64 research outputs found
Transport Spectroscopy of Symmetry-Broken Insulating States in Bilayer Graphene
The flat bands in bilayer graphene(BLG) are sensitive to electric fields
E\bot directed between the layers, and magnify the electron-electron
interaction effects, thus making BLG an attractive platform for new
two-dimensional (2D) electron physics[1-5]. Theories[6-16] have suggested the
possibility of a variety of interesting broken symmetry states, some
characterized by spontaneous mass gaps, when the electron-density is at the
carrier neutrality point (CNP). The theoretically proposed gaps[6,7,10] in
bilayer graphene are analogous[17,18] to the masses generated by broken
symmetries in particle physics and give rise to large momentum-space Berry
curvatures[8,19] accompanied by spontaneous quantum Hall effects[7-9]. Though
recent experiments[20-23] have provided convincing evidence of strong
electronic correlations near the CNP in BLG, the presence of gaps is difficult
to establish because of the lack of direct spectroscopic measurements. Here we
present transport measurements in ultra-clean double-gated BLG, using
source-drain bias as a spectroscopic tool to resolve a gap of ~2 meV at the
CNP. The gap can be closed by an electric field E\bot \sim13 mV/nm but
increases monotonically with a magnetic field B, with an apparent particle-hole
asymmetry above the gap, thus providing the first mapping of the ground states
in BLG.Comment: 4 figure
A phase II study of vinflunine in bladder cancer patients progressing after first-line platinum-containing regimen
A multicentre phase II trial to determine the efficacy of vinflunine as second-line therapy in patients with advanced transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder; secondary objectives were to assess duration of response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and to evaluate the toxicity associated with this treatment. Patients had tumours that failed or progressed after first-line platinum-containing regimens for advanced or metastatic disease, or had progressive disease after platinum-containing chemotherapy given with adjuvant or neoadjuvant intent. Response and adverse events were assessed according to WHO criteria and NCI-CTC (version 2), respectively. Out of 51 patients treated with 320âmgâmâ2 of vinflunine, nine patients responded to the therapy yielding an overall response rate of 18% (95% CI: 8.4â30.9%), and 67% (95%CI: 52.1â79.3%) achieved disease control (PR+SD). Of note, responses were seen in patients with relatively poor prognostic factors such as a short (<12 months) interval from prior platinum therapy (19%, including an 11% response rate in those progressing <3 months after platinum treatment), prior treatment for metastatic disease (24%), prior treatment with vinca alkaloids (14%) and visceral involvement (20%). The median duration of response was 9.1 months (95% CI: 4.2â15.0) and the median PFS was 3.0 months (95% CI: 2.4â3.8). The median OS was 6.6 months (95% CI: 4.8â7.6). The main haematological toxicity was grade 3â4 neutropenia, observed in 67% of patients (42% of cycles). Febrile neutropenia was observed in five patients (10%) and among them two were fatal. Constipation was frequently observed (but was manageable and noncumulative) and was grade 3â4 in only 8% of patients. The incidence of grade 3 nausea and vomiting was very low (4 and 6% of patients, respectively). Neither grade 3â4 sensory neuropathy nor severe venous irritation was observed. Moreover, and of importance in this particular study population, no grade 3â4 renal function impairment was observed. Vinflunine is an active agent for the treatment of platinum-pretreated bladder cancer, and these results warrant further investigation in phase III trials, either as monotherapy or in combination with other agents as treatment of advanced/metastatic TCC of the bladder
Lorentz violation, Gravity, Dissipation and Holography
We reconsider Lorentz Violation (LV) at the fundamental level. We show that
Lorentz Violation is intimately connected with gravity and that LV couplings in
QFT must always be fields in a gravitational sector. Diffeomorphism invariance
must be intact and the LV couplings transform as tensors under coordinate/frame
changes. Therefore searching for LV is one of the most sensitive ways of
looking for new physics, either new interactions or modifications of known
ones. Energy dissipation/Cerenkov radiation is shown to be a generic feature of
LV in QFT. A general computation is done in strongly coupled theories with
gravity duals. It is shown that in scale invariant regimes, the energy
dissipation rate depends non-triviallly on two characteristic exponents, the
Lifshitz exponent and the hyperscaling violation exponent.Comment: LateX, 51 pages, 9 figures. (v2) References and comments added.
Misprints correcte
Free Radicals, Salicylic Acid and Mycotoxins in Asparagus After Inoculation with Fusarium proliferatum and F. oxysporum
Electron paramagnetic resonance was used to monitor free radicals and paramagnetic species like Fe, Mn, Cu generation, stability and status in Asparagus officinalis infected by common pathogens Fusarium proliferatum and F. oxysporum. Occurrence of F. proliferatum and F. oxysporum, level of free radicals and other paramagnetic species, as well as salicylic acid and mycotoxins content in roots and stems of seedlings were estimated on the second and fourth week after inoculation. In the first term free and total salicylic acid contents were related to free radicals level in stem (P = 0.010 and P = 0.033, respectively). Concentration of Fe3+ ions in porphyrin complexes (g = 2.3, g = 2.9) was related to the species of pathogen. There was no significant difference between Mn2+ concentrations in stem samples; however, the level of free radicals in samples inoculated with F. proliferatum was significantly higher when compared to F. oxysporum
Decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a Spartina alterniflora marsh of the Bahia Blanca estuary, Argentina
Novel catalytic converter oxide for SI engines
Subject of the paper are converters of lean mixtures for SI engines with a good efficiency of NOx reduction. Investigation of new effective catalytic materials having good sorptive proprieties of nitrogen oxides and simultaneously resistant on the thermal destruction and chemical destruction are main aim of the paper. The operating idea of such converters and conditions of their work are also presented. Main objective of the paper is performance of the new reactor of the Pt/Rh-MgO/CeO2/Al2O3 formula. The magnesium oxide MgO is here an absorber of nitrous oxides and has an essential feature, it is resistant on sintering. Such reactor can be the alternative for generally applied converters containing the barium oxide. Experimental results of catalytic converter containing various quantities of magnesium oxide for SI engines with lean mixtures are presented in the paper. Researches involved both laboratory and engine tests. The laboratory researches concern the topography active surface of the reactor with the scanning electron microscopy) method. Size of platinum and rhodium crystallites obtainedfrom the Scherrer dependence analyzing the diffractive spectrum of the X-radiation (XRD) was about 5 nm. Moreover method covering of reactor's active layers on the metal- monolith is presented. Engine researches comprised CO, THC, and NOx conversion for two engines in conditions of lean (A/F=20.0), reach (A/F=14.0), and stoichiometric (A/F=14.7) mixtures. CO, THC, and NOx conversion were stated in the dependence of temperature catalytic process in conditions of the various mixtures
- âŠ