Sinusoidal electromagnon in RMnO3: Indication of anomalous magnetoelectric coupling

The optical spectra in the family of multiferroic manganites RMnO3 is a great puzzle. Current models can not explain the fact that two strong electromagnons are present in the non-collinear spin cycloidal phase, with only one electromagnon surviving the transition into the collinear spin sinusoidal phase. We show that this is a signature of the presence of anomalous magnetoelectric coupling that breaks rotational invariance in spin space and generates oscillatory polarization in the ground state.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Response functions of an artificial Anderson atom in the atomic limit

We consider the spin and pseudospin (charge) response functions of the exactly soluble Anderson atom model. We demonstrate, in particular, that a deviation from the magnetic Curie-law behaviour, appropriate for a free spin one-half, increases with increasing asymmetry and temperature. In general, oscillator strength is transferred from the spin degrees of freedom to the pseudospin modes. We also consider the negative-U Anderson atom and demonstrate that the pseudospin modes are the relevant low-energy excitations in this case. Especially, the roles of the spin and charge excitations are interchanged upon reversal of the intrasite Coulomb repulsion, U.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in J. Low Temp. Phy

Enhancement of electric and magnetic wave fields at density gradients

We use Freja satellite data to investigate irregular small-scale density variations. The observations are made in the auroral region at about 1000-1700 km. The density variations are a few percent, and the structures are found to be spatial down to a scale length of a few ion gyroradii. Irregular density variations are often found in an environment of whistler mode/lower hybrid waves and we show that at the density gradients both the electric and magnetic wave fields are enhanced

Galerkin least squares finite element method for the obstacle problem

We construct a consistent multiplier free method for the finite element solution of the obstacle problem. The method is based on an augmented Lagrangian formulation in which we eliminate the multiplier by use of its definition in a discrete setting. We prove existence and uniqueness of discrete solutions and optimal order a priori error estimates for smooth exact solutions. Using a saturation assumption we also prove an a posteriori error estimate. Numerical examples show the performance of the method and of an adaptive algorithm for the control of the discretization error

Are pinholes the cause of excess current in superconducting tunnel junctions? A study of Andreev current in highly resistive junctions

In highly resistive superconducting tunnel junctions, excess subgap current is usually observed and is often attributed to microscopic "pinholes" in the tunnel barrier. We have studied the subgap current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) and superconductor-insulator-normal-metal (SIN) junctions. In Al/AlOx/Al junctions, we observed a decrease of 2 orders of magnitude in the current upon the transition from the SIS to the SIN regime, where it then matched theory. In Al/AlOx/Cu junctions, we also observed generic features of coherent diffusive Andreev transport in a junction with a homogenous barrier. We use the quasiclassical Keldysh-Green function theory to quantify single- and two-particle tunneling and find good agreement over 2 orders of magnitude in transparency. We argue that our observations rule out pinholes as the origin of the excess current.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict nitrogen uptake by winter wheat within fields with high variability in organic matter

In this study, the ability to predict N-uptake in winter wheat crops using NIR-spectroscopy on soil samples was evaluated. Soil samples were taken in unfertilized plots in one winter wheat field during three years (1997-1999) and in another winter wheat field nearby in one year (2000). Soil samples were analyzed for organic C content and their NIR-spectra. N-uptake was measured as total N-content in aboveground plant materials at harvest. Models calibrated to predict N-uptake were internally cross validated and validated across years and across fields. Cross-validated calibrations predicted N-uptake with an average error of 12.1 to 15.4 kg N ha-1. The standard deviation divided by this error (RPD) ranged between 1.9 and 2.5. In comparison, the corresponding calibrations based on organic C alone had an error from 11.7 to 28.2 kg N ha-1 and RPDs from 1.3 to 2.5. In three of four annual calibrations within a field, the NIR-based calibrations worked better than the organic C based calibrations. The prediction of N-uptake across years, but within a field, worked slightly better with an organic C based calibration than with a NIR based one, RPD = 1.9 and 1.7 respectively. Across fields, the corresponding difference was large in favour of the NIR-calibration, RPD = 2.5 for the NIR-calibration and 1.5 for the organic C calibration. It was concluded that NIR-spectroscopy integrates information about organic C with other relevant soil components and therefore has a good potential to predict complex functions of soils such as N-mineralization. A relatively good agreement of spectral relationships to parameters related to the N-mineralization of datasets across the world suggests that more general models can be calibrated

Higher-order mesoscopic fluctuations in quantum wires: Conductance and current cumulants

We study conductance cumulants $>$ and current cumulants $C_j$ related to heat and electrical transport in coherent mesoscopic quantum wires near the diffusive regime. We consider the asymptotic behavior in the limit where the number of channels and the length of the wire in the units of the mean free path are large but the bare conductance is fixed. A recursion equation unifying the descriptions of the standard and Bogoliubov--de Gennes (BdG) symmetry classes is presented. We give values and come up with a novel scaling form for the higher-order conductance cumulants. In the BdG wires, in the presence of time-reversal symmetry, for the cumulants higher than the second it is found that there may be only contributions which depend nonanalytically on the wire length. This indicates that diagrammatic or semiclassical pictures do not adequately describe higher-order spectral correlations. Moreover, we obtain the weak-localization corrections to $C_j$ with $j\le 10$.Comment: 7 page

Anti-transglutaminase 6 antibodies in children and young adults with cerebral palsy.

Objectives. We have previously reported a high prevalence of gluten-related serological markers (GRSM) in children and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP). The majority had no enteropathy to suggest coeliac disease (CD). Antibodies against transglutaminase 6 (anti-TG6) represent a new marker associated with gluten-related neurological dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anti-TG6 antibodies in this group of individuals with an early neurological injury resulting in CP. Materials and Methods. Sera from 96 patients with CP and 36 controls were analysed for IgA/IgG class anti-TG6 by ELISA. Results. Anti-TG6 antibodies were found in 12/96 (13%) of patients with CP compared to 2/36 (6%) in controls. The tetraplegic subgroup of CP had a significantly higher prevalence of anti-TG6 antibodies 6/17 (35%) compared to the other subgroups and controls. There was no correlation of anti-TG6 autoantibodies with seropositivity to food proteins including gliadin. Conclusions. An early brain insult and associated inflammation may predispose to future development of TG6 autoimmunity