Effect of Co substitution on the structural,dielectric and optical properties of KBiFe2O5

Cobalt (Co)-modified brownmillerite KBiFe2O5 (KBFO; [KBiFe2(1?x)Co2xO5 (x = 0, 0.05)]) polycrystalline is synthesized following the solid-state reaction route. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data confirmed the phase purity of KBFO and KBiFe1.9Co0.1O5 (KBFCO). The optical bandgap energy (Eg) of KBFO decreased from 1.59 to 1.51 eV because of Co substitution. The decrease in bandgap can be attributed to the tilting of the Fe–O tetrahedral structure of KBFCO. The observed room-temperature Raman peaks of KBFCO shifted by 3 cm?1 toward a lower wavenumber than that of KBFO. The shift in Raman active modes can be attributed to the change in the bond angles and bond lengths of the Fe–O tetrahedral structure and modification in response to oxygen deficiency in KBFO because of Co doping. Compared with that of KBFO, the frequency-dependent dielectric constant and dielectric loss of KBFCO decrease at room temperature, which is a con-sequence of the reduction in oxygen migration and modification in response to vibrational modes present in the sample.     

Dielectric relaxation and conduction mechanism in Aurivillius ceramic Bi5Ti3FeO15

For this study, we synthesized Aurivillius Bi5Ti3FeO15 ceramic using the generic solid-state reaction route and then performed room-temperature X-ray diffraction to confirm that the compound had a single phase with no impurities. The surface morphology of the prepared sample was observed to contain microstructural grains approximately 0.2–2 μm in size. The dielectric properties of the sample were determ-ined as a function of frequency in a range of approximately 100 Hz to 1 MHz at various temperatures (303 K ≤ T ≤ 773 K). Nyquist plots of the impedance data were found to exhibit a semi-circular arc in the high-temperature region, which is explained by the equivalent electrical circuit (R1C1)(R2QC2), where R1 and R2 represent the resistances associated with the grains and grain boundaries, respectively, C1 and C2 are the re-spective capacitances, and Q is the constant phase element (CPE), which accounts for non-Debye type of behavior. Our results indicate that both the resistance and capacitance of the grain boundaries are more prominent than those of the grains. The alternating current (ac) conductiv-ity data were analyzed based on the Jonscher universal power law, which indicated that the conduction process is dominated by the hopping mechanism. The calculated activation energies of the relaxation and conduction processes were very similar (0.32 to 0.53 eV), from which we conclude that the same type of charge carriers are involved in both processes.     

石杉碱甲片联合丁苯酞软胶囊对轻度阿尔茨海默病患者认知功能的疗效观察

目的 评价石杉碱甲片联合丁苯酞软胶囊对阿尔茨海默病患者认知功能的临床疗效.方法 将100例轻度阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer's disease,AD)患者随机分为石杉碱甲片联合丁苯酞软胶囊组(治疗组)及单独应用石杉碱甲组(对照组).治疗前及治疗90 d后分别评价两组患者简易智力状态检查(Mini-mental State Examination,MMSE)量表、事件诱发电位P300潜伏期、波幅及不良反应.结果 石杉碱甲片联合丁苯酞软胶囊组治疗90 d后,MMSE评分和P300潜伏期、波幅与治疗前比较差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05);与单独应用石杉碱甲组比较差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05).结论 石杉碱甲片联合丁苯酞软胶囊对轻度阿尔茨海默病患者认知功能有明显改善,且优于单独应用石杉碱甲片组.     

Prion protein cleavage fragments regulate adult neural stem cell quiescence through redox modulation of mitochondrial fission and SOD2 expression

Neurogenesis continues in the post-developmental brain throughout life. The ability to stimulate the production of new neurones requires both quiescent and actively proliferating pools of neural stem cells (NSCs). Actively proliferating NSCs ensure that neurogenic demand can be met, whilst the quiescent pool makes certain NSC reserves do not become depleted. The processes preserving the NSC quiescent pool are only just beginning to be defined. Herein, we identify a switch between NSC proliferation and quiescence through changing intracellular redox signalling. We show that N-terminal post-translational cleavage products of the prion protein (PrP) induce a quiescent state, halting NSC cellular growth, migration, and neurite outgrowth. Quiescence is initiated by the PrP cleavage products through reducing intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. First, inhibition of redox signalling results in increased mitochondrial fission, which rapidly signals quiescence. Thereafter, quiescence is maintained through downstream increases in the expression and activity of superoxide dismutase-2 that reduces mitochondrial superoxide. We further observe that PrP is predominantly cleaved in quiescent NSCs indicating a homeostatic role for this cascade. Our findings provide new insight into the regulation of NSC quiescence, which potentially could influence brain health throughout adult life.     

Elucidating the diel and seasonal calling behaviour of Elachistocleis matogrosso (Anura: Microhylidae)

ABSTRACT

Acoustic monitoring provides the opportunity to study ecological processes that are difficult to assess with traditional surveys. Elachistocleis matogrosso is an anuran species, described in 2010, for which limited biological information is available. This study investigated the calling activity of the species in the north-eastern portion of the Pantanal, Brazil, a wetland area with marked seasonality between the dry and wet seasons. The calling activity of E. matogrosso was monitored using automated digital recorders in combination with automated signal recognition software over two different annual cycles. The species was vocally active only during the wet season (October – April), with a peak in November-December during the 2013–2014 annual cycle and in February-March during the 2015–2016 annual cycle. The peak calling activity occurred at dusk. This species has nocturnal habits and an explosive breeding activity. The detection of the species was intermittent, which suggests that environmental predictors or site-specific conditions might play an important role in species detection. Moreover, this intermittent occupancy indicated that surveys that employ traditional field techniques would likely fail to detect this species. We describe an effective protocol for detecting E. matogrosso with acoustic monitoring, which requires recording during 20 days in February from 17:01 to 05:00. Our procedure would be easy to adapt to other anuran species, and it could be used for investigating new localities and assessing population changes over time.     

Loewy矩阵与几乎Koszul代数

几乎Koszul代数作为Koszul代数的推广,在代数周期性和分次自入射代数的研究中起到了重要的作用.几乎Koszul代数的刻画是一个复杂的计算问题,而Loewy矩阵为Koszul代数的刻画带来了较为直观的计算方法.通过经典的Loewy矩阵和构造增广Loewy矩阵,利用分次代数分次模的两种不同Loewy维数向量得到了一个分次模成为d-线性模的充分必要条件,并得到了一个有限维分次代数成为几乎Koszul代数的充分必要条件,从而推广郭晋云利用Loewy矩阵刻画Koszul代数的相关结果.