Thermodynamische Untersuchungen an den niedrigdimensionalen Spinsystemen HP-(VO)2P2O7, SrCu2(BO3)2 und Azurit

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Tieftemperatureigenschaften dreier niedrigdimensionaler Spinsysteme. Der experimentelle Schwerpunkt liegt auf Messungen zur thermischen Ausdehnung und zur spezifischen Wärme, die mit einem hochauflösenden kapazitiven Dilatometer bzw. einem AC-Kalorimetrie-Aufbau durchgeführt wurden. Da die sogenannten magnetischen Grüneisenparameter, die die Stärke der Kopplung des magnetischen Teilsystems ans Gitter beschreiben, durchweg sehr groß sind, liefern insbesondere die thermischen Ausdehnungsmessungen wertvolle Informationen zum Verständnis der behandelten Systeme. Das zentrale Ergebnis dieser Arbeit stellen Messungen an der Hochdruckphase von (VO)2P2O7, kurz HP-VOPO, dar. Dieses System besteht aus alternierenden Spinketten, wobei die beiden Austauschkonstanten ähnliche Werte haben, das heißt es liegt nur eine schwache Alternierung vor. In der thermischen Ausdehnung beobachtet man eine insbesondere in Kettenrichtung sehr ausgeprägte Anomalie bei etwa 13 K. Die Erklärung dieser Anomalie offenbart einen neuartigen Aspekt von alternierenden Spinketten mit schwacher Alternierung, der auf dem Vorhandensein von zwei deutlich verschiedenen Energieskalen beruht, zum einen der größeren der beiden Austauschkonstanten und zum anderen der Energielücke im System. Eine sehr gute quantitative Beschreibung der thermischen Ausdehnungsmessungen gelingt durch eine Erweiterung des herkömmlichen Grüneisenmodells, welches eine Proportionalität zwischen den magnetischen Beiträgen zur thermischen Ausdehnung und zur spezifischen Wärme vorsieht, auf Systeme mit zwei magnetischen Austauschkonstanten. In diesem Fall tritt in der thermischen Ausdehnung ein zusätzlicher, zur Ableitung der Entropie nach der Energielücke proportionaler Term auf, der durch Messungen zur spezifischen Wärme nicht zugänglich ist. Aus den unter Verwendung dieses Modells bestimmten Grüneisenparametern lässt sich folgern, dass die ausgeprägte Tieftemperaturanomalie in HP-VOPO zum Teil von der starken Verzerrungsabhängigkeit der kleineren der beiden Austauschkonstanten, zum Teil aber auch von der Nähe zu einem quantenkritischen Punkt verursacht wird. Das zweidimensionale Dimersystem SrCu2(BO3)2 hat insbesondere durch die Lokalisierung der Triplettanregungen und die dadurch bedingten Magnetisierungsplateaus bei gewissen Bruchteilen der Sättigungsmagnetisierung Berühmtheit erlangt. In der thermischen Ausdehnung wird eine deutliche Anomalie bei der gleichen Temperatur beobachtet (T = 8K), wo sie auch in der spezifischen Wärme auftritt. Sie lässt sich durch die thermische Anregung der lokalisierten Tripletts erklären. Abschließend werden Messungen am natürlichen Mineral Azurit vorgestellt, bei dem die Spins zu sogenannten Diamantketten angeordnet sind. In der Literatur wird noch diskutiert, ob es sich bei Azurit um die magnetisch frustrierte Variante einer solchen Kette handelt. In der magnetischen Suszeptibilität, der spezifischen Wärme und der thermischen Ausdehnung tritt eine auffallende Doppelstruktur auf. Im Tieftemperaturbereich lässt sich die spezifische Wärme gut mit dem effektiven Modell einer homogenen Spinkette beschreiben. Auch der lambdaförmige antiferromagnetische Ordnungsübergang wurde untersucht und das in der Literatur bis B = 2 T gegebene Phasendiagramm, bestehend aus paramagnetischer, antiferromagnetische und Spin-Flop-Phase, bis B = 10 T erweitert

Magnetic Field-Induced Lattice Effects in a Quasi-2D Organic Conductor Close to the Mott Metal-Insulator Transition

We present ultra-high-resolution dilatometric studies in magnetic fields on a quasi-two-dimensional organic conductor $\kappa$-(D8-BEDT-TTF)$_{2}$Cu[N(CN)$_{2}$]Br, which is located close to the Mott metal-insulator (MI) transition. The obtained thermal expansion coefficient, $\alpha(T)$, reveals two remarkable features: (i) the Mott MI transition temperature $T_{MI}$ = (13.6 $\pm$ 0.6)\,K is insensitive to fields up to 10\,T, the highest applied field; (ii) for fields along the interlayer \emph{b}-axis, a magnetic-field-induced (FI) phase transition at $T_{FI}$ = (9.5 $\pm$ 0.5)\,K is observed above a threshold field $H_c \sim$ 1 T, indicative of a spin reorientation with strong magneto-elastic coupling.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Psychiatry in the Digital Age: A Blessing or a Curse?

