308 research outputs found
Magnetic excitations in vanadium spinels
We study magnetic excitations in vanadium spinel oxides AVO (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 AVO.Comment: accepted in Phys. Rev.
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
- excitations for NiO and CoO measured with x-ray energies well below the
transition metal 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 can be tuned for maximum sensitivity for
dipole, quadrupole, etc. excitations. We also find that the direction of
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 < .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 < .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 Fe 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 edges provide direct evidence for the presence of a
dynamical Jahn-Teller distortion. We are able to determine the magnitude of the
effective 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 impurity system as an example, we
show that an accurate measurement of the orbital moment in FeO will
provide a direct estimate for the effective local low-symmetry crystal fields
on the Fe 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
Non-Perturbative Renormalization Group calculation of the scalar self-energy
We present the first numerical application of a method that we have recently
proposed to solve the Non Perturbative Renormalization Group equations and
obtain the n-point functions for arbitrary external momenta. This method leads
to flow equations for the n-point functions which are also differential
equations with respect to a constant background field. This makes them, a
priori, difficult to solve. However, we demonstrate in this paper that, within
a simple approximation which turns out to be quite accurate, the solution of
these flow equations is not more complicated than that of the flow equations
obtained in the derivative expansion. Thus, with a numerical effort comparable
to that involved in the derivative expansion, we can get the full momentum
dependence of the n-point functions. The method is applied, in its leading
order, to the calculation of the self-energy in a 3-dimensional scalar field
theory, at criticality. Accurate results are obtained over the entire range of
momenta.Comment: 29 page
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
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