97 research outputs found
The Antiferroelectric ↔ Ferroelectric Phase Transition in Lead-Containing and Lead-Free Perovskite Ceramics
A comprehensive review on the latest development of the antiferroelectric ferroelectric phase transition is presented. The abrupt volume expansion and sudden development of polarization at the phase transition has been extensively investigated in PbZrO3-based perovskite ceramics. New research developments in these compositions, including the incommensurate domain structure, the auxetic behavior under electric fields in the induced ferroelectric phase, the ferroelastic behavior of the multicell cubic phase, the impact of radial compression, the unexpected electric field-induced ferroelectric-to-antiferroelectric transition, and the phase transition mechanical toughening effect have been summarized. Due to their significance to lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, compounds with antiferroelectric phases, including NaNbO3, AgNbO3, and (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3, are also critically reviewed. Focus has been placed on the (Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–BaTiO3 solid solution where the electric field-induced ferroelectric phase remains even after the applied field is removed at room temperature. Therefore, the electric field-induced antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition is a key to the poling process to develop piezoelectricity in morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) compositions. The competing phase transition and domain switching processes in 0.93(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3–0.07BaTiO3 are directly imaged with nanometer resolution using the unique in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique
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Phenotypic transition of microglia into astrocyte-like cells associated with disease onset in a model of inherited ALS
Microglia and reactive astrocytes accumulate in the spinal cord of rats expressing the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-linked SOD1ᴳ⁹³ᴬ mutation. We previously reported that the rapid progression of paralysis in ALS rats is associated with the appearance of prolifer- ative astrocyte-like cells that surround motor neurons. These cells, designated as Aberrant Astrocytes (AbA cells) because of their atypical astrocytic phenotype, exhibit high toxicity to motor neurons. However, the cellular origin of AbA cells remains unknown. Because AbA cells are labeled with the proliferation marker Ki67, we analyzed the phenotypic makers of proliferating glial cells that surround motor neurons by immunohistochemistry. The number of Ki67⁺AbA cells sharply increased in symptomatic rats, displaying large cell bodies with processes embracing motor neurons. Most were co-labeled with astrocytic marker GFAP concurrently with the microglial markers Iba1 and CD163. Cultures of spinal cord prepared from symptomatic SOD1ᴳ⁹³ᴬ rats yielded large numbers of microglia expressing Iba1, CD11b, and CD68. Cells sorted for CD11b expression by flow cytometry transformed into AbA cells within two weeks. During these two weeks, the expression of microglial markers largely disappeared, while GFAP and S100β expression increased. The phenotypic transition to AbA cells was stimulated by forskolin. These findings provide evidence for a subpopulation of proliferating microglial cells in SOD1ᴳ⁹³ᴬ rats that undergo a phenotypic transition into AbA cells after onset of paralysis that may promote the fulminant disease progression. These cells could be a therapeutic target for slowing paralysis progression in ALS
meson production in Au collisions at GeV
The PHENIX experiment has measured meson production in Au
collisions at GeV using the dimuon and dielectron decay
channels. The meson is measured in the forward (backward) -going
(Au-going) direction, () in the transverse-momentum
() range from 1--7 GeV/, and at midrapidity in the
range below 7 GeV/. The meson invariant yields and
nuclear-modification factors as a function of , rapidity, and centrality
are reported. An enhancement of meson production is observed in the
Au-going direction, while suppression is seen in the -going direction, and
no modification is observed at midrapidity relative to the yield in
collisions scaled by the number of binary collisions. Similar behavior was
previously observed for inclusive charged hadrons and open heavy flavor
indicating similar cold-nuclear-matter effects.Comment: 484 authors, 16 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables. v1 is the version
accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. Data tables for the points plotted
in the figures are given in the paper itsel
Single electron yields from semileptonic charm and bottom hadron decays in AuAu collisions at GeV
The PHENIX Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has measured
open heavy-flavor production in minimum bias AuAu collisions at
GeV via the yields of electrons from semileptonic decays
of charm and bottom hadrons. Previous heavy-flavor electron measurements
indicated substantial modification in the momentum distribution of the parent
heavy quarks due to the quark-gluon plasma created in these collisions. For the
first time, using the PHENIX silicon vertex detector to measure precision
displaced tracking, the relative contributions from charm and bottom hadrons to
these electrons as a function of transverse momentum are measured in AuAu
collisions. We compare the fraction of electrons from bottom hadrons to
previously published results extracted from electron-hadron correlations in
collisions at GeV and find the fractions to be
similar within the large uncertainties on both measurements for
GeV/. We use the bottom electron fractions in AuAu and along
with the previously measured heavy flavor electron to calculate the
for electrons from charm and bottom hadron decays separately. We find
that electrons from bottom hadron decays are less suppressed than those from
charm for the region GeV/.Comment: 432 authors, 33 pages, 23 figures, 2 tables, 2011 data. v2 is version
accepted for publication by Phys. Rev. C. Plain text data tables for the
points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or
will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Cross Section and Transverse Single-Spin Asymmetry of Mesons in Collisions at GeV at Forward Rapidity
We present a measurement of the cross section and transverse single-spin
asymmetry () for mesons at large pseudorapidity from
~GeV collisions. The measured cross section for
~GeV/ and is well described by a
next-to-leading-order perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics calculation. The
asymmetries have been measured as a function of Feynman- () from
, as well as transverse momentum () from
~GeV/. The asymmetry averaged over positive is
. The results are consistent with prior
transverse single-spin measurements of forward and mesons at
various energies in overlapping ranges. Comparison of different particle
species can help to determine the origin of the large observed asymmetries in
collisions.Comment: 484 authors, 13 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables, 2008 data. v2 is version
accepted by Phys. Rev. D. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in
figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be)publicly
available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Systematic study of charged-pion and kaon femtoscopy in AuAu collisions at =200 GeV
We present a systematic study of charged pion and kaon interferometry in
AuAu collisions at =200 GeV. The kaon mean source radii
are found to be larger than pion radii in the outward and longitudinal
directions for the same transverse mass; this difference increases for more
central collisions. The azimuthal-angle dependence of the radii was measured
with respect to the second-order event plane and similar oscillations of the
source radii were found for pions and kaons. Hydrodynamic models qualitatively
describe the similar oscillations of the mean source radii for pions and kaons,
but they do not fully describe the transverse-mass dependence of the
oscillations.Comment: 499 authors, 27 pages, 13 figures, and 11 tables. v2 is the version
accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. Plain text data tables for the
points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or
will be) publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
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