4,126 research outputs found
First principles theory of fluctuations in vortex liquids and solids
Consistent perturbation theory for thermodynamical quantities in type II
superconductors in magnetic field at low temperatures is developed. It is
complementary to the existing expansion valid at high temperatures.
Magnetization and specific heat are calculated to two loop order and compare
well to existing Monte Carlo simulations and experiments.Comment: 3 .ps fig. In press Phys. Rev.
Selection and characterization of indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from tourist ports in the Mediterranean Sea Basin
Why the lowest Landau level approximation works in strongly type II superconductors
Higher than the lowest Landau level contributions to magnetization and
specific heat of superconductors are calculated using Ginzburg - Landau
equations approach. Corrections to the excitation spectrum around solution of
these equations (treated perturbatively) are found. Due to symmetries of the
problem leading to numerous cancellations the range of validity of the LLL
approximation in mean field is much wider then a naive range and extends all
the way down to . Moreover the contribution of higher
Landau levels is significantly smaller compared to LLL than expected naively.
We show that like the LLL part the lattice excitation spectrum at small
quasimomenta is softer than that of usual acoustic phonons. This enhanses the
effect of fluctuations. The mean field calculation extends to third order,
while the fluctuation contribution due to HLL is to one loop. This complements
the earlier calculation of the LLL part to two loop order.Comment: 20 pages, Latex file, three figure
Gateway Discovery and Selection in Mobile Hotspots
Gaining IP connectivity in mobile hotspots (e.g. public transport vehicles) through on-board local area networks and mobile gateways has recently attracted strong commercial and research interests. In this paper we propose a multi-dimensional protocol to support the process of gatewaydiscovery in mobile hotspots, and to help in selecting the best path able to satisfy the user's requirements and to guarantee a target end-to-end service quality. Our proposal is based on highly popular and almost standard protocols, such as SDPng for session description and AODV for route discovery
Information transmission through lossy bosonic memory channels
We study the information transmission through a quantum channel, defined over
a continuous alphabet and losing its energy en route, in presence of correlated
noise among different channel uses. We then show that entangled inputs improve
the rate of transmission of such a channel.Comment: 6 pages revtex, 2 eps figure
First-line erlotinib and fixed dose-rate gemcitabine for advanced pancreatic cancer
AIM: To investigate activity, toxicity, and prognostic factors for survival of erlotinib and fixed dose-rate gemcitabine (FDR-Gem) in advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We designed a single-arm prospective, multicentre, open-label phase II study to evaluate the combination of erlotinib (100 mg/d, orally) and weekly FDR-Gem (1000 mg/m2, infused at 10 mg/m2per minute) in a population of previously untreated patients with locally advanced, inoperable, or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Primary endpoint was the rate of progression-free survival at 6 mo (PFS-6); secondary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR), response duration, tolerability, overall survival (OS), and clinical benefit. Treatment was not considered to be of further interest if the PFS-6 was < 20% (p0 = 20%), while a PFS-6 > 40% would be of considerable interest (p1 = 40%); with a 5% rejection error (α = 5%) and a power of 80%, 35 fully evaluable patients with metastatic disease were required to be enrolled in order to complete the study. Analysis of prognostic factors for survival was also carried out. RESULTS: From May 2007 to September 2009, 46 patients were enrolled (male/female: 25/21; median age: 64 years; median baseline carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9): 897 U/mL; locally advanced/metastatic disease: 5/41). PFS-6 and median PFS were 30.4% and 14 wk (95%CI: 10-19), respectively; 1-year and median OS were 20.2% and 26 wk (95%CI: 8-43). Five patients achieved an objective response (ORR: 10.9%, 95%CI: 1.9-19.9); disease control rate was 56.5% (95%CI: 42.2-70.8); clinical benefit rate was 43.5% (95%CI: 29.1-57.8). CA 19-9 serum levels were decreased by > 25% as compared to baseline in 14/23 evaluable patients (63.6%). Treatment was well-tolerated, with skin rash being the most powerful predictor of both longer PFS (P < 0.0001) and OS (P = 0.01) at multivariate analysis (median OS for patients with or without rash: 42 wk vs 15 wk, respectively, Log-rank P = 0.03). Additional predictors of better outcome were: CA 19-9 reduction, female sex (for PFS), and good performance status (for OS). CONCLUSION: Primary study endpoint was not met. However, skin rash strongly predicted erlotinib efficacy, suggesting that a pharmacodynamic-based strategy for patient selection deserves further investigation
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