Investigation of the morphotropic region in the Sr-doped lead hafnate-titanate solid solution Pb0.94Sr0.06Hf1-TixO3

Sr-doped lead hafnate titanate (PHT) oxides were synthesized by solid-state reaction and carefully studied in order to identify the reaction mechanisms. The reaction sequences in the formation of Sr-doped PbHfO₃, Sr-doped PbTiO}_{3 and Sr-doped PbHf_{1 - x}Ti_xO₃ were investigated using X-ray powder diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The Sr-doped PbHfO₃ oxide is mainly elaborated from the reaction between PbO and HfO₂, while Sr-doped PbTiO₃ oxide is formed from the reaction between Pb₃O₄ and TiO₂. The Sr-doped PbHf_1-xTi_xO₃ oxide is obtained from a solid-state reaction between Sr-doped PbHfO₃ and Sr-doped PbTiO₃ solid solutions. For x close to 0.5, tetragonal and rhombohedral ferroelectric phases coexist in a region commonly called the morphotropic region which presents the best dielectric and electromechanical properties. By means of X-ray powder diffraction, the boundaries of the morphotropic region in the (Pb_0.94Sr_0.06)Hf_1-xTi_xO₃ system have been determined for x ranging between 0.42 and 0.58. Finally, electrical and piezoelectric characterizations have been performed on Sr-doped PHT ceramics crystallizing in the morphotropic region. The compositional dependence of the electromechanical coupling factor (k_P), piezoelectric coefficients (d_{33 and g₃₃) and relative permittivity (_r) has been studied. An optimum composition has been determined as x equal to 0.51. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Deuterium NMR study of the MP-2269: albumin interaction — a step forward to the dynamics of non-covalent binding

MP-2269, the Gd(III) complex of 4-pcntylbicyclo[2.2.2] octane-l-carboxyl-di-L-aspartyl-lysinc-derived-DTPA, is a small Gd-agent that binds non-covalently to scrum albumin in vivo to assume the enhanced relaxivities associated with macromolecular agents, (due in part to increased rotational correlation time, τ_R). To further explore the fundamental parameters that govern the dynamics of water proton relaxation enhancement by this prototypical albumin-binding agent, the rotational correlation time (τ_R) for the deuterated La(III) analog of MP-2269 has been independently measured in the presence and absence of 4% albumin using²H-NMR approaches. The diamagnetic La(III) analog of MP-2269 was deuterated at the α-position of the carbonyl groups.²H-NMR studies were conducted at 7.05T (46 MHz) and 310°K on a Bruker NMR spectrometer. Spectral deconvolution permitted calculation of transverse relaxation rates, 1/T₂, from the NMR linewidths and subsequently, τ_R. The results yielded a τ_R of the albumin bound complex of ∼ 8 ns. This value is intermediate between those earlier estimated by¹⁷O-NMR (∼ 1 ns) and¹H-NMRD (∼ 20–50 ns) and significantly shorter than that of albumin. The²H-NMR study results also indicate that the exchange between free and albumin-bound forms of the La(III) analog is slow (exchange lifetimes > 1 ms). This slow exchange does not affect the water residence lifetimes (τ_M 140-280 ns).     

Improving Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase efficacy by additional mutations inside and outside the catalytic pocket

We describe a strategy that allowed us to confer on a bacterial (E. coli) alkaline phosphatase (AP) the high catalytic activity of the mammalian enzyme while maintaining its high thermostability. First, we identified mutations, at positions other than those occupied by essential catalytic residues, which inactivate the bacterial enzyme without destroying its overall conformation. We transferred concomitantly into the bacterial enzyme four residues of the mammalian enzyme, two being in the catalytic pocket and two being outside. Second, the gene encoding the inactive mutant was submitted to random mutagenesis. Enzyme activity was restored upon the single mutation D330N, at a position that is 12 A away from the center of the catalytic pocket. Third, this mutation was combined with other mutations previously reported to increase AP activity slightly in the presence of magnesium. As a result, at pH 10.0 the phosphatase activity of both mutants D330N/D153H and D330N/D153G was 17-fold higher than that of the wild-type AP. Strikingly, although the two individual mutations D153H and D153G destabilize the enzyme, the double mutant D330N/D153G remained highly stable (T(m)=87 degrees C). Moreover, when combining the phosphatase and transferase activities, the catalytic activity of the mutant D330N/D153G increased 40-fold (k(cat)=3200 s-1) relative to that of the wild-type enzyme (k(cat)=80 s-1). Due to the simultaneous increase in K(m), the resulting k(cat)/K(m) value was only increased by a factor of two. Therefore, a single mutation occurring outside a catalytic pocket can dramatically control not only the activity of an enzyme, but also its thermostability. Preliminary crystallographic data of a covalent D330N/D153G enzyme-phosphate complex show that the phosphate group has significantly moved away from the catalytic pocket, relative to its position in the structure of another mutant previously reported.     

