Type-II quantum spin Hall effect in two-dimensional metals.

The quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect has been observed in topological insulators and long quantum wells using spin-orbit coupling as the probe, but it has not yet been observed in a metal. An experiment is proposed to measure the different Type-II QSH effect of an electron or hole in a two-dimensional (2D) metal by using the previously unexplored but relativistically gauge-invariant form of the generated 2D QSH Hamiltonian. Instead of using the electric field in the surface of the spin-polarized bands of a topological insulator or across the quantum well width as the probe, ones uses an applied azimuthal vector potential and an applied radial electric field as the tools to generate a spontaneously quantized spin current in an otherwise spin unpolarized 2D metal. A long cylindrical solenoid lies normally through the inner radius of a 2D metallic Corbino disk. The currentISsurrounding the solenoid produces an azimuthal magnetic vector potential but no magnetic field in the disk. In addition, a radial electric field is generated across the disk by imposing either a potential differenceΔvor a radial charge currentIacross its inner and outer radii. Combined changes inISand in eitherΔvorIgenerate spontaneously quantized azimuthal charge and spin currents. The experiment is designed to measure these quantized azimuthal charge and spin currents in the disk consistently. The quantum Hamiltonians for both experiments are solved exactly. A method to control the Joule heating is presented, which could potentially allow the Type-II QSH measurements to be made at room temperature.

Angular dependence of the upper critical induction of cleans- anddx2-y2-wave superconductors with self-consistent ellipsoidal effective mass and Zeeman anisotropies.

We employ the Schrödinger-Dirac method generalized to an ellipsoidal effective mass anisotropy in order to treat the spin and orbital effective mass anisotropies self consistently, which is important when Pauli-limiting effects on the upper critical field characteristic of singlet superconductivity are present. By employing the Klemm-Clem transformations to map the equations of motion into isotropic form, we then calculate the upper critical magnetic inductionBc2(θ,ϕ,T)at arbitrary directions and temperaturesTfor isotropics-wave and for anisotropicdx2-y2-wave superconducting order parameters. As for anisotropics-wave superconductors,Bc2is largest in the direction of the lowest effective mass, and is proportional to the universal orientation factorα(θ,ϕ). However, fordx2-y2-wave pairing and vanishing planar effective mass anisotropy,Bc2(π/2,ϕ,T)exhibits a four-fold azimuthal pattern withC4symmetry the maxima of which are along the crystal axes just below the transition temperatureTc, but these maxima are rotated byπ/4about thezaxis asTis lowered to 0. However fordx2-y2-wave pairing with weak planar effective mass anisotropy,Bc2(π/2,ϕ,T)exhibits a two-fold pattern withC2symmetry for allT ⩽ Tc, which also rotates byπ/4about thezaxis asTis lowered to 0. These low planar effective mass anisotropy cases provide a new method to distinguishs-wave anddx2-y2-wave pairing symmetries in clean unconventional superconductors.

Sensing gastric cancer via point-of-care sensor breath analyzer.

BACKGROUND: Detection of disease by means of volatile organic compounds from breath samples using sensors is an attractive approach to fast, noninvasive and inexpensive diagnostics. However, these techniques are still limited to applications within the laboratory settings. Here, we report on the development and use of a fast, portable, and IoT-connected point-of-care device (so-called, SniffPhone) to detect and classify gastric cancer to potentially provide new qualitative solutions for cancer screening. METHODS: A validation study of patients with gastric cancer, patients with high-risk precancerous gastric lesions, and controls was conducted with 2 SniffPhone devices. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used as a classifying model of the sensing signals obatined from the examined groups. For the testing step, an additional device was added. The study group included 274 patients: 94 with gastric cancer, 67 who were in the high-risk group, and 113 controls. RESULTS: The results of the test set showed a clear discrimination between patients with gastric cancer and controls using the 2-device LDA model (area under the curve, 93.8%; sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 87.5%; overall accuracy, 91.1%), and acceptable results were also achieved for patients with high-risk lesions (the corresponding values for dysplasia were 84.9%, 45.2%, 87.5%, and 65.9%, respectively). The test-phase analysis showed lower accuracies, though still clinically useful. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that a portable breath sensor device could be useful in point-of-care settings. It shows a promise for detection of gastric cancer as well as for other types of disease. LAY SUMMARY: A portable sensor-based breath analyzer for detection of gastric cancer can be used in point-of-care settings. The results are transferrable between devices via advanced IoT technology. Both the hardware and software of the reported breath analyzer could be easily modified to enable detection and monitirng of other disease states.

The Zeeman, spin-orbit, and quantum spin Hall interactions in anisotropic and low-dimensional conductors.

