Antisite effect on ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As

We study the Curie temperature and hole density of (Ga,Mn)As while systematically varying the As-antisite density. Hole compensation by As-antisites limits the Curie temperature and can completely quench long-range ferromagnetic order in the low doping regime of 1-2% Mn. Samples are grown by molecular beam epitaxy without substrate rotation in order to smoothly vary the As to Ga flux ratio across a single wafer. This technique allows for a systematic study of the effect of As stoichiometry on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As. For concentrations less than 1.5% Mn, a strong deviation from Tc ~ p^0.33 is observed. Our results emphasize that proper control of As-antisite compensation is critical for controlling the Curie temperatures in (Ga,Mn)As at the low doping limit.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Capping-induced suppression of annealing in Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As epilayers

We have studied the effects of capping ferromagnetic Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As epilayers with a thin layer of undoped GaAs, and we find that even a few monolayers of GaAs have a significant effect on the ferromagnetic properties. In particular, the presence of a capping layer only 10 monolayers thick completely suppresses the enhancement of the ferromagnetism associated with low temperature annealing. This result, which demonstrates that the surface of a Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As epilayer strongly affects the defect structure, has important implications for the incorporation of Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As into device heterostructures.Comment: 13 pages with figures attatche

Magnetoresistance Anomalies in (Ga,Mn)As Epilayers with Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

We report the observation of anomalies in the longitudinal magnetoresistance of tensile-strained (Ga,Mn)As epilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Magnetoresistance measurements carried out in the planar geometry (magnetic field parallel to the current density) reveal "spikes" that are antisymmetric with respect to the direction of the magnetic field. These anomalies always occur during magnetization reversal, as indicated by a simultaneous change in sign of the anomalous Hall effect. The data suggest that the antisymmetric anomalies originate in anomalous Hall effect contributions to the longitudinal resistance when domain walls are located between the voltage probes. This interpretation is reinforced by carrying out angular sweeps of $\vec{H}$, revealing an antisymmetric dependence on the helicity of the field sweep.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Adiponectin Gene Polymorphisms and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Susceptibility and Mortality

Rationale: Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory adipokine that is the most abundant gene product of adipose tissue. Lower levels have been observed in obesity, insulin resistance, and in critical illness. However, elevated levels early in acute respiratory failure have been associated with mortality. Polymorphisms in adiponectin-related genes (ADIPOQ, ADIPOR1, ADIPOR2) have been examined for relationships with obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and to circulating adipokine levels, but many gaps in knowledge remain. The current study aims to assess the association between potentially functional polymorphisms in adiponectin-related genes with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) risk and mortality. Methods: Consecutive patients with risk factors for ARDS admitted to the ICU were enrolled and followed prospectively for development of ARDS. ARDS cases were followed through day 60 for all-cause mortality. 2067 patients were successfully genotyped using the Illumina CVD BeadChip high-density platform. Of these, 567 patients developed ARDS. Forty-four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on ADIPOQ, ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2 were successfully genotyped. Of these, 9 SNPs were hypothesized to be functional based on their location (promoter, exon, or 3′ untranslated region). These 9 SNPs were analyzed for association with ARDS case status and mortality among ARDS cases. Results: After multivariable analysis and adjustment for multiple comparisons, no SNPs were significantly associated with ARDS case status. Among ARDS cases, homozygotes for the minor allele of rs2082940 (ADIPOQ) had increased mortality (hazard ratio 2.61, 95% confidence interval 1.36–5.00, p = 0.0039) after adjustment for significant covariates. The significance of this association persisted after adjustment for multiple comparisons (FDR_q = 0.029). Conclusions: A common and potentially functional polymorphism in ADIPOQ may impact survival in ARDS. Further studies are required to replicate these results and to correlate genotype with circulating adiponectin levels

Magnetothermopower and Magnetoresistivity of RuSr2Gd1-xLaxCu2O8 (x=0, 0.1)

We report measurements of magnetothermopower and magnetoresistivity as a function of temperature on RuSr2Gd1-xLaxCu2O8 (x = 0, 0.1). The normal-state thermopower shows a dramatic decrease after applying a magnetic field of 5 T, whereas the resistivity shows only a small change after applying the same field. Our results suggest that RuO2 layers are conducting and the magnetic field induced decrease of the overall thermopower is caused by the decrease of partial thermopower decrease associated with the spin entropy decrease of the carriers in the RuO2 layers.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Quartic scaling of sound attenuation with frequency in vitreous silica

