28 research outputs found
Complete determination of the reflection coefficient in neutron specular reflection by absorptive non-magnetic media
An experimental method is proposed which allows the complete determination of
the complex reflection coefficient for absorptive media for positive and
negative values of the momenta. It makes use of magnetic reference layers and
is a modification of a recently proposed technique for phase determination
based on polarization measurements. The complex reflection coefficient
resulting from a simulated application of the method is used for a
reconstruction of the scattering density profiles of absorptive non-magnetic
media by inversion.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, reformulation of abstract, ref.12 added,
typographical correction
Spin-polarized electron transport in ferromagnet/semiconductor heterostructures: Unification of ballistic and diffusive transport
A theory of spin-polarized electron transport in ferromagnet/semiconductor
heterostructures, based on a unified semiclassical description of ballistic and
diffusive transport in semiconductor structures, is developed. The aim is to
provide a framework for studying the interplay of spin relaxation and transport
mechanism in spintronic devices. A key element of the unified description of
transport inside a (nondegenerate) semiconductor is the thermoballistic current
consisting of electrons which move ballistically in the electric field arising
from internal and external electrostatic potentials, and which are thermalized
at randomly distributed equilibration points. The ballistic component in the
unified description gives rise to discontinuities in the chemical potential at
the boundaries of the semiconductor, which are related to the Sharvin interface
conductance. By allowing spin relaxation to occur during the ballistic motion
between the equilibration points, a thermoballistic spin-polarized current and
density are constructed in terms of a spin transport function. An integral
equation for this function is derived for arbitrary values of the momentum and
spin relaxation lengths. For field-driven transport in a homogeneous
semiconductor, the integral equation can be converted into a second-order
differential equation that generalizes the standard spin drift-diffusion
equation. The spin polarization in ferromagnet/semiconductor heterostructures
is obtained by invoking continuity of the current spin polarization and
matching the spin-resolved chemical potentials on the ferromagnet sides of the
interfaces. Allowance is made for spin-selective interface resistances.
Examples are considered which illustrate the effects of transport mechanism and
electric field.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, REVTEX 4; minor corrections introduced; to
appear in Phys. Rev.
Interface states in junctions of two semiconductors with intersecting dispersion curves
A novel type of shallow interface state in junctions of two semiconductors
without band inversion is identified within the envelope function
approximation, using the two-band model. It occurs in abrupt junctions when the
interband velocity matrix elements of the two semiconductors differ and the
bulk dispersion curves intersect. The in-plane dispersion of the interface
state is found to be confined to a finite range of momenta centered around the
point of intersection. These states turn out to exist also in graded junctions,
with essentially the same properties as in the abrupt case.Comment: 1 figur
Generalized Drude model: Unification of ballistic and diffusive electron transport
For electron transport in parallel-plane semiconducting structures, a model
is developed that unifies ballistic and diffusive transport and thus
generalizes the Drude model. The unified model is valid for arbitrary magnitude
of the mean free path and arbitrary shape of the conduction band edge profile.
Universal formulas are obtained for the current-voltage characteristic in the
nondegenerate case and for the zero-bias conductance in the degenerate case,
which describe in a transparent manner the interplay of ballistic and diffusive
transport. The semiclassical approach is adopted, but quantum corrections
allowing for tunneling are included. Examples are considered, in particular the
case of chains of grains in polycrystalline or microcrystalline semiconductors
with grain size comparable to, or smaller than, the mean free path. Substantial
deviations of the results of the unified model from those of the ballistic
thermionic-emission model and of the drift-diffusion model are found. The
formulation of the model is one-dimensional, but it is argued that its results
should not differ substantially from those of a fully three-dimensional
treatment.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, REVTEX file, to appear in J. Phys.: Condens.
Matte
Tight-binding study of interface states in semiconductor heterojunctions
Localized interface states in abrupt semiconductor heterojunctions are
studied within a tight-binding model. The intention is to provide a microscopic
foundation for the results of similar studies which were based upon the
two-band model within the envelope function approximation. In a two-dimensional
description, the tight-binding Hamiltonian is constructed such that the
Dirac-like bulk spectrum of the two-band model is recovered in the continuum
limit. Localized states in heterojunctions are shown to occur under conditions
equivalent to those of the two-band model. In particular, shallow interface
states are identified in non-inverted junctions with intersecting bulk
dispersion curves. As a specific example, the GaSb-AlSb heterojunction is
considered. The matching conditions of the envelope function approximation are
analyzed within the tight-binding description.Comment: RevTeX, 11 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Revisiting the association between candidal infection and carcinoma, particularly oral squamous cell carcinoma
Background: Tobacco and alcohol are risk factors associated with cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract, but increasingly the role of infection and chronic inflammation is recognized as being significant in cancer development. Bacteria, particularly Helicobacter pylori, and viruses such as members of the human papilloma virus family and hepatitis B and C are strongly implicated as etiological factors in certain cancers. There is less evidence for an association between fungi and cancer, although it has been recognized for many years that white patches on the oral mucosa, which are infected with Candida, have a greater likelihood of undergoing malignant transformation than those that are not infected. Objective: This article reviews the association between the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma in potentially malignant oral lesions with chronic candidal infection and describes mechanisms that may be involved in Candida-associated malignant transformation
COMPARISON BETWEEN FOUR USUAL METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION OF Candida SPECIES
SUMMARY Infection by Candidaspp. is associated with high mortality rates, especially when treatment is not appropriate and/or not immediate. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly identify the genus and species of Candida. The aim of this study was to compare the identification of 89 samples of Candida spp. by the manual methods germ tube test, auxanogram and chromogenic medium in relation to the ID 32C automated method. The concordances between the methods in ascending order, measured by the Kappa index were: ID 32C with CHROMagar Candida(κ = 0.38), ID 32C with auxanogram (κ = 0.59) and ID 32C with germ tube (κ = 0.9). One of the species identified in this study was C. tropicalis,which demonstrated a sensitivity of 46.2%, a specificity of 95.2%, PPV of 80%, NPV of 81.1%, and an accuracy of 80.9% in tests performed with CHROMagar Candida;and a sensitivity of 76.9%, a specificity of 96.8%, PPV of 90.9%, NPV of 91%, and an accuracy of 91% in the auxanogram tests. Therefore, it is necessary to know the advantages and limitations of methods to choose the best combination between them for a fast and correct identification of Candidaspecies