RESUMEN
We investigate the role of antiferromagnetic spin clusters on the glassiness induced by uniform and random fields. We consider an antiferromagnetic disordered model that is treated within the replica method, resulting in an effective single-cluster problem. Our results show that regimes of weak and intermediate disorder are suitable for highly unusual phenomena. For the case of a uniform field, cluster polarization can favor a cluster spin-glass state, i.e. the magnetic field increases the freezing temperature at intermediate disorders. In addition, random fields introduce local perturbations that allow uncompensated cluster states, supporting cluster freezing even at very weak disorders. The theoretical framework presented here can be useful for the understanding of phenomena observed in magnetic glassy systems that have spin clusters as building blocks instead of individual spins. In particular, we suggest that our results can help to explain the magnetic behaviour of the rare earth TbIn0.99Mn0.01O3, which has been recently proposed to be composed of antiferromagnetic clusters, presenting a field-induced increase of the freezing temperature.
RESUMEN
The 1858T allele of the protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor 22 (PTPN22) gene has been associated to diabetes in different populations. We investigated a possible relationship between this polymorphism and type 1 diabetes in a cohort of Brazilian patients. A significantly higher frequency of the 1858T allele was observed in diabetic patients (n = 211) than in control individuals (n = 241). Additionally, the heterozygote genotype was also increased in the diabetic group. No association was observed between the PTPN22 T allele and gender, or between T carriers and age of onset of T1D. This work describes for the first time a strong association of the 1858T allele with type 1 diabetes in a Brazilian population, reinforcing the role of this variant as an important susceptibility factor for this disease.