On the decomposition of λK into regular tournaments of order 5

An RTD[5,λ; v] is a decomposition of the complete symmetric directed multigraph, denoted by λK, into regular tournaments of order 5. In this article we show that an RTD[5,λ; v] exists if and only if (v?1)λ ≡ 0 (mod 2) and v(v?1)λ ≡ 0 (mod 10), except for the impossible case (v,λ) = (15,1). Furthermore, we show that for each v ≡ 1,5 (mod 20), v ≠ 5, there exists a B[5,2; v] which is not RT₅-directable. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Survey of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in teas and herbal teas on the Swiss market using HPLC-MS/MS

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a large class of natural compounds amongst which the esterified 1,2-unsaturated necine base is toxic for humans and livestock. In the present study, a method was developed and validated for the screening and quantification of nine PAs and one PA N-oxide in teas (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) and herbal teas (camomile, fennel, linden, mint, rooibos, verbena). Samples were analysed by HPLC on a RP-column, packed with sub-2 μm core-shell particles, and quantified using tandem mass spectrometry operating in the positive electrospray ionisation mode. These PAs and some of their isomers were detected in a majority of the analysed beverages (50/70 samples). In 24 samples, PA concentrations were above the limit of quantification and the sum of the nine targeted PAs was between 0.021 and 0.954 μg per cup of tea. Thus, in some cases, total concentrations exceed the maximum daily intake recommended by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the UK’s Committee On Toxicity (i.e. 0.007 μg kg^?1 bw). Graphical Abstract

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Effect of pressure on magnetoelastic coupling in 3d metal alloys studied with x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we have studied the effect of pressure on femtometer-scale bond strain due to anisotropic magnetostriction in a thin FeCo film. At 7 GPa local magnetostrictive strain is found to be larger than at ambient, in agreement with spin-polarized ab initio electronic structure calculations, but contrary to the expected effect of compression on bond stiffness. The availability of high pressure data on local magnetostrictive strain opens new capabilities for validating theoretical predictions and can lead to the development of materials with the desired properties.     

On-line laser heating setup for ED-XAS at ID24: preliminary optical design and test results

Double-sided laser heating (LH) combined with synchrotron X-ray radiation for in situ studies in the diamond anvil cell (DAC) has been the most productive and widely used high-temperature–high pressure technique in the past two decades. In the framework of the UPBL11 project (upgrade of ID24 beamline of European Synchrotron Radiation Facility), we developed a new on-line LH system for DACs. The preliminary optical scheme of the system is presented and discussed. Varying the settings, we are able to shape and to size the beam on the surface of the sample in the DAC. First pilot applications to the Fe case are shown.     

A Family of Antipodal Distance-Regular Graphs Related to the Classical Preparata Codes

A new family of distance-regular graphs is constructed. They are antipodal 2^2t–1-fold covers of the complete graph on 2^2t vertices. The automorphism groups are determined, and the extended Preparata codes are reconstructed using walks on these graphs.There are connections to other interesting structures: the graphs are equivalent to certain generalized Hadamard matrices; and their underlying 3-class association scheme is formally dual to the scheme of a system of linked symmetric designs obtained from Kerdock sets of skew matrices in characteristic two.     

A new strongly regular graph

A combinatorial construction is given of a strongly regular graph with parameters (v, k, λ, μ) = (280, 117, 44, 52) which was previously unknown.     

Theory of magnetic multilayers. Exchange interactions and transport properties

The temperature dependence of the local magnetization in the spin-wave regime is discussed and it is shown that it can be used as a sensitive probe of local exchange interactions in magnetic surfaces and overlayers. The present status of the theory of oscillatory exchange interactions through transition and noble metal spacer layers is reviewed. The theory of the giant magnetoresistance observed recently in some antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers is also discussed. It is shown that both the oscillatory exchange and giant magnetoresistance effects can be understood in terms of different distributions of up and down spin d holes in different parts of the layer structure. The total energy and hence the exchange coupling is determined directly by the d band owing to its high density of states and the transport properties more indirectly through the Mott mechanism in which conduction electrons scatter into d band.     

Nano-polycrystalline diamond anvils: key devices for XAS at extreme conditions: their use,scientific impact,present status and future needs

ABSTRACT

Nano-polycrystalline diamonds (NPDs) have become fundamental tools for cutting-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies at high P/T conditions that opened up new research directions by overcoming previous limitations. Indeed, NPDs yield a continuous and weak X-ray background signal which enables the collection of high-quality XAS data of materials compressed in diamond anvil cells. This is a critical advantage over the classically used single-crystal diamonds that generate strong parasitic signals (glitches) which render the analysis of XAS data in many cases impossible. In this contribution we give an overview of the impact and the scientific opportunities that NPDs opened up for extreme condition XAS spectroscopy at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and discuss future needs.     

Spin-wave impurity states in metallic ferromagnets

It is shown that spin waves in dilute ferromagnetic transition metal alloys can be described in terms of effective matrix-matrix and impurity-matrix exchange integrals. Such a parametrization is exact within the random phase approximation for long-wavelength spin waves. The effective impurity-matrix exchange integral is determined in the tight-binding approximation in terms of the impurity potential and local density of states. The present theory is applied qualitatively to NiFe alloys.     

Overlarge sets and partial geometries

We extend our earlier work on overlarge sets of Fano planes, obtaining three results of particular interest. We find seven new partial geometries pg(8,7,4) and nine new strongly regular graphs, by means of switching cliques of points with spreads of lines. One of these new strongly regular graphs supports four different partial geometries. Then we give a new construction of the recently discovered eightfold cover of the complete graph K₁₆.Supported by NSERC grant OGP0008651Supported by ARC grant A49130102 and an Australian Senior Research Fellowship