Restoring interlayer Josephson coupling in La1.885Ba0.115CuO4 by charge transfer melting of stripe order

We show that disruption of charge-density-wave (stripe) order by charge transfer excitation, enhances the superconducting phase rigidity in La1.885Ba0.115CuO4. Time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction demonstrates that charge order melting is prompt following near-infrared photoexcitation whereas the crystal structure remains intact for moderate fluences. THz time-domain spectroscopy reveals that, for the first 2 ps following photoexcitation, a new Josephson plasma resonance edge, at higher frequency with respect to the equilibrium edge, is induced indicating enhanced superconducting interlayer coupling. The fluence dependence of the charge-order melting and the enhanced superconducting interlayer coupling are correlated with a saturation limit of ∼0.5mJ/cm2. Using a combination of x-ray and optical spectroscopies we establish a hierarchy of timescales between enhanced superconductivity, melting of charge order, and rearrangement of the crystal structure

Real-world experience of secukinumab treatment for ankylosing spondylitis at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath

We reviewed our experience of treating ankylosing spondylitis patients with the IL-17 inhibitor secukinumab at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath. A total of 76 patients were included, of whom secukinumab was the first-line biologic drug used in 24, second line in 23, and third line in 29 patients, respectively. Only 5 patients discontinued the drug due to side effects before their first outpatient review, including 1 new case of inflammatory bowel disease. Significant improvements were seen in all disease outcome measures in patients receiving secukinumab as their first-line biologic agent, with a trend to improved mean BASDAI and BASFI even in patients receiving it as a second- or third-line biologic agent. This real-world analysis adds to the evidence recommending secukinumab as a largely safe and effective treatment for ankylosing spondylitis

Enhanced magnon transport through an amorphous magnetic insulator

Conduction of spin currents in disordered insulating antiferromagnets has recently been at the center of scientific debate with both long-range spin transport or no spin transport at all observed experimentally. In this study, ferromagnetic resonance has been used to probe the transmission of ac spin current through thin amorphous yttrium iron garnet (YIG) layers. The spin current is found to be mediated by evanescent spin waves with a penetration length four times larger than that of previous studies of amorphous YIG, even exceeding the spin penetration length of crystalline NiO

Psoriatic nail dystrophy is associated with erosive disease in the distal interphalangeal joints in psoriatic arthritis:a retrospective cohort study

Objective. To assess whether the association between psoriatic nail dystrophy and radiographic damage in the hands of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is specific to the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints. Methods. A convenience sample of patients was collated from the Bath longitudinal PsA cohort. All patients had PsA according to the ClASsification for Psoriatic ARthritis criteria (CASPAR) criteria, scored radiographs of their hands, and documented nail scores as measured by the Psoriatic Nail Severity Score. Chi-square tests were performed to examine for association between features of nail dystrophy and radiographic damage in the DIP joints, and proximal interphalangeal or metacarpophalangeal (non-DIP) joints of the corresponding digits. Results. There were 134 patients included, with a median age of 53 years (interquartile range; IQR 44-61) and disease duration of 7 years (IQR 3-17). The presence of any form of psoriatic nail dystrophy was associated with erosion at the DIP joints of the corresponding digit (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.23-2.83; p &lt; 0.004) and this association was primarily driven by the presence of nail onycholysis (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.12-2.62; p = 0.02). Nail subungual hyperkeratosis was more strongly associated with joint space narrowing, erosions, and osteoproliferation at the corresponding DIP joint compared to non-DIP joints (p &lt; 0.001). Nail pitting was not associated with erosions or osteoproliferation. Conclusion. The presence of psoriatic nail dystrophy, particularly onycholysis, is associated with erosive disease at the DIP joints. Subungual hyperkeratosis is more strongly associated with erosive damage at the DIP than non-DIP joints. These findings support the anatomical and pathological link between nail and DIP joint disease.</p

