Pnictogens Allotropy and Phase Transformation during van der Waals Growth

Pnictogens have multiple allotropic forms resulting from their ns2 np3 valence electronic configuration, making them the only elemental materials to crystallize in layered van der Waals (vdW) and quasi-vdW structures throughout the group. Light group VA elements are found in the layered orthorhombic A17 phase such as black phosphorus, and can transition to the layered rhombohedral A7 phase at high pressure. On the other hand, bulk heavier elements are only stable in the A7 phase. Herein, we demonstrate that these two phases not only co-exist during the vdW growth of antimony on weakly interacting surfaces, but also undertake a spontaneous transformation from the A17 phase to the thermodynamically stable A7 phase. This metastability of the A17 phase is revealed by real-time studies unraveling its thickness-driven transition to the A7 phase and the concomitant evolution of its electronic properties. At a critical thickness of ~4 nm, A17 antimony undergoes a diffusionless shuffle transition from AB to AA stacked alpha-antimonene followed by a gradual relaxation to the A7 bulk-like phase. Furthermore, the electronic structure of this intermediate phase is found to be determined by surface self-passivation and the associated competition between A7- and A17-like bonding in the bulk. These results highlight the critical role of the atomic structure and interfacial interactions in shaping the stability and electronic characteristics of vdW layered materials, thus enabling a new degree of freedom to engineer their properties using scalable processes

Density-functional investigation of the rhombohedral to simple cubic phase transition of arsenic

We report on our investigation of the crystal structure of arsenic under compression, focusing primarily on the pressure-induced A7 to simple cubic (sc) phase transition. The two-atom rhombohedral unit cell is subjected to pressures ranging from 0 GPa to 200 GPa; for each given pressure, cell lengths and angles, as well as atomic positions, are allowed to vary until the fully relaxed structure is obtained. We find that the nearest and next-nearest neighbor distances give the clearest indication of the occurrence of a structural phase transition. Calculations are performed using the local density approximation (LDA) and the PBE and PW91 generalized gradient approximations (GGA-PBE and GGA-PW91) for the exchange-correlation functional. The A7 to sc transition is found to occur at 21+/-1 GPa in the LDA, at 28+/-1 GPa in the GGA-PBE and at 29+/-1 GPa in the GGA-PW91; no volume discontinuity is observed across the transition in any of the three cases. We use k-point grids as dense as 66X66X66 to enable us to present reliably converged results for the A7 to sc transition of arsenic.Comment: To be published in Physical Review B; material supplementary to this article is available at arXiv:0810.169

Effect of pressure on the Raman modes of antimony

The effect of pressure on the zone-center optical phonon modes of antimony in the A7 structure has been investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The A_g and E_g frequencies exhibit a pronounced softening with increasing pressure, the effect being related to a gradual suppression of the Peierls-like distortion of the A7 phase relative to a cubic primitive lattice. Also, both Raman modes broaden significantly under pressure. Spectra taken at low temperature indicate that the broadening is at least partly caused by phonon-phonon interactions. We also report results of ab initio frozen-phonon calculations of the A_g and E_g mode frequencies. Presence of strong anharmonicity is clearly apparent in calculated total energy versus atom displacement relations. Pronounced nonlinearities in the force versus displacement relations are observed. Structural instabilities of the Sb-A7 phase are briefly addressed in the Appendix.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Calcium signalling mediated through a7 and non-a7 nAChR stimulation is differentially regulated in bovine chromaffin cells to induce catecholamine release

