Ferromagnetic Phase in Nonequilibrium Quantum Dots.

By nonperturbatively solving the nonequilibrium Anderson two-impurity model with the hierarchical equations of motion approach, we report a robust ferromagnetic (FM) phase in series-coupled double quantum dots, which can suppress the antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase and dominate the phase diagram at finite bias and detuning energy in the strongly correlated limit. The FM exchange interaction origins from the passive parallel spin arrangement caused by the Pauli exclusion principle during the electrons transport. At very low temperature, the Kondo screening of the magnetic moment in the FM phase induces some nonequilibrium Kondo effects in magnetic susceptibility, spectral functions and current.

Manipulation of Pauli spin blockade in double quantum dot systems.

Pauli spin blockade (PSB) is a significant physical effect in double quantum dot (DQD) systems. In this paper, we start from the fundamental quantum model of the DQD with the electron-electron interaction being considered and then systematically study the PSB effect in DQD by using a recently developed nonperturbative method, the hierarchical equations of motion approach. By checking the current-voltage and nonequilibrium spectral function features, the physical picture of the PSB is explicitly elucidated.

Many-body Tunneling and Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Doublons in Strongly Correlated Quantum Dots.

Quantum tunneling dominates coherent transport at low temperatures in many systems of great interest. In this work we report a many-body tunneling (MBT), by nonperturbatively solving the Anderson multi-impurity model, and identify it a fundamental tunneling process on top of the well-acknowledged sequential tunneling and cotunneling. We show that the MBT involves the dynamics of doublons in strongly correlated systems.

Intrinsic valley polarization of magnetic VSe monolayers.

Intrinsic valley polarization can be obtained in VSe monolayers with broken inversion symmetry and time reversal symmetry. First-principles investigations reveal that the magnitude of the valley splitting in magnetic VSe induced by spin-orbit coupling reaches as high as 78.2 meV and can be linearly tuned by biaxial strain.

Intra- and interspecific competition between western flower thrips and sweetpotato whitefly.

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), are both invasive insect pests and are present in most of the same agricultural crops without a clear dominance of either species. Here, intra- and interspecific competition in B. tabaci and F.

Synergistic inhibition of breast cancer by co-delivery of VEGF siRNA and paclitaxel via vapreotide-modified core-shell nanoparticles.

A somatostatin analog, vapreotide (VAP), can be used as a ligand for targeting drug delivery based on its high affinity to somatostatin receptors (SSTRs), which is overexpressed in many tumor cells. RNA interference plays an important role on downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is important for tumor growth, progression and metastasis. To improve tumor therapy efficacy, the vapreotide-modified core-shell type nanoparticles co-encapsulating VEGF targeted siRNA (siVEGF) and paclitaxel (PTX), termed as VAP-PLPC/siRNA NPs, were developed in this study.

Self-assembly cationic nanoparticles based on cholesterol-grafted bioreducible poly(amidoamine) for siRNA delivery.

In this study, a series of bioreducible poly(amidoamine)s grafting different percentages of cholesterol (rPAA-Ch14: 14%, rPAA-Ch29: 29%, rPAA-Ch57: 57% and rPAA-Ch87: 87%) was synthesized and used for siRNA delivery. These amphiphilic polymers were able to self-assemble into cationic nanoparticles in aqueous solution at low concentrations. The nanoparticle formation was evidenced via cryo-transmission electron microscope (Cryo-TEM) and dynamic light scattering analysis.

Self-assembly nanomicelles based on cationic mPEG-PLA-b-Polyarginine(R15) triblock copolymer for siRNA delivery.

Due to the absence of safe and effective carriers for in vivo delivery, the applications of small interference RNA (siRNA) in clinic for therapeutic purposes have been limited. In this study, a biodegradable amphiphilic tri-block copolymer (mPEG(2000)-PLA(3000)-b-R(15)) composed of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol), poly(d,l-lactide) and polyarginine was synthesized and further self-assembled to cationic polymeric nanomicelles for in vivo siRNA delivery, with an average diameter of 54.30 ± 3.