181 research outputs found
Effects of Low-Molecular-Weight-Organic-Acids on the Release Kinetic of Organochlorine Pesticides from Red Soil
COMPARISON OF BRAIN METABOLITE CHANGES IN MANGANESE-EXPOSED WELDERS AND SMELTERS
poster abstractExcessive manganese (Mn) exposure is known to cause cognitive, psychiatric and motor deficits. Mn overexposure occurs in different occupational settings, where the type and level of exposure may vary. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) can be used to evaluate brain Mn accumulation and to measure Mn-induced metabolite changes non-invasively. The aim of this study was to compare metabolite changes among different brain regions of welders and smelters following occupational Mn exposure. Nine Mn-exposed smelters, 14 Mn-exposed welders and 23 male matched controls were recruited from a cohort of workers from two factories in China (mean airborne Mn level: 0.227 and 0.025 mg/m3 for smelters and welders, respectively). Short-echo-time 1H MRS spectra were acquired in each subject from four volumes of interest: the frontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus. We found that 1) in the frontal cortex, significantly decreased creatine (Cr), glutamate (Glu) and glutathione (GSH) were found in welders, whereas decreased Glu was found in smelters as compared to controls. 2) In the thalamus, reduced myo-inositol was found in both smelters and welders, while Glu and GSH were decreased in welders. These results suggest that Mn-induced brain metabolite changes may be regional in nature and more extensive in welders than in smelters. The frontal cortex seems to show a more profound change than the other brain areas tested among Mn exposed subjects. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of exposure type and length on the mechanism of Mn neurotoxicity. (Supported by NIH/NIEHS R21 ES-017498, National Science Foundation of China Grant #81072320 and 30760210)
Correlation between intercalated magnetic layers and superconductivity in pressurized EuFe2(As0.81P0.19)2
We report comprehensive high pressure studies on correlation between
intercalated magnetic layers and superconductivity in EuFe2(As0.81P0.19)2
single crystal through in-situ high pressure resistance, specific heat, X-ray
diffraction and X-ray absorption measurements. We find that an unconfirmed
magnetic order of the intercalated layers coexists with superconductivity in a
narrow pressure range 0-0.5GPa, and then it converts to a ferromagnetic (FM)
order at pressure above 0.5 GPa, where its superconductivity is absent. The
obtained temperature-pressure phase diagram clearly demonstrates that the
unconfirmed magnetic order can emerge from the superconducting state. In stark
contrast, the superconductivity cannot develop from the FM state that is
evolved from the unconfirmed magnetic state. High pressure X-ray absorption
(XAS) measurements reveal that the pressure-induced enhancement of Eu's mean
valence plays an important role in suppressing the superconductivity and tuning
the transition from the unconfirmed magnetic state to a FM state. The unusual
interplay among valence state of Eu ions, magnetism and superconductivity under
pressure may shed new light on understanding the role of the intercalated
magnetic layers in Fe-based superconductors
The vital role of hole-carriers for superconductivity in pressurized black phosphorus
The influence of carrier type on superconductivity has been an important
issue for understanding both conventional and unconventional superconductors
[1-7]. For elements that superconduct, it is known that hole-carriers govern
the superconductivity for transition and main group metals [8-10]. The role of
hole-carriers in elements that are not normally conducting but can be converted
to superconductors, however, remains unclear due to the lack of experimental
data. Here we report the first in-situ high pressure Hall effect measurements
on single crystal black phosphorus, measured up to ~ 50 GPa, and find a
correlation between the Hall coefficient and the superconducting transition
temperature (TC). Our results reveal that hole-carriers play a vital role in
developing superconductivity and enhancing TC. Importantly, we also find a
Lifshitz transition in the high-pressure cubic phase at ~17.2GPa, which
uncovers the origin of a puzzling valley in the superconducting TC-pressure
phase diagram. These results offer insight into the role of hole-carriers in
developing superconductivity in simple semiconducting solids under pressure.Comment: 9 pages anf 3 figure
Scaling of pressure-induced and doping-induced superconductivity in the Ca10(PtnAs8)(Fe2As2)5 arsenides
The Ca10(PtnAs8)(Fe2As2)5 (n=3,4) compounds are a new type of iron pnictide
superconductor whose structures consist of stacking Ca-PtnAs8-Ca-Fe2As2 layers
in a unit cell. When n=3 (the 10-3-8 phase), the undoped compound is an
antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconductor, while, when n=4 (the 10-4-8 phase), the
undoped compound is a superconductor (Tc=26K), a difference that has been
attributed to the electronic character of the PtnAs8 intermediary layers. Here
we report high-pressure studies on 10-3-8 and 10-4-8, using a combination of
in-situ resistance, magnetic susceptibility, Hall coefficient and X-ray
diffraction measurements. We find that the AFM order in undoped 10-3-8 is
suppressed completely at 3.5 GPa and that superconductivity then appears in the
3.5-7 GPa pressure range with a classic dome-like behavior. In contrast, Tc in
the 10-4-8 phase displays a monotonic decrease with increasing pressure. Our
results allow for the establishment of a unique correspondence between
pressure-induced and doping-induced superconductivity in the high-Tc iron
pnictides, and also points the way to an effective strategy for finding new
high-Tc superconductors.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
The role of 245 phase in alkaline iron selenide superconductors revealed by high pressure studies
Here we show that a pressure of about 8 GPa suppresses both the vacancy order
and the insulating phase, and a further increase of the pressure to about 18
GPa induces a second transition or crossover. No superconductivity has been
found in compressed insulating 245 phase. The metallic phase in the
intermediate pressure range has a distinct behavior in the transport property,
which is also observed in the superconducting sample. We interpret this
intermediate metal as an orbital selective Mott phase (OSMP). Our results
suggest that the OSMP provides the physical pathway connecting the insulating
and superconducting phases of these iron selenide materials.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figure
- …