Ion irradiation induced strain and structural changes in LiTaO3perovskite.

LiTaO3crystals irradiated with 3 MeV and 1.162 GeV Au ions were studied by single crystal x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements. The maximum lattice strains after 3 MeV Au ion irradiation to a fluence of 1.2 × 1013 cm-2were 1.2% and 0.6% along thec- anda-/b-axes, respectively. Two effects were observed in 1.162 GeV Au ion irradiated samples: (i) the (0006) and (1120) Bragg peaks were split into doublets, which suggested a subtle structural change due to slight modification of chemical composition; and (ii) the pre-damaged 1.2% lattice strain along thec-axis was relaxed to 0.9% after subsequent irradiation with 1.162 GeV Au ions, while relaxation along thea- orb-axis was not obvious. A distinct change in the Raman spectrum of the 〈0001〉 oriented LiTaO3crystals was observed after 1.162 GeV Au ion irradiation, but no obvious change was observed in the 〈1120〉 oriented samples or in 3 MeV Au ion irradiated samples. Strain and structural changes in crystalline LiTaO3, with or without pre-existing defects, upon ion irradiation are delineated in its responding to inelastic ionization and elastic nuclear collisions.

Symmetry degeneration and room temperature ferroelectricity in ion-irradiated SrTiO3.

Polar phonon modes associated with room temperature ferroelectricity are observed in SrTiO3 single crystals irradiated with Ti ions. Quantitative strain analysis reveals that irradiation-induced out-of-plane strain drives the centrosymmetric cubic SrTiO3 to a tetragonal-like structure in the maximum damaged region. Energy transfer from ions to electrons during ion irradiation yