Thermoelektrische Transportuntersuchungen an topologischen und korrelierten Elektronensystemen

In dieser Arbeit werden Messungen elektrischer, thermischer und insbesondere thermoelektrischer Transportkoeffizienten in topologischen Weyl-Halbmetall-Kandidaten sowie in eisenbasierten Hochtemperatur-Supraleitern vorgestellt, analysiert und diskutiert. In TaAs und TaP, zwei Weyl-Halbmetall-Kandidaten mit gebrochener Inversionssymmetrie, liefert das anomale Verhalten des Nernst-Signals in Abhängigkeit des Magnetfeldes Hinweise auf die Existenz von Weyl-Punkten in der Nähe der Fermi-Fläche, wobei sich die Verschiebung des chemischen Potenzials sowie ein Lifshitz-Übergang detektieren lassen. Die Temperaturabhängigkeit des Nernst-Signales erlaubt außerdem Rückschlüsse auf den Abstand der Weyl-Punkte zur Fermi-Fläche. In Mn3Ge, einem Weyl-Halbmetall-Kandidaten mit gebrochener Zeitumkehrsymmetrie, zeigt sich für alle gemessenen Temperaturen ein komplett anomales Verhalten des Nernst-Signals in Abhängigkeit des Magnetfeldes mit einer rechteckigen Hysterese bei kleinen Feldern, welches im Vergleich mit Daten der Magnetisierung einen eindeutigen Hinweis auf die Präsenz von Weyl-Punkten in diesem Material liefert. Mithilfe eines minimalen theoretischen Modells zweier Weyl-Punkte in der Nähe der Fermi-Fläche lässt sich eine Anpassungsformel für die Temperaturabhängigkeit des Nernst-Signals gewinnen, aus welcher sowohl geometrische Parameter der Bandstruktur als auch die Stärke der Berry-Krümmung an der Fermi-Energie extrahiert werden können. Für eisenbasierte Supraleiter besteht seit Langem der Verdacht, dass nematische Fluktuationen einen Einfluss auf die Supraleitung haben. Hier vorgestellte theoretische Betrachtungen zeigen im Rahmen eines Zweibandmodells eindeutig, dass eine endliche nematische Kopplung zu einer starken Erhöhung und einer nicht-monotonen Abhängigkeit des Nernst-Koeffizienten von der Dotierung führt, welcher ein Maximum über dem supraleitenden Dom aufweist. Dies wird anhand von Nernst-Messungen in Co-dotiertem LaFeAsO bestätigt. Ein Vergleich der Ergebnisse des Nernst-Effekts mit Elasto-Widerstandsmessungen enthüllt eine erstaunliche Ähnlichkeit der Dotierabhängigkeiten. Die Daten werden außerdem mit Messungen des Nernst-Effekts an Rh-dotiertem BaFe2As2 verglichen, wobei ebenfalls eine Erhöhung im Bereich optimaler Dotierung nachgewiesen werden kann. In Rh-dotietem BaFe2As2 zeigt sich jedoch ein Unterschied zwischen Elasto-Widerstands- und Nernst-Messungen, woraus abgeleitet wird, dass Elasto-Widerstandsmessungen kein vollständiges Bild der nematischen Fluktuation liefern. Der Nernst-Effekt ist hingegen aufgrund der Sensitivität auf nematische Fluktuationen universell in zwei Vertretern verschiedener Familien eisenbasierter Supraleiter maximal im Bereich des supraleitenden Doms. Dies liefert, zusammen mit den theoretischen Betrachtungen, einen starken Hinweis auf den Einfluss nematischer Fluktuationen auf die Supraleitung.In this work the electric, thermal, and thermoelectric transport properties of several topological Weyl semimetal candidates and iron-based superconductors are investigated. In TaAs and TaP, two Weyl semimetal candidates with broken inversion symmetry, the Nernst signal exhibits anomalous behaviour as a function of magnetic field, consistent with Weyl points close to the Fermi surface. Furthermore, a shift of the chemical potential and a Lifshitz transition are detected. The temperature dependence of the Nernst signal allows for an estimation of the energy of the Weyl points with respect to the Fermi level. In Mn3Ge, a Weyl semimetal candidate with broken time reversal symmetry, the Nernst signal shows completely anomalous behaviour as a function of magnetic field that can be obtained at all measured temperatures. At low fields the signal exhibits a rectangular hysteresis cycle. A comparison with magnetization measurements evidently shows that these effects are caused by Weyl points lying close to the Fermi surface. With the help of a minimal model of two Weyl points in the vicinity of the Fermi level, a fitting formula of the temperature dependence of the Nernst signal can be obtained. The fit provides geometrical properties of the band structure, such as the $\boldsymbol{k}$-space separation of the Weyl points, their energy with respect to the Fermi level as well as the strength of the Berry curvature close to the Fermi energy. For a long time nematic fluctuations have been suspected to influence superconductivity in iron-based superconductors. A theoretical analysis, with the help of a two-band model, shows clearly that a finite nematic coupling causes a strong enhancement and non-monotonic behaviour of the Nernst coefficient, which develops a maximum above the superconducting dome. These findings are confirmed by Nernst measurements in Co-doped LaFeAsO. A comparison with elasto-resistivity measurements shows a stunning similarity of the doping dependencies of both quantities. Furthermore the data are compared with measurements on Rh-doped BaFe2As2, which also exhibits an enhancement of the Nernst coefficient in the region of optimal doping. However, in Rh-doped BaFe2As2 a difference between elastoresistivity and Nernst measurements is obtained, indicating that the elasto-resistivity measurements are not universally sensitive to nematic fluctuations. The Nernst effect, on the other hand, is enhanced in the vicinity of the superconducting dome in two members of different families of iron-based superconductors. Together with theoretical insights, these results provide strong evidence for the influence of nematic fluctuations on superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors

Berry curvature unravelled by the Nernst effect in Mn3_3Ge

The discovery of topological quantum materials represents a striking innovation in modern condensed matter physics with remarkable fundamental and technological implications. Their classification has been recently extended to topological Weyl semimetals, i.e., solid state systems which exhibit the elusive Weyl fermions as low-energy excitations. Here we show that the Nernst effect can be exploited as a sensitive probe for determining key parameters of the Weyl physics, applying it to the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Ge. This compound exhibits anomalous thermoelectric transport due to enhanced Berry curvature from Weyl points located extremely close to the Fermi level. We establish from our data a direct measure of the Berry curvature at the Fermi level and, using a minimal model of a Weyl semimetal, extract for the first time the Weyl point energy and their distance in momentum-space

Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticles Induce Pyroptosis in Cells Controlled by the Extracellular pH

Ion homeostasis is essential for cellular survival, and elevated concentrations of specific ions are used to start distinct forms of programmed cell death. However, investigating the influence of certain ions on cells in a controlled way has been hampered due to the tight regulation of ion import by cells. Here, it is shown that lipid‐coated iron‐based metal–organic framework nanoparticles are able to deliver and release high amounts of iron ions into cells. While high concentrations of iron often trigger ferroptosis, here, the released iron induces pyroptosis, a form of cell death involving the immune system. The iron release occurs only in slightly acidic extracellular environments restricting cell death to cells in acidic microenvironments and allowing for external control. The release mechanism is based on endocytosis facilitated by the lipid‐coating followed by degradation of the nanoparticle in the lysosome via cysteine‐mediated reduction, which is enhanced in slightly acidic extracellular environment. Thus, a new functionality of hybrid nanoparticles is demonstrated, which uses their nanoarchitecture to facilitate controlled ion delivery into cells. Based on the selectivity for acidic microenvironments, the described nanoparticles may also be used for immunotherapy: the nanoparticles may directly affect the primary tumor and the induced pyroptosis activates the immune system

Dreißig Jahre Fakultät Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften an der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (1977 bis 2007)

Anlass zur Vorlage der Festschrift ist das dreißigjährige Bestehen der Fakultät Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften (SpLit) der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (1977–2007). Sie soll die Entwicklung, die die Fakultät seit ihrer Gründung genommen hat, möglichst knapp und sachlich dokumentieren. Sie hat daher den Charakter einer Leistungsbilanz, sie bietet streckenweise Materialien zu einer Chronik der Fakultät, sie verschweigt aber auch nicht ihre „Geburtsfehler“ in Gestalt mangelnder Ressourcen. In einer Zeit des Umbruchs, nämlich der bevorstehenden Verschmelzung mit der Fakultät Geschichts- und Geowissenschaften (GGeo) zu einer Fakultät Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften (GuK), soll diese Selbstdarstellung der Fakultät ihr Profil und ihre Identität bis zu ihrer zum 1.10.2007 zu Ende gegangenen selbständigen Existenz erkennbar machen. Die Druckauflage wurde vom Dekanat der Fakultät herausgegeben

Associations between depressive symptoms and disease progression in older patients with chronic kidney disease: results of the EQUAL study

Background Depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with end-stage kidney disease; however, few small studies have examined this association in patients with earlier phases of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied associations between baseline depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes in older patients with advanced CKD and examined whether these associations differed depending on sex. Methods CKD patients (>= 65 years; estimated glomerular filtration rate <= 20 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) were included from a European multicentre prospective cohort between 2012 and 2019. Depressive symptoms were measured by the five-item Mental Health Inventory (cut-off <= 70; 0-100 scale). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to study associations between depressive symptoms and time to dialysis initiation, all-cause mortality and these outcomes combined. A joint model was used to study the association between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time. Analyses were adjusted for potential baseline confounders. Results Overall kidney function decline in 1326 patients was -0.12 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/month. A total of 515 patients showed depressive symptoms. No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and kidney function over time (P = 0.08). Unlike women, men with depressive symptoms had an increased mortality rate compared with those without symptoms [adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.93)]. Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with a higher hazard of dialysis initiation, or with the combined outcome (i.e. dialysis initiation and all-cause mortality). Conclusions There was no significant association between depressive symptoms at baseline and decline in kidney function over time in older patients with advanced CKD. Depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a higher mortality rate in men

A Framework and Qualitative Comparison on Different Approaches to Improve the Lean Skillset

Part 8: Productivity and Performance ImprovementInternational audienceLean Manufacturing is considered to be one of the major frameworks in improving manufacturing performance. Yet, a majority of lean improvement projects fail to generate a benefit for the organization. The problem usually lies with an incomplete understanding of lean manufacturing by the personnel involved. Therefore, industry is very interested in improving lean skills. This paper gives a qualitative overview and comparison on how to improve the abilities of the personnel to do lean, as well as suggestions on how to combine these approaches for a well-rounded improvement of the ability to do lean. It shows opportunities both for corporations as well as individuals on how to improve lean performance

Moving object reconstruction in monocular video data using boundary generation

We present a method to reconstruct the threedimensional shape of a moving instance of a known object category in video data. We exploit state-of-the-art semantic segmentation techniques to extract the objects two-dimensional shape in each frame. Therefore, our method is robust to occlusion, handles stationary objects and extends naturally to multiple video sequences. We apply Structure from Motion (SfM) to previously generated object images in order to compute a threedimensional representation of the object. Our approach allows us to remove outliers in SfM reconstructions and to compute clean object meshes by leveraging previously computed semantic segmentations and virtual camera positions. We evaluate the accuracy of our method using a multi-view dataset of a moving vehicle. A laser scan serves as ground truth. We applied our algorithm on publicly available video data and on 25 sequences from our dataset. The algorithm achieves an average point distance of 3.3 cm evaluated on seven trajectories contained in the dataset