7,674 research outputs found
Magnetization profile for impurities in graphene nanoribbons
The magnetic properties of graphene-related materials and in particular the
spin-polarised edge states predicted for pristine graphene nanoribbons (GNRs)
with certain edge geometries have received much attention recently due to a
range of possible technological applications. However, the magnetic properties
of pristine GNRs are not predicted to be particularly robust in the presence of
edge disorder. In this work, we examine the magnetic properties of GNRs doped
with transition-metal atoms using a combination of mean-field Hubbard and
Density Functional Theory techniques. The effect of impurity location on the
magnetic moment of such dopants in GNRs is investigated for the two principal
GNR edge geometries - armchair and zigzag. Moment profiles are calculated
across the width of the ribbon for both substitutional and adsorbed impurities
and regular features are observed for zigzag-edged GNRs in particular. Unlike
the case of edge-state induced magnetisation, the moments of magnetic
impurities embedded in GNRs are found to be particularly stable in the presence
of edge disorder. Our results suggest that the magnetic properties of
transition-metal doped GNRs are far more robust than those with moments arising
intrinsically due to edge geometry.Comment: submitte
Impurity segregation in graphene nanoribbons
The electronic properties of low-dimensional materials can be engineered by
doping, but in the case of graphene nanoribbons (GNR) the proximity of two
symmetry-breaking edges introduces an additional dependence on the location of
an impurity across the width of the ribbon. This introduces energetically
favorable locations for impurities, leading to a degree of spatial segregation
in the impurity concentration. We develop a simple model to calculate the
change in energy of a GNR system with an arbitrary impurity as that impurity is
moved across the ribbon and validate its findings by comparison with ab initio
calculations. Although our results agree with previous works predicting the
dominance of edge disorder in GNR, we argue that the distribution of adsorbed
impurities across a ribbon may be controllable by external factors, namely an
applied electric field. We propose that this control over impurity segregation
may allow manipulation and fine-tuning of the magnetic and transport properties
of GNRs.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitte
Dynamic RKKY interaction in graphene
The growing interest in carbon-based spintronics has stimulated a number of
recent theoretical studies on the RKKY interaction in graphene, based on which
the energetically favourable alignment between magnetic moments embedded in
this material can be calculated. The general consensus is that the strength of
the RKKY interaction in graphene decays as 1/D3 or faster, where D is the
separation between magnetic moments. Such an unusually fast decay for a
2-dimensional system suggests that the RKKY interaction may be too short ranged
to be experimentally observed in graphene. Here we show in a mathematically
transparent form that a far more long ranged interaction arises when the
magnetic moments are taken out of their equilibrium positions and set in
motion. We not only show that this dynamic version of the RKKY interaction in
graphene decays far more slowly but also propose how it can be observed with
currently available experimental methods.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, submitte
Eighty years of food-web response to interannual variation in discharge recorded in river diatom frustules from an ocean sediment core.
Little is known about the importance of food-web processes as controls of river primary production due to the paucity of both long-term studies and of depositional environments which would allow retrospective fossil analysis. To investigate how freshwater algal production in the Eel River, northern California, varied over eight decades, we quantified siliceous shells (frustules) of freshwater diatoms from a well-dated undisturbed sediment core in a nearshore marine environment. Abundances of freshwater diatom frustules exported to Eel Canyon sediment from 1988 to 2001 were positively correlated with annual biomass of Cladophora surveyed over these years in upper portions of the Eel basin. Over 28 years of contemporary field research, peak algal biomass was generally higher in summers following bankfull, bed-scouring winter floods. Field surveys and experiments suggested that bed-mobilizing floods scour away overwintering grazers, releasing algae from spring and early summer grazing. During wet years, growth conditions for algae could also be enhanced by increased nutrient loading from the watershed, or by sustained summer base flows. Total annual rainfall and frustule densities in laminae over a longer 83-year record were weakly and negatively correlated, however, suggesting that positive effects of floods on annual algal production were primarily mediated by "top-down" (consumer release) rather than "bottom-up" (growth promoting) controls
Extended Timed Up and Go assessment as a clinical indicator of cognitive state in Parkinson\u27s disease
Objective: To evaluate a modified extended Timed Up and Go (extended-TUG) assessment against a panel of validated clinical assessments, as an indicator of Parkinson’s disease (PD) severity and cognitive impairment.
