600 research outputs found
The validation of the Peer Assessment Rating index for malocclusion severity and treatment difficulty
Surface collective modes in the topological insulators BiSe and BiSbTeSe
We used low-energy, momentum-resolved inelastic electron scattering to study
surface collective modes of the three-dimensional topological insulators
BiSe and BiSbTeSe. Our goal was to
identify the "spin plasmon" predicted by Raghu and co-workers [S. Raghu, et
al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 116401 (2010)]. Instead, we found that the primary
collective mode is a surface plasmon arising from the bulk, free carrers in
these materials. This excitation dominates the spectral weight in the bosonic
function of the surface, , at THz energy scales, and
is the most likely origin of a quasiparticle dispersion kink observed in
previous photoemission experiments. Our study suggests that the spin plasmon
may mix with this other surface mode, calling for a more nuanced understanding
of optical experiments in which the spin plasmon is reported to play a role.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Anomalous density fluctuations in a strange metal.
A central mystery in high-temperature superconductivity is the origin of the so-called strange metal (i.e., the anomalous conductor from which superconductivity emerges at low temperature). Measuring the dynamic charge response of the copper oxides, [Formula: see text], would directly reveal the collective properties of the strange metal, but it has never been possible to measure this quantity with millielectronvolt resolution. Here, we present a measurement of [Formula: see text] for a cuprate, optimally doped Bi2.1Sr1.9CaCu2O8+x (Tc = 91 K), using momentum-resolved inelastic electron scattering. In the medium energy range 0.1-2 eV relevant to the strange metal, the spectra are dominated by a featureless, temperature- and momentum-independent continuum persisting to the electronvolt energy scale. This continuum displays a simple power-law form, exhibiting q2 behavior at low energy and q2/ω2 behavior at high energy. Measurements of an overdoped crystal (Tc = 50 K) showed the emergence of a gap-like feature at low temperature, indicating deviation from power law form outside the strange-metal regime. Our study suggests the strange metal exhibits a new type of charge dynamics in which excitations are local to such a degree that space and time axes are decoupled
Anchoring Bias in Online Voting
Voting online with explicit ratings could largely reflect people's
preferences and objects' qualities, but ratings are always irrational, because
they may be affected by many unpredictable factors like mood, weather, as well
as other people's votes. By analyzing two real systems, this paper reveals a
systematic bias embedding in the individual decision-making processes, namely
people tend to give a low rating after a low rating, as well as a high rating
following a high rating. This so-called \emph{anchoring bias} is validated via
extensive comparisons with null models, and numerically speaking, the extent of
bias decays with interval voting number in a logarithmic form. Our findings
could be applied in the design of recommender systems and considered as
important complementary materials to previous knowledge about anchoring effects
on financial trades, performance judgements, auctions, and so on.Comment: 5 pages, 4 tables, 5 figure
Active wetting of epithelial tissues
Development, regeneration and cancer involve drastic transitions in tissue
morphology. In analogy with the behavior of inert fluids, some of these
transitions have been interpreted as wetting transitions. The validity and
scope of this analogy are unclear, however, because the active cellular forces
that drive tissue wetting have been neither measured nor theoretically
accounted for. Here we show that the transition between 2D epithelial
monolayers and 3D spheroidal aggregates can be understood as an active wetting
transition whose physics differs fundamentally from that of passive wetting
phenomena. By combining an active polar fluid model with measurements of
physical forces as a function of tissue size, contractility, cell-cell and
cell-substrate adhesion, and substrate stiffness, we show that the wetting
transition results from the competition between traction forces and contractile
intercellular stresses. This competition defines a new intrinsic lengthscale
that gives rise to a critical size for the wetting transition in tissues, a
striking feature that has no counterpart in classical wetting. Finally, we show
that active shape fluctuations are dynamically amplified during tissue
dewetting. Overall, we conclude that tissue spreading constitutes a prominent
example of active wetting --- a novel physical scenario that may explain
morphological transitions during tissue morphogenesis and tumor progression
Feasibility of free space quantum key distribution with coherent polarization states
We demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of free space quantum key
distribution with continuous variables under real atmospheric conditions. More
specifically, we transmit coherent polarization states over a 100m free space
channel on the roof of our institute's building. In our scheme, signal and
local oscillator are combined in a single spatial mode which auto-compensates
atmospheric fluctuations and results in an excellent interference. Furthermore,
the local oscillator acts as spatial and spectral filter thus allowing
unrestrained daylight operation.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, extensions in sections 2, 3.1, 3.2 and 4. This
is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for
publication in New Journal of Physics (Special Issue on Quantum Cryptography:
Theory and Practice). IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or
omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from i
Position and momentum mapping of vibrations in graphene nanostructures in the electron microscope
Propagating atomic vibrational waves, phonons, rule important thermal,
mechanical, optoelectronic and transport characteristics of materials. Thus the
knowledge of phonon dispersion, namely the dependence of vibrational energy on
momentum is a key ingredient to understand and optimize the material's
behavior. However, despite its scientific importance in the last decade, the
phonon dispersion of a freestanding monolayer of two dimensional (2D) materials
such as graphene and its local variations has still remained elusive because of
experimental limitations of vibrational spectroscopy. Even though electron
energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in transmission has recently been shown to
probe the local vibrational charge responses, these studies are yet limited to
polar materials like boron nitride or oxides, in which huge signals induced by
strong dipole moments are present. On the other hand, measurements on graphene
performed by inelastic x-ray (neutron) scattering spectroscopy or EELS in
reflection do not have any spatial resolution and require large microcrystals.
