492 research outputs found
Single Spin Measurement using Single Electron Transistors to Probe Two Electron Systems
We present a method for measuring single spins embedded in a solid by probing
two electron systems with a single electron transistor (SET). Restrictions
imposed by the Pauli Principle on allowed two electron states mean that the
spin state of such systems has a profound impact on the orbital states
(positions) of the electrons, a parameter which SET's are extremely well suited
to measure. We focus on a particular system capable of being fabricated with
current technology: a Te double donor in Si adjacent to a Si/SiO2 interface and
lying directly beneath the SET island electrode, and we outline a measurement
strategy capable of resolving single electron and nuclear spins in this system.
We discuss the limitations of the measurement imposed by spin scattering
arising from fluctuations emanating from the SET and from lattice phonons. We
conclude that measurement of single spins, a necessary requirement for several
proposed quantum computer architectures, is feasible in Si using this strategy.Comment: 22 Pages, 8 Figures; revised version contains updated references and
small textual changes. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Directly Imaging Rocky Planets from the Ground
Over the past three decades instruments on the ground and in space have
discovered thousands of planets outside the solar system. These observations
have given rise to an astonishingly detailed picture of the demographics of
short-period planets, but are incomplete at longer periods where both the
sensitivity of transit surveys and radial velocity signals plummet. Even more
glaring is that the spectra of planets discovered with these indirect methods
are either inaccessible (radial velocity detections) or only available for a
small subclass of transiting planets with thick, clear atmospheres. Direct
detection can be used to discover and characterize the atmospheres of planets
at intermediate and wide separations, including non-transiting exoplanets.
Today, a small number of exoplanets have been directly imaged, but they
represent only a rare class of young, self-luminous super-Jovian-mass objects
orbiting tens to hundreds of AU from their host stars. Atmospheric
characterization of planets in the <5 AU regime, where radial velocity (RV)
surveys have revealed an abundance of other worlds, is technically feasible
with 30-m class apertures in combination with an advanced AO system,
coronagraph, and suite of spectrometers and imagers. There is a vast range of
unexplored science accessible through astrometry, photometry, and spectroscopy
of rocky planets, ice giants, and gas giants. In this whitepaper we will focus
on one of the most ambitious science goals --- detecting for the first time
habitable-zone rocky (<1.6 R_Earth) exoplanets in reflected light around nearby
M-dwarfsComment: 8 pages, 1 figure, Astro2020 Science White Pape
Short-lived p-nuclides in the early solar system and implications on the nucleosynthetic role of X-ray binaries
The data available for short-lived -nuclides are used in an open nonlinear
model of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy in order to discuss the origin of
extinct radionuclides, the stellar sources of -nuclides, and the chronology
of solar system formation. It is concluded that the observed abundances of
Tc, Tc, Nb, and Sm in the early solar system are
consistent with nucleosynthesis in type II supernovae during continuous
chemical evolution of the Galaxy and a subsequent short isolation of the
presolar molecular cloud from fresh nucleosynthetic inputs. However, further
work on supernova models is needed before -radionuclides will comprise
reliable cosmochronometers. Despite these limitations, we argue that niobium-92
can be used to test whether the {\it rp}-process contributed to the synthesis
of light {\it p}-nuclides in the Mo-Ru region.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures. Proceedings of the Nuclear Physics in
Astrophysics Conference, Debrecen, Hungary, 2002, to appear in Nucl. Phys.
Genotyping-by-Sequencing and Ecological Niche Modeling Illuminate Phylogeography, Admixture, and Pleistocene Range Dynamics in Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides)
Populus tremuloides is the widestâranging tree species in North America and an ecologically important component of mesic forest ecosystems displaced by the Pleistocene glaciations. Using phylogeographic analyses of genomeâwide SNPs (34,796 SNPs, 183 individuals) and ecological niche modeling, we inferred population structure, ploidy levels, admixture, and Pleistocene range dynamics of P. tremuloides, and tested several historical biogeographical hypotheses. We found three genetic lineages located mainly in coastalâCascades (cluster 1), eastâslope CascadesâSierra NevadasâNorthern Rockies (cluster 2), and U.S. Rocky Mountains through southern Canadian (cluster 3) regions of the P. tremuloides range, with tree graph relationships of the form ((cluster 1, cluster 2), cluster 3). Populations consisted mainly of diploids (86%) but also small numbers of triploids (12%) and tetraploids (1%), and ploidy did not adversely affect our genetic inferences. The main vector of admixture was from cluster 3 into cluster 2, with the admixture zone trending northwest through the Rocky Mountains along a recognized phenotypic cline (Utah to Idaho). Clusters 1 and 2 provided strong support for the âstableâedge hypothesisâ that unglaciated southwestern populations persisted in situ since the last glaciation. By contrast, despite a lack of clinal genetic variation, cluster 3 exhibited âtrailingâedgeâ dynamics from niche suitability predictions signifying complete northward postglacial expansion. Results were also consistent with the âinland dispersal hypothesisâ predicting postglacial assembly of Pacific Northwestern forest ecosystems, but rejected the hypothesis that Pacificâcoastal populations were colonized during outburst flooding from glacial Lake Missoula. Overall, congruent patterns between our phylogeographic and ecological niche modeling results and fossil pollen data demonstrate complex mixtures of stableâedge, refugial locations, and postglacial expansion within P. tremuloides. These findings confirm and refine previous genetic studies, while strongly supporting a distinct Pacificâcoastal genetic lineage of quaking aspen
Early experience of COVID-19 vaccination in adults with systemic rheumatic diseases: results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Vaccine Survey.
Background: We describe the early experiences of adults with systemic rheumatic disease who received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Methods: From 2 April to 30 April 2021, we conducted an online, international survey of adults with systemic rheumatic disease who received COVID-19 vaccination. We collected patient-reported data on clinician communication, beliefs and intent about discontinuing disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) around the time of vaccination, and patient-reported adverse events after vaccination.
Results: We analysed 2860 adults with systemic rheumatic diseases who received COVID-19 vaccination (mean age 55.3 years, 86.7% female, 86.3% white). Types of COVID-19 vaccines were Pfizer-BioNTech (53.2%), Oxford/AstraZeneca (22.6%), Moderna (21.3%), Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (1.7%) and others (1.2%). The most common rheumatic disease was rheumatoid arthritis (42.3%), and 81.2% of respondents were on a DMARD. The majority (81.9%) reported communicating with clinicians about vaccination. Most (66.9%) were willing to temporarily discontinue DMARDs to improve vaccine efficacy, although many (44.3%) were concerned about rheumatic disease flares. After vaccination, the most reported patient-reported adverse events were fatigue/somnolence (33.4%), headache (27.7%), muscle/joint pains (22.8%) and fever/chills (19.9%). Rheumatic disease flares that required medication changes occurred in 4.6%.
Conclusion: Among adults with systemic rheumatic disease who received COVID-19 vaccination, patient-reported adverse events were typical of those reported in the general population. Most patients were willing to temporarily discontinue DMARDs to improve vaccine efficacy. The relatively low frequency of rheumatic disease flare requiring medications was reassuring
Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial
Background
Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy
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