1,035 research outputs found
Coupling carbon nanotube mechanics to a superconducting circuit
The quantum behaviour of mechanical resonators is a new and emerging field
driven by recent experiments reaching the quantum ground state. The high
frequency, small mass, and large quality-factor of carbon nanotube resonators
make them attractive for quantum nanomechanical applications. A common element
in experiments achieving the resonator ground state is a second quantum system,
such as coherent photons or superconducting device, coupled to the resonators
motion. For nanotubes, however, this is a challenge due to their small size.
Here, we couple a carbon nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) device to a
superconducting circuit. Suspended carbon nanotubes act as both superconducting
junctions and moving elements in a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
(SQUID). We observe a strong modulation of the flux through the SQUID from
displacements of the nanotube. Incorporating this SQUID into superconducting
resonators and qubits should enable the detection and manipulation of nanotube
mechanical quantum states at the single-phonon level
Survival trade-offs in plant roots during colonization by closely related beneficial and pathogenic fungi
Pharmacoeconomic analysis of adjuvant oral capecitabine vs intravenous 5-FU/LV in Dukes' C colon cancer: the X-ACT trial
Oral capecitabine (Xeloda<sup>®</sup>) is an effective drug with favourable safety in adjuvant and metastatic colorectal cancer. Oxaliplatin-based therapy is becoming standard for Dukes' C colon cancer in patients suitable for combination therapy, but is not yet approved by the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the adjuvant setting. Adjuvant capecitabine is at least as effective as 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5-FU/LV), with significant superiority in relapse-free survival and a trend towards improved disease-free and overall survival. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant capecitabine from payer (UK National Health Service (NHS)) and societal perspectives. We used clinical trial data and published sources to estimate incremental direct and societal costs and gains in quality-adjusted life months (QALMs). Acquisition costs were higher for capecitabine than 5-FU/LV, but higher 5-FU/LV administration costs resulted in 57% lower chemotherapy costs for capecitabine. Capecitabine vs 5-FU/LV-associated adverse events required fewer medications and hospitalisations (cost savings £3653). Societal costs, including patient travel/time costs, were reduced by >75% with capecitabine vs 5-FU/LV (cost savings £1318), with lifetime gain in QALMs of 9 months. Medical resource utilisation is significantly decreased with capecitabine vs 5-FU/LV, with cost savings to the NHS and society. Capecitabine is also projected to increase life expectancy vs 5-FU/LV. Cost savings and better outcomes make capecitabine a preferred adjuvant therapy for Dukes' C colon cancer. This pharmacoeconomic analysis strongly supports replacing 5-FU/LV with capecitabine in the adjuvant treatment of colon cancer in the UK
Quasi-Elastic Scattering in the Inclusive (He, t) Reaction
The triton energy spectra of the charge-exchange C(He,t) reaction
at 2 GeV beam energy are analyzed in the quasi-elastic nucleon knock-out
region. Considering that this region is mainly populated by the charge-exchange
of a proton in He with a neutron in the target nucleus and the final proton
going in the continuum, the cross-sections are written in the distorted-wave
impulse approximation. The t-matrix for the elementary exchange process is
constructed in the DWBA, using one pion- plus rho-exchange potential for the
spin-isospin nucleon- nucleon potential. This t-matrix reproduces the
experimental data on the elementary pn np process. The calculated
cross-sections for the C(He,t) reaction at to triton
emission angle are compared with the corresponding experimental data, and are
found in reasonable overall accord.Comment: 19 pages, latex, 11 postscript figures available at
[email protected], submitted to Phy.Rev.
Tracing chemical evolution over the extent of the Milky Way's Disk with APOGEE Red Clump Stars
We employ the first two years of data from the near-infrared, high-resolution
SDSS-III/APOGEE spectroscopic survey to investigate the distribution of
metallicity and alpha-element abundances of stars over a large part of the
Milky Way disk. Using a sample of ~10,000 kinematically-unbiased red-clump
stars with ~5% distance accuracy as tracers, the [alpha/Fe] vs. [Fe/H]
distribution of this sample exhibits a bimodality in [alpha/Fe] at intermediate
metallicities, -0.9<[Fe/H]<-0.2, but at higher metallicities ([Fe/H]=+0.2) the
two sequences smoothly merge. We investigate the effects of the APOGEE
selection function and volume filling fraction and find that these have little
qualitative impact on the alpha-element abundance patterns. The described
abundance pattern is found throughout the range 5<R<11 kpc and 0<|Z|<2 kpc
across the Galaxy. The [alpha/Fe] trend of the high-alpha sequence is
surprisingly constant throughout the Galaxy, with little variation from region
to region (~10%). Using simple galactic chemical evolution models we derive an
average star formation efficiency (SFE) in the high-alpha sequence of ~4.5E-10
1/yr, which is quite close to the nearly-constant value found in
molecular-gas-dominated regions of nearby spirals. This result suggests that
the early evolution of the Milky Way disk was characterized by stars that
shared a similar star formation history and were formed in a well-mixed,
turbulent, and molecular-dominated ISM with a gas consumption timescale (1/SFE)
of ~2 Gyr. Finally, while the two alpha-element sequences in the inner Galaxy
can be explained by a single chemical evolutionary track this cannot hold in
the outer Galaxy, requiring instead a mix of two or more populations with
distinct enrichment histories.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Obstructed defaecation syndrome: European consensus guidelines on the surgical management.
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Beam-target helicity asymmetry for γ→n→→π−p in the N*resonance region
We report the first beam-target double-polarization asymmetries in the γ þ nðpÞ → π− þ pðpÞ reaction
spanning the nucleon resonance region from invariant mass W ¼ 1500 to 2300 MeV. Circularly polarized
photons and longitudinally polarized deuterons in solid hydrogen deuteride (HD) have been used with the
CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) at Jefferson Lab. The exclusive final state has been
extracted using three very different analyses that show excellent agreement, and these have been used to
deduce the E polarization observable for an effective neutron target. These results have been incorporated
into new partial wave analyses and have led to significant revisions for several γnN* resonance
photocouplings
Lactobacillus supplementation for diarrhoea related to chemotherapy of colorectal cancer: a randomised study
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy is frequently associated with diarrhoea. We compared two 5-FU-based regimens and the effect of Lactobacillus and fibre supplementation on treatment tolerability. Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (n=150) were randomly allocated to receive monthly 5-FU and leucovorin bolus injections (the Mayo regimen) or a bimonthly 5-FU bolus plus continuous infusion (the simplified de Gramont regimen) for 24 weeks as postoperative adjuvant therapy. On the basis of random allocation, the study participants did or did not receive Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation (1–2 × 1010 per day) and fibre (11 g guar gum per day) during chemotherapy. Patients who received Lactobacillus had less grade 3 or 4 diarrhoea (22 vs 37%, P=0.027), reported less abdominal discomfort, needed less hospital care and had fewer chemotherapy dose reductions due to bowel toxicity. No Lactobacillus-related toxicity was detected. Guar gum supplementation had no influence on chemotherapy tolerability. The simplified de Gramont regimen was associated with fewer grade 3 or 4 adverse effects than the Mayo regimen (45 vs 89%), and with less diarrhoea. We conclude that Lactobacillus GG supplementation is well tolerated and may reduce the frequency of severe diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort related to 5-FU-based chemotherapy
Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition
Theodore Kalbfleisch et al. present an improved genome assembly for the domestic horse by combining short- and long-read data, as well as proximity ligation data. They improve contiguity of the assembly by 40-fold, with a 10-fold reduction in gaps
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