Promising doped zirconia

Public release date: 17-May-2013
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Contact: Sophia Grein
sophia.grein@springer.com
49-622-148-78414
Springer

A new study discusses the electric and magnetic characteristics of a material which could be used in spintronics

Materials belonging to the family of dilute magnetic oxides (DMOs) an oxide-based variant of the dilute magnetic semiconductors are good candidates for spintronics applications. This is the object of study for Davide Sangalli of the Microelectronics and Microsystems Institute (IMM) at the National Research Council (CNR), in Agrate Brianza, Italy, and colleagues. They recently explored the effect of iron (Fe) doping on thin films of a material called zirconia (ZrO2 oxide). For the first time, the authors bridged the gap between the theoretical predictions and the experimental measurements of this material, in a paper about to be published in EPJ B.

Spintronics exploit an intrinsic property of the electrons found in semi-conductors called spin, akin to the electrons' degree of freedom. This determines the magnetic characteristics, known as magnetic moment, of the material under study. The challenge is to create such material with the highest possible temperature, as this will ensure that its magnetic properties can be used in room-temperature applications.

To study iron-doped zirconia, they examined its magnetic properties and its electronic structure from both a theoretical and experimental perspective. They then compared theory and experiments to find the most stable configuration of the material. Theoretical work included first-principles simulations. In parallel, their experimental work relied on many different well-established analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and alternating gradient force magnetometer measurements.

Sangalli and colleagues therefore gained a better understanding of doped zirconia, which features oxygen vacancies, playing a crucial role in providing its unique electronic and magnetic characteristics. They have also predicted theoretically how the deviation from the standard structure influences this material's properties. They are currently investigating, experimentally, how the magnetism evolves with changing concentrations of iron and oxygen vacancies to confirm theoretical predictions.

###

Reference

D. Sangalli et al. (2013), Exploiting magnetic properties of Fe doping in zirconia, European Physical Journal B. DOI 10.1140/epjb/e2013-30669-3

For more information, please visit http://www.epj.org

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 17-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sophia Grein
sophia.grein@springer.com
49-622-148-78414
Springer

A new study discusses the electric and magnetic characteristics of a material which could be used in spintronics

Materials belonging to the family of dilute magnetic oxides (DMOs) an oxide-based variant of the dilute magnetic semiconductors are good candidates for spintronics applications. This is the object of study for Davide Sangalli of the Microelectronics and Microsystems Institute (IMM) at the National Research Council (CNR), in Agrate Brianza, Italy, and colleagues. They recently explored the effect of iron (Fe) doping on thin films of a material called zirconia (ZrO2 oxide). For the first time, the authors bridged the gap between the theoretical predictions and the experimental measurements of this material, in a paper about to be published in EPJ B.

Spintronics exploit an intrinsic property of the electrons found in semi-conductors called spin, akin to the electrons' degree of freedom. This determines the magnetic characteristics, known as magnetic moment, of the material under study. The challenge is to create such material with the highest possible temperature, as this will ensure that its magnetic properties can be used in room-temperature applications.

To study iron-doped zirconia, they examined its magnetic properties and its electronic structure from both a theoretical and experimental perspective. They then compared theory and experiments to find the most stable configuration of the material. Theoretical work included first-principles simulations. In parallel, their experimental work relied on many different well-established analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and alternating gradient force magnetometer measurements.

Sangalli and colleagues therefore gained a better understanding of doped zirconia, which features oxygen vacancies, playing a crucial role in providing its unique electronic and magnetic characteristics. They have also predicted theoretically how the deviation from the standard structure influences this material's properties. They are currently investigating, experimentally, how the magnetism evolves with changing concentrations of iron and oxygen vacancies to confirm theoretical predictions.

###

Reference

D. Sangalli et al. (2013), Exploiting magnetic properties of Fe doping in zirconia, European Physical Journal B. DOI 10.1140/epjb/e2013-30669-3

For more information, please visit http://www.epj.org

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/s-pdz051713.php

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5 Interesting Car Facts - Trinidad and Tobago Entertainment Forum

1:- For the transmissions of many cars, whale oil was used till the year 1973.

2:- It was 1902 when the first speeding ticket was issued.

3:- 16% of car owners don't wash their cars. In fact they never wash.

4:- Toyota Corolla is the most produced car since first launched in 1966. 32 Million car have been sold since the beginning.

5:- You spend the two weeks of your life on traffic Signals

Source: http://www.trinifans.com/interesting-car-facts-t3320.html

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Israel to authorize four West Bank settler outposts

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel plans to declare legal four unauthorized West Bank settler outposts, a court document showed on Thursday, days before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry returns to the region to try to restart peace talks.

Israel has been sending mixed signals on its internationally condemned settlement policy as Kerry pursues efforts to revive negotiations Palestinians quit in 2010 in anger over Israeli settlement building on occupied land they seek for a state.

In a reply to a Supreme Court petition by the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now, the government said it had taken steps in recent weeks to authorize retroactively four West Bank outposts built without official permission.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the move.

"Israel continues to put obstacles and to sabotage U.S. efforts to resume negotiation," he said. "Our position is clear and that is all settlement is illegal and must be stopped."

A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment on the government's response to the Supreme Court.

Most the world deems all Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war, as illegal. Israel disputes this and distinguishes between about 120 government-authorized settlements and dozens of outposts built by settlers without permission.

Peace Now said in a statement that "The intention to legalize outposts as new settlements is no less than a slap in the face of Secretary Kerry's new process and is blatant reassurance to settler interests."

Last week, Peace Now and Israeli media reports said Netanyahu has been quietly curbing some settlement activity by freezing tenders for new housing projects, in an apparent effort to help the U.S. drive to renew peace talks.

But Peace Now said at the time construction already under way was continuing, and Israel announced last week that it had given preliminary approval for 300 new homes in Beit El settlement as part of a plan Netanyahu announced a year ago.

Kerry, due to meet Netanyahu and Abbas separately next week, has said he believes "the parties are serious" about finding a way back into talks.

The main issues that would have to be resolved in a peace agreement include the borders between Israel and a Palestinian state, the future of Jewish settlements, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which was also captured from Jordan in 1967. About 2.7 million Palestinians live in those areas.

(Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-authorize-four-west-bank-settler-outposts-085541406.html

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Petraeus email objected to Benghazi talking points

A portion of pages of emails that the White House released Wednesday, May 15, 2013, that document how the Obama administration crafted its public talking points immediately following the Sept. 11, 2012, deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, are seen at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A portion of pages of emails that the White House released Wednesday, May 15, 2013, that document how the Obama administration crafted its public talking points immediately following the Sept. 11, 2012, deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, are seen at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A portion of a page of emails that the White House released Wednesday, May 15, 2013, that document how the Obama administration crafted its public talking points immediately following the Sept. 11, 2012, deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, is seen at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Then CIA-Director David Petraeus objected to the final talking points the Obama administration used after the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, because he wanted to see more details revealed to the public, according to emails released Wednesday by the White House.

Under pressure in the investigation that continues eight months after the attacks, the White House on Wednesday released 99 pages of emails and a single page of hand-written notes made by Petraeus' deputy, Mike Morell, after a meeting at the White House on Saturday, Sept. 15. On that page, Morell scratched out from the CIA's early drafts of talking points mentions of al-Qaida, the experience of fighters in Libya, Islamic extremists and a warning to the Cairo embassy on the eve of the attacks of calls for a demonstration and break-in by jihadists.

Petraeus apparently was displeased by the removal of so much of the material his analysts initially had proposed for release. The talking points were sent to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to prepare her for an appearance on news shows on Sunday, Sept. 16, and also to members of the House Intelligence Committee.

"No mention of the cable to Cairo, either?" Petraeus wrote after receiving Morell's edited version, developed after an intense back-and-forth among Obama administration officials. "Frankly, I'd just as soon not use this, then."

Petreaus' email comes at the end of extensive back-and-forth between officials at the CIA, White House, State Department and other agencies weighing in on a public explanation for the Sept. 11, 2012, attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans

The emails were partially blacked out, including removal of names of senders and recipients who are career employees at the CIA and elsewhere.

The emails show only minor edits were requested by the White House, and most of the objections came from the State Department. "The White House cleared quickly, but State has major concerns," read an email that a CIA official sent to Petraeus on Friday, Sept. 14.

Critics have highlighted an email by then-State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland that expressed concern that any mention of prior warnings or the involvement of al-Qaida would give congressional Republicans ammunition to attack the administration in the weeks before the presidential election. Fighting terror was one of President Barack Obama's re-election strong points

That email was among those released by the White House, sent by Nuland on Sept. 14 at 7:39 p.m. to officials in the White House, State Department and CIA. She wrote she was concerned they could prejudice the investigation and be "abused by members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to agency warnings so why do we want to feed that either? Concerned."

After Nuland sent several more emails throughout that Friday evening expressing further concerns, Jake Sullivan, then-deputy chief of staff at the State Department, said the issues would be worked out at a meeting at the White House on Saturday morning.

