31 research outputs found
Evidence for nitrogen gas surface doping of the BiSe topological insulator
Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy we have studied the effects of nitrogen
gas exposure on the bismuth selenide density of states. We observe a shift in
the Dirac point which is qualitatively consistent with theoretical modeling of
nitrogen binding to selenium vacancies. In carefully controlled measurements,
BiSe crystals were initially cleaved in a helium gas environment and
then exposed to a 22 SCFH flow of ultra-high purity N gas. We observe a
resulting change in the spectral curves, with the exposure effect saturating
after approximately 50 minutes, ultimately bringing the Dirac point about 50
meV closer to the Fermi level. These results are compared to density functional
theoretical calculations, which support a picture of molecules
physisorbing near Se vacancies and dissociating into individual N atoms which
then bind strongly to Se vacancies. In this interpretation, the binding of the
N atom to a Se vacancy site removes the surface defect state created by the
vacancy and changes the position of the Fermi energy with respect to the Dirac
point.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Helium surface fluctuations investigated with superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator
Recent experiments on the coupling of the in-plane motional state of
electrons floating on the surface of liquid helium to a microwave resonator
have revealed the importance of helium surface fluctuations to the coherence of
this motion. Here we investigate these surface fluctuations by studying the
resonance properties of a superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonator
filled with superfluid helium, where a significant fraction of the resonator's
electromagnetic mode volume is coupled to the surface dynamics of the liquid.
We present preliminary results on real-time CPW resonator frequency shifts
driven by helium fluctuations, which are quantified via their power spectral
density and compared with measurements using a commercial accelerometer. We
find that a considerable contribution to the CPW resonator noise originates
from the mechanical vibrations of the helium surface generated by the pulse
tube (PT) cryocooler on the cryostat on which the experiments were performed.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. J. Low Temp. Phys. (2022
Structure of the mirror nuclei Be and B in a microscopic cluster model
The structure of the mirror nuclei Be and B is studied in a
microscopic and three-cluster model
using a fully antisymmetrized 9-nucleon wave function. The two-nucleon
interaction includes central and spin-orbit components and the Coulomb
potential. The ground state of Be is obtained accurately with the
stochastic variational method, while several particle-unbound states of both
Be and B are investigated with the complex scaling method.The
calculation for Be supports the recent identification for the existence of
two broad states around 6.5 MeV, and predicts the and
states at about 4.5 MeV and 8 MeV, respectively. The
similarity of the calculated spectra of Be and B enables one to
identify unknown spins and parities of the B states. Available data on
electromagnetic moments and elastic electron scatterings are reproduced very
well. The enhancement of the 1 transition of the first excited state in
Be is well accounted for. The calculated density of Be is found to
reproduce the reaction cross section on a Carbon target. The analysis of the
beta decay of Li to Be clearly shows that the wave function of Be
must contain a small component that cannot be described by the simple model. This small component can be well accounted for by extending a
configuration space to include the distortion of the -particle to
and partitions.Comment: 24 page
Natural disturbance impacts on trade-offs and co-benefits of forest biodiversity and carbon
With accelerating environmental change, understanding forest disturbance impacts on trade-offs between biodiversity and carbon dynamics is of high socio-economic importance. Most studies, however, have assessed immediate or short-term effects of disturbance, while long-term impacts remain poorly understood. Using a tree-ring-based approach, we analysed the effect of 250 years of disturbances on present-day biodiversity indicators and carbon dynamics in primary forests. Disturbance legacies spanning centuries shaped contemporary forest co-benefits and trade-offs, with contrasting, local-scale effects. Disturbances enhanced carbon sequestration, reaching maximum rates within a comparatively narrow post-disturbance window (up to 50 years). Concurrently, disturbance diminished aboveground carbon storage, which gradually returned to peak levels over centuries. Temporal patterns in biodiversity potential were bimodal; the first maximum coincided with the short-term post-disturbance carbon sequestration peak, and the second occurred during periods of maximum carbon storage in complex old-growth forest. Despite fluctuating local-scale trade-offs, forest biodiversity and carbon storage remained stable across the broader study region, and our data support a positive relationship between carbon stocks and biodiversity potential. These findings underscore the interdependencies of forest processes, and highlight the necessity of large-scale conservation programmes to effectively promote both biodiversity and long-term carbon storage, particularly given the accelerating global biodiversity and climate crises
ANN multiscale model of anti-HIV Drugs activity vs AIDS prevalence in the US at county level based on information indices of molecular graphs and social networks
[Abstract] This work is aimed at describing the workflow for a methodology that combines chemoinformatics and pharmacoepidemiology methods and at reporting the first predictive model developed with this methodology. The new model is able to predict complex networks of AIDS prevalence in the US counties, taking into consideration the social determinants and activity/structure of anti-HIV drugs in preclinical assays. We trained different Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) using as input information indices of social networks and molecular graphs. We used a Shannon information index based on the Gini coefficient to quantify the effect of income inequality in the social network. We obtained the data on AIDS prevalence and the Gini coefficient from the AIDSVu database of Emory University. We also used the Balaban information indices to quantify changes in the chemical structure of anti-HIV drugs. We obtained the data on anti-HIV drug activity and structure (SMILE codes) from the ChEMBL database. Last, we used Box-Jenkins moving average operators to quantify information about the deviations of drugs with respect to data subsets of reference (targets, organisms, experimental parameters, protocols). The best model found was a Linear Neural Network (LNN) with values of Accuracy, Specificity, and Sensitivity above 0.76 and AUROC > 0.80 in training and external validation series. This model generates a complex network of AIDS prevalence in the US at county level with respect to the preclinical activity of anti-HIV drugs in preclinical assays. To train/validate the model and predict the complex network we needed to analyze 43,249 data points including values of AIDS prevalence in 2,310 counties in the US vs ChEMBL results for 21,582 unique drugs, 9 viral or human protein targets, 4,856 protocols, and 10 possible experimental measures.Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deportes; AGL2011-30563-C03-0
Where are we now with European forest multi-taxon biodiversity and where can we head to?
The European biodiversity and forest strategies rely on forest sustainable management (SFM) to conserve forest biodiversity. However, current sustainability assessments hardly account for direct biodiversity indicators. We focused on forest multi-taxon biodiversity to: i) gather and map the existing information; ii) identify knowledge and research gaps; iii) discuss its research potential. We established a research network to fit data on species, standing trees, lying deadwood and sampling unit description from 34 local datasets across 3591 sampling units. A total of 8724 species were represented, with the share of common and rare species varying across taxonomic classes: some included many species with several rare ones (e.g., Insecta); others (e.g., Bryopsida) were represented by few common species. Tree-related structural attributes were sampled in a subset of sampling units (2889; 2356; 2309 and 1388 respectively for diameter, height, deadwood and microhabitats). Overall, multi-taxon studies are biased towards mature forests and may underrepresent the species related to other developmental phases. European forest compositional categories were all represented, but beech forests were over-represented as compared to thermophilous and boreal forests. Most sampling units (94%) were referred to a habitat type of conservation concern. Existing information may support European conservation and SFM strategies in: (i) methodological harmonization and coordinated monitoring; (ii) definition and testing of SFM indicators and thresholds; (iii) data-driven assessment of the effects of environmental and management drivers on multi-taxon forest biological and functional diversity, (iv) multi-scale forest monitoring integrating in-situ and remotely sensed information
Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder
Background: Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about > 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample. Methods: Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001. Results: The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger. Conclusion: UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition