Cardiovascular adaptations during long-term altered gravity

Cardiovascular studies were performed on unrestrained, unanesthetized rats and on the same animals in head-down hypokinetic conditions as well as during readaptation of the same animals to free activity. Possible circulatory mechanisms that evolved in mammals during long-lasting gravity exposure are considered. These mechanisms are likely to be affected during exposure to 0-g forces

Optical properties of NaxV2O5

The optical properties of sodium-deficient NaxV2O5 (0.85 < x <1) single crystals are analyzed in the wide energy range, from 0.012 to 4.5 eV, using ellipsometry, infrared reflectivity, and Raman scattering techniques. The material remains insulating up to the maximal achieved hole concentration of about 15%. In sodium deficient samples the optical absorption peak associated to the fundamental electronic gap develops at about 0.44 eV. It corresponds to the transition between vanadium dxy and the impurity band, which forms in the middle of the pure NaV2O5 gap. Raman spectra measured with incident photon energy larger then 2 eV show strong resonant behavior, due to the presence of the hole-doping activated optical transitions, peaked at 2.8 eV.Comment: 7 pages, 4 fugures, to be published in PR

Raman and infrared studies of La_1-ySr_yMn_1-xM_xO_3 (M=Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Sc or Ga): Oxygen disorder and local vibrational modes

We present results of our study of polarized Raman scattering and infrared reflectivity of rhombohedral ceramic La_1-ySr_yMn_1-xM_xO_3 manganites in the temperature range between 77 and 320K. In our samples, a part of the Mn atoms is substituted by M = Cr, Co, Cu, Zn, Sc, or Ga with x in the range 0 -- 0.1. The hole concentration was kept at the optimal value of about 32% by tuning the Sr content y. We have monitored the distortions of the oxygen sublattice by the presence of broad bands in the Raman spectra, the increase of d.c. resistivity extracted from the infrared reflectivity, and the change of the critical temperature of the ferromagnetic transition. Our results support the idea, that these properties are mainly determined by the radius of the substituent ion, its electronic and magnetic structure playing only a minor role. Furthermore, the Raman spectra exhibit an additional A_g-like high frequency mode attributed to the local breathing vibration of oxygens surrounding the substituent ion. Its frequency and intensity strongly depend on the type of the substituent. In the Co-substituted sample, the mode anomalously softens when going from 300 to 77K. The frequency of the bulk A_{1g} mode depends linearly on the angle of the rhombohedral distortion.Comment: 11 pages, 11 Figures, best-fit values table added, a discussion adde