Size-Dependence and High Temperature Stability of Radial Vortex Magnetic Textures Imprinted by Superconductor Stray Fields.

Swirling spin textures, including topologically nontrivial states, such as skyrmions, chiral domain walls, and magnetic vortices, have garnered significant attention within the scientific community due to their appeal from both fundamental and applied points of view. However, their creation, controlled manipulation, and stability are typically constrained to certain systems with specific crystallographic symmetries, bulk or interface interactions, and/or a precise stacking sequence of materials. Recently, a new approach has shown potential for the imprint of magnetic radial vortices in soft ferromagnetic compounds making use of the stray field of YBa2Cu3O7-δ superconducting microstructures in ferromagnet/superconductor (FM/SC) hybrids at temperatures below the superconducting transition temperature (TC). Here, we explore the lower size limit for the imprint of magnetic radial vortices in square and disc shaped structures as well as the persistence of these spin textures above TC, with magnetic domains retaining partial memory. Structures with circular geometry and with FM patterned to smaller radius than the superconductor island facilitate the imprinting of magnetic radial vortices and improve their stability above TC, in contrast to square structures where the presence of magnetic domains increases the dipolar energy. Micromagnetic modeling coupled with a SC field model reveals that the stabilization mechanism above TC is mediated by microstructural defects. Superconducting control of swirling spin textures, and their stabilization above the superconducting transition temperature by means of defect engineering holds promising prospects for shaping superconducting spintronics based on magnetic textures.

Large Magnetoresistance of Isolated Domain Walls in La2/3 Sr1/3 MnO3 Nanowires.

Generation, manipulation, and sensing of magnetic domain walls are cornerstones in the design of efficient spintronic devices. Half-metals are amenable for this purpose as large low field magnetoresistance signals can be expected from spin accumulation at spin textures. Among half metals, La1- x Srx MnO3 (LSMO) manganites are considered as promising candidates for their robust half-metallic ground state, Curie temperature above room temperature (Tc = 360 K, for x = 1/3), and chemical stability. Yet domain wall magnetoresistance is poorly understood, with large discrepancies in the reported values and conflicting interpretation of experimental data due to the entanglement of various source of magnetoresistance, namely, spin accumulation, anisotropic magnetoresistance, and colossal magnetoresistance. In this work, the domain wall magnetoresistance is measured in LSMO cross-shape nanowires with single-domain walls nucleated across the current path. Magnetoresistance values above 10% are found to be originating at the spin accumulation caused by the mistracking effect of the spin texture of the domain wall by the conduction electrons. Fundamentally, this result shows the importance on non-adiabatic processes at spin textures despite the strong Hund coupling to the localized t2g electrons of the manganite. These large magnetoresistance values are high enough for encoding and reading magnetic bits in future oxide spintronic sensors.

Treating early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma in resource-limited settings: InPOG-HL-15-01 experience.

BACKGROUND: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in childhood is an eminently curable disease. Excellent outcomes can be achieved even in resource-limited settings and increasingly, the focus is on limiting long-term toxicity. Contemporary treatment incorporates a risk-stratified, response-adapted approach using multiagent chemotherapy with or without low-dose radiotherapy (RT). Many developing countries continue to use ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastin, and dacarbazine)-based regimen owing to limited acute toxicity, cost, and ease of delivery. We report outcomes of children with early-stage HL using limited cycles of ABVD-based treatment in the first prospective multicentric collaborative study from India InPOG-HL-15-01. METHODS: Children <18 years with biopsy-proven HL were enrolled. Patients with stages I and IIA with or without bulky disease were classified as having early-stage disease. Patients were planned to receive four cycles of ABVD subject to satisfactory early response assessment (ERA) scheduled after two cycles of chemotherapy. RT was limited to patients with bulky disease or those with suboptimal ERA. RESULTS: Four hundred ten patients were enrolled over 30 months from 27 centers. One hundred thirty-four were classified as having early-stage disease. Fifty-three (40%) of these had bulky disease. One hundred ten (83%) of this cohort achieved complete or very good partial ERA. Fifty-four (40%) received RT. At a median of 52 months since diagnosis, 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) is 94% and 95.5%, respectively. Treatment-related mortality and abandonment were <1%. CONCLUSION: Limited cycles of ABVD with RT to selected patients is a very effective option for patients with early-stage disease in resource-limited settings.

