4 research outputs found
Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of Aluminum solvation
The solvation of Al and its hydrolyzed species in water clusters has been
studied by means of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The hexa-hydrate
aluminum ion formed a stable complex in the finite temperature cluster
simulation of one aluminum ion and 16 waters. The average dipole moment of
strongly polarized hydrated water molecules in the first solvation shell of the
hexa-hydrate aluminum ion was found to be 5.02 Debye. The deprotonated
hexa-hydrate complex evolves into a tetra-coordinated aluminate ion with two
water molecules in the second solvation shell forming hydrogen bonds to the
hydroxyl groups in agreement with the observed coordination.Comment: 12 pages in Elsevier LaTeX, 5 figures in Postscript, 2 last figures
are in color, submitted to Chemical Physics Letter
Exchange-correlation vector potentials and vorticity-dependent exchange-correlation energy densities in two-dimensional systems
We present a new approach how to calculate the scalar exchange-correlation
potentials and the vector exchange-correlation potentials from current-carrying
ground states of two-dimensional quantum dots. From these exchange-correlation
potentials we derive exchange-correlation energy densities and examine their
vorticity (or current) dependence. Compared with parameterizations of
current-induced effects in literature we find an increased significance of
corrections due to paramagnetic current densities.Comment: 5 figures, submitted to PR
Impurity and spin effects on the magneto-spectroscopy of a THz-modulated nanostructure
We present a grid-free DFT model appropriate to explore the time evolution of
electronic states in a semiconductor nanostructure. The model can be used to
investigate both the linear and the nonlinear response of the system to an
external short-time perturbation in the THz regime. We use the model to study
the effects of impurities on the magneto-spectroscopy of a two-dimensional
electron gas in a nanostructure excited by an intense THz radiation. We do
observe a reduction in the binding energy of the impurity with increasing
excitation strength, and at a finite magnetic field we find a slow onset of
collective spin-oscillations that can be made to vanish with a stronger
excitation.Comment: LaTeX,10 pages with 11 embedded postscript figure
Association between Vitamin D Levels and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Potential Confounding Variables
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), historically considered to be the hepatic component of the metabolic syndrome, is a spectrum of fat-associated liver conditions, in the absence of secondary causes, that may progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Disease progression is closely associated with body weight or fatness, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Recently, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the pathogenesis and severity of NAFLD because of vitamin D "pleiotropic" functions, with roles in immune modulation, cell differentiation and proliferation, and regulation of inflammation. Indeed, several studies have reported an association between vitamin D and NAFLD/NASH. However, other studies have failed to find an association. Therefore, we sought to critically review the current evidence on the association between vitamin D deficiency and NAFLD/NASH, and to analyze and discuss some key variables that may interfere with this evaluation, such as host-, environment-, and heritability-related factors regulating vitamin D synthesis and metabolism; definitions of deficient or optimal vitamin D status with respect to skeletal and nonskeletal outcomes including NAFLD/NASH; methods of measuring 25(OH)D; and methods of diagnosing NAFLD as well as quantifying adiposity, the cardinal link between vitamin D deficiency and NAFLD