363 research outputs found
First Observation of Quantum Oscillations in the Ferromagnetic Superconductor UCoGe
We succeeded in growing high quality single crystals of the ferromagnetic
superconductor UCoGe and measured the magnetoresistance at fields up to 34T.
The Shubnikov-de Haas signal was observed for the first time in a U-111 system
(UTGe, UTSi, T: transition metal). A small pocket Fermi surface (F~1kT) with
large cyclotron effective mass 25m0 was detected at high fields above 22T,
implying that UCoGe is a low carrier system accompanyed with heavy
quasi-particles. The observed frequency decreases with increasing fields,
indicating that the volume of detected Fermi surface changes nonlinearly with
field. The cyclotron mass also decreases, which is consistent with the decrease
of the A coefficient of resistivity.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
The superconducting ferromagnet UCoGe
The correlated metal UCoGe is a weak itinerant ferromagnet with a Curie
temperature T_C = 3 K and a superconductor with a transition temperature T_s =
0.6 K. We review its basic thermal, magnetic - on the macro and microscopic
scale - and transport properties, as well as the response to high pressure. The
data unambiguously show that superconductivity and ferromagnetism coexist below
T_s = 0.6 K and are carried by the same 5f electrons. We present evidence that
UCoGe is a p-wave superconductor and argue that superconductivity is mediated
by critical ferromagnetic spin fluctuations.Comment: 19 pages; review paper; accepted for publication in the Journal of
Low Temperature Physics (Special issue: Quantum Phase Transitions 2010
Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity in Uranium Compounds
Recent advances on ferromagnetic superconductors, UGe2, URhGe and UCoGe are
presented. The superconductivity (SC) peacefully coexists with the
ferromagnetism (FM), forming the spin-triplet state of Cooper pairs. The
striking new phenomena, such as SC reinforced by the magnetic field, are
associated with Ising-type ferromagnetic fluctuations. A variety of
ferromagnetic ordered moments between UGe2, URhGe and UCoGe affords to
understand the relation between FM, tricriticality and SC.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.
as a review article of Special Topics of "Recent developments in
superconductivity
Quantum Criticality in Heavy Fermion Metals
Quantum criticality describes the collective fluctuations of matter
undergoing a second-order phase transition at zero temperature. Heavy fermion
metals have in recent years emerged as prototypical systems to study quantum
critical points. There have been considerable efforts, both experimental and
theoretical, which use these magnetic systems to address problems that are
central to the broad understanding of strongly correlated quantum matter. Here,
we summarize some of the basic issues, including i) the extent to which the
quantum criticality in heavy fermion metals goes beyond the standard theory of
order-parameter fluctuations, ii) the nature of the Kondo effect in the quantum
critical regime, iii) the non-Fermi liquid phenomena that accompany quantum
criticality, and iv) the interplay between quantum criticality and
unconventional superconductivity.Comment: (v2) 39 pages, 8 figures; shortened per the editorial mandate; to
appear in Nature Physics. (v1) 43 pages, 8 figures; Non-technical review
article, intended for general readers; the discussion part contains more
specialized topic
Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis C infection in Cyprus within the general population and high-risk cohorts
Optimization of production, biochemical characterization and In Vitro evaluation of the therapeutic potential of fibrinolytic enzymes from a new Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens
The capacity of fibrinolytic enzymes to degrade blood clots makes them of high relevance in medicine and in the pharmaceutical industry. In this work, forty-three microorganisms of the genus Bacillus were evaluated for their potential to produce fibrinolytic proteases. Thirty bacteria were confirmed as producers of fibrinolytic enzymes, the best results obtained for the strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens UFPEDA 485. The optimization of the enzyme production conditions was done by a central composite design (CCD) star 23 that allowed to define the optimal conditions for soybean flour and glucose concentrations and agitation rate. The highest fibrinolytic activity (FA) of 813 U mL-1 and a degradation of blood clot in vitro of 62% were obtained in a medium with 2% (w/v) of soybean flour and 1% (w/v) glucose at 200 rpm after 48 h of cultivation, at pH 7.2 and 37 °C. The obtained fibrinolytic enzyme was characterized biochemically. Fibrinolytic activity was inhibited by PMSF (fluoride methylphenylsulfonyl - C7H7FO2S) 91.52% and EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - C10H16N2O8) 89.4%, confirming to be a serine- metallo protease. The optimum pH and temperature were 7.0 and 37 oC, respectively, and the enzyme was stable for 12 h. The fibrinolytic activity at physiological conditions of this enzyme produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens UFPEDA 485, as well as its long term stability, demonstrate that it has suitable characteristics for human and veterinary applications, and promises to be a powerful drug for the treatment of vascular diseases.We express our thanks to Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Education Personnel (CAPES) - Doctoral Sandwich Program (PDSE) Nº 0259/ 12-8 and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) - Nº 202026/2011-6 for the financial support