A senior U.S. intelligence official told reporters Wednesday that Morell made the changes to the talking points after that meeting because of his own concerns that they could prejudge an FBI investigation into who was responsible for the attacks.

The official said Morell also didn't think it was fair to disclose the CIA's advance warning without giving the State Department a chance to explain how it responded. The official spoke on a condition of anonymity without authorization to speak about the emails on the record. Petraeus declined to be interviewed Wednesday.

The intelligence official said Morell was aware of Nuland's objections but did not make the changes under pressure from the State Department but because he independently shared the concerns.

That is contradicted in an email sent to Rice on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 1:23 p.m. by a member of her staff whose name was blacked out. The email said Morell indicated he would work with Sullivan and Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser, to revise the talking points. The intelligence official disputed that assertion and insisted Morell acted alone.

An email from Morell also says he spoke to Petraeus "about State's deep concerns about mentioning the warnings and the other work done on this."

The emails were shared with Congress earlier this year as a condition for allowing the nomination of John Brennan for CIA director to move forward. An interim report last month from the Republicans on five House committees criticized the Obama administration and mentioned the emails, but the issue exploded last Friday when new details emerged.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee read some of the emails aloud last Wednesday at a hearing with State Department officials. The next day, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called on the White House to release the emails.

A Boehner spokesman said Wednesday the emails released by the White House only confirm the interim report.

"They contradict statements made by the White House that it and the State Department only changed one word in the talking points," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said in a statement. "The seemingly political nature of the State Department's concerns raises questions about the motivations behind these changes and who at the State Department was seeking them."

The White House released the full set of emails sent to Congress under the pressure in hopes of putting an end to the controversy that has dogged the administration for months. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Wednesday that "these e-mails have been selectively and inaccurately read out to the media."

"To make clear what is and is not in these e-mails, today the White House took the extraordinary step of releasing these e-mails," Schultz said in a statement. "You can now see what the Congress has seen ? collectively these e-mails make clear that the interagency process, including the White House's interactions, were focused on providing the facts as we knew them based on the best information available at the time and protecting an ongoing investigation."

An official with the CIA's office of congressional affairs whose name was blacked out sent the final version to Petraeus on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 12:51 p.m. Petraeus responded at 2:27 saying he'd prefer not to even use them in that form.

But he said the decision was up to the White House's national security staff.

"NSS's call, to be sure; however, this is certainly not what Vice Chairman (Dutch) Ruppersberger was hoping to get for unclas use. Regardless, thanks for the great work."

Ruppersberger is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

At a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder said there has been "very, very substantial progress" in the investigation into who was responsible for the twin nighttime attacks in Benghazi. Earlier this month, the FBI said it was seeking information on three people who were on the grounds of the diplomatic mission when it was attacked. The FBI posted photographs of the three people and said they may be able to provide information to help in the investigation.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who sits on the Intelligence Committee, said, "I didn't find anything that looked like a smoking gun in terms of political cooking of the talking points. There is very little input from the White House."

But he added, "There are some things to criticize in here. The State Department looks like it is trying to avoid blame."

___

Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Adam Goldman contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-15-Benghazi%20Investigation/id-cf65ea4fe7d24e8c94b121e3433b5cbf

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'The Voice' axes two more hopefuls

TV

Craig Berman TODAY contributor

7 hours ago

NBC

From left, the top 12 on "The Voice": The Swon Bros (Zach Swon, Colton Swon) Holly Tucker, Danielle Bradbery, Michelle Chamuel, Josiah Hawley, Vedo, Carson Daly, Kris Thomas, Garrett Gardner, Sasha Allen, Sarah Simmons, Judith Hill and Amber Carrington.

Maybe air conditioning really was the key factor for success on ?The Voice? on Monday after all.

As host Carson Daly reminded viewers countless times on Tuesday, the first few performers had to take the stage Monday without the benefit of cool breezes blowing through the vents. This snafu didn?t seem like it was worth the mentions 24 hours later. Humanity survived for eons without it, after all. But two of the first three to perform, Vedo and Garrett Gardner, were the two to get the fewest number of votes, and thus, were eliminated from the competition. Meanwhile, every singer who sang in relative comfort will be back again next week.

Garrett can?t really blame the environment. He was among the two lowest vote-getters for Team Shakira a week ago as well, and is here only because she picked him over Karina Iglesias. If he wanted to, he could blame Shakira for having him singing ?I Want It That Way? by the Backstreet Boys (which he thought for a minute was a joke), or Carson for fixating on Usher?s heat-induced disrobing while Garrett was being critiqued. But given the negative feedback and his shaky track record, it likely didn?t make a difference.

