69 research outputs found
Evolution of magnetic and crystal structures in the multiferroic FeTe2O5Br
Neutron diffraction and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements were
employed to investigate magnetic order in the non-ferroelectric phase preceding
the low-temperature multiferroic state in FeTe2O5Br. Refnement of the neutron
diffraction data and simulations of 79,81Br NQR spectra reveal that the
incommensurate magnetic ordering in the non-ferroelectric state comprises
amplitude-modulated magnetic moments, similarly as in the multiferroic state.
The two ordered states differ in the orientation of the magnetic moments and
phase shifts between modulation waves. Surprisingly, all symmetry restrictions
for the electric polarization are absent in both states. The different
ferroelectric responses of the two states are thus argued to arise from the
differences in the phase shifts between certain modulation waves, which cancel
out in the non-ferrolectric state.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures including appendix, published in PR
Magnetic ground state and 2D behavior in pseudo-Kagome layered system Cu3Bi(SeO3)2O2Br
Anisotropic magnetic properties of a layered kagome-like system
Cu3Bi(SeO3)2O2Br have been studied by bulk magnetization and magnetic
susceptibility measurements as well as powder and single-crystal neutron
diffraction. At T_N = 27.4 K the system develops an alternating
antiferromagnetic order of (ab) layers, which individually exhibit canted
ferrimagnetic moment arrangement, resulting from the competing ferro- and
antiferro-magnetic intralayer exchange interactions. A magnetic field B_C ~ 0.8
T applied along the c axis (perpendicular to the layers) triggers a
metamagnetic transition, when every second layer flips, i.e., resulting in a
ferrimagnetic structure. Significantly higher fields are required to rotate the
ferromagnetic component towards the b axis (~7 T) or towards the a axis (~15
T). The estimates of the exchange coupling constants and features indicative of
an XY character of this quasi-2D system are presented.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, final versio
Magnetic properties of triangular lattice antiferromagnets Ba3RB9O18 (R = Yb, Er)
Frustration, spin correlations and interplay between competing degrees of
freedom are some of the key ingredients that underlie exotic states with
fractional excitations in quantum materials. Rare-earth based two dimensional
magnetic lattice wherein crystal electric field, spin-orbit coupling,
anisotropy and electron correlation between rare-earth moments offer a new
paradigm in this context. Herein, we present crystal structure, magnetic
susceptibility and specific heat accompanied by crystal electric field
calculations on the polycrystalline sample of Ba3RB9O18 (R = Yb, Er) in which
R3+ ions form a perfect triangular lattice without anti-site disorder. The
localized R3+ spins show neither long-range order nor spin-glass state down to
1.9 K in Ba3RB9O18. Magnetization data reveal a pseudospin Jeff = 1/2 ( Yb3+)
in the Kramers doublet state and a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between
Jeff = 1/2 moments in the Yb variant. On the other hand, the effective moment
{\mu}eff = 8.8 {\mu}B was obtained from the Curie-Weiss fit of the
low-temperature susceptibility data of Er variant suggests the admixture of
higher crystal electric field states with the ground state. The Curie-Weiss fit
of low-temperature susceptibility data for Er system unveils the presence of a
relatively strong antiferromagnetic interaction between Er3+ moments compared
to its Yb3+ analog. Ba3ErB9O18 does not show long-range magnetic ordering down
to 500 mK. Furthermore, our crystal electric field calculations based on
magnetization data of Ba3ErB9O18 suggest the presence of a small gap between
the ground and first excited Kramers doublets. The broad maximum around 4 K in
magnetic specific heat in zero-field is attributed to the thermal population of
the first CEF excited state in Ba3ErB9O18, which is consistent with our CEF
calculations
Spin amplitude modulation driven magnetoelectic coupling in the new multiferroic FeTeOBr
Magnetic and ferroelectric properties of layered geometrically frustrated
cluster compound FeTeOBr were investigated with single-crystal neutron
diffraction and dielectric measurements. Incommensurate amplitude modulated
magnetic order with the wave vector =(\half, 0.463, 0) develops below
. Simultaneously, a ferroelectric order with the
spontaneous polarization perpendicular to and to Fe magnetic
moments emerges. The observed ferroelectricity and extraordinary linear scaling
of the ferroelectric and magnetic order parameter are provoked by the striction
of the intercluster Fe-O-Te-O-Fe bridges leading to the shift of Te ions
and polarization of their lone-pair electrons
Frustration wave order in iron(II) oxide spinels
Frustrated magnetic materials provide a great laboratory to study the interplay between classical order and quantum fluctuations. The authors study the frustrated magnetic ground states of two Fe spinel oxides showing that the frustration is a fluctuating characteristic that manifests itself as a “frustration wave
Compulsory admissions of patients with mental disorders : State of the art on ethical and legislative aspects in 40 European countries
Background. Compulsory admission procedures of patients with mental disorders vary between countries in Europe. The Ethics Committee of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) launched a survey on involuntary admission procedures of patients with mental disorders in 40 countries to gather information from all National Psychiatric Associations that are members of the EPA to develop recommendations for improving involuntary admission processes and promote voluntary care. Methods. The survey focused on legislation of involuntary admissions and key actors involved in the admission procedure as well as most common reasons for involuntary admissions. Results. We analyzed the survey categorical data in themes, which highlight that both medical and legal actors are involved in involuntary admission procedures. Conclusions. We conclude that legal reasons for compulsory admission should be reworded in order to remove stigmatization of the patient, that raising awareness about involuntary admission procedures and patient rights with both patients and family advocacy groups is paramount, that communication about procedures should be widely available in lay-language for the general population, and that training sessions and guidance should be available for legal and medical practitioners. Finally, people working in the field need to be constantly aware about the ethical challenges surrounding compulsory admissions.Peer reviewe