A simple and fast TEM preparation method utilizing the pre-orientation in plate-like, needle-shaped and tubular materials

In order to observe anisotropically grown crystalline materials perpendicular to a certain preferred orientation, a standard cross-sectional TEM preparation method has been modified. The material is embedded in an organic epoxy resin between two Si-wafers. Plates, needles and tubes lay flat inside the resulting sandwich, which is then cut into slices perpendicular to the wafers. The slices are thinned by mechanical abrading and, finally, by ion milling. Crystals located near the central hole are electron-transparent, and their orientation often allows for an observation along the desired direction. The usefulness of this procedure is demonstrated on the examples of high-Tc superconductors and vanadium oxide nanotubes.     

Changes in goal selection induced by cue conflicts are in register with predictions from changes in place cell field locations.

In the cognitive mapping theory of hippocampal function, currently active place cells represent a rat's spatial location (J. O'Keefe & L. Nadel, 1978). A systematic shift of firing field locations should therefore produce a similar shift in a rat's judgment of its location. A. A. Fenton, G. Csizmadia, and R. U. Muller (2000a) recorded place cells in cylinders with 2 cue cards separated by 135°. When the separation was changed, firing fields moved systematically, as described by a vector-field equation (A. A. Fenton, G. Csizmadia, & R. U. Muller, 2000b). Given this cohesive movement of firing fields, the mapping theory predicts that a rat's decisions about the location of an unmarked goal should move after card separation changes, as described by the vector-field equation. The authors tested this reasoning with a task in which the rat earned a food reward by pausing in a small, unmarked goal zone. When cues were shifted in the absence of reward, goal choice shifts were accurately predicted by the vector-field equation, providing strong support for the notion that a rat's judgment of its spatial location is intimately related to the across-cell discharge pattern of simultaneously active place cells. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exact symbol error probability of m-psk for multihop transmission with regenerative relays

We determine the exact symbol error probability of M-ary phase shift keying (M-PSK) for multihop communication systems with regenerative relays, where the source terminal transmits data to the destination terminal via a set of intermediate relay stations, which perform hard decisions on the received symbols before forwarding them to their respective successor node. Both, time-invariant additive white Gaussian noise channels as well as frequency-flat fading channels are considered and we derive generic expressions, which might be easily evaluated numerically or even be given in closed-form for various cases.     

Decentralized enterprise systems: a multiplatform wireless sensor network approach

Massively deployed wireless sensor and actuator networks, co-existing with RFID technology, can bring clear benefits to large-scale enterprise systems, by delegating parts of the business functionality closer to the point of action. However, a major impediment in the integration process is represented by the variety of customized platforms and proprietary technologies. In this article, we present a three-layer, service-oriented architecture that accommodates different sensor platforms and exposes their functionality in a uniform way to the business application. Our work is motivated by real business cases from the oil and gas industry. In our implementation, we use three sensor platforms (particle, muNode, and Sindrion) integrated through the universal plug and play (UPnP) standard and incorporated into an enterprise software system. The practical tests and application trials confirm the feasibility of our solution but also reveal a number of challenges to be taken into account when deploying wireless sensor and actuator networks at industrial sites.     

Gas Sensing Interactions at Hydrogenated Diamond Surfaces

Hydrogenated diamond (HD) samples exhibit a p-type surface conductivity (SC) which is caused by transfer doping to an adsorbed liquid electrolyte layer. We report on gas sensing experiments showing that such samples selectively respond to NO₂ and NH₃ gases at room temperature. Successive substitution of H-terminated surface sites by O-termination ones causes an increase in both the sensor baseline resistance and the gas-induced resistance changes. Thermal desorption of the surface electrolyte layer, on the other hand, causes the sensor baseline resistance to increase and the gas sensing effect to disappear. Readsorption of the surface electrolyte reestablishes both the sensor baseline resistance and the gas sensing effect. Our results indicate that the gas sensing effect is caused by local pH-changes due to acid/base reactions of the adsorbed gas molecules in the surface electrolyte layer. It is argued that this dissociative gas sensing mechanism represents a valuable complement with regard to the established surface combustion mechanism that is operative on heated metal oxide surfaces.     

A regional investigation of urban land-use change for potential landslide hazard assessment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,People's Republic of China: Zigui to Wanzhou

The near-completion of the Three Gorges Dam has led to the creation of a narrow reservoir that, when completed in 2009, will stretch over 660 km upstream and result in the displacement of approximately 1.2 million people. This reservoir will drown more than 100 towns, some of which have already been lost due to the rising waters, and result in a significant change in land use. New urban areas have been constructed at higher elevations to avoid the rising water but it is feared that some of these settlements may now be exposed to a greater risk of landslides due to slope failure. A geographic information system (GIS) consisting of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), and Environmental Satellite-Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ENVISAT-ASAR) data has been created and used to monitor the urban changes from before the Dam's construction to the present day as well as changes in landslide susceptibility. To perform this analysis, a new 30 m high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) was derived by combining an ASTER and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM. Fieldwork was carried out along the Yangtze River, where the urban boundaries were field-checked using GPS to navigate to the satellite-derived checkpoints. The results show that a majority of the new urban areas are in fact located on shallow slopes, but are often positioned below steep slopes, which could pose a future threat of landslide risk to the inhabitants of the new towns.