S. X. Wu

Resistive dependence of magnetic properties in nonvolatile Ti/Mn:TiO2/SrTi0.993Nb0.007O3/Ti memory device

We report the relationship of the magnetic properties of the Mn-doped TiO 2 ( Mn : TiO 2 ) thin film on SrTi 0.993 Ti 0.007 O 3 substrate to the different resistance states of the Ti / Mn : TiO 2 / Nb : SrTiO 3 / Ti device. Initially, the device showed paramagnetic behavior without applying voltage. When the device was switched to low resistance state after applying a positive voltage, robust ferromagnetism was observed. In contrast, when a negative voltage was applied to switch to high resistance state, the device exhibited weak ferromagnetism. This electrically controllable ferromagnetism should be attributed to the tunability of oxygen-vacancy concentration in the Mn : TiO 2 film by electric field.

Distinct prognostic values of ALDH1 isoenzymes in breast cancer

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), also known as aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family, is composed of six enzymes that are expressed at high levels in stem cells and are involved in the regulation of stem cell function. Increased ALDH1 activity has been found in the stem cell populations of leukemia and some solid tumors including breast cancer (BC). However, which ALDH1’s isoenzymes are contributing to ALDH1 activity has not been determined. In addition, the prognostic value of individual ALDH1 isoenzyme is not clear. In the current study, we investigated the prognostic value of ALDH1 isoenzymes in BC patients through “the Kaplan-Meier plotter” (KM plotter) database, in which updated gene expression data and survival information are from a total of 3455 BC patients. ALDH1A1 messenger RNA (mRNA) high expression was found to be correlated to worsen overall survival (OS) for all BC patients. ALDH1A2 and ALDH1L1 mRNA high expressions were found to be correlated to better OS for all BC patients. Both of ALDH1A3 and ALDH1B1 mRNA high expressions were not found to be correlated to OS for all BC patients. These results strongly support that ALDH1A1 was only a biomarker for predicting poor survival of BC patients among ALDH1 isoenzymes. ALDH1A1 might be a major contributor of ALDH1 activity in BC, since only ALDH1A1 mRNA high expression was found to be significantly correlated to worsen OS for all BC patients.

N-derived signals in the x-ray photoelectron spectra of N-doped anatase TiO2

The plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxial anatase TiO2−xNx (x<0.3) films were chosen to investigate the N-derived variation in the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). With increasing nitrogen concentration, the small chemical shift and the shoulder of the main peak emerge in the N 1s, O 1s, or Ti 2p3/2 core level spectra. In combination with the experimental results obtained from x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy, the variations in the spectra could be ascribed to the microstructural distortion. This distortion, induced by the N3− substitution for lattice O2−, could slightly decrease the average ionicity of the Ti–O (or N) bonds. In addition, the other N 1s features (at 399.8 and 401.8 eV) and the oxygen vacancy are also discussed. For the N-doped TiO2, this work introduces a correlation between the microstructural properties and the XPS signals.

Extrinsic anomalous Hall effect in epitaxial Mn4N films

Anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in ferrimagnetic Mn4N epitaxial films grown by molecular-beam epitaxy is investigated. The longitudinal conductivity σxx is within the superclean regime, indicating Mn4N is a highly conducting material. We further demonstrate that the AHE signal in 40-nm-thick films is mainly due to the extrinsic contributions based on the analysis fitted by ρAH=a′ρxx0+bρxx2 and σAH∝σxx. Our study not only provide a strategy for further theoretical work on antiperovskite manganese nitrides but also shed promising light on utilizing their extrinsic AHE to fabricate spintronic devices.

Direct evidences of filamentary resistive switching in Pt/Nb-doped SrTiO3 junctions

The first concerned question on the fundamental physics of the resistive switching (RS) effect in metal/Nb-doped SrTiO3 junctions is whether the RS does take place at the whole interface or at some local regions of the interface. Even though several investigations provide the clues of the filamentary nature of the RS, direct evidences are still required. Moreover, there is obvious inconsistency between the possible filamentary feature and the observed capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis loops. Here, we report direct evidences of a filamentary RS effect in Pt/Nb-doped SrTiO3 junctions. The virgin Pt/NSTO junctions show an initial RS effect. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the initial RS and the C-V characteristic in the virgin junctions are interpreted by using the theory of metal/semiconductor contacts. The correspondence between the initial RS and the C-V hysteresis loops is also discussed. The most important is that an electroforming process is observed at a large forward voltage, which is ...

