203 research outputs found
Do cannabis and urbanicity co-participate in causing psychosis? Evidence from a 10-year follow-up cohort study
Background Cannabis use is considered a component cause of psychotic illness, interacting with genetic and other environmental risk factors. Little is known, however, about these putative interactions. The present study investigated whether an urban environment plays a role in moderating the effects of adolescent cannabis use on psychosis risk. Method Prospective data (n=1923, aged 14-24 years at baseline) from the longitudinal population-based German Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology cohort study were analysed. Urbanicity was assessed at baseline and defined as living in the city of Munich (1562 persons per km2; 4061 individuals per square mile) or in the rural surroundings (213 persons per km2; 553 individuals per square mile). Cannabis use and psychotic symptoms were assessed three times over a 10-year follow-up period using the Munich version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results Analyses revealed a significant interaction between cannabis and urbanicity [10.9% adjusted difference in risk, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2-18.6, p=0.005]. The effect of cannabis use on follow-up incident psychotic symptoms was much stronger in individuals who grew up in an urban environment (adjusted risk difference 6.8%, 95% CI 1.0-12.5, p=0.021) compared with individuals from rural surroundings (adjusted risk difference −4.1%, 95% CI −9.8 to 1.6, p=0.159). The statistical interaction was compatible with substantial underlying biological synergism. Conclusions Exposure to environmental influences associated with urban upbringing may increase vulnerability to the psychotomimetic effects of cannabis use later in lif
Electronic and magnetic structure of epitaxial NiO/FeO(001) heterostructures grown on MgO(001) and Nb-doped SrTiO(001)
We study the underlying chemical, electronic and magnetic properties of a
number of magnetite based thin films. The main focus is placed onto
NiO/FeO(001) bilayers grown on MgO(001) and Nb-SrTiO(001)
substrates. We compare the results with those obtained on pure FeO(001)
thin films. It is found that the magnetite layers are oxidized and Fe
dominates at the surfaces due to maghemite (-FeO) formation,
which decreases with increasing magnetite layer thickness. From a layer
thickness of around 20 nm on the cationic distribution is close to that of
stoichiometric FeO. At the interface between NiO and FeO we
find the Ni to be in a divalent valence state, with unambiguous spectral
features in the Ni 2p core level x-ray photoelectron spectra typical for NiO.
The formation of a significant NiFeO interlayer can be excluded by
means of XMCD. Magneto optical Kerr effect measurements reveal significant
higher coercive fields compared to magnetite thin films grown on MgO(001), and
a 45 rotated magnetic easy axis. We discuss the spin magnetic moments
of the magnetite layers and find that the moment increases with increasing thin
film thickness. At low thickness the NiO/FeO films grown on
Nb-SrTiO exhibits a significantly decreased spin magnetic moments. A
thickness of 20 nm or above leads to spin magnetic moments close to that of
bulk magnetite
Spin States of Cobalt Ions in the Bulk and on the Surface of LaCoO3 Probed by X-ray Absorption, Emission, and Photoelectron Spectra
We present X-ray photoelectron, Co L2,3 and O K X-ray absorption, as well as Co Kβ1,3 X-ray emission spectroscopy results of studies of the spin states of trivalent cobalt ions in single-crystal cobaltite LaCoO3. We show that at room temperature, in the bulk of a LaCoO3 single crystal, Co3+ ions are in the low-spin state, while high-spin Co2+, high-spin Co3+, low-spin Co3+ , and probably also intermediate-spin Co3+ ions are localated on the surface
Electronic structure study by means of X-ray spectroscopy and theoretical calculations of the "ferric star" single molecule magnet
The electronic structure of the single molecule magnet system
M[Fe(L)2]3*4CHCl3 (M=Fe,Cr; L=CH3N(CH2CH2O)2) has been studied using X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, soft X-ray emission
spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. There is good agreement
between theoretical calculations and experimental data. The valence band mainly
consists of three bands between 2 eV and 30 eV. Both theory and experiments
show that the top of the valence band is dominated by the hybridization between
Fe 3d and O 2p bands. From the shape of the Fe 2p spectra it is argued that Fe
in the molecule is most likely in the 2+ charge state. Its neighboring atoms
(O,N) exhibit a magnetic polarisation yielding effective spin S=5/2 per iron
atom, giving a high spin state molecule with a total S=5 effective spin for the
case of M = Fe.Comment: Fig.2 replaced as it will appear in J. Chem. Phy
Regulation of solvent tolerance in Pseudomonas putida S12 mediated by mobile elements