Genital tuberculosis in postmenopausal women with variable clinical presentations: A report of 3 cases.

Genital tuberculosis is usually diagnosed in young women being assessed for infertility. After menopause it usually presents with symptoms resembling endometrial malignancy, such as postmenopausal bleeding, persistent vaginal discharge and pyometra. The diagnosis is made by detection of acid-fast bacilli on microscopy or bacteriological culture and/or presence of epithelioid granuloma on biopsy. Anti-tubercular therapy involves the use of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. Surgery is indicated if a pelvic mass and recurrence of pain or bleeding persist after 9 months of treatment. Three cases of genital tuberculosis in postmenopausal women with different clinical presentations are reported. The first woman presented with ascites and weight loss. The second had postmenopausal bleeding with a pipelle biopsy suggestive of endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia. The third presented with weight loss and a palpable abdominal mass. Pelvic malignancy was initially suspected but a diagnosis of tuberculosis was made following pre-operative endometrial biopsy, bacteriological culture and intra-operative frozen section. All three women responded to anti-tubercular therapy.

Spatially resolved investigation of all optical magnetization switching in TbFe alloys.

Optical control of magnetization using femtosecond laser without applying any external magnetic field offers the advantage of switching magnetic states at ultrashort time scales. Recently, all-optical helicity-dependent switching (AO-HDS) has drawn a significant attention for potential information and data storage device applications. In this work, we employ element and magnetization sensitive photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) to investigate the role of heating in AO-HDS for thin films of the rare-earth transition-metal alloy TbFe. Spatially resolved measurements in a 3-5 µm sized stationary laser spot demonstrate that AO-HDS is a local phenomenon in the vicinity of thermal demagnetization in a 'ring' shaped region. The efficiency of AO-HDS further depends on a local temperature profile around the demagnetized region and thermally activated domain wall motion. We also demonstrate that the thickness of the film determines the preferential switching direction for a particular helicity.

Encoding Magnetic States in Monopole-Like Configurations Using Superconducting Dots.

A large manifold of nontrivial spin textures, including the stabilization of monopole-like fields, are generated by using a completely new and versatile approach based on the combination of superconductivity and magnetism. Robust, stable, and easily controllable complex spin structures are encoded, modified, and annihilated in a continuous magnetic thin film by defining a variety of magnetic states in superconducting dots.

The California Tri-pull Taping Method in the Treatment of Shoulder Subluxation After Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Shoulder subluxation is a frequent occurrence in individuals following a stroke. Although various methods of treatment are available, none of them address all possible consequences of the subluxation pain, limited range of motion, the subluxation, and decreased functional use of the arm. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of California tri-pull taping (CTPT) method on shoulder subluxation, pain, active shoulder flexion, and upper limb functional recovery after stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a randomized control study on 30 participants. All participants received conventional neurorehabilitation 5 days a week over 6 weeks. Half of the participants also received the CTPT. Pre- and post-assessment scores were taken on all participants for the amount of shoulder subluxation, pain, active shoulder flexion, and functional recovery. RESULTS: The CTPT method demonstrated a significant reduction of pain in the treatment group from baseline, a significant improvement in active shoulder flexion and a significant improvement in proximal arm function as measured on the proximal subscale on the Fugl-Meyer upper extremity functional Scale but not the distal or total Fugl-Meyer subscales. Shoulder subluxation was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The CTPT method is an effective treatment for the hemiplegic subluxed shoulder.