1,564 research outputs found
Implications of a temperature-dependent magnetic anisotropy for superparamagnetic switching
The macroscopic magnetic moment of a superparamagnetic system has to overcome
an energy barrier in order to switch its direction. This barrier is formed by
magnetic anisotropies in the material and may be surmounted typically after
10^9 to 10^12 attempts per second by thermal fluctuations. In a first step, the
associated switching rate may be described by a Neel-Brown-Arrhenius law, in
which the energy barrier is assumed as constant or a given temperature. Yet,
magnetic anisotropies in general depend on temperature themselves which is
known to modify the Neel-Brown-Arrhenius law. We illustrate quantitatively the
implications of a temperature-dependent anisotropy on the switching rate and in
particular for the interpretation of the prefactor as an attempt frequency. In
particular, we show that realistic numbers for the attempt frequency are
obtained when the temperature dependence of the anisotropy is taken into
account.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Optical properties of In2O3 from experiment and first-principles theory: influence of lattice screening
The framework of many-body perturbation theory led to deep insight into electronic structure and optical properties of diverse systems and, in particular, many semiconductors. It relies on an accurate approximation of the screened Coulomb electron–electron interaction W, that in current implementations is usually achieved by describing electronic interband transitions. However, our results for several oxide semiconductors indicate that for polar materials it is necessary to also account for lattice contributions to dielectric screening. To clarify this question in this work, we combine highly accurate experimentation and cutting-edge theoretical spectroscopy to elucidate the interplay of quasiparticle and excitonic effects for cubic bixbyite In2O3 across an unprecedentedly large photon energy range. We then show that the agreement between experiment and theory is excellent and, thus, validate that the physics of quasiparticle and excitonic effects is described accurately by these first-principles techniques, except for the immediate vicinity of the absorption onset. Finally, our combination of experimental and computational data clearly establishes the need for including a lattice contribution to dielectric screening in the screened electron–electron interaction, in order to improve the description of excitonic effects near the absorption edge
Assessing environmental changes in abandoned German vineyards. Understanding key issues for restoration management plans
Land degradation in vineyards is a big concern which should be considered by farmers, enterprises and policymakers. Due to intense tillage, the use of herbicides and heavy machinery, vine plantations are registering a decrease in soil fertility and, subsequently, in productivity. Recently, farmers have decided to abandon the vineyards, but any restoration planning is being carried out to recover biodiversity or to reduce soil and water losses. Nowadays, there is no information about environmental changes after the abandonment in terms of possible soil property changes and erosion in Central European vineyards such as in Germany. Therefore, the main aims of this preliminary study were to compare: i) soil properties and soil profiles of one cultivated vineyard and an abandoned one; and, ii) to assess the activation of soil erosion processes using a small portable rainfall simulator. Our results showed that the vineyard registered several differences in soil properties among slope positions and soil profile characteristics due to tillage and trampling effects, showing clear marks of compaction and soil detachment in the lower parts. Also, in this cultivated field, higher means and maxima of soil losses (g m-2) and sediment concentration (g l-1) values than in the abandoned plot were quantified, being the main driving factors the vegetation cover and the inclination. On the other hand, in the abandoned vine plantation, a rapid homogenization of soil profiles and soil properties were found along the hillslope, where a deeper organic horizon was consistently developed above a compacted and rocky horizon, which was generated during the cultivation phase. Due to the high compaction due to the machinery cultivation and the difficulties for the roots to make deep into the soil, the infiltration defaulted and the amount of runoff and runoff coefficient were higher in the abandoned plots than in the cultivated ones
Retroviral-mediated overexpression of human bone morphogenetic protein 2 affects human mesenchymal stem cells during monolayer proliferation: A cautionary note
Background: Retroviral vectors are commonly used for gene transfer
applications and they represent an effective way to provide a sustained
delivery of a bioactive factor in basic research and tissue engineering
applications. Cells that have been transduced with retroviral vectors
ex vivo are usually amplified on tissue culture plastic, for a
prolonged period of time, in order to obtain sufficient cell numbers
prior to the experiment of interest. However, the effect of the
transgene product on the transduced cells, during this period of time,
is rarely, if ever, investigated. The current study investigated if
transduction with a VSG.G pseudotyped retroviral vector expressing
human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (Rv.BMP-2) influences the gene
expression profile of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells
(hMSCs) during monolayer proliferation. hMSCs that have been transduced
with a VSG.G pseudotyped retroviral vector expressing enhanced green
fluorescent protein (Rv.eGFP) served as controls. Results: It was
confirmed that Rv.BMP-2 transduced hMSCs produce detectable amounts of
bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2). Gene expression analysis revealed
that the hypertrophic marker collagen X was down-regulated by
approximately 50% and the chondrogenic marker Aggrecan was elevated
almost 9-fold in Rv.BMP-2 transduced hMSCs if compared to Rv.eGFP
transduced control cells. Interestingly, the same changes in gene
expression were detected when hMSCs were exposed to 100 ng/ml of
recombinant human BMP-2 and their gene expression profile was compared
to control hMSC. Again, collagen X message was down-regulated and
Aggrecan message was up-regulated. Conclusion: These results indicate
that, when using integrating vectors and then expanding the cells after
transduction, controls need to be carefully planned to ensure the
results obtained during the 3D experiments are not due to artefacts
created in response to the different cell proliferation conditions
employed
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