Influence of higher d-wave gap harmonics on the dynamical magnetic susceptibility of high-temperature superconductors

Using a fermiology approach to the computation of the magnetic susceptibility measured by neutron scattering in hole-doped high-Tc superconductors, we estimate the effects on the incommensurate peaks caused by higher d-wave harmonics of the superconducting order parameter induced by underdoping. The input parameters for the Fermi surface and d-wave gap are taken directly from angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments on Bi{2}Sr{2}CaCu{2}O{8+x} (Bi2212). We find that higher d-wave harmonics lower the momentum dependent spin gap at the incommensurate peaks as measured by the lowest spectral edge of the imaginary part in the frequency dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of Bi2212. This effect is robust whenever the fermiology approach captures the physics of high-Tc superconductors. At energies above the resonance we observe diagonal incommensurate peaks. We show that the crossover from parallel incommensuration below the resonance energy to diagonal incommensuration above it is connected to the values and the degeneracies of the minima of the 2-particle energy continuum.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Unusual interplay between copper-spin and vortex dynamics in slightly overdoped La{1.83}Sr{0.17}CuO{4}

Our inelastic neutron scattering experiments of the spin excitations in the slightly overdoped La{1.83}Sr{0.17}CuO{4} compound show that, under the application of a magnetic field of 5 Tesla, the low-temperature susceptibility undergoes a weight redistribution centered at the spin-gap energy. Furthermore, by comparing the temperature dependence of the neutron data with ac-susceptibility and magnetization measurements, we conclude that the filling in of the spin gap tracks the irreversibility/melting temperature rather than Tc2, which indicates an unusual interplay between the magnetic vortices and the spin excitations even in the slightly overdoped regime of high-temperature superconductors.Comment: 7 pages, including 5 figure

Will Widespread Synthetic Opioid Consumption Induce Epigenetic Consequences in Future Generations?

A growing number of evidence demonstrates that ancestral exposure to xenobiotics (pollutants, drugs of abuse, etc.) can perturb the physiology and behavior of descendants. Both maternal and paternal transmission of phenotype across generations has been proved, demonstrating that parental drug history may have significant implications for subsequent generations. In the last years, the burden of novel synthetic opioid (NSO) consumption, due to increased medical prescription of pain medications and to easier accessibility of these substances on illegal market, is raising new questions first in term of public health, but also about the consequences of the parental use of these drugs on future generations. Besides being associated to the neonatal abstinence syndrome, <i>in utero</i> exposure to opioids has an impact on neuronal development with long-term repercussions that are potentially transmitted to subsequent generations. In addition, recent reports suggest that opioid use even before conception influences the reactivity to opioids of the progeny and the following generations, likely through epigenetic mechanisms. This review describes the current knowledge about the transgenerational effects of opioid consumption. We summarize the preclinical and clinical findings showing the implications for the subsequent generations of parental exposure to opioids earlier in life. Limitations of the existing data on NSOs and new perspectives of the research are also discussed, as well as clinical and forensic consequences

Book Reviews

DELINQUENTS, THEIR FAMILIES AND THE COMMUNITY. By C. Downing Tait, Jr. M.D. and Emory F. Hodges, Jr., M.D. JURISPRUDENCE: THE PHILOSOPHY AND METHOD OF THE LAW. By Edgar Bodenheimer

On the Cahn-Hilliard equation with irregular potentials and dynamic boundary conditions

n/

Occupational noise: auditory and non-auditory consequences

Occupational noise exposure accounts for approximately 16% of all disabling hearing losses, but the true value and societal costs may be grossly underestimated because current regulations only identify hearing impairments in the workplace if exposures result in audiometric threshold shifts within a limited frequency region. Research over the past several decades indicates that occupational noise exposures can cause other serious auditory deficits such as tinnitus, hyperacusis, extended high-frequency hearing loss, and poor speech perception in noise. Beyond the audiogram, there is growing awareness that hearing loss is a significant risk factor for other debilitating and potentially life-threatening disorders such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. This review discusses some of the shortcomings and limitations of current noise regulations in the United States and Europe