Several theoretical approaches to disordered media predict that acoustic waves should undergo a quartic increase in their attenuation coefficient with increasing frequency in the sub-terahertz region. Such Rayleigh-type scattering would be related to the anomalous low-temperature plateau in the thermal conductivity and to the so-called boson peak, i.e. an excess of vibrational modes above the Debye density of states at around 1 THz. Brillouin scattering of light allows the measurement of sound absorption and velocity dispersion up to about 0.1 THz while inelastic x-ray scattering is limited to frequencies larger than about 1 THz. We take advantage of the advent of ultrafast optical techniques to explore the acoustical properties of amorphous SiO2 layers in the difficult but crucial frequency region within this gap. A quartic scaling law with frequency is clearly revealed between 0.2 and 0.9 THz, which is further shown to be independent of temperature. This strongly damped regime is accompanied by a decrease in the sound velocity already starting from about 0.5 THz, in line with theories. Our study assists to clarify the anomalous acoustical properties in glasses at frequencies entering the boson peak region.Comment: 4 figures, 11 page

The Static and Dynamic Lattice Changes Induced by Hydrogen Adsorption on NiAl(110)

Static and dynamic changes induced by adsorption of atomic hydrogen on the NiAl(110) lattice at 130 K have been examined as a function of adsorbate coverage. Adsorbed hydrogen exists in three distinct phases. At low coverages the hydrogen is itinerant because of quantum tunneling between sites and exhibits no observable vibrational modes. Between 0.4 ML and 0.6 ML, substrate mediated interactions produce an ordered superstructure with c(2x2) symmetry, and at higher coverages, hydrogen exists as a disordered lattice gas. This picture of how hydrogen interacts with NiAl(110) is developed from our data and compared to current theoretical predictions.Comment: 36 pages, including 12 figures, 2 tables and 58 reference

Time- and momentum-resolved probe of heat transport in photo-excited bismuth

We use time- and momentum-resolved x-ray scattering to study thermalization in a photo-excited thin single crystal bismuth film on sapphire. The time-resolved changes of the diffuse scattering show primarily a quasi-thermal phonon distribution that is established in less than or similar to 100 ps and that follows the time-scale of thermal transport. Ultrafast melting measurements under high laser excitation show that epitaxial regrowth of the liquid phase occurs on the time-scale of thermal transport across the bismuth-sapphire interface. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC. (DOI: 10.1063/1.4804291

Genetic diversity of Bromeliaceae species from the Atlantic Forest

ABSTRACT. The Bromeliaceae family includes a range of species used for many purposes, including ornamental use and use as food, medicine, feed, and fiber. The state of Espírito Santo, Brazil is a center of diversity for this family in the Atlantic Forest. We evaluated the genetic diversity of five populations of the Bromeliaceae family, including specimens of the genera Aechmea, Billbergia (subfamily Bromelioideae), and Pitcairnia (subfamily Pitcairnioidea), all found in the Atlantic Forest and distributed in the state of Espírito Santo. The number of alleles per locus in populations ranged from two to six and the fixation index (F), estimated for some simple sequence repeats in bromeliad populations, was less than zero in all populations. All markers in the Pitcairnia flammea population were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). Moreover, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed at some loci in populations of the five bromeliad species. In most cases, this can be attributed to the presence of inbreeding or the Wahlund effect. The genetic diversity indices of five species showed greater allelic richness in P. flammea (3.55). Therefore, we provide useful information for the characterization of genetic diversity in natural populations of Aechmea ramosa, Aechmea nudicaulis, Billbergia horrid, Billbergia euphemia, and P. flammea in Atlantic Forest remnants in the south of Espírito Santo state

Adsorption of Reactive Particles on a Random Catalytic Chain: An Exact Solution

We study equilibrium properties of a catalytically-activated annihilation $A + A \to 0$ reaction taking place on a one-dimensional chain of length $N$ ($N \to \infty$) in which some segments (placed at random, with mean concentration $p$) possess special, catalytic properties. Annihilation reaction takes place, as soon as any two $A$ particles land onto two vacant sites at the extremities of the catalytic segment, or when any $A$ particle lands onto a vacant site on a catalytic segment while the site at the other extremity of this segment is already occupied by another $A$ particle. Non-catalytic segments are inert with respect to reaction and here two adsorbed $A$ particles harmlessly coexist. For both "annealed" and "quenched" disorder in placement of the catalytic segments, we calculate exactly the disorder-average pressure per site. Explicit asymptotic formulae for the particle mean density and the compressibility are also presented.Comment: AMSTeX, 27 pages + 4 figure