24 research outputs found
Rapid metal pollutant deposition from the volcanic plume of Kīlauea, Hawai’i
AbstractLong-lived basaltic volcanic eruptions are a globally important source of environmentally reactive, volatile metal pollutant elements such as selenium, cadmium and lead. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i produced exceptionally high discharge of metal pollutants, and was an unprecedented opportunity to track them from vent to deposition. Here we show, through geochemical sampling of the plume that volatile metal pollutants were depleted in the plume up to 100 times faster than refractory species, such as magnesium and iron. We propose that this rapid wet deposition of complexes containing reactive and potentially toxic volatile metal pollutants may disproportionately impact localised areas close to the vent. We infer that the relationship between volatility and solubility is an important control on the atmospheric behaviour of elements. We suggest that assessment of hazards from volcanic emissions should account for heterogeneous plume depletion of metal pollutants.</jats:p
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Publisher Correction: Rapid metal pollutant deposition from the volcanic plume of Kīlauea, Hawai’i (Communications Earth & Environment, (2021), 2, 1, (78), 10.1038/s43247-021-00146-2)
Electrical half-wave rectification at ferroelectric domain walls
Ferroelectric domain walls represent multifunctional 2D-elements with great
potential for novel device paradigms at the nanoscale. Improper ferroelectrics
display particularly promising types of domain walls, which, due to their
unique robustness, are the ideal template for imposing specific electronic
behavior. Chemical doping, for instance, induces p- or n-type characteristics
and electric fields reversibly switch between resistive and conductive
domain-wall states. Here, we demonstrate diode-like conversion of
alternating-current (AC) into direct-current (DC) output based on neutral
180 domain walls in improper ferroelectric ErMnO. By combining
scanning probe and dielectric spectroscopy, we show that the rectification
occurs for frequencies at which the domain walls are fixed to their equilibrium
position. The practical frequency regime and magnitude of the output is
controlled by the bulk conductivity. Using density functional theory we
attribute the transport behavior at the neutral walls to an accumulation of
oxygen defects. Our study reveals domain walls acting as 2D half-wave
rectifiers, extending domain-wall-based nanoelectronic applications into the
realm of AC technology
Fragile x syndrome and autism: from disease model to therapeutic targets
Autism is an umbrella diagnosis with several different etiologies. Fragile X syndrome (FXS), one of the first identified and leading causes of autism, has been modeled in mice using molecular genetic manipulation. These Fmr1 knockout mice have recently been used to identify a new putative therapeutic target, the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), for the treatment of FXS. Moreover, mGluR5 signaling cascades interact with a number of synaptic proteins, many of which have been implicated in autism, raising the possibility that therapeutic targets identified for FXS may have efficacy in treating multiple other causes of autism