Long spin lifetime and large barrier polarisation in single electron transport through a CoFe nanoparticle

We have investigated single electron spin transport in individual single crystal bcc Co₃₀Fe₇₀ nanoparticles using scanning tunnelling microscopy with a standard tungsten tip. Particles were deposited using a gas-aggregation nanoparticle source and individually addressed as asymmetric double tunnel junctions with both a vacuum and a MgO tunnel barrier. Spectroscopy measurements on the particles show a Coulomb staircase that is correlated with the measured particle size. Field emission tunnelling effects are incorporated into standard single electron theory to model the data. This formalism allows spin-dependent parameters to be determined even though the tip is not spin-polarised. The barrier spin polarisation is very high, in excess of 84%. By variation of the resistance, several orders of magnitude of the system timescale are probed, enabling us to determine the spin relaxation time on the island. It is found to be close to 10 μs, a value much longer than previously reported

Manipulation of magnetic skyrmion density in continuous Ir/Co/Pt multilayers

We show that magnetic skyrmions can be stabilised at room temperature in continuous [Ir/Co/Pt]5 multilayers on SiO2/Si substrates without the prior application of electric current or magnetic field. While decreasing the Co thickness, a transition of the magnetic domain patterns from worm-like state to separated stripes is observed. The skyrmions are clearly imaged in both states using magnetic force microscopy. The density of skyrmions can be significantly enhanced after applying the “in-plane field procedure”. Our results provide means to manipulate magnetic skyrmion density, further allowing for the optimised engineering of skyrmion-based devices

Clinical significance of VEGF-A, -C and -D expression in esophageal malignancies

Vascular endothelial growth factors ( VEGF)- A, - C and - D are members of the proangiogenic VEGF family of glycoproteins. VEGF-A is known to be the most important angiogenic factor under physiological and pathological conditions, while VEGF-C and VEGF-D are implicated in the development and sprouting of lymphatic vessels, so called lymphangiogenesis. Local tumor progression, lymph node metastases and hematogenous tumor spread are important prognostic factors for esophageal carcinoma ( EC), one of the most lethal malignancies throughout the world. We found solid evidence in the literature that VEGF expression contributes to tumor angiogenesis, tumor progression and lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ( SCC), and many authors could show a prognostic value for VEGF-assessment. In adenocarcinoma (AC) of the esophagus angiogenic properties are acquired in early stages, particularly in precancerous lesions like Barrett's dysplasia. However, VEGF expression fails to give prognostic information in AC of the esophagus. VEGF-C and VEGF-D were detected in SCC and dysplastic lesions, but not in normal mucosa of the esophagus. VEGF-C expression might be associated with lymphatic tumor invasion, lymph node metastases and advanced disease in esophageal SCC and AC. Therapeutic interference with VEGF signaling may prove to be a promising way of anti-angiogenic co-treatment in esophageal carcinoma. However, concrete clinical data are still pending

RIXS observation of bond-directional nearest-neighbor excitations in the Kitaev material Na2_2IrO3_3

Spin-orbit coupling locks spin direction and spatial orientation and generates, in semi-classical magnets, a local spin easy-axis and associated ordering. Quantum spin-1/2's defy this fate: rather than spins becoming locally anisotropic, the spin-spin interactions do. Consequently interactions become dependent on the spatial orientation of bonds between spins, prime theoretical examples of which are Kitaev magnets. Bond-directional interactions imply the existence of bond-directional magnetic modes, predicted spin excitations that render crystallographically equivalent bonds magnetically inequivalent, which yet have remained elusive experimentally. Here we show that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering allows us to explicitly probe the bond-directional character of magnetic excitations. To do so, we use a scattering plane spanned by one bond and the corresponding spin component and scan a range of momentum transfer that encompasses multiple Brillouin zones. Applying this approach to Na$_2$IrO$_3$ we establish the different bond-directional characters of magnetic excitations at 10 meV and 45 meV. Combined with the observation of spin-spin correlations that are confined to a single bond, this experimentally validates the Kitaev character of exchange interactions long proposed for this material.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, plus 4 pages Supplementary Information (incl. 5 figures

Correlations of Behavioral Deficits with Brain Pathology Assessed through Longitudinal MRI and Histopathology in the R6/2 Mouse Model of HD

