Experimental and theoretical study of demagnetization fields in superconducting samples of orthorhombic shape

In this work we present a model for the calculation of the magnetic properties of superconductors of orthorhombic shape in the perfect shielding state when an external uniform magnetic field is applied in the direction of one of the principal axes of the sample. Our model accounts for demagnetization effects and it is free of fitting parameters and boundary value conditions. We consider planar linear circuits that lie perpendicular to the direction of the applied field. Calculation of the value of the currents is based on magnetic energy minimization. The model is proved to be accurate enough to reproduce experimental results as long as the dimension along the applied field is not much lower than the other dimensions. Calculations of surface currents, as well as measurements and calculations of magnetization and initial susceptibility, are reported. We also present an empirical formula that provides a good fit to the initial susceptibility of a general sample of orthorhombic shape. Demagnetization effects observed on the experimental results are explained in terms of the induced currents in the superconductor. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.96148649

Structural and magnetic study of LaBaCoCuO5+delta

The structure and magnetic properties of the compound LaBaCuCoO5+delta have been studied for the non-stoichiometric oxygen concentration delta approximate to 0.6. The structure is pseudo-cubic with a tripled perovskite unit cell. The crystal structure was determined by a combined Rietveld fit to neutron and synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction data in the orthorhombic Pmmm space group, with cell parameters a=3.9223(3) angstrom, b=3.9360(3) angstrom, c=11.7073(8) angstrom, and V=180.74(2) angstrom(3) (room temperature). Antiferromagnetic ordering of Cu and Co magnetic moments is observed below 205(4) K. The magnetic structure with cell a(M)=2a, b(M)=2b, and c(M)=2c, could be described with the Shubnikov space group Fmmm'. The magnetic moments of both equivalent Cu/Co sites were determined at 50 and 170 K to be 0.83(3)mu(B) and 0.58(3)mu(B), respectively, consistent with one unpaired electron per atom. The fit of the intensities to a simple mean field magnetic model appeared to be insufficient to account for the variation of moments at temperatures close to T-N while a three dimensional Heisenberg model could improve the fit. Susceptibility measurements between 4 and 350 K also show irreversibility below 150 K. The local environments of Cu and Co were studied by extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy at both absorption edges. Cu atoms adopt an elongated octahedral or square-based pyramidal oxygen environment which suggests mainly the presence of Cu(II) in the structure. Co adopts different local environments, depending on the electronic and spin states.711

Dynamics of early establishment of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron lineages in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Brazil is one of the nations most affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The introduction and establishment of new virus variants can be related to an increase in cases and fatalities. The emergence of Omicron, the most modified SARS-CoV-2 variant, caused alarm for the public health of Brazil. In this study, we examined the effects of the Omicron introduction in Minas Gerais (MG), the second-most populous state of Brazil. A total of 430 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples from November 2021 to June 2022 from Belo Horizonte (BH) city were sequenced. These newly sequenced genomes comprise 72% of all previously available SARS-CoV-2 genomes for the city. Evolutionary analysis of novel viral genomes reveals that a great diversity of Omicron sublineages have circulated in BH, a pattern in-keeping with observations across Brazil more generally. Bayesian phylogeographic reconstructions indicate that this diversity is a product of a large number of international and national importations. As observed previously, São Paulo state is shown as a significant hub for viral spread throughout the country, contributing to around 70% of all viral Omicron introductions detected in MG

A microsporidian impairs Plasmodium falciparum transmission in Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes

A possible malaria control approach involves the dissemination in mosquitoes of inherited symbiotic microbes to block Plasmodium transmission. However, in the Anopheles gambiae complex, the primary African vectors of malaria, there are limited reports of inherited symbionts that impair transmission. We show that a vertically transmitted microsporidian symbiont (Microsporidia MB) in the An. gambiae complex can impair Plasmodium transmission. Microsporidia MB is present at moderate prevalence in geographically dispersed populations of An. arabiensis in Kenya, localized to the mosquito midgut and ovaries, and is not associated with significant reductions in adult host fecundity or survival. Field-collected Microsporidia MB infected An. arabiensis tested negative for P. falciparum gametocytes and, on experimental infection with P. falciparum, sporozoites aren’t detected in Microsporidia MB infected mosquitoes. As a microbe that impairs Plasmodium transmission that is non-virulent and vertically transmitted, Microsporidia MB could be investigated as a strategy to limit malaria transmission

Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set

We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2, -1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012