Adsorption and covalent coupling of ATP-binding DNA aptamers onto cellulose

With the long-term goal of developing paper surfaces that will detect pathogens, we have investigated physical adsorption and covalent coupling as strategies for treating cellulose surfaces with a DNA aptamer that binds ATP. Physical adsorption was reversible and the isotherms fitted the Langmuir equation with an adsorption maximum of 0.105 mg/m2 at high ionic strength (300 mM NaCl, 25 mM Tris-HCl) and only 0.024 mg/m2 in lower ionic strength buffer (25 mM Tris-HCl). Covalent coupling of amine-terminated aptamer with oxidized cellulose film (Schiff base + reduction) gave 25% coupling efficiency while maintaining the aptamer activity which was illustrated by using a known fluorescent aptamer that is capable of ATP detection. Therefore, covalent coupling, without spacer molecules, is a promising approach for supporting biosensing aptamers on cellulose.     

A generalization of the Virasoro algebra to arbitrary dimensions

Colored tensor models generalize matrix models in higher dimensions. They admit a 1/N expansion dominated by spherical topologies and exhibit a critical behavior strongly reminiscent of matrix models. In this paper we generalize the colored tensor models to colored models with generic interaction, derive the Schwinger Dyson equations in the large N limit and analyze the associated algebra of constraints satisfied at leading order by the partition function. We show that the constraints form a Lie algebra (indexed by trees) yielding a generalization of the Virasoro algebra in arbitrary dimensions.     

Calculation of the quantum efficiency for the absorption on confinement levels in quantum dots

The quantum efficiency of the absorption on quantum confinement levels is investigated. This is achieved by modeling the electron confinement in a spherical quantum dot (QD). The confinement levels are calculated using both infinite and finite rectangular quantum wells. The spectral internal quantum efficiency is evaluated within both the models, by computing Einstein’s coefficients for the transitions between confinement levels. The size of QDs (1–3 nm radius) leads to negligible many body effects. The nature of the QD material and of the matrix embedding is taken into account in the finite rectangular quantum well approximation and introduces only a small correction. The temperature dependence of the efficiency is also taken into account. A numerical application is performed for a silicon QD of 2.5 nm radius, embedded in amorphous silica. It is proved that the absorption threshold shifts toward the far infrared limit and that the spectral internal quantum efficiency reaches 4–5% at the threshold.     

Quantitative approximation by fractional smooth general singular operators

In this article we study the fractional smooth general singular integral operators on the real line, regarding their convergence to the unit operator with fractional rates in the uniform norm. The related established inequalities involve the higher order moduli of smoothness of the associated right and left Caputo fractional derivatives of the engaged function. Furthermore we produce a fractional Voronovskaya type result giving the fractional asymptotic expansion of the basic error of our approximation.We finish with applications to fractional trigonometric singular integral operators. Our operators are not in general positive.     

The 1/N Expansion of Tensor Models Beyond Perturbation Theory

We analyze in full mathematical rigor the most general quartically perturbed invariant probability measure for a random tensor. Using a version of the Loop Vertex Expansion (which we call the mixed expansion) we show that the cumulants write as explicit series in 1/N plus bounded rest terms. The mixed expansion recasts the problem of determining the subleading corrections in 1/N into a simple combinatorial problem of counting trees decorated by a finite number of loop edges. As an aside, we use the mixed expansion to show that the (divergent) perturbative expansion of the tensor models is Borel summable and to prove that the cumulants respect an uniform scaling bound. In particular the quartically perturbed measures fall, in the N→ ∞ limit, in the universality class of Gaussian tensor models.     

Parametric Representation of Noncommutative Field Theory

In this paper we investigate the Schwinger parametric representation for the Feynman amplitudes of the recently discovered renormalizable quantum field theory on the Moyal non commutative space. This representation involves new hyperbolic polynomials which are the non-commutative analogs of the usual “Kirchoff” or “Symanzik” polynomials of commutative field theory, but contain richer topological information. Work supported by ANR grant NT05-3-43374 “GenoPhy”.     

Critical behavior of colored tensor models in the large N limit

Colored tensor models have been recently shown to admit a large N expansion, whose leading order encodes a sum over a class of colored triangulations of the D-sphere. The present paper investigates in details this leading order. We show that the relevant triangulations proliferate like a species of colored trees. The leading order is therefore summable and exhibits a critical behavior, independent of the dimension. A continuum limit is reached by tuning the coupling constant to its critical value while inserting an infinite number of pairs of D-simplices glued together in a specific way. We argue that the dominant triangulations are branched polymers.