20 research outputs found
Development of Ferroelectric Order in Relaxor (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 - xPbTiO3
The microstructure and phase transition in relaxor ferroelectric
Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN) and its solid solution with PbTiO3 (PT), PMN-xPT, remain
to be one of the most puzzling issues of solid state science. In the present
work we have investigated the evolution of the phase symmetry in PMN-xPT
ceramics as a function of temperature (20 K < T < 500 K) and composition (0 <=
x <= 0.15) by means of high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction.
Structural analysis based on the experimental data reveals that the
substitution of Ti^4+ for the complex B-site (Mg1/3Nb2/3)^4+ ions results in
the development of a clean rhombohedral phase at a PT-concentration as low as
5%. The results provide some new insight into the development of the
ferroelectric order in PMN-PT, which has been discussed in light of the
kinetics of polar nanoregions and the physical models of the relaxor
ferroelectrics to illustrate the structural evolution from a relaxor to a
ferroelectric state.Comment: Revised version with updated references; 9 pages, 4 figures embedde
GRaNIE and GRaNPA: inference and evaluation of enhancer-mediated gene regulatory networks
Enhancers play a vital role in gene regulation and are critical in mediating the impact of noncoding genetic variants associated with complex traits. Enhancer activity is a cell-type-specific process regulated by transcription factors (TFs), epigenetic mechanisms and genetic variants. Despite the strong mechanistic link between TFs and enhancers, we currently lack a framework for jointly analysing them in cell-type-specific gene regulatory networks (GRN). Equally important, we lack an unbiased way of assessing the biological significance of inferred GRNs since no complete ground truth exists. To address these gaps, we present GRaNIE (Gene Regulatory Network Inference including Enhancers) and GRaNPA (Gene Regulatory Network Performance Analysis). GRaNIE (https://git.embl.de/grp-zaugg/GR aNIE) builds enhancer-mediated GRNs based on covariation of chromatin accessibility and RNA-seq across samples (e.g. individuals), while GRaNPA (https://git.embl.de/grp-zaugg/GRaNPA) assesses the performance of GRNs for predicting cell-type-specific differential expression. We demonstrate their power by investigating gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the response of macrophages to infection, cancer and common genetic traits including autoimmune diseases. Finally, our methods identify the TF PURA as a putative regulator of pro-inflammatory macrophage polarisation
Model theory of finite and pseudofinite groups
This is a survey, intended both for group theorists and model theorists, concerning the structure of pseudofinite groups, that is, infinite models of the first-order theory of finite groups. The focus is on concepts from stability theory and generalisations in the context of pseudofinite groups, and on the information this might provide for finite group theory
Syngas production by CO2 reforming of methane using LnFeNi(Ru)O-3 perovskites as precursors of robust catalysts
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