Mean-Field Description of Phase String Effect in the t−Jt-J Model

A mean-field treatment of the phase string effect in the $t-J$ model is presented. Such a theory is able to unite the antiferromagnetic (AF) phase at half-filling and metallic phase at finite doping within a single theoretical framework. We find that the low-temperature occurrence of the AF long range ordering (AFLRO) at half-filling and superconducting condensation in metallic phase are all due to Bose condensations of spinons and holons, respectively, on the top of a spin background described by bosonic resonating-valence-bond (RVB) pairing. The fact that both spinon and holon here are bosonic objects, as the result of the phase string effect, represents a crucial difference from the conventional slave-boson and slave-fermion approaches. This theory also allows an underdoped metallic regime where the Bose condensation of spinons can still exist. Even though the AFLRO is gone here, such a regime corresponds to a microscopic charge inhomogeneity with short-ranged spin ordering. We discuss some characteristic experimental consequences for those different metallic regimes. A perspective on broader issues based on the phase string theory is also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, five figure

Corporate Social Responsibility and Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs): Management Perceptions from IFIs in Bahrain

Islamic finance is gaining greater attention in the finance industry, and this paper analyses how Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) are responding to the welfare needs of society. Using interview data with managers and content analysis of the disclosures, this study attempts to understand management perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in IFIs. A thorough understanding of CSR by managers, as evident in the interviews, has not been translated fully into practice. The partial use of IFIs’ potential role in social welfare would add further challenges in the era of financialisation

Physcion and Physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside: Natural Anthraquinones with Potential Anti-cancer Activities.

Nature has provided prodigious reservoirs of pharmacologically active compounds for drug development since times. Physcion and physcion 8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (PG) are bioactive natural anthraquinones which exert anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties with minimum or no adverse effects. Moreover, physcion also exhibits anti-microbial and hepatoprotective properties while PG is known to have anti-sepsis as well as ameliorative activities against dementia. This review aims to highlight the natural sources and anti-cancer activities of physcion and PG along with asso-ciated mechanisms of actions. On the basis of the literature, physcion and PG regulate multitudinous cell signaling path-ways through the modulation of various regulators of cell cycle, protein kinases, microRNAs, transcriptional factors, and apoptosis linked proteins resulting in the effective killing of cancerous cells in vitro as well as in vivo. Both compounds effectively suppress metastasis, furthermore, physcion acts as inhibitor of 6PGD and also play an important role in chemosensitization. This review article suggests that physcion and PG are potent anti-cancer drug candidates but further investigations on their mechanism of action and pre-clinical trials are mandatory in order to comprehend the full potential of these natural cancer killers in anti-cancer remedies

Unified theory of phase separation and charge ordering in doped manganite perovskites

A unified theory is developed to explain various types of electronic collective behaviors in doped manganites R$_{1-x}$X$_x$MnO$_3$ (R = La, Pr,Nd etc. and X = Ca, Sr, Ba etc.). Starting from a realistic electronic model, we derive an effective Hamiltonianis by ultilizing the projection perturbation techniques and develop a spin-charge-orbital coherent state theory, in which the Jahn-Teller effect and the orbital degeneracy of e$_g$ electrons in Mn ions are taken into account. Physically, the experimentally observed charge ordering state and electronic phase separation are two macroscopic quantum phenomena with opposite physical mechanisms, and their physical origins are elucidated in this theory. Interplay of the Jahn-Teller effect, the lattice distortion as well as the double exchange mechanism leads to different magnetic structures and to different charge ordering patterns and phase separation.Comment: 10 ReVTEX pages with 4 figures attache

Commensurate dynamic magnetic correlations in La2(Cu,Li)O4

When sufficient numbers of holes are introduced into the two-dimensional CuO2 square lattice, dynamic magnetic correlations become incommensurate with underlying lattice in all previously investigated La_{2-x}A_xCu_{1-z}B_zO_{4+y} (A=Sr or Nd, B=Zn) including high T_C superconductors and insulators, and in bilayered superconducting YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.6} and Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8. Magnetic correlations also become incommensurate in structurally related La_2NiO_4 when doped with Sr or O. We report an exception to this so-far well established experimental "rule" in La_2Cu_{1-z}Li_{z}O_4 in which magnetic correlations remain commensurate.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revised version as for publicatio

A review on nanocellulosic fibres as new material for sustainable packaging: process and applications

The demand for exploring advanced and eco-friendly sustainable packaging materials with superior physical, mechanical and barrier properties is increasing. The materials that are currently used in packaging for food, beverage, medical and pharmaceutical products, as well as in industrial applications, are non-degradable, and thus, these materials are raising environmental pollution concerns. Numerous studies have been conducted on the utilization of bio-based materials in the pursuit of developing sustainable packaging materials. Although significant improvements have been achieved, a balance among environmental concerns, economic considerations and product packaging performance is still lacking. This is likely due to bio-based materials being used in product packaging applications without a proper design. The present review article intends to summarize the information regarding the potential applications of cellulosic nanofiber for the packaging. The importance of the design process, its principles and the challenges of design process for sustainable packaging are also summarized in this review. Overall it can be concluded that scientists, designers and engineers all are necessarily required to contribute towards research in order to commercially exploit cellulose nanofiber for sustainable packaging

Coherence and transparency: some advice for qualitative researchers

This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Brazilian Association of Production Engineering (ABEPRO) under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/There is relatively little advice in the Engineering domain for undertaking qualitative studies. Researchers have to rely on generic guidance that may result in imprecise application of qualitative methods. A related discipline to Engineering is Information Systems (IS) and the experiences of the IS domain may provide some useful insights for undertaking qualitative studies. This paper synthesizes the guidance from the IS community for crafting high quality qualitative studies and manuscripts. It reports on five themes: i) Establishing philosophical underpinnings; ii) Clarifying theoretical aims; iii) Selecting qualitative methods; iv) Demonstrating rigour in qualitative data analysis; and v) Grappling with generalisation. The review stresses the importance of coherence and transparency for crafting qualitative research manuscripts and provides a list of reflective questions for qualitative research design

Functional antibody and T cell immunity following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including by variants of concern, in patients with cancer: the CAPTURE study

Patients with cancer have higher COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Here we present the prospective CAPTURE study, integrating longitudinal immune profiling with clinical annotation. Of 357 patients with cancer, 118 were SARS-CoV-2 positive, 94 were symptomatic and 2 died of COVID-19. In this cohort, 83% patients had S1-reactive antibodies and 82% had neutralizing antibodies against wild type SARS-CoV-2, whereas neutralizing antibody titers against the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants were substantially reduced. S1-reactive antibody levels decreased in 13% of patients, whereas neutralizing antibody titers remained stable for up to 329 days. Patients also had detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and CD4+ responses correlating with S1-reactive antibody levels, although patients with hematological malignancies had impaired immune responses that were disease and treatment specific, but presented compensatory cellular responses, further supported by clinical recovery in all but one patient. Overall, these findings advance the understanding of the nature and duration of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer