Epitaxially stabilized iridium spinel oxide without cations in the tetrahedral site

Single-crystalline thin film of an iridium dioxide polymorph Ir2O4 has been fabricated by the pulsed laser deposition of LixIr2O4 precursor and the subsequent Li-deintercalation using soft chemistry. Ir2O4 crystallizes in a spinel (AB2O4) without A cations in the tetrahedral site, which is isostructural to lambda-MnO2. Ir ions form a pyrochlore sublattice, which is known to give rise to a strong geometrical frustration. This Ir spinel was found to be a narrow gap insulator, in remarkable contrast to the metallic ground state of rutile-type IrO2. We argue that an interplay of strong spin-orbit coupling and a Coulomb repulsion gives rise to an insulating ground state as in a layered perovskite Sr2IrO4.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Hierarchical Modeling and Finite Element Analysis of Piezoelectric Energy Harvester From Structure-Piezoelectric-Circuit Interaction

The piezoelectric energy harvesting devices for the conversion of mechanical vibration into electric energy via a flexible piezoelectric energy harvesting (FPED) structure have gained greater attention. Here, the large deformation of the FPED structure causes a strong interaction with the electric field (direct-piezoelectric effect) and structural field (inverse-piezoelectric effect), and vice-versa. Also an electrical circuit is attached to the electrodes covering the piezoelectric layers. This becomes a three-way coupling of the structure, the electromechanical effect of the piezoelectric material, and the electrical circuit. A mathematical and numerical model of the complex physical system of the involved multiphysics coupling characteristics in order to predict the operational properties and to increase the performance is very important. The presentation will discuss a partitioned coupling algorithm based hierarchical decomposition using finite element method for piezoelectric energy harvesting from structurepiezoelectric-circuit interaction. Results obtained with the finite element analysis are compared with the experimental results of PEHDs with base excitation reported in the literature

The Usefulness of "Hybrid Unit" Goal-based Learning on Physical Education: Focusing on the practice of tag rugby, handball, and basketball in junior high schools

The purpose of this study was to address a motor learning program consisting of "hybrid units" and to clarify the usefulness of the learning sequence and arrangement by analyzing the common movement patterns among various athletic activities . Then, we conducted empirical lessons of two units: tag rugby-handball and handball-basketball. Results showed that " forming a line in a defense and "passing effectively in an attack" are common ways of moving. In addition, it was found that both defensive and offensive movements became progressively more complex and could be studied in a developmental sequence

Hierarchically decomposed finite element method for a triply coupled piezoelectric, structure, and fluid fields of a thin piezoelectric bimorph in fluid

This paper proposes a numerical method for analyzing a thin piezoelectric bimorph in fluid. A hierarchically decomposed finite element method (FEM) is proposed for modeling the triply coupled piezoelectric-structure–fluid interaction. The electromechanical coupling (piezoelectric-structure interaction) behavior in a thin piezoelectric bimorph is described by the classical constitutive equation, the incompressible fluid flows by the Navier–Stokes equation and the structure by the Cauchy equation of motion. The piezoelectric-structure–fluid interaction system is decomposed into subsystems of fluid–structure interaction (FSI) and piezoelectric field, then the piezoelectric field and the FSI are coupled using the block Gauss–Seidel method, the fluid–structure interaction is split into the fluid–structure velocity field and the pressure field using an algebraic splitting and the fluid–structure velocity field is partitioned into fluid velocity field and structure velocity field. Using the proposed method, the resonance characteristics of a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever made of PVDF and PZT-5H material in fluid are investigated for actuation and sensor configurations

Postharvest Properties of Ultra-Late Maturing Peach Cultivars and Their Attributions to Melting Flesh (M) Locus: Re-evaluation of M Locus in Association With Flesh Texture

