Phase Stability of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia with Dissolved Cerium and Neptunium Oxides Under Oxidizing and Reducing Atmospheres

Phase stability and effects of sintering atmosphere on the crystalline structure of Np-doped yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were evaluated in comparison with those same properties and conditions for Ce-doped YSZ. Different sintering atmospheres for Ce-doped YSZ led to differences in phase formation through reduction of the dopant from Ce⁴⁺ to Ce³⁺. On the other hand, YSZ specimens containing up to 40 mol% Np formed only a fluorite-structure phase regardless of sintering atmosphere. Yttria-stabilized zirconia thus seems to accommodate Np within a wide range of concentrations and to have excellent phase stability under both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres.     

Temperature-induced changes of the electrical and mechanical properties of aerosol-deposited BaTiO3 thick films for energy storage applications

Aerosol deposition (AD) is a room-temperature film deposition method for the fabrication of scalable ferroelectric ceramic films on different substrates, which is particularly appealing for thick film energy storage applications. However, the electrical and mechanical properties of AD ferroelectric films are not yet satisfactorily understood. Here, we report the dielectric, energy storage, and mechanical properties of aerosol-deposited BaTiO₃ (AD-BT) thick films with nanosized grains by combining macroscopic electric measurements with indentation tests. We find that thermal annealing is an effective way to improve dielectric permittivity and polarization of the AD-BT film, as well as to increase the hardness and Young's modulus of the film. However, crack formation in the annealed AD-BT film is promoted in comparison to the as-processed sample, suggesting that the interplay between the nanosized grains and release of the internal stress during annealing may have major consequences for the mechanical properties and hence should be taken into consideration in application.     

CHERP Regulates the Alternative Splicing of pre-mRNAs in the Nucleus

Calcium homeostasis endoplasmic reticulum protein (CHERP) is colocalized with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) in the endoplasmic reticulum or perinuclear region, and has been involved in intracellular calcium signaling. Structurally, CHERP carries the nuclear localization signal and arginine/serine-dipeptide repeats, like domain, and interacts with the spliceosome. However, the exact function of CHERP in the nucleus remains unknown. Here, we showed that poly(A)⁺ RNAs accumulated in the nucleus of CHERP-depleted U2OS cells. Our global analysis revealed that CHERP regulated alternative mRNA splicing events by interaction with U2 small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (U2 snRNPs) and U2 snRNP-related proteins. Among the five alternative splicing patterns analyzed, intron retention was the most frequently observed event. This was in accordance with the accumulation of poly(A)⁺ RNAs in the nucleus. Furthermore, intron retention and cassette exon choices were influenced by the strength of the 5′ or 3′ splice site, the branch point site, GC content, and intron length. In addition, CHERP depletion induced anomalies in the cell cycle progression into the M phase, and abnormal cell division. These results suggested that CHERP is involved in the regulation of alternative splicing.     

Ruthenium complex-catalyzed hydroformylation of alkenes with carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide can be used as a reactant for the hydroformylation of alkenes. The ruthenium complexes derived from H₄Ru₄(CO)₁₂ and LiCl effectively catalyze the hydroformylation of cyclohexene with CO₂ to give hydroxymethylcyclohexane with a yield of 88%.