0000000000179527

AUTHOR

Xueying Zhang

Large Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and room-temperature nanoscale skyrmions in CoFeB/MgO heterostructures

Summary Magnetic skyrmions in heavy metal (HM)/CoFeB/MgO structures are of particular interest for skyrmion-based magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices because of their reliable generation, stability, and readout through purely electrical methods. To optimize the properties, such as stability, a strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is required at room temperature. Here, using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that huge DMI can be obtained in Ir/CoFe structures with an Fe-terminated configuration. Moreover, Brillouin light-scattering measurements show that indeed Ta/Ir/Co20Fe60B20/MgO thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy exhibit a large DMI value (1.13 mJ/…

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Enhancing domain wall velocity through interface intermixing in W-CoFeB-MgO films with perpendicular anisotropy

We study the influence of He+ irradiation induced interface intermixing on magnetic domain wall (DW) dynamics in W-CoFeB (0.6 nm)-MgO ultrathin films, which exhibit high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and large Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) values. Whereas the pristine films exhibit strong DW pinning, we observe a large increase in the DW velocity in the creep regime upon He+ irradiation, which is attributed to the reduction of pinning centers induced by interface intermixing. Asymmetric in-plane field-driven domain expansion experiments show that the DMI value is slightly reduced upon irradiation, and a direct relationship between DMI and interface anisotropy is demonstrated. …

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Spin–orbit torque driven multi-level switching in He + irradiated W–CoFeB–MgO Hall bars with perpendicular anisotropy

We have investigated the spin–orbit torque-driven magnetization switching in W/CoFeB/MgO Hall bars with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. He+ ion irradiation through a mask has been used to reduce locally the effective perpendicular anisotropy at a Hall cross. Anomalous Hall effect measurements combined with Kerr microscopy indicate that the switching process is dominated by domain wall (DW) nucleation in the irradiated region followed by rapid domain propagation at a current density as low as 0.8 MA/cm2 with an assisting in-plane magnetic field. Thanks to the implemented strong pinning of the DW at the transition between the irradiated and the non-irradiated region, an intermediate Hall r…

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Daily energy expenditure through the human life course

Total daily energy expenditure (“total expenditure”, MJ/d) reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology, yet it is unclear how daily expenditure changes over the life course. Here, we analyze a large, globally diverse database of total expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method for males and females aged 8 days to 95 yr. We show that total expenditure is strongly related to fat free mass in a power-law manner and identify four distinct metabolic life stages. Fat free mass-adjusted daily expenditure accelerates rapidly in neonates (0-1yr) to ~46% above adult values at ~1 yr, declines slowly throughout childhood and adolescence (1-20 yr) t…

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Variability in energy expenditure is much greater in males than females

In mammals, trait variation is often reported to be greater among males than females. However, to date, mainly only morphological traits have been studied. Energy expenditure represents the metabolic costs of multiple physical, physiological, and behavioral traits. Energy expenditure could exhibit particularly high greater male variation through a cumulative effect if those traits mostly exhibit greater male variation, or a lack of greater male variation if many of them do not. Sex differences in energy expenditure variation have been little explored. We analyzed a large database on energy expenditure in adult humans (1494 males and 3108 females) to investigate whether humans have evolved s…

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Variation in human water turnover associated with environmental and lifestyle factors

Water is essential for survival, but one in three individuals worldwide (2.2 billion people) lacks access to safe drinking water. Water intake requirements largely reflect water turnover (WT), the water used by the body each day. We investigated the determinants of human WT in 5604 people from the ages of 8 days to 96 years from 23 countries using isotope-tracking ( 2 H) methods. Age, body size, and composition were significantly associated with WT, as were physical activity, athletic status, pregnancy, socioeconomic status, and environmental characteristics (latitude, altitude, air temperature, and humidity). People who lived in countries with a low human development index (HDI) had highe…

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Physical activity and fat-free mass during growth and in later life.

ABSTRACT Background Physical activity may be a way to increase and maintain fat-free mass (FFM) in later life, similar to the prevention of fractures by increasing peak bone mass. Objectives A study is presented of the association between FFM and physical activity in relation to age. Methods In a cross-sectional study, FFM was analyzed in relation to physical activity in a large participant group as compiled in the International Atomic Energy Agency Doubly Labeled Water database. The database included 2000 participants, age 3–96 y, with measurements of total energy expenditure (TEE) and resting energy expenditure (REE) to allow calculation of physical activity level (PAL = TEE/REE), and cal…

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Energy compensation and adiposity in humans

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors Understanding the impacts of activity on energy balance is crucial. Increasing levels of activity may bring diminishing returns in energy expenditure because of compensatory responses in non-activity energy expenditures.1–3 This suggestion has profound implications for both the evolution of metabolism and human health. It implies that a long-term increase in activity does not directly translate into an increase in total energy expenditure (TEE) because other components of TEE may decrease in response—energy compensation. We used the largest dataset compiled on adult TEE and basal energy expenditure (BEE) (n = 1,754) of people living normal lives to fi…

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A standard calculation methodology for human doubly labeled water studies.

Summary The doubly labeled water (DLW) method measures total energy expenditure (TEE) in free-living subjects. Several equations are used to convert isotopic data into TEE. Using the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) DLW database (5,756 measurements of adults and children), we show considerable variability is introduced by different equations. The estimated rCO2 is sensitive to the dilution space ratio (DSR) of the two isotopes. Based on performance in validation studies, we propose a new equation based on a new estimate of the mean DSR. The DSR is lower at low body masses (<10 kg). Using data for 1,021 babies and infants, we show that the DSR varies non-linearly with body mass betw…

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