1,920 research outputs found
Enhanced Room Temperature Coefficient of Resistance and Magneto-resistance of Ag-added La0.7Ca0.3-xBaxMnO3 Composites
In this paper we report an enhanced temperature coefficient of resistance
(TCR) close to room temperature in La0.7Ca0.3-xBaxMnO3 + Agy (x = 0.10, 0.15
and y = 0.0 to 0.40) (LCBMO+Ag) composite manganites. The observed enhancement
of TCR is attributed to the grain growth and opening of new conducting channels
in the composites. Ag addition has also been found to enhance intra-granular
magneto-resistance. Inter-granular MR, however, is seen to decrease with Ag
addition. The enhanced TCR and MR at / near room temperature open up the
possibility of the use of such materials as infrared bolometric and magnetic
field sensors respectively.Comment: 22 pages of Text +
Figs:comments/suggestions([email protected]
Colossal magnetocapacitance and scale-invariant dielectric response in phase-separated manganites
Thin films of strongly-correlated electron materials (SCEM) are often grown
epitaxially on planar substrates and typically have anisotropic properties that
are usually not captured by edge-mounted four-terminal electrical measurements,
which are primarily sensitive to in-plane conduction paths. Accordingly, the
correlated interactions in the out-of-plane (perpendicular) direction cannot be
measured but only inferred. We address this shortcoming and show here an
experimental technique in which the SCEM under study, in our case a 600
Angstrom-thick (La1-yPry)0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LPCMO) film, serves as the base
electrode in a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) trilayer capacitor structure. This
unconventional arrangement allows for simultaneous determination of colossal
magnetoresistance (CMR) associated with dc transport parallel to the film
substrate and colossal magnetocapacitance (CMC) associated with ac transport in
the perpendicular direction. We distinguish two distinct strain-related
direction-dependent insulator-metal (IM) transitions and use Cole-Cole plots to
establish a heretofore unobserved collapse of the dielectric response onto a
universal scale-invariant power-law dependence over a large range of frequency,
temperature and magnetic field.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures, Supplementary section included, Submitted to
Nature Physic
Cardiac-sparing radiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Background
We have carried out a study to determine the scope for reducing heart doses in photon beam radiotherapy of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).
Materials and methods
Baseline VMAT plans were created for 20 LA-NSCLC patients following the IDEAL-CRT isotoxic protocol, and were re-optimized after adding an objective limiting heart mean dose (MDHeart). Reductions in MDHeart achievable without breaching limits on target coverage or normal tissue irradiation were determined. The process was repeated for objectives limiting the heart volume receiving ≥ 50 Gy (VHeart-50-Gy) and left atrial wall volume receiving ≥ 63 Gy (VLAwall-63-Gy).
Results
Following re-optimization, mean MDHeart, VHeart-50-Gy and VLAwall-63-Gy values fell by 4.8 Gy and 2.2% and 2.4% absolute respectively. On the basis of associations observed between survival and cardiac irradiation in an independent dataset, the purposefully-achieved reduction in MDHeart is expected to lead to the largest improvement in overall survival. It also led to useful knock-on reductions in many measures of cardiac irradiation including VHeart-50-Gy and VLAwall-63-Gy, providing some insurance against survival being more strongly related to these measures than to MDHeart. The predicted hazard ratio (HR) for death corresponding to the purposefully-achieved mean reduction in MDHeart was 0.806, according to which a randomized trial would require 1140 patients to test improved survival with 0.05 significance and 80% power. In patients whose baseline MDHeart values exceeded the median value in a published series, the average MDHeart reduction was particularly large, 8.8 Gy. The corresponding predicted HR is potentially testable in trials recruiting 359 patients enriched for greater MDHeart values.
Conclusions
Cardiac irradiation in RT of LA-NSCLC can be reduced substantially. Of the measures studied, reduction of MDHeart led to the greatest predicted increase in survival, and to useful knock-on reductions in other cardiac irradiation measures reported to be associated with survival. Potential improvements in survival can be trialled more efficiently in a population enriched for patients with greater baseline MDHeart levels, for whom larger reductions in heart doses can be achieved
A system for success: BMC Systems Biology, a new open access journal
BMC Systems Biology is the first open access journal spanning the growing field of systems biology from molecules up to ecosystems. The journal has launched as more and more institutes are founded that are similarly dedicated to this new approach. BMC Systems Biology builds on the ongoing success of the BMC series, providing a venue for all sound research in the systems-level analysis of biology
A Study of the PDGF Signaling Pathway with PRISM
In this paper, we apply the probabilistic model checker PRISM to the analysis
of a biological system -- the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) signaling
pathway, demonstrating in detail how this pathway can be analyzed in PRISM. We
show that quantitative verification can yield a better understanding of the
PDGF signaling pathway.Comment: In Proceedings CompMod 2011, arXiv:1109.104
Transfer Functions for Protein Signal Transduction: Application to a Model of Striatal Neural Plasticity
We present a novel formulation for biochemical reaction networks in the
context of signal transduction. The model consists of input-output transfer
functions, which are derived from differential equations, using stable
equilibria. We select a set of 'source' species, which receive input signals.
Signals are transmitted to all other species in the system (the 'target'
species) with a specific delay and transmission strength. The delay is computed
as the maximal reaction time until a stable equilibrium for the target species
is reached, in the context of all other reactions in the system. The
transmission strength is the concentration change of the target species. The
computed input-output transfer functions can be stored in a matrix, fitted with
parameters, and recalled to build discrete dynamical models. By separating
reaction time and concentration we can greatly simplify the model,
circumventing typical problems of complex dynamical systems. The transfer
function transformation can be applied to mass-action kinetic models of signal
transduction. The paper shows that this approach yields significant insight,
while remaining an executable dynamical model for signal transduction. In
particular we can deconstruct the complex system into local transfer functions
between individual species. As an example, we examine modularity and signal
integration using a published model of striatal neural plasticity. The modules
that emerge correspond to a known biological distinction between
calcium-dependent and cAMP-dependent pathways. We also found that overall
interconnectedness depends on the magnitude of input, with high connectivity at
low input and less connectivity at moderate to high input. This general result,
which directly follows from the properties of individual transfer functions,
contradicts notions of ubiquitous complexity by showing input-dependent signal
transmission inactivation.Comment: 13 pages, 5 tables, 15 figure
Built-in and induced polarization across LaAlO/SrTiO heterojunctions
Ionic crystals terminated at oppositely charged polar surfaces are inherently
unstable and expected to undergo surface reconstructions to maintain
electrostatic stability. Essentially, an electric field that arises between
oppositely charged atomic planes gives rise to a built-in potential that
diverges with thickness. In ultra thin film form however the polar crystals are
expected to remain stable without necessitating surface reconstructions, yet
the built-in potential has eluded observation. Here we present evidence of a
built-in potential across polar \lao ~thin films grown on \sto ~substrates, a
system well known for the electron gas that forms at the interface. By
performing electron tunneling measurements between the electron gas and a
metallic gate on \lao ~we measure a built-in electric field across \lao ~of 93
meV/\AA. Additionally, capacitance measurements reveal the presence of an
induced dipole moment near the interface in \sto, illuminating a unique
property of \sto ~substrates. We forsee use of the ionic built-in potential as
an additional tuning parameter in both existing and novel device architectures,
especially as atomic control of oxide interfaces gains widespread momentum.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Nature physics on May 1st, 201
OC-0779 Reconstruction of lung tumour volumes from 4D-MRI: the use of a tumour-derived respiratory signal
Pre-hospital treatment of snake envenomation in patients presented AT a tertiary care hospital in Northwestern India
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