Low frequency and Microwave Magnetoelectric Effects in Thick Film Heterostructures of Lithium Zinc Ferrite and Lead Zirconate Titanate

Magnetoelectric (ME) coupling at low frequencies and at x-band have been investigated in layered samples containing zinc substituted lithium ferrite and lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Multilayers of Li0.5-x/2ZnxFe2.5-x/2O4 (LZFO) (x=0-0.4) and PZT were prepared by lamination and sintering of thick films. At low frequencies (10-1000 Hz), the ME voltage coefficient for transverse fields is higher than for longitudinal fields. With Zn substitution in the ferrite, transverse coupling increases to a maximum for x=0.3 and then decreases for higher x. Analysis based on our model for a bilayer implies an efficient magneto-mechanical coupling with Zn substitution, resulting in strong ME interactions. Microwave ME coupling is studied through measurements of shift in the ferromagnetic resonance field due to an applied electric field. Estimated ME constants from such data are in agreement with our model for a ferrite-PZT bilayer.Comment: To be published in Solid State Communication

Dopamine D4 receptor activation counteracts nigrostriatal pathway activation by morphine: relevance in drug addiction.

Morphine induces dopamine release in the caudate putamen (CPu), which promotes stereotyped behavior and habit learning for drug-seeking and –taking. Nigrostriatal pathway stimulation by morphine is due to a removal of tonic inhibition arising from SNr GABA interneurons on SNc dopaminergic neurons through the mu opioid receptor (MOR). Long-term morphine exposure produces a series of adaptations in SNc dopamine neurons, which affect neuron excitability and dopamine output to CPu. We have previously shown that dopamine D4 receptor (D4R) stimulation counteracts acute and chronic morphine-induced accumulation of several transcription factors in the CPu (Gago et al., 2011 Brain Res.). Since D4R is expressed in the SNr (Rivera et al., Brain Res. 2003), we postulate that a functional D4R-MOR interaction at the midbrain level could exists. We have investigated the role of D4R in the morphine-induced nigroestriatal dopamine metabolism in the rat brain using biochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. We also have studied the influence of D4R on morphine-induced morphological changes in SNc dopamine neurons using both immunohistochemical and image analysis techniques. Finally, we examined a possible underlying mechanism of the D4R-MOR interaction at the SN level using in vitro quantitative receptor autoradiography. We have found that D4R activation restores dopamine metabolism in the nigroestriatal pathway after acute morphine treatment and prevents morphine-induced rise of tyroxine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter. Rats receiving a continuous treatment of morphine (6 days) showed SNc dopamine neurons with smaller size and higher circularity index compared with the controls animals. These morphine-induced morphological adaptatives changes were prevented when a D4R agonist (PD168,077) was administered at the same time with morphine. Autoradiographic studies demonstrated that the D4R agonist reduce the affinity of MOR. The present study provides evidence for the existence of a fully blocking effect of the D4R on the activation of dopaminergic nigroestriatal pathway by morphine.Financiación: P09-CVI- 4702 (Proyecto de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía

Resonance magnetoelectric effects in layered magnetostrictive-piezoelectric composites

Magnetoelectric interactions in bilayers of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric phases are mediated by mechanical deformation. Here we discuss the theory and companion data for magnetoelectric (ME) coupling at electromechanical resonance (EMR) in a ferrite-lead zirconate titanate (PZT) bilayer. Estimated ME voltage coefficient versus frequency profiles for nickel, cobalt, or lithium ferrite and PZT reveal a giant ME effect at EMR with the highest coupling expected for cobalt ferrite-PZT. Measurements of resonance ME coupling have been carried out on layered and bulk composites of nickel ferrite-PZT. We observe a factor of 40-600 increase in ME voltage coefficient at EMR compared to low frequency values. Theoretical ME voltage coefficients versus frequency profiles are in excellent agreement with data. The resonance ME effect is therefore a novel tool for enhancing the field conversion efficiency in the composites

Compensated convexity methods for approximations and interpolations of sampled functions in Euclidean spaces: theoretical foundations

We introduce Lipschitz continuous and C¹,¹ geometric approximation and interpolation methods for sampled bounded uniformly continuous functions over compact sets and over complements of bounded open sets in Rn by using compensated convex transforms. Error estimates are provided for the approximations of bounded uniformly continuous functions, of Lipschitz functions, and of C1,1 functions. We also prove that our approximation methods, which are differentiation and integration free and not sensitive to sample type, are stable with respect to the Hausdorff distance between samples

Oxidatively drying coating composition

coating composition comprising an oxidatively drying coating binder and a chelate comprising at least one group according to the following formula (I): forming a complex with a metal ion, A1 and A2 both being an aromatic residue, R1 and R3 being covalently bonded groups, and R2 being a divalent organic radical, wherein at least one solubilizing group is coivalently bonded to the chelating compound. The solubilizing group is a non-polar group, preferable an aliphatic group having at least four carbon atoms, covalently bonded to A1 and/or A2. The metal ion is a divalent ion of a metal selected from the group of manganese, cobalt, copper, lead, zirconium, iron, lanthanium, cerium, vanadium, and clacium or a trivalent ion of a metal selected from the group of manganese, cobalt, lead, zirconium, iron, lanthanium, cerium, and vanadium, combined with a monovalent counterion

Video enhancement using adaptive spatio-temporal connective filter and piecewise mapping

This paper presents a novel video enhancement system based on an adaptive spatio-temporal connective (ASTC) noise filter and an adaptive piecewise mapping function (APMF). For ill-exposed videos or those with much noise, we first introduce a novel local image statistic to identify impulse noise pixels, and then incorporate it into the classical bilateral filter to form ASTC, aiming to reduce the mixture of the most two common types of noises - Gaussian and impulse noises in spatial and temporal directions. After noise removal, we enhance the video contrast with APMF based on the statistical information of frame segmentation results. The experiment results demonstrate that, for diverse low-quality videos corrupted by mixed noise, underexposure, overexposure, or any mixture of the above, the proposed system can automatically produce satisfactory results