3,861 research outputs found
Pressure tuning of light-induced superconductivity in K3C60
Optical excitation at terahertz frequencies has emerged as an effective means
to manipulate complex solids dynamically. In the molecular solid K3C60,
coherent excitation of intramolecular vibrations was shown to transform the
high temperature metal into a non-equilibrium state with the optical
conductivity of a superconductor. Here we tune this effect with hydrostatic
pressure, and we find it to disappear around 0.3 GPa. Reduction with pressure
underscores the similarity with the equilibrium superconducting phase of K3C60,
in which a larger electronic bandwidth is detrimental for pairing. Crucially,
our observation excludes alternative interpretations based on a high-mobility
metallic phase. The pressure dependence also suggests that transient, incipient
superconductivity occurs far above the 150 K hypothesised previously, and
rather extends all the way to room temperature.Comment: 33 pages, 17 figures, 2 table
Pump frequency resonances for light-induced incipient superconductivity in YBaCuO
Optical excitation in the cuprates has been shown to induce transient
superconducting correlations above the thermodynamic transition temperature,
, as evidenced by the terahertz frequency optical properties in the
non-equilibrium state. In YBaCuO this phenomenon has so far
been associated with the nonlinear excitation of certain lattice modes and the
creation of new crystal structures. In other compounds, like
LaBaCuO, similar effects were reported also for excitation at
near infrared frequencies, and were interpreted as a signature of the melting
of competing orders. However, to date it has not been possible to
systematically tune the pump frequency widely in any one compound, to
comprehensively compare the frequency dependent photo-susceptibility for this
phenomenon. Here, we make use of a newly developed optical parametric
amplifier, which generates widely tunable high intensity femtosecond pulses, to
excite YBaCuO throughout the entire optical spectrum (3 - 750
THz). In the far-infrared region (3 - 25 THz), signatures of non-equilibrium
superconductivity are induced only for excitation of the 16.4 THz and 19.2 THz
vibrational modes that drive -axis apical oxygen atomic positions. For
higher driving frequencies (25 - 750 THz), a second resonance is observed
around the charge transfer band edge at ~350 THz. These observations highlight
the importance of coupling to the electronic structure of the CuO planes,
either mediated by a phonon or by charge transfer.Comment: 47 pages, 21 figures, 2 table
Measles in Italy: Viral strains and crossing borders.
In 2017, Italy experienced one of the largest outbreaks of measles in recent years, with 5404 notified cases and 4347 confirmed cases. A further 2029 cases were notified during the first 6 months of 2018, and 1516 of them were laboratory-confirmed. The B3 and D8 genotypes were identified as those responsible for the outbreak. Possible transmission routes can be established by monitoring the circulating measles virus strains in support of the national health authorities to warn people and travellers
Mild behavioral impairment in Parkinson's disease: Data from the Parkinson's disease cognitive impairment study (PACOS)
Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) have been frequently described in Parkinson's disease (PD), even in the earliest stages of the disease. Recently the construct of mild behavioral impairment (MBI) has been proposed as an at-risk state for incident cognitive decline and dementia. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of MBI in PD. Cross-sectional data from 429 consecutive PD patients enrolled in the PArkinson's disease COgnitive impairment Study (PACOS) were included in the study. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment, according to the MDS Level II criteria. NPS were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate clinical and behavioral characteristics, which are associated with PD-MBI. The latter was ascertained in 361 (84.1%) subjects of whom 155 (36.1%) were newly diagnosed patients (disease duration ≥1 year) and 206 (48.0%) had a disease duration <1 year. Furthermore, 68 (15.9%) out of 429 subjects were PDw (without MBI). Across the MBI domains, Impulse Dyscontrol was significantly more prevalent among PD-MBI with disease duration <1 year than newly diagnosed patients. The frequency of Social Inappropriateness and Abnormal Perception significantly increased throughout the entire PD-MBI sample with increasing Hoehn andYahr (H&Y) stages. PD-MBI in newly diagnosed PDwas significantly associated with H&Y stage (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.05-5.24) and marginally with antidepressant drug use (OR 2.94, 95% CI 0.91-9.47), while in patients with a disease duration >1 year was associated with UPDRS-ME (OR 3.37, 95% CI 1.41-8.00). The overall MBI frequency in the PACOS sample was 84% and 36% among newly diagnosed patients. The presence of MBI mainly related to motor impairment and disability
Incidence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in Parkinson's disease: The Parkinson's disease cognitive impairment study
Background: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) includes a spectrum varying from Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) to PD Dementia (PDD). The main aim of the present study is to evaluate the incidence of PD-MCI, its rate of progression to dementia, and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics which predict cognitive impairment in PD patients. Methods: PD patients from a large hospital-based cohort who underwent at least two comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations were retrospectively enrolled in the study. PD-MCI and PDD were diagnosed according to the Movement Disorder Society criteria. Incidence rates of PD-MCI and PDD were estimated. Clinical and demographic factors predicting PD-MCI and dementia were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard model. Results: Out of 139 enrolled PD patients, 84 were classified with normal cognition (PD-NC), while 55 (39.6%) fulfilled the diagnosis of PD-MCI at baseline. At follow-up (mean follow-up 23.5 ± 10.3 months) 28 (33.3%) of the 84 PD-NC at baseline developed MCI and 4 (4.8%) converted to PDD. The incidence rate of PD-MCI was 184.0/1000 pyar (95% CI 124.7-262.3). At multivariate analysis a negative association between education and MCI development at follow-up was observed (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15-0.89; p = 0.03). The incidence rate of dementia was 24.3/1000 pyar (95% CI 7.7-58.5). Out of 55 PD-MCI patients at baseline, 14 (25.4%) converted to PDD, giving an incidence rate of 123.5/1000 pyar (95% CI 70.3-202.2). A five time increased risk of PDD was found in PD patients with MCI at baseline (RR 5.09, 95% CI 1.60-21.4). Conclusion: Our study supports the relevant role of PD-MCI in predicting PDD and underlines the importance of education in reducing the risk of cognitive impairment
