478 research outputs found
Dielectric anomalies and spiral magnetic order in CoCr2O4
We have investigated the structural, magnetic, thermodynamic, and dielectric
properties of polycrystalline CoCrO, an insulating spinel exhibiting
both ferrimagnetic and spiral magnetic structures. Below = 94 K the
sample develops long-range ferrimagnetic order, and we attribute a sharp phase
transition at 25 K with the onset of long-range spiral magnetic
order. Neutron measurements confirm that while the structure remains cubic at
80 K and at 11 K; there is complex magnetic ordering by 11 K. Density
functional theory supports the view of a ferrimagnetic semiconductor with
magnetic interactions consistent with non-collinear ordering. Capacitance
measurements on CoCrO, show a sharp decrease in the dielectric constant
at , but also an anomaly showing thermal hysteresis falling between
approximately = 50 K and = 57 K. We tentatively attribute the
appearance of this higher temperature dielectric anomaly to the development of
\textit{short-range} spiral magnetic order, and discuss these results in the
context of utilizing dielectric spectroscopy to investigate non-collinear
short-range magnetic structures.Comment: & Figure
Magnetism in systems with various dimensionality: A comparison between Fe and Co
A systematic ab initio study is performed for the spin and orbital moments
and for the validity of the sum rules for x-ray magnetic circular dichroism for
Fe systems with various dimensionality (bulk, Pt-supported monolayers and
monatomic wires, free-standing monolayers and monatomic wires). Qualitatively,
the results are similar to those for the respective Co systems, with the main
difference that for the monatomic Fe wires the term in the spin sum rule
is much larger than for the Co wires. The spin and orbital moments induced in
the Pt substrate are also discussed.Comment: 4 page
First-principles study of spontaneous polarization in multiferroic BiFeO
The ground-state structural and electronic properties of ferroelectric
BiFeO are calculated using density functional theory within the local
spin-density approximation and the LSDA+U method. The crystal structure is
computed to be rhombohedral with space group , and the electronic
structure is found to be insulating and antiferromagnetic, both in excellent
agreement with available experiments. A large ferroelectric polarization of
90-100 C/cm is predicted, consistent with the large atomic
displacements in the ferroelectric phase and with recent experimental reports,
but differing by an order of magnitude from early experiments. One possible
explanation is that the latter may have suffered from large leakage currents.
However both past and contemporary measurements are shown to be consistent with
the modern theory of polarization, suggesting that the range of reported
polarizations may instead correspond to distinct switching paths in structural
space. Modern measurements on well-characterized bulk samples are required to
confirm this interpretation.Comment: (9 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables
First principles study of the multiferroics BiFeO, BiFeCrO, and BiCrO: Structure, polarization, and magnetic ordering temperature
We present results of an {\it ab initio} density functional theory study of
three bismuth-based multiferroics, BiFeO, BiFeCrO, and
BiCrO. We disuss differences in the crystal and electronic structure of
the three systems, and we show that the application of the LDA+ method is
essential to obtain realistic structural parameters for BiFeCrO. We
calculate the magnetic nearest neighbor coupling constants for all three
systems and show how Anderson's theory of superexchange can be applied to
explain the signs and relative magnitudes of these coupling constants. From the
coupling constants we then obtain a mean-field approximation for the magnetic
ordering temperatures. Guided by our comparison of these three systems, we
discuss the possibilities for designing a multiferroic material with large
magnetization above room temperature.Comment: 8 Pages, 4 Figure
An Examination of Public Opinion in Austria Towards Inclusion. Development of the “Attidutes Towards Inclusion Scale”- ATIS
The ‘Attitudes Towards Integration Scale’ (ATIS) assesses the attitude of the general public towards the school integration of children with disabilities. The scale was empirically created in a pilot study (n=351) and later used to survey 2158 people. The data from both surveys are analysed in the present paper; the results show that the scale exhibits acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=.83) and that the factorial structure of the scale can be considered as largely confirmed. Overall, the surveyed persons reported a positive attitude towards the school integration of children with disabilities. However, the form of the disability of the integrated child and the level of education as well as the participants’ familiarity with the topic of integration of persons with disabilities, age and gender played a role in their assessment. In addition, the results show that pupils in general have a more negative attitude than students and employed persons. Sequence effects could also be shown. Inclusive education is seen as more positive when respondents are first asked to evaluate how a child with a disability gets on in an integrated class and have to evaluate later how a child with the same disability gets on in a special school setting of an integrated class
Foreign Direct Investments in Business Services: Transforming the Visegrád Four Region into a Knowledge-based Economy?
Foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the service sector are widely attributed an important role in bringing more skill-intensive activities into the Visegrad Four (V4). This region—comprising Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia—relied heavily on FDIs in manufacturing, which was often found to generate activities with limited skill content. This contribution deconstructs the chaotic concept of “business services” by analysing the actual nature of service sector activities outsourced and offshored to the V4. Using the knowledge-based economy (KBE) as a benchmark, the paper assesses the potential of service sector outsourcing in contributing to regional competitiveness by increasing the innovative capacity. It also discusses the role of state policies towards service sector FDI (SFDI). The analysis combines data obtained from case studies undertaken in service sector outsourcing projects in V4 countries. Moreover, it draws on interviews with senior employees of investment promotion agencies and publicly available data and statistics on activities within the service sector in the region. It argues that the recent inward investments in business services in the V4 mainly utilize existing local human capital resources, and their contribution to the development of the KBE is limited to employment creation and demand for skilled labour
Structural and magnetic characterization of the complete delafossite solid solution (CuAlO2){1-x}(CuCrO2){x}
We have prepared the complete delafossite solid solution series between
diamagnetic CuAlO2 and the t2g^3 frustrated antiferromagnet CuCrO2. The
evolution with composition x in CuAl(1-x)Cr(x)O2 of the crystal structure and
magnetic properties has been studied and is reported here. The room-temperature
unit cell parameters follow the Vegard law and increase with x as expected. The
effective moment is equal to the Cr^3+ spin-only S = 3/2 value throughout the
entire solid solution. Theta is negative, indicating that the dominant
interactions are antiferromagnetic, and its magnitude increases with Cr
substitution. For dilute Cr compositions, J_BB was estimated by mean-field
theory to be 2.0 meV. Despite the sizable Theta, long-range antiferromagnetic
order does not develop until very large x, and is preceeded by glassy behavior.
Data presented here, and that on dilute Al-substitution from Okuda et al.,
suggest that the reduction in magnetic frustration due to the presence of
non-magnetic Al does not have as dominant an effect on magnetism as chemical
disorder and dilution of the magnetic exchange. For all samples, the 5 K
isothermal magnetization does not saturate in fields up to 5 T and minimal
hysteresis is observed. The presence of antiferromagnetic interactions is
clearly evident in the sub-Brillouin behavior with a reduced magnetization per
Cr atom. An inspection of the scaled Curie plot reveals that significant
short-range antiferromagnetic interactions occur in CuCrO2 above its Neel
temperature, consistent with its magnetic frustration. Uncompensated
short-range interactions are present in the Al-substituted samples and are
likely a result of chemical disorder
Age adjustment of cancer survival rates: methods, point estimates and standard errors
We empirically evaluated the performance of a new method for age adjustment of cancer survival compared to traditional age adjustment using data from the Finnish Cancer Registry. We find that both methods provide almost identical results for absolute survival but the new method generally provides more meaningful estimates of relative survival with often a smaller standard error
Modeling time delay in the NFκB signaling pathway following low dose IL-1 stimulation
Stimulation of human epithelial cells with IL-1 (10 ng/ml) + UVB radiation results in sustained NFκB activation caused by continuous IKKβ phosphorylation. We have recently published a strictly reduced ordinary differential equation model elucidating the involved mechanisms. Here, we compare model extensions for low IL-1 doses (0.5 ng/ml), where delayed IKKβ phosphorylation is observed. The extended model including a positive regulatory element, most likely auto-ubiquitination of TRAF6, reproduces the observed experimental data most convincingly. The extension is shown to be consistent with the original model and contains very sensitive processes which may serve as potential intervention targets
New Symmetries in Crystals and Handed Structures
For over a century, the structure of materials has been described by a
combination of rotations, rotation-inversions and translational symmetries. By
recognizing the reversal of static structural rotations between clockwise and
counterclockwise directions as a distinct symmetry operation, here we show that
there are many more structural symmetries than are currently recognized in
right- or left-handed handed helices, spirals, and in antidistorted structures
composed equally of rotations of both handedness. For example, though a helix
or spiral cannot possess conventional mirror or inversion symmetries, they can
possess them in combination with the rotation reversal symmetry. Similarly, we
show that many antidistorted perovskites possess twice the number of symmetry
elements as conventionally identified. These new symmetries predict new forms
for "roto" properties that relate to static rotations, such as rotoelectricity,
piezorotation, and rotomagnetism. They also enable symmetry-based search for
new phenomena, such as multiferroicity involving a coupling of spins, electric
polarization and static rotations. This work is relevant to structure-property
relationships in all material structures with static rotations such as
minerals, polymers, proteins, and engineered structures.Comment: 15 Pages, 4 figures, 3 Tables; Fig. 2b has error
- …