Role of bound pairs in the optical properties of highly excited semiconductors: a self consistent ladder approximation approach

Presence of bound pairs (excitons) in a low-temperature electron-hole plasma is accounted for by including correlation between fermions at the ladder level. Using a simplified one-dimensional model with on-site Coulomb interaction, we calculate the one-particle self-energies, chemical potential, and optical response. The results are compared to those obtained in the Born approximation, which does not account for bound pairs. In the self-consistent ladder approximation the self-energy and spectral function show a characteristic correlation peak at the exciton energy for low temperature and density. In this regime the Born approximation overestimates the chemical potential. Provided the appropriate vertex correction in the interaction with the photon is included, both ladder and Born approximations reproduce the excitonic and free pair optical absorption at low density, and the disappearance of the exciton absorption peak at larger density. However, lineshapes and energy shifts with density of the absorption and photoluminescence peaks are drastically different. In particular, the photoluminescence emission peak is much more stable in the ladder approximation. At low temperature and density a sizeable optical gain is produced in both approximations just below the excitonic peak, however this gain shows unphysical features in the Born approximation. We conclude that at low density and temperature it is fundamental to take into account the existence of bound pairs in the electron-hole plasma for the calculation of its optical and thermodynamic properties. Other approximations that fail to do so are intrinsically unphysical in this regime, and for example are not suitable to address the problem of excitonic lasing.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure

Clinical and Molecular Assessment in a Female with Fragile X Syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and tuberous sclerosis (TSC) are genetic disorders that result in intellectual disability and an increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). While the clinical presentation of each disorder is distinct, the molecular causes are linked to a disruption in the mTORC1 (mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1) and ERK1/2 (Extracellular signal-Regulated Kinase) signaling pathways. We assessed the clinical and molecular characteristics of an individual seen at the UC Davis MIND Institute with a diagnosis of FXS and TSC. Clinical evaluation of physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments were performed. Additionally, total and phosphorylated proteins along the mTORC1 and ERK1/2 pathways were measured in primary fibroblast cell lines from the proband. In this case the phenotypic effects that result in a human with both FXS and TSC are shown to be severe. Changes in mTORC1 and ERK1/2 signaling proteins and global protein synthesis were not found to be noticeably different between four cohorts (typically developing, FMR1 full mutation, FMR1 full mutation and TSC1 loss of function mutation, and TSC1 loss of function mutation); however cohort sizes prevented stringent comparisons. It has previously been suggested that disruption of the mTORC1 pathway was reciprocal in TSC and FXS double knock-out mouse models so that the regulation of these pathways were more similar to wild-type mice compared to mice harboring a Fmr1(-/y) or Tsc2(-/+) mutation alone. However, in this first reported case of a human with a diagnosis of both FXS and TSC, substantial clinical impairments, as a result of these two disorders were observed. Differences in the mTORC and ERK1/2 pathways were not clearly established when compared between individuals with either disorder, or both

Relaxation bottleneck and its suppression in semiconductor microcavities

A polariton relaxation bottleneck is observed in angle-resolved measurements of photoluminescence emission from a semiconductor microcavity. For low power laser excitation, low k polariton states are found to have a very small population relative to those at high k. The bottleneck is found to be strongly suppressed at higher powers in the regime of superlinear emission of the lower polariton states. Evidence for the important role of carrier-carrier scattering in suppression of the bottleneck is presented

Identification and Rational Redesign of Peptide Ligands to CRIP1, A Novel Biomarker for Cancers

Cysteine-rich intestinal protein 1 (CRIP1) has been identified as a novel marker for early detection of cancers. Here we report on the use of phage display in combination with molecular modeling to identify a high-affinity ligand for CRIP1. Panning experiments using a circularized C7C phage library yielded several consensus sequences with modest binding affinities to purified CRIP1. Two sequence motifs, A1 and B5, having the highest affinities for CRIP1, were chosen for further study. With peptide structure information and the NMR structure of CRIP1, the higher-affinity A1 peptide was computationally redesigned, yielding a novel peptide, A1M, whose affinity was predicted to be much improved. Synthesis of the peptide and saturation and competitive binding studies demonstrated approximately a 10–28-fold improvement in the affinity of A1M compared to that of either A1 or B5 peptide. These techniques have broad application to the design of novel ligand peptides

Replacement of miR-155 elicits tumor suppressive activity and antagonizes bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been associated to the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM). While miR-155 is considered a therapeutic target in several malignancies, its role in MM is still unclear. The analysis of miR-155 expression indicates its down-regulation in MM patient-derived as compared to healthy plasma cells, thus pointing to a tumor suppressor role in this malignancy. On this finding, we investigated miR-155 replacement as a potential anti-tumor strategy in MM. The miR-155 enforced expression triggered anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in vitro. Given the lower miR-155 levels in bortezomib-resistant as compared to sensitive MM cells, we analyzed the possible involvement of miR-155 in bortezomib resistance. Importantly, miR-155 replacement enhanced bortezomib anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo in a xenograft model of human MM. In primary MM cells, we observed an inverse correlation between miR-155 and the mRNA encoding the proteasome subunit gene PSMβ5, whose dysregulation has been largely implicated in bortezomib resistance, and we validated PSMβ5 30UTR mRNA targeting, along with reduced proteasome activity, by miR-155. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that miR-155 elicits anti-MM activity, likely via proteasome inhibition, providing the framework for miR-155-based anti-MM therapeutic strategies

The ULK3 kinase is a determinant of keratinocyte self-renewal and tumorigenesis targeting the arginine methylome.

