O K -edge and CuL23-edge XANES study on the concentration and distribution of holes in the (Pb2/3Cu1/3)3Sr2(Y ,Ca)Cu2O8+z superconductive phase

By means of high-resolution O K-edge and Cu L23-edge x-ray absorption near-edge-structure spectroscopy continuous increase of the CuO2-plane hole concentration with increasing Ca-substitution level has been established for the superconductive, oxygen-depleted (z≈0) (Pb2/3Cu1/3)3Sr2(Y1−xCax)Cu2O8+z [(Pb2/3Cu1/3)−3212] phase with a three-layer PbO-Cu-PbO charge-reservoir block. For the O K-edge absorption, a pre-edge peak at ∼528.3 eV is seen, originating from the excitation of the O 1s electron to the O 2p hole state located in the CuO2 plane. With increasing Ca-substitution level, the intensity of this peak continuously increases within the substitution range studied, i.e., 0<~x<~0.5. Consistently, with increasing x, the shoulder on the high-energy side of the main absorption peak at ∼932.0 eV in the Cu L23-edge spectra, i.e., a feature typically assigned to formally trivalent copper, enhances. From the Cu L23-edge spectra it was furthermore confirmed that the charge-reservoir copper remains in the monovalent state, indicating that the holes created through Ca substitution are directed solely into the superconductive CuO2 plane. In terms of increasing the CuO2-plane hole concentration, Ca substitution was found to work more efficiently in (Pb2/3Cu1/3)−3212 as compared to, e.g., the related Bi-2212 phase.Peer reviewe

GSM Based Health Assistant for People with Chronic Diseases

A GSM based health assistant for people with chronic diseases proposes and implements a prototype to help people with chronic diseases. The system is composed of two components namely, wearable body area network and a microprocessor unit with GSM and GPS. This project can track certain chronic diseases namely, heart problems, asthma, apart from the chronic diseases can also track blood pressure with sensors namely, electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, temperature sensor, heart beatsensor and blood pressure sensor. This project keeps track of the readings from the sensors and if there are some abnormalities it would send messages via GSM stored in SIM.The location of the patient can be sent using GPS

Photoluminescence of SnO2 nanoparticles embedded in Al2O3

"Tetragonal Sn nanoparticles of [?]15 nm diameter are produced in Al2O3 by direct Sn implantation at room temperature. After thermal annealing at 1000 degC in oxygen, the implantation-induced amorphous region recrystallized and the Sn nanoparticles turned into SnO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of [?]30 nm as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. While no absorption and photoluminescence (PL) are observed from the metallic Sn nanoparticles, SnO2 nanoparticles exhibit an absorption edge at [?]280 nm and three emission bands at 410 nm, 520 nm and 700 nm, respectively. In addition to the previously reported blue and green emission from SnO2 nanostructures, a red PL band was observed due to the unique surface state of SnO2 nanoparticles embedded in Al2O3 substrate fabricated by ion implantation."http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64215/1/d8_22_225102.pd

Multicistronic lentiviral vectors containing the FMDV 2A cleavage factor demonstrate robust expression of encoded genes at limiting MOI

BACKGROUND: A number of gene therapy applications would benefit from vectors capable of expressing multiple genes. In this study we explored the feasibility and efficiency of expressing two or three transgenes in HIV-1 based lentiviral vector. Bicistronic and tricistronic self-inactivating lentiviral vectors were constructed employing the internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) sequence of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and/or foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) cleavage factor 2A. We employed enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), O(6)-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT), and homeobox transcription factor HOXB4 as model genes and their expression was detected by appropriate methods including fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry, biochemical assay, and western blotting. RESULTS: All the multigene vectors produced high titer virus and were able to simultaneously express two or three transgenes in transduced cells. However, the level of expression of individual transgenes varied depending on: the transgene itself; its position within the construct; the total number of transgenes expressed; the strategy used for multigene expression and the average copy number of pro-viral insertions. Notably, at limiting MOI, the expression of eGFP in a bicistronic vector based on 2A was ~4 times greater than that of an IRES based vector. CONCLUSION: The small and efficient 2A sequence can be used alone or in combination with an IRES for the construction of multicistronic lentiviral vectors which can express encoded transgenes at functionally relevant levels in cells containing an average of one pro-viral insert

Nitrogen doping of TiO2 photocatalyst forms a second eg state in the Oxygen (1s) NEXAFS pre-edge

Close inspection of the pre-edge in oxygen near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectra of single step, gas phase synthesized titanium oxynitride photocatalysts with 20 nm particle size reveals an additional eg resonance in the VB that went unnoticed in previous TiO2 anion doping studies. The relative spectral weight of this Ti(3d)-O(2p) hybridized state with respect to and located between the readily established t2g and eg resonances scales qualitatively with the photocatalytic decomposition power, suggesting that this extra resonance bears co-responsibility for the photocatalytic performance of titanium oxynitrides at visible light wavelengths

Surface and Interface Properties of 10–12 Unit Cells Thick Sputter Deposited Epitaxial CeO 2

Ultrathin and continuous epitaxial films with relaxed lattice strain can potentially maintain more of its bulk physical and chemical properties and are useful as buffer layers. We study surface, interface, and microstructural properties of ultrathin (∼10–12 unit cells thick) epitaxial ceria films grown on single crystal YSZ substrates. The out-of -plane and in-plane lattice parameters indicate relaxation in the continuous film due to misfit dislocations seen by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and substrate roughness of ∼1-2 unit cells, confirmed by atomic force microscopy and HRTEM. A combination of secondary sputtering, lattice mismatch, substrate roughness, and surface reduction creating secondary phase was likely the cause of surface roughness which should be reduced to a minimum level for effective use of it as buffer layers

Enhancement of critical Pr ion concentration (xcr) in (La1-xPrx)Ba2Cu3Oz

The substitutional effect of Pr ion for La in (La1-xPrx)Ba2Cu3Oz bulk samples prepared under modified synthesis condition has been studied. Low field magnetization studies showed that superconductivity is retained up to the critical Pr ion concentration, xcr=0.40. The effective magnetic moment of Pr3+ free ion is very low in the present series of compounds. Results of X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra for the series of (La1-xPrx)Ba2Cu3Oz compounds with 0.00<x<0.60 reveal that the doped Pr ion reduces hole concentration within the CuO2 planes, leading to a destruction of superconductivity

Influence of growth rate on the epitaxial orientation and crystalline quality of CeO2 thin films grown on Al2O3(0001)

Growth rate-induced epitaxial orientations and crystalline quality of CeO2 thin films grown on Al2O3(0001) by oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy were studied using in situ and ex situ characterization techniques. CeO2 grows as three-dimensional (3D) islands and two-dimensional layers at growth rates of 1-7 angstrom/min and \u3e = 9 angstrom/min, respectively. The formation of epitaxial CeO2(100) and CeO2(111) thin films occurs at growth rates of 1 angstrom/min and \u3e = 9 angstrom/min, respectively. Glancing-incidence x-ray diffraction measurements have shown that the films grown at intermediate growth rates (2-7 angstrom/min) consist of polycrystalline CeO2 along with CeO2(100). The thin film grown at 1 angstrom/min exhibits six in-plane domains, characteristic of well-aligned CeO2(100) crystallites. The content of the poorly aligned CeO2(100) crystallites increases with increasing growth rate from 2 to 7 angstrom/min, and three out of six in-plane domains gradually decrease and eventually disappear, as confirmed by XRD pole figures. At growth rates \u3e = 9 angstrom/min, CeO2(111) film with single in-plane domain was identified. The formation of CeO2(100) 3D islands at growth rates of 1-7 angstrom/min is a kinetically driven process unlike at growth rates \u3e = 9 angstrom/min which result in an energetically and thermodynamically more stable CeO2(111) surface

Marker-aided selection and validation of various Pi gene combinations for rice blast resistance in elite rice variety ADT 43

Rice blast caused by fungal pathogen Pyricularia oryzae has a major impact on reducing yield potential of rice. In this study, homozygous plants were selected using microsatellite markers from the BC3F2 population pyramided with four major genes in elite rice variety ADT 43. Background and selected lines with various blast resistance gene combinations were screened under natural conditions to study the effects of various gene combinations. Upon inspection of lines with different gene combinations, the three-gene pyramided line Pi54+Pi33+Pi1 was found to be highly resistant with the score of 3.3 followed by other three-gene pyramided lines Pi54+Pi2+Pi1 and Pi33+Pi2+Pi1, with the scores of 3.9 and 3.8, respectively. Two-gene pyramided lines Pi54+Pi1, Pi33+Pi1 and Pi2+Pi1 were found to be moderately resistant with a mean score of 4.0 each. In the case of monogenic lines, positive plants for Pi54 performed almost equal to three-gene pyramided lines with a mean score of 3.6. Lines with Pi2 and Pi1 were found to be moderately resistant and moderately susceptible with the mean scores of 4.1 and 4.5, respectively