Ballistic transport, chiral anomaly and emergence of the neutral electron - hole plasma in graphene

The process of coherent creation of particle - hole excitations by an electric field in graphene is quantitatively described using a dynamic "first quantized" approach. We calculate the evolution of current density, number of pairs and energy in ballistic regime using the tight binding model. The series in electric field strength $E$ up to third order in both DC and AC are calculated. We show how the physics far from the two Dirac points enters various physical quantities in linear response and how it is related to the chiral anomaly. The third harmonic generation and the imaginary part of conductivity are obtained. It is shown that at certain time scale $t_{nl}\propto E^{-1/2}$ the physical behaviour dramatically changes and the perturbation theory breaks down. Beyond the linear response physics is explored using an exact solution of the first quantized equations. While for small electric fields the I-V curve is linear characterized by the universal minimal resistivity $\sigma =\pi /2(e^{2}/h)$%, at $t>t_{nl}$ the conductivity grows fast. The copious pair creation (with rate $E^{3/2}$), analogous to Schwinger's electron - positron pair creation from vacuum in QED, leads to creation of the electron - hole plasma at ballistic times of order $t_{nl}$. This process is terminated by a relaxational recombination.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures

The puzzle of 90 degree reorientation in the vortex lattice of borocarbide superconductors

We explain 90 degree reorientation in the vortex lattice of borocarbide superconductors on the basis of a phenomenological extension of the nonlocal London model that takes full account of the symmetry of the system. We propose microscopic mechanisms that could generate the correction terms and point out the important role of the superconducting gap anisotropy.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps figure

Nature of 45 degree vortex lattice reorientation in tetragonal superconductors

The transformation of the vortex lattice in a tetragonal superconductor which consists of its 45 degree reorientation relative to the crystal axes is studied using the nonlocal London model. It is shown that the reorientation occurs as two successive second order (continuous) phase transitions. The transition magnetic fields are calculated for a range of parameters relevant for borocarbide superconductors in which the reorientation has been observed

Thermal fluctuations and disorder effects in vortex lattices

We calculate using loop expansion the effect of fluctuations on the structure function and magnetization of the vortex lattice and compare it with existing MC results. In addition to renormalization of the height of the Bragg peaks of the structure function, there appears a characteristic saddle shape ''halos'' around the peaks. The effect of disorder on magnetization is also calculated. All the infrared divergencies related to soft shear cancel.Comment: 10 pages, revtex file, one figur

Exploring CSF neurofilament light as a biomarker for MS in clinical practice; a retrospective registry-based study

BACKGROUND: Neurofilament light (NFL) has been increasingly recognized for prognostic and therapeutic decisions. OBJECTIVE: To validate the utility of cerebrospinal fluid NFL (cNFL) as a biomarker in clinical practice of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). METHODS: RRMS patients (n = 757) who had cNFL analyzed as part of the diagnostic work-up in a single academic multiple sclerosis (MS) center, 2001–2018, were retrospectively identified. cNFL concentrations were determined with two different immunoassays and the ratio of means between them was used for normalization. RESULTS: RRMS with relapse had 4.4 times higher median cNFL concentration (1134 [interquartile range (IQR) 499–2744] ng/L) than those without relapse (264 [125–537] ng/L, p < 0.001) and patients with gadolinium-enhancing lesions had 3.3 times higher median NFL (1414 [606.8–3210] ng/L) than those without (426 [IQR 221–851] ng/L, p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of cNFL to detect disease activity was 75% and 98.5%, respectively. High cNFL at MS onset predicted progression to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ⩾ 3 (p < 0.001, hazard ratios (HR) = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.44–2.65) and conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS, p = 0.001, HR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.4–4.2). CONCLUSIONS: cNFL is a robust and reliable biomarker of disease activity, treatment response, and prediction of disability and conversion from RRMS to SPMS. Our data suggest that cNFL should be included in the assessment of patients at MS-onset

Depression in adolescents and young adults with cancer

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are at risk for depression due to disruptions in their developmental trajectory, greater physical symptom burden, and increased likelihood of developing aggressive disease. Rates of depression and other psychological disorders are substantially higher in AYAs with cancer when compared with older adults. Psychiatrists caring for these patients must consider the age-appropriate developmental context of these patients along with familial and medical factors that may influence the presentation and treatment of depression. Previous research suggests that psychosocial interventions specifically designed for AYA patients are promising, but studies of psychopharmacology treatments for depression are lacking. There is a pressing need for prospective studies and controlled clinical trials that evaluate the optimal strategies for treating depression in this patient group

Behavior of tumors under nonstationary theraphy

We present a model for the interaction dynamics of lymphocytes-tumor cells population. This model reproduces all known states for the tumor. Futherly,we develop it taking into account periodical immunotheraphy treatment with cytokines alone. A detailed analysis for the evolution of tumor cells as a function of frecuency and theraphy burden applied for the periodical treatment is carried out. Certain threshold values for the frecuency and applied doses are derived from this analysis. So it seems possible to control and reduce the growth of the tumor. Also, constant values for cytokines doses seems to be a succesful treatment.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Kappa free light chain index as a diagnostic biomarker in multiple sclerosis: a real-world investigation

Kappa free light chain (KFLC)-index, a measure for intrathecal production of free kappa chains, has been increasingly recognized for its diagnostic potential in multiple sclerosis (MS) as a quantitative alternative to IgG oligoclonal-bands (OCBs). Our objective was to investigate the sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy of KFLC-index in MS. KFLC-index was prospectively determined as part of the diagnostic workup in patients with suspected MS (n=327) between May 2013 and February 2020. Patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), and MS had markedly higher KFLC-index (44.6, IQR 16-128) compared with subjects with other neuro-inflammatory disorders (ONID) and symptomatic controls (SC) (2.19, IQR 1.68-2.98, pIF and better than for IgG-index. We show that KFLC-index was influenced neither by DMT, nor by demographic factors or other inflammatory or degenerative processes in MS as determined by biomarkers in CSF

Four Fermion Field Theories and the Chern-Simons Field: A Renormalization Group Study

In (2+1) dimensions, we consider the model of a $N$ flavor, two-component fermionic field interacting through a Chern-Simons field besides a four fermion self-interaction which consists of a linear combination of the Gross-Neveu and Thirring like terms. The four fermion interaction is not perturbatively renormalizable and the model is taken as an effective field theory in the region of low momenta. Using Zimmerman procedure for reducing coupling constants, it is verified that, for small values of the Chern-Simons parameter, the origin is an infrared stable fixed point but changes to ultraviolet stable as $\alpha$ becomes bigger than a critical $\alpha_c$. Composite operators are also analyzed and it is shown that a specific four fermion interaction has an improved ultraviolet behavior as $N$ increases.Comment: 9 pages, revte

Workplace violence in Queensland, Australia: the results of a comparative study

[Abstract]: This paper presents the results on workplace violence from a larger study undertaken in 2004. Comparison is made with the results of a similar study undertaken in 2001. The study involved the random sampling of 3000 nurses from the Queensland Nurses’ Union’s membership in the public (acute hospital and community nursing), private (acute hospital and domiciliary nursing) and aged care sectors (both public and private aged care facilities). The self-reported results suggest an increase in workplace violence in all three sectors. Whilst there are differences in the sources of workplace violence across the sectors, the major causes of workplace violence are: clients/patients, visitors/relatives, other nurses, nursing management and medical practitioners. Associations were also found between workplace violence and gender, the designation of the nurse, hours of employment, the age of the nurse, morale and perceptions of workplace safety. Whilst the majority of nurses reported that policies were in place for the management of workplace violence, these policies were not always adequate