274 research outputs found
Transverse transport in graphite
Graphite is a layered material showing a strong anisotropy. Among the
unconventional properties reported by experiments, the electronic transport
along the c-axis, which has direct implications in order to build graphitic
devices, remains a controversial topic. We study the influence of inelastic
scattering on the electron tunnelling between layers. In the presence of
electron electron interactions, tunnelling processes are modified by inelastic
scattering events.Comment: 9 pages, no figures Proceedings of the Graphene Conference, MPI PKS
Dresden, September 200
Crosstalk between nanotube devices: contact and channel effects
At reduced dimensionality, Coulomb interactions play a crucial role in
determining device properties. While such interactions within the same carbon
nanotube have been shown to have unexpected properties, device integration and
multi-nanotube devices require the consideration of inter-nanotube
interactions. We present calculations of the characteristics of planar carbon
nanotube transistors including interactions between semiconducting nanotubes
and between semiconducting and metallic nanotubes. The results indicate that
inter-tube interactions affect both the channel behavior and the contacts. For
long channel devices, a separation of the order of the gate oxide thickness is
necessary to eliminate inter-nanotube effects. Because of an exponential
dependence of this length scale on dielectric constant, very high device
densities are possible by using high-k dielectrics and embedded contacts
Properties of short channel ballistic carbon nanotube transistors with ohmic contacts
We present self-consistent, non-equilibrium Green's function calculations of
the characteristics of short channel carbon nanotube transistors, focusing on
the regime of ballistic transport with ohmic contacts. We first establish that
the band lineup at the contacts is renormalized by charge transfer, leading to
Schottky contacts for small diameter nanotubes and ohmic contacts for large
diameter nanotubes, in agreement with recent experiments. For short channel
ohmic contact devices, source-drain tunneling and drain-induced barrier
lowering significantly impact the current-voltage characteristics. Furthermore,
the ON state conductance shows a temperature dependence, even in the absence of
phonon scattering or Schottky barriers. This last result also agrees with
recently reported experimental measurements.Comment: Nanotechnology, in pres
Curvature-induced anisotropic spin-orbit splitting in carbon nanotubes
We have theoretically explored the spin-orbit interaction in carbon
nanotubes. We have found that, besides the dependence on chirality and
diameter, the effects of spin-orbit coupling are anisotropic: spin splitting is
larger for the higher valence or the lower electron band depending on the
specific tube. Different tube behaviors can be grouped in three families,
according to the so called chiral index. Curvature-induced changes in the
orbital hybridization have a crucial role, and they are shown to be
family-dependent. Our results explain recent experiments without invoking
external fields
Quantum transport through a graphene nanoribbon-superconductor junction
We study the electron transport through a graphene nanoribbon-superconductor
junction. Both zigzag and armchair edge graphene nanoribbons are considered,
and the effects of the magnetic field and disorder on the transport property
are investigated. By using the tight-binding model and the non-equilibrium
Green's function method, the expressions of the current, conductance, normal
tunneling coefficient, and Andreev reflection coefficient are obtained. For a
clean system and at zero magnetic field, the linear conductance increases
approximatively in a linear fashion with the on-site energy. In the presence of
a magnetic field and a moderate disorder, the linear conductance exhibits
plateau structures for both armchair and zigzag edges. The plateau values
increase with the width of the graphene ribbon. With a wide sample width, a
saturated plateau value of emerges at the filling factor .
