168 research outputs found
Laser controlled molecular switches and transistors
We investigate the possibility of optical current control through single
molecules which are weakly coupled to leads. A master equation approach for the
transport through a molecule is combined with a Floquet theory for the
time-dependent molecule. This yields an efficient numerical approach to the
evaluation of the current through time-dependent nano-structures in the
presence of a finite external voltage. We propose tunable optical current
switching in two- and three-terminal molecular electronic devices driven by
properly adjusted laser fields, i.e. a novel class of molecular transistors.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, elsart.cls include
Charge transport through a molecule driven by a high-frequency field
We study the current and the associated noise for the transport through a
two-site molecule driven by an external oscillating field. Within a
high-frequency approximation, the time-dependent Hamiltonian is mapped to a
static one with effective parameters that depend on the driving amplitude and
frequency. This analysis allows an intuitive physical picture explaining the
nontrivial structure found in the noise properties as a function of the driving
amplitude. The presence of dips in the Fano factor permits a control of the
noise level by means of an appropriate external driving.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, elsart styl
A fast Monte-Carlo method with a Reduced Basis of Control Variates applied to Uncertainty Propagation and Bayesian Estimation
The Reduced-Basis Control-Variate Monte-Carlo method was introduced recently
in [S. Boyaval and T. Leli\`evre, CMS, 8 2010] as an improved Monte-Carlo
method, for the fast estimation of many parametrized expected values at many
parameter values. We provide here a more complete analysis of the method
including precise error estimates and convergence results. We also numerically
demonstrate that it can be useful to some parametrized frameworks in
Uncertainty Quantification, in particular (i) the case where the parametrized
expectation is a scalar output of the solution to a Partial Differential
Equation (PDE) with stochastic coefficients (an Uncertainty Propagation
problem), and (ii) the case where the parametrized expectation is the Bayesian
estimator of a scalar output in a similar PDE context. Moreover, in each case,
a PDE has to be solved many times for many values of its coefficients. This is
costly and we also use a reduced basis of PDE solutions like in [S. Boyaval, C.
Le Bris, Nguyen C., Y. Maday and T. Patera, CMAME, 198 2009]. This is the first
combination of various Reduced-Basis ideas to our knowledge, here with a view
to reducing as much as possible the computational cost of a simple approach to
Uncertainty Quantification
Current Noise in ac-Driven Nanoscale Conductors
The theory for current fluctuations in ac-driven transport through nanoscale
systems is put forward. By use of a generalized, non-Hermitian Floquet theory
we derive novel explicit expressions for the time-averaged current and the
zero-frequency component of the power spectrum of current fluctuations. A
distinct suppression of both the zero-frequency noise and the dc-current occurs
for suitably tailored ac-fields. The relative level of transport noise, being
characterized by a Fano factor, can selectively be manipulated by ac-sources;
in particular, it exhibits both characteristic maxima and minima near current
suppression.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Scintillation particle detection based on microfluidics
A novel type of particle detector based on scintillation, with precise spatial resolution and high radiation hardness, is being studied. It consists of a single microfluidic channel filled with a liquid scintillator and is designed to define an array of scintillating waveguides each independently coupled to a photodetector. Prototype detectors built using an SU-8 epoxy resin have been tested with electrons from a radioactive source. The experimental results show a light yield compatible with the theoretical expectations and confirm the validity of the approach
Determination of Angptl4 mRNA as a Diagnostic Marker of Primary and Metastatic Clear Cell Renal-Cell Carcinoma
International audienceBACKGROUND: We have previously shown that angiopoietin-like 4 (angptl4) mRNA, a hypoxia-inducible gene, is highly expressed in clear cell renal-cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common subtype of RCC for which no specific marker is available. We here investigated whether angptl4 mRNA 1) could be a useful diagnostic and/or prognostic marker of ccRCC in a large and comprehensive retrospective series, 2) induction is dependent on the VHL status of tumors. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using in situ hybridization, we report that angptl4 mRNA is expressed in 100% of both sporadic (n = 102) and inherited (n = 6) primary ccRCCs, without any statistical association with nuclear grade (p = 0.39), tumor size (p = 0.09), stage grouping (p = 0.17), progression-free survival (p = 0.94), and overall survival (p = 0.80). Angptl4 mRNA was also expressed in 26 (87%) of 30 secondary ccRCCs but neither in any other secondary RCCs (n = 7). In contrast, angptl4 mRNA was neither expressed in 94% non-ccRCC renal tumors (papillary RCCs (n = 46), chromophobe RCCs (n = 28), and oncocytomas (n = 9)), nor in non-renal clear cell carcinomas (n = 39). Angptl4 expression was also examined in tumors associated (n = 23) or not associated (n = 66) with VHL disease. 40 (98%) hemangioblastomas expressed angptl4 whereas all pheochromocytomas (n = 23) and pancreatic tumors (n = 25) were angptl4-negative, whatever their VHL status. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Angptl4 mRNA expression was highly associated with ccRCC (p = 1.5 10(-49), Chi square test) allowing to define its expression as a diagnosis marker for primary ccRCC. Moreover, angptl4 mRNA allows to discriminate the renal origin of metastases of clear-cell carcinomas arising from various organs. Finally, inactivation of VHL gene is neither necessary nor sufficient for angptl4 mRNA induction
Corrigendum: Somatostatin and Neuropeptide Y in Cerebrospinal Fluid: Correlations With Amyloid Peptides Aß1−42, and Tau Proteins in Elderly Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Somatostatin and Neuropeptide Y in Cerebrospinal Fluid: Correlations With Amyloid Peptides Aβ1–42 and Tau Proteins in Elderly Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment
A combination of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Amyloid β1–42 (Aβ1–42) and high Total-Tau (T-Tau) and Phosphorylated-Tau (P-Tau) occurs at a prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and recent findings suggest that network abnormalities and interneurons dysfunction contribute to cognitive deficits. Somatostatin (SOM) and Neuropeptide Y (NPY) are two neuropeptides which are expressed in GABAergic interneurons with different fates in AD the former only being markedly affected. The aim of this study was to analyze CSF SOM, NPY and CSF Aβ1–42; T-Tau, P-Tau relationships in 43 elderly mild cognitively impairment (MCI) participants from the Biomarker of AmyLoïd pepTide and AlZheimer’s disease Risk (BALTAZAR) cohort. In these samples, CSF SOM and CSF Aβ1–42 on the one hand, and CSF NPY and CSF T-Tau and P-Tau on the other hand are positively correlated. CSF SOM and NPY concentrations should be further investigated to determine if they can stand for early AD biomarkers.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier #NCT01315639
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