3,771 research outputs found
Interface bonding of a ferromagnetic/semiconductor junction : a photoemission study of Fe/ZnSe(001)
We have probed the interface of a ferromagnetic/semiconductor (FM/SC)
heterojunction by a combined high resolution photoemission spectroscopy and
x-ray photoelectron diffraction study. Fe/ZnSe(001) is considered as an example
of a very low reactivity interface system and it expected to constitute large
Tunnel Magnetoresistance devices. We focus on the interface atomic environment,
on the microscopic processes of the interface formation and on the iron
valence-band. We show that the Fe contact with ZnSe induces a chemical
conversion of the ZnSe outermost atomic layers. The main driving force that
induces this rearrangement is the requirement for a stable Fe-Se bonding at the
interface and a Se monolayer that floats at the Fe growth front. The released
Zn atoms are incorporated in substitution in the Fe lattice position. This
formation process is independent of the ZnSe surface termination (Zn or Se).
The Fe valence-band evolution indicates that the d-states at the Fermi level
show up even at submonolayer Fe coverage but that the Fe bulk character is only
recovered above 10 monolayers. Indeed, the Fe 1-band states,
theoretically predicted to dominate the tunneling conductance of Fe/ZnSe/Fe
junctions, are strongly modified at the FM/SC interface.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical review
Resonant tunneling magnetoresistance in epitaxial metal-semiconductor heterostructures
We report on resonant tunneling magnetoresistance via localized states
through a ZnSe semiconducting barrier which can reverse the sign of the
effective spin polarization of tunneling electrons. Experiments performed on
Fe/ZnSe/Fe planar junctions have shown that positive, negative or even its
sign-reversible magnetoresistance can be obtained, depending on the bias
voltage, the energy of localized states in the ZnSe barrier and spatial
symmetry. The averaging of conduction over all localized states in a junction
under resonant condition is strongly detrimental to the magnetoresistance
Optimal phase estimation in quantum networks
We address the problem of estimating the phase phi given N copies of the
phase rotation u(phi) within an array of quantum operations in finite
dimensions. We first consider the special case where the array consists of an
arbitrary input state followed by any arrangement of the N phase rotations, and
ending with a POVM. We optimise the POVM for a given input state and fixed
arrangement. Then we also optimise the input state for some specific cost
functions. In all cases, the optimal POVM is equivalent to a quantum Fourier
transform in an appropriate basis. Examples and applications are given.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; this is an extended version of
arXiv:quant-ph/0609160. v2: minor corrections in reference
Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the gut microbiome of children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: which strains act as health players?
Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), considered the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children, can often progress from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It is clear that obesity is one of the main risk factors involved in NAFLD pathogenesis, even if specific mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. We investigated the distribution of intestinal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in the stools of four groups of children: obese, obese with NAFL, obese with NASH, and healthy, age-matched controls (CTRLs). Material and methods: Sixty-one obese, NAFL and NASH children and 54 CTRLs were enrolled in the study. Anthropometric and metabolic parameters were measured for all subjects. All children with suspected NASH underwent liver biopsy. Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were analysed in children’s faecal samples, during a broader, 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing analysis of the gut microbiome. Results: Three Bifidobacterium spp. (Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium adolescentis) and five Lactobacillus spp. (L. zeae, L. vaginalis, L. brevis, L. ruminis, and L. mucosae) frequently recurred in metagenomic analyses. Lactobacillus spp. increased in NAFL, NASH, or obese children compared to CTRLs. Particularly, L. mucosae was significantly higher in obese (p = 0.02426), NAFLD (p = 0.01313) and NASH (p = 0.01079) than in CTRLs. In contrast, Bifidobacterium spp. were more abundant in CTRLs, suggesting a protective and beneficial role of these microorganisms against the aforementioned diseases. Conclusions: Bifidobacteria seem to have a protective role against the development of NAFLD and obesity, highlighting their possible use in developing novel, targeted and effective probiotics
On the robustness of bucket brigade quantum RAM
We study the robustness of the bucket brigade quantum random access memory
model introduced by Giovannetti, Lloyd, and Maccone [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100,
160501 (2008)]. Due to a result of Regev and Schiff [ICALP '08 pp. 773], we
show that for a class of error models the error rate per gate in the bucket
brigade quantum memory has to be of order (where is the
size of the memory) whenever the memory is used as an oracle for the quantum
searching problem. We conjecture that this is the case for any realistic error
model that will be encountered in practice, and that for algorithms with
super-polynomially many oracle queries the error rate must be
super-polynomially small, which further motivates the need for quantum error
correction. By contrast, for algorithms such as matrix inversion [Phys. Rev.
Lett. 103, 150502 (2009)] or quantum machine learning [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113,
130503 (2014)] that only require a polynomial number of queries, the error rate
only needs to be polynomially small and quantum error correction may not be
required. We introduce a circuit model for the quantum bucket brigade
architecture and argue that quantum error correction for the circuit causes the
quantum bucket brigade architecture to lose its primary advantage of a small
number of "active" gates, since all components have to be actively error
corrected.Comment: Replaced with the published version. 13 pages, 9 figure
New application of open source data and Rock Engineering System for debris flow susceptibility analysis
This research describes a quantitative, rapid, and low-cost methodology for debris flow susceptibility evaluation at the basin scale using open-access data and geodatabases. The proposed approach can aid decision makers in land management and territorial planning, by first screening for areas with a higher debris flow susceptibility. Five environmental predisposing factors, namely, bedrock lithology, fracture network, quaternary deposits, slope inclination, and hydrographic network, were selected as independent parameters and their mutual interactions were described and quantified using the Rock Engineering System (RES) methodology. For each parameter, specific indexes were proposed, aiming to provide a final synthetic and representative index of debris flow susceptibility at the basin scale. The methodology was tested in four basins located in the Upper Susa Valley (NW Italian Alps) where debris flow events are the predominant natural hazard. The proposed matrix can represent a useful standardized tool, universally applicable, since it is independent of type and characteristic of the basin
Anthocyanins: a comprehensive review of their chemical properties and health effects on cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases
Anthocyanins are a class of water-soluble flavonoids widely present in fruits and vegetables. Dietary sources of anthocyanins include red and purple berries, grapes, apples, plums, cabbage, or foods containing high levels of natural colorants. Cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, peonidin, petunidin, and pelargonidin are the six common anthocyanidins. Following consumption, anthocyanin, absorption occurs along the gastrointestinal tract, the distal lower bowel being the place where most of the absorption and metabolism occurs. In the intestine, anthocyanins first undergo extensive microbial catabolism followed by absorption and human phase II metabolism. This produces hybrid microbial–human metabolites which are absorbed and subsequently increase the bioavailability of anthocyanins. Health benefits of anthocyanins have been widely described, especially in the prevention of diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that health-promoting effects attributed to anthocyanins may also be related to modulation of gut microbiota. In this paper we attempt to provide a comprehensive view of the state-of-the-art literature on anthocyanins, summarizing recent findings on their chemistry, biosynthesis, nutritional value and on their effects on human health
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