112 research outputs found
Exchange interactions and Curie temperature in (GaMn)As
We use supercell and frozen-magnon approaches to study the dependence of the
magnetic interactions in (Ga,Mn)As on the Mn concentration. We report the
parameters of the exchange interaction between Mn spins and the estimates of
the Curie temperature within the mean-field and random-phase approximations. In
agreement with experiment we obtain a nonmonotonous dependence of the Curie
temperature on the Mn concentration. We estimate the dependence of the Curie
temperature on the concentration of the carries in the system and show that the
decrease of the number of holes in the valence band leads to fast decrease of
the Curie temperature. We show that the hole states of the valence band are
more efficient in mediating the exchange interaction between Mn spins than the
electron states of the conduction band
Giant sponge grounds of Central Arctic seamounts are associated with extinct seep life
The Central Arctic Ocean is one of the most oligotrophic oceans on Earth because of its sea-ice cover and short productive season. Nonetheless, across the peaks of extinct volcanic seamounts of the Langseth Ridge (87°N, 61°E), we observe a surprisingly dense benthic biomass. Bacteriosponges are the most abundant fauna within this community, with a mass of 460 g C m-2 and an estimated carbon demand of around 110 g C m-2 yr-1, despite export fluxes from regional primary productivity only sufficient to provide <1% of this required carbon. Observed sponge distribution, bulk and compound-specific isotope data of fatty acids suggest that the sponge microbiome taps into refractory dissolved and particulate organic matter, including remnants of an extinct seep community. The metabolic profile of bacteriosponge fatty acids and expressed genes indicate that autotrophic symbionts contribute significantly to carbon assimilation. We suggest that this hotspot ecosystem is unique to the Central Arctic and associated with extinct seep biota, once fueled by degassing of the volcanic mounts
Particulate organic matter in the Lena River and its delta: from the permafrost catchment to the Arctic Ocean
Rapid Arctic warming accelerates permafrost thaw, causing
an additional release of terrestrial organic matter (OM) into rivers and,
ultimately, after transport via deltas and estuaries, to the Arctic Ocean
nearshore. The majority of our understanding of nearshore OM dynamics and
fate has been developed from freshwater rivers despite the likely impact of
highly dynamic estuarine and deltaic environments on the transformation,
storage, and age of OM delivered to coastal waters. Here, we studied
particulate organic carbon (POC) dynamics in the Lena River delta and compared them
with POC dynamics in the Lena River main stem along a ∼ 1600 km long
transect from Yakutsk, downstream to the delta. We measured POC, total
suspended matter (TSM), and carbon isotopes (δ13C and Δ14C) in POC to compare riverine and deltaic OM composition and changes
in OM source and fate during transport offshore. We found that TSM and POC
concentrations decreased by 70 % during transit from the main stem to
the delta and Arctic Ocean. We found deltaic POC to be strongly depleted in
13C relative to fluvial POC. Dual-carbon (Δ14C and δ13C) isotope mixing model analyses indicated a significant
phytoplankton contribution to deltaic POC (∼ 68 ± 6 %) and
suggested an additional input of permafrost-derived OM into deltaic waters
(∼ 18 ± 4 % of deltaic POC originates from Pleistocene
deposits vs. ∼ 5 ± 4 % in the river main stem). Despite the
lower concentration of POC in the delta than in the main stem (0.41 ± 0.10 vs. 0.79 ± 0.30 mg L−1, respectively), the amount of
POC derived from Yedoma deposits in deltaic waters was almost twice as large
as the amount of POC of Yedoma origin in the main stem (0.07 ± 0.02 and 0.04 ± 0.02 mg L−1, respectively). We assert that estuarine and deltaic
processes require consideration in order to correctly understand OM dynamics
throughout Arctic nearshore coastal zones and how these processes may evolve
under future climate-driven change.</p
Familiarization: A theory of repetition suppression predicts interference between overlapping cortical representations
Repetition suppression refers to a reduction in the cortical response to a novel stimulus that
results from repeated presentation of the stimulus. We demonstrate repetition suppression
in a well established computational model of cortical plasticity, according to which the relative
strengths of lateral inhibitory interactions are modified by Hebbian learning. We present
the model as an extension to the traditional account of repetition suppression offered by
sharpening theory, which emphasises the contribution of afferent plasticity, by instead
attributing the effect primarily to plasticity of intra-cortical circuitry. In support, repetition suppression
is shown to emerge in simulations with plasticity enabled only in intra-cortical connections.
We show in simulation how an extended ‘inhibitory sharpening theory’ can explain
the disruption of repetition suppression reported in studies that include an intermediate
phase of exposure to additional novel stimuli composed of features similar to those of the
original stimulus. The model suggests a re-interpretation of repetition suppression as a manifestation
of the process by which an initially distributed representation of a novel object
becomes a more localist representation. Thus, inhibitory sharpening may constitute a more
general process by which representation emerges from cortical re-organisation
An analysis-ready and quality controlled resource for pediatric brain white-matter research
We created a set of resources to enable research based on openly-available diffusion MRI (dMRI) data from the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) study. First, we curated the HBN dMRI data (N = 2747) into the Brain Imaging Data Structure and preprocessed it according to best-practices, including denoising and correcting for motion effects, susceptibility-related distortions, and eddy currents. Preprocessed, analysis-ready data was made openly available. Data quality plays a key role in the analysis of dMRI. To optimize QC and scale it to this large dataset, we trained a neural network through the combination of a small data subset scored by experts and a larger set scored by community scientists. The network performs QC highly concordant with that of experts on a held out set (ROC-AUC = 0.947). A further analysis of the neural network demonstrates that it relies on image features with relevance to QC. Altogether, this work both delivers resources to advance transdiagnostic research in brain connectivity and pediatric mental health, and establishes a novel paradigm for automated QC of large datasets
Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study
Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat
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