898 research outputs found
Quantum fluctuations in high field magnetization of 2D square lattice J1-J2 antiferromagnets
The J1-J2 square lattice Heisenberg model with spin S=1/2 has three phases
with long-range magnetic order and two unconventionally ordered phases
depending on the ratio of exchange constants. It describes a number of recently
found layered vanadium oxide compounds. A simple means of investigating the
ground state is the study of the magnetization curve and high-field
susceptibility. We discuss these quantities by using the spin-wave theory and
the exact diagonalization in the whole J1-J2 plane. We compare both results and
find good overall agreement in the sectors of the phase diagram with magnetic
order. Close to the disordered regions the magnetization curve shows strong
deviations from the classical linear behaviour caused by large quantum
fluctuations and spin-wave approximation breaks down. On the FM side (J1<0)
where one approaches the quantum gapless spin nematic ground state this region
is surprisingly large. We find that inclusion of second order spin-wave
corrections does not lead to fundamental improvement. Quantum corrections to
the tilting angle of the ordered moments are also calculated. They may have
both signs, contrary to the always negative first order quantum corrections to
the magnetization. Finally we investigate the effect of the interlayer coupling
and find that the quasi-2D picture remains valid up to |J_\perp/J1| ~ 0.3.Comment: 13 pages, 6figure
Strong electronic correlations from Hund's coupling
Strong electronic correlations are often associated with the proximity of a
Mott insulating state. In recent years however, it has become increasingly
clear that the Hund's rule coupling (intra-atomic exchange) is responsible for
strong correlations in multi-orbital metallic materials which are not close to
a Mott insulator. Hund's coupling has two effects: it influences the energetics
of the Mott gap and strongly suppresses the coherence scale for the formation
of a Fermi-liquid. A global picture has emerged recently, which emphasizes the
importance of the average occupancy of the shell as a control parameter. The
most dramatic effects occur away from half-filling or single occupancy. The
theoretical understanding and physical properties of these `Hund's metals' are
reviewed, together with the relevance of this concept to transition-metal
oxides of the 3d, and especially 4d series (such as ruthenates), as well as to
the iron-based superconductors (iron pnictides and chalcogenides).Comment: Submitted to Annual Reviews in Condensed Matter Physic
Sperm DNA integrity in relation to exposure to environmental perfluoroalkyl substances â A study of spouses of pregnant women in three geographical regions.
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) can interfere with male reproductive function, but evidence in humansis limited. Six hundred four fertilemen(199 from Greenland, 197 from Poland and 208 from Ukraine) wereenrolled in the study. We measured four PFASs in serum (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA and PFHxS) and concurrentDNA damage in spermatozoa by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, apoptotic markers in semen (Fas-receptorand Bcl-xL), and reproductive hormones in serum. No association between PFASs and SCSA, apoptoticmarkers or reproductive hormones emerged.Weobserved a slight increase in SHBG and TUNEL-positivitywith increased PFOA exposure in men from Greenland. Thus, consistent evidence that PFAS exposureinterferes with sperm DNA fragmentation, apoptosis or reproductive hormones was not found
Xenoestrogenic activity in blood of European and Inuit populations.
Human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is ubiquitous and found in all individuals. Studies have documented endocrine disrupting effects and impact on reproduction. The aim of the present study was to compare the level of xenoestrogenic activity in serum of groups with varying POP exposure, and to evaluate correlations to the POP biomarkers, 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE). No strong consistent association between xenoestrogenic net activity and the two POP markers was found. The results showed that the selected POP markers alone can not predict the integrated xenoestrogenic serum activity. Correlations to the POP markers were found at the extreme edge; the Inuit's and Warsaw study groups eliciting high frequency of samples with ER antagonistic and agonistic activity, respectively. We suggest that the variation in xenoestrogenic serum activity reflects differences in POP exposure mixture, genetic factors and/or life style factors
Ionic high-pressure form of elemental boron
Boron is an element of fascinating chemical complexity. Controversies have
shrouded this element since its discovery was announced in 1808: the new
'element' turned out to be a compound containing less than 60-70 percent of
boron, and it was not until 1909 that 99-percent pure boron was obtained. And
although we now know of at least 16 polymorphs, the stable phase of boron is
not yet experimentally established even at ambient conditions. Boron's
complexities arise from frustration: situated between metals and insulators in
the periodic table, boron has only three valence electrons, which would favour
metallicity, but they are sufficiently localized that insulating states emerge.
