Dielectric response of BaTiO electronic states under AC fields via microsecond time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy

This research was performed under the approval of the Photon Factory Program Advisory Committee (PF-PAC; Contract Numbers 2015G580, 2017G587, and 2019G614) and was financially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 18H01153 , 19H02426 , and 18K19126 . The experiment for measuring spectra in Fig. 6 (b) was performed on beamline BM26A (proposal MA 2731) at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France. We are grateful to Local Contact at the ESRF for providing assistance in using beamline BM26A. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART². © 2021 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )For the first time, the dielectric response of a BaTiO thin film under an AC electric field is investigated using microsecond time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ti K-edge in order to clarify correlated contributions of each constituent atom on the electronic states. Intensities of the pre-edge peak and shoulder structure just below the main edge increase with an increase in the amplitude of the applied electric field, whereas that of the main peak decreases in an opposite manner. Based on the multiple scattering theory, the increase and decrease of the and main peaks are simulated for different Ti off-center displacements. Our results indicate that these spectral features reflect the inter- and intra-atomic hybridization of Ti 3 with O 2 and Ti 4 respectively. In contrast, the shoulder structure is not affected by changes in the Ti off-center displacement but is susceptible to the effect of the corner site Ba ions. This is the first experimental verification of electronic contribution of Ba to polarization reversal.----/ / /---- This is open access article of S. Kato, N. Nakajima, S. Yasui, S. Yasuhara, D. Fu, J. Adachi, H. Nitani, Y. Takeichi, A. Anspoks, Dielectric response of BaTiO3 electronic states under AC fields via microsecond time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (DOI 10.1016/j.actamat.2021.116681), Acta Materialia, Volume 207, 2021,116681 - under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )Photon Factory Program Advisory Committee (PF-PAC; Contract Numbers 2015G580, 2017G587, and 2019G614); JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 18H01153 , 19H02426 , and 18K19126; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

Genetic Patterns in Peripheral Marine Populations of the Fusilier Fish Caesio Cuning Within the Kuroshio Current

Aim: Mayr’s central‐peripheral population model (CCPM) describes the marked differences between central and peripheral populations in genetic diversity, gene flow, and census size. When isolation leads to genetic divergence, these peripheral populations have high evolutionary value and can influence biogeographic patterns. In tropical marine species with pelagic larvae, powerful western‐boundary currents have great potential to shape the genetic characteristics of peripheral populations at latitudinal extremes. We tested for the genetic patterns expected by the CCPM in peripheral populations that are located within the Kuroshio Current for the Indo‐Pacific reef fish, Caesio cuning. Methods: We used a panel of 2,677 SNPs generated from restriction site‐associated DNA (RAD) sequencing to investigate genetic diversity, relatedness, effective population size, and spatial patterns of population connectivity from central to peripheral populations of C. cuning along the Kuroshio Current. Results: Principal component and cluster analyses indicated a genetically distinct lineage at the periphery of the C. cuning species range and examination of SNPs putatively under divergent selection suggested potential for local adaptation in this region. We found signatures of isolation‐by‐distance and significant genetic differences between nearly all sites. Sites closest to the periphery exhibited increased within‐population relatedness and decreased effective population size. Main Conclusions: Despite the potential for homogenizing gene flow along the Kuroshio Current, peripheral populations in C. cuning conform to the predictions of the CCPM. While oceanography, habitat availability, and dispersal ability are all likely to shape the patterns found in C. cuning across this central‐peripheral junction, the impacts of genetic drift and natural selection in increasing smaller peripheral populations appear to be probable influences on the lineage divergence found in the Ryukyu Islands

On the sedimentological origin of down-core variations of bulk sedimentary nitrogen isotope ratios

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 20 (2005): PA2009, doi:10.1029/2004PA001081.The bulk sedimentary nitrogen isotopic composition of two cores from nearby sites on the northern slope of the South China Sea (Site 17940 and Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1144) differs by up to >2‰ during the last glacial period. Given their close proximity, both core sites are located in the same biogeographic zone and nutrient regime, and it is thus unlikely that this offset is due to a true gradient in surface ocean conditions. In an attempt to resolve this offset, we have investigated the possible effects of two sedimentological parameters that can affect bulk sedimentary δ15N, namely, the variable contribution of inorganic N to bulk N in the sediment and the grain-size dependence of bulk δ15N. We find that neither effect, singly or in combination, is sufficient to explain the significant δ15N offset between the two down-core records. By elimination the most likely explanation for the observed discrepancy is a different origin of both the organic and inorganic nitrogen at each site. This study adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting the complex nature and origin of the sedimentary components in sediment drifts, such as ODP Site 1144.Funding from NSERC Canada (to S.E.C. and M.K.) and NSF (OCE-0214365 and OCE-0318371 to M.J.H. and OCE-0327405 to T.I.E.) is gratefully acknowledged, as well as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Postdoctoral Fellowships (M.K. and G.M.), the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry (M.J.H.), and a Geological Society of America student research grant (M.K.)

Structure and phase stability of nanocrystalline Ce1−xLnxO2−x/2−δ (Ln = Yb, Lu) in oxidizing and reducing atmosphere

The structure and phase evolution of nanocrystalline Ce1−xLnxO2−x/2−δ (Ln = Yb, Lu, x = 0 − 1) oxides upon heating in H2 was studied for the first time. Up to 950 °C the samples were single-phase, with structure changing smoothly with x from fluorite type (F) to bixbyite type (C). For the Lu-doped samples heated at 1100 °C in the air and H2, phase separation into coexisting F- and C-type structures was observed for ~0.40 < x < ~0.70 and ~0.25 < x < ~0.70, respectively. It was found also that addition of Lu3+ and Yb3+ strongly hinders the crystallite growth of ceria during heat treatment at 800 and 950 °C in both atmospheres. Valency of Ce and Yb in Ce0.1Lu0.9O1.55−δ and Ce0.95Yb0.05O1.975−δ samples heated at 1100 °C was studied by XANES and magnetic measurements. In the former Ce was dominated by Ce4+, with small contribution of Ce3+ after heating in H2. In the latter, Yb existed exclusively as 3+ in both O2 and H2

Cross-border VC investment in Canadian firms: implications for exit patterns

Over the last few years, growth in the flow of venture capital (VC) in Canada has been driven primarily by increased reliance on foreign, primarily US, investors This is a situation that is not unique to Canada. Other countries (for example, Ireland and several EU nations) have small domestic VC stocks but are geographically situated near countries with relatively large stocks of VC. This paper reports research that shows this to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, foreign investors make relatively large investments, thereby addressing the downward-skewed size distribution of VC funds in the Canadian VC market. Moreover, compared with domestic investors, foreign VCs’ participation is associated with higher propensities of successful exits through IPOs, greater capital availability, and shorter time to exit. On the other hand, this research also documents a relationship between foreign VCs’ participation and lower payments at exit per dollar of VC investment, raising concerns about the monetary returns to Canadian founders and early-stage, higher risk, Canadian syndicate VCs. The link between cross-border VC investment and higher likelihood of VC exit through cross-border M&As is also noteworthy. These empirical findings address the role of foreign VCs in financing Canadian growth firms, and help provide a yet more comprehensive understanding of the Canadian VC market