Ag/(Bi, Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting tape processing: Solid state chemistry aspects

Abstract Different preparation methods have been used to obtain starting powders used in the fabrication of composite tapes by the powder-in-tube method. The effect of these distinct starting powders on the superconducting properties of Ag/Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O monofilament tapes has been investigated. The changes in the physical properties, including the critical current density at 77 K and ac magnetic susceptibility, and microstructure, using optical and electronic microscopy, have been analyzed in relation to the solid state reactions involved in the Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+δ phase transformations.

Polymer solution processing of (Bi, Pb)SrCaCuO

Abstract A simple polymer processing route to the 110 K phase (Bi, Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+δ superconductor has been developed. The influence of the polymer to metal starting ratio, as well as the sintering temperature and time on the quality of the resulting superconducting powders has been studied by XRD, a.c. susceptibility and resistivity measurements. Microstructure of ceramic compacts has been studied by SEM, and qualitatively analysed by EDS for compositional homogeneity. The results indicate that the polymer synthesis route described here may offer a good alternative to the conventional solid state preparation methods towards attaining homogeneous 110 K superconductor powder withi…

Impact of internal curvature gradient on the power and accommodation of the crystalline lens

Human crystalline lens has a layered, shell-like structure with the refractive index increasing from cortex to nucleus (gradient index or GRIN structure). Moreover, every iso-indicial layer has a certain curvature which also varies from cortex to nucleus, with a gradient of curvature (G). In the present manuscript, the role of G on the lens power is investigated along with its implications regarding the lens paradox (change of lens power with age) and intra-capsular accommodation mechanism (larger than expected changes of lens power during accommodation compared to a homogenous lens). To this end, a simplified formulation of paraxial lens power based on thin lens approximation is developed …

Clinical Decision-Making when Treating Diabetic Macular Edema Patients with Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implants.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease frequently associated with comorbidities that include diabetic macular edema (DME). The current medical approach to treating DME involves intravitreal injections with either anti-vascular endothelial growth factors or steroids. However, the burden associated with intravitreal injections and DM-derived complications is high, underlining the need to find optimal treatment regimens. In this article we describe the considerations we apply when treating DME patients with dexamethasone intravitreal implants (Ozurdex®), particularly those that influence the clinical decision-making process during the follow-up period. These considerations are based bot…

Transport and Diamagnetic Properties of 2:2:1:2 and 2:2:2:3 (Bi-Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Superconducting Materials

AbstractBismuth superconducting oriented fibers of the compositions 2:2:1:2: and 2:2:2:3 have been grown by the Laser Floating Zone (LFZ) method. Growth conditions have been optimized in order to improve the superconducting properties. The 108 K onset in susceptibility measurements (associated to the 2:2:2:3 phase) only appears well defined when starting from Sr-defective precursors.

LFZ growth of (Bi, Pb)–Sr–Ca–Cu–O superconducting fibers

Powder x-ray diffraction, d.c. and a.c. susceptibilities, and SEM have been used to study (Bi1−xPbx)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10−δ fibers grown by the Laser Floating Zone method. The well-oriented, long-grained superconductor fiber properties are shown to be highly dependent on the partial pressure of oxygen in the growth atmosphere, as well as on fiber pulling rate. Slowly grown fibers contain initially the 2212 (80 K) phase; the 2223 (110 K) phase also appears upon annealing in air. Faster growth rates result in fibers that contain a mixture of the 2212 and 2201 phases and, in this case, long annealing procedures are necessary to observe the 2223 phase.

(Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ superconductor composites: Ceramics vs. fibers

Abstract Well characterized (Bi, Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+δ superconductor powder has been used to prepare superconductor-glass, -metal and -alloy composites through solid state reaction method. A recently developed Laser Floating Zone (LFZ) apparatus has been used to transform the ceramic precursors into oriented fibers. The diamagnetic properties have been studied by a.c. susceptibility. The microstructure of fibers has been studied by SEM and compared with that of the original ceramic precursors. XRD has been used to study phase composition on representative composite samples and fibers. The results indicate some potential for the 2223-Ag composite, which displays improved diamagnetic p…

Laser floating zone growth of textured Ag/(Bi,Pb)SrCaCuO superconductors

Mutational screening of the USH2A gene in Spanish USH patients reveals 23 novel pathogenic mutations

Abstract Background Usher Syndrome type II (USH2) is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by moderate to severe hearing impairment and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Among the three genes implicated, mutations in the USH2A gene account for 74-90% of the USH2 cases. Methods To identify the genetic cause of the disease and determine the frequency of USH2A mutations in a cohort of 88 unrelated USH Spanish patients, we carried out a mutation screening of the 72 coding exons of this gene by direct sequencing. Moreover, we performed functional minigene studies for those changes that were predicted to affect splicing. Results As a result, a total of 144 DNA sequence variants were identified.…

Crystal structure and magnetism of Co(HPO3)⋅H2O : A novel layered compound of Co(II)

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Non-linear Invertible Representation for Joint Statistical and Perceptual Feature Decorrelation

The aim of many image mappings is representing the signal in a basis of decorrelated features. Two fundamental aspects must be taken into account in the basis selection problem: data distribution and the qualitative meaning of the underlying space. The classical PCA techniques reduce the statistical correlation using the data distribution. However, in applications where human vision has to be taken into account, there are perceptual factors that make the feature space uneven, and additional interaction among the dimensions may arise. In this work a common framework is presented to analyse the perceptual and statistical interactions among the coefficients of any representation. Using a recen…