399 research outputs found
Temperature Dependent Polarity Reversal in Au/Nb:SrTiO3 Schottky Junctions
We have observed temperature-dependent reversal of the rectifying polarity in
Au/Nb:SrTiO3 Schottky junctions. By simulating current-voltage characteristics
we have found that the permittivity of SrTiO3 near the interface exhibits
temperature dependence opposite to that observed in the bulk, significantly
reducing the barrier width. At low temperature, tunneling current dominates the
junction transport due both to such barrier narrowing and to suppressed thermal
excitations. The present results demonstrate that novel junction properties can
be induced by the interface permittivity
Symmetry of high-piezoelectric Pb-based complex perovskites at the morphotropic phase boundary II. Theoretical treatment
The structural characteristics of the perovskite- based ferroelectric
Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-9%PbTiO3 at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) region
(x≃0.09) have been analyzed. The analysis is based on the symmetry
adapted free energy functions under the assumption that the total polarization
and the unit cell volume are conserved during the transformations between
various morphotropic phases. Overall features of the relationships between the
observed lattice constants at various conditions have been consistently
explained. The origin of the anomalous physical properties at MPB is discussed
Bifurcation of the endocytic pathway into Rab5-dependent and -independent transport to the vacuole
The yeast Rab5 homologue, Vps21p, is known to be involved both in the vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) pathway from the trans-Golgi network to the vacuole, and in the endocytic pathway from the plasma membrane to the vacuole. However, the intracellular location at which these two pathways converge remains unclear. In addition, the endocytic pathway is not completely blocked in yeast cells lacking all Rab5 genes, suggesting the existence of an unidentified route that bypasses the Rab5-dependent endocytic pathway. Here we show that convergence of the endocytic and VPS pathways occurs upstream of the requirement for Vps21p in these pathways. We also identify a previously unidentified endocytic pathway mediated by the AP-3 complex. Importantly, the AP-3-mediated pathway appears mostly intact in Rab5-disrupted cells, and thus works as an alternative route to the vacuole/lysosome. We propose that the endocytic traffic branches into two routes to reach the vacuole: a Rab5-dependent VPS pathway and a Rab5-independent AP-3-mediated pathway
Optically tuned dimensionality crossover in photocarrier-doped SrTiO: onset of weak localization
We report magnetotransport properties of photogenerated electrons in undoped
SrTiO single crystals under ultraviolet illumination down to 2 K. By tuning
the light intensity, the steady state carrier density can be controlled, while
tuning the wavelength controls the effective electronic thickness by modulating
the optical penetration depth. At short wavelengths, when the sheet conductance
is close to the two-dimensional Mott minimum conductivity we have observed
critical behavior characteristic of weak localization. Negative
magnetoresistance at low magnetic field is highly anisotropic, indicating
quasi-two-dimensional electronic transport. The high mobility of photogenerated
electrons in SrTiO allows continuous tuning of the effective electronic
dimensionality by photoexcitation.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Inhomogeneous Phases in a Double-Exchange Magnet with Long Range Coulomb Interactions
We consider a model with competing double-exchange (ferromagnetic) and
super-exchange (anti-ferromagnetic) interactions in the regime where phase
separation takes place. The presence of a long range Coulomb interaction
frustrates a macroscopic phase separation, and favors microscopically
inhomogeneous configurations. We use the variational Hartree-Fock approach, in
conjunction with Monte-Carlo simulations to study the geometry of such
configurations in a two-dimensional system. We find that an array of diamond
shaped ferromagnetic droplets is the preferred configuration at low electronic
densities, while alternating ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic diagonal
stripes emerge at higher densities. These findings are expected to be relevant
for thin films of colossal magneto-resistive manganates.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Journal Ref. added, errors correcte
A tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transition in a ferroelectric perovskite: the structure of PbZr(0.52)Ti(0.48)O3
The perovskite-like ferroelectric system PbZr(1-x)Ti(x)O3 (PZT) has a nearly
vertical morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) around x=0.45-0.50. Recent
synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction measurements by Noheda et al. [Appl. Phys.
Lett. 74, 2059 (1999)] have revealed a new monoclinic phase between the
previously-established tetragonal and rhombohedral regions. In the present work
we describe a Rietveld analysis of the detailed structure of the tetragonal and
monoclinic PZT phases on a sample with x= 0.48 for which the lattice parameters
are respectively: at= 4.044 A, ct= 4.138 A, at 325 K, and am= 5.721 A, bm=
5.708 A, cm= 4.138 A, beta= 90.496 deg., at 20K. In the tetragonal phase the
shifts of the atoms along the polar [001] direction are similar to those in
PbTiO3 but the refinement indicates that there are, in addition, local
disordered shifts of the Pb atoms of ~0.2 A perpendicular to the polar axis..
The monoclinic structure can be viewed as a condensation along one of the
directions of the local displacements present in the tetragonal phase. It
equally well corresponds to a freezing-out of the local displacements along one
of the directions recently reported by Corker et al.[J. Phys. Condens.
