High Curie temperature for La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3) thin films deposited on CeO(2) /YSZ-based buffered silicon substrates.

Two kinds of epitaxial structures were grown by standard pulsed laser deposition on (001) Si, namely La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3)/Bi(4)Ti(3)O(12)/CeO(2) /YSZ/Si (BTO-based), and La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3)/SrTiO(3)/CeO(2) /YSZ/Si (STO-based) multilayers. The samples were investigated by means of x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, magnetic and transport measurements. The Curie temperature T(C) of the BTO-based samples was found to be higher (360 K) than for the typical reference epitaxial LSMO film grown on (001) SrTiO(3) single crystal (345 K), due to high compressive in-plane strain. The STO-based samples show high structural quality, low roughness and high T(C) (350 K), making them interesting candidates for use in innovative LSMO-based bolometers or spintronic devices operating at room temperature.

Apparent volume dependence of 1/f noise in thin film structures: role of contacts.

The experimental investigation of low-frequency noise properties in new materials is very useful for the understanding of the involved physical transport mechanisms. In this paper it is shown that, when contact noise is present, the experimental values of the normalized Hooge parameter show a fictitious linear dependence on the volume of the analyzed samples. Experimental data on noise measurements of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 thin films are reported to demonstrate the validity of the analysis performed.

Experimental technique for reducing contact and background noise in voltage spectral density measurements.

Electric noise measurements can give useful information on the conduction mechanisms and the dynamic behaviors of the charge carriers in new materials. However, it is well known that not all the electronic fluctuations are originated from the material itself, but some noise sources depend on the experimental procedures used for the measurements. In this article, an experimental technique to reduce "external" noise components, not associated with the bulk system, is presented. The proposed method is based on measurements of the voltage spectral density, using in sequence a four- and a two-probe technique. From the measurements it is possible to evaluate the contact and the background noise contributions and to recover the real spectral trace of the sample. The proposed procedure is demonstrated to be valid in spectral density measurements performed on La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3) thin films.

Quaternary ammonium compound stresses induce specific variations in fatty acid composition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The involvement of cell membrane fatty acids in resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) stresses was investigated. The strain was grown in a medium with increasing concentrations of different biocides: two QACs, and two non-QACs. In the presence of two QACs only, the strain was able to grow with increasing concentrations. During cellular adaptation to QACs, the resistance to the same biocide increased. A principal component analysis was performed with whole of fatty acid compositions which highlighted a specific variation for the cultures in presence of QACs. These modifications gave evidence of the outer membrane involvement in cellular response to the presence of QACs.

Effect of temperature and physiological state on the fatty acid composition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The influence of temperature and physiological state on fatty acid profiles of cell membranes of a gram-negative bacteria was studied in this work. It has been shown that fatty acid composition is largely modified by these two parameters. Lipids play an important role in the composition and the function of cell membranes. These modifications of membrane structures are very important to understand because of their consequences on cell viability.

Domain wall transformations and hopping in La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3) nanostructures imaged with high resolution x-ray magnetic microscopy.

We investigate the effect of electric current pulse injection on domain walls in La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO(3) (LSMO) half-ring nanostructures by high resolution x-ray magnetic microscopy at room temperature. Due to the easily accessible Curie temperature of LSMO, we can employ reasonable current densities to induce the Joule heating necessary to observe effects such as hopping of the domain walls between different pinning sites and nucleation/annihilation events. Such effects are the dominant features close to the Curie temperature, while spin torque is found to play a small role close to room temperature. We are also able to observe thermally activated domain wall transformations and we find that, for the analyzed geometries, the vortex domain wall configuration is energetically favored, in agreement with micromagnetic simulations.

The effect of magnetic anisotropy on the spin configurations of patterned La(0.7)Sr(0.3)MnO3 elements.

