4,247 research outputs found
Meralgia paresthetica after “all-in-one” appendectomy
AbstractMinimally invasive approaches have become standard for pediatric appendectomy. The laparoscopic assisted single port approach, also known as the “all-in-one” appendectomy, has gained recent popularity [1]. We describe a child who suffered meralgia paresthetica (a neuropathy in the distribution of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve) after a laparoscopic assisted single port appendectomy, perhaps secondary to mobilization of the cecum
The Stability of Strange Star Crusts and Strangelets
We construct strangelets, taking into account electrostatic effects,
including Debye screening, and arbitrary surface tension sigma of the interface
between vacuum and quark matter. We find that there is a critical surface
tension sigma_crit below which large strangelets are unstable to fragmentation
and below which quark star surfaces will fragment into a crystalline crust made
of charged strangelets immersed in an electron gas. We derive a
model-independent relationship between sigma_crit and two parameters that
characterize any quark matter equation of state. For reasonable model equations
of state, we find sigma_crit typically of order a few MeV/fm^2. If sigma <=
sigma_crit, the size-distribution of strangelets in cosmic rays could feature a
peak corresponding to the stable strangelets that we construct.Comment: 11 pages, LaTe
Unconventional Josephson Effect in Hybrid Superconductor-Topological Insulator Devices
We report on transport properties of Josephson junctions in hybrid
superconducting-topological insulator devices, which show two striking
departures from the common Josephson junction behavior: a characteristic energy
that scales inversely with the width of the junction, and a low characteristic
magnetic field for suppressing supercurrent. To explain these effects, we
propose a phenomenological model which expands on the existing theory for
topological insulator Josephson junctions
Catalysis of the Autoxidation of Aquated Sulfur Dioxide by Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Transition Metal Complexes
The relationship between acid precipitation and the fate of sulfur dioxide (SO_2) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) in the atmosphere has become the subject of intensive study in recent years. Fundamental questions about the multifarious pathways for the chemical transformation of SO_2 and NO_x to oxyacids remain to be answered before a complete description of this complex reaction network can be provided
Matter-wave bistability in coupled atom-molecule quantum gases
We study the matter-wave bistability in coupled atom-molecule quantum gases,
in which heteronuclear molecules are created via an interspecies Feshbach
resonance involving either two-species Bose or two-species Fermi atoms at zero
temperature. We show that the resonant two-channel Bose model is equivalent to
the nondegenerate parametric down-conversion in quantum optics, while the
corresponding Fermi model can be mapped to a quantum optics model that
describes a single-mode laser field interacting with an ensemble of
inhomogeneously broadened two-level atoms. Using these analogy and the fact
that both models are subject to the Kerr nonlinearity due to the two-body
s-wave collisions, we show that under proper conditions, the population in the
molecular state in both models can be made to change with the Feshbach detuning
in a bistable fashion.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Ring-Contraction Strategy for the Practical, Scalable, Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Versatile γ-Quaternary Acylcyclopentenes
Contraction action! A simple protocol for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of highly functionalized γ-quaternary acylcyclopentenes (see schematic) in up to 91 % overall yield and 92 % ee has been developed. The reaction sequence employs a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective alkylation reaction and exploits the unusual stability of β-hydroxy cycloheptanones to achieve a general and robust method for performing two-carbon ring contractions
Charge Neutrality of the Color-Flavor Locked Phase from the Low Energy Effective Theory
We investigate the issue of charge neutrality of the CFL phase of dense
quark matter using the low energy effective theory of high density QCD. We show
that the local electric and color charge neutrality of the ground state in a
homogeneous color superconducting medium follows from its dynamics. We also
consider the situation of a spatially inhomogeneous medium, such as may be
found in a neutron star core. We find that spatial inhomogeneity results in the
generation of electric fields, and positrons/electrons may be present in the
ground state. We estimate the concentration of charged leptons in the ground
state to be and consider their influence on the
opacity of the medium with respect to the modified photons.Comment: typos corrected, this version to appear in PR
Targeting Survivin with YM155 (Sepantronium Bromide): A novel therapeutic strategy for paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia
Despite aggressive chemotherapy, approximately one-third of children with acute myeloid leukaemia(AML) relapse. More effective treatments are urgently needed. Survivin is an inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein with key roles in regulating cell division, proliferation and apoptosis. Furthermore, high expression of Survivin has been associated with poor clinical outcome in AML. The Survivin suppressant YM155 (Sepantronium Bromide) has pre-clinical activity against a range of solid cancers and leukemias, although data in AML is limited. Therefore, we undertook a comprehensive pre-clinical evaluation of YM155 in paediatric AML. YM155 potently inhibited cell viability in a diverse panel of AML cell lines. All paediatric cell lines were particularly sensitive, with a median IC50 of 0.038 mu M. Cell cycle analyses demonstrated concentration-dependent increases in a sub-G1 population with YM155 treatment, suggestive of apoptosis that was subsequently confirmed by an increase in annexin-V positivity. YM155-mediated apoptosis was confirmed across a panel of 8 diagnostic bone marrow samples from children with AML. Consistent with the proposed mechanism of action, YM155 treatment was associated with down-regulation of Survivin mRNA and protein expression and induction of DNA damage
The effect of surface conductance on lateral gated quantum devices in Si/SiGe heterostructures
Quantum dots in Si/SiGe heterostructures are expected to have relatively long electron spin decoherence times, because of the low density of nuclear spins and the weak coupling between nuclear and electron spins. We provide experimental evidence suggesting that electron motion in a conductive layer parallel to the two-dimensional electron gas, possibly resulting from the donors used to dope the Si quantum well, is responsible for the well-known difficulty in achieving well-controlled dots in this system. Charge motion in the conductive layer can cause depletion on large length scales, making electron confinement in the dot impossible, and can give rise to noise that can overwhelm the single-electron charging signal. Results of capacitance versus gate bias measurements to characterize this conductive layer are presented.National Science Foundation (U.S.) ((PHY-0117795)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (DMR-0701386
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