The integer quantum Hall (QH) effects characterized by topologically quantized and nondissipative transport are caused by an electrically insulating incompressible phase that prevents backscattering ...between chiral metallic channels. We probed the incompressible area susceptible to the breakdown of topological protection using a scanning-gate technique incorporating nonequilibrium transport. The obtained pattern revealed the filling-factor- (ν-) dependent evolution of the microscopic incompressible structures located along the edge and in the bulk region. We found that these specific structures, respectively, attributed to the incompressible edge strip and bulk localization, show good agreement in terms of ν-dependent evolution with a calculation of the equilibrium QH incompressible phases, indicating the robustness of the QH incompressible phases under the nonequilibrium condition. Further, we found that the ν dependency of the incompressible patterns is, in turn, destroyed by a large imposed current during the deep QH effect breakdown. These results demonstrate the ability of our method to image the microscopic transport properties of a topological two-dimensional system.
We report magnetization measurements of Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic microplates using micro-dc-SQUIDs. Sr2RuO4 is considered as a chiral p-wave superconductor and hence Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic becomes in an ...unstable state with a superconducting phase frustration between a chiral p-wave state of Sr2RuO4 and a s-wave state of Ru. To compensate the frustration, a single quantum vortex is spontaneously formed at the center of the Ru inclusion at sufficiently low temperatures. However, such a spontaneous vortex state has not been experimentally observed yet. In this study, we prepared a micro-dc-SQUID and a Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic microplate containing a single Ru-inclusion at the center of the microplate. We performed magnetization measurements down below the superconducting transition temperature of the Ru inclusion to investigate the spontaneous Ru-center vortex state.
Nanoparticle (NP) applications aiming to boost plant biomass production and enhance the nutritional quality of crops hae proven to be a valuable ally in enhancing agricultural output. They contribute ...to greater food accessibility for a growing and vulnerable population. These nanoscale particles are commonly used in agriculture as fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth promoters, seed treatments, opportune plant disease detection, monitoring soil and water quality, identification and detection of toxic agrochemicals, and soil and water remediation. In addition to the countless NP applications in food and agriculture, it is possible to highlight many others, such as medicine and electronics. However, it is crucial to emphasize the imperative need for thorough NP characterization beyond these applications. Therefore, analytical methods are proposed to determine NPs’ physicochemical properties, such as composition, crystal structure, size, shape, surface charge, morphology, and specific surface area, detaching the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) that allows the reliable elemental composition quantification mainly in metallic NPs. As a result, this review highlights studies involving NPs in agriculture and their consequential effects on plants, with a specific focus on analyses conducted through ICP-MS. Given the numerous applications of NPs in this field, it is essential to address their presence and increase in the environment and humans since biomagnification and biotransformation effects are studies that should be further developed. In light of this, the demand for rapid, innovative, and sensitive analytical methods for the characterization of NPs remains paramount.
High-temperature superconductor power applications are still expected to be the main players in reducing carbon footprints. In superconducting magnetic energy storage, increasing the stored energy ...also increases the electromagnetic force, which generally requires heavier support structure. In terms of the force applied to conductors, it causes the extra bending and/or torsional strain of the REBCO tapes. To minimize the applied stress and to reduce the amount of electromagnetic force support structures, a force-balanced coil (FBC) that has a helical-like structure has been proposed. In this type of magnets, the superconducting thin tape experiences complex strains that come from flatwise and edgewise bending and tensile stress before coil operation. It is necessary to assess the applied strain distribution on the YBCO layer to fabricate an FBC. A newly developed experimental device to apply various strains to the tape and evaluate the strain distributions is presented. The results show that localized large strain will degrade the overall superconducting property.
Endurance training and ingestion of green tea extract (GTE), composed mainly of tea catechins (TC), are well known to enhance fat metabolism. However, their synergistic effects remain to be fully ...elucidated. We tested the hypothesis that endurance training supplemented with GTE would further accelerate whole‐body fat utilization during exercise, compared with training alone, in humans. Twelve healthy male subjects peak oxygen consumption (), 50.7 ± 1.3 (SEM) mL/kg/min were divided into two groups: GTE and placebo (PLA) groups. Subjects in both groups performed a cycle ergometer exercise at 60% of for 60 min/day, 3 days/week, and daily ingested 572.8 or 0 mg TC in GTE and PLA groups for 10 weeks, respectively. Before and after training, respiratory gas exchange was measured during 90‐min exercise at pre‐training ∼55% of . After training, the average respiratory exchange ratio during exercise remained unchanged in the PLA group (post‐training: 0.834 ± 0.008 vs pre‐training: 0.841 ± 0.004), whereas it was lower in the GTE group (post‐training: 0.816 ± 0.006 vs pre‐training: 0.844 ± 0.005, P<0.05). These results suggest that habitual GTE ingestion, in combination with moderate‐intense exercise, was beneficial to increase the proportion of whole‐body fat utilization during exercise.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are indicated for various cancers and are the mainstay of cancer immunotherapy. They are often associated with ICI-related pneumonitis (CIP), however, hindering a ...favorable clinical course. Recently, non-oncology concomitant drugs have been reported to affect the efficacy and toxicity of ICIs; however, the association between these drugs and the risk for CIP is uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of baseline concomitant drugs on CIP incidence in ICI-treated advanced cancer patients.
This was a single-center retrospective study that included a cohort of 511 patients with advanced cancer (melanoma and non-small-cell lung, head and neck, genitourinary, and other types of cancer) treated with ICIs. Univariable analysis was conducted to identify baseline co-medications associated with CIP incidence. A propensity score matching analysis was used to adjust for potential CIP risk factors, and multivariable analysis was carried out to assess the impact of the identified co-medications on CIP risk.
Forty-seven (9.2%) patients developed CIP. In these patients, the organizing pneumonia pattern was the dominant radiological phenotype, and 42.6% had grade ≥3 CIP, including one patient with grade 5. Of the investigated baseline co-medications, the proportion of antiplatelet drugs (n = 50, 9.8%) was higher in patients with CIP (23.4% versus 8.4%). After propensity score matching, the CIP incidence was higher in patients with baseline antiplatelet drugs (22% versus 6%). Finally, baseline antiplatelet drug use was demonstrated to increase the risk for CIP incidence regardless of cancer type (hazard ratio, 3.46; 95% confidence interval 1.21-9.86).
An association between concomitant antiplatelet drug use at baseline and an increased risk for CIP was seen in our database. This implies the importance of assessing concomitant medications for CIP risk management.
•We studied the association between baseline drugs and CIP in ICI-treated advanced cancer patients with multiple cancer types.•Baseline antiplatelet drugs were associated with an increased risk for CIP incidence (HR, 3.46; 95% CI 1.21-9.86).•This study suggested the importance of evaluating concomitant drugs for CIP risk stratification in ICI therapy.
PDF