Producción CientíficaCa2+ signalling and exocytosis mediated by nicotinic receptor (nAChR) subtypes, especially the a7 nAChR, in bovine chromaffin cells are still matters of debate.We have used chromaffin cell cultures loaded with Fluo-4 or transfected with aequorins directed to the cytosol or mitochondria, several nAChR agonists (nicotine, 5-iodo-A-85380, PNU282987 and choline), and the a7 nAChR allosteric modulator PNU120596. Minimal [Ca2+]c transients, induced by low concentrations of selective a7 nAChR agonists and nicotine, were markedly increased by the a7 nAChR allosteric modulator PNU120596. These potentiated responses were completely blocked by the a7 nAChR antagonist a-bungarotoxin (a7-modulated-response). Conversely, high concentrations of the a7 nAChR agonists, nicotine or 5-iodo-A-85380 induced larger [Ca2+]c transients, that were blocked by mecamylamine but were unaffected by a-bungarotoxin (non-a7 response). [Ca2+]c increases mediated by a7 nAChR were related to Ca2+ entry through non-L-type Ca2+ channels, whereas non-a7 nAChR-mediated signals were related to L-type Ca2+ channels; Ca2+-induced Ca2+-release contributed to both responses. Mitochondrial involvement in the control of [Ca2+]c transients, mediated by either receptor, was minimal. Catecholamine release coupled to a7 nAChRs was more efficient in terms of catecholamine released/[Ca2+]c.2015-09-1

Session A7- Research

Improperly designed road crossings act as barriers to movement of aquatic organisms and can depress local abundance and reduce local species richness, with potential impacts on population viability and biotic diversity. However, because abundance and richness are highly spatially and temporally heterogeneous and the relative importance of immigration on demography is uncertain, population and community-level effects can be difficult to detect. In this study we tested the effects of barriers to upstream movements on the local abundance and species richness of a diverse assemblage of resident stream fishes in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia, USA. Fishes were sampled using simple standard techniques above- and below- road crossings that were either likely or unlikely to be barriers to upstream fish movements (based on physical dimensions of the crossing). We predicted that abundance of resident fishes would be lower in the upstream sections of streams with predicted impassable barriers, that the strength of the effect would vary among species, and that these variable effects on abundance would translate into lower species richness. Supporting these predictions, stream sections located above predicted impassable culverts had fewer than half the number of species and less than half the total fish abundance, while stream sections above and below passable culverts had essentially equivalent richness and abundance. Our results are consistent with the importance of immigration and population connectivity to local abundance and species richness of stream fishes. In tum, these results suggest that when measured at appropriate scales (multiple streams within watersheds), with simple protocols amenable to use by management agencies, differences in local abundance and species richness may serve as indicators of the extent to which road crossings are barriers to fish movement, and help determine whether road crossing improvements have restored connectivity to stream fish populations and communities

Hub flexibility effects on propfan vibration

The significance of hub flexibility in the nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of advanced turboprop blades is assessed. The chosen blade is the 0.175 scale model of the GE-A7-B4 unducted fan blade. A procedure for coupling the effective hub stiffness matrix to an MSC/NASTRAN finite element model is defined and verified. A series of nonlinear static and dynamic analyses are conducted on the blade for both rigid and flexible hug configurations. Results indicate that hub flexibility is significant in the nonlinear static and dynamic analyses of the GE-A7-B4. In order to insure accuracy in analyses of other blades, hub flexibility should always be considered

The effect of thyroid hormone on the expression of A7 myosin heavy chain mRNA in xenopus laevis

It has long been known that thyroid hormone (TH) is responsible for metamorphosis in tadpoles. It is also known that A7 MHC, an adult muscle isoform, is expressed in adult Xenopus laevis frogs, but not in larvae. Furthermore, the appearance of A7 corresponds with the onset of metamorphosis. The present study investigated the relationship between TH and the expression of A7 MHC mRNA in Xenopus laevis. Isolated tails in culture and 6-n-propyl 2-thiouracil (PTU) treated tails were treated with TH and the presence of A7 mRNA analyzed with in-situ hybridization, and RT-PCR. It was found that TH caused substantial regression of tails. It was also found that A7 was expressed in tails treated with TH and was located primarily in a region rich in slow twitch fibers near the base of the tadpole tail. Finally, A7 is also expressed in PTU treated tadpoles, which suggests a novel mechanism is involved