For a small filling factor, the conductance can reach the saturated value at a
small width, but for a high filling factor, it requires to have a quite wide
sample width to reach the saturated value. In particular, the Andreev
reflection coefficient is always at 0.5 after reaching the saturated value,
independent of any system parameters. In addition, we also consider the finite
bias case, in which the Andreev reflection coefficient and normal tunneling
coefficient are studied.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure
CD69 is a TGF-β/1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 target gene in monocytes
CD69 is a transmembrane lectin that can be expressed on most hematopoietic cells. In monocytes, it has been functionally linked to the 5-lipoxygenase pathway in which the leukotrienes, a class of highly potent inflammatory mediators, are produced. However, regarding CD69 gene expression and its regulatory mechanisms in monocytes, only scarce data are available. Here, we report that CD69 mRNA expression, analogous to that of 5-lipoxygenase, is induced by the physiologic stimuli transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3) in monocytic cells. Comparison with T- and B-cell lines showed that the effect was specific for monocytes. CD69 expression levels were increased in a concentration-dependent manner, and kinetic analysis revealed a rapid onset of mRNA expression, indicating that CD69 is a primary TGF-β/1α,25(OH)2D3 target gene. PCR analysis of different regions of the CD69 mRNA revealed that de novo transcription was initiated and proximal and distal parts were induced concomitantly. In common with 5-lipoxygenase, no activation of 0.7 kb or ~2.3 kb promoter fragments by TGF-β and 1α,25(OH)2D3 could be observed in transient reporter assays for CD69. Analysis of mRNA stability using a transcription inhibitor and a 3′UTR reporter construct showed that TGF-β and 1α,25(OH)2D3 do not influence CD69 mRNA stability. Functional knockdown of Smad3 clearly demonstrated that upregulation of CD69 mRNA, in contrast to 5-LO, depends on Smad3. Comparative studies with different inhibitors for mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) revealed that MAPK signalling is involved in CD69 gene regulation, whereas 5-lipoxygenase gene expression was only partly affected. Mechanistically, we found evidence that CD69 gene upregulation depends on TAK1-mediated p38 activation. In summary, our data indicate that CD69 gene expression, conforming with 5-lipoxygenase, is regulated monocyte-specifically by the physiologic stimuli TGF-β and 1α,25(OH)2D3 on mRNA level, although different mechanisms account for the upregulation of each gene
Response-adapted treatment with rituximab, bendamustine, mitoxantrone, and dexamethasone followed by rituximab maintenance in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after first-line immunochemotherapy: Results of the RBMDGELTAMO08 phase II trial
Background Consensus is lacking regarding the optimal salvage therapy for patients with follicular lymphoma who relapse after or are refractory to immunochemotherapy. Methods This phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of response-adapted therapy with rituximab, bendamustine, mitoxantrone, and dexamethasone (RBMD) in follicular lymphoma patients who relapsed after or were refractory to first-line immunochemotherapy. Sixty patients received three treatment cycles, and depending on their response received an additional one (complete/unconfirmed complete response) or three (partial response) cycles. Patients who responded to induction received rituximab maintenance therapy for 2 years. Results Thirty-three (55%) and 42 (70%) patients achieved complete/unconfirmed complete response after three cycles and on completing induction therapy (4-6 cycles), respectively (final overall response rate, 88.3%). Median progression-free survival was 56.4 months (median follow-up, 28.3 months; 95% CI, 15.6-51.2). Overall survival was not reached. Progression-free survival did not differ between patients who received four vs six cycles (P = .6665), nor between patients who did/did not receive rituximab maintenance after first-line therapy (P = .5790). Median progression-free survival in the 10 refractory patients was 25.5 months (95% CI, 0.6-N/A) and was longer in patients who had shown progression of disease after 24 months of first-line therapy (median, 56.4 months; 95% CI, 19.8-56.4) than in those who showed early progression (median, 42.31 months; 95% CI, 24.41-NA) (P = .4258). Thirty-six (60%) patients had grade 3/4 neutropenia. Grade 3/4 febrile neutropenia and infection were recorded during induction (4/60 [6.7%] and 5/60 [8.3%] patients, respectively) and maintenance (2/43 [4.5%] and 4/43 [9.1%] patients, respectively). Conclusions This response-adapted treatment with RBMD followed by rituximab maintenance is an effective and well-tolerated salvage treatment for relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma following first-line immunochemotherapy
Density functional method for nonequilibrium electron transport
We describe an ab initio method for calculating the electronic structure,
electronic transport, and forces acting on the atoms, for atomic scale systems
connected to semi-infinite electrodes and with an applied voltage bias. Our
method is based on the density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in the
well tested Siesta approach (which uses non-local norm-conserving
pseudopotentials to describe the effect of the core electrons, and linear
combination of finite-range numerical atomic orbitals to describe the valence
states). We fully deal with the atomistic structure of the whole system,
treating both the contact and the electrodes on the same footing. The effect of
the finite bias (including selfconsistency and the solution of the
electrostatic problem) is taken into account using nonequilibrium Green's
functions. We relate the nonequilibrium Green's function expressions to the
more transparent scheme involving the scattering states. As an illustration,
the method is applied to three systems where we are able to compare our results
to earlier ab initio DFT calculations or experiments, and we point out
differences between this method and existing schemes. The systems considered
are: (1) single atom carbon wires connected to aluminum electrodes with
extended or finite cross section, (2) single atom gold wires, and finally (3)
large carbon nanotube systems with point defects.Comment: 18 pages, 23 figure
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