Study of structural effect on Eu-substituted LSMO manganite for high temperature coefficient of resistance

n this work, Eu substituted La0.7Sr0.3MnO 3 (LSMO) is studied to achieve high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). The compounds La0.7-xEuxSr 0.3MnO3 with x=0, 0.1 0.2 and 0.3 are prepared by solid state reaction route and their structural and transport properties are examined by different characterization techniques. The metal-semiconductor/insulator transition temperature (TMI) decreases from 390 K (for x=0) to 240 K (for x=0.3) with decrease in average ionic radius 〈rA〉 of A-site. The maximum TCR percentage of La0.7-xEuxSr 0.3MnO3 compound is found to be increased for x=0.2 (1.9%) and for x=0.3 (3.36%) compared to its parent compound La0.7Sr 0.3MnO3 (1.1%). The substitution of Eu increases the lattice distortion, which enhances the TCR value from 1.1% to 3.36%. The robustness of distortion increases with decreasing 〈rA〉 which is well correlated with the high magneto-resistance, and high TCR findings

Effect of A-site ionic size variation on TCR and electrical transport properties of (Nd0.7-xLax)0.7Sr0.3MnO3 with x = 0, 0.1 and 0.2

In this work, the structural and transport properties of (Nd0.7-xLax)0.7Sr0.3MnO3 manganites with x 0, 0.1 and 0.2 prepared by solid state reaction route are studied. These compounds are found to be crystallized in orthorhombic structural form. Experimental results showing a shift in the metal to semiconductor/insulator transition temperature (TMI) towards room temperature (289 K) with the substitution of Nd by La, as the value of x is varied in the sequence (0,0.1,0.2), have been provided. The shift in the TMI, from 239 K (for x=0) to near the room temperature 289 K (for x=0.2), is attributed to the fact that the average radius of site-A increases with the percentage of La. The maximum temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) of (Nd0.7-xLax)0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (x= 0.1 and 0.2) are found to be higher compared to its parent compound Nd0.7Sr0.3MnO3. The electrical transport mechanisms for (Nd0.7-xLax)0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (x= 0 to 0.2) are explored by using different theoretical models, for temperatures below and above TMI. An appropriate enlightenment for the observed behavior is discussed in detail

Label-free quantitative comparison of cerebrospinal fluid glycoproteins and endogenous peptides in subjects with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy individuals

PURPOSE: The goal of this study is to investigate putative molecular dynamic changes in cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs) collected from individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) as compared to healthy controls. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The CSF samples from 12 subjects comprised of four cognitively normal individuals and eight patients with MCI and AD, respectively. Two aliquots of each CSF samples (total 1 mL) of each participant are used for this study. Endogenous peptide separations are performed using 10 000 molecular weight cut-off filters followed by LC-MS/MS identification and quantitation while lectin-enrichment chromatography is used to enrich glycoproteins in CSF followed by trypsin digestion and subsequent LC-MS/MS for shotgun identification and label-free quantitation. RESULTS: Using an optimized submicrogram peptide separation with molecular weight cut-off filtration and an in house-constructed database, 645 peptides are identified. Glycoproteins are enriched by lectin affinity chromatography, resulting in 795 identified proteins. The discovery and alterations of proSAAS-derived peptides and transthyretin are described and their roles in AD are discussed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Comprehensive identification of endogenous CSF peptidome is achieved. Fifteen proteins are found to be differentially expressed among the three groups. The dynamic changes of transthyretin are reported for the first time

On Radiative Weak Annihilation Decays

We discuss a little-studied class of weak decay modes sensitive to only one quark topology at leading order in G_F: M --> m gamma, where M,m are mesons with completely distinct flavor quantum numbers. Specifically, they proceed via the annihilation of the valence quarks through a W and the emission of a single hard photon, and thus provide a clear separation between CKM and strong interaction physics. We survey relevant calculations performed to date, discuss experimental discovery potential, and indicate interesting future directions.Comment: 10 pages LaTeX, includes macros file and 9 .eps figures. Invited talk at RADCOR 2000 (5th Int. Symp. on Radiative Corrections), Carmel, CA, Sept. 200

Observation of direct and indirect magnetoelectricity in lead free ferroelectric (Na 0.5Bi 0.5TiO 3)-magnetostrictive (CoFe 2O 4) particulate composite

A particulate composite consisting of 65 mol. % Na 0.5Bi 0.5TiO 3 and 35 mol. % CoFe 2O 4 was synthesized, and it's structure, microstructure, ferroelectric, magnetostrictive, magnetic, and direct/indirect magnetoelectric properties were studied. The composite showed different magnetization behaviour under electrically poled and un-poled conditions. The percentage change in magnetization as a result of poling is approximately -15% at 500 Oe magnetic field. Magnetostriction measurements displayed a value of λ 11 = -57 × 10 -6 and piezomagnetic coefficient δλ 11/δH = 0.022 × 10 -6 kOe -1 at 2.2 kOe for the composite. The maximum magnetoelectric output varied from 1350 mV/cm to 2000 mV/cm with change in the electrical poling condition

