215 research outputs found
Electronic Correlations in Vanadium Revealed by Electron-Positron Annihilation Measurements
The electronic structure of vanadium measured by Angular Correlation of
electron-positron Annihilation Radiation (ACAR) is compared with the
predictions of the combined Density Functional and Dynamical Mean-Field Theory
(DMFT). Reconstructing the momentum density from five 2D projections we were
able to determine the full Fermi surface and found excellent agreement with the
DMFT calculations. In particular, we show that the local, dynamic self-energy
corrections contribute to the anisotropy of the momentum density and need to be
included to explain the experimental results
Injection of Positrons into a Dense Electron Cloud in a Magnetic Dipole Trap
The creation of an electron space charge in a dipole magnetic trap and the
subsequent injection of positrons has been experimentally demonstrated.
Positrons (5eV) were magnetically guided from their source and injected into
the trapping field generated by a permanent magnet (0.6T at the poles) using a
cross field E B drift, requiring tailored electrostatic and magnetic
fields. The electron cloud is created by thermionic emission from a tungsten
filament. The maximum space charge potential of the electron cloud reaches
-42V, which is consistent with an average electron density of ()
and a Debye length of () .
We demonstrate that the presence of this space potential does not hamper
efficient positron injection. Understanding the effects of the negative space
charge on the injection and confinement of positrons represents an important
intermediate step towards the production of a confined electron-positron pair
plasma
Nature of the positron state in CdSe quantum dots
Previous studies have shown that positron-annihilation spectroscopy is a
highly sensitive probe of the electronic structure and surface composition of
ligand-capped semiconductor Quantum Dots (QDs) embedded in thin films. Nature
of the associated positron state, however, whether the positron is confined
inside the QDs or localized at their surfaces, has so far remained unresolved.
Our positron-annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) studies of CdSe QDs
reveal the presence of a strong lifetime component in the narrow range of
358-371 ps, indicating abundant trapping and annihilation of positrons at the
surfaces of the QDs. Furthermore, our ab-initio calculations of the positron
wave function and lifetime employing a recent formulation of the Weighted
Density Approximation (WDA) demonstrate the presence of a positron surface
state and predict positron lifetimes close to experimental values. Our study
thus resolves the longstanding question regarding the nature of the positron
state in semiconductor QDs, and opens the way to extract quantitative
information on surface composition and ligand-surface interactions of colloidal
semiconductor QDs through highly sensitive positron-annihilation techniques.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
Changes in Cognitive State Alter Human Functional Brain Networks
The study of the brain as a whole system can be accomplished using network theory principles. Research has shown that human functional brain networks during a resting state exhibit small-world properties and high degree nodes, or hubs, localized to brain areas consistent with the default mode network. However, the study of brain networks across different tasks and or cognitive states has been inconclusive. Research in this field is important because the underpinnings of behavioral output are inherently dependent on whether or not brain networks are dynamic. This is the first comprehensive study to evaluate multiple network metrics at a voxel-wise resolution in the human brain at both the whole-brain and regional level under various conditions: resting state, visual stimulation, and multisensory (auditory and visual stimulation). Our results show that despite global network stability, functional brain networks exhibit considerable task-induced changes in connectivity, efficiency, and community structure at the regional level
Association of physical function with connectivity in the sensorimotor and dorsal attention networks: why examining specific components of physical function matters
Declining physical function with aging is associated with structural and functional brain network organization. Gaining a greater understanding of network associations may be useful for targeting interventions that are designed to slow or prevent such decline. Our previous work demonstrated that the Short Physical Performance Battery (eSPPB) score and body mass index (BMI) exhibited a statistical interaction in their associations with connectivity in the sensorimotor cortex (SMN) and the dorsal attention network (DAN). The current study examined if components of the eSPPB have unique associations with these brain networks. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 192 participants in the BNET study, a longitudinal and observational trial of community-dwelling adults aged 70 or older. Functional brain networks were generated for resting state and during a motor imagery task. Regression analyses were performed between eSPPB component scores (gait speed, complex gait speed, static balance, and lower extremity strength) and BMI with SMN and DAN connectivity. Gait speed, complex gait speed, and lower extremity strength significantly interacted with BMI in their association with SMN at rest. Gait speed and complex gait speed were interacted with BMI in the DAN at rest while complex gait speed, static balance, and lower extremity strength interacted with BMI in the DAN during motor imagery. Results demonstrate that different components of physical function, such as balance or gait speed and BMI, are associated with unique aspects of brain network organization. Gaining a greater mechanistic understanding of the associations between low physical function, body mass, and brain physiology may lead to the development of treatments that not only target specific physical function limitations but also specific brain networks
