71 research outputs found
Theory of proximity effect in superconductor/ferromagnet heterostructures
We present a microscopic theory of proximity effect in the
ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet (F/S/F) nanostructures where S is s-wave
low-T_c superconductor and F's are layers of 3d transition ferromagnetic metal.
Our approach is based on the solution of Gor'kov equations for the normal and
anomalous Green's functions together with a self-consistent evaluation of the
superconducting order parameter. We take into account the elastic
spin-conserving scattering of the electrons assuming s-wave scattering in the S
layer and s-d scattering in the F layers. In accordance with the previous
quasiclassical theories, we found that due to exchange field in the ferromagnet
the anomalous Green's function F(z) exhibits the damping oscillations in the
F-layer as a function of distance z from the S/F interface. In the given model
a half of period of oscillations is determined by the length \xi_m^0 = \pi
v_F/E_ex, where v_F is the Fermi velocity and E_ex is the exchange field, while
damping is governed by the length l_0 = (1/l_{\uparrow} +
1/l_{\downarrow})^{-1} with l_{\uparrow} and l_{\downarrow} being
spin-dependent mean free paths in the ferromagnet. The superconducting
transition temperature T_c(d_F) of the F/S/F trilayer shows the damping
oscillations as a function of the F-layer thickness d_F with period \xi_F =
\pi/\sqrt{m E_ex}, where m is the effective electron mass. We show that strong
spin-conserving scattering either in the superconductor or in the ferromagnet
significantly suppresses these oscillations. The calculated T_c(d_F)
dependences are compared with existing experimental data for Fe/Nb/Fe trilayers
and Nb/Co multilayers.Comment: 13 pages, REVTeX4, 8 PS-figures; improved version, submitted to PR
Unoccupied Band Structure of NbSe2 by Very-Low-Energy Electron Diffraction: Experiment and Theory
A combined experimental and theoretical study of very-low-energy electron
diffraction at the (0001) surface of 2H-NbSe2 is presented. Electron
transmission spectra have been measured for energies up to 50 eV above the
Fermi level with k|| varying along the GammaK line of the Brillouin zone. Ab
initio calculations of the spectra have been performed with the extended linear
augmented plane wave k-p method. The experimental spectra are interpreted in
terms of three-dimensional one-electron band structure. Special attention is
paid to the quasi-particle lifetimes: by comparing the broadening of the
spectral structures in the experimental and calculated spectra the energy
dependence of the optical potential Vi is determined. A sharp increase of Vi at
20 eV is detected, which is associated with a plasmon peak in the
Im(-1/epsilon) function. Furthermore, the electron energy loss spectrum and the
reflectivity of NbSe2 are calculated ab initio and compared with optical
experiments. The obtained information on the dispersions and lifetimes of the
unoccupied states is important for photoemission studies of the 3D band
structure of the valence band.Comment: 17 pages, 11 Postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
The Human Side of Skills and Knowledge
YesThe goal of decent work is best expressed through the eyes of people. It is about your job and future prospects; about your working conditions; about balancing work and family life, putting your kids through school or getting them out of child labour. It is about gender equality, equal recognition, and enabling women to make choices and take control of their lives. It is about personal abilities to compete in the market place, keep up with new technological skills and remain healthy. It is about developing your entrepreneurial skills, about receiving a fair share of wealth that you have helped to create and not being discriminated against; it is about having a voice in your workplace and your community . . . . For everybody, decent work is about securing human dignity (ILO 2001:7 - 8 cited in Green 2006:19 - 20)
Erythropoietin improves long-term neurological outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients: a randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Mortality and disability following ischemic stroke (IS) remains unacceptably high with respect to the conventional therapies. This study tested the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) on long-term neurological outcome in patients after acute IS. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two consecutive doses of EPO (5,000 IU/dose, subcutaneously administered at 48 hours and 72 hours after acute IS) on improving the 90-day combined endpoint of recurrent stroke or death that has been previously reported. A secondary objective was to evaluate the long-term (that is, five years) outcome of patients who received EPO.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the 'Additional Link' above to access the full-text via the publisher's site.Published (Open Access
Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases
The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of
aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs)
can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves
excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological
concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can
lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl
radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic
inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the
involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a
large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and
inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation
of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many
similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e.
iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The
studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic
and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and
lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and
longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is
thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As
systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have
multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent
patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of
multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the
decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference
Keep off the grass?:Cannabis, cognition and addiction
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.In an increasing number of states and countries, cannabis now stands poised to join alcohol and tobacco as a legal drug. Quantifying the relative adverse and beneficial effects of cannabis and its constituent cannabinoids should therefore be prioritized. Whereas newspaper headlines have focused on links between cannabis and psychosis, less attention has been paid to the much more common problem of cannabis addiction. Certain cognitive changes have also been attributed to cannabis use, although their causality and longevity are fiercely debated. Identifying why some individuals are more vulnerable than others to the adverse effects of cannabis is now of paramount importance to public health. Here, we review the current state of knowledge about such vulnerability factors, the variations in types of cannabis, and the relationship between these and cognition and addiction.This work was supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health to L.H.P. (AA020404, AA006420, AA022249 and AA017447) and by grants from the UK Medical Research Council to H.V.C. and C.J.A.M. (G0800268; MR/K015524/1)
The structure of the glomerular capillary basement membrane in diabetes mellitus with and without nephrotic syndrome
Multilayer modeling of the aureole photometry during the Venus transit: comparison between SDO/HMI and VEx/SOIR data
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