We study the effect of magnetocrystalline anisotropy on the magnetic configurations of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 bar and triangle elements using photoemission electron microscopy imaging. The dominant remanent state is a low energy flux-closure state for both thin (15 nm) and thick (50 nm) elements. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy, which competes with the dipolar energy, causes a strong modification of the spin configuration in the thin elements, depending on the shape, size and orientation of the structures. We investigate the magnetic switching processes and observe in triangular shaped elements a displacement of the vortex core along the easy axis for an external magnetic field applied close to the hard axis, which is well reproduced by micromagnetic simulations.

Correlation between structural properties and resistivity critical behavior in SrRuO3 thin films.

SrRuO(3) is a strong itinerant ferromagnet showing many features of 'bad metals' together with Fermi liquid behavior at very low temperature. The intriguing magnetic and transport properties of SrRuO(3) are tightly related to structure, as commonly observed in transition metal oxides. Here we report on the correlation of structural parameters (lattice constant and surface roughness) with the critical behavior of resistivity at the Curie point in SrRuO(3) thin films deposited on (001) SrTiO(3) by PLD. By varying the deposition conditions we were able to obtain a wide variety of structural properties in our samples, thus allowing us to perform a systematic study. Our analysis demonstrates the direct correlation between the critical temperature T(P) and the lattice out-of-plane parameter. Furthermore, the value of the critical exponent λ is proved to be a good physical parameter to quantify the microscopic order of SrRuO(3) samples.

Adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 to didecyldimethylammonium bromide induces changes in membrane fatty acid composition and in resistance of cells.

The role of membrane fatty acid composition in the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 to the bactericidal activity of didecyldimethyl ammonium bromide (DDAB) was investigated. In this study, the strain was sub-cultured in a medium with increasing DDAB concentrations. After adaptation, Ps. aeruginosa was able to grow until the DDAB concentration in the medium was about five times greater than the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration. Resistance of cells to the bactericidal activity of DDAB also increased gradually during adaptation. This resistance was dependent on the presence of the biocide, as it quickly decreased when the cells were transferred to medium without biocide. Adapted cells showed changes in membrane fatty acid composition. The modifications mainly affected lauric, beta-hydroxylauric and palmitic acids, and they underlined the implication of the membranes in the cell response to the presence of the biocide. Simple linear regression analysis showed that the membrane fatty acid composition of Ps. aeruginosa played an important part in the resistance mechanisms of cells to the bactericidal activity of DDAB.

Changes in fatty acid composition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 induced by growth conditions: consequences of resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds.

The effects of changes in the fatty acid composition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa induced by growth conditions on its resistance to two quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) were investigated. The temperature and growth phase were the most influential parameters affecting the fatty acid composition of this bacterium. Furthermore, the formation of saturated fatty acids and cyclopropane fatty acids was stimulated by increasing the temperature, whereas the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids fell. The degree of saturation and the proportion of cyclopropane fatty acids increased in the course of the exponential and stationary phases. These modifications mostly concerned the inner membrane of the bacterium. Resistance of P. aeruginosa to both QAC tested was not significantly influenced by temperature and growth phase variations. Thus, resistance to the two QAC did not seem to be dependent on modifications of the fatty acid composition of the inner membrane.

Specific variations of fatty acid composition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 induced by quaternary ammonium compounds and relation with resistance to bactericidal activity.

The role of membrane fatty acid composition in the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442 to the bactericidal activity of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) was investigated. The strain was grown in a medium with increasing concentrations of a QAC, benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium chloride (C14) and two non-QACs, sodium dichloroisocyanurate and tri-sodium phosphate. In the presence of C14 only, the strain was able to grow in concentrations higher than the minimal inhibitory concentration. As the strain adapted to C14, resistance to bactericidal activity of the same biocide increased. For the non-QACs, no change was noted when cells were grown in the presence of biocides. The C14-adapted cells showed variations in membrane fatty acid composition. A hierarchical clustering analysis was used to compare all fatty acid compositions of cultures in the presence, or not, of the three biocides used here and another QAC studied previously. The clusters obtained underlined specific variations of membrane fatty acids in response to the presence of QACs. Furthermore, with a simple linear regression analysis, a relationship was shown between the membrane fatty acids and the resistance developed by the strain against the bactericidal activity of C14.