjudicated in 2001 the contract for the series line to Air Liquide (France). This paper recalls the main features of the technical specification and shows the project status. The basic choices and achievements for the industrialization phase of the series production are also presented, as well as the installation issues and status
Optical investigation of the charge-density-wave phase transitions in
We have measured the optical reflectivity of the quasi
one-dimensional conductor from the far infrared up to the
ultraviolet between 10 and 300 using light polarized along and normal to
the chain axis. We find a depletion of the optical conductivity with decreasing
temperature for both polarizations in the mid to far-infrared region. This
leads to a redistribution of spectral weight from low to high energies due to
partial gapping of the Fermi surface below the charge-density-wave transitions
at 145 K and 59 K. We deduce the bulk magnitudes of the CDW gaps and discuss
the scattering of ungapped free charge carriers and the role of fluctuations
effects
Temporally ordered collective creep and dynamic transition in the charge-density-wave conductor NbSe3
We have observed an unusual form of creep at low temperatures in the
charge-density-wave (CDW) conductor NbSe. This creep develops when CDW
motion becomes limited by thermally-activated phase advance past individual
impurities, demonstrating the importance of local pinning and related
short-length-scale dynamics. Unlike in vortex lattices, elastic collective
dynamics on longer length scales results in temporally ordered motion and a
finite threshold field. A first-order dynamic phase transition from creep to
high-velocity sliding produces "switching" in the velocity-field
characteristic.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures; minor clarifications To be published in Phys.
Rev. Let
On the nature of tunable hole g-factors in quantum dots
Electrically tunable g-factors in quantum dots are highly desirable for
applications in quantum computing and spintronics. We report giant modulation
of the hole g-factor in a SiGe nanocrystal when an electric field is applied to
the nanocrystal along its growth direction. We derive a contribution to the
g-factor that stems from an orbital effect of the magnetic field, which lifts
the Kramers degeneracy in the nanocrystal by altering the mixing between the
heavy and the light holes. We show that the relative displacement between the
heavy- and light-hole wave functions, occurring upon application of the
electric field, has an effect on the mixing strength and leads to a strong
non-monotonic modulation of the g-factor. Despite intensive studies of the
g-factor since the late 50's, this mechanism of g-factor control has been
largely overlooked in the literature.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Observation of spin-selective tunneling in SiGe nanocrystals
Spin-selective tunneling of holes in SiGe nanocrystals contacted by
normal-metal leads is reported. The spin selectivity arises from an interplay
of the orbital effect of the magnetic field with the strong spin-orbit
interaction present in the valence band of the semiconductor. We demonstrate
both experimentally and theoretically that spin-selective tunneling in
semiconductor nanostructures can be achieved without the use of ferromagnetic
contacts. The reported effect, which relies on mixing the light and heavy
holes, should be observable in a broad class of quantum-dot systems formed in
semiconductors with a degenerate valence band.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Enhancing tumor specific immune responses by transcutaneous vaccination.
Our understanding of the involvement of the immune system in cancer control has increased over recent years. However, the development of cancer vaccines intended to reverse tumor-induced immune tolerance remains slow as most current vaccine candidates exhibit limited clinical efficacy. The skin is particularly rich with multiple subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) that are involved to varying degrees in the induction of robust immune responses. Transcutaneous administration of cancer vaccines may therefore harness the immune potential of these DCs, however, this approach is hampered by the impermeability of the stratum corneum. Innovative vaccine formulations including various nanoparticles, such as liposomes, are therefore needed to properly deliver cancer vaccine components to skin DCs. Areas covered: The recent insights into skin DC subsets and their functional specialization, the potential of nanoparticle-based vaccines in transcutaneous cancer vaccination and, finally, the most relevant clinical trial advances in liposomal and in cutaneous cancer vaccines will be discussed. Expert commentary: To define the optimal conditions for mounting protective skin DC-induced anti-tumor immune responses, investigation of the cellular and molecular interplay that controls tumor progression should be pursued in parallel with clinical development. The resulting knowledge will then be translated into improved cancer vaccines that better target the most appropriate immune players.journal articlereviewresearch support, non-u.s. gov't2017 11importe
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