Organic solvent-tolerant bacteria are outstanding and versatile hosts for the bio-based production of a broad range of generally toxic aromatic compounds. The energetically costly solvent tolerance mechanisms are subject to multiple levels of regulation, involving among other mobile genetic elements. The genome of the solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas putida S12 contains many such mobile elements that play a major role in the regulation and adaptation to various stress conditions, including the regulation of expression of the solvent efflux pump SrpABC. We recently sequenced the genome of P. putida S12. Detailed annotation identified a threefold higher copy number of the mobile element ISS12 in contrast to earlier observations. In this study, we describe the mobile genetic elements and elaborate on the role of ISS12 in the establishment and maintenance of solvent tolerance in P. putida. We identified three different variants of ISS12 of which a single variant exhibits a high translocation rate. One copy of this variant caused a loss of solvent tolerance in the sequenced strain by disruption of srpA. Solvent tolerance could be restored by applying selective pressure, leading to a clean excision of the mobile element.Microbial Biotechnolog
Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering Studies of Elementary Excitations
In the past decade, Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) has made
remarkable progress as a spectroscopic technique. This is a direct result of
the availability of high-brilliance synchrotron X-ray radiation sources and of
advanced photon detection instrumentation. The technique's unique capability to
probe elementary excitations in complex materials by measuring their energy-,
momentum-, and polarization-dependence has brought RIXS to the forefront of
experimental photon science. We review both the experimental and theoretical
RIXS investigations of the past decade, focusing on those determining the
low-energy charge, spin, orbital and lattice excitations of solids. We present
the fundamentals of RIXS as an experimental method and then review the
theoretical state of affairs, its recent developments and discuss the different
(approximate) methods to compute the dynamical RIXS response. The last decade's
body of experimental RIXS data and its interpretation is surveyed, with an
emphasis on RIXS studies of correlated electron systems, especially transition
metal compounds. Finally, we discuss the promise that RIXS holds for the near
future, particularly in view of the advent of x-ray laser photon sources.Comment: Review, 67 pages, 44 figure
Imaging Molecular Structure through Femtosecond Photoelectron Diffraction on Aligned and Oriented Gas-Phase Molecules
This paper gives an account of our progress towards performing femtosecond
time-resolved photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules in a pump-probe
setup combining optical lasers and an X-ray Free-Electron Laser. We present
results of two experiments aimed at measuring photoelectron angular
distributions of laser-aligned 1-ethynyl-4-fluorobenzene (C8H5F) and
dissociating, laseraligned 1,4-dibromobenzene (C6H4Br2) molecules and discuss
them in the larger context of photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase molecules.
We also show how the strong nanosecond laser pulse used for adiabatically
laser-aligning the molecules influences the measured electron and ion spectra
and angular distributions, and discuss how this may affect the outcome of
future time-resolved photoelectron diffraction experiments.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Faraday Discussions 17
Ferromagnetism and suppression of metallic clusters in Fe implanted ZnO - a phenomenon related to defects?
We investigated ZnO(0001) single crystals annealed in high vacuum with
respect to their magnetic properties and cluster formation tendency after
implant-doping with Fe. While metallic Fe cluster formation is suppressed, no
evidence for the relevance of the Fe magnetic moment for the observed
ferromagnetism was found. The latter along with the cluster suppression is
discussed with respect to defects in the ZnO host matrix, since the crystalline
quality of the substrates was lowered due to the preparation as observed by
x-ray diffraction.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure
Electrical resistivity, magnetism and electronic structure of the intermetallic 3d/4f Laves phase compounds ErNi2Mnx
The non-stoichiometric intermetallic compounds RENi2Mnx (RE = rare earth) with
the cubic MgCu2-type structure display a large variety of magnetic properties which
is due to a complex interplay between the degrees of freedom of the 3d and
4f electrons and their interactions. We performed a comprehensive study of the
electrical resistivity, magnetic properties and the electronic structure of ErNi2Mnx
(x =0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25) compounds by employing a suitable set of complementary
experimental approaches. We find an increase in electrical resistance compared
to ErNi2 upon Mn doping, the residual resistivity ratio decreases with increasing
manganese content. The Curie temperature exhibits a sharp increase to around 50 K
for Mn concentrations x 0.5, whereas the saturation magnetization decreases
with growing Mn content x 0.5. Valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
reveals an increasing intensity of Mn 3d states near Fermi energy in dependence
of Mn concentration and Curie temperature. Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy
of ErNi2Mn0.75 reveals that the photoemission decay channels dominate the valence
band spectra across the Er N5 and Mn L3 X-ray absorption maxima, whereas the
L3VV Auger dictates the resonant valence band spectra close to and at the Ni L3
X-ray absorption edge
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