Social distancing and the shortage of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of population aging on the healthcare system, as well as the rapid pace of digital innovation are catalyzing the development and implementation of new technologies and digital services in psychiatry. Is this transformation a blessing or a curse for psychiatry? To answer this question, we conducted a literature review covering a broad range of new technologies and eHealth services, including telepsychiatry; computer-, internet-, and app-based cognitive behavioral therapy; virtual reality; digital applied games; a digital medicine system; omics; neuroimaging; machine learning; precision psychiatry; clinical decision support; electronic health records; physician charting; digital language translators; and online mental health resources for patients. We found that eHealth services provide effective, scalable, and cost-efficient options for the treatment of people with limited or no access to mental health care. This review highlights innovative technologies spearheading the way to more effective and safer treatments. We identified artificially intelligent tools that relieve physicians from routine tasks, allowing them to focus on collaborative doctor-patient relationships. The transformation of traditional clinics into digital ones is outlined, and the challenges associated with the successful deployment of digitalization in psychiatry are highlighted

Magneto-elastic couplings in the distorted diamond-chain compound azurite

We present results of ultrasonic measurements on a single crystal of the distorted diamond-chain compound azurite Cu$_3$(CO$_3$)$_2$(OH)$_2$. Pronounced elastic anomalies are observed in the temperature dependence of the longitudinal elastic mode $c_{22}$ which can be assigned to the relevant magnetic interactions in the system and their couplings to the lattice degrees of freedom. From a quantitative analysis of the magnetic contribution to $c_{22}$ the magneto-elastic coupling $G$ = $\partial J_2$/$\partial \epsilon_b$ can be determined, where $J_2$ is the intra-dimer coupling constant and $\epsilon_b$ the strain along the intra-chain $b$ axis. We find an exceptionally large coupling constant of $|G| \sim ($3650 $\pm$ 150) K highlighting an extraordinarily strong sensitivity of $J_2$ against changes of the $b$-axis lattice parameter. These results are complemented by measurements of the hydrostatic pressure dependence of $J_2$ by means of thermal expansion and magnetic susceptibility measurements performed both at ambient and finite hydrostatic pressure. We propose that a structural peculiarity of this compound, in which Cu$_2$O$_6$ dimer units are incorporated in an unusually stretched manner, is responsible for the anomalously large magneto-elastic coupling.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Persistent expression of BMP-4 in embryonic chick adrenal cortical cells and its role in chromaffin cell development

Background: Adrenal chromaffin cells and sympathetic neurons both originate from the neural crest, yet signals that trigger chromaffin development remain elusive. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) emanating from the dorsal aorta are important signals for the induction of a sympathoadrenal catecholaminergic cell fate. Results: We report here that BMP-4 is also expressed by adrenal cortical cells throughout chick embryonic development, suggesting a putative role in chromaffin cell development. Moreover, bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA is expressed by both cortical and chromaffin cells. Inhibiting BMP-4 with noggin prevents the increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells in adrenal explants without affecting cell proliferation. Hence, adrenal BMP-4 is likely to induce tyrosine hydroxylase in sympathoadrenal progenitors. To investigate whether persistent BMP-4 exposure is able to induce chromaffin traits in sympathetic ganglia, we locally grafted BMP-4 overexpressing cells next to sympathetic ganglia. Embryonic day 8 chick sympathetic ganglia, in addition to principal neurons, contain about 25% chromaffin-like cells. Ectopic BMP-4 did not increase this proportion, yet numbers and sizes of "chromaffin" granules were significantly increased. Conclusions: BMP-4 may serve to promote specific chromaffin traits, but is not sufficient to convert sympathetic neurons into a chromaffin phenotype

Multi-step approach to microscopic models for frustrated quantum magnets - the case of the natural mineral azurite

The natural mineral azurite Cu$_3$(CO$_3$)$_2$(OH)$_2$ is a frustrated magnet displaying unusual and controversially discussed magnetic behavior. Motivated by the lack of a unified description for this system, we perform a theoretical study based on density functional theory as well as state-of-the-art numerical many-body calculations. We propose an effective generalized spin-1/2 diamond chain model which provides a consistent description of experiments: low-temperature magnetization, inelastic neutron scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, magnetic susceptibility as well as new specific heat measurements. With this study we demonstrate that the balanced combination of first principles with powerful many-body methods successfully describes the behavior of this frustrated material.Comment: final version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett.; 10 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables (including supplementary material