Phase I clinical trial of nasopharyngeal radiotherapy and concurrent celecoxib for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

We evaluated the incidence of acute toxicity of concurrent cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (celecoxib) plus radiotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Thirty-four patients received an accumulated radiation dose of 72-76Gy in 36-38 fractions to the primary lesion and 60Gy in 30 fractions to cervical lymph-node lesions. Palpable residual nodes were boosted to 70Gy at the 90% isodose level with an electron field. Celecoxib was administered at escalating doses of 400, 600, and 800mg/day, starting 3days before the first fraction of radiotherapy and continuing throughout the course of radiotherapy. The majority of toxicities were grade 1, with mucositis and weight loss most frequently observed (28 of 34, 82.4%), followed by dermatitis (27 of 34, 79.4%) and otitis (14 of 34, 41.2%). The toxicities were not related to celecoxib dose (all P>0.05). Stomach pain was considered related to celecoxib, which developed in 2 patients at doses of 400mg and 800mg/day. No grade-3 or -4 toxicities or episodes of toxic death occurred. The tumors in 31 patients (31/34, 91.2%) showed a complete response, and 3 patients (3/34, 8.8%) had partial responses. The actuarial local progression-free survival was 96.6% at 1year, and the 2year overall survival rate was 84.6%. Celecoxib can be safely administered concurrently with nasopharyngeal radiotherapy at doses up to 800mg/day. The tumors responded well to treatment warranting further assessment in a phase II trial.

Enlarged Mn 3s splitting and room-temperature ferromagnetism in epitaxially grown oxygen doped Mn2N0.86 films

Single-phase and oxygen doped Mn2N0.86 thin films have been grown on MgO (111) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The films grow under tensile strain and, remarkably, they show ferromagnetic-like interactions at low temperature and ferromagnetic ordering agreed well with the Bloch-law T3/2 at room-temperature. We further demonstrate the enlarged Mn 3s splitting (6.46 eV) and its possible relation to the observed ferromagnetism. Our study not only provide a strategy for further theoretical work on oxygen doped manganese nitrides, but also shed promising light on utilizing its room-temperature FM property to fabricate spintronic devices.

Room-temperature ferromagnetism in (Mn, N)-codoped TiO2 films grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

(Mn, N)-codoped TiO2 films have been fabricated by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies indicate the incorporation of both Mn and N ions into the TiO2 lattice but without Mn metal clusters. Ferromagnetism with clear hysteresis at 300 K is observed in (Mn, N)-codoped TiO2 films, whereas the films without nitrogen show paramagnetic behavior. It is demonstrated experimentally that the intentional nitrogen doping plays an important role in realizing dominant ferromagnetic ordering in Mn-doped TiO2 films.

Bloch-point-mediated magnetic antivortex core reversal triggered by sudden excitation of a suprathreshold spin-polarized current

We report on spin dynamics of single magnetic antivortices driven by sudden excitation of a spin-polarized direct current. Using micromagnetic simulations, we find that there is a critical current density where spin dynamics transition occurs. Above the critical value, the core is switched on a time scale of ∼200 ps through two Bloch points injection after fully suppressed by a quadruple-vortices array, not through the well-known process involving an antivortex-vortex pair creation and annihilation. As the current density decreases, the time required to switch the core increases. The state after full relaxation depends on the current density (the excitation parameter).

Surface reconstruction evolution and anatase formation in the process of oxidation of titanium nitride film

Titanium nitride film was grown on MgO(001) substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and then oxidized by oxygen plasma. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was employed to in situ monitor the process of growth and oxidation. After the TiN film was oxidized for a moment, spots among main streaks were observed in RHEED pattern, which should be attributed to the isolated surface reconstruction domains disorderedly distributing on flat surface. Subsequently, the spots gradually evolved to streaks so that more clear RHEED patterns of (2×1) surface reconstruction were observed. It was argued that the disordered and isolated reconstruction domains congregated to large domains or even perfect reconstruction surface with oxidation time evolving. After oxidation, a series of characterization methods were applied to study the TiO2 phase, which consistently confirmed that the phase of oxidized titanium nitride is anatase but not rutile.