385 research outputs found
Effect of Ru susbstitution on atomic displacements in the layered SmFe_{1-x}Ru_xAsO_{0.85}F_{0.15} superconductor
The effect of Ru substitution on the local structure of layered
SmFeRuAsOF superconductor has been studied by As
- and Sm - edges x-ray-absorption spectroscopy. The extended
x-ray-absorption fine-structure measurements reveal distinct Fe-As and Ru-As
bondlengths in the Ru substituted samples with the latter being 0.03 \AA\
longer. Local disorder induced by the Ru substitution is mainly confined to the
FeAs layer while the SmO spacer layer sustains a relative order, consistent
with the x-ray-absorption near-edge structure spectra. The results suggest
that, in addition to the order/disorder in the active active iron-arsenide
layer, its coupling to the rare-earth\textminus oxygen spacer layer needs to be
considered for describing the electronic properties of these layered
superconductors
Bone marrow transplantation as therapy for ataxia-telangiectasia: a systematic review
Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, first reported in 1926, caused by a deficiency of ATM (Ataxia-Telangiectasia Mutated) protein. The disease is characterized by progressive cerebellar neurodegeneration, immunodeficiency, leukemia, and lymphoma cancer predisposition. Immunoglobulin replacement, antioxidants, neuroprotective factors, growth, and anti-inflammatory hormones are commonly used for A-T treatment, but, to date, there is no known cure. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is a successful therapy for several forms of diseases and it is a valid approach for tumors, hemoglobinopathies, autoimmune diseases, inherited disorders of metabolism, and other pathologies. Some case reports of A-T patients have shown that BMT is becoming a good option, as a correct engraftment of healthy cells can restore some aspects of immunologic capacity. However, due to a high risk of mortality as a result of a clinical and cellular hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation and radiomimetic drugs, a specific non-myeloablative conditioning is required before BMT. Although BMT might be considered as one promising therapy for the treatment of immunological defects and cancer prevention in selected A-T patients, the therapy is currently not recommended or recognized and the eligibility of A-T patients for BMT is a point to deepen and deliberate
Highly effective and isotropic pinning in epitaxial Fe(Se,Te) thin films grown on CaF2 substrates
We report on the isotropic pinning obtained in epitaxial Fe(Se,Te) thin films
grown on CaF2 (001) substrate. High critical current density values larger than
1 MA/cm2 in self field in liquid helium are reached together with a very weak
dependence on the magnetic field and a complete isotropy. Analysis through
Transmission Electron Microscopy evidences the presence of defects looking like
lattice disorder at a very small scale, between 5 and 20 nm, which are thought
to be responsible for such isotropic behavior in contrast to what observed on
SrTiO3, where defects parallel to the c-axis enhance pinning in that directio
Modeling meander morphodynamics over self-formed heterogeneous floodplains
This work addresses the signatures embedded in the planform geometry of meandering rivers consequent to the formation of floodplain heterogeneities as the river bends migrate. Two geomorphic features are specifically considered: scroll bars produced by lateral accretion of point bars at convex banks and oxbow lake fills consequent to neck cutoffs. The sedimentary architecture of these geomorphic units depends on the type and amount of sediment, and controls bank erodibility as the river impinges on them, favoring or contrasting the river migration. The geometry of numerically generated planforms obtained for different scenarios of floodplain heterogeneity is compared to that of natural meandering paths. Half meander metrics and spatial distribution of channel curvatures are used to disclose the complexity embedded in meandering geometry. Fourier Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Singular Spectrum Analysis and Multivariate Singular Spectrum Analysis are used to emphasize the subtle but crucial differences which may emerge between apparently similar configurations. A closer similarity between observed and simulated planforms is attained when fully coupling flow and sediment dynamics (fully-coupled models) and when considering self-formed heterogeneities that are less erodible than the surrounding floodplain
On Electron Transport in ZrB12, ZrB2 and MgB2
We report on measurements of the temperature dependence of resistivity,
, for single crystal samples of ZrB, ZrB and
polycrystalline samples of MgB. It is shown that cluster compound
ZrB behaves like a simple metal in the normal state, with a typical
Bloch -- Gr\"uneisen dependence. However, the resistive Debye
temperature, , is three times smaller than obtained from
specific heat data. We observe the term in of these borides,
which could be interpreted as an indication of strong electron-electron
interaction. Although the dependence of ZrB reveals a sharp
superconductive transition at , no superconductivity was observed
for single crystal samples of ZrB down to .Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Combining Models of Root-Zone Hydrology and Geoelectrical Measurements: Recent Advances and Future Prospects