Promoting social plasticity in developmental disorders with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques

Being socially connected directly impacts our basic needs and survival. People with deficits in social cognition might exhibit abnormal behaviors and face many challenges in our highly social-dependent world. These challenges and limitations are associated with a substantial economical and subjective impact. As many conditions where social cognition is affected are highly prevalent, more treatments have to be developed. Based on recent research, we review studies where noninvasive neuromodulatory techniques have been used to promote Social Plasticity in developmental disorders. We focused on three populations where non-invasive brain stimulation seems to be a promising approach in inducing social plasticity: Schizophrenia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Williams Syndrome (WS). There are still very few studies directly evaluating the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the social cognition of these populations. However, when considering the promising preliminary evidences presented in this review and the limited amount of clinical interventions available for treating social cognition deficits in these populations today, it is clear that the social neuroscientist arsenal may profit from non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for rehabilitation and promotion of social plasticity

Soil Microbial Rejuvenation through Soil Resource Recycling as a part of Sustainable Management Programme: A Case Study from Lakhipara Tea Estate, Dooars, West Bengal, India

Quest for sustainability in the Indian tea industry starts on a serious note in the backdrop of several key issues such as impact of climate change on crop productivity, higher intensity of pest and diseases, rampant use of agrochemicals, issue of pesticide residues, increasing mandays cost etc. In this difficult time when most of the tea producers are looking for areas for cost curtailment, Goodricke Group Ltd., initiated the Sustainable Management Programme with the objectivity of producing sustainable teas with low pesticide footprint from the year 2014 onwards. The present study was conducted as a part of the above programme, to evaluate the effectiveness of on-farm generated compost towards soil microbial enrichment. Large-scale composting was done using Novcom composting method and end product quality was analyzed as per International Standards. Total N, P, K in the mature compost was 1.97%, 0.75%, and 0.87%, respectively but most important was the presence of self-generated microbial population in the order of 1014–1016 c.f.u. The rate of CO2 evolution, nitrification index and phytotoxicity bioassay value confirmed end product maturity and absence of any toxicity towards root growth. Assessment of Soil development Index (SDI), one year post compost application showed maximum soil development under organic soil management followed by soils receiving integrated soil management whereas nominal variation was documented under conventional soil management. Biological properties of soil were found to play a major contributory role towards variation of SDI value indicating the importance of microbial rejuvenation towards soil quality development

Risk-Averse Matchings over Uncertain Graph Databases

A large number of applications such as querying sensor networks, and analyzing protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, rely on mining uncertain graph and hypergraph databases. In this work we study the following problem: given an uncertain, weighted (hyper)graph, how can we efficiently find a (hyper)matching with high expected reward, and low risk? This problem naturally arises in the context of several important applications, such as online dating, kidney exchanges, and team formation. We introduce a novel formulation for finding matchings with maximum expected reward and bounded risk under a general model of uncertain weighted (hyper)graphs that we introduce in this work. Our model generalizes probabilistic models used in prior work, and captures both continuous and discrete probability distributions, thus allowing to handle privacy related applications that inject appropriately distributed noise to (hyper)edge weights. Given that our optimization problem is NP-hard, we turn our attention to designing efficient approximation algorithms. For the case of uncertain weighted graphs, we provide a $\frac{1}{3}$-approximation algorithm, and a $\frac{1}{5}$-approximation algorithm with near optimal run time. For the case of uncertain weighted hypergraphs, we provide a $\Omega(\frac{1}{k})$-approximation algorithm, where $k$ is the rank of the hypergraph (i.e., any hyperedge includes at most $k$ nodes), that runs in almost (modulo log factors) linear time. We complement our theoretical results by testing our approximation algorithms on a wide variety of synthetic experiments, where we observe in a controlled setting interesting findings on the trade-off between reward, and risk. We also provide an application of our formulation for providing recommendations of teams that are likely to collaborate, and have high impact.Comment: 25 page

Processing of ultrafine-size particulate metal matrix composites by advanced shear technology

Copyright @ 2009 ASM International. This paper was published in Metallurgical & Materials Transactions A 40A(3) and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of ASM International. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic or multiple reproduction, distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means, duplications of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of this paper are prohibited.Lack of efficient mixing technology to achieve a uniform distribution of fine-size reinforcement within the matrix and the high cost of producing components have hindered the widespread adaptation of particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs) for engineering applications. A new rheo-processing method, the melt-conditioning high-pressure die-cast (MC-HPDC) process, has been developed for manufacturing near-net-shape components of high integrity. The MC-HPDC process adapts the well-established high shear dispersive mixing action of a twin-screw mechanism to the task of overcoming the cohesive force of the agglomerates under a high shear rate and high intensity of turbulence. This is followed by direct shaping of the slurry into near-net-shape components using an existing cold-chamber die-casting process. The results indicate that the MC-HPDC samples have a uniform distribution of ultrafine-sized SiC particles throughout the entire sample in the as-cast condition. Compared to those produced by conventional high-pressure die casting (HPDC), MC-HPDC samples have a much improved tensile strength and ductility.EP-SR