86 research outputs found
Pressure-induced transition from the dynamic to static Jahn-Teller effect in (PhP)IC
High-pressure infrared transmission measurements on \PhC60 were performed up
to 9 GPa over a broad frequency range (200 - 20000 cm) to monitor the
vibrational and electronic/vibronic excitations under pressure. The four
fundamental T modes of \C60a\ are split into doublets already at the
lowest applied pressure and harden with increasing pressure. Several cation
modes and fullerene-related modes split into doublets at around 2 GPa, the most
prominent one being the G mode. The splitting of the vibrational modes
can be attributed to the transition from the dynamic to static Jahn-Teller
effect, caused by steric crowding at high pressure. Four absorption bands are
observed in the NIR-VIS frequency range. They are discussed in terms of
transitions between LUMO electronic states in \C60a, which are split because of
the Jahn-Teller distortion and can be coupled with vibrational modes. Various
distortions and the corresponding symmetry lowering are discussed. The observed
redshift of the absorption bands indicates that the splitting of the LUMO
electronic states is reduced upon pressure application.Comment: 10 pages, 17 figure
Interference patterns of multifacet 20x(0-pi-) Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic barrier
We have realized multifacet Josephson junctions with periodically alternating
critical current density (MJJs) using
superconductor-insulator-ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructures. We show
that anomalous features of critical current vs. applied magnetic field,
observed also for other types of MJJs, are caused by a non-uniform flux density
(parallel to the barrier) resulting from screening currents in the electrodes
in the presence of a (parasitic) off-plane field component.Comment: submitted to PR
Visualizing supercurrents in ferromagnetic Josephson junctions with various arrangements of 0 and \pi segments
Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic barrier can have positive or negative
critical current depending on the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer.
Accordingly, the Josephson phase in the ground state is equal to 0 (a
conventional or 0 junction) or to ( junction). When 0 and
segments are joined to form a "0- junction", spontaneous supercurrents
around the 0- boundary can appear. Here we report on the visualization of
supercurrents in superconductor-insulator-ferromagnet-superconductor (SIFS)
junctions by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM). We discuss
data for rectangular 0, , 0-, 0--0 and 20 \times 0-
junctions, disk-shaped junctions where the 0- boundary forms a ring, and
an annular junction with two 0- boundaries. Within each 0 or segment
the critical current density is fairly homogeneous, as indicated both by
measurements of the magnetic field dependence of the critical current and by
LTSEM. The parts have critical current densities up to
35\units{A/cm^2} at T = 4.2\units{K}, which is a record value for SIFS
junctions with a NiCu F-layer so far. We also demonstrate that SIFS technology
is capable to produce Josephson devices with a unique topology of the 0-
boundary.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figure
Hair cells use active zones with different voltage dependence of Ca<sup>2+</sup> influx to decompose sounds into complementary neural codes.
For sounds of a given frequency, spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) with different thresholds and dynamic ranges collectively encode the wide range of audible sound pressures. Heterogeneity of synapses between inner hair cells (IHCs) and SGNs is an attractive candidate mechanism for generating complementary neural codes covering the entire dynamic range. Here, we quantified active zone (AZ) properties as a function of AZ position within mouse IHCs by combining patch clamp and imaging of presynaptic Ca2+ influx and by immunohistochemistry. We report substantial AZ heterogeneity whereby the voltage of half-maximal activation of Ca2+ influx ranged over ∼20 mV. Ca2+ influx at AZs facing away from the ganglion activated at weaker depolarizations. Estimates of AZ size and Ca2+ channel number were correlated and larger when AZs faced the ganglion. Disruption of the deafness gene GIPC3 in mice shifted the activation of presynaptic Ca2+ influx to more hyperpolarized potentials and increased the spontaneous SGN discharge. Moreover, Gipc3 disruption enhanced Ca2+ influx and exocytosis in IHCs, reversed the spatial gradient of maximal Ca2+ influx in IHCs, and increased the maximal firing rate of SGNs at sound onset. We propose that IHCs diversify Ca2+ channel properties among AZs and thereby contribute to decomposing auditory information into complementary representations in SGNs
Local electrical imaging of tetragonal domains and field-induced ferroelectric twin walls in conducting SrTiO3
This work is supported by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Academic Research Fund (AcRF Tier 1 Grants No. R-144-000-346-112 and No. R-144-000-364-112) and the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF) under the Competitive Research Programs (CRP Awards No. NRF-CRP 8-2011-06 and No. NRF-CRP10-2012-02) by the Institutional Strategy of the University of Tübingen (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Grant No. ZUK 63), and by the EU-FP6-COST Grant No. MP1308.We demonstrate electrical mapping of tetragonal domains and electric field-induced twin walls in SrTiO3 as a function of temperature and gate bias utilizing the conducting LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy. Conducting twin walls appear below 105 K, and new twin patterns are observed after thermal cycling through the transition or on electric field gating. The nature of the twin walls is confirmed by calculating their intersection angles for different substrate orientations. Numerous walls formed when a large side- or back-gate voltage is applied are identified as field-induced ferroelectric twin walls in the paraelectric tetragonal matrix. The walls persist after switching off the electric field and on thermal cycling below 105 K. These observations point to a new type of ferroelectric functionality in SrTiO3, which could be exploited together with magnetism and superconductivity in a multifunctional context.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Quantitative nanoscale vortex-imaging using a cryogenic quantum magnetometer
Microscopic studies of superconductors and their vortices play a pivotal role
in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying superconductivity. Local
measurements of penetration depths or magnetic stray-fields enable access to
fundamental aspects of superconductors such as nanoscale variations of
superfluid densities or the symmetry of their order parameter. However,
experimental tools, which offer quantitative, nanoscale magnetometry and
operate over the large range of temperature and magnetic fields relevant to
address many outstanding questions in superconductivity, are still missing.