Methods: Eighty-seven participants with idiopathic PD were sequentially recruited from a Movement Disorders Clinic. An extended-TUG assessment was employed which required participants to stand from a seated position, walk in a straight line for 7 metres, turn 180 degrees and then return to the start, in a seated position. The extended-TUG assessment duration was correlated to a panel of clinical assessments, including the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Quality of Life (PDQ-39), Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (SCOPA-Cog), revised Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Index (ACE-R) and Barratt’s Impulsivity Scale 11 (BIS-11).
Results: Extended-TUG time was significantly correlated to MDS-UPDRS III score and to SCOPA-Cog, ACE-R (p\u3c0.001) and PDQ-39 scores (p\u3c0.01). Generalized linear models determined the extended-TUG to be a sole variable in predicting ACE-R or SCOPA-Cog scores. Patients in the fastest extended-TUG tertile were predicted to perform 8.3 and 13.4 points better in the SCOPA-Cog and ACE-R assessments, respectively, than the slowest group. Patients who exceeded the dementia cut-off scores with these instruments exhibited significantly longer extended-TUG times.
Conclusions: Extended-TUG performance appears to be a useful indicator of cognition as well as motor function and quality of life in PD, and warrants further evaluation as a first line assessment tool to monitor disease severity and response to treatment. Poor extended-TUG performance may identify patients without overt cognitive impairment form whom cognitive assessment is needed
The Effects of Tree Density on Pasture Production Under Acacia Melanoxylon
Silvi-pastoral systems could contribute to greater total productivity and more sustainable land management of grazed pastures in New Zealand. Despite this potential, little is known of the interactions of tree species and environment on pasture growth. In this paper we report the effects of tree density on pasture yield in an Acacia melanoxylon silvi-pastoral system. The results show decreasing pasture yield with increasing tree density, although the extent of the reduction is less than would be expected under Pinus radiata. Results suggest that shade is the dominant factor causing yield decline in this study, while reduced N availability is clearly implicated in previous studies with pine trees. This study will provide more data on which a mechanistic model of tree-pasture interactions can be based
The effects of nonvascularized versus vascularized bone grafting on calvarial defect healing.
It remains unknown whether bone graft vascularity influences calvarial healing. The purposes of this study were (1) to develop a model to study nonvascularized and vascularized calvarial grafts as well as (2) to compare effects of bone graft vascularity on calvarial healing. Bilateral calvarial defects were created in 26 Wistar rats. The defects were left empty within 1 parietal region. On the contralateral side, the defects were partially closed with native parietal bone (control group, n = 6), nonvascularized (N-V, n = 10), or vascularized bone grafts (VAS, n = 10). The vascularized grafts were supplied by perforating dural arterioles. Bone mineralization and healing patterns from serial microcomputed tomographic scans were compared within and across the groups using parametric and nonparametric tests. Differences in bone mineral content across sides were significant between the groups at weeks 6 (P = 0.016) and 12 (P = 0.025). Bone formation was greater within both the control and VAS groups versus the N-V group at weeks 6 and 12 (P \u3c 0.05). Healing patterns differed between the groups (P \u3c 0.05), progressing through islands of new bone formation within the control and VAS groups while limited to defect margins on the N-V graft side. In conclusion, a bilateral calvarial defect model was established to study bone graft vascularity. Bone quantity and healing patterns differed in the presence of the nonvascularized versus vascularized grafts. Although the calvarial defect model is often applied within the plastic surgery literature to study bone substitutes, greater understanding of basic mechanisms influencing calvarial healing is first needed to avoid confounding results
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