Hyperbolic exciton polaritons in a van der Waals magnet.

Exciton polaritons are quasiparticles of photons coupled strongly to bound electron-hole pairs, manifesting as an anti-crossing light dispersion near an exciton resonance. Highly anisotropic semiconductors with opposite-signed permittivities along different crystal axes are predicted to host exotic modes inside the anti-crossing called hyperbolic exciton polaritons (HEPs), which confine light subdiffractionally with enhanced density of states. Here, we show observational evidence of steady-state HEPs in the van der Waals magnet chromium sulfide bromide (CrSBr) using a cryogenic near-infrared near-field microscope.

A theory for colors of strongly correlated electronic systems.

Many strongly correlated transition metal insulators are colored, even though they have band gaps much larger than the highest energy photons from the visible light. An adequate explanation for the color requires a theoretical approach able to compute subgap excitons in periodic crystals, reliably and without free parameters-a formidable challenge. The literature often fails to disentangle two important factors: what makes excitons form and what makes them optically bright.

Strongly Correlated Exciton-Magnetization System for Optical Spin Pumping in CrBr and CrI .

Ferromagnetism in van der Waals systems, preserved down to a monolayer limit, attracted attention to a class of materials with general composition CrX (X=I, Br, and Cl), which are treated now as canonical 2D ferromagnets. Their diverse magnetic properties, such as different easy axes or varying and controllable character of in-plane or interlayer ferromagnetic coupling, make them promising candidates for spintronic, photonic, optoelectronic, and other applications. Still, significantly different magneto-optical properties between the three materials have been presenting a challenging puzzle for researchers over the last few years.

Ultrafast Carrier and Lattice Dynamics in Plasmonic Nanocrystalline Copper Sulfide Films.

Excited carrier dynamics in plasmonic nanostructures determines many important optical properties such as nonlinear optical response and photocatalytic activity. Here it is shown that mesoscopic plasmonic covellite nanocrystals with low free-carrier concentration exhibit a much faster carrier relaxation than in traditional plasmonic materials. A nonequilibrium hot-carrier population thermalizes within first 20 fs after photoexcitation.

Controlling T_{c} through Band Structure and Correlation Engineering in Collapsed and Uncollapsed Phases of Iron Arsenides.

Recent observations of selective emergence (suppression) of superconductivity in the uncollapsed (collapsed) tetragonal phase of LaFe_{2}As_{2} has rekindled interest in understanding what features of the band structure control the superconducting T_{c}. We show that the proximity of the narrow Fe-d_{xy} state to the Fermi energy emerges as the primary factor. In the uncollapsed phase this state is at the Fermi energy, and is most strongly correlated and a source of enhanced scattering in both single and two particle channels.

Electron-phonon-driven three-dimensional metallicity in an insulating cuprate.

The role of the crystal lattice for the electronic properties of cuprates and other high-temperature superconductors remains controversial despite decades of theoretical and experimental efforts. While the paradigm of strong electronic correlations suggests a purely electronic mechanism behind the insulator-to-metal transition, recently the mutual enhancement of the electron-electron and the electron-phonon interaction and its relevance to the formation of the ordered phases have also been emphasized. Here, we combine polarization-resolved ultrafast optical spectroscopy and state-of-the-art dynamical mean-field theory to show the importance of the crystal lattice in the breakdown of the correlated insulating state in an archetypal undoped cuprate.

Anisotropic Plasmonic CuS Nanocrystals as a Natural Electronic Material with Hyperbolic Optical Dispersion.

Copper sulfide nanocrystals have recently been studied due to their metal-like behavior and strong plasmonic response, which make them an attractive material for nanophotonic applications in the near-infrared spectral range; however, the nature of the plasmonic response remains unclear. We have performed a combined experimental and theoretical study of the optical properties of copper sulfide colloidal nanocrystals and show that bulk CuS resembles a heavily doped p-type semiconductor with a very anisotropic energy band structure. As a consequence, CuS nanoparticles possess key properties of relevance to nanophotonics applications: they exhibit anisotropic plasmonic behavior in the infrared and support optical modes with hyperbolic dispersion in the 670-1050 nm spectral range.

New insights into sinusoidal obstruction syndrome.

Background: Entry criteria included patients who developed sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) at a single centre from January 2000 to December 2011. Patients who underwent haemopoietic stem cell transplantation or actinomicyn-based chemotherapy for nephroblastoma were selected. The study group comprised five patients with SOS who were compared with a control group of seven patients without SOS.

Observational retrospective study of vascular modulator changes during treatment in essential thrombocythemia.

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients are at risk of developing thrombotic events. Qualitative platelet (PLT) abnormalities and activation of endothelial cells (ECs) and PLTs are thought to be involved. Microparticles (MPs) can originate from PLTs (PMPs), ECs (EMPs), or red cells (RMPs).

Theory of Spin Loss at Metallic Interfaces.