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The R6/2 mouse model of HD expresses a mutant version of exon 1 HTT and develops motor and cognitive impairments, a widespread huntingtin (HTT) aggregate pathology and brain atrophy. Despite the vast number of studies that have been performed on this model, the association between the molecular and cellular neuropathology with brain atrophy, and with the development of behavioral phenotypes remains poorly understood. In an attempt to link these factors, we have performed longitudinal assessments of behavior (rotarod, open field, passive avoidance) and of regional brain abnormalities determined through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (whole brain, striatum, cortex, hippocampus, corpus callosum), as well as an end-stage histological assessment. Detailed correlative analyses of these three measures were then performed. We found a gender-dependent emergence of motor impairments that was associated with an age-related loss of regional brain volumes. MRI measurements further indicated that there was no striatal atrophy, but rather a lack of striatal growth beyond 8 weeks of age. T2 relaxivity further indicated tissue-level changes within brain regions. Despite these dramatic motor and neuroanatomical abnormalities, R6/2 mice did not exhibit neuronal loss in the striatum or motor cortex, although there was a significant increase in neuronal density due to tissue atrophy. The deposition of the mutant HTT (mHTT) protein, the hallmark of HD molecular pathology, was widely distributed throughout the brain. End-stage histopathological assessments were not found to be as robustly correlated with the longitudinal measures of brain atrophy or motor impairments. In conclusion, modeling pre-manifest and early progression of the disease in more slowly progressing animal models will be key to establishing which changes are causally related. © 2013 Rattray et al

An Analysis of How Interactive Technology Supports the Appreciation of Traditional Chinese Puppetry: A Review of Case Studies

From the perspective of safeguarding Chinese Cultural Heritage, this paper discusses how to enhance the appreciation of traditional Chinese puppetry through the support of interactive technology. The author analyses extensive, yet current case studies, based on the findings described in the interactive systems for puppetry performances and interactive technology for puppetry appreciation. The author summarises four aspects of how to enhance the appreciation of, and engagement with, traditional Chinese puppetry: (1) maintaining originality is necessary for the design phase; (2) it is crucial to explore how to use interactive technology in order to design a way for adults to appreciate this form of art; (3) it is also necessary to determine ways to support adult audiences in grasping the cultural significance and folk customs of traditional Chinese puppetry; and (4) the study’s further main research goals are to investigate ways to use emotional expressions, digital storytelling and other methods in conjunction with interactive technology to help multi-cultural users comprehend traditional Chinese puppetry

Targeting the X Chromosome during Spermatogenesis Induces Y Chromosome Transmission Ratio Distortion and Early Dominant Embryo Lethality in Anopheles gambiae

We have exploited the high selectivity of the homing endonuclease I-PpoI for the X-linked Anopheles gambiae 28S ribosomal genes to selectively target X chromosome carrying spermatozoa. Our data demonstrated that in heterozygous males, the expression of I-PpoI in the testes induced a strong bias toward Y chromosome–carrying spermatozoa. Notably, these male mosquitoes also induced complete early dominant embryo lethality in crosses with wild-type females. Morphological and molecular data indicated that all spermatozoa, irrespectively of the inheritance of the transgene, carried a substantial amount of I-PpoI protein that could attack the maternally inherited chromosome X of the embryo. Besides the obvious implications for implementing vector control measures, our data demonstrated the feasibility of generating synthetic sex distorters and revealed the intriguing possibility of manipulating maternally inherited genes using wild-type sperm cells carrying engineered endonucleases

Targeting the X Chromosome during Spermatogenesis Induces Y Chromosome Transmission Ratio Distortion and Early Dominant Embryo Lethality in Anopheles gambiae

We have exploited the high selectivity of the homing endonuclease I-PpoI for the X-linked Anopheles gambiae 28S ribosomal genes to selectively target X chromosome carrying spermatozoa. Our data demonstrated that in heterozygous males, the expression of I-PpoI in the testes induced a strong bias toward Y chromosome–carrying spermatozoa. Notably, these male mosquitoes also induced complete early dominant embryo lethality in crosses with wild-type females. Morphological and molecular data indicated that all spermatozoa, irrespectively of the inheritance of the transgene, carried a substantial amount of I-PpoI protein that could attack the maternally inherited chromosome X of the embryo. Besides the obvious implications for implementing vector control measures, our data demonstrated the feasibility of generating synthetic sex distorters and revealed the intriguing possibility of manipulating maternally inherited genes using wild-type sperm cells carrying engineered endonucleases

Key points in the determination of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction from asymmetric bubble domain expansion

Different models have been used to evaluate the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) from the asymmetric bubble expansion method using magneto-optics. Here we investigate the most promising candidates over a range of different magnetic multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy. Models based on the standard creep hypothesis are not able to reproduce the domain wall (DW) velocity profile when the DW roughness is high. Our results demonstrate that the DW roughness and the interface roughness of the sample layers are correlated. Furthermore, we give guidance on how to obtain reliable results for the DMI value with this popular method. A comparison of the results with Brillouin light scattering (BLS) measurements on the same samples shows that the BLS approach often results in higher measured values of DMI