Magnetic excitations in vanadium spinels

We study magnetic excitations in vanadium spinel oxides AV$_2$O$_4$ (A=Zn, Mg, Cd) using two models: first one is a superexchange model for vanadium S=1 spins, second one includes in addition spin-orbit coupling, and crystal anisotropy. We show that the experimentally observed magnetic ordering can be obtained in both models, however the orbital ordering is different with and without spin-orbit coupling and crystal anisotropy. We demonstrate that this difference strongly affects the spin-wave excitation spectrum above the magnetically ordered state, and argue that the neutron measurement of such dispersion is a way to distinguish between the two possible orbital orderings in AV$_2$O$_4$.Comment: accepted in Phys. Rev.

Sense of purpose and meaning in life during the transition to grandparenthood

The grandparent role has been often described as one of the most fulfilling aspects of older age. Yet, no longitudinal studies investigated the effect of the transition to grandparenthood on older adults’ sense of purpose and meaning in life. In this pre-registered study, we investigated the effect of becoming a first-time grandparent and a first-time caregiving grandparent on changes in sense of purpose and meaning in life. We used data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), covering up to 12 years around the transition (NHRS = 843, NELSA = 587). To disentangle potential grandparenthood effects from age-related developmental changes, we used propensity score matching to compare grandparents to matched non-grandparents. Using latent change score models, we only found increases in sense of purpose in the years leading up to the transition, but not afterwards. No consistent findings of mean-level changes were observed in the control groups. Thus, our findings suggest that becoming a (caregiving) grandparent does not necessarily contribute to higher meaning and sense of purpose in life than before or compared to non-grandparents

Evidence for a temperature-induced spin-state transition of Co3+ in La2-xSrxCoO4

We study the magnetic susceptibility of mixed-valent La2-xSrxCoO4 single crystals in the doping range of 0.5<= x <= 0.8 for temperatures up to 1000 K. The magnetism below room temperature is described by paramagnetic Co2+ in the high-spin state and by Co3+ in the non-magnetic low-spin state. Above room temperature, an increase in susceptibility compared to the behavior expected from Co2+ is seen, which we attribute to a spin-state transition of Co3+. The susceptibility is analyzed by comparison to full-multiplet calculations for the thermal population of the high- and intermediate-spin states of Co3+

Non-resonant inelastic x-ray scattering involving excitonic excitations

In a recent publication Larson \textit{et al.} reported remarkably clear $d$-$d$ excitations for NiO and CoO measured with x-ray energies well below the transition metal $K$ edge. In this letter we demonstrate that we can obtain an accurate quantitative description based on a local many body approach. We find that the magnitude of $\vec{q}$ can be tuned for maximum sensitivity for dipole, quadrupole, etc. excitations. We also find that the direction of $\vec{q}$ with respect to the crystal axes can be used as an equivalent to polarization similar to electron energy loss spectroscopy, allowing for a determination of the local symmetry of the initial and final state based on selection rules. This method is more generally applicable and combined with the high resolution available, could be a powerful tool for the study of local distortions and symmetries in transition metal compounds including also buried interfaces

Cumulative life course adversity, mental health, and cognition in the UK biobank

Abstract The association between adversity and cognition varies according to the specific adversity, when the adversity was experienced, and the cognitive domains investigated. Disentangling the effect of adversity and the underlying mechanistic pathway is therefore difficult. The association between adversity (i.e., maltreatment) accumulated over the life course and cognitive flexibility, as well as two potential mediators (i.e., intra-individual variability in reaction time and depression) of this association, were investigated. Data stem from the baseline population of the UK Biobank study ( N  = 73,489, Mdn age  = 56, SD age  = 7.628, 55.740% of women). Cumulative life course adversity (specifically maltreatment) was measured with items based on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTS-5) and items adapted from the British Crime Survey. Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Intra-individual variability in reaction time was measured with a reaction time test “snap game” and the Trail Making Test A and B were used as a measure of cognitive flexibility. A path analysis was performed on these data. Higher cumulative adverse experiences were associated with lower performance in cognitive flexibility (β = .016, p  &lt; .001, 95% CI [0.009, 0.024]), and this effect was partly mediated by the level of depression (22.727% of the total effect of cumulative life course adversity on cognitive flexibility was mediated by depression (β = .005, p  &lt; .001, 95% CI [0.004, 0.007])). No association between cumulative life course adverse experiences and intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, nor was any indirect association between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time. The association between cumulative life course adversity, depression, and performance in cognitive flexibility has been highlighted. In contrast, no indirect effect between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, suggesting that it is not a potential mechanism underlying the association between cumulative life course adversity and executive function. </p

The impact of disease severity on the psychological well-being of youth affected by an inborn error of metabolism and their families: A one-year longitudinal study.