The postharvest properties of two ultra-late maturing peach cultivars, "Tobihaku" (TH) and "Daijumitsuto" (DJ), were investigated. Fruit were harvested at commercial maturity and held at 25 degrees C. TH exhibited the characteristics of normal melting flesh (MF) peach, including rapid fruit softening associated with appropriate level of endogenous ethylene production In contrast, DJ did not soften at all during 3 weeks experimental period even though considerable ethylene production was observed. Fruit of TH and DJ were treated with 5,000 ppm of propylene, an ethylene analog, continuously for 7 days. TH softened rapidly whereas DJ maintained high flesh firmness in spite of an increase in endogenous ethylene production, suggesting that DJ but not TH lacked the ability to be softened in response to endogenous and exogenous ethylene/propylene. DNA-seq analysis showed that tandem endo-polygalacturonase (endoPG) genes located at melting flesh (M) locus, Pp-endoPGM (PGM), and Pp-endoPGF (PGF), were deleted in DJ. The endoPG genes at M locus are known to control flesh texture of peach fruit, and it was suggested that the non-softening property of DJ is due to the lack of endoPG genes. On the other hand, TH possessed an unidentified M haplotype that is involved in determination of MF phenotype. Structural identification of the unknown M haplotype, designated as M-0, through comparison with previously reported M haplotypes revealed distinct differences between PGM on M-0 haplotype (PGM-M-0) and PGM on other haplotypes (PGM-M-1). Peach M haplotypes were classified into four main haplotypes: M-0 with PGM-M-0; M-1 with both PGM-M-1 and PGF; M-2 with PGM-M-1; and M-3 lacking both PGM and PGF. Re-evaluation of M locus in association with MF/non-melting flesh (NMF) phenotypes in more than 400 accessions by using whole genome shotgun sequencing data on database and/or by PCR genotyping demonstrated that M-0 haplotype was the common haplotype in MF accessions, and M-0 and M-1 haplotypes were dominant over M-2 and M-3 haplotypes and co-dominantly determined the MF trait. It was also assumed on the basis of structural comparison of M haplotypes among Prunus species that the ancestral haplotype of M-0 diverged from those of the other haplotypes before the speciation of Prunus persica

Fluid-structure and electric interaction analysis of piezoelectric flap in a channel using a strongly coupled FEM scheme

Electric and Fluid-Structure interaction (EFSI) is a complex coupled multi-physics phenomenon appears in microelectromechanical system (MEMS) when these microdevices are operated in a fluid media. In this study, the EFSI phenomena refer to a combination of electromechanical (electric-structure interaction) coupling and fluid-structure interaction coupling. Both the electromechanical coupling and the fluid-structure interaction can be simulated in a monolithic way or in a partitioned iteration way. In the proposed method the electromechanical coupling is simulated in a partitioned iterative way with separate solvers for the electrical and mechanical equations using block Gauss-Seidel (BGS) iteration method, while the fluidstructure interaction is simulated in a monolithic way by solving the fluid and structure equations simultaneously using a projection method. The proposed algorithm combines these two methods to analyze the strongly coupled EFSI in MEMS. The proposed method is applied to a flexible flap made of piezoelectric bimorph actuator in a converging channel. The EFSI analysis results show a good agreement with FSI results when a very low input bias voltage is applied to the actuator.ECCM-ECFD 2018 ,6th European Conference on Computational Mechanics (Solids, Structures and Coupled Problems: ECCM 6), 7th European Conference on Computational Fluid Dynamics (ECFD 7), 11-15 June 2018, Glasgow, U

PHB2 Protects Sister-Chromatid Cohesion in Mitosis

SummaryCohesion between sister chromatids is essential for proper chromosome segregation in mitosis. In vertebrate mitotic cells, most cohesin is removed from the chromosome arms [1–4], but centromeric cohesin is protected by shugoshin until the onset of anaphase [5]. However, the mechanism of this protection of centromeric cohesion is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that prohibitin 2 (PHB2) is involved in the regulation of sister-chromatid cohesion during mitosis in HeLa cells. PHB2 is an evolutionarily conserved protein in eukaryotes and has multiple functions, such as transcriptional regulation and cell viability and development [6–8]. However, its functions in mitosis have not yet been determined. We show that depletion of PHB2 by RNA interference (RNAi) causes premature sister-chromatid separation and defects in chromosome congression accompanied by mitotic arrest by spindle-checkpoint activation. In the absence of PHB2, cohesin is dissociated from centromeres during early mitosis, although the centromeric localization of shugoshin is preserved. Thus, our findings suggest that, in addition to the shugoshin, PHB2 is also required to protect the centromeric cohesion from phosphorylation by Plk1 during early mitosis and that its function is essential for proper mitotic progression