The impact of FADS genetic variants on ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in African Americans
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Arachidonic acid (AA) is a long-chain omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) synthesized from the precursor dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) that plays a vital role in immunity and inflammation. Variants in the Fatty Acid Desaturase (<it>FADS</it>) family of genes on chromosome 11q have been shown to play a role in PUFA metabolism in populations of European and Asian ancestry; no work has been done in populations of African ancestry to date.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we report that African Americans have significantly higher circulating levels of plasma AA (p = 1.35 × 10<sup>-48</sup>) and lower DGLA levels (p = 9.80 × 10<sup>-11</sup>) than European Americans. Tests for association in N = 329 individuals across 80 nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Fatty Acid Desaturase (<it>FADS</it>) locus revealed significant association with AA, DGLA and the AA/DGLA ratio, a measure of enzymatic efficiency, in both racial groups (peak signal p = 2.85 × 10<sup>-16 </sup>in African Americans, 2.68 × 10<sup>-23 </sup>in European Americans). Ancestry-related differences were observed at an upstream marker previously associated with AA levels (rs174537), wherein, 79-82% of African Americans carry two copies of the G allele compared to only 42-45% of European Americans. Importantly, the allelic effect of the G allele, which is associated with <it>enhanced </it>conversion of DGLA to AA, on enzymatic efficiency was similar in both groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that the impact of <it>FADS </it>genetic variants on PUFA metabolism, specifically AA levels, is likely more pronounced in African Americans due to the larger proportion of individuals carrying the genotype associated with increased FADS1 enzymatic conversion of DGLA to AA.</p
Cold neutral atoms via charge exchange from excited state positronium: a proposal
We present a method for generating cold neutral atoms via charge exchange
reactions between trapped ions and Rydberg positronium. The high charge
exchange reaction cross section leads to efficient neutralisation of the ions
and since the positronium-ion mass ratio is small, the neutrals do not gain
appreciable kinetic energy in the process. When the original ions are cold the
reaction produces neutrals that can be trapped or further manipulated with
electromagnetic fields. Because a wide range of species can be targeted we
envisage that our scheme may enable experiments at low temperature that have
been hitherto intractable due to a lack of cooling methods. We present an
estimate for achievable temperatures, neutral number and density in an
experiment where the neutrals are formed at a milli-Kelvin temperature from
either directly or sympathetically cooled ions confined on an ion chip. The
neutrals may then be confined by their magnetic moment in a co-located magnetic
minimum well also formed on the chip. We discuss general experimental
requirements
The relationship between processing speed and regional white matter volume in healthy young people
Processing speed is considered a key cognitive resource and it has a crucial role in all types of cognitive performance. Some researchers have hypothesised the importance of white matter integrity in the brain for processing speed; however, the relationship at the whole-brain level between white matter volume (WMV) and processing speed relevant to the modality or problem used in the task has never been clearly evaluated in healthy people. In this study, we used various tests of processing speed and Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) analyses, it is involves a voxel-wise comparison of the local volume of gray and white, to assess the relationship between processing speed and regional WMV (rWMV). We examined the association between processing speed and WMV in 887 healthy young adults (504 men and 383 women; mean age, 20.7 years, SD, 1.85). We performed three different multiple regression analyses: we evaluated rWMV associated with individual differences in the simple processing speed task, word–colour and colour–word tasks (processing speed tasks with words) and the simple arithmetic task, after adjusting for age and sex. The results showed a positive relationship at the whole-brain level between rWMV and processing speed performance. In contrast, the processing speed performance did not correlate with rWMV in any of the regions examined. Our results support the idea that WMV is associated globally with processing speed performance regardless of the type of processing speed task
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