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) refer to rare heterogeneous genetic disorders with various clinical manifestations that can cause serious physical and psychological sequelae. Results of previous studies on the impact of an IEM on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) were incongruent and only few studies considered more broadly the psychological well-being of children with IEM and their families. Our objectives were to examine: (1) the impact of the IEM severity on the HR-QoL and psychological functioning of patients and their parents at baseline; and (2) its evolution over time; and (3) the correlation between parental and children's perspectives. Methods: The sample included 69 pediatric patients (mean age = 7.55 y, SD = 4.59) with evaluations at baseline and after one year. We collected data on HR-QoL, child mental health and emotional regulation as well as on parental mood and stress using different validated questionnaires. IEM severity was rated by a clinician through the biological subdomain of the pediatric INTERMED instrument. Results: Two groups of patients based on IEM severity scores were created (n = 31 with low and n = 38 with moderate/high IEM severity). The two groups differed with respect to age, diet and supplement intake. IEM severity had an impact on HR-QoL and behavioral symptoms in children, as well as on HR-QoL and stress in parents. For patients with moderate/high IEM severity, child and parental HR-QoL improved after 1-year of follow-up. We did not observe any significant difference between evaluations by patients versus parents. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that moderate/high IEM severity altered child and parental psychological well-being, but also revealed a significant improvement after one-year follow-up. This observation suggests that patients with a moderate/high IEM severity and their families benefit from the care of an interdisciplinary team including a child psychologist specialized in IEMs. Moreover, in patients with higher IEM severity there may also be more room for improvement compared to patients with low IEM severity. Future studies should focus on observations over a larger time span, particularly during adolescence, and should include objective measurements

Local electronic structure of Fe2+^{2+} impurities in MgO thin films: Temperature-dependent soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy study

We report on the local electronic structure of Fe impurities in MgO thin films. Using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) we verified that the Fe impurities are all in the 2+ valence state. The fine details in the line shape of the Fe $L_{2,3}$ edges provide direct evidence for the presence of a dynamical Jahn-Teller distortion. We are able to determine the magnitude of the effective $D_{4h}$ crystal field energies. We also observed a strong temperature dependence in the spectra which we can attribute to the thermal population of low-lying excited states that are present due to the spin-orbit coupling in the Fe 3d. Using this Fe$^{2+}$ impurity system as an example, we show that an accurate measurement of the orbital moment in Fe$_3$O$_4$ will provide a direct estimate for the effective local low-symmetry crystal fields on the Fe$^{2+}$ sites, important for the theoretical modeling of the formation of orbital ordering

Little boxes: A simple implementation of the Greenberger, Horne, and Zeilinger result for spatial degrees of freedom

A Greenberger, Horne, and Zeilinger-type construction is realized in the position properties of three particles whose wavefunctions are distributed over three two-chambered boxes. The same system is modeled more realistically using three spatially separated, singly ionized hydrogen molecules. © 2011 American Association of Physics Teachers

Anisotropic Susceptibility of La_2-xSr_xCoO_4 related to the Spin States of Cobalt

We present a study of the magnetic susceptibility of La_2-xSr_xCoO_4 single crystals in a doping range 0.3<=x<=0.8. Our data shows a pronounced magnetic anisotropy for all compounds. This anisotropy is in agreement with a low-spin ground state (S=0) of Co^3+ for x>=0.4 and a high-spin ground state (S=3/2) of Co^2+. We compare our data with a crystal-field model calculation assuming local moments and find a good description of the magnetic behavior for x>=0.5. This includes the pronounced kinks observed in the inverse magnetic susceptibility, which result from the anisotropy and low-energy excited states of Co^2+ and are not related to magnetic ordering or temperature-dependent spin-state transitions

A focus group study for the design of a web-based tool for improving problem-solving in older adults

The development of easily accessible and usable social and cognitive enhancement trainings is becoming a priority to reduce the impact of aging on quality of life. Since most activities of daily living (e.g., making a meal) require problem-solving skills, problem-solving interventions could be used to improve and/or maintain functional abilities in aging to prolong independence. To design an effective problem-solving training and increase older adults' adherence to the training, this study examined older adults' perceptions of their challenges in activities of daily living, their skills and difficulties in using information technology (IT), and their motivations and expectations for participating in a web-based problem-solving training activity. Four focus groups (two in Italy and two in the Netherlands) were conducted with older adults aged between 65 and 84 years, a total of 27 participants. The data were analyzed using the Atlas.ti 8 software for the thematic analysis. The analysis identified five thematic areas: interests and activities, difficulties and concerns, experiences and motivations for training, expertise and resources, suggestions for the design of the new training. The results were used to develop a first prototype of a Shared, Web-based, Intelligent Flexible Thinking Training (SWIFT), adapted to future user needs. The participation of older adults in this design phase was critical to understanding their needs, motivations, and expectations regarding the implementation and use of a cognitive enhancement training.</p