Quantum Transport and Integrability of the Anderson Model for a Quantum Dot with Multiple Leads

We show that an Anderson Hamiltonian describing a quantum dot connected to multiple leads is integrable. A general expression for the non-linear conductance is obtained by combining the Bethe ansatz exact solution with Landauer-B\"uttiker theory. In the Kondo regime, a closed form expression is given for the matrix conductance at zero temperature and when all the leads are close to the symmetric point. A bias-induced splitting of the Kondo resonance is possible for three or more leads. Specifically, for $N$ leads, with each at a different chemical potential, there can be $N-1$ Kondo peaks in the conductance.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Ground state fidelity in bond-alternative Ising chains with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

A systematic analysis is performed for quantum phase transitions in a bond-alternative one-dimensional Ising model with a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction by using the fidelity of ground state wave functions based on the infinite matrix product states algorithm. For an antiferromagnetic phase, the fidelity per lattice site exhibits a bifurcation, which shows spontaneous symmetry breaking in the system. A critical DM interaction is inversely proportional to an alternating exchange coupling strength for a quantum phase transition. Further, a finite-entanglement scaling of von Neumann entropy with respect to truncation dimensions gives a central charge c = 0.5 at the critical point.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Geometric phases of scattering states in a ring geometry: adiabatic pumping in mesoscopic devices

Geometric phases of scattering states in a ring geometry are studied based on a variant of the adiabatic theorem. Three time scales, i.e., the adiabatic period, the system time and the dwell time, associated with adiabatic scattering in a ring geometry plays a crucial role in determining geometric phases, in contrast to only two time scales, i.e., the adiabatic period and the dwell time, in an open system. We derive a formula connecting the gauge invariant geometric phases acquired by time-reversed scattering states and the circulating (pumping) current. A numerical calculation shows that the effect of the geometric phases is observable in a nanoscale electronic device.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

SW-620 cells treated with topoisomerase I inhibitor SN-38: gene expression profiling

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to evaluate changes in gene expression in SW-620 cells in response to SN-38 in order to further elucidate the mechanisms by which SN-38 causes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. METHODS: We used a quantitative gene expression microarray assay to identify the genes regulated by SN-38 treatment in colon cancer cells and confirmed our results with RT-PCR. By gene expression profiling, we first screened a proprietary list of about 22,000 genes. RESULTS: Treatment with SN-38 cells resulted in two-fold or greater alteration in the level of expression of 192 genes compared to control treatment. Most of the affected genes were not known to be responsive to SN-38 prior to this study. SN-38 treatment of these cells was found to affect the expression of various genes involved in DNA replication, transcription, signal transduction, growth factors, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis, as well as other genes with unknown function. Changes in expression of 14 genes were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). CONCLUSION: This study leads to an increased understanding of the biochemical pathways involved in SN-38-induced apoptosis and possibly to the identification of new therapeutic targets

Measuring geometric phases of scattering states in nanoscale electronic devices

We show how a new quantum property, a geometric phase, associated with scattering states can be exhibited in nanoscale electronic devices. We propose an experiment to use interference to directly measure the effect of the new geometric phase. The setup involves a double path interferometer, adapted from that used to measure the phase evolution of electrons as they traverse a quantum dot (QD). Gate voltages on the QD could be varied cyclically and adiabatically, in a manner similar to that used to observe quantum adiabatic charge pumping. The interference due to the geometric phase results in oscillations in the current collected in the drain when a small bias across the device is applied. We illustrate the effect with examples of geometric phases resulting from both Abelian and non-Abelian gauge potentials.Comment: Six pages two figure

Influenza research database: an integrated bioinformatics resource for influenza research and surveillance.

BackgroundThe recent emergence of the 2009 pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus has highlighted the value of free and open access to influenza virus genome sequence data integrated with information about other important virus characteristics.DesignThe Influenza Research Database (IRD, http://www.fludb.org) is a free, open, publicly-accessible resource funded by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases through the Bioinformatics Resource Centers program. IRD provides a comprehensive, integrated database and analysis resource for influenza sequence, surveillance, and research data, including user-friendly interfaces for data retrieval, visualization and comparative genomics analysis, together with personal log in-protected 'workbench' spaces for saving data sets and analysis results. IRD integrates genomic, proteomic, immune epitope, and surveillance data from a variety of sources, including public databases, computational algorithms, external research groups, and the scientific literature.ResultsTo demonstrate the utility of the data and analysis tools available in IRD, two scientific use cases are presented. A comparison of hemagglutinin sequence conservation and epitope coverage information revealed highly conserved protein regions that can be recognized by the human adaptive immune system as possible targets for inducing cross-protective immunity. Phylogenetic and geospatial analysis of sequences from wild bird surveillance samples revealed a possible evolutionary connection between influenza virus from Delaware Bay shorebirds and Alberta ducks.ConclusionsThe IRD provides a wealth of integrated data and information about influenza virus to support research of the genetic determinants dictating virus pathogenicity, host range restriction and transmission, and to facilitate development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics

