229 research outputs found
Possible Metal/Insulator Transition at B=0 in Two Dimensions
We have studied the zero magnetic field resistivity of unique high- mobility
two-dimensional electron system in silicon. At very low electron density (but
higher than some sample-dependent critical value,
cm), CONVENTIONAL WEAK LOCALIZATION IS OVERPOWERED BY A SHARP DROP OF
RESISTIVITY BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE with decreasing temperature below 1--2 K.
No further evidence for electron localization is seen down to at least 20 mK.
For , the sample is insulating. The resistivity is empirically
found to SCALE WITH TEMPERATURE BOTH BELOW AND ABOVE WITH A SINGLE
PARAMETER which approaches zero at suggesting a metal/ insulator
phase transition.Comment: 10 pages; REVTeX v3.0; 3 POSTSCRIPT figures available upon request;
to be published in PRB, Rapid Commu
A Composite Fermion Hofstader Problem: Partially Polarized Density Wave States in the 2/5 FQHE
It is well-known that the 2/5 state is unpolarized at zero Zeeman energy,
while it is fully polarized at large Zeeman energies. A novel state with
charge/spin density wave order for Composite Fermions is proposed to exist at
intermediate values of the Zeeman coupling for 2/5. This state has half the
maximum possible polarization, and can be extended to other incompressible
fractions. A Hartree-Fock calculation based on the new approach for all
fractional quantum Hall states developed by R.Shankar and the author is used to
demonstrate the stability of this state to single-particle excitations, and
compute gaps. We compare our results with a very recent experiment which shows
direct evidence for the existence of such a state, and also with more indirect
evidence from past experiments.Comment: One reference added, minor clarifying change
Poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) synthetase activity in nuclei of dividing and of non-dividing but differentiating intestinal epithelial cells
Quantum Hall - insulator transitions in lattice models with strong disorder
We report results of numerical studies of the integer quantum Hall effect in
a tight binding model on a two-dimensional square lattice with non-interacting
electrons, in the presence of a random potential as well as a uniform magnetic
field applied perpendicular to the lattice. We consider field magnitudes such
that the area per flux quantum is commensurate with the lattice structure.
Topological properties of the single electron wave functions are used to
identify current carrying states that are responsible for the quantized Hall
conductance. We study the interplay between the magnetic field and the
disorder, and find a universal pattern with which the current carrying states
are destroyed by increasing disorder strength, and the system driven into an
insulating state. We also discuss how to interpolate results of lattice models
to the continuum limit. The relationship to previous theoretical and
experimental studies of quantum Hall-insulator transitions in strongly
disordered systems at low magnetic fields is discussed.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure
Short--range impurity in the vicinity of a saddle point and the levitation of the 2D delocalized states in a magnetic field
The effect of a short--range impurity on the transmission through a
saddle--point potential for an electron, moving in a strong magnetic field, is
studied. It is demonstrated that for a random position of an impurity and
random sign of its potential the impurity--induced mixing of the Landau levels
diminishes {\em on average} the transmission coefficient. This results in an
upward shift (levitation) of the energy position of the delocalized state in a
smooth potential. The magnitude of the shift is estimated. It increases with
decreasing magnetic field as .Comment: LaTeX, 20 page
A consideration of the challenges involved in supervising international masters students
This paper explores the challenges facing supervisors of international postgraduate students at the dissertation stage of the masters programme. The central problems of time pressure, language difficulties, a lack of critical analysis and a prevalence of personal problems among international students are discussed. This paper makes recommendations for the improvement of language and critical thinking skills, and questions the future policy of language requirements at HE for international Masters students
Measurements of iodine monoxide at a semi polluted coastal location
Point source measurements of IO by laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy were made at a semi-polluted coastal location during the Reactive Halogens in the Marine Boundary Layer (RHaMBLe) campaign in September 2006. The site, on the NW French coast in Roscoff, was characterised by extensive intertidal macroalgae beds which were exposed at low tide. The closest known iodine active macroalgae beds were at least 300 m from the measurement point. From 20 days of measurements, IO was observed above the instrument limit of detection on 14 days, of which a clear diurnal profile was observed on 11 days. The maximum IO mixing ratio was 30.0 pptv (10 s integration period) during the day, amongst the highest concentrations ever observed in the atmosphere, and 1–2 pptv during the night. IO concentrations were strongly dependent on tidal height, the intensity of solar irradiation and meteorological conditions. An intercomparison of IO measurements made using point source and spatially averaged DOAS instruments confirms the presence of hot-spots of IO caused by an inhomogeneous distribution of macroalgae. The co-incident, point source measurement of IO and ultra fine particles (2.5 nm&ge;<i>d</i>&ge;10 nm) displayed a strong correlation, providing evidence that IO is involved in the production pathway of ultra fine particles at coastal locations. Finally, a modelling study shows that high IO concentrations which are likely to be produced in a macrolagae rich environment can significantly perturb the concentrations of OH and HO<sub>2</sub> radicals. The effect of IO on HO<sub>x</sub> is reduced as NO<sub>x</sub> concentrations increase
Cell cycle times of short-term cultures of brain cancers as predictors of survival
Tumour cytokinetics estimated in vivo as potential doubling times (Tpot values) have been found to range in a variety of human cancers from 2 days to several weeks and are often related to clinical outcome. We have previously developed a method to estimate culture cycle times of short-term cultures of surgical material for several tumour types and found, surprisingly, that their range was similar to that reported for Tpot values. As Tpot is recognised as important prognostic variable in cancer, we wished to determine whether culture cycle times had clinical significance. Brain tumour material obtained at surgery from 70 patients with glioblastoma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma and metastatic melanoma was cultured for 7 days on 96-well plates, coated with agarose to prevent proliferation of fibroblasts. Culture cycle times were estimated from relative 3H-thymidine incorporation in the presence and absence of cell division. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of culture cycle times of ⩽10 days and >10 days and patient survival was compared. For patients with brain cancers of all types, median survival for the ⩽10-day and >10-day groups were 5.1 and 12.5 months, respectively (P=0.0009). For 42 patients with glioblastoma, the corresponding values were 6.5 and 9.0 months, respectively (P=0.03). Lower grade gliomas had longer median culture cycle times (16 days) than those of medulloblastomas (9.9 days), glioblastomas (9.8 days) or melanomas (6.7 days). We conclude that culture cycle times determined using short-term cultures of surgical material from brain tumours correlate with patient survival. Tumour cells thus appear to preserve important cytokinetic characteristics when transferred to culture
Language and anxiety: an ethnographic study of international postgraduate students
This paper presents some findings from an ethnographic study of international postgraduate students at a university in the South of England, which involved interviews and participant observation over a twelve-month academic year. One of the major themes that emerged from this research was students’ anxiety over their level of English language. Although all students entered their course with a minimum level of IELTS 6, the majority felt disadvantaged by particularly poor spoken English, and suffered feelings of anxiety, shame and inferiority. Low self-confidence meant that they felt ill-equipped to engage in class discussion and in social interaction which used English as the medium of communication. A common reaction to stress caused by language problems was to retreat into monoethnic communication with students from the same country, further inhibiting progress in language. Whilst some linguistic progress was made by nearly all students during the academic sojourn, the anxiety suffered by students in the initial stage must not be underestimated, and appropriate support systems must be put in place to alleviate their distress
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