Effects of ion irradiation on conductivity of CrSi_2 thin films

Electrical resistivity measurements are used to study damage in CrSi_2 thin films induced by Ne, Ar, or Xe ion irradiation over a fluence range of 10^(10)–10^(15) ions cm^(−2). Irradiation produces a factor of 5–12 increase in film conductivity at the higher fluences. The influence of defect generation and recombination is evident. We speculate that formation of a compound defect is a dominant factor enhancing film conductivity. A temperature dependence at low fluences is reported and tentatively identified

Large magnetothermal conductivity in GdBaCo_{2}O_{5+x} single crystals

To study the effects of paramagnetic spins on phonons, both the in-plane and the c-axis heat transport of GdBaCo_{2}O_{5+x} (GBCO) single crystals are measured at low temperature down to 0.36 K and in magnetic field up to 16 T. It is found that the phonon heat transport is very strongly affected by the magnetic field and nearly 5 times increase of the thermal conductivity in several Tesla field is observed at 0.36 K. It appears that phonons are resonantly scattered by paramagnetic spins in zero field and the application of magnetic field removes such strong scattering, but the detailed mechanism is to be elucidated.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

The role of dwelling type when estimating the effect of magnetic fields on childhood leukemia in the California Power Line Study (CAPS).

PurposeThe type of dwelling where a child lives is an important factor when considering residential exposure to environmental agents. In this paper, we explore its role when estimating the potential effects of magnetic fields (MF) on leukemia using data from the California Power Line Study (CAPS). In this context, dwelling type could be a risk factor, a proxy for other risk factors, a cause of MF exposure, a confounder, an effect-measure modifier, or some combination.MethodsWe obtained information on type of dwelling at birth on over 2,000 subjects. Using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression, we assessed whether dwelling type was a risk factor for childhood leukemia, which covariates and MF exposures were associated with dwelling type, and whether dwelling type was a potential confounder or an effect-measure modifier in the MF-leukemia relationship under the assumption of no-uncontrolled confounding.ResultsA majority of children lived in single-family homes or duplexes (70%). Dwelling type was associated with race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status but not with childhood leukemia risk, after other adjustments, and did not alter the MF-leukemia relationship upon adjustment as a potential confounder. Stratification revealed potential effect-measure modification by dwelling type on the multiplicative scale.ConclusionDwelling type does not appear to play a significant role in the MF-leukemia relationship in the CAPS dataset as a leukemia risk factor or confounder. Future research should explore the role of dwelling as an effect-measure modifier of the MF-leukemia association

Spectral properties of photon pairs generated by spontaneous four wave mixing in inhomogeneous photonic crystal fibers

The photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is one of the excellent media for generating photon pairs via spontaneous four wave mixing. Here we study how the inhomogeneity of PCFs affect the spectral properties of photon pairs from both the theoretical and experimental aspects. The theoretical model shows that the photon pairs born in different place of the inhomogeneous PCF are coherently superposed, and a modulation in the broadened spectrum of phase matching function will appear, which prevents the realization of spectral factorable photon pairs. In particular, the inhomogeneity induced modulation can be examined by measuring the spectrum of individual signal or idler field when the asymmetric group velocity matching is approximately fulfilled. Our experiments are performed by tailoring the spectrum of pulsed pump to satisfy the specified phase matching condition. The observed spectra of individual signal photons, which are produced from different segments of the 1.9 m inhomogeneous PCF, agree with the theoretical predictions. The investigations are not only useful for fiber based quantum state engineering, but also provide a dependable method to test the homogeneity of PCF.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.

Familial hypomagnesaemia, Hypercalciuria and Nephrocalcinosis associated with a novel mutation of the highly conserved leucine residue 116 of Claudin 16 in a Chinese patient with a delayed diagnosis: A case report

Background: Sixty mutations of claudin 16 coding gene have been reported in familial hypomagnesemia with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis (FHHNC) patients. Recent investigations revealed that a highly conserved glycine-leucine-tryptophan (115G-L-W117) motif in the first extracellular segment (ESC1) of claudin 16 might be essential for stabilization of the appropriately folded ECS1 structure and conservation of normal claudin 16 function. However, neither missense nor nonsense mutation has ever been described in this motif. Our study aimed at identifying mutations in a Chinese patient with FHHNC and exploring the association between genotype and phenotype. Case presentation: A 33-year-old female presented with 4 years history of recurrent acute pyelonephritis without other notable past medical history. Her healthy parents, who aged 56 and 53 respectively, were second cousins, and her only sibling died from renal failure without definite cause at age 25. Renal ultrasound imaging demonstrated atrophic kidneys and bilateral nephrocalcinosis. The laboratory workup revealed impaired renal function (Stage CKD IV), hypocalcemia and mild hypomagnesemia, accompanied with marked renal loss of magnesium and hypercalciuria. During the follow-up, treatment with calcitriol and calcium but not with magnesium was difficult to achieve normal serum calcium levels, whereas her serum magnesium concentration fluctuated within normal ranges. In the end, the patient unavoidably reached ESRD at 36 years old. The clinical features and family history suggested the diagnosis of FHHNC. To make a definite diagnosis, we use whole-exome sequencing to identify the disease-causing mutations and Sanger sequencing to confirm the mutation co-segregation in the family. As a result, a novel homozygous mutation (c.346C > G, p.Leu116Val) in115G-L-W117motif of claudin 16 was identified. Her parents, grandmother and one of her cousins carried heterozygous p.Leu116Val, whereas 200 unrelated controls did not carry this mutation. Conclusions: We described a delayed diagnosis patient with FHHNC in the Chinese population and identified a novel missense mutation in the highly conserved115G-L-W117motif of claudin 16 for the first time. According to the reported data and the information deduced from 3D modeling, we speculate that this mutation probably reserve partial residual function which might be related to the slight phenotype of the patient

WxN1–x alloys as diffusion barriers between Al and Si

Reactively sputtered tungsten nitride (WxN1–x) layers are investigated as diffusion barriers between Al overlayers and Si shallow n + -p junctions. Both amorphous W80 N20 and polycrystalline W60 N40 films were found to be very effective in preserving the integrity of the n + -p diodes for 30-min vacuum annealing up to 575 °C. Diode failure at higher temperatures is caused by localized penetration of Al into through the WxN1–x barriers. The effectiveness of the barrier decreases for polycrystalline W90 N10 and is worse for pure W