Quantum vacuum magnetic birefringence

From a series of M?ssbauer measurements performed on a single crystal of FePSe₃, we have observed the effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a second nuclear system, after a first experiment using the mineral siderite FeCO₃. When the condition of nuclear level crossing was fulfilled, an obvious deficit in absorption was observed at the point of level crossing. This reduced absorption cannot be ascribed to saturation effects because of the specific geometry of the measurement. We conclude that the observed deficit in absorption is due to coherence and interference effects.     

Electronic correlations in oligo-acene and -thiopene organic molecular crystals

From first-principles calculations we determine the Coulomb interaction between two holes on oligo-acene and -thiophene molecules in a crystal, as a function of the oligomer length. The electronic polarization of the molecules that surround the charged oligomer reduces the bare Coulomb repulsion between the holes by approximately a factor of 2. The effects of relaxing the molecular geometry in the presence of holes is found to be significantly smaller. In all cases the effective hole-hole repulsion is much larger than the valence bandwidth, which implies that at high doping levels the properties of these organic semiconductors are determined by electron-electron correlations.     

Modulation-frequency encoded multi-color fluorescent DNA analysis in an optofluidic chip

We introduce a principle of parallel optical processing to an optofluidic lab-on-a-chip. During electrophoretic separation, the ultra-low limit of detection achieved with our set-up allows us to record fluorescence from covalently end-labeled DNA molecules. Different sets of exclusively color-labeled DNA fragments-otherwise rendered indistinguishable by spatio-temporal coincidence-are traced back to their origin by modulation-frequency-encoded multi-wavelength laser excitation, fluorescence detection with a single ultrasensitive, albeit color-blind photomultiplier, and Fourier analysis decoding. As a proof of principle, fragments obtained by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification from independent human genomic segments, associated with genetic predispositions to breast cancer and anemia, are simultaneously analyzed.     

Jamming, yielding, and rheology of weakly vibrated granular media

We establish that the rheological curve of dry granular media is nonmonotonic, both in the presence and absence of external mechanical agitations. In the presence of weak vibrations, the nonmonotonic flow curves govern a hysteretic transition between slow but steady and fast, inertial flows. In the absence of vibrations, the nonmonotonic flow curve governs the yielding behavior of granular media. Finally, we show that nonmonotonic flow curves can be seen in at least two different flow geometries and for several granular materials.     

Multimethod 3D characterization of natural plate-like nanoparticles: shape effects on equivalent size measurements

The fundamental properties and processes that govern nanoparticle behavior in colloidal dispersions are critical to predict their performance in applications and also their environmental and health implications. Illite is a platy clay mineral that is present in large amounts in aquatic environments and can be used as a model natural particle for environmental risk assessment. However, the high-aspect ratio of illite makes conventional analysis, usually assuming a spherical size, insufficient for the assessment of shape-dependent properties. In the current paper, a multimethod characterization of a suspension of illite particles was done using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis, differential centrifugal sedimentation, and centrifugal-field flow fractionation coupled to multiangle light scattering and DLS. The relation between the different measurands was investigated, and the effect of the shape on the equivalent particle size was reported. While some of the used techniques are capable of assessing the aspect ratio of illite, the results confirm the need for multiple techniques and analysis of different types of measurands especially for high-aspect-ratio particles.     

Second-order generalized estimating equations for correlated count data

Generalized estimating equations have been widely used in the analysis of correlated count data. Solving these equations yields consistent parameter estimates while the variance of the estimates is obtained from a sandwich estimator, thereby ensuring that, even with misspecification of the so-called working correlation matrix, one can draw valid inferences on the marginal mean parameters. That they allow misspecification of the working correlation structure, though, implies a limitation of these equations should scientific interest also be in the covariance or correlation structure. We propose herein an extension of these estimating equations such that, by incorporating the bivariate Poisson distribution, the variance-covariance matrix of the response vector can be properly modelled, which would permit inference thereon. A sandwich estimator is used for the standard errors, ensuring sound inference on the parameters estimated. Two applications are presented.