661 research outputs found
Spin density distribution in a partially magnetized organic quantum magnet
Polarized neutron diffraction experiments on an organic magnetic material
reveal a highly skewed distribution of spin density within the magnetic
molecular unit. The very large magnitude of the observed effect is due to
quantum spin fluctuations. The data are in quantitative agreement with direct
diagonalization results for a model spin Hamiltonian, and provide insight on
the actual microscopic origin of the relevant exchange interactions.Comment: 5 pages 4 figure
Electronic structure of the strongly hybridized ferromagnet CeFe2
We report on results from high-energy spectroscopic measurements on CeFe2, a
system of particular interest due to its anomalous ferromagnetism with an
unusually low Curie temperature and small magnetization compared to the other
rare earth-iron Laves phase compounds. Our experimental results indicate very
strong hybridization of the Ce 4f states with the delocalized band states,
mainly the Fe 3d states. In the interpretation and analysis of our measured
spectra, we have made use of two different theoretical approaches: The first
one is based on the Anderson impurity model, with surface contributions
explicitly taken into account. The second method consists of band-structure
calculations for bulk CeFe2. The analysis based on the Anderson impurity model
gives calculated spectra in good agreement with the whole range of measured
spectra, and reveals that the Ce 4f -- Fe 3d hybridization is considerably
reduced at the surface, resulting in even stronger hybridization in the bulk
than previously thought. The band-structure calculations are ab initio
full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital calculations within the
local-spin-density approximation of the density functional. The Ce 4f electrons
were treated as itinerant band electrons. Interestingly, the Ce 4f partial
density of states obtained from the band-structure calculations also agree well
with the experimental spectra concerning both the 4f peak position and the 4f
bandwidth, if the surface effects are properly taken into account. In addition,
results, notably the partial spin magnetic moments, from the band-structure
calculations are discussed in some detail and compared to experimental findings
and earlier calculations.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B in December 200
Orbitally Driven Spin Pairing in the 3D Non-Magnetic Mott Insulator BaVS3: Evidence from Single Crystal Studies
Static electrical and magnetic properties of single crystal BaVS_3 were
measured over the structural (T_S=240K), metal-insulator (T_MI=69K), and
suspected orbital ordering (T_X=30K) transitions. The resistivity is almost
isotropic both in the metallic and insulating states. An anomaly in the
magnetic anisotropy at T_X signals a phase transition to an ordered low-T
state. The results are interpreted in terms of orbital ordering and spin
pairing within the lowest crystal field quasi-doublet. The disordered insulator
at T_X<T<T_MI is described as a classical liquid of non-magnetic pairs.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, revtex, epsf, and multicol style. Problem with
figures fixed. To appear in Phys. Rev. B Rap. Com
Pan-GWAS of Streptococcus agalactiae highlights lineage-specific genes associated with virulence and niche adaptation
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococcus, GBS) is a coloniser of the gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts, and an opportunistic pathogen of infants and adults. The worldwide population of GBS is characterised by Clonal Complexes (CCs) with different invasive potentials. CC17 for example, is a hypervirulent lineage commonly associated with neonatal sepsis and meningitis, while CC1 is less invasive in neonates and more commonly causes invasive disease in adults with co-morbidities. The genetic basis of GBS virulence and to what extent different CCs have adapted to different host environments remain uncertain. We have therefore applied a pan-genome wide association study approach to 1988 GBS strains isolated from different hosts and countries. Our analysis identified 279 CC-specific genes associated with virulence, disease, metabolism and regulation of cellular mechanisms that may explain the differential virulence potential of particular CCs. In CC17 and CC23 for example, we have identified genes encoding for pilus, quorum sensing proteins, and proteins for the uptake of ions and micronutrients which are absent in less invasive lineages. Moreover, in CC17, carriage and disease strains were distinguished by the allelic variants of 21 of these CC-specific genes. Together our data highlight the lineage-specific basis of GBS niche adaptation and virulence, and suggest that human-associated GBS CCs have largely evolved in animal hosts before crossing to the humans and then spreading clonally
Orthorhombic distortion and orbital order in the vanadium spinel FeV2 O4
