In vivo1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy can detect metabolic changes in APP/PS1 mice after donepezil treatment

Background  

Donepezil improves cognitive functions in AD patients. Effects on the brain metabolites N-acetyl-L-aspartate, choline and myo-inositol levels have been reported in clinical studies using this drug. The APP/PS1 mouse coexpresses the mutated forms of human β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and mutated human presenilin 1 (PS1). Consequently, the APP/PS1 mouse model reflects important features of the neurochemical profile in humans. In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) was performed in fronto-parietal cortex and hippocampus (ctx/hipp) and in striatum (str). Metabolites were quantified using the LCModel and the final analysis was done using multivariate data analysis. The aim of this study was to investigate if multivariate data analysis could detect changes in the pattern of the metabolic profile after donepezil treatment.     

Dysregulation of Na+/K+ ATPase by amyloid in APP+PS1 transgenic mice

Background  

The pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is comprised of extracellular amyloid plaques, intracellular tau tangles, dystrophic neurites and neurodegeneration. The mechanisms by which these various pathological features arise are under intense investigation. Here, expanding upon pilot gene expression studies, we have further analyzed the relationship between Na+/K+ ATPase and amyloid using APP+PS1 transgenic mice, a model that develops amyloid plaques and memory deficits in the absence of tangle formation and neuronal or synaptic loss.     

Dielectric relaxation in complex perovskite oxide BaCo1/2W1/2O3

Polycrystalline BaCo_1/2W_1/2O₃ (BCW) is prepared by the solid-state reaction technique. The X-ray diffraction study of the compound at room temperature reveals the monoclinic phase. The field dependence of the dielectric constant and the conductivity are measured in the frequency range from 50 Hz to1 MHz and in the temperature range from 300 to 413 K. An analysis of the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric permittivity with frequency is performed. The frequency-dependent maxima in the imaginary impedance are found to obey an Arrhenius law with an activation energy=0.86 eV. The frequency-dependent electrical data are also analysed in the framework of the conductivity and modulus formalisms.     

Successive phase transitions in the highly ordered complex perovskite PbLu1/2Nb1/2O3

The structural phase transitions and the electrical behaviour of the complex perovskite PbLu_1/2Nb_1/2O₃ have been investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, dielectric constant measurements, differential scanning calorimetry and measurement of the polarisation as a function of applied electric field. The high-temperature paraelectric phase is highly ordered. A first-order paraelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition occurs at 270°C and an antiferroelectric-ferroelectric phase transition, characterised by dispersion in the curves of dielectric constant as a function of temperature, occurs at ≈ 30°C. The antiferroelectric phase is isostructural with the orthorhombic form of PbYb1/₂Nb1/₂O₃. The low-temperature ferroelectric phase also has an orthorhombic crystal structure.     

Crystal structures and phonon modes of Ba(Ca1/2W1/2)O3, Ba(Ca1/2Mo1/2)O3 and Ba(Sr1/2W1/2)O3 complex perovskites investigated by Raman scattering

This work investigates the crystal structures and phonon modes of Ba(Ca_1/2W_1/2)O₃, Ba(Ca_1/2Mo_1/2)O₃ and Ba(Sr_1/2W_1/2)O₃ perovskites by Raman spectroscopy. The samples were produced by conventional solid‐state processing at 1200 °C. X‐ray diffraction showed that single‐phase homogeneous materials were produced, which are cubic or pseudo‐cubic in symmetry. The existing controversies in the literature for these complex perovskites were investigated by comparing experimental Raman data with group‐theory analysis. Ceramics with Ca and W or Mo were found to be cubic, space group Fm3 m. For these materials, four Raman‐active bands were observed and the fitting parameters showed that the Ba(Ca_1/2Mo_1/2)O₃ ceramic presents bands at lower wavenumbers if compared with the Ba(Ca_1/2W_1/2)O₃ sample. For the Ba(Sr_1/2W_1/2)O₃ material, two hypotheses were investigated for monoclinic or triclinic structures. The experimental results showed 12 Raman‐active modes for this ceramic, which is in perfect agreement with the theoretical predictions for a monoclinic (I2/m) structure. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of dielectric and optical properties in PbIn1/2Nb1/2O3-PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 single crystals in an electric field

A study is reported of various modes of dc electric field application (0 < E < 3 kV/cm) on structural phase transformations and behavior of the phase boundary in [001]-oriented 30PbIn_1/2Nb_1/2O₃-37PbMg_1/3Nb_2/3O₃-33PbTiO₃ single crystals located close to the morphotropic phase boundary. Dielectric methods of investigation have been complemented for the first time with optical methods. It has been found that the number, symmetry, and stability of the phases formed in the field depend on the actual mode of field application. The E-T phase diagrams have been constructed for different field application modes. It has been shown that phase diagrams obtained for the same crystal are different for different field application modes.     

Bulk vs. surface effects in ARPES experiment from La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 thin films

Experiments directly probing the electronic states using angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) were carried out on La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ in order to elucidate its electronic properties. ARPES is a surface sensitive technique where bulk and surface states are usually both present. We present high-resolution ARPES studies in the (1 0 0) and (1 1 0) mirror planes and compare them with simulated ARPES based on GGA + U band structure calculations. In the (1 1 0) mirror plane we identify surface umklapps accounted by surface reconstruction which couple to bulk electronic states. As predicted by the simulated spectra there is additional spectral intensity at the Fermi level detected in ARPES data due to k_⊥-broadening effects in the photoemission final states. We demonstrate that this additional spectral intensity is a convenient spectral marker for determination of the k_F Fermi momenta.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathodes in lithium-ion and all-solid-state lithium batteries

Ionics - LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathodes have been prepared by a solid-state reaction process. The effects of calcination and post-annealing temperature on electrochemical performances were...     

First-principles study of the difference in permittivity between Ba(Mg1 / 3Ta2 / 3)O3 and Ba(Mg1 / 3Nb2 / 3)O3

This paper discusses the difference in permittivity at infrared frequencies between Ba(Mg_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃ (BMT) and Ba(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (BMN) based on a first-principles calculation. The permittivity, far-infrared and Raman spectra are successfully computed. Analysis of these results shows that the smaller amplitude of O in the low frequency mode E_u² (BMT), which is caused by the larger polarizability of Ta⁵⁺, is the origin of the smaller permittivity of BMT.     

Fitting of transport measurements in polycrystalline La2/3Ca1/3MnO3

Using a previous qualitative explanation to describe the transport properties of polycrystalline La_2/3Ca_1/3MnO₃ thick films, we achieved a good fit of the temperature dependence of the resistance R(T). Depending on the sample, we have observed different metal–insulator (MI) transitions while the magnetic behavior is always similar. Small regions of depleted T_c adjacent to the grain boundary could have an important resistance contribution without affecting the magnetic properties in an appreciable manner. In this work, we achieve a quantitative explanation for the different transport behaviors that we have observed experimentally.     

Optical and acoustic properties of 33PbIn1/2Nb1/2O3-35PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-32PbTiO3 single crystals in an electric field

The influence of different conditions of applying a dc electric field (0 < E < 4 kV/cm) on the behavior of optical transmission and on the acoustic parameters (sound velocity and attenuation) in the [001]- and [011]-oriented single crystals 33Pb(In_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃-35PbMg_1/3Nb_2/3O₃-32PbTiO₃ existing near the morphotropic phase boundary has been investigated. It has been found that the optical transmission, sound velocity, and attenuation sharply change near the phase transition in a narrow range of electric fields for any method of their applying. In the field applied along [001], the change in the sound velocity due to the phase transition is 1.5 times greater than that in the field applied along [011]. This is caused by a larger contribution of the piezoelectric effect to the elastic modulus determining the sound velocity along [001] as compared to [011]. It has been shown that the number, symmetry, and stability of the phases formed in the field depend on the conditions of applying the field.     

石墨/Li（Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3）O2电池充放电过程中电极材料的XRD研究

利用XRD系统地研究了石墨/Li（Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3）O₂ 18650型锂离子电池充放电过程中正负极活性材料的晶体结构和微结构的变化.已观测到,由于Li原子的脱嵌,使得LiMO₂点阵参数a缩小,c增大,微应变增大,衍射强度比I₁₀₄/I₁₀₁和I₀₁₂/I₁₀₁降低;此外,由于Li原子的嵌入,2H-石墨的点阵参数a和c,以及微应变ε和堆垛无序度P都增加.同时,讨论了活性材料Li（Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3）O₂和石墨在电池充放电过程中的嵌脱锂的物理机理.在充电时,正极Li（Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3）O₂中处于（000）位的Li原子优先脱离晶体点阵,继后才是位于（2/3 1/3 1/3）和（1/3 2/3 2/3）位的Li原子离开点阵.锂嵌入石墨,优先进入碳原子六方网格面间的间隙位置,当负极的堆垛无序度达到一定值后,3R相逐渐析出.当电池满充或过充时,在六方石墨中形成LiC₁₂和LiC₆相.放电时,与上述过程相反,但并非是完全可逆的. 关键词： 锂离子电池 微结构 X射线衍射 嵌脱锂物理机理     

