Monolithic integration of Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) devices onto standard processed CMOS dies

Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) based technology is nowadays the preferred option for low magnetic fields sensing in disciplines such as biotechnology or microelectronics. Their compatibility with standard CMOS processes is currently investigated as a key point for the development of novel applications, requiring compact electronic readout. In this paper, such compatibility has been experimentally studied with two particular non-dedicated CMOS standards: 0.35 μm from AMS (Austria MicroSystems) and 2.5 μm from CNM (Centre Nacional de Microelectrònica, Barcelona) as representative examples. GMR test devices have been designed and fabricated onto processed chips from both technologies. In order to evaluate so obtained devices, an extended characterization has been carried out including DC magnetic measurements and noise analysis. Moreover, a 2D-FEM (Finite Element Method) model, including the dependence of the GMR device resistance with the magnetic field, has been also developed and simulated. Its potential use as electric current sensors at the integrated circuit level has also been demonstrated

Modeling of Small DC Magnetic Field Response in Trilayer Magnetoelectric Laminate Composites

We consider a magnetoelectric laminate which comprises two magnetostrictive (Ni) layers and an in-between piezoelectric layer (PZT). Using the finite-element method-based software COMSOL, we numerically calculate the induced voltage between the two faces of the PZT piezoelectric layer, by an external homogeneous small-signal magnetic field threading the three-layer Ni/PZT/Ni laminate structure. A bias magnetic field is simulated as being produced by two permanent magnets, as it is done in real experimental setups. For approaching the real materials’ properties, a measured magnetization curve of the Ni plate is used in the computations. The reported results take into account the finite-size effects of the structure, such as the fringing electric field effect and the demagnetization, as well as the effect of the finite conductivity of the Ni layers on the output voltage. The results of the simulations are compared with the experimental data and with a widely known analytical result for the induced magnetoelectric voltage

Resilience of a tropical sport fish population to a severe cold event varies across five estuaries in southern Florida

For species that are closely managed, understanding population resilience to environmental and anthropogenic disturbances (i.e., recovery trajectories across broad spatial areas) can guide which suite of management actions are available to mitigate any impacts. During January 2010, an extreme cold event in south Florida caused widespread mortality of common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, a popular sport fish. Interpretation of trends using fishery-independent monitoring data in five south Florida estuaries showed that changes in catch rates of adult snook (\u3e500 mm standard length) varied between no effects postevent to large effects and 4-yr recoveries. The reasons for the variation across estuaries are unknown, but are likely related to differences in estuary geomorphology and habitat availability (e.g., extent of deep rivers and canals) and differences in the proportions of behavior contingents (i.e., segments of the population that use divergent movement tactics) that place snook in different areas of the estuary during winter. Emerging awareness of the presence of behavior contingents, identification of overwintering sites, and improvements of abundance indices in remote nursery habitats should provide a better understanding of population resilience to disturbance events for snook. Given that changes in the frequency of short-lived, severe cold events are currently unknown, the findings and management actions described here for a tropical species living at the edge of its distribution should be useful to scientists forecasting the effects of climate change

The value of postmortem computed tomography as an alternative for autopsy in trauma victims: a systematic review

The aim of this study was to assess the role of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) as an alternative for autopsy in determining the cause of death and the identification of specific injuries in trauma victims. A systematic review was performed by searching the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases. Articles were eligible if they reported both PMCT as well as autopsy findings and included more than one trauma victim. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility and quality of the articles. The outcomes were described in terms of the percentage agreement on causes of death and amount of injuries detected. The data extraction and analysis were performed together. Fifteen studies were included describing 244 victims. The median sample size was 13 (range 5–52). The percentage agreement on the cause of death between PMCT and autopsy varied between 46 and 100%. The overall amount of injuries detected on CT ranged from 53 to 100% compared with autopsy. Several studies suggested that PMCT was capable of identifying injuries not detected during normal autopsy. This systematic review provides inconsistent evidence as to whether PMCT is a reliable alternative for autopsy in trauma victims. PMCT has promising features in postmortem examination suggesting PMCT is a good alternative for a refused autopsy or a good adjunct to autopsy because it detects extra injuries overseen during autopsies. To examine the value of PMCT in trauma victims there is a need for well-designed and larger prospective studies