Using synchrotron and neutron diffraction measurements, we find a low-temperature orthorhombic phase in vanadium spinel FeV2O4. The orbital order of V3+ ions with tetragonal normal modes occurs at 68 K, and this leads to an appearance of the pseudotetragonal phase at a noncollinear ferrimagnetic transition temperature. Below the magnetic transition temperature, unconventional behavior of the orbital state of Fe2+ ions accompanied by the emergence of the orthorhombic phase was observed by using the normal mode analysis. We have also studied the structural properties of orbitally diluted materials. The orthorhombic phase, which is significantly affected by the other ions, is intrinsic in FeV2O4. We suggest the orthorhombic phase is strongly related with the double orbital states of Fe2+ and V3+ ions
Nuclear Spin-Lattice Relaxation in One-Dimensional Heisenberg Ferrimagnets: Three-Magnon versus Raman Processes
Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in one-dimensional Heisenberg ferrimagnets is
studied by means of a modified spin-wave theory. We consider the second-order
process, where a nuclear spin flip induces virtual spin waves which are then
scattered thermally via the four-magnon exchange interaction, as well as the
first-order process, where a nuclear spin directly interacts with spin waves
via the hyperfine interaction. We point out a possibility of the three-magnon
relaxation process predominating over the Raman one and suggest model
experiments.Comment: to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 73, No. 6 (2004
Isoform-specific potentiation of stem and progenitor cell engraftment by AML1/RUNX1
Background: AML1/RUNX1 is the most frequently mutated gene in leukaemia and is central to the normal biology of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. However, the role of different AML1 isoforms within these primitive compartments is unclear. Here we investigate whether altering relative expression of AML1 isoforms impacts the balance between cell self-renewal and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Methods and Findings: The human AML1a isoform encodes a truncated molecule with DNA-binding but no transactivation capacity. We used a retrovirus-based approach to transduce AML1a into primitive haematopoietic cells isolated from the mouse. We observed that enforced AML1a expression increased the competitive engraftment potential of murine long-term reconstituting stem cells with the proportion of AML1a-expressing cells increasing over time in both primary and secondary recipients. Furthermore, AML1a expression dramatically increased primitive and committed progenitor activity in engrafted animals as assessed by long-term culture, cobblestone formation, and colony assays. In contrast, expression of the full-length isoform AML1b abrogated engraftment potential. In vitro, AML1b promoted differentiation while AML1a promoted proliferation of progenitors capable of short-term lymphomyeloid engraftment. Consistent with these findings, the relative abundance of AML1a was highest in the primitive stem/progenitor compartment of human cord blood, and forced expression of AML1a in these cells enhanced maintenance of primitive potential both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the "a" isoform of AML1 has the capacity to potentiate stem and progenitor cell engraftment, both of which are required for successful clinical transplantation. This activity is consistent with its expression pattern in both normal and leukaemic cells. Manipulating the balance of AML1 isoform expression may offer novel therapeutic strategies, exploitable in the contexts of leukaemia and also in cord blood transplantation in adults, in whom stem and progenitor cell numbers are often limiting. © 2007 Tsuzuki et al
Modified spin-wave theory of nuclear magnetic relaxation in one-dimensional quantum ferrimagnets: Three-magnon versus Raman processes
Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in one-dimensional Heisenberg ferrimagnets is
studied by means of a modified spin-wave theory. Calculating beyond the
first-order mechanism, where a nuclear spin directly interacts with spin waves
through the hyperfine coupling, we demonstrate that the
exchange-scattering-enhanced three-magnon nuclear relaxation may generally
predominate over the Raman one with increasing temperature and decreasing
field. Recent proton spin-lattice relaxation-time (T_1_) measurements on the
ferrimagnetic chain compound NiCu(C_7_H_6_N_2_O_6_)(H_2_O)_3_2H_2_O suggest
that the major contribution to 1/T_1_ be made by the three-magnon scattering.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Continuous Health Interface Event Retrieval
Knowing the state of our health at every moment in time is critical for
advances in health science. Using data obtained outside an episodic clinical
setting is the first step towards building a continuous health estimation
system. In this paper, we explore a system that allows users to combine events
and data streams from different sources to retrieve complex biological events,
such as cardiovascular volume overload. These complex events, which have been
explored in biomedical literature and which we call interface events, have a
direct causal impact on relevant biological systems. They are the interface
through which the lifestyle events influence our health. We retrieve the
interface events from existing events and data streams by encoding domain
knowledge using an event operator language.Comment: ACM International Conference on Multimedia Retrieval 2020 (ICMR
2020), held in Dublin, Ireland from June 8-11, 202
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