Perpendicular and in-plane hole asymmetry in a strained NiFe2O4film.

Strained materials can exhibit drastically modified physical properties in comparison to their fully relaxed analogues. We report on the x-ray absorption spectra (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) of a strained NiFe2O4inverse spinel film grown on a symmetry matched single crystal MgGa2O4substrate. The Ni XAS spectra exhibit a sizable difference in the white line intensity for measurements with the x-ray electric field parallel to the film plane (normal incidence) vs when the electric field is at an angle (off-normal). A considerable difference is also observed in the FeL2,3XMCD spectrum. Modeling of the XAS and XMCD spectra indicate that the modified energy ordering of the cation 3dstates in the strained film leads to a preferential filling of 3dstates with out-of-plane character. In addition, the results point to the utility of x-ray spectroscopy in identifying orbital populations even with elliptically polarized x-rays.

A setup for element specific magnetization dynamics using the transverse magneto-optic Kerr effect in the energy range of 30-72 eV.

In this paper, we present a spectrometer that is designed for element-specific and time-resolved transverse magneto-optic Kerr effect experiments at the high-harmonic generation pump-probe facility High Energy Laser Induced Overtone Source (HELIOS) laboratory. HELIOS delivers photons with energies between 30 eV and 72 eV with an overall time resolution of less than 40 fs. The spectrometer is based on a Rowland-circle geometry and allows for simultaneous measurements of all magnetic transition-metal elements. The setup also features easy sample transfer and alignment, and it combines high photon throughput, optimized data acquisition, and a fast switching of the magnetic field at the sample. The spectrometer performance is demonstrated by measuring the ultrafast demagnetization of permalloy. Our data are, for all practical purposes, identical to what have been reported in the earlier high-order harmonic generation work of a similar sample by Mathias et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 109, 4792-4797 (2012)], however, obtained within 15% of the acquisition time compared to their study. Furthermore, our data show a shift of the demagnetization curve of Ni relative to Fe, which has previously been interpreted as a delay of the Ni demagnetization to that of Fe [S. Mathias et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 109, 4792-4797 (2012)].

Impact of zinc application methods on green gram (Vigna radiata L.) productivity and grain zinc fortification.

Application of Zn @ 0, 5.5 kg, 22 kg Zn ha(-1), 0.1% Zn foliar application, 5.5 kg Zn + 0.1% Znspray, increased the yield, concentration and its uptake in seed and straw in all the green gram genotypes. However, combined application of 5.5 kg Zn ha(-1) + 0.1% Zn as foliar increased the straw yield by 56.4% and seed yield by 57%, which was the highest. Maximum Zn concentration in straw and seed (5.48 and 3.5 folds over control) was achieved when combined application of soil + foliar was made. Soil + foliar application of Zn increased the seed crude protein by 26.9% over control. Seed and straw Zn content showed a significant and positive correlation with all yield attributes except branches per plant.

Evaporation behaviour of different organic effluents from open surfaces.

Production of large quantities of effluents from different industrial units and the problems of their disposal necessitated this evaporation study. The evaporation of water, sewage water, oil refinery effluent, papermill effluent and liquor distillery effluent was observed in glass beakers when placed (i) in an oven at 60 degrees C and (ii) in screen house for 30 days, by periodically weighing of the beakers. In other experiments, the effect of increasing the frequency of stirring on increasing the evaporation efficiency of the liquor distillery effluent (ELD) was examined in detail. All of the organic effluents except ELD had similar evaporation behaviours as water, but formation of a self-forming film caused the evaporation of ELD to be considerably lower. Resistance to evaporation caused by this film was found to be a decreasing function of the frequency of stirring. This study has a bearing on improving the efficiency of evaporation lagoons, and three stirrings in a day with a manually drawn stirrer in a full-scale lagoon are proposed as a practical and economically viable technique to save 44% of lagoon land in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.