Accumulation of neutral lipids in peripheral blood mononuclear cells as a distinctive trait of Alzheimer patients and asymptomatic subjects at risk of disease
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alzheimer's disease is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disease. In recent years, numerous progresses in the discovery of novel Alzheimer's disease molecular biomarkers in brain as well as in biological fluids have been made. Among them, those involving lipid metabolism are emerging as potential candidates. In particular, an accumulation of neutral lipids was recently found by us in skin fibroblasts from Alzheimer's disease patients. Therefore, with the aim to assess whether peripheral alterations in cholesterol homeostasis might be relevant in Alzheimer's disease development and progression, in the present study we analyzed lipid metabolism in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Alzheimer's disease patients and from their first-degree relatives.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Blood samples were obtained from 93 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and from 91 of their first-degree relatives. As controls we utilized 57, cognitively normal, over-65 year-old volunteers and 113 blood donors aged 21-66 years, respectively. Data are reported as mean ± standard error. Statistical calculations were performed using the statistical analysis software Origin 8.0 version. Data analysis was done using the Student t-test and the Pearson test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Data reported here show high neutral lipid levels and increased ACAT-1 protein in about 85% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells freshly isolated (<it>ex vivo</it>) from patients with probable sporadic Alzheimer's disease compared to about 7% of cognitively normal age-matched controls. A significant reduction in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in plasma from Alzheimer's disease blood samples was also observed. Additionally, correlation analyses reveal a negative correlation between high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and cognitive capacity, as determined by Mini Mental State Examination, as well as between high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and neutral lipid accumulation. We observed great variability in the neutral lipid-peripheral blood mononuclear cells data and in plasma lipid analysis of the subjects enrolled as Alzheimer's disease-first-degree relatives. However, about 30% of them tend to display a peripheral metabolic cholesterol pattern similar to that exhibited by Alzheimer's disease patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We suggest that neutral lipid-peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma high density lipoprotein-cholesterol determinations might be of interest to outline a distinctive metabolic profile applying to both Alzheimer's disease patients and asymptomatic subjects at higher risk of disease.</p
A genetic network model of cellular responses to lithium treatment and cocaine abuse in bipolar disorder
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lithium is an effective treatment for Bipolar Disorder (BD) and significantly reduces suicide risk, though the molecular basis of lithium's effectiveness is not well understood. We seek to improve our understanding of this effectiveness by posing hypotheses based on new experimental data as well as published data, testing these hypotheses in silico, and posing new hypotheses for validation in future studies. We initially hypothesized a gene-by-environment interaction where lithium, acting as an environmental influence, impacts signal transduction pathways leading to differential expression of genes important in the etiology of BD mania.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using microarray and rt-QPCR assays, we identified candidate genes that are differentially expressed with lithium treatment. We used a systems biology approach to identify interactions among these candidate genes and develop a network of genes that interact with the differentially expressed candidates. Notably, we also identified cocaine as having a potential influence on the network, consistent with the observed high rate of comorbidity for BD and cocaine abuse. The resulting network represents a novel hypothesis on how multiple genetic influences on bipolar disorder are impacted by both lithium treatment and cocaine use. Testing this network for association with BD and related phenotypes, we find that it is significantly over-represented for genes that participate in signal transduction, consistent with our hypothesized-gene-by environment interaction. In addition, it models related pharmacogenomic, psychiatric, and chemical dependence phenotypes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We offer a network model of gene-by-environment interaction associated with lithium's effectiveness in treating BD mania, as well as the observed high rate of comorbidity of BD and cocaine abuse. We identified drug targets within this network that represent immediate candidates for therapeutic drug testing. Posing novel hypotheses for validation in future work, we prioritized SNPs near genes in the network based on functional annotation. We also developed a "concept signature" for the genes in the network and identified additional candidate genes that may influence the system because they are significantly associated with the signature.</p
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