Using the magneto-optical Kerr effect to study magnetization processes in two-dimensional magnonic crystals based on YIG thin films

The magneto-optical Kerr effect for red (628 nm) and green (532 nm) light is used to study magnetization processes in 2D magnonic crystals obtained by etching pits with the diameter D ≈ 32 μm to a depth of t ≤ 2 μm in a 16.1-μm-thick film of yttrium iron garnet (YIG). Hysteresis loops obtained in the case of the inplane crystal magnetization at 628 nm are characterized by lower saturation fields H _s and higher remanent magnetizations than those obtained at 532 nm, a result that is attributed to different absorption coefficients of the YIG film at these wavelengths. This difference between the magnetization curves reflects the fact that the magnonic-crystal surface probed with the green light makes a greater contribution to the magneto-optical Kerr effect. Therefore, the green light is more sensitive to the demagnetizing fields, which govern magnetization processes in the magnonic crystals.     

SVBR-75/100 Multipurpose Modular Low-Power Fast Reactor with Lead–Bismuth Coolant

The results of development work on the SVBR-75/100 modular fast reactor cooled by lead–bismuth coolant are presented. The design is based on the experience gained operating reactors in nuclear-powered submarines. The SVBR-75/100 reactor is inherently safe because of its low power, the chemical inertness and high boiling point of the lead–bismuth coolant, and the integrated basin-type arrangement of the first-loop equipment. This eliminates the conflict between the safety and economic requirements that is characteristic of conventional-type reactors. The lower power makes it possible to build the reactor in a factory and deliver the reactor using any form of transportation to the nuclear power plant site. All safety systems operate passively. Most of these systems are used as normal-operating systems. This creates conditions for multipurpose applications of such reactor modules in developed and developing countries.     

Parental bonding and mental health in adolescence

Attachment between parent and child plays a crucial role in the healthy development of the child. Accordingly disturbances in parental bonding will be linked with the development of mental disorders later in life. The present study examines the relationship between parental bonding and mental health in healthy adolescents. Participants were 847 Israeli high school students who completed the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the General Well-Being (GWB), the Perceived Social Support (PSS), and the Social Desirability scale (SDS). In general, Israeli adolescents reported more parental care and less control than did Australian adolescents and adults. Female subjects reported more maternal care than did males. Subjects who reported high care and low control (optimal bonding) reported less distress, better general well-being and better social support that did all other groups. In contrast, those who reported low care and high control (affectionless control bonding) had the highest BSI scores and the lowest GWB and PSS scores. These results are in line with Bowlby's theory of attachment. They also show that specific configuration of parental bonding are linked with distress and isolation in adolescents.     

High density lipoprotein conversion mediated by human plasma phospholipid transfer protein

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) was purified from lipoprotein-free human plasma, obtained upon treatment of plasma with dextran sulfate and Ca2+, by employing a series of column chromatography. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the purified PLTP showed a single main band, corresponding to the molecular mass of 78 kDa. However, isoelectric focusing of the purified preparation gave multiple bands with pI ranging from 4.3 to 5.1, indicative of microheterogeneity. Purified PLTP was shown to possess not only phospholipid transfer activity, but also high density lipoprotein (HDL) conversion activity (Tu, A.-Y., Nishida, H. I., and Nishida, T. (1990), FASEB J. 4, A2148; Jauhiainen, M., Metso, J., Pahlman, R., Blomqvist, S., van Tol, A., and Ehnholm, C. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 4032-4036). Isolated HDL3 was enlarged to the size of HDL2b upon incubation with purified PLTP for 6 h at 37 degrees C at the PLTP/HDL3 molar ratio of approximately 1:45. Both the HDL conversion and the phosphatidylcholine transfer activities of purified PLTP were effectively inhibited by rabbit anti-PLTP immunoglobulin G. The primary importance of PLTP in the HDL enlargement that occurs in human plasma upon incubation at 37 degrees C was shown by the strong inhibitory effect of the anti-PLTP immunoglobulin G. The process of PLTP-mediated HDL enlargement was accompanied by the release of apoproteins, primarily apoA-I. HDL3 enlargement mediated by PLTP was effectively inhibited by the addition of free fatty acids.     

Quantum dots in YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6+<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> films with a tetragonal structure

Experimental evidence is presented for the existence of clusters possessing metallic conductivity in epitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x (x<0.4) films with a tetragonal structure. Despite the overall dielectric state, the optical transmission spectra reveal the regions of absorption due to free charge carriers. The presence of metallic clusters is also confirmed by the X-ray diffraction data. At low temperatures, these metallic clusters are capable of converting into quantum dots responsible for the θ(T) = const regions in the temperature dependence of the electric resistance. The process of cluster formation can be enhanced by high-power laser (KrF) radiation.