Inhomogeneous CuO_{6} Tilt Distribution and Charge/Spin Correlations in La_{2-x-y}Nd_{y}Sr_{x}CuO$_{4} around commensurate hole concentration

Phononic and magnetic Raman scattering are studied in La$_{2-x-y}$Nd$_{y}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ with three doping concentrations: x ~ 1/8, y = 0; x ~ 1/8, y = 0.4; and x = 0.01, y = 0. We observe strong disorder in the tilt pattern of the CuO_{6} octahedra in both the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases which persist down to 10 K and are coupled to bond disorder in the cation layers around 1/8 doping independent of Nd concentration. The weak magnitude of existing charge/spin modulations in the Nd doped structure does not allow us to detect the specific Raman signatures on lattice dynamics or two-magnon scattering around 2200 cm-1.Comment: to be published in Phys. Rev.

Weak ferromagnetism and glassy state in kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2Hg(SCN)2Br

Since the first observation of weak ferromagnetism in the charge-transfer salt kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2-Cu[N(CN)2]Cl [U. Welp et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 840 (1992)], no further evidence of ferromagnetism in this class of organic materials has been reported. Here we present static and dynamic spin susceptibility measurements on kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2Hg(SCN)2Br revealing weak ferromagnetism below about TWF = 20 K. We suggest that frustrated spins in the molecular dimers suppress long-range order, forming a spin-glass ground state in the insulating phase

Measuring well-being across Europe: Description of the ESS Well-being Module and preliminary findings

It has become customary to judge the success of a society through the use of objective indicators, predominantly economic and social ones. Yet in most developed nations, increases in income, education and health have arguably not produced comparable increases in happiness or life satisfaction. While much has been learned from the introduction of subjective measures of global happiness or life satisfaction into surveys, significant recent progress in the development of high-quality subjective measures of personal and social well-being has not been fully exploited. This paper describes the development of a set of well- being indicators which were included in Round 3 of the European Social Survey. This well-being Module seeks to evaluate the success of European countries in promoting the personal and social well-being of their citizens. In addition to providing a better understanding of domain-specific measures, such as those relating to family, work and income, the design of the Well-being Module recognises that advancement in the field requires us to look beyond measures which focus on how people feel (happiness, pleasure, satisfaction) to measures which are more concerned with how well they function. This also shifts the emphasis from relatively transient states of well-being to measures of more sustainable well-being. The ESS Well-being Module represents one of the first systematic attempts to create a set of policy-relevant national well-being accounts.well-being ; European social survey ; questionnaire design

Bias-Dependent Generation and Quenching of Defects in Pentacene

We describe a defect in pentacene single crystals that is created by bias stress and persists at room temperature for an hour in the dark but only seconds with 420nm illumination. The defect gives rise to a hole trap at Ev + 0.38eV and causes metastable transport effects at room temperature. Creation and decay rates of the hole trap have a 0.67eV activation energy with a small (108 s-1) prefactor, suggesting that atomic motion plays a key role in the generation and quenching process.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Ready-meal consumption: associations with weight status and cooking skills

Abstract Objective The ready-meal market has grown considerably in recent years. At the same time, a degradation of traditional cooking skills has been observed. Ready meals are often rich in energy, fat and sugar and lack vegetables; however, studies investigating associations between ready-meal consumption, overweight and cooking skills are lacking. The present study examines whether demographic factors, overweight, beliefs about the nutritional value and taste of ready meals and cooking skills are associated with ready-meal consumption. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Ready-meal consumption, weight status, cooking skills, beliefs about the taste and nutritional value of ready meals and demographic variables were assessed with self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed with one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. Subjects A total of 1017 adults from the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Results Men reported being more positive about ready meals and having fewer cooking skills compared with women. Overweight adults (BMI > 25 kg/m2) were more positive about nutrients and vitamins in ready meals compared with normal-weight adults. Ready-meal consumption was associated with cooking skills (β = −0·192), age (β =− 0·228), overweight (β = 0·129), nutritional value (β = −0·131), taste (β = −0·126), working status (β = 0·096) and gender (β = 0·084). Conclusions Cooking skills were identified as a strong predictor of ready-meal consumption. The importance of cooking skills as a barrier to healthy eating should be explored, as it is plausible that cooking skills will further decrease in the future. Next, the study provided evidence for an association between ready-meal consumption and overweight. Further research should examine the importance of ready meals for the overweight epidemi