Vedo, on the other hand, was a fan favorite of Team Usher in the first week of the live voting, but felt no love from the audience this time.

Going first didn?t help, and the way he was sweating at the finish, a bit of indoor climate control might have been the boost he needed. He had no chance to offer excuses, however, since the number of live performances and the trademarked Carson Daly extended pauses meant that he got the bad news only seconds before the show went off the air and ?Grimm? came on.

The most relieved singer of the night looked to be Sasha Allen, the last singer to get good news. She reacted with a facial expression that mixed relief with ?you really made me wait until the last minute?!? annoyance. And if she was sweating, Shakira must have been equally nervous, since the superstar was the only coach to have two of her singers among the last four standing. She was a mild surprise away from having just one singer to pin her hopes on for the rest of the season.

Blake Shelton and Adam Levine each saw all three of their singers advance. Expect that to be a topic of conversation next week.

Blake, at least, deserved it for showing up for work as scheduled despite the fact that it was his anniversary. Hopefully for him, wife Miranda Lambert is more forgiving of his absence than most spouses would be. And at least he got to spend the night in air-conditioned comfort.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/voice-axes-two-more-hopefuls-1C9929346

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Inconvenient Deficit Facts (talking-points-memo)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/305785375?client_source=feed&format=rss

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The Most Important Thing to Consider When Looking for a Place to ...

As millions of baby boomers near retirement, the question that often bubbles to the surface is, ?Where should I retire??

And, as it happens, there are quite a lot of people out there who are just waiting to give guidance on this complex decision.

Different lists, differing results

Every few weeks, it seems, another institution comes out with a list of the, ?Top 10 Cities for Seniors,? or the, ?7 Worst Places to Retire.?

The most recent iteration on this trend comes from Bankrate, an online aggregator of financial information and content. For their list, ?Best Places to Retire: How Your State Ranks,? Bankrate analyzed all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) on several different data points, including: average cost of living, average temperature, crime rate, state and local tax rates, the number of doctors per 100,000 people, and the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people.

According to Bankrate?s calculations, the top three states for retirees were; Tennessee (#1), Louisiana (#2) and South Dakota (#3). The states that fell to the bottom of the list: Washington (#49), Alaska (#50) and Oregon (#51).

Then there?s Forbes?, ?25 Best Places to Retire in 2013,? which stands in stark contrast to Bankrate?s list. Forbes cites Medford, Oregon, as well as several cities in Arizona?which ranked #33, according to Bankrate?as prime places for retirees.

Forbes used similar data as Bankrate: crime rates, availability of health care, living and housing costs, taxes and weather. However, they included a few additional variables, such as: air quality, and information on volunteerism.

Also included in the Forbes analysis was data from the Milken Institute?s, ?Best Cities for Successful Aging,? report, released in July 2012.

The Milken Institute, a nonprofit economic think tank, took a somewhat different approach than Bankrate and Forbes to tackling the issue of the best areas for aging adults to live. Their analysis delved deeper into the issue of which community resources are most truly the most valuable for aging adults, at different stages of their elder-hood.

Milken divided their list into two separate age groups; one for those aged 80 years, and older, and one for those between the ages of 65 and 79. In the 80-plus group, factors such as healthcare and weather were given greater weight. For those aged 65 to 79, factors influencing the ability to lead an active lifestyle were considered more important.

Discover more information on the best cities for seniors, according to the Milken Institute.

Finding the right retirement spot for you

The above examples are just a few of the countless ?Best Places? lists presented to aging Americans each year. These compilations are so prolific that it?s hard for the average consumer not to get lost in a sea of conflicting conclusions.
But the overall value of such inventories to the average American adult is questionable.

After all, there are a host of personal factors that each prospective retiree must take into account for him or herself. Just because a person turns 65, doesn?t mean that their needs and wants suddenly align with everyone else in their age group. What makes a community an ideal retirement spot for one person, may be completely counter-productive for another.

The one exception to this rule, studies have shown, is that the vast majority of adults agree on their preference to ?age in place? in their own home, as opposed to moving to a senior living facility.

Keep reading to discover what community features experts say allow adults to successfully age in place?

Related
4 Financial Mistakes Retirees Regularly Make
11 Strategies to Help an Elder Downsize for a Move
Financial Planning Tips for Caregivers

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-most-important-thing-to-consider-when-looking-for-a-place-to-retire.html

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