62 research outputs found
Structural and doping effects in the half-metallic double perovskite CrWO
he structural, transport, magnetic and optical properties of the double
perovskite CrWO with have been studied. By
varying the alkaline earth ion on the site, the influence of steric effects
on the Curie temperature and the saturation magnetization has been
determined. A maximum K was found for SrCrWO having an almost
undistorted perovskite structure with a tolerance factor . For
CaCrWO and BaCrWO structural changes result in a strong
reduction of . Our study strongly suggests that for the double perovskites
in general an optimum is achieved only for , that is, for an
undistorted perovskite structure. Electron doping in SrCrWO by a
partial substitution of Sr by La was found to reduce both
and the saturation magnetization . The reduction of could be
attributed both to band structure effects and the Cr/W antisites induced by
doping. Band structure calculations for SrCrWO predict an energy gap in
the spin-up band, but a finite density of states for the spin-down band. The
predictions of the band structure calculation are consistent with our optical
measurements. Our experimental results support the presence of a kinetic energy
driven mechanism in CrWO, where ferromagnetism is stabilized by a
hybridization of states of the nonmagnetic W-site positioned in between the
high spin Cr-sites.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level
Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 84.7%) were from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 62.8%), followed by strabismus (n = 429 10.2%) and proptosis (n = 309 7.4%). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 95% CI, 12.94-24.80, and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 95% CI, 4.30-7.68). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs. © 2020 American Medical Association. All rights reserved
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Intense positron beams: linacs. Preworkshop copy
Beams of monoenergetic positrons with energies of a few eV to many keV have been used in experiments in atomic physics, solid state physics and materials science. The production of positron beams from a new source, an electron linac, is described. Intense, pulsed beams of low-energy positrons have been produced by a high-energy beam from an electron linac. The production efficiency, moderator geometry, beam spot size and other positron beam parameters have been determined for electrons with energies from 60 to 120 MeV. Low-energy positron beams produced with a high-energy electron linac can be of much higher intensity than those beams currently derived from radioactive sources. These higher intensity beams will make possible positron experiments previously infeasible
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