Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics

This project was funded by EPSRC (EP/G060940/1 and EP/P505674/1) and the Grant Agency of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (2/0057/14)

Laser clad and HVOF sprayed Stellite 6 coating in chlorine rich environment with KCI at 700 °C

Laser clads and HVOF coatings from a stellite 6 alloy (Co–Cr–W–C alloy) on 304 stainless steel substrates were exposed both bare and with KCl deposits in 500 ppm HCl with 5% O2 for 250 h at 700 C. SEM/EDX and PXRD analyses with Rietveld refinement were used for assessment of the attack and for analysis of the scales. The bare samples suffered from scale spallation and the scale was mostly composed of Cr2O3, CoCr2O4 and CoO, although due to dilution haematite (Fe2O3) was detected in the scale formed on the laser clad sample. A small amount of hydrated HCl was detected in bare samples. While the corrosion of the bare surfaces was limited to comparatively shallow depths and manifested by g and M7C3 carbide formation, the presence of KCl on the surface led to severe Cr depletion from the HVOF coating (to 1 wt%). Both inward and outward diffusion of elements occurred in the HVOF coating resulting in Kirdendall voids at the coating–steel interface. The laser clad sample performed significantly better in conditions of the KCl deposit-induced corrosion. In addition to the oxides, CoCl2 was detected in the HVOF sample and K3CrO4 was detected in the laser clad sample. Thermodynamic calculations and kinetic simulations were carried out to interpret the oxidation and diffusion behaviours of coatings

Diffraction techniques and vibrational spectroscopy opportunities to characterise bones

From a histological point of view, bones that allow body mobility and protection of internal organs consist not only of different organic and inorganic tissues but include vascular and nervous elements as well. Moreover, due to its ability to host different ions and cations, its mineral part represents an important reservoir, playing a key role in the metabolic activity of the organism. From a structural point of view, bones can be considered as a composite material displaying a hierarchical structure at different scales. At the nanometre scale, an organic part, i.e. collagen fibrils and an inorganic part, i.e. calcium phosphate nanocrystals are intimately mixed to assure particular mechanical properties

The protocadherin 17 gene affects cognition, personality, amygdala structure and function, synapse development and risk of major mood disorders

Major mood disorders, which primarily include bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, are the leading cause of disability worldwide and pose a major challenge in identifying robust risk genes. Here, we present data from independent large-scale clinical data sets (including 29 557 cases and 32 056 controls) revealing brain expressed protocadherin 17 (PCDH17) as a susceptibility gene for major mood disorders. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the PCDH17 region are significantly associated with major mood disorders; subjects carrying the risk allele showed impaired cognitive abilities, increased vulnerable personality features, decreased amygdala volume and altered amygdala function as compared with non-carriers. The risk allele predicted higher transcriptional levels of PCDH17 mRNA in postmortem brain samples, which is consistent with increased gene expression in patients with bipolar disorder compared with healthy subjects. Further, overexpression of PCDH17 in primary cortical neurons revealed significantly decreased spine density and abnormal dendritic morphology compared with control groups, which again is consistent with the clinical observations of reduced numbers of dendritic spines in the brains of patients with major mood disorders. Given that synaptic spines are dynamic structures which regulate neuronal plasticity and have crucial roles in myriad brain functions, this study reveals a potential underlying biological mechanism of a novel risk gene for major mood disorders involved in synaptic function and related intermediate phenotypes

False Heart Rate Feedback and the Perception of Heart Symptoms in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease and Anxiety

Background Little is known about the mechanisms explaining an increased perception of heart symptoms in congenital heart disease (ConHD). In the present study, it was suggested that a combination of high trait anxiety and disease history increases the perception of heart symptoms. Purpose It was tested whether false heart cues will result in an increased perception of heart symptoms in patients with ConHD and anxiety. Method Thirty-six patients with ConHD and 44 healthy controls performed two exercise tasks. During one of the exercise tasks, participants were exposed to a false heart cue consisting of false heart rate feedback (regular or irregular). Perceived heart symptoms were assessed and heart rate, arterial partial pressure of CO2, and respirator rate were monitored continuously. Results In line with the predictions, false heart rate feedback resulted in an increased perception of heart symptoms in high trait anxious patients with ConHD that could not be explained by acute heart dysfunction. However, unexpectedly, this effect was not observed immediately after the false heart rate feedback task but after a second exercise task without false feedback. Conclusion The results suggest that not the sole presence of ConHD but ConHD in combination with high trait anxiety results in a vulnerability to overperceive heart symptom

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Three New Quaternary Compounds in the system Cu-Mn-III-Se3 (III = Al, Ga, In)

Chalcogenide alloys CuMnAlSe3, CuMnGaSe3 and CuMnInSe3, new members of the semiconductor system I-II-III-VI3, were synthetized and structurally characterized by the Rietveld method using X-ray powder diffraction data. All compounds crystallize in the tetragonal space group P4 2c (Nº 112) with a CuFeInSe3-type structure.</div

Magnetic and Electrical Properties of Ordered 112-type Perovskite LnBaCoMnO5+\delta (Ln = Nd, Eu)

Investigation of the oxygen-deficient 112-type ordered oxides of the type LnBaCoMnO5+\delta (Ln = Nd, Eu) evidences certain unusual magnetic behavior at low temperatures, compared to the LnBaCo2O5+\delta cobaltites. One observes that the substitution of manganese for cobalt suppresses the ferromagnetic state and induces strong antiferromagnetic interactions. Importantly, NdBaCoMnO5.9 depicts a clear paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic type transition around 220 K, whereas for EuBaCoMnO5.7 one observes an unusual magnetic behavior below 177 K which consists of ferromagnetic regions embedded in an antiferromagnetic matrix. The existence of two sorts of crystallographic sites for Co/Mn and their mixed valence states favor the ferromagnetic interaction whereas antiferromagnetism originates from the Co3+-O-Co3+ and Mn4+-O-Mn4+ interactions. Unlike the parent compounds, the present Mn-substituted phases do not exhibit prominent magnetoresistance effects in the temperature range 75-400K.Comment: 23 pages including figure