Large Coercivity in Nanostructured Rare-earth-free MnxGa Films

The magnetic hysteresis of MnxGa films exhibit remarkably large coercive fields as high as 2.5 T when fabricated with nanoscale particles of a suitable size and orientation. This coercivity is an order of magnitude larger than in well-ordered epitaxial film counterparts and bulk materials. The enhanced coercivity is attributed to the combination of large magnetocrystalline anisotropy and ~ 50 nm size nanoparticles. The large coercivity is also replicated in the electrical properties through the anomalous Hall effect. The magnitude of the coercivity approaches that found in rare-earth magnets, making them attractive for rare-earth-free magnet applications

Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity

This issue brief discusses the effort to improve health in the United States, which has traditionally looked to the health care system as the key driver of health and health outcomes. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased opportunities to improve health by expanding access to health coverage and supporting reforms to the health care delivery system. While increasing access to health care and transforming the health care delivery system are important, research demonstrates that improving population health and achieving health equity also will require broader approaches that address social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health

Evolutionary and ecological role of extracellular contractile injection systems: from threat to weapon.

Contractile injection systems (CISs) are phage tail-related structures that are encoded in many bacterial genomes. These devices encompass the cell-based type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) as well as extracellular CISs (eCISs). The eCISs comprise the R-tailocins produced by various bacterial species as well as related phage tail-like structures such as the antifeeding prophages (Afps) of Serratia entomophila, the Photorhabdus virulence cassettes (PVCs), and the metamorphosis-associated contractile structures (MACs) of Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea. These contractile structures are released into the extracellular environment upon suicidal lysis of the producer cell and play important roles in bacterial ecology and evolution. In this review, we specifically portray the eCISs with a focus on the R-tailocins, sketch the history of their discovery and provide insights into their evolution within the bacterial host, their structures and how they are assembled and released. We then highlight ecological and evolutionary roles of eCISs and conceptualize how they can influence and shape bacterial communities. Finally, we point to their potential for biotechnological applications in medicine and agriculture

Hall carrier density and magnetoresistance measurements in thin film vanadium dioxide across the metal-insulator transition

Temperature dependent magneto-transport measurements in magnetic fields of up to 12 Tesla were performed on thin film vanadium dioxide (VO2) across the metal-insulator transition (MIT). The Hall carrier density increases by 4 orders of magnitude at the MIT and accounts almost entirely for the resistance change. The Hall mobility varies little across the MIT and remains low, ~0.1cm2/V sec. Electrons are found to be the major carriers on both sides of the MIT. Small positive magnetoresistance in the semiconducting phase is measured

Proximity Driven Enhanced Magnetic Order at Ferromagnetic Insulator / Magnetic Topological Insulator Interface

Magnetic exchange driven proximity effect at a magnetic insulator / topological insulator (MI/TI) interface provides a rich playground for novel phenomena as well as a way to realize low energy dissipation quantum devices. Here we report a dramatic enhancement of proximity exchange coupling in the MI / magnetic-TI EuS / Sb$_{2-x}$V$_x$Te$_3$ hybrid heterostructure, where V doping is used to drive the TI (Sb$_{2}$Te$_3$) magnetic. We observe an artificial antiferromagnetic-like structure near the MI/TI interface, which may account for the enhanced proximity coupling. The interplay between the proximity effect and doping provides insights into controllable engineering of magnetic order using a hybrid heterostructure.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Methodological innovations and challenges in the Kinsey Institute National Survey Pilot Project

Abstract: Despite the growth of mixed methods, little attention has focused on the specific challenges of conducting mixed methods research on sexual experience and perceptions of sexuality. This paper's purpose is to discuss the exploratory sequential design of, and methodological considerations originally arising from, a mixed methods pilot project that explored the possibility of updating components of Alfred Kinsey's mid-20th century research on US men and women. This pilot project consisted of three phases: (1) cognitive interviews, (2) two modalities of computer-based surveys conducted in two settings with two samples, and (3) debriefing interviews with selected survey participants from phase two coupled with ethnographic observations. We describe the phases, focusing on how multiple methods facilitated the design and assessment of our pilot project. We end by highlighting methodological considerations relevant to our mixed methods approach--phase timing, research environment, longitudinal design, data security and privacy, and cost--and their implications for sexuality researchers

Polygenic and environmental determinants of tics in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Tourette syndrome (TS) is caused by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Yet, little is known about the interplay of these factors in the occurrence of tics. We investigated whether polygenic risk score (PRS) of TS and pregnancy-related factors together enhance the explained variance of tic occurrence in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (Ncases = 612; Ncontrols = 4,201; 50% male; mean age 13.8 years). We included a cumulative adverse pregnancy risk score, maternal anxiety and depression, and maternal smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy. We investigated possible joint effects of genetic and pregnancy-related risk factors using a multivariable approach, and explored mediation effects between the pregnancy-related risk factors in explaining tic presence. The PRS and the cumulative adverse pregnancy risk score, maternal anxiety, or maternal depression explained significantly more variance of tic presence compared to models including only the PRS. Furthermore, we found that the cumulative adverse pregnancy risk score mediated the association between several pregnancy-related factors (maternal anxiety, depression, and smoking) and tics. The combination of a PRS and pregnancy-related risk factors explained more variance of tics in a general population cohort compared to studying these factors in isolation.</p

Hard Instances of the Constrained Discrete Logarithm Problem

The discrete logarithm problem (DLP) generalizes to the constrained DLP, where the secret exponent $x$ belongs to a set known to the attacker. The complexity of generic algorithms for solving the constrained DLP depends on the choice of the set. Motivated by cryptographic applications, we study sets with succinct representation for which the constrained DLP is hard. We draw on earlier results due to Erd\"os et al. and Schnorr, develop geometric tools such as generalized Menelaus' theorem for proving lower bounds on the complexity of the constrained DLP, and construct sets with succinct representation with provable non-trivial lower bounds

Evolution of magnetic polarons and spin-carrier interactions through the metal-insulator transition in Eu1−x_{1-x}Gdx_{x}O

Raman scattering studies as functions of temperature, magnetic field, and Gd-substitution are used to investigate the evolution of magnetic polarons and spin-carrier interactions through the metal-insulator transition in Eu$_{1-x}$Gd$_{x}$O. These studies reveal a greater richness of phase behavior than have been previously observed using transport measurements: a spin-fluctuation-dominated paramagnetic (PM) phase regime for T $>$ T$^{*}$ $>$ T$_{C}$, a two-phase regime for T $<$ T$^{*}$ in which magnetic polarons develop and coexist with a remnant of the PM phase, and an inhomogeneous ferromagnetic phase regime for T $<$ T$_{C}$