10,631 research outputs found
Conductance fluctuations in metallic nanogaps made by electromigration
We report on low temperature conductance measurements of gold nanogaps
fabricated by controlled electromigration. Fluctuations of the conductance due
to quantum interferences and depending both on bias voltage and magnetic field
are observed. By analyzing the voltage and magnetoconductance correlation
functions we determine the type of electron trajectories generating the
observed quantum interferences and the effective characteristic time of phase
coherence in our device.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Appl. Phy
The effects of donepezil in Alzheimer's disease - Results from a multinational trial
Donepezil has been shown to be well tolerated and to improve cognition and global function in patients with mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current trial was undertaken to investigate further the efficacy and safety of donepezil, in a multinational setting, in patients with mild to moderately severe AD. This 30-week, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study consisted of a 24-week, double-blind treatment phase followed by a 6-week, single-blind, placebo washout. Eight hundred and eighteen patients with mild to moderately severe AD were randomly allocated to treatment with single, daily doses of 5 or 10 mg donepezil, or placebo. The two primary efficacy measures were: a cognitive performance test, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and a global evaluation, the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change with caregiver input (CIBIC plus). Secondary outcome measures included the Sum of the Boxes of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR-SB), a modified Interview for Deterioration in Daily living activities in Dementia (IDDD) and a patient-rated quality of life assessment. Statistically significant improvements in cognitive and global function were observed, as evaluated by ADAS-cog and CIBIC plus, respectively, in both the 5 and 10 mg/day donepezil groups, compared with placebo. Treatment-associated changes were also observed in functional skills, as shown by improved scores on the CDR-SB and the complex-tasks component of the IDDD. A dose-response effect was evident, with the 10 mg/day donepezil group demonstrating greater benefits in all outcome measures than the 5 mg/day group. Donepezil was well tolerated by this patient population and did not produce any clinically significant laboratory test abnormalities. The results of this study confirm that donepezil is effective and well tolerated in treating the symptoms of mild to moderately severe AD
Magnetostrictive hysteresis of TbCo/CoFe multilayers and magnetic domains
Magnetic and magnetostrictive hysteresis loops of TbCo/CoFe multilayers under
field applied along the hard magnetization axis are studied using vectorial
magnetization measurements, optical deflectometry and magneto optical Kerr
microscopy. Even a very small angle misalignment between hard axis and magnetic
field direction is shown to drastically change the shape of magnetization and
magnetostrictive torsion hysteresis loops. Two kinds of magnetic domains are
revealed during the magnetization: big regions with opposite rotation of
spontaneous magnetization vector and spontaneous magnetic domains which appear
in a narrow field interval and provide an inversion of this rotation.
We show that the details of the hysteresis loops of our exchange-coupled
films can be described using the classical model of homogeneous magnetization
rotation of single uniaxial films and the configuration of observed domains.
The understanding of these features is crucial for applications (for MEMS or
microactuators) which benefit from the greatly enhanced sensitivity near the
point of magnetic saturation at the transverse applied field.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
Anisotropic interactions opposing magnetocrystalline anisotropy in SrNiIrO
We report our investigation of the electronic and magnetic excitations of
SrNiIrO by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the Ir L edge.
The intra- electronic transitions are analyzed using an atomic model,
including spin-orbit coupling and trigonal distortion of the IrO
octahedron, confronted to {\it ab initio} quantum chemistry calculations. The
Ir spin-orbital entanglement is quantified and its implication on the magnetic
properties, in particular in inducing highly anisotropic magnetic interactions,
is highlighted. These are included in the spin-wave model proposed to account
for the dispersionless magnetic excitation that we observe at 90 meV. By
counterbalancing the strong Ni easy-plane anisotropy that manifests
itself at high temperature, the anisotropy of the interactions finally leads to
the remarkable easy-axis magnetism reported in this material at low
temperature
Butterfly diagram of a Sun-like star observed using asteroseismology
Stellar magnetic fields are poorly understood but are known to be important
for stellar evolution and exoplanet habitability. They drive stellar activity,
which is the main observational constraint on theoretical models for magnetic
field generation and evolution. Starspots are the main manifestation of the
magnetic fields at the stellar surface. In this study we measure the variation
of their latitude with time, called a butterfly diagram in the solar case, for
the solar analogue HD 173701 (KIC 8006161). To that effect, we use Kepler data,
to combine starspot rotation rates at different epochs and the
asteroseismically determined latitudinal variation of the stellar rotation
rates. We observe a clear variation of the latitude of the starspots. It is the
first time such a diagram is constructed using asteroseismic data.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted in A&A Letter
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