Histone deacetylase activity is essential for the expression of HoxA9 and for endothelial commitment of progenitor cells

The regulation of acetylation is central for the epigenetic control of lineage-specific gene expression and determines cell fate decisions. We provide evidence that the inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) blocks the endothelial differentiation of adult progenitor cells. To define the mechanisms by which HDAC inhibition prevents endothelial differentiation, we determined the expression of homeobox transcription factors and demonstrated that HoxA9 expression is down-regulated by HDAC inhibitors. The causal involvement of HoxA9 in the endothelial differentiation of adult progenitor cells is supported by the finding that HoxA9 overexpression partially rescued the endothelial differentiation blockade induced by HDAC inhibitors. Knockdown and overexpression studies revealed that HoxA9 acts as a master switch to regulate the expression of prototypical endothelial-committed genes such as endothelial nitric oxide synthase, VEGF-R2, and VE-cadherin, and mediates the shear stress–induced maturation of endothelial cells. Consistently, HoxA9-deficient mice exhibited lower numbers of endothelial progenitor cells and showed an impaired postnatal neovascularization capacity after the induction of ischemia. Thus, HoxA9 is regulated by HDACs and is critical for postnatal neovascularization

Stratospheric aerosol radiative forcing simulated by the chemistry climate model EMAC using Aerosol CCI satellite data

This paper presents decadal simulations of stratospheric and tropospheric aerosol and its radiative effects by the chemistry general circulation model EMAC constrained with satellite observations in the framework of the ESA Aerosol CCI project such as GOMOS (Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars) and (A)ATSR ((Advanced) Along Track Scanning Radiometer) on the ENVISAT (European Environmental Satellite), IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) on MetOp (Meteorological Operational Satellite), and, additionally, OSIRIS (Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imaging System). In contrast to most other studies, the extinctions and optical depths from the model are compared to the observations at the original wavelengths of the satellite instruments covering the range from the UV (ultraviolet) to terrestrial IR (infrared). This avoids conversion artifacts and provides additional constraints for model aerosol and interpretation of the observations. MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) SO2 limb measurements are used to identify plumes of more than 200 volcanic eruptions. These three-dimensional SO2 plumes are added to the model SO2 at the eruption times. The interannual variability in aerosol extinction in the lower stratosphere, and of stratospheric aerosol radiative forcing at the tropopause, is dominated by the volcanoes. To explain the seasonal cycle of the GOMOS and OSIRIS observations, desert dust simulated by a new approach and transported to the lowermost stratosphere by the Asian summer monsoon and tropical convection turns out to be essential. This also applies to the radiative heating by aerosol in the lowermost stratosphere. The existence of wet dust aerosol in the lowermost stratosphere is indicated by the patterns of the wavelength dependence of extinction in observations and simulations. Additional comparison with (A)ATSR total aerosol optical depth at different wavelengths and IASI dust optical depth demonstrates that the model is able to represent stratospheric as well as tropospheric aerosol consistently.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Chassis organism from Corynebacterium glutamicum – a top-down approach to identify and delete irrelevant gene clusters

Unthan S, Baumgart M, Radek A, et al. Chassis organism from Corynebacterium glutamicum – a top-down approach to identify and delete irrelevant gene clusters. Biotechnology Journal. 2015;10(2):290-301

Global and Regional Structural Differences and Prediction of Autistic Traits during Adolescence

Background Autistic traits are commonly viewed as dimensional in nature, and as continuously distributed in the general population. In this respect, the identification of predictive values of markers such as subtle autism-related alterations in brain morphology for parameter values of autistic traits could increase our understanding of this dimensional occasion. However, currently, very little is known about how these traits correspond to alterations in brain morphology in typically developing individuals, particularly during a time period where changes due to brain development processes do not provide a bias. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed brain volume, cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) in a cohort of 14-15-year-old adolescents (N = 285, female: N = 162) and tested their predictive value for autistic traits, assessed with the social responsiveness scale (SRS) two years later at the age of 16-17 years, using a regression-based approach. We found that autistic traits were significantly predicted by volumetric changes in the amygdala (r = 0.181), cerebellum (r = 0.128) and hippocampus (r = -0.181, r = -0.203), both in boys and girls. Moreover, the CT of the superior frontal region was negatively correlated (r = -0.144) with SRS scores. Furthermore, we observed a significant association between the SRS total score and smaller left putamen volume, specifically in boys (r = -0.217), but not in girls. Our findings suggest that neural correlates of autistic traits also seem to lie on a continuum in the general population, are determined by limbic-striatal neuroanatomical brain areas, and are partly dependent on sex. As we imaged adolescents from a large population-based cohort within a small age range, these data may help to increase the understanding of autistic-like occasions in otherwise typically developing individuals