Absence of spin-mixed states in ferrimagnet Yttrium iron garnet

The spectroscopic g-factor of epitaxial thin film Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) has been studied using a combination of ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The values obtained by the two techniques are found, within experimental error, to be in agreement using Kittel's original derivation for the g-factor. For an insulating material with an entirely Fe3+ configuration, a spin mixing correction to Kittel's derivation of the spectroscopic g-factor, as recently shown by Shaw et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 207201 (2021)] for metallic systems, is not required and demonstrates that the spin mixing parameter is small in YIG due to negligible spin-orbit coupling

Multilevel information storage using magnetoelastic layer stacks

The use of voltages to control magnetisation via the inverse magnetostriction effect in piezoelectric/ferromagnet heterostructures holds promise for ultra-low energy information storage technologies. Epitaxial galfenol, an alloy of iron and gallium, has been shown to be a highly suitable material for such devices because it possesses biaxial anisotropy and large magnetostriction. Here we experimentally investigate the properties of galfenol/spacer/galfenol structures in which the compositions of the galfenol layers are varied in order to produce different strengths of the magnetic anisotropy and magnetostriction constants. Based upon these layers, we propose and simulate the operation of an information storage device that can operate as an energy efficient multilevel memory cell

Probing photo-induced melting of antiferromagnetic order in La0.5Sr1.5MnO4 by ultrafast resonant soft X-ray diffraction

Photo-excitation in complex oxides1 transfers charge across semicovalent bonds, drastically perturbing spin and orbital orders2. Light may then be used in compounds like magnetoresistive manganites to control magnetism on nanometre lengthscales and ultrafast timescales. Here, we show how ultrafast resonant soft x-ray diffraction can separately probe the photo-induced dynamics of spin and orbital orders in La0.5Sr1.5MnO4. Ultrafast melting of CE antiferromagnetic spin order is evidenced by the disappearance of a (1/4,1/4,1/2) diffraction peak. On the other hand the (1/4,1/4,0) peak, reflecting orbital order, is only partially reduced. Cluster calculations aid our interpretation by considering different magnetically ordered states accessible after photo-excitation. Nonthermal coupling between light and magnetism emerges as a primary aspect of photo-induced phase transitions in manganites.Comment: 7 pages manuscript, 4 figure

Age-Related Attenuation of Dominant Hand Superiority

The decline of motor performance of the human hand-arm system with age is well-documented. While dominant hand performance is superior to that of the non-dominant hand in young individuals, little is known of possible age-related changes in hand dominance. We investigated age-related alterations of hand dominance in 20 to 90 year old subjects. All subjects were unambiguously right-handed according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. In Experiment 1, motor performance for aiming, postural tremor, precision of arm-hand movement, speed of arm-hand movement, and wrist-finger speed tasks were tested. In Experiment 2, accelerometer-sensors were used to obtain objective records of hand use in everyday activities

Nano-faceted stabilization of polar-oxide thin films : The case of MgO(111) and NiO(111) surfaces

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of polar MgO(111) and NiO(111) films demonstrates that surface stabilization of the films is achieved via the formation of neutral nano-faceted surfaces. First-principles modeling of the growth of polar MgO(111) films reveals that the growth does not proceed layer-by-layer. Instead, the Mg or O layers grow up to a critical sub-monolayer coverage, beyond which the growth of the next layer becomes energetically favorable. This non-layer-by-layer growth is accompanied by complex relaxations of atoms both at the surface and in the sub-surface, and leads to the experimentally observed surface nano-faceting of MgO and NiO (111) films through formation of neutral nano-pyramids terminated by {100} facets. These facets are limited in size by an asymptotical surface energy relation to their height; with the reconstruction being much more stable than previously reported surface terminations across a wide range of growth conditions. The termination offers access to lower coordinated atoms at the intersection of the neutral {100} planes whilst also increasing the surface area of the film. The unique electronic structures of these surfaces can be utilized in catalysis, as well for forming unique heterostructures for electronic and spintronic applications