To construct a microscopic theory of electrons and holes in anisotropic conductors that self-consistently treats their band effective mass anisotropy with their interactions with applied electric and magnetic fields, the Dirac equation is extended for an electron or hole in an orthorhombically-anisotropic conduction band. Its covariance is established both by a modified version of the Klemm-Clem transformations to a space in which it is isotropic, and also in its fully anisotropic form by making the most general proper and improper Lorentz transformations, proving its validity in both the relativistic and non-relativistic limits. The appropriate Foldy-Wouthuysen transformations are extended to expand about the non-relativistic Hamiltonian limit to fourth order in the inverse of the particle's Einstein rest energy. The results have important consequences for magnetic measurements of many classes of clean anisotropic semiconductors, metals, and superconductors. In all of these cases, the Zeeman interaction is found to depend strongly upon the effective mass anisotropy. When an electron or hole is traveling in an atomically thin one-dimensional conduction band, its Zeeman, spin-orbit, and quantum spin Hall interactions are vanishingly small. Accurate expressions for the Zeeman, spin-orbit and quantum spin Hall interactions for two-dimensional conductors are provided.

Cavity mode enhancement of terahertz emission from equilateral triangular microstrip antennas of the high-T c superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 + δ.

We study the transverse magnetic (TM) electromagnetic cavity mode wave functions for an ideal equilateral triangular microstrip antenna (MSA) exhibiting C 3v point group symmetry. When the C 3v operations are imposed upon the antenna, the TM(m,n) modes with wave vectors [Formula: see text] are much less dense than commonly thought. The R 3 operations restrict the integral n and m to satisfy [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for the modes even and odd under reflections about the three mirror planes, respectively. We calculate the forms of representative wave functions and the angular dependence of the output power when these modes are excited by the uniform and non-uniform ac Josephson current sources in thin, ideally equilateral triangular MSAs employing the intrinsic Josephson junctions in the high transition temperature T c superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2 [Formula: see text], and fit the emissions data from an earlier sample for which the C 3v symmetry was apparently broken.

Applications using high-Tc superconducting terahertz emitters.

Using recently-developed THz emitters constructed from single crystals of the high-Tc superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ, we performed three prototype tests of the devices to demonstrate their unique characteristic properties for various practical applications. The first is a compact and simple transmission type of THz imaging system using a Stirling cryocooler. The second is a high-resolution Michelson interferometer used as a phase-sensitive reflection-type imaging system. The third is a system with precise temperature control to measure the liquid absorption coefficient. The detailed characteristics of these systems are discussed.

Microscopic model of the Knight shift in anisotropic and correlated metals.

We present a microscopic model of nuclear magnetic resonance in metals. The spin-1/2 local nucleus and its surrounding orbital electrons interact with the arbitrary constant B(0) and perpendicular time-oscillatory magnetic inductions B1(t) and with each other via an anisotropic hyperfine interaction. An Anderson-like Hamiltonian describes the excitations of the relevant occupied local orbital electrons into the conduction bands, each band described by an anisotropic effective mass with corresponding Landau orbits and an anisotropic spin g tensor. Local orbital electron correlation effects are included using the mean-field decoupling procedure of Lacroix. The Knight resonance frequency and corresponding linewidth shifts are evaluated to leading orders in the hyperfine and Anderson excitation interactions. While respectively proportional to (B1/B0)2 and a constant for weak B(0) >> B1, both highly anisotropic shifts depend strongly upon B(0) when a Landau level is near the Fermi energy. Electron correlations affect the anisotropy of the linewidth shift. The model is easily generalizable to arbitrary nuclear spin I.

Care plans reduce ED visits in those with drug-seeking behavior.

UNLABELLED: Patients with drug-seeking behavior can be both labor and resource intensive to the emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of ED care plans for individuals at high risk for drug-seeking behavior on ED visits. METHODS: A retrospective, cohort observational study. LOCATION: A suburban teaching hospital with an annual census of 80,000 patients. The number of ED visits was determined 1 year before and 2 subsequent years following care plan initiation. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Unclaimed letter, incomplete data, and/or non-drug-seeking care plan. STATISTICS: Two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test with significance of P < .05. RESULTS: Sixty patients were enrolled and 7 were excluded, leaving 53 patients for analysis. Mean annual visits before care plan initiation were 7.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3-9.1). One year following implementation, mean visits decreased to 2.3 (95% CI, 1.5-3.1) (P ≤ .0001). Two years following implementation, mean visits continued to decline to 1.5 (95% CI, 0.9-2.1) (P ≤ .0001). A significant reduction in visits occurred 1 and 2 years following care plan implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency department care plans are an effective method to reduce ED visits in those with drug-seeking behavior.

Bleed-to-read disposable microsystems for the genetic and serological analysis of celiac disease markers with amperometric detection.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder induced by ingestion of gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. Its diagnostics is more accurate using a combination of immunologic and genetic tests to detect of high levels of certain auto-antibodies and the presence human leukocyte antigen HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 genetic markers. In this work, we report the design and testing of automated microsystems combining sample treatment, storage, fluidic transport, and detection in a single platform able to carry out genetic or serologic analysis for detection of celiac disease markers. These microsystems share a common footprint and many fluidic features and are thus able to perform a complete assay. The microsystem for the genetic assay extracts and amplifies the DNA prior to detection, while the serology microsystem contains a filter and chamber for the generation and subsequent dilution of plasma. The performance of both platforms is demonstrated and compared with reference methods with an excellent correlation, which makes the developed platform amenable for clinical studies.

