Conduction spectroscopy of a proximity induced superconducting topological insulator

The combination of superconductivity and the helical spin-momentum locking at the surface state of a topological insulator (TI) has been predicted to give rise to p-wave superconductivity and Majorana bound states. The superconductivity can be induced by the proximity effect of a an s-wave superconductor (S) into the TI. To probe the superconducting correlations inside the TI, dI/dV spectroscopy has been performed across such S-TI interfaces. Both the alloyed Bi$_{1.5}$Sb$_{0.5}$Te$_{1.7}$Se$_{1.3}$ and the stoichiometric BiSbTeSe$_2$ have been used as three dimensional TI. In the case of Bi$_{1.5}$Sb$_{0.5}$Te$_{1.7}$Se$_{1.3}$, the presence of disorder induced electron-electron interactions can give rise to an additional zero-bias resistance peak. For the stoichiometric BiSbTeSe$_2$ with less disorder, tunnel barriers were employed in order to enhance the signal from the interface. The general observations in the spectra of a large variety of samples are conductance dips at the induced gap voltage, combined with an increased sub-gap conductance, consistent with p-wave predictions. The induced gap voltage is typically smaller than the gap of the Nb superconducting electrode, especially in the presence of an intentional tunnel barrier. Additional uncovered spectroscopic features are oscillations that are linearly spaced in energy, as well as a possible second order parameter component.Comment: Semiconductor Science and Technology; Special Issue on Hybrid Quantum Materials and Device

Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis in Germany from a Health Economic View-A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) are deemed medically equivalent for therapy of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and reimbursed by the German statutory health insurance (SHI). However, although the home dialysis modality PD is associated with higher patient autonomy than HD, for unknown reasons, PD uptake is low in Germany. Hence, we compared HD with PD regarding health economic outcomes, particularly costs, as potentially relevant factors for the predominance of HD. METHODS Claims data from two German health insurance funds were analysed in a retrospective cohort study regarding the prevalence of HD and PD in 2013-2016. Propensity score matching created comparable HD and PD groups (n = 436 each). Direct annual health care costs were compared. A sensitivity analysis included a comparison of different matching techniques and consideration of transportation costs. Additionally, hospitalisation and survival were investigated using Poisson regression and Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS Total direct annual average costs were higher for HD (€47,501) than for PD (€46,235), but not significantly (p = 0.557). The additional consideration of transportation costs revealed an annual cost advantage of €7000 for PD. HD and PD differed non-significantly in terms of hospitalisation and survival rates (p = 0.610/p = 0.207). CONCLUSIONS PD has a slight non-significant cost advantage over HD, especially when considering transportation costs

Advies opzet monitoring en evaluatie kringlooplandbouw : notitie opgesteld op verzoek van het Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit

Deze notitie bevat 2 onderdelen: Deel 1. Advies opzet monitoring en evaluatiesysteem. Deel 2. Verkenning: uitwerking monitoring voor enkele thema’s die spelen in de kringlooplandbouw (bodemkwaliteit, bemesting, veevoer, biodiversiteit, klimaat, voedselconsumptie, neveneffecten)

Waters. Conference Proceedings for “Waters as a Resource” of the SFB 1070 ResourceCultures and DEGUWA (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Unterwasserarchäologie e.V.)

This volume contains the conference contributions of scientists of the SFB 1070 presented at the conference 'Waters as a Resource', which was organized in cooperation with DEGUWA (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Unterwasserarchäologie e.V.) and took place in Tübingen from March 15th to 18th 2018. The conference proceedings focus on different resources provided by waters or on the ResourceComplexes connected to them. After a brief reflection on theories and methods used within the SFB 1070 to study and understand resources, conceptions of water bodies in cultural anthropology and archaeology are compared using the examples of the Guadalquivir and Syr Darya Rivers. The third contribution investigates water management on islands and its influences on the identity of the islanders. The fourth chapter shows how seclusion on islands can be an important resource for island communities in the Strait of Sicily. Waters as means for identity formation in medieval monasteries is the focus of the fifth chapter, which is followed by a contribution that investigates the impact of maritime food sources on Viking Life. The last study analyses Greek settlements in the Black Sea. All contributions illustrate how a new perspective on resources opens up new possibilities for interpretation

Interplay between geometric and dynamic phases in a single spin system

We use a combination of microwave fields and free precession to drive the spin of a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond on different trajectories on the Bloch sphere, and investigate the physical significance of the frame-dependent decomposition of the total phase into geometric and dynamic parts. The experiments are performed on a two-level subspace of the spin-1 ground state of the NV, where the Aharonov-Anandan geometric phase manifests itself as a global phase, and we use the third level of the NV ground state triplet to detect it. We show that while the geometric Aharonov-Anandan phase retains its connection to the solid angle swept out by the evolving spin, it is generally accompanied by a dynamic phase that suppresses the geometric dependence of the system dynamics. These results offer insights into the physical significance of frame-dependent geometric phases.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure