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Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
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    Characterizing the sectoral development of cities
    (San Francisco, California, US : PLOS, 2021) Rybski, Diego; Pradhan, Prajal; Shutters, Shade T.; Butsic, Van; Kropp, Jürgen P.; Xue, Bing
    Previous research has identified a predictive model of how a nation’s distribution of gross domestic product (GDP) among agriculture (a), industry (i), and services (s) changes as a country develops. Here we use this national model to analyze the composition of GDP for US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) over time. To characterize the transfer of GDP shares between the sectors in the course of economic development we explore a simple system of differential equations proposed in the country-level model. Fitting the model to more than 120 MSAs we find that according to the obtained parameters MSAs can be classified into 6 groups (consecutive, high industry, re-industrializing; each of them also with reversed development direction). The consecutive transfer (a → i → s) is common but does not represent all MSAs examined. At the 95% confidence level, 40% of MSAs belong to types exhibiting an increasing share of GDP from agriculture. In California, such MSAs, which we classify as part of an agriculture renaissance, are found in the Central Valley.
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    Research data management in agricultural sciences in Germany: We are not yet where we want to be
    (San Francisco, California, US : PLOS, 2022) Senft, Matthias; Stahl, Ulrike; Svoboda, Nikolai
    To meet the future challenges and foster integrated and holistic research approaches in agricultural sciences, new and sustainable methods in research data management (RDM) are needed. The involvement of scientific users is a critical success factor for their development. We conducted an online survey in 2020 among different user groups in agricultural sciences about their RDM practices and needs. In total, the questionnaire contained 52 questions on information about produced and (re-)used data, data quality aspects, information about the use of standards, publication practices and legal aspects of agricultural research data, the current situation in RDM in regards to awareness, consulting and curricula as well as needs of the agricultural community in respect to future developments. We received 196 (partially) completed questionnaires from data providers, data users, infrastructure and information service providers. In addition to the diversity in the research data landscape of agricultural sciences in Germany, the study reveals challenges, deficits and uncertainties in handling research data in agricultural sciences standing in the way of access and efficient reuse of valuable research data. However, the study also suggests and discusses potential solutions to enhance data publications, facilitate and secure data re-use, ensure data quality and develop services (i.e. training, support and bundling services). Therefore, our research article provides the basis for the development of common RDM, future infrastructures and services needed to foster the cultural change in handling research data across agricultural sciences in Germany and beyond.
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    Stabilizing the West Antarctic Ice Sheet by surface mass deposition
    (Washington, DC [u.a.] : Assoc., 2019) Feldmann, Johannes; Levermann, Anders; Mengel, Matthias
    There is evidence that a self-sustaining ice discharge from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has started, potentially leading to its disintegration. The associated sea level rise of more than 3m would pose a serious challenge to highly populated areas including metropolises such as Calcutta, Shanghai, New York City, and Tokyo. Here, we show that the WAIS may be stabilized through mass deposition in coastal regions around Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers. In our numerical simulations, a minimum of 7400 Gt of additional snowfall stabilizes the flow if applied over a short period of 10 years onto the region (−2 mm year−1 sea level equivalent). Mass deposition at a lower rate increases the intervention time and the required total amount of snow. We find that the precise conditions of such an operation are crucial, and potential benefits need to be weighed against environmental hazards, future risks, and enormous technical challenges. Copyright © 2019 The Authors,
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    ColiCoords: A Python package for the analysis of bacterial fluorescence microscopy data
    (San Francisco, California, US : PLOS, 2019) Smit, Jochem H.; Li, Yichen; Warszawik, Eliza M.; Herrmann, Andreas; Cordes, Thorben; Gilestro, Giorgio F
    Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy studies of bacteria provide unique insights into the mechanisms of cellular processes and protein machineries in ways that are unrivalled by any other technique. With the cost of microscopes dropping and the availability of fully automated microscopes, the volume of microscopy data produced has increased tremendously. These developments have moved the bottleneck of throughput from image acquisition and sample preparation to data analysis. Furthermore, requirements for analysis procedures have become more stringent given the demand of various journals to make data and analysis procedures available. To address these issues we have developed a new data analysis package for analysis of fluorescence microscopy data from rod-like cells. Our software ColiCoords structures microscopy data at the single-cell level and implements a coordinate system describing each cell. This allows for the transformation of Cartesian coordinates from transmission light and fluorescence images and single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) data to cellular coordinates. Using this transformation, many cells can be combined to increase the statistical power of fluorescence microscopy datasets of any kind. ColiCoords is open source, implemented in the programming language Python, and is extensively documented. This allows for modifications for specific needs or to inspect and publish data analysis procedures. By providing a format that allows for easy sharing of code and associated data, we intend to promote open and reproducible research. The source code and documentation can be found via the project’s GitHub page.
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    Alberta wildfire 2016: Apt contribution from anomalous planetary wave dynamics
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2018) Petoukhov, Vladimir; Petri, Stefan; Kornhuber, Kai; Thonicke, Kirsten; Coumou, Dim; Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim
    In May-June 2016 the Canadian Province of Alberta suffered one of the most devastating wildfires in its history. Here we show that in mid-April to early May 2016 the large-scale circulation in the mid- and high troposphere of the middle and sub-polar latitudes of the northern hemisphere featured a persistent high-amplitude planetary wave structure dominated by the non-dimensional zonal wave number 4. The strongest anticyclonic wing of this structure was located over western Canada. In combination with a very strong El Niño event in winter 2015/2016 this favored highly anomalous, tinder-dry and high-temperature conditions at the surface in that area, entailing an increased fire hazard there. This critically contributed to the ignition of the Alberta Wildfire in May 2016, appearing to be the costliest disaster in Canadian history thus far.
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    Bioactive glass–ceramics containing fluorapatite, xonotlite, cuspidine and wollastonite form apatite faster than their corresponding glasses
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2024) Kirste, Gloria; Contreras Jaimes, Altair; de Pablos-Martín, Araceli; de Souza e Silva, Juliana Martins; Massera, Jonathan; Hill, Robert G.; Brauer, Delia S.
    Crystallisation of bioactive glasses has been claimed to negatively affect the ion release from bioactive glasses. Here, we compare ion release and mineralisation in Tris–HCl buffer solution for a series of glass–ceramics and their parent glasses in the system SiO2–CaO–P2O5–CaF2. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction analysis of glass–ceramic degradation, including quantification of crystal fractions by full pattern refinement, show that the glass–ceramics precipitated apatite faster than the corresponding glasses, in agreement with faster ion release from the glass–ceramics. Imaging by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray nano-computed tomography suggest that this accelerated degradation may be caused by the presence of nano-sized channels along the internal crystal/glassy matrix interfaces. In addition, the presence of crystalline fluorapatite in the glass–ceramics facilitated apatite nucleation and crystallisation during immersion. These results suggest that the popular view of bioactive glass crystallisation being a disadvantage for degradation, apatite formation and, subsequently, bioactivity may depend on the actual system study and, thus, has to be reconsidered.
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    Anharmonic strong-coupling effects at the origin of the charge density wave in CsV3Sb5
    ([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024) He, Ge; Peis, Leander; Cuddy, Emma Frances; Zhao, Zhen; Li, Dong; Zhang, Yuhang; Stumberger, Romona; Moritz, Brian; Yang, Haitao; Gao, Hongjun; Devereaux, Thomas Peter; Hackl, Rudi
    The formation of charge density waves is a long-standing open problem, particularly in dimensions higher than one. Various observations in the vanadium antimonides discovered recently further underpin this notion. Here, we study the Kagome metal CsV3Sb5 using polarized inelastic light scattering and density functional theory calculations. We observe a significant gap anisotropy with 2Δmax/kBTCDW≈20, far beyond the prediction of mean-field theory. The analysis of the A1g and E2g phonons, including those emerging below TCDW, indicates strong phonon-phonon coupling, presumably mediated by a strong electron-phonon interaction. Similarly, the asymmetric Fano-type lineshape of the A1g amplitude mode suggests strong electron-phonon coupling below TCDW. The large electronic gap, the enhanced anharmonic phonon-phonon coupling, and the Fano shape of the amplitude mode combined are more supportive of a strong-coupling phonon-driven charge density wave transition than of a Fermi surface instability or an exotic mechanism in CsV3Sb5.
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    Strong and ductile high temperature soft magnets through Widmanstätten precipitates
    ([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2023) Han, Liuliu; Maccari, Fernando; Soldatov, Ivan; Peter, Nicolas J.; Souza Filho, Isnaldi R.; Schäfer, Rudolf; Gutfleisch, Oliver; Li, Zhiming; Raabe, Dierk
    Fast growth of sustainable energy production requires massive electrification of transport, industry and households, with electrical motors as key components. These need soft magnets with high saturation magnetization, mechanical strength, and thermal stability to operate efficiently and safely. Reconciling these properties in one material is challenging because thermally-stable microstructures for strength increase conflict with magnetic performance. Here, we present a material concept that combines thermal stability, soft magnetic response, and high mechanical strength. The strong and ductile soft ferromagnet is realized as a multicomponent alloy in which precipitates with a large aspect ratio form a Widmanstätten pattern. The material shows excellent magnetic and mechanical properties at high temperatures while the reference alloy with identical composition devoid of precipitates significantly loses its magnetization and strength at identical temperatures. The work provides a new avenue to develop soft magnets for high-temperature applications, enabling efficient use of sustainable electrical energy under harsh operating conditions.
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    Self-assembly of Co/Pt stripes with current-induced domain wall motion towards 3D racetrack devices
    ([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024) Fedorov, Pavel; Soldatov, Ivan; Neu, Volker; Schäfer, Rudolf; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Karnaushenko, Daniil
    Modification of the magnetic properties under the induced strain and curvature is a promising avenue to build three-dimensional magnetic devices, based on the domain wall motion. So far, most of the studies with 3D magnetic structures were performed in the helixes and nanowires, mainly with stationary domain walls. In this study, we demonstrate the impact of 3D geometry, strain and curvature on the current-induced domain wall motion and spin-orbital torque efficiency in the heterostructure, realized via a self-assembly rolling technique on a polymeric platform. We introduce a complete 3D memory unit with write, read and store functionality, all based on the field-free domain wall motion. Additionally, we conducted a comparative analysis between 2D and 3D structures, particularly addressing the influence of heat during the electric current pulse sequences. Finally, we demonstrated a remarkable increase of 30% in spin-torque efficiency in 3D configuration.
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    Tunable positions of Weyl nodes via magnetism and pressure in the ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi
    ([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2024) Cheng, Erjian; Yan, Limin; Shi, Xianbiao; Lou, Rui; Fedorov, Alexander; Behnami, Mahdi; Yuan, Jian; Yang, Pengtao; Wang, Bosen; Cheng, Jin-Guang; Xu, Yuanji; Xu, Yang; Xia, Wei; Pavlovskii, Nikolai; Peets, Darren C.; Zhao, Weiwei; Wan, Yimin; Burkhardt, Ulrich; Guo, Yanfeng; Li, Shiyan; Felser, Claudia; Yang, Wenge; Büchner, Bernd
    The noncentrosymmetric ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi with simultaneous space-inversion and time-reversal symmetry breaking provides a unique platform for exploring novel topological states. Here, by employing multiple experimental techniques, we demonstrate that ferromagnetism and pressure can serve as efficient parameters to tune the positions of Weyl nodes in CeAlSi. At ambient pressure, a magnetism-facilitated anomalous Hall/Nernst effect (AHE/ANE) is uncovered. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements demonstrated that the Weyl nodes with opposite chirality are moving away from each other upon entering the ferromagnetic phase. Under pressure, by tracing the pressure evolution of AHE and band structure, we demonstrate that pressure could also serve as a pivotal knob to tune the positions of Weyl nodes. Moreover, multiple pressure-induced phase transitions are also revealed. These findings indicate that CeAlSi provides a unique and tunable platform for exploring exotic topological physics and electron correlations, as well as catering to potential applications, such as spintronics.