Here we provide a new pathway to determine the phonon dispersions down to the
scale of an individual freestanding graphene monolayer by mapping the distinct
vibration modes for a large momentum transfer. The measured scattering
intensities are accurately reproduced and interpreted with density functional
perturbation theory (DFPT). Additionally, a nanometre-scale mapping of selected
momentum (q) resolved vibration modes using graphene nanoribbon structures has
enabled us to spatially disentangle bulk, edge and surface vibrations
A near-infrared study of the NGC 7538 star forming region
We present sub-arcsecond (FWHM ~ 0".7), NIR JHKs-band images and a high
sensitivity radio continuum image at 1280 MHz, using SIRIUS on UH 88-inch
telescope and GMRT. The NIR survey covers an area of ~ 24 arcmin^2 with
10-sigma limiting mags of ~ 19.5, 18.4, and 17.3 in J, H, and Ks-band,
respectively. Our NIR images are deeper than any JHK surveys to date for the
larger area of NGC 7538 star forming region. We construct JHK CC and J-H/J and
H-K/K CM diagrams to identify YSOs and to estimate their masses. Based on these
CC and CM diagrams, we identified a rich population of YSOs (Class I and Class
II), associated with the NGC 7538 region. A large number of red sources (H-K >
2) have also been detected around NGC 7538. We argue that these red stars are
most probably PMS stars with intrinsic color excesses. Most of YSOs in NGC 7538
are arranged from the N-W toward S-E regions, forming a sequence in age: the
diffuse H II region (N-W, oldest: where most of the Class II and Class I
sources are detected); the compact IR core (center); and the regions with the
extensive IR reflection nebula and a cluster of red young stars (S-E and S). We
find that the slope of the KLF of NGC 7538 is lower than the typical values
reported for the young embedded clusters, although equally low values have also
been reported in the W3 Main star forming region. From the slope of the KLF and
the analysis by Megeath et al. (1996), we infer that the embedded stellar
population is comprised of YSOs with an age of ~ 1 Myr. Based on the comparison
between models of PMS stars with the observed CM diagram we find that the
stellar population in NGC 7538 is primarily composed of low mass PMS stars
similar to those observed in the W3 Main star forming region.Comment: 36 pages, 13 figures in JPEG format. Accepted for the publication in
ApJ. Report is also available at : http://www.tifr.res.in/~ojha/NGC7538.htm
Amino Acid Ester Prodrugs of Floxuridine: Synthesis and Effects of Structure, Stereochemistry, and Site of Esterification on the Rate of Hydrolysis
Purpose . To synthesize amino acid ester prodrugs of floxuridine (FUdR) and to investigate the effects of structure, stereochemistry, and site of esterification of promoiety on the rates of hydrolysis of these prodrugs in Caco-2 cell homogenates.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41502/1/11095_2004_Article_471011.pd
Effectiveness of bailouts in the EU
Governments in the EU frequently bail out firms in distress by granting state aid. I use data from 86 cases during the years 1995-2003 to examine two issues: the effectiveness of bailouts in preventing bankruptcy and the determinants of bailout policy. The results are threefold. First, the estimated discrete-time hazard rate increases during the first four years after the subsidy and drops after that, suggesting that some bailouts only delayed exit instead of preventing it. The number of failing bailouts could be reduced if European control was tougher. Second, governments’ bailout decisions favored state-owned firms, even though state-owned firms did not outperform private ones in the survival chances. Third, subsidy choice is an endogenous variable in the analysis of the hazard rate. Treating it as exogenous underestimates its impact on the bankruptcy probability. Several policy implications of the results are discussed in the paper
- …