Stability of gravitating charged-scalar solitons in a cavity

We present new regular solutions of Einstein-charged scalar field theory in a cavity. The system is enclosed inside a reflecting mirror-like boundary, on which the scalar field vanishes. The mirror is placed at the zero of the scalar field closest to the origin, and inside this boundary our solutions are regular. We study the stability of these solitons under linear, spherically symmetric perturbations of the metric, scalar and electromagnetic fields. If the radius of the mirror is sufficiently large, we present numerical evidence for the stability of the solitons. For small mirror radius, some of the solitons are unstable. We discuss the physical interpretation of this instability

Gauge fields, geometric phases, and quantum adiabatic pumps

Quantum adiabatic pumping of charge and spin between two reservoirs (leads) has recently been demonstrated in nanoscale electronic devices. Pumping occurs when system parameters are varied in a cyclic manner and sufficiently slowly that the quantum system always remains in its ground state. We show that quantum pumping has a natural geometric representation in terms of gauge fields (both Abelian and non-Abelian) defined on the space of system parameters. Tunneling from a scanning tunneling microscope tip through a magnetic atom could be used to demonstrate the non-Abelian character of the gauge field

Cross-National Differences in Victimization : Disentangling the Impact of Composition and Context

Varying rates of criminal victimization across countries are assumed to be the outcome of countrylevel structural constraints that determine the supply ofmotivated o¡enders, as well as the differential composition within countries of suitable targets and capable guardianship. However, previous empirical tests of these ‘compositional’ and ‘contextual’ explanations of cross-national di¡erences have been performed upon macro-level crime data due to the unavailability of comparable individual-level data across countries. This limitation has had two important consequences for cross-national crime research. First, micro-/meso-level mechanisms underlying cross-national differences cannot be truly inferred from macro-level data. Secondly, the e¡ects of contextual measures (e.g. income inequality) on crime are uncontrolled for compositional heterogeneity. In this paper, these limitations are overcome by analysing individual-level victimization data across 18 countries from the International CrimeVictims Survey. Results from multi-level analyses on theft and violent victimization indicate that the national level of income inequality is positively related to risk, independent of compositional (i.e. micro- and meso-level) di¡erences. Furthermore, crossnational variation in victimization rates is not only shaped by di¡erences in national context, but also by varying composition. More speci¢cally, countries had higher crime rates the more they consisted of urban residents and regions with lowaverage social cohesion.

E2F-1 induces melanoma cell apoptosis via PUMA up-regulation and Bax translocation

BACKGROUND: PUMA is a pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member that has been shown to be involved in apoptosis in many cell types. We sought to ascertain whether induction of PUMA plays a crucial role in E2F-1-induced apoptosis in melanoma cells. METHODS: PUMA gene and protein expression levels were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot in SK-MEL-2 and HCT116 cell lines after Ad-E2F-1 infection. Activation of the PUMA promoter by E2F-1 overexpression was detected by dual luciferase reporter assay. E2F-1-induced Bax translocation was shown by immunocytochemistry. The induction of caspase-9 activity was measured by caspase-9 colorimetric assay kit. RESULTS: Up-regulation of the PUMA gene and protein by E2F-1 overexpression was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis in the SK-MEL-2 melanoma cell line. In support of this finding, we found six putative E2F-1 binding sites within the PUMA promoter. Subsequent dual luciferase reporter assay showed that E2F-1 expression could increase the PUMA gene promoter activity 9.3 fold in SK-MEL-2 cells. The role of PUMA in E2F-1-induced apoptosis was further investigated in a PUMA knockout cell line. Cell viability assay showed that the HCT116 PUMA-/- cell line was more resistant to Ad-E2F-1-mediated cell death than the HCT116 PUMA+/+ cell line. Moreover, a 2.2-fold induction of the PUMA promoter was also noted in the HCT116 PUMA+/+ colon cancer cell line after Ad-E2F-1 infection. Overexpression of a truncated E2F-1 protein that lacks the transactivation domain failed to up-regulate PUMA promoter, suggesting that PUMA may be a transcriptional target of E2F-1. E2F-1-induced cancer cell apoptosis was accompanied by Bax translocation from the cytosol to mitochondria and the induction of caspase-9 activity, suggesting that E2F-1-induced apoptosis is mediated by PUMA through the cytochrome C/Apaf-1-dependent pathway. CONCLUSION: Our studies strongly demonstrated that E2F-1 induces melanoma cell apoptosis via PUMA up-regulation and Bax translocation. The signaling pathways provided here will further enhance insights on the mechanisms of E2F-1-induced cancer cell apoptosis as a strategy for cancer therapy