However, this subtle balance between metallic and insulating states is easily
shifted by pressure, temperature and impurities. Here we report the results of
high-pressure experiments and ab initio evolutionary crystal structure
predictions that explore the structural stability of boron under pressure and,
strikingly, reveal a partially ionic high-pressure boron phase. This new phase
is stable between 19 and 89 GPa, can be quenched to ambient conditions, and has
a hitherto unknown structure (space group Pnnm, 28 atoms in the unit cell)
consisting of icosahedral B12 clusters and B2 pairs in a NaCl-type arrangement.
We find that the ionicity of the phase affects its electronic bandgap, infrared
adsorption and dielectric constants, and that it arises from the different
electronic properties of the B2 pairs and B12 clusters and the resultant charge
transfer between them.Comment: Published in Nature 453, 863-867 (2009
Electronic correlations in the iron pnictides
In correlated metals derived from Mott insulators, the motion of an electron
is impeded by Coulomb repulsion due to other electrons. This phenomenon causes
a substantial reduction in the electron's kinetic energy leading to remarkable
experimental manifestations in optical spectroscopy. The high-Tc
superconducting cuprates are perhaps the most studied examples of such
correlated metals. The occurrence of high-Tc superconductivity in the iron
pnictides puts a spotlight on the relevance of correlation effects in these
materials. Here we present an infrared and optical study on single crystals of
the iron pnictide superconductor LaFePO. We find clear evidence of electronic
correlations in metallic LaFePO with the kinetic energy of the electrons
reduced to half of that predicted by band theory of nearly free electrons.
Hallmarks of strong electronic many-body effects reported here are important
because the iron pnictides expose a new pathway towards a correlated electron
state that does not explicitly involve the Mott transition.Comment: 10 page
An itinerant antiferromagnetic metal without magnetic constituents
Itinerant and local moment magnetism have substantively different origins, and require distinct theoretical treatment. A unified theory of magnetism has long been sought after, and remains elusive, mainly due to the limited number of known itinerant magnetic systems. In the case of the two such examples discovered several decades ago, the itinerant ferromagnets ZrZn_2 and Sc_3In, the understanding of their magnetic ground states draws on the existence of 3d electrons subject to strong spin fluctuations. Similarly, in Cr, an elemental itinerant antiferromagnet (IAFM) with a spin density wave (SDW) ground state, its 3d character has been deemed crucial to it being magnetic. Here we report the discovery of the first IAFM compound with no magnetic constituents, TiAu. Antiferromagnetic order occurs below a Neel temperature T_N ~ 36 K, about an order of magnitude smaller than in Cr, rendering the spin fluctuations in TiAu more important at low temperatures. This new IAFM challenges the currently limited understanding of weak itinerant antiferromagnetism, while providing long sought-after insights into the effects of spin fluctuations in itinerant electron systems
Inter-population variations in concentrations, determinants of and correlations between 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE): a cross-sectional study of 3161 men and women from Inuit and European populations.