Here, we demonstrate quantitative, nanoscale magnetic imaging of Pearl vortices
in the cuprate superconductor YBCO, using a scanning quantum sensor in form of
a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) electronic spin in diamond. The sensor-to-sample
distance of ~10nm we achieve allows us to observe striking deviations from the
prevalent monopole approximation in our vortex stray-field images, while we
find excellent quantitative agreement with Pearl's analytic model. Our
experiments yield a non-invasive and unambiguous determination of the system's
local London penetration depth, and are readily extended to higher temperatures
and magnetic fields. These results demonstrate the potential of quantitative
quantum sensors in benchmarking microscopic models of complex electronic
systems and open the door for further exploration of strongly correlated
electron physics using scanning NV magnetometry.Comment: Main text (5 pages, 4 figures) plus supplementary material (5 pages,
6 figures). Comments welcome. Further information under
http://www.quantum-sensing.c
Automated Nuclear Morphometry: A Deep Learning Approach for Prognostication in Canine Pulmonary Carcinoma to Enhance Reproducibility
The integration of deep learning-based tools into diagnostic workflows is increasingly prevalent due to their efficiency and reproducibility in various settings. We investigated the utility of automated nuclear morphometry for assessing nuclear pleomorphism (NP), a criterion of malignancy in the current grading system in canine pulmonary carcinoma (cPC), and its prognostic implications. We developed a deep learning-based algorithm for evaluating NP (variation in size, i.e., anisokaryosis and/or shape) using a segmentation model. Its performance was evaluated on 46 cPC cases with comprehensive follow-up data regarding its accuracy in nuclear segmentation and its prognostic ability. Its assessment of NP was compared to manual morphometry and established prognostic tests (pathologists’ NP estimates (n = 11), mitotic count, histological grading, and TNM-stage). The standard deviation (SD) of the nuclear area, indicative of anisokaryosis, exhibited good discriminatory ability for tumor-specific survival, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80 and a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.38. The algorithm achieved values comparable to manual morphometry. In contrast, the pathologists’ estimates of anisokaryosis resulted in HR values ranging from 0.86 to 34.8, with slight inter-observer reproducibility (k = 0.204). Other conventional tests had no significant prognostic value in our study cohort. Fully automated morphometry promises a time-efficient and reproducible assessment of NP with a high prognostic value. Further refinement of the algorithm, particularly to address undersegmentation, and application to a larger study population are required
Oppositional COMT Val158Met effects on resting state functional connectivity in adolescents and adults
© 2014, The Author(s).Prefrontal dopamine levels are relatively increased in adolescence compared to adulthood. Genetic variation of COMT (COMT Val158Met) results in lower enzymatic activity and higher dopamine availability in Met carriers. Given the dramatic changes of synaptic dopamine during adolescence, it has been suggested that effects of COMT Val158Met genotypes might have oppositional effects in adolescents and adults. The present study aims to identify such oppositional COMT Val158Met effects in adolescents and adults in prefrontal brain networks at rest. Resting state functional connectivity data were collected from cross-sectional and multicenter study sites involving 106 healthy young adults (mean age 24 ± 2.6 years), gender matched to 106 randomly chosen 14-year-olds. We selected the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (amPFC) as seed due to its important role as nexus of the executive control and default mode network. We observed a significant age-dependent reversal of COMT Val158Met effects on resting state functional connectivity between amPFC and ventrolateral as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and parahippocampal gyrus. Val homozygous adults exhibited increased and adolescents decreased connectivity compared to Met homozygotes for all reported regions. Network analyses underscored the importance of the parahippocampal gyrus as mediator of observed effects. Results of this study demonstrate that adolescent and adult resting state networks are dose-dependently and diametrically affected by COMT genotypes following a hypothetical model of dopamine function that follows an inverted U-shaped curve. This study might provide cues for the understanding of disease onset or dopaminergic treatment mechanisms in major neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Visual mismatch negativity to masked stimuli presented at very brief presentation rates
Mismatch Negativity (MMN) has been characterised as a ‘pre-attentive’ component of an event-related potential (ERP) that is related to discrimination and error prediction processes. The aim of the current experiment was to establish whether visual MMN could be recorded to briefly presented, backward and forward masked visual stimuli, given both below and above levels of subjective experience. Evidence of visual MMN elicitation in the absence of the ability to consciously report stimuli would provide strong evidence for the automaticity of the visual MMN mechanism. Using an oddball paradigm, two stimuli that differed in orientation from each other, an + and an x were presented on a computer screen. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from nine participants (six females), mean age 21.4 years. Results showed that for stimuli that were effectively masked at 7ms presentation, there was little variation in the ERPs evoked to standard and deviant stimuli or in the subtraction waveform employed to delineate the visual MMN. At 14 ms stimulus presentation, when participants were able to report stimulus presence, an enhanced negativity at around 175 ms and 305 ms was observed to the deviant and was evident in the subtraction waveform. Although some of the difference observed in the ERPs can be attributed to stimulus characteristics, the use of a ‘lonely’ deviant protocol revealed attenuated visual MMN components at 14 ms stimulus presentation. Overall, results suggest that some degree of conscious attention is required before visual MMN components emerge, suggesting visual MMN is not an entirely pre-attentive process
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