(Re)Moralizing the suicide debate

Contemporary approaches to the study of suicide tend to examine suicide as a medical or public health problem rather than a moral problem, avoiding the kinds of judgements that have historically characterised discussions of the phenomenon. But morality entails more than judgement about action or behaviour, and our understanding of suicide can be enhanced by attending to its cultural, social, and linguistic connotations. In this work, I offer a theoretical reconstruction of suicide as a form of moral experience that delineates five distinct, yet interrelated domains of understanding – the temporal, the relational, the existential, the ontological, and the linguistic. Attention to each of these domains, I argue, not only enriches our understanding of the moral realm, but provides a heuristic for examining the moral traditions and practices which constitute contemporary understandings of suicide. Keywords: Suicide; philosophy; social values; humanitie

Construction and appraisal of human-size， open-ended． cylindrical magnetic shield of vertical setting

We developed a human-size， open-structure， vertical cylindrical magnetic shield consisting of four shells． The inner diameters of four shells are O.67m，0.72m，0.82m， and O.97m， respectively． The lengths of the shells are l．80m，2．20m，2．43m， and 2．75m， respectively． The first shell is made of Permalloy（2.lmm thick）． Other three shells， made of amorphous ribbons（～50mm wide，～22μm thick），employ magnetic shaking． The second shell consists of four subdivided helical shells with internal space～1cm． Each subdivided helical shells comprises of 121ayers， the amorphous ribbons are wound helically．Outer two shells are axial-structure， where the ribbons are placed along the axial direction of the cylinder． The third shell has 261ayers and the fourth shell has 301ayers of the amorphous ribbons． The shielding factor measured at the center was～100，000 for the transversal magnetic field and～380 for the axial magnetic field， in which cases the amplitude of the magnetic field was lO,000nT． Leakage field from the shaking coils at the center of the shield was below lnT that permits operation of highly sensitive SQUID magnetometers

Herbivore community determines the magnitude and mechanism of nutrient effects on subtropical and tropical seagrasses

Numerous studies have examined the combined effects of nutrients (bottom-up control) and consumers (top-down control) on ecosystem structure and functioning. While it is recognized that both can have important effects, there remains a limited understanding of how their relative importance shifts across large spatial scales where consumer functional types can vary. Using seagrasses as a model ecosystem, we explore the effects of ambient variation in herbivore functional composition on the relative importance of bottom-up and top-down forcings. Distributed experiments were conducted across four Western Atlantic sites that encompassed a gradient in consumer composition. Herbivores at two subtropical sites were predominantly comprised of small crustacean invertebrates (mesograzers that consume epiphytic algae), while herbivores at two tropical sites were dominated by large macrograzers (sea urchins and herbivorous fishes that directly consume seagrass biomass). To test the relative importance of bottom-up and top-down factors at each site, we manipulated nutrient supply, mesograzer abundance, and the presence of macrograzers (mainly herbivorous fishes) in a fully factorial design over a 14-week growing season. Seagrass above-ground biomass, shoot density, canopy cover, leaf productivity and epiphyte mass were measured as indicators of habitat structure and productivity. Overall, nutrient addition elicited a strong response across sites, causing widespread loss of seagrass biomass and shoot density. However, the mechanisms driving these declines strongly varied as a function of resident herbivore identity. Seagrass loss at tropical sites was attributable to macrograzers, which increased their direct consumption of fertilized, nutrient-rich seagrass. Conversely, at the subtropical sites, nutrient loading caused seagrass declines associated with the proliferation of epiphytic algae, but only in locations where mesograzer abundance was low. Synthesis. Our results confirm that nutrient enrichment generally has negative effects on seagrasses, but that the underlying mechanisms vary and may depend upon herbivore presence and functional identity. Along a subtropical to tropical gradient, the adverse effects of nutrient loading may switch from competitive algal overgrowth to a stimulation of seagrass consumption. Thus, in the tropics, top-down and bottom-up factors can act in combination, and in the same direction, to contribute to habitat loss