The study is part of a collaborative project (Inuendo), aiming to assess the impact of dietary persistent organochlorine pollutants (POPs) on human fertility. The aims with the present study are to analyze inter-population variations in serum concentrations of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)-ethylene (p,p'-DDE), to assess inter-population variations in biomarker correlations, and to evaluate the relative impact of different determinants for the inter-individual variations in POP-biomarkers. CB-153 concentrations were much higher in Inuits and Swedish fishermen's populations than in the populations from Eastern Europe, whereas the pattern was different for p,p'-DDE showing highest concentrations in the Kharkiv population. The correlations between the POP-biomarkers varied considerably between the populations, underlining that exposure sources differ and that the choice of representative biomarkers of overall POP exposure has to be based on an analysis of the specific exposure situation for each population. Age and gender were consistent determinants of serum POPs; seafood was of importance only in the Inuit and Swedish populations
Impact of PCB and p,p'-DDE contaminants on human sperm Y : X chromosome ratio: Studies in three European populations and the inuit population in Greenland
Recent studies indicate that persistent organohalogen pollutants (POPs) may contribute to sex ratio changes in offspring of exposed populations. Our aim in the present study was to investigate whether exposure to 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-153) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (pp'-DDE) affects sperm Y:X chromosome distribution. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We obtained semen and blood for analysis of PCB-153 and pp'-DDE levels from 547 men from Sweden, Greenland, Poland (Warsaw), and Ukraine (Kharkiv), with regionally different levels of POP exposure. The proportion of Y- and X-chromosome-bearing sperm in the semen samples was determined by two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. RESULTS: Swedish and Greenlandic men had on average significantly higher proportions of Y sperm (in both cohorts, 51.2%) and correspondingly higher lipid-adjusted concentrations of PCB-153 (260 ng/g and 350 ng/g, respectively) compared with men from Warsaw (50.3% and 22 ng/g) and Kharkiv (50.7% and 54 ng/g). In the Swedish cohort, log-transformed PCB- 153 and log-transformed pp'-DDE variables were significantly positively associated with Y-chromosome fractions (p-values 0.04 and < 0.001, respectively). On the contrary, in the Polish cohort PCB-153 correlated negatively with the proportion of Y-bearing fraction of spermatozoa (p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that POP exposure might be involved in changing the proportion of ejaculated Y-bearing spermatozoa in human populations. Intercountry differences, with different exposure situations and doses, may contribute to varying Y:X chromosome ratios
FCR (Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide, Rituximab) regimen followed by 90yttrium ibritumomab tiuxetan consolidation for the treatment of relapsed grades 1 and 2 follicular lymphoma: a report of 9 cases
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This retrospective analysis is focused on the efficacy and safety of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with Zevalin<sup>ÂŽ </sup>in nine patients with recurrent follicular lymphoma (FL) who were treated in a consolidation setting after having achieved complete remission or partial remission with FCR.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The median age was 63 yrs (range 46-77), all patients were relapsed with histologically confirmed CD20-positive (grade 1 or 2) FL, at relapse they received FCR every 28 days: F (25 mg/m<sup>2</sup>x 3 days), C (1 gr/m<sup>2 </sup>day 1) and R (375 mg/m<sup>2 </sup>day 4) for 4 cycles. Who achieved at least a partial remission, with < 25% bone marrow involvement, was treated with <sup>90</sup>Yttrium Ibritumomab Tiuxetan 11.1 or 14.8 MBq/Kg up to a maximum dose 1184 MBq, at 3 months after the completion of FCR. The patients underwent a further restaging at 12 weeks after <sup>90</sup>Y-RIT with total body CT scan, FDG-PET/CT and bilateral bone marrow biopsy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nine patients have completed the treatment: FCR followed by <sup>90</sup>Y-RIT (6 patients at 14.8 MBq/Kg, 3 patients at 11.1 MBq/Kg). After FCR 7 patients obtained CR and 2 PR; after <sup>90</sup>Y-RIT two patients in PR converted to CR 12 weeks later. With median follow up of 34 months (range 13-50) the current analysis has shown that overall survival (OS) is 89% at 2 years, 76% at 3 years and 61% at 4 years. The most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events were hematologic, one patient developed herpes zoster infection after 8 months following valacyclovir discontinuation; another patient developed fungal infection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our experience indicate feasibility, tolerability and efficacy of FCR regimen followed by <sup>90</sup>Y-RIT in patients relapsed with grades 1 and 2 FL with no unexpected toxicities. A longer follow up and a larger number of patients with relapsed grades 1 and 2 FL are required to determine the impact of this regimen on long-term duration of response and PFS.</p
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