412 research outputs found
Mn Interstitial Diffusion in (Ga,Mn)As
We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of the ferromagnetic
semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As which explains the remarkably large changes observed on
low temperature annealing. Careful control of the annealing conditions allows
us to obtain samples with ferromagnetic transition temperatures up to 159 K. Ab
initio calculations, and resistivity measurements during annealing, show that
the observed changes are due to out-diffusion of Mn interstitials towards the
surface, governed by an energy barrier of about 0.7-0.8 eV. The Mn interstitial
is a double donor resulting in compensation of charge carriers and suppression
of ferromagnetism. Electric fields induced by high concentrations of
substitutional Mn acceptors have a significant effect on the diffusion.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Altered sleep and neurovascular dysfunction in alpha-synucleinopathies: the perfect storm for glymphatic failure
Clinical and cognitive progression in alpha-synucleinopathies is highly heterogeneous. While some patients remain stable over long periods of time, other suffer early dementia or fast motor deterioration. Sleep disturbances and nocturnal blood pressure abnormalities have been identified as independent risk factors for clinical progression but a mechanistic explanation linking both aspects is lacking. We hypothesize that impaired glymphatic system might play a key role on clinical progression. Glymphatic system clears brain waste during specific sleep stages, being blood pressure the motive force that propels the interstitial fluid through brain tissue to remove protein waste. Thus, the combination of severe sleep alterations, such as REM sleep behavioral disorder, and lack of the physiological nocturnal decrease of blood pressure due to severe dysautonomia may constitute the perfect storm for glymphatic failure, causing increased abnormal protein aggregation and spreading. In Lewy body disorders (Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies) the increment of intraneuronal alpha-synuclein and extracellular amyloid-β would lead to cognitive deterioration, while in multisystemic atrophy, increased pathology in oligodendroglia would relate to the faster and malignant motor progression. We present a research model that may help in developing studies aiming to elucidate the role of glymphatic function and associated factors mainly in alpha-synucleinopathies, but that could be relevant also for other protein accumulation-related neurodegenerative diseases. If the model is proven to be useful could open new lines for treatments targeting glymphatic function (for example through control of nocturnal blood pressure) with the objective to ameliorate cognitive and motor progression in alpha-synucleinopathies
Structure and stability of finite gold nanowires
Finite gold nanowires containing less than 1000 atoms are studied using the
molecular dynamics simulation method and embedded atom potential. Nanowires
with the face-centered cubic structure and the (111) oriented cross-section are
prepared at T=0 K. After annealing and quenching the structure and vibrational
properties of nanowires are studied at room temperature. Several of these
nanowires form multi-walled structures of lasting stability. They consist of
concentrical cylindrical sheets and resemble multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
Vibrations are investigated by diagonalization of the dynamical matrix. It was
found that several percents of vibrational modes are unstable because of
uncompleted restructuring of initial fcc nanowires.Comment: 4 figures in gif forma
Electronic transport in extended systems: Application to carbon nanotubes
Article on electronic transport in extended systems and the application to carbon nanotubes
Measuring and Estimating GFR and Treatment Effect in ADPKD Patients: Results and Implications of a Longitudinal Cohort Study
Trials failed to demonstrate protective effects of investigational treatments on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) reduction in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). To assess whether above findings were explained by unreliable GFR estimates, in this academic study we compared GFR values centrally measured by iohexol plasma clearance with corresponding values estimated by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-Epi) and abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (aMDRD) formulas in ADPKD patients retrieved from four clinical trials run by a Clinical Research Center and five Nephrology Units in Italy. Measured baseline GFRs and one-year GFR changes averaged 78.6±26.7 and 8.4±10.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 in 111 and 71 ADPKD patients, respectively. CKD-Epi significantly overestimated and aMDRD underestimated baseline GFRs. Less than half estimates deviated by <10% from measured values. One-year estimated GFR changes did not detect measured changes. Both formulas underestimated GFR changes by 50%. Less than 9% of estimates deviated <10% from measured changes. Extent of deviations even exceeded that of measured one-year GFR changes. In ADPKD, prediction formulas unreliably estimate actual GFR values and fail to detect their changes over time. Direct kidney function measurements by appropriate techniques are needed to adequately evaluate treatment effects in clinics and research
Topologically-Driven Linear Magnetoresistance in Helimagnetic FeP
The helimagnet FeP is part of a family of binary pnictide materials with the
MnP-type structure which share a nonsymmorphic crystal symmetry that preserves
generic band structure characteristics through changes in elemental
composition. It shows many similarities, including in its magnetic order, to
isostructural CrAs and MnP, two compounds that are driven to superconductivity
under applied pressure. Here we present a series of high magnetic field
experiments on high quality single crystals of FeP, showing that the resistance
not only increases without saturation by up to several hundred times its zero
field value by 35 T, but that it also exhibits an anomalously linear field
dependence over the entire field range when the field is aligned precisely
along the crystallographic c-axis. A close comparison of quantum oscillation
frequencies to electronic structure calculations links this orientation to a
semi-Dirac point in the band structure which disperses linearly in a single
direction in the plane perpendicular to field, a symmetry-protected feature of
this entire material family. We show that the two striking features of MR-large
amplitude and linear field dependence-arise separately in this system, with the
latter likely due to a combination of ordered magnetism and topological band
structure.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
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