Ferromagnetic Quantum Critical Endpoint in UCoAl
Resistivity and magnetostriction measurements were performed at high magnetic
fields and under pressure on UCoAl. At ambient pressure, the 1st order
metamagnetic transition at H_m ~ 0.7 T from the paramagnetic ground state to
the field-induced ferromagnetic state changes to a crossover at finite
temperature T_0 ~11 K. With increasing pressure, H_m linearly increases, while
T_0 decreases and is suppressed at the quantum critical endpoint (QCEP, P_QCEP
~ 1.5 GPa, H_m ~ 7 T). At higher pressure, the value of H_m identified as a
crossover continuously increases, while a new anomaly appears above P_QCEP at
higher field H* in resistivity measurements. The field dependence of the
effective mass (m*) obtained by resistivity and specific heat measurements
exhibits a step-like drop at H_m at ambient pressure. With increasing pressure,
it gradually changes into a peak structure and a sharp enhancement of m* is
observed near the QCEP. Above P_QCEP, the enhancement of m* is reduced, and a
broad plateau is found between H_m and H*. We compare our results on UCoAl with
those of the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe2 and the itinerant metamagnetic
ruthenate Sr3Ru2O7.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Evaluation of Spin-Triplet Superconductivity in Sr2RuO4
This review presents a summary and evaluations of the superconducting
properties of the layered ruthenate Sr2RuO4 as they are known in the autumn of
2011. This paper appends the main progress that has been made since the
preceding review by Mackenzie and Maeno was published in 2003. Here, special
focus is placed on the critical evaluation of the spin-triplet, odd-parity
pairing scenario applied to Sr2RuO4. After an introduction to superconductors
with possible odd-parity pairing, accumulated evidence for the pairing symmetry
of Sr2RuO4 is examined. Then, significant recent progress on the theoretical
approaches to the superconducting pairing by Coulomb repulsion is reviewed. A
section is devoted to some experimental properties of Sr2RuO4 that seem to defy
simple explanations in terms of currently available spin-triplet scenario. The
next section deals with some new developments using eutectic boundaries and
micro-crystals, which reveals novel superconducting phenomena related to chiral
edge states, odd-frequency pairing states, and half-fluxoid states. Some of
these properties are intimately connected with the properties as a topological
superconductor. The article concludes with a summary of knowledge emerged from
the study of Sr2RuO4 that are now more widely applied to understand the physics
of other unconventional superconductors, as well as with a brief discussion of
relatively unexplored but promising areas of ongoing and future studies of
Sr2RuO4.Comment: 31 pages, 35 figures, published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. as a review
article of Special Topic
Behavior in behavioral strategy : capturing, measuring, analyzing
Measuring behavior requires research methods that can capture observed outcomes and expose underlying processes and mechanisms. In this chapter, we present a toolbox of instruments and techniques we designed experimental tasks to simulate decision environments and capture behavior. We deployed protocol analysis and text analysis to examine the underlying cognitive processes. In combination, these can simultaneously grasp antecedents, outcomes, processes, and mechanisms. We applied them to collect rich behavioral data on two key topics in strategic management: the exploration–exploitation trade-off and strategic risk-taking. This mix of methods is particularly useful in describing actual behavior as it is, not as it should be, replacing assumptions with data and offering a finer-grained perspective of strategic decision-making
Genetic Characterization of Zika Virus Strains: Geographic Expansion of the Asian Lineage
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus found in both Africa and Asia. Human infection with the virus may result in a febrile illness similar to dengue fever and many other tropical infections found in these regions. Previously, little was known about the genetic relationships between ZIKV strains collected in Africa and those collected in Asia. In addition, the geographic origins of the strains responsible for the recent outbreak of human disease on Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia, and a human case of ZIKV infection in Cambodia were unknown. Our results indicate that there are two geographically distinct lineages of ZIKV (African and Asian). The virus has circulated in Southeast Asia for at least the past 50 years, whereupon it was introduced to Yap Island resulting in an epidemic of human disease in 2007, and in 2010 was the cause of a pediatric case of ZIKV infection in Cambodia. This study also highlights the danger of ZIKV introduction into new areas and the potential for future epidemics of human disease
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