4,356 research outputs found
Shot noise in charge and magnetization currents of a quantum ring
The shot noise in a quantum ring, connected to leads, is studied in the
presence of electron interactions in the sequential tunneling regime. Two
qualitatively different noise correlations with distinctly different behaviors
are identified and studied in a large range of parameters. Noise in the total
current is due to the discreteness of the electron charge and can become
super-Poissonian as result of electron interaction. The noise in the
magnetization current is comparatively insensitive to the interaction but can
be greatly enhanced if population inversion of the angular states is assumed.
The characteristic time scales are studied by a Monte-Carlo simulation.Comment: 5 pages, 5 color figure
Fermion-parity duality and energy relaxation in interacting open systems
We study the transient heat current out of a confined electron system into a
weakly coupled electrode in response to a voltage switch. We show that the
decay of the Coulomb interaction energy for this repulsive system exhibits
signatures of electron-electron attraction, and is governed by an
interaction-independent rate. This can only be understood from a general
duality that relates the non-unitary evolution of a quantum system to that of a
dual model with inverted energies. Deriving from the fermion-parity
superselection postulate, this duality applies to a large class of open
systems.Comment: 5 pages + 19 pages of Supplementary Materia
Optimal design of nanoplasmonic materials using genetic algorithms as a multi-parameter optimization tool
An optimal control approach based on multiple parameter genetic algorithms is
applied to the design of plasmonic nanoconstructs with pre-determined optical
properties and functionalities. We first develop nanoscale metallic lenses that
focus an incident plane wave onto a pre-specified, spatially confined spot. Our
results illustrate the role of symmetry breaking and unravel the principles
that favor dimeric constructs for optimal light localization. Next we design a
periodic array of silver particles to modify the polarization of an incident,
linearly-polarized plane wave in a desired fashion while localizing the light
in space. The results provide insight into the structural features that
determine the birefringence properties of metal nanoparticles and their arrays.
Of the variety of potential applications that may be envisioned, we note the
design of nanoscale light sources with controllable coherence and polarization
properties that could serve for coherent control of molecular or electronic
dynamics in the nanoscale.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. submitted to J. Chem. Phy
RF-MEMS switch actuation pulse optimization using Taguchi's method
Copyright @ 2011 Springer-VerlagReliability and longevity comprise two of the most important concerns when designing micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) switches. Forcing the switch to perform close to its operating limits underlies a trade-off between response bandwidth and fatigue life due to the impact force of the cantilever touching its corresponding contact point. This paper presents for first time an actuation pulse optimization technique based on Taguchiâs optimization method to optimize the shape of the actuation pulse of an ohmic RF-MEMS switch in order to achieve better control and switching conditions. Simulation results show significant reduction in impact velocity (which results in less than 5 times impact force than nominal step pulse conditions) and settling time maintaining good switching speed for the pull down phase and almost elimination of the high bouncing phenomena during the release phase of the switch
Topotecan-vincristine-doxorubicin in stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma patients failing to achieve a complete metastatic response to rapid COJEC : a SIOPEN study
Purpose : Metastatic response to induction therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma is a prognostic factor. In the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma (SIOPEN) HR-NBL-1 protocol, only patients with metastatic complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) with <= three abnormal skeletal areas on iodine 123-metaiodobenzylguanidine ([I-123] mIBG) scintigraphy and no bone marrow disease proceed to high dose therapy (HDT). In this study, topotecan-vincristine-doxorubicin (TVD) was evaluated in patients failing to achieve these criteria, with the aim of improving the metastatic response rate.
Materials and Methods : Patients with metastatic high-risk neuroblastoma who had not achieved the SIOPEN criteria for HDT after induction received two courses of topotecan 1.5 mg/m(2)/day for 5 days, followed by a 48-hour infusion of vincristine, 2 mg/m(2), and doxorubicin, 45 mg/m(2).
Results : Sixty-three patients were eligible and evaluable. Following two courses of TVD, four (6.4%) patients had an overall CR, while 28 (44.4%) had a PR with a combined response rate of 50.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37.9 to 63.6). Of these, 23 patients achieved a metastatic CR or a PR with <= 3 mIBG skeletal areas and no bone marrow disease (36.5%; 95% CI, 24.7 to 49.6) and were eligible to receive HDT. Toxicity was mostly haematological, affecting 106 of the 126 courses (84.1%; 95% CI, 76.5 to 90.0), and dose reduction was necessary in six patients. Stomatitis was the second most common nonhematological toxicity, occurring in 20 patients (31.7%).
Conclusion : TVD was effective in improving the response rate of high-risk neuroblastoma patients after induction with COJEC enabling them to proceed to HDT. However, the long-term benefits of TVD needs to be determined in randomized clinical trials
Stochastic optimization of a cold atom experiment using a genetic algorithm
We employ an evolutionary algorithm to automatically optimize different
stages of a cold atom experiment without human intervention. This approach
closes the loop between computer based experimental control systems and
automatic real time analysis and can be applied to a wide range of experimental
situations. The genetic algorithm quickly and reliably converges to the most
performing parameter set independent of the starting population. Especially in
many-dimensional or connected parameter spaces the automatic optimization
outperforms a manual search.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Finding needles in noisy haystacks
ABSTRACT The theory of compressed sensing shows that samples in the form of random projections are optimal for recovering sparse signals in high-dimensional spaces (i.e., finding needles in haystacks), provided the measurements are noiseless. However, noise is almost always present in applications, and compressed sensing suffers from it. The signal to noise ratio per dimension using random projections is very poor, since sensing energy is equally distributed over all dimensions. Consequently, the ability of compressed sensing to locate sparse components degrades significantly as noise increases. It is possible, in principle, to improve performance by "shaping" the projections to focus sensing energy in proper dimensions. The main question addressed here is, can projections be adaptively shaped to achieve this focusing effect? The answer is yes, and we demonstrate a simple, computationally efficient procedure that does so
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Techniques for RNA extraction from cells cultured in starPEG-heparin hydrogels
Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models that provide a biologically relevant microenvironment are imperative to investigate cellâcell and cellâmatrix interactions in vitro. Semi-synthetic star-shaped poly(ethylene glycol) (starPEG)âheparin hydrogels are widely used for 3D cell culture due to their highly tuneable biochemical and biomechanical properties. Changes in gene expression levels are commonly used as a measure of cellular responses. However, the isolation of high-quality RNA presents a challenge as contamination of the RNA with hydrogel residue, such as polymer or glycosaminoglycan fragments, can impact template quality and quantity, limiting effective gene expression analyses. Here, we compare two protocols for the extraction of high-quality RNA from starPEGâheparin hydrogels and assess three subsequent purification techniques. Removal of hydrogel residue by centrifugation was found to be essential for obtaining high-quality RNA in both isolation methods. However, purification of the RNA did not result in further improvements in RNA quality. Furthermore, we show the suitability of the extracted RNA for cDNA synthesis of three endogenous control genes confirmed via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The methods and techniques shown can be tailored for other hydrogel models based on natural or semi-synthetic materials to provide robust templates for all gene expression analyses
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