Silver addition in thick films of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 perovskite

Thick films of La_2/3Ca_1/3MnO₃ with 10 wt% of silver are grown on single crystal SrTiO₃ by using the paint-on method. The electrical properties of the films are quite different compared to the pristine counterpart. The samples with silver addition exhibit a very low resistivity and the insulator to metal transition occurs at higher temperature (270 K) than the undoped samples. The resistance versus temperature dependence in these films is very sharp and the magnetoresistance ratio is restricted to a narrow temperature range, close to the electric transition for both cases. The improved properties of the thick films are associated with the improvement of the connectivity between the grains, although microstructural effects are not ruled out.     

Effect of electric field on the smeared phase transition in crystals PbIn1/2Nb1/2O3-28PbTiO3 and PbIn1/2Nb1/2O3-37PbTiO3

The effect of a direct-current electric field (0 < E < 3 kV/cm) on the smearing of the phase transition and the Curie-Weiss exponent (γ) for two PbIn_1/2Nb_1/2O₃-28PbTiO₃ and PbIn_1/2Nb_1/2O₃-37PbTiO₃ crystals lying at different distances from the morphotropic phase boundary has been investigated. The universal Curie-Weiss law has been used to approximate the temperature dependences of the dielectric permittivity. It has been shown that the more remote is the crystal from the morphotropic phase boundary, the larger is the exponent γ and, consequently, the more smeared is the phase transition (in the zero field, γ = 1.67 and 1.49 for PbIn_1/2Nb_1/2O₃-28PbTiO₃ and PbIn_1/2Nb_1/2O₃-37PbTiO₃, respectively). It has been found that a weak electric field (no greater than 2–3 kV/cm) in the case of the more smeared phase transition almost does not affect the Curie-Weiss exponent, whereas for the PbIn_1/2Nb_1/2O₃-37PbTiO₃ crystal, this exponent decreases with increasing electric field strength and approaches γ = 1, which is characteristic of the conventional ferroelectric.     

Relativistic calculations of 3s2 1S0-3s3p 1P1 and 3s2 1S0-3s3p 3P1,2 transition probabilities in the Mg isoelectronic sequence

Using the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock self-consistent field method and the relativistic configuration-interaction method,calculations of transition energies,oscillator strengths and rates are performed for the 3s 2 1 S 0-3s3p 1 P 1 spinallowed transition,3s 2 1 S 0-3s3p 3 P 1,2 intercombination and magnetic quadrupole transition in the Mg isoelectronic sequence(Mg I,Al II,Si III,P IV and S V).Electron correlations are treated adequately,including intravalence electron correlations.The influence of the Breit interaction on oscillator strengths and transition energies are investigated.Quantum electrodynamics corrections are added as corrections.The calculation results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data and other theoretical calculations.     

Magnetic and electronic structure studies of the perovskite oxide Nd2/3Sr1/3MnO3 from the first principle calculation

Generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + U (U denotes on-site Coulomb interactions) methods are applied to investigate the magnetic and electronic structures of the perovskite oxide Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃. Under GGA the compound prefers ferrimagnetic ordering in which Nd sublattice is spin-antiparallel to Mn sublattice. Nd 4f states cross over the Fermi level under GGA, leading the ferrimagnetic Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ to a metallic character. The on-site Coulomb interactions should be included to emphasize the localized feature of Nd 4f states. Under GGA + U, the spins of Nd and Mn sublattices tend to be parallel in the ground state, and fully spin-polarized Mn 3d electrons yield a half-metallic band structure for the ferromagnetic Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃. The ferromagnetic coupling between Nd and Mn sublattices is ascribed to the super-exchange interaction between Nd 4f and Mn 3d (t2g) electrons via O 2p electrons.     

Electron spin resonance analysis of magnetic structures in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3

Measurements of electron spin resonance (ESR) of La_2/3Ca_1/3MnO₃ (LCMO) in the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases were carried out. Phase transition and temperature dependence of the peak-to-peak ESR linewidth were determined. The transition temperature between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases was observed at 265 K. A prominent increase of the peak-to-peak linewidth with decreasing temperature below T_c was observed. Using the dynamic scale theory and block spin transformation in critical phenomenon, the quantitative calculation of peak-to-peak linewidth at near T_c was made, which was in good agreement with the experimental data. It was believed that the long interactions between the ferromagnetic microregions for LCMO played a key role in determining the ESR linewidth.