Spin-polarized surface state of MnSb(0001)

Knowledge of the spin-dependent electronic structure at surfaces and interfaces plays an increasingly important role when assessing possible use of novel magnetic materials for spintronic applications. It is shown that spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy together with ab initio electronic structure methods provides a full characterization of the surface electronic structure of ferromagnetic MnSb(0 0 0 1). Two different surface reconstructions have been compared in spin- and angle-resolved valence-band photoemission. For annealing at elevated temperatures, the ( 1 x 1)-structure transforms into 2 x 2 and a majority-spin peak appears at - 1.7 eV inside a majority-spin bulk band gap at the surface Brillouin zone centre. Its sensitivity to oxygen supports an interpretation as magnetic compound surface state. Local spin density calculations predict at the same energy (- 1.75 eV) a prominent d(z)2 surface state of majority spin for ( 1 x 1)- Mn terminated MnSb(0 0 0 1) but no such feature for ( 1 x 1)-Sb termination. The calculation shows that neither the bulk nor the surface is half-metallic, in agreement with the expectation for the hexagonal NiAs structure

Factors associating with differences in the incidence of renal replacement therapy among elderly : data from the ERA-EDTA Registry

Background. The incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the general population >= 75 years of age varies considerably between countries and regions in Europe. Our aim was to study characteristics and survival of elderly RRT patients and to find explanations for differences in RRT incidence. Methods. Patients >= 75 years of age at the onset of RRT in 2010-2013 from 29 national or regional registries providing data to the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association Registry were included. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess variation in patient characteristics and linear regression was used to study the association between RRT incidence and various factors. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were employed for survival analyses. Results. The mean annual incidence of RRT in the age group >= 75 years of age ranged from 157 to 924 per million age-related population. The median age at the start of RRT was higher and comorbidities were less common in areas with higher RRT incidence, but overall the association between patient characteristics and RRT incidence was weak. The unadjusted survival was lower in high-incidence areas due to an older age at onset of RRT, but the adjusted survival was similar [relative risk 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.03)] in patients from low- and high-incidence areas. Conclusions. Variation in the incidence of RRT among the elderly across European countries and regions is remarkable and could not be explained by the available data. However, the survival of patients in low-and high-incidence areas was remarkably similar.Peer reviewe

Renal replacement therapy in Europe : A summary of the 2013 ERA-EDTA Registry Annual Report with a focus on diabetes mellitus

Publisher Copyright: © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA.Background: This article provides a summary of the 2013 European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry Annual Report (available at http://www.era-edta-reg.org), with a focus on patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) as the cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Methods: In 2015, the ERA-EDTA Registry received data on renal replacement therapy (RRT) for ESRD from 49 national or regional renal registries in 34 countries in Europe and bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Individual patient datawere provided by 31 registries, while 18 registries provided aggregated data. The total population covered by the participating registries comprised 650 million people. Results: In total, 72 933 patients started RRT for ESRD within the countries and regions reporting to the ERA-EDTA Registry, resulting in an overall incidence of 112 per million population (pmp). The overall prevalence on 31 December 2013was 738 pmp (n = 478 990). Patients with DM as the cause of ESRD comprised 24% of the incident RRT patients (26 pmp) and 17% of the prevalent RRT patients (122 pmp).Whencompared with the USA, the incidence of patients starting RRTpmpsecondary toDMin Europe was five times lower and the incidence of RRT due to other causes of ESRD was two times lower. Overall, 19 426 kidney transplants were performed (30 pmp). The 5-year adjusted survival for all RRT patients was 60.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 60.5-61.3] and 50.6% (95% CI 49.9-51.2) for patients with DM as the cause of ESRD.publishersversionPeer reviewe