Matter 10, 6251 (1998)] for rhombohedral PZT. The monoclinic structure
therefore provides a microscopic picture of the MPB region in which one of the
"locally" monoclinic phases in the "average" rhombohedral or tetragonal
structures freezes out, and thus represents a bridge between these two phases.Comment: REVTeX, 7 figures. Modifications after referee's suggestion: new
figure (figure 5), comments in 2nd para. (Sect.III) and in 2nd & 3rd para.
(Sect. IV-a), in the abstract: "...of ~0.2 A perpendicular to the polar
axis.
Stability of the monoclinic phase in the ferroelectric perovskite PbZr(1-x)TixO3
Recent structural studies of ferroelectric PbZr(1-x)TixO3 (PZT) with x= 0.48,
have revealed a new monoclinic phase in the vicinity of the morphotropic phase
boundary (MPB), previously regarded as the the boundary separating the
rhombohedral and tetragonal regions of the PZT phase diagram. In the present
paper, the stability region of all three phases has been established from high
resolution synchrotron x-ray powder diffraction measurements on a series of
highly homogeneous samples with 0.42 <=x<= 0.52. At 20K the monoclinic phase is
stable in the range 0.46 <=x<= 0.51, and this range narrows as the temperature
is increased. A first-order phase transition from tetragonal to rhombohedral
symmetry is observed only for x= 0.45. The MPB, therefore, corresponds not to
the tetragonal-rhombohedral phase boundary, but instead to the boundary between
the tetragonal and monoclinic phases for 0.46 <=x<= 0.51. This result provides
important insight into the close relationship between the monoclinic phase and
the striking piezoelectric properties of PZT; in particular, investigations of
poled samples have shown that the monoclinic distortion is the origin of the
unusually high piezoelectric response of PZT.Comment: REVTeX file, 7 figures embedde
Hybrid exchange-correlation functional for accurate prediction of the electronic and structural properties of ferroelectric oxides
Using a linear combination of atomic orbitals approach, we report a
systematic comparison of various Density Functional Theory (DFT) and hybrid
exchange-correlation functionals for the prediction of the electronic and
structural properties of prototypical ferroelectric oxides. It is found that
none of the available functionals is able to provide, at the same time,
accurate electronic and structural properties of the cubic and tetragonal
phases of BaTiO and PbTiO. Some, although not all, usual DFT
functionals predict the structure with acceptable accuracy, but always
underestimate the electronic band gaps. Conversely, common hybrid functionals
yield an improved description of the band gaps, but overestimate the volume and
atomic distortions associated to ferroelectricity, giving rise to an
unacceptably large ratio for the tetragonal phases of both compounds.
This super-tetragonality is found to be induced mainly by the exchange energy
corresponding to the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) and, to a lesser
extent, by the exact exchange term of the hybrid functional. We thus propose an
alternative functional that mixes exact exchange with the recently proposed GGA
of Wu and Cohen [Phys. Rev. B 73, 235116 (2006)] which, for solids, improves
over the treatment of exchange of the most usual GGA's. The new functional
renders an accurate description of both the structural and electronic
properties of typical ferroelectric oxides.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 7 table
An investigation into aripiprazole's partial D(2) agonist effects within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during working memory in healthy volunteers
Rationale:
Working memory impairments in schizophrenia have been attributed to dysfunction of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) which in turn may be due to low DLPFC dopamine innervation. Conventional antipsychotic drugs block DLPFC D2 receptors, and this may lead to further dysfunction and working memory impairments. Aripiprazole is a D2 receptor partial agonist hypothesised to enhance PFC dopamine functioning, possibly improving working memory.
Objectives:
We probed the implications of the partial D2 receptor agonist actions of aripiprazole within the DLPFC during working memory. Investigations were carried out in healthy volunteers to eliminate confounds of illness or medication status. Aripiprazole’s prefrontal actions were compared with the D2/5-HT2A blocker risperidone to separate aripiprazole’s unique prefrontal D2 agonist actions from its serotinergic and striatal D2 actions that it shares with risperidone.
Method:
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design was implemented. Participants received a single dose of either 5 mg aripiprazole, 1 mg risperidone or placebo before performing the n-back task whilst undergoing fMRI scanning.
Results:
Compared with placebo, the aripiprazole group demonstrated enhanced DLPFC activation associated with a trend for improved discriminability (d’) and speeded reaction times. In contrast to aripiprazole’s neural effects, the risperidone group demonstrated a trend for reduced DLPFC recruitment. Unexpectedly, the risperidone group demonstrated similar effects to aripiprazole on d’ and additionally had reduced errors of commission compared with placebo.
Conclusion:
Aripiprazole has unique DLPFC actions attributed to its prefrontal D2 agonist action. Risperidone’s serotinergic action that results in prefrontal dopamine release may have protected against any impairing effects of its prefrontal D2 blockade
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