31 research outputs found
Tight-binding g-Factor Calculations of CdSe Nanostructures
The Lande g-factors for CdSe quantum dots and rods are investigated within
the framework of the semiempirical tight-binding method. We describe methods
for treating both the n-doped and neutral nanostructures, and then apply these
to a selection of nanocrystals of variable size and shape, focusing on
approximately spherical dots and rods of differing aspect ratio. For the
negatively charged n-doped systems, we observe that the g-factors for
near-spherical CdSe dots are approximately independent of size, but show strong
shape dependence as one axis of the quantum dot is extended to form rod-like
structures. In particular, there is a discontinuity in the magnitude of
g-factor and a transition from anisotropic to isotropic g-factor tensor at
aspect ratio ~1.3. For the neutral systems, we analyze the electron g-factor of
both the conduction and valence band electrons. We find that the behavior of
the electron g-factor in the neutral nanocrystals is generally similar to that
in the n-doped case, showing the same strong shape dependence and discontinuity
in magnitude and anisotropy. In smaller systems the g-factor value is dependent
on the details of the surface model. Comparison with recent measurements of
g-factors for CdSe nanocrystals suggests that the shape dependent transition
may be responsible for the observations of anomalous numbers of g-factors at
certain nanocrystal sizes.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures. Fixed typos to match published versio
Molecular spintronics: Coherent spin transfer in coupled quantum dots
Time-resolved Faraday rotation has recently demonstrated coherent transfer of
electron spin between quantum dots coupled by conjugated molecules. Using a
transfer Hamiltonian ansatz for the coupled quantum dots, we calculate the
Faraday rotation signal as a function of the probe frequency in a pump-probe
setup using neutral quantum dots. Additionally, we study the signal of one
spin-polarized excess electron in the coupled dots. We show that, in both
cases, the Faraday rotation angle is determined by the spin transfer
probabilities and the Heisenberg spin exchange energy. By comparison of our
results with experimental data, we find that the transfer matrix element for
electrons in the conduction band is of order 0.08 eV and the spin transfer
probabilities are of order 10%.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures; minor change
Analysis of N-ras mutations in human cutaneous melanoma: tumor heterogeneity detected by polymerase chain reaction/single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis
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Portal hypertension in acute liver failure
Twenty five patients with acute liver failure were measured for hepatic venous pressure gradient as an index of portal pressure during the course of a transjugular liver biopsy. Hepatic venous pressure gradient ranged from 4 to 24.5 mm Hg with a mean of 12.8 (5.3) mm Hg (normal values less than 5 mm Hg). All patients but one had increased portal pressure gradient. Portal hypertension correlated with the degree of architectural distortion of the liver, as suggested by a direct correlation between hepatic venous pressure gradient and the area of reticulin collapse, evaluated by means of a morphometric analysis on Sirius red stained liver slides (r = 0.43, p less than 0.05). Hepatic venous pressure gradient was significantly higher in patients with ascites (15.1 (5) mm Hg, n = 15) or renal failure (14.4 (5.3) mm Hg, n = 16) than in those without (9.3 (3.4) mm Hg and 10.1 (4) mm Hg, respectively; p less than 0.05). Portal hypertension was associated with systemic vasodilation and a hyperkinetic circulatory state, with decreased arterial pressure, and peripheral resistance and increased cardiac output
Effect of dutasteride on the risk of prostate cancer.
Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: We conducted a study to determine whether dutasteride reduces the risk of incident prostate cancer, as detected on biopsy, among men who are at increased risk for the disease. METHODS: In this 4-year, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, we compared dutasteride, at a dose of 0.5 mg daily, with placebo. Men were eligible for inclusion in the study if they were 50 to 75 years of age, had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 2.5 to 10.0 ng per milliliter, and had had one negative prostate biopsy (6 to 12 cores) within 6 months before enrollment. Subjects underwent a 10-core transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy at 2 and 4 years. RESULTS: Among 6729 men who underwent a biopsy or prostate surgery, cancer was detected in 659 of the 3305 men in the dutasteride group, as compared with 858 of the 3424 men in the placebo group, representing a relative risk reduction with dutasteride of 22.8% (95% confidence interval, 15.2 to 29.8) over the 4-year study period (P<0.001). Overall, in years 1 through 4, among the 6706 men who underwent a needle biopsy, there were 220 tumors with a Gleason score of 7 to 10 among 3299 men in the dutasteride group and 233 among 3407 men in the placebo group (P=0.81). During years 3 and 4, there were 12 tumors with a Gleason score of 8 to 10 in the dutasteride group, as compared with only 1 in the placebo group (P=0.003). Dutasteride therapy, as compared with placebo, resulted in a reduction in the rate of acute urinary retention (1.6% vs. 6.7%, a 77.3% relative reduction). The incidence of adverse events was similar to that in studies of dutasteride therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, except that in our study, as compared with previous studies, the relative incidence of the composite category of cardiac failure was higher in the dutasteride group than in the placebo group (0.7% [30 men] vs. 0.4% [16 men], P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Over the course of the 4-year study period, dutasteride reduced the risk of incident prostate cancer detected on biopsy and improved the outcomes related to benign prostatic hyperplasia. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00056407.