215 research outputs found
Polarons in semiconductor quantum-dots and their role in the quantum kinetics of carrier relaxation
While time-dependent perturbation theory shows inefficient carrier-phonon
scattering in semiconductor quantum dots, we demonstrate that a quantum kinetic
description of carrier-phonon interaction predicts fast carrier capture and
relaxation. The considered processes do not fulfill energy conservation in
terms of free-carrier energies because polar coupling of localized quantum-dot
states strongly modifies this picture.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.
Influence of carrier-carrier and carrier-phonon correlations on optical absorption and gain in quantum-dot systems
A microscopic theory is used to study the optical properties of semiconductor
quantum dots. The dephasing of a coherent excitation and line-shifts of the
interband transitions due to carrier-carrier Coulomb interaction and
carrier-phonon interaction are determined from a quantum kinetic treatment of
correlation processes. We investigate the density dependence of both mechanisms
and clarify the importance of various dephasing channels involving the
localized and delocalized states of the system.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Cytoskeleton-associated antigens from African trypanosomes are recognized by self-reactive antibodies of uninfected mice
Serum from uninfected mice of different strains, as well as from germ-free animals, contains antibodies which react specifically with at least two trypanosomal proteins, I/6 and MARP1. These antibody populations are highly specific for the respective proteins, are of similar affinity as hyperimmune antibodies, and consist of IgM as well as IgG isotypes. Hyperimmune antibody raised against the cross-reacting trypanosomal protein I/6 detects a 60 kDa protein in mouse 3T6 cells, which is a component of the fibroblast cytoskeleto
Spin-dependent thermoelectric transport in HgTe/CdTe quantum wells
We analyze thermally induced spin and charge transport in HgTe/CdTe quantum
wells on the basis of the numerical non-equilibrium Green's function technique
in the linear response regime. In the topologically non-trivial regime, we find
a clear signature of the gap of the edge states due to their finite overlap
from opposite sample boundaries -- both in the charge Seebeck and spin Nernst
signal. We are able to fully understand the physical origin of the
thermoelectric transport signatures of edge and bulk states based on simple
analytical models. Interestingly, we derive that the spin Nernst signal is
related to the spin Hall conductance by a Mott-like relation which is exact to
all orders in the temperature difference between the warm and the cold
reservoir.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, submitted to PR
The influence of temperature and grain boundary volume on the resistivity of nanocrystalline nickel
Electronic thermal transport in strongly correlated multilayered nanostructures
The formalism for a linear-response many-body treatment of the electronic
contributions to thermal transport is developed for multilayered
nanostructures. By properly determining the local heat-current operator, it is
possible to show that the Jonson-Mahan theorem for the bulk can be extended to
inhomogeneous problems, so the various thermal-transport coefficient integrands
are related by powers of frequency (including all effects of vertex corrections
when appropriate). We illustrate how to use this formalism by showing how it
applies to measurements of the Peltier effect, the Seebeck effect, and the
thermal conductance.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
The influence of temperature and grain boundary volume on the resistivity of nanocrystalline nickel
Serum total and bone alkaline phosphatase levels and their correlation with serum minerals over the lifespan of sheep
This study aimed to assess serum total alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and its
bone isoform (BALP) levels during the ageing and in different physiologic states
of sheep, in order to expand the knowledge about the variation of these biomarkers
over the sheep lifespan. Ninety female sheep were divided into nine
groups of various ages and physiological states (dry, lactation and pregnancy). Serum
ALP, BALP and mineral levels were determined by commercial immunoassay,
molecular absorbance spectrophotometry and chemical luminescence for
BALP determination. Serum ALP and BALP decreased as sheep aged, and no statistically
significant differences were obtained between ewes in different physiologic
states. The continuous decline of serum BALP concentration along the sheep
lifespan, namely in mature and old sheep, is a sign of decreasing bone turnover
associated with ageing. Serum calcium concentrations increased slightly until 2
years of age and then showed a tenuous but statistically significant decrease in
mature sheep, while serum phosphorus maintained an uninterrupted decrease as
sheep matured. The knowledge of serum values of bone biomarkers throughout
the sheep lifespan may be useful in preclinical orthopaedic research studies and
for animal science studies using sheep.Cristina P. Sousa acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for her PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/45018/2008
cAMP-Signalling Regulates Gametocyte-Infected Erythrocyte Deformability Required for Malaria Parasite Transmission.
Blocking Plasmodium falciparum transmission to mosquitoes has been designated a strategic objective in the global agenda of malaria elimination. Transmission is ensured by gametocyte-infected erythrocytes (GIE) that sequester in the bone marrow and at maturation are released into peripheral blood from where they are taken up during a mosquito blood meal. Release into the blood circulation is accompanied by an increase in GIE deformability that allows them to pass through the spleen. Here, we used a microsphere matrix to mimic splenic filtration and investigated the role of cAMP-signalling in regulating GIE deformability. We demonstrated that mature GIE deformability is dependent on reduced cAMP-signalling and on increased phosphodiesterase expression in stage V gametocytes, and that parasite cAMP-dependent kinase activity contributes to the stiffness of immature gametocytes. Importantly, pharmacological agents that raise cAMP levels in transmissible stage V gametocytes render them less deformable and hence less likely to circulate through the spleen. Therefore, phosphodiesterase inhibitors that raise cAMP levels in P. falciparum infected erythrocytes, such as sildenafil, represent new candidate drugs to block transmission of malaria parasites
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