4,896 research outputs found
Nonpolar resistive switching in Cu/SiC/Au non-volatile resistive memory devices
Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) based resistive memory (RM) Cu/a-SiC/Au devices were fabricated and their resistive switching characteristics investigated. All four possible modes of nonpolar resistive switching were achieved with ON/OFF ratio in the range 10 6-10 8. Detailed current-voltage I-V characteristics analysis suggests that the conduction mechanism in low resistance state is due to the formation of metallic filaments. Schottky emission is proven to be the dominant conduction mechanism in high resistance state which results from the Schottky contacts between the metal electrodes and SiC. ON/OFF ratios exceeding 10 7 over 10 years were also predicted from state retention characterizations. These results suggest promising application potentials for Cu/a-SiC/Au RM
Scanning electrochemical microscopy as a local probe of oxygen permeability in cartilage
The use of scanning electrochemical microscopy, a high-resolution chemical imaging technique, to probe the distribution and mobility of solutes in articular cartilage is described. In this application, a mobile ultramicroelectrode is positioned close (not, vert, similar1 μm) to the cartilage sample surface, which has been equilibrated in a bathing solution containing the solute of interest. The solute is electrolyzed at a diffusion-limited rate, and the current response measured as the ultramicroelectrode is scanned across the sample surface. The topography of the samples was determined using Ru(CN)64−, a solute to which the cartilage matrix was impermeable. This revealed a number of pit-like depressions corresponding to the distribution of chondrocytes, which were also observed by atomic force and light microscopy. Subsequent imaging of the same area of the cartilage sample for the diffusion-limited reduction of oxygen indicated enhanced, but heterogeneous, permeability of oxygen across the cartilage surface. In particular, areas of high permeability were observed in the cellular and pericellular regions. This is the first time that inhomogeneities in the permeability of cartilage toward simple solutes, such as oxygen, have been observed on a micrometer scale
Nano-Size Layered Manganese-Calcium Oxide as an Efficient and Biomimetic Catalyst for Water Oxidation Under Acidic Conditions: Comparable To Platinum
Inspired by Nature's catalyst, a nano-size layered manganese-calcium oxide showed a low overvoltage for water oxidation in acidic solutions, which is comparable to platinum.Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences and the National Elite FoundationUS Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical, Geochemical and Biological Sciences DE-FG02-86ER13622, DE-FG0209ER16119Russian Foundation for Basic Research 11-04-01389a, 12-0492101a, 13-04-92711aMolecular and Cell Biology Programs of the Russian Academy of SciencesCenter for Electrochemistr
Time-Resolved Imaging Reveals Heterogeneous Landscapes of Nanomolar Ca(2+) in Neurons and Astroglia
Maintaining low intracellular calcium is essential to the functioning of brain cells, yet the phenomenology and mechanisms involved remain an enigma. We have advanced a two-photon excitation time-resolved imaging technique, which exploits high sensitivity of the OGB-1 fluorescence lifetime to nanomolar Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]) and enables a high data acquisition rate in situ. The [Ca(2+)] readout is not affected by dye concentration, light scattering, photobleaching, micro-viscosity, temperature, or the main known concomitants of cellular activity. In quiescent tissue, standard whole-cell configuration has little effect on resting [Ca(2+)] inside neuronal dendrites or inside astroglia dye-filled via gap junctions. Mapping basal [Ca(2+)] in neurons and astrocytes with submicron resolution unveils heterogeneous concentration landscapes that depend on age and preceding activity. The rich information content represented by such landscapes in acute slices and in vivo promises to unveil the hitherto unexplored, potentially fundamental aspects of brain cell physiology. VIDEO ABSTRACT
Rubidium in Metal-Deficient Disk and Halo Stars
We report the first extensive study of stellar Rb abundances. High-resolution
spectra have been used to determine, or set upper limits on, the abundances of
this heavy element and the associated elements Y, Zr, and Ba in 44 dwarfs and
giants with metallicities spanning the range -2.0 <[Fe/H] < 0.0. In
metal-deficient stars Rb is systematically overabundant relative to Fe; we find
an average [Rb/Fe] of +0.21 for the 32 stars with [Fe/H] < -0.5 and measured
Rb. This behavior contrasts with that of Y, Zr, and Ba, which, with the
exception of three new CH stars (HD 23439A and B and BD +5 3640), are
consistently slightly deficient relative to Fe in the same stars; excluding the
three CH stars, we find the stars with [Fe/H] < -0.5 have average [Y/Fe],
[Zr/Fe], and [Ba/Fe] of --0.19 (24 stars), --0.12 (28 stars), and --0.06 (29
stars), respectively. The different behavior of Rb on the one hand and Y, Zr,
and Ba on the other can be attributed in part to the fact that in the Sun and
in these stars Rb has a large r-process component while Y, Zr, and Ba are
mostly s-process elements with only small r-process components. In addition,
the Rb s-process abundance is dependent on the neutron density at the
s-processing site. Published observations of Rb in s-process enriched red
giants indicate a higher neutron density in the metal-poor giants. These
observations imply a higher s-process abundance for Rb in metal-poor stars. The
calculated combination of the Rb r-process abundance, as estimated for the
stellar Eu abundances, and the s-process abundance as estimated for red giants
accounts satisfactorily for the observed run of [Rb/Fe] with [Fe/H].Comment: 23 pages, 5 tables, 7 figure
A detailed spectropolarimetric analysis of the planet hosting star WASP-12
The knowledge of accurate stellar parameters is paramount in several fields
of stellar astrophysics, particularly in the study of extrasolar planets, where
often the star is the only visible component and therefore used to infer the
planet's fundamental parameters. Another important aspect of the analysis of
planetary systems is the stellar activity and the possible star-planet
interaction. Here we present a self-consistent abundance analysis of the planet
hosting star WASP-12 and a high-precision search for a structured stellar
magnetic field on the basis of spectropolarimetric observations obtained with
the ESPaDOnS spectropolarimeter. Our results show that the star does not have a
structured magnetic field, and that the obtained fundamental parameters are in
good agreement with what was previously published. In addition we derive
improved constraints on the stellar age (1.0-2.65 Gyr), mass (1.23-1.49 M/M0),
and distance (295-465 pc). WASP-12 is an ideal object to look for pollution
signatures in the stellar atmosphere. We analyse the WASP-12 abundances as a
function of the condensation temperature and compare them with those published
by several other authors on planet hosting and non-planet hosting stars. We
find hints of atmospheric pollution in WASP-12's photosphere, but are unable to
reach firm conclusions with our present data. We conclude that a differential
analysis based on WASP-12 twins will probably clarify if an atmospheric
pollution is present, the nature of this pollution and its implications in the
planet formation and evolution. We attempt also the direct detection of the
circumstellar disk through infrared excess, but without success.Comment: 49 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication on Ap
Features of spatial distribution of oscillations in faculae regions
We found that oscillations of LOS velocity in H-alpha are different for
various parts of faculae regions. Power spectra show that the contribution of
low-frequency modes (1.2 - 2 mHz) increase at the network boundaries. Three and
five- minute periods dominate inside cells. The spectra of photosphere and
chromosphere LOS velocity oscillations differ for most faculae. On the other
hand, we detected several cases where propagating oscillations in faculae were
manifest with a five-minute period. Their initiation point on spatial-temporal
diagrams coincided with the local maximum of the longitudinal magnetic field.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
- …