Broadly tunable subterahertz emission from internal branches of the current-voltage characteristics of superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+δ) single crystals.

Continuous, coherent subterahertz radiation arises when a dc voltage is applied across a stack of the many intrinsic Josephson junctions in a Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(8+δ) single crystal. The active junctions produce an equal number of I-V characteristic branches. Each branch radiates at a slightly tunable frequency obeying the Josephson relation. The overall output is broadly tunable and nearly independent of heating effects and internal cavity frequencies. Amplification by a surrounding external cavity to allow for the development of a useful high-power source is proposed.

Cavity mode waves during terahertz radiation from rectangular Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8 + δ) mesas.

We re-examined the angular dependence of the radiation from the intrinsic Josephson junctions in rectangular mesas of Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8 + δ), in order to determine if the cavity mode part of the radiation arises from waves across the width w or along the length l of the mesas, associated with 'hot spots' (Wang et al 2010 Phys. Rev. Lett. 105 057002). We derived analytical forms for the angular dependence expected in both cases for a general cavity mode in which the width of the mesa corresponds to an integer multiple of one-half the wavelength of the radiation. Assuming the coherent radiation from the ac Josephson current source and the cavity magnetic surface current density source combine incoherently, fits to the data of Kadowaki et al (2010 J. Phys. Soc. Japan 79 023703) on a mesa with mean l/ω = 5.17 for both wave directions using two models for the incoherent combination were made, which correspond to standing and traveling waves, respectively. The results suggest that the combined output from the uniform ac Josephson current source plus a cavity wave forming along the rectangle length is equally probable as that of the combined output from the uniform ac Josephson current plus a cavity wave across the width. However, for mesas in which nl/2ω is integral, where n is the index of the rectangular TM(z)(n, 0) mode, it is shown that standing cavity mode waves along the length of the mesa do not radiate in the xz plane perpendicular to the length of the mesa, suggesting experiments on such mesas could help to resolve the question.

Integrated microfluidic platform for the electrochemical detection of breast cancer markers in patient serum samples.

A microsystem integrating electrochemical detection for the simultaneous detection of protein markers of breast cancer is reported. The microfluidic platform was realized by high precision milling of polycarbonate sheets and features two well distinguishable sections: a detection zone incorporating the electrode arrays and the fluid storage part. The detection area is divided into separate microfluidic chambers addressing selected electrodes for the measurement of samples and calibrators. The fluidic storage part of the platform consists of five reservoirs to store the reagents and sample, which are interfaced by septa. These reservoirs have the appropriate volume to run a single assay per cartridge and are manually filled. The liquids from the reservoirs are actuated by applying a positive air pressure (i.e.via a programmable syringe pump) through the septa and are driven to the detection zone via two turning valves. The application of the realised platform in the individual and simultaneous electrochemical detection of proteic cancer markers with very low detection limits are demonstrated. The microsystem has also been validated using real patient serum samples and excellent correlation with ELISA results obtained.

Geometrical resonance conditions for THz radiation from the intrinsic Josephson junctions in Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+δ).

Subterahertz radiation emitted from a variety of short rectangular-, square-, and disk-shaped mesas of intrinsic Josephson junctions fabricated from a Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+δ) single crystal was studied from the observed I-V characteristics, far-infrared spectra, and spatial radiation patterns. In all cases, the radiation frequency satisfies the conditions both for the ac Josephson effect and for a mesa cavity resonance mode. The integer higher harmonics observed in all spectra imply that the ac Josephson effect plays the dominant role in the novel dual-source radiation mechanism.

Output from a Josephson stimulated terahertz amplified radiation emitter.

The angular dependence of the radiation-zone output power and electric polarization of stimulated terahertz amplified radiation (STAR) emitted from a dc voltage applied across cylindrical and rectangular stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions is calculated. The boundary conditions are obtained from Love's equivalence principles. During coherent emission, a spatially uniform ac Josephson current density in the stack acts as a surface electric current density antenna source, leading to a harmonic radiation frequency spectrum, as in experiment, but absent in all cavity models of cylindrical mesas. Spatial fluctuations of the ac Josephson current allow its fundamental mode to lock onto the lowest finite energy cylindrical cavity mode, causing it to resonate, leading to a non-uniform magnetic surface current density radiation source, and a non-trivial combined fundamental frequency output power with linear polarization for general radiation directions, which may be fully or partially coherent. The higher ac Josephson harmonics do not excite other cylindrical cavity modes. For rectangular mesas, the lowest energy modes are empirically not excited, but the non-uniform ac Josephson current can excite the harmonic sequence of modes with spatial variation across the rectangular widths, leading to combined radiation outputs both for the fundamental and the higher harmonics, which combinations also may be either fully or partially coherent. The superconducting substrate is modeled as a perfect magnetic conductor, greatly reducing the STAR emitter power and modifying its angular dependence, especially parallel to the substrate. Based upon this substrate model, existing Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8 + δ) crystals atop perfect electric conductors could have STAR emitter power in excess of 5 mW, acceptable for many device applications.