Comment on "Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy of transient metallic and superconducting states" (arXiv:1506.06758)
We comment on the model proposed by Orenstein and Dodge in
arXiv:1506.06758v1, which describes time-domain terahertz measurements of
transiently generated, high-electron-mobility (or superconducting) phases of
solids. The authors' main conclusion is that time-domain terahertz spectroscopy
does not measure a response function that is mathematically identical to the
transient optical conductivity. We show that although this is correct, the
difference between the measured response function and the microscopic optical
conductivity is small for realistic experimental parameters. We also show that
for the experiments reported by our group on light-induced superconducting-like
phases in cuprates and in organic conductors, the time-domain terahertz yields
a very good estimate for the optical conductivity.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, comment on arXiv:1506.0675
Quasiparticle evolution and pseudogap formation in V2O3: An infrared spectroscopy study
The infrared conductivity of V2O3 is measured in the whole phase diagram.
Quasiparticles appear above the Neel temperature TN and eventually disappear
further enhancing the temperature, leading to a pseudogap in the optical
spectrum above 425 K. Our calculations demonstrate that this loss of coherence
can be explained only if the temperature dependence of lattice parameters is
considered. V2O3 is therefore effectively driven from the metallic to the
insulating side of the Mott transition as the temperature is increased.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Infrared study of the charge-ordered multiferroic LuFe(2)O(4)
The reflectivity of a large LuFe(2)O(4) single crystal has been measured with
the radiation field either perpendicular or parallel to the c axis of its
rhombohedral structure, from 10 to 500K, and from 7 to 16000 cm-1. The
transition between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional charge order
at T_(CO) = 320 K is found to change dramatically the phonon spectrum in both
polarizations. The number of the observed modes above and below T_(CO),
according to a factor-group analysis, is in good agreement with a transition
from the rhombohedral space group R{bar 3}m to the monoclinic C2/m. In the
sub-THz region a peak becomes evident at low temperature, whose origin is
discussed in relation with previous experiments.Comment: Physical Review B in pres
Migraine and cluster headache show impaired neurosteroids patterns
Background: Perturbation of neuronal excitability contributes to migraine. Neurosteroids modulate the activity of γ-aminobutyric acid A and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, and might be involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Here, we measured plasma levels of four neurosteroids, i.e., allopregnanolone, epiallopregnanolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and deydroepiandrosterone sulfate, in patients affected by episodic migraine, chronic migraine, or cluster headache. Methods: Nineteen female patients affected by episodic migraine, 51 female patients affected by chronic migraine, and 18 male patients affected by cluster headache were recruited to the study. Sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects (31 females and 16 males) were also recruited. Patients were clinically characterized by using validated questionnaires. Plasma neurosteroid levels were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: We found disease-specific changes in neurosteroid levels in our study groups. For example, allopregnanolone levels were significantly increased in episodic migraine and chronic migraine patients than in control subjects, whereas they were reduced in patients affected by cluster headache. Dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were reduced in patients affected by chronic migraine, but did not change in patients affected by cluster headache. Conclusion: We have shown for the first time that large and disease-specific changes in circulating neurosteroid levels are associated with chronic headache disorders, raising the interesting possibility that fluctuations of neurosteroids at their site of action might shape the natural course of migraine and cluster headache. Whether the observed changes in neurosteroids are genetically determined or rather result from exposure to environmental or intrinsic stressors is unknown. This might also be matter for further investigation because stress is a known triggering factor for headache attacks in both migraineurs and cluster headache patients
Novelty and learning in cognitive control: evidence from the Simon task
While information that is associated with inappropriate responses can interfere with an ongoing task and be detrimental to performance, cognitive control mechanisms and specific contextual conditions can alleviate interference from unwanted information. In the spatial correspondence (Simon) task, interference has been consistently shown to be reduced by spatial non-correspondence in the previous trial (i.e., correspondence sequence effect, CSE); however the mechanisms supporting this sequential effect are not well understood. Here we investigated the role of novelty and trial-to-trial changes in stimulus and response features in a Simon task, observing similar modulation of CSE for novel and non-novel stimulus changes. However, changing the response modality from trial to trial dampened CSE, and this dampening was more pronounced when the probability of switch trials was higher, suggesting a role for long-term learning. The results are consistent with recent accounts, which indicate that spatial interference can be prevented by cognitive control mechanisms triggered by learned bindings
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