356 research outputs found
Superconductivity in epitaxial thin films of NaxCoO2 y D2O
The observation of superconductivity in the layered transition metal oxide
NaxCoO2 y H2O (K. Takada et al., Nature 422, 53 (2003)) has caused a tremendous
upsurge of scientific interest due to its similarities and its differences to
the copper based high-temperature superconductors. Two years after the
discovery, we report the fabrication of single-phase superconducting epitaxial
thin films of Na0.3CoO2 x 1.3 D2O grown by pulsed laser deposition technique.
This opens additional roads for experimental research exploring the
superconducting state and the phase diagram of this unconventional material.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure
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Firefighters and on-duty deaths from coronary heart disease: a case control study
BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is responsible for 45% of on-duty deaths among United States firefighters. We sought to identify occupational and personal risk factors associated with on-duty CHD death. METHODS: We performed a case-control study, selecting 52 male firefighters whose CHD deaths were investigated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. We selected two control populations: 51 male firefighters who died of on-duty trauma; and 310 male firefighters examined in 1996/1997, whose vital status and continued professional activity were re-documented in 1998. RESULTS: The circadian pattern of CHD deaths was associated with emergency response calls: 77% of CHD deaths and 61% of emergency dispatches occurred between noon and midnight. Compared to non-emergency duties, fire suppression (OR = 64.1, 95% CI 7.4–556); training (OR = 7.6, 95% CI 1.8–31.3) and alarm response (OR = 5.6, 95% CI 1.1–28.8) carried significantly higher relative risks of CHD death. Compared to the active firefighters, the CHD victims had a significantly higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in multivariate regression models: age ≥ 45 years (OR 6.5, 95% CI 2.6–15.9), current smoking (OR 7.0, 95% CI 2.8–17.4), hypertension (OR 4.7, 95% CI 2.0–11.1), and a prior diagnosis of arterial-occlusive disease (OR 15.6, 95% CI 3.5–68.6). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings strongly support that most on-duty CHD fatalities are work-precipitated and occur in firefighters with underlying CHD. Improved fitness promotion, medical screening and medical management could prevent many of these premature deaths
Strain and composition dependence of the orbital polarization in nickelate superlattices
A combined analysis of x-ray absorption and resonant reflectivity data was
used to obtain the orbital polarization profiles of superlattices composed of
four-unit-cell-thick layers of metallic LaNiO3 and layers of insulating RXO3
(R=La, Gd, Dy and X=Al, Ga, Sc), grown on substrates that impose either
compressive or tensile strain. This superlattice geometry allowed us to partly
separate the influence of epitaxial strain from interfacial effects controlled
by the chemical composition of the insulating blocking layers. Our quantitative
analysis reveal orbital polarizations up to 25%. We further show that strain is
the most effective control parameter, whereas the influence of the chemical
composition of the blocking layers is comparatively small.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
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