Non-Collinear Magnetism due to Orbital Degeneracy and Multipolar Interactions

The origin of non-collinear magnetism under quadrupolar ordering is investigated with CeB6 taken as a target system. The mode-mixing effect among 15 multipoles is analyzed based on the Ginzburg-Landau free energy. Then the lower magnetic transition temperature and the order parameters are derived within the mean-field approximation. In the presence of pseudo-dipole-type interactions for the next-nearest neighbors, the observed pattern of non-collinear ordering is indeed stabilized for certain set of interaction parameters. The stability of the phase III' in the magnetic field is also explained, which points to the importance of the next-nearest-neighbor octupole-octupole interaction. Concerning the phase IV in CexLa1-xB6 with x ~ 0.75, a possibility of pure octupole ordering is discussed based on slight modifications of the strength of interactions.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 70 (6) (2001

Lattice Dynamics of LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_{x} and PrFeAsO_{1-y} via Inelastic X-Ray Scattering and First-Principles Calculation

The lattice dynamics of LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_{x} (x=0, 0.1) and PrFeAsO_{1-y} (y~0.1) are investigated using inelastic x-ray scattering and ab-initio calculation. Measurements of powder samples provide an approximation to the phonon DOS, while dispersion is measured from a single crystal of PrFeAsO_{1-y}. A model that agrees reasonably well with all of the data at room temperature is built from results of ab-initio calculations by softening the strength of the Fe-As bond by 30%.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; some changes of the text and a revision of figure

A large scale hearing loss screen reveals an extensive unexplored genetic landscape for auditory dysfunction

The developmental and physiological complexity of the auditory system is likely reflected in the underlying set of genes involved in auditory function. In humans, over 150 non-syndromic loci have been identified, and there are more than 400 human genetic syndromes with a hearing loss component. Over 100 non-syndromic hearing loss genes have been identified in mouse and human, but we remain ignorant of the full extent of the genetic landscape involved in auditory dysfunction. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, we undertook a hearing loss screen in a cohort of 3006 mouse knockout strains. In total, we identify 67 candidate hearing loss genes. We detect known hearing loss genes, but the vast majority, 52, of the candidate genes were novel. Our analysis reveals a large and unexplored genetic landscape involved with auditory function