Epigenetic mechanisms oversee epidermal homeostasis and oncogenesis. The identification of kinases controlling these processes has direct therapeutic implications. We show that ULK3 is a nuclear kinase with elevated expression levels in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) arising in multiple body sites, including skin and Head/Neck. ULK3 loss by gene silencing or deletion reduces proliferation and clonogenicity of human keratinocytes and SCC-derived cells and affects transcription impinging on stem cell-related and metabolism programs. Mechanistically, ULK3 directly binds and regulates the activity of two histone arginine methyltransferases, PRMT1 and PRMT5 (PRMT1/5), with ULK3 loss compromising PRMT1/5 chromatin association to specific genes and overall methylation of histone H4, a shared target of these enzymes. These findings are of translational significance, as downmodulating ULK3 by RNA interference or locked antisense nucleic acids (LNAs) blunts the proliferation and tumorigenic potential of SCC cells and promotes differentiation in two orthotopic models of skin cancer

Effect of the Spatial Dispersion on the Shape of a Light Pulse in a Quantum Well

Reflectance, transmittance and absorbance of a symmetric light pulse, the carrying frequency of which is close to the frequency of interband transitions in a quantum well, are calculated. Energy levels of the quantum well are assumed discrete, and two closely located excited levels are taken into account. A wide quantum well (the width of which is comparable to the length of the light wave, corresponding to the pulse carrying frequency) is considered, and the dependance of the interband matrix element of the momentum operator on the light wave vector is taken into account. Refractive indices of barriers and quantum well are assumed equal each other. The problem is solved for an arbitrary ratio of radiative and nonradiative lifetimes of electronic excitations. It is shown that the spatial dispersion essentially affects the shapes of reflected and transmitted pulses. The largest changes occur when the radiative broadening is close to the difference of frequencies of interband transitions taken into account.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Continuous wave observation of massive polariton redistribution by stimulated scattering in semiconductor microcavities

A massive redistribution of the polariton occupancy to two specific wave vectors is observed under conditions of continuous wave excitation of a semiconductor microcavity. The “condensation” of the polaritons to the two specific states arises from stimulated scattering at final state occupancies of order unity. The stimulation phenomena, arising due to the bosonic character of the polariton quasiparticles, occur for conditions of resonant excitation of the lower polariton branch. High energy nonresonant excitation, as in most previous work, instead leads to conventional lasing in the vertical cavity structure

Radiotherapy prolongs the survival of advanced non-smallcell lung cancer patients undergone to an immune-modulating treatment with dose-fractioned cisplatin and metronomic etoposide and bevacizumab (mPEBev)

Radiotherapy (RT), together with a direct cytolytic effect on tumor tissue, also elicits systemic immunological events, which sometimes result in the regression of distant metastases (abscopal effect). We have shown the safety and anti-tumor activity of a novel metronomic chemotherapy (mCH) regimen with dose-fractioned cisplatin, oral etoposide and bevacizumab, a mAb against the vasculo-endothelial-growthfactor (mPEBev regimen), in metastatic non-small-cell-lung cancer (mNSCLC). This regimen, designed on the results of translational studies, showed immune-modulating effects that could trigger and empower the immunological effects associated with tumor irradiation. In order to assess this, we carried out a retrospective analysis in a subset of 69 consecutive patients who received the mPEBev regimen within the BEVA2007 trial. Forty-five of these patients, also received palliative RT of one or more metastatic sites. Statistical analysis (a Log-rank test) revealed a much longer median survival in the group of patients who received RT [mCH vs mCH + RT: 12.1 +/-2.5 (95%CI 3.35-8.6) vs 22.12 +/-4.3 (95%CI 11.9-26.087) months; P=0.015] with no difference in progression-free survival. In particular, their survival correlated with the mPEBev regimen ability to induce the percentage of activated dendritic cells (DCs) (CD3-CD11b+CD15-CD83+CD80+) [Fold to baseline value (FBV) 641 vs > 1: 4+/-5.389 (95%CI,0-14.56) vs 56+/-23.05 (95%CI,10.8-101.2) months; P:0.049)] and central-memory-T-cells (CD3+CD8+CD45RA-CCR7+) [FBV 641 vs > 1: 8+/-5.96 (95%CI,0-19.68) vs 31+/-12.3 (95%CI,6.94-55.1) months; P:0.045]

First-principle study of excitonic self-trapping in diamond

We present a first-principles study of excitonic self-trapping in diamond. Our calculation provides evidence for self-trapping of the 1s core exciton and gives a coherent interpretation of recent experimental X-ray absorption and emission data. Self-trapping does not occur in the case of a single valence exciton. We predict, however, that self-trapping should occur in the case of a valence biexciton. This process is accompanied by a large local relaxation of the lattice which could be observed experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, RevTex file, 3 Postscript figure