Interfacial spin-flip scattering plays an important role in magnetoelectronic devices. Spin loss at metallic interfaces is usually quantified by matching the magnetoresistance data for multilayers to the Valet-Fert model, while treating each interface as a fictitious bulk layer whose thickness is δ times the spin-diffusion length. By employing the properly generalized circuit theory and the scattering matrix approaches, we derive the relation of the parameter δ to the spin-flip transmission and reflection probabilities at an individual interface.

The Effect of Rosuvastatin on Markers of Immune Activation in Treatment-Naive Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Patients.

Background.  Immune activation has been implicated in the excess mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, due to cardiovascular diseases and malignancies. Statins may modulate this immune activation.

Experimental and theoretical optical properties of methylammonium lead halide perovskites.

The optical constants of methylammonium lead halide single crystals CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) are interpreted with high level ab initio calculations using the relativistic quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation (QSGW). Good agreement between the optical constants derived from QSGW and those obtained from spectroscopic ellipsometry enables the assignment of the spectral features to their respective inter-band transitions. We show that the transition from the highest valence band (VB) to the lowest conduction band (CB) is responsible for almost all the optical response of MAPbI3 between 1.

Atomistic origins of high-performance in hybrid halide perovskite solar cells.

The performance of organometallic perovskite solar cells has rapidly surpassed that of both conventional dye-sensitized and organic photovoltaics. High-power conversion efficiency can be realized in both mesoporous and thin-film device architectures. We address the origin of this success in the context of the materials chemistry and physics of the bulk perovskite as described by electronic structure calculations.

Platelet- and erythrocyte-derived microparticles trigger thrombin generation via factor XIIa.

Background: The procoagulant properties of microparticles (MPs) are due to the of the presence of phosphatidylserine (PS) and tissue factor (TF) on their surface. The latter has been demonstrated especially on MPs derived from monocytes.

Objectives: To investigate the relative contribution of TF and factor (F)XII in initiating coagulation on MPs derived from monocytes, platelets and erythrocytes.

Chronic renal failure is accompanied by endothelial activation and a large increase in microparticle numbers with reduced procoagulant capacity.

Background: In patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of increased morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized a role for endothelial activation and microparticle (MP) numbers and procoagulant activity in the pre-thrombotic state of these patients.

Methods: We analysed blood samples of 27 patients with CRF [8 chronic kidney disease Stage 4 (CKD4), 9 peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 10 haemodialysis (HD), samples taken before and after HD] and 10 controls.

Elevated numbers and altered subsets of procoagulant microparticles in breast cancer patients using endocrine therapy.

Introduction: Microparticles (MP) can be elevated in cancer and thromboembolic disease. We hypothesized a role for MP in the hypercoagulable state in breast cancer patients using endocrine therapy, in whom both cancer and the use of endocrine therapy are independent risk factors for the development of thrombosis.

Design And Methods: Plasma samples were collected from 40 breast cancer patients using endocrine therapy (20 patients without metastases receiving adjuvant therapy and 20 patients with metastatic disease treated in a palliative setting) and from 20 female healthy controls.

On the Chemical Origin of the Gap Bowing in (GaAs)(1-x)Ge(2x) Alloys: A Combined DFT-QSGW Study.

Motivated by the research and analysis of new materials for photovoltaics and by the possibility of tailoring their optical properties for improved solar energy conversion, we have focused our attention on the (GaAs)(1-x)Ge(2x) series of alloys. We have investigated the structural properties of some (GaAs)(1-x)Ge(2x) compounds within the local-density approximation to density-functional theory, and their optical properties within the Quasiparticle Self-consistent GW approximation. The QSGW results confirm the experimental evidence of asymmetric bandgap bowing.

Discovery of a novel linear-in-k spin splitting for holes in the 2D GaAs/AlAs system.

The spin-orbit interaction generally leads to spin splitting (SS) of electron and hole energy states in solids, a splitting that is characterized by a scaling with the wave vector k. Whereas for 3D bulk zinc blende solids the electron (heavy-hole) SS exhibits a cubic (linear) scaling with k, in 2D quantum wells, the electron (heavy-hole) SS is currently believed to have a mostly linear (cubic) scaling. Such expectations are based on using a small 3D envelope function basis set to describe 2D physics.

Hemostasis during low molecular weight heparin anticoagulation for continuous venovenous hemofiltration: a randomized cross-over trial comparing two hemofiltration rates.

Introduction: Renal insufficiency increases the half-life of low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs). Whether continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) removes LMWHs is unsettled. We studied hemostasis during nadroparin anticoagulation for CVVH, and explored the implication of the endogenous thrombin potential (ETP).

Elevated procoagulant microparticles expressing endothelial and platelet markers in essential thrombocythemia.

Background: Most cell types, including blood--and vascular cells, produce microparticles upon activation. Since cellular microparticles are known to be elevated in thromboembolic diseases, we hypothesized a role for microparticles in the pathogenesis of thrombosis in essential thrombocythemia.

Design And Methods: In plasma samples from 21 patients with essential thrombocythemia and ten healthy subjects, the levels and the cellular origin of microparticles were determined by flowcytometric analysis, while the microparticle-associated procoagulant activity was measured using a thrombin generation assay.