Recent advances in measuring and modeling root water uptake along with refined electrical petrophysical models may help fill the existing gap in hydrological root model parametrization. In this paper, we discuss the choices to be made to combine root-zone hydrology and geoelectrical data with the aim of characterizing the active root zone. For each model and observation type we discuss sources of uncertainty and how they are commonly addressed in a stochastic inversion framework. We point out different degrees of integration in the existing hydrogeophysical approaches to parametrize models of root-zone hydrology. This paper aims at giving emphasis to stochastic approaches, in particular to Data Assimilation (DA) schemes, that are generally identified as the best way to combine geoelectrical data with Root Water Uptake (RWU) models. In addition, the study points out a more suitable objective function taken from the optimal transport theory that better captures complex geometry of root systems. Another pathway for improvement of geoelectrical data integration into RWU models using DA relies on the use of stem based methods as a leverage to introduce more extensive root knowledge into RWU macroscopic hydrological models
Role of magnetic dopants in the phase diagram of Sm1111 pnictides: The Mn case
The deliberate insertion of magnetic Mn dopants in the Fe sites of the
optimally-doped SmFeAsO0.88-F0.12 iron-based superconductor can modify in a
controlled way its electronic properties. The resulting phase diagram was
investigated across a wide range of manganese contents (x) by means of
muon-spin spectroscopy (muSR), both in zero- and in transverse fields,
respectively, to probe the magnetic and the superconducting order. The pure
superconducting phase (at x < 0.03) is replaced by a crossover region at
intermediate Mn values (0.03 =< x < 0.08), where superconductivity coexists
with static magnetic order. After completely suppressing superconductivity for
x = 0.08, a further increase in Mn content reinforces the natural tendency
towards antiferromagnetic correlations among the magnetic Mn ions. The sharp
drop of Tc and the induced magnetic order in the presence of magnetic
disorder/dopants, such as Mn, are both consistent with a recent theoretical
model of unconventional superconductors [M. Gastiasoro et al., ArXiv
1606.09495], which includes correlation-enhanced RKKY-couplings between the
impurity moments.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures. Accepted on Physical Review
In-situ Magnesium Diboride Superconducting Thin Films grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition
Superconducting thin films of MgB2 were deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition
on magnesium oxide and sapphire substrates. Samples grown at 450C in an argon
buffer pressure of about 10-2 mbar by using a magnesium enriched target
resulted to be superconducting with a transition temperature of about 25 K.
Film deposited from a MgB2 sintered pellet target in ultra high vacuum
conditions showed poor metallic or weak semiconducting behavior and they became
superconducting only after an ex-situ annealing in Mg vapor atmosphere. Up to
now, no difference in the superconducting properties of the films obtained by
these two procedures has been evidenced.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Thermal conductivity of MgB in the superconducting state
We present thermal conductivity measurements on very pure and dense bulk
samples, as indicated by residual resistivity values as low as 0.5 mW cm and
thermal conductivity values higher than 200 W/mK. In the normal state we found
that the Wiedemann Franz law, in its generalized form, works well suggesting
that phonons do not contribute to the heat transport. The thermal conductivity
in the superconducting state has been analysed by using a two-gap model. Thank
to the large gap anisotropy we were able to evaluate quantitatively intraband
scattering relaxation times of and bands, which depend on the
disorder in different way; namely, as the disorder increases, it reduces more
effectively the relaxation times of than of bands, as
suggested by a recent calculation [1].Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Transport and superconducting properties of Fe-based superconductors: SmFeAs(O1-x Fx) versus Fe1+y (Te1-x, Sex)
We present transport and superconducting properties - namely resistivity,
magnetoresistivity, Hall effect, Seebeck effect, thermal conductivity, upper
critical field - of two different families of Fe-based superconductors, which
can be viewed in many respects as end members: SmFeAs(O1-xFx) with the largest
Tc and the largest anisotropy and Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex), with the largest Hc2, the
lowest Tc and the lowest anisotropy. In the case of the SmFeAs(O1-xFx) series,
we find that a single band description allows to extract an approximated
estimation of band parameters such as carrier density and mobility from
experimental data, although the behaviour of Seebeck effect as a function of
doping demonstrates that a multiband description would be more appropriate. On
the contrary, experimental data of the Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex) series exhibit a
strongly compensated behaviour, which can be described only within a multiband
model. In the Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex) series, the role of the excess Fe, tuned by Se
stoichiometry, is found to be twofold: it dopes electrons in the system and it
introduces localized magnetic moments, responsible for Kondo like scattering
and likely pair-breaking of Cooper pairs. Hence, excess Fe plays a crucial role
also in determining superconducting properties such as the Tc and the upper
critical field Bc2. The huge Bc2 values of the Fe1+y(Te1-x,Sex) samples are
described by a dirty limit law, opposed to the clean limit behaviour of the
SmFeAs(O1-xFx) samples. Hence, magnetic scattering by excess Fe seems to drive
the system in the dirty regime, but its detrimental pairbreaking role seems not
to be as severe as predicted by theory. This issue has yet to be clarified,
addressing the more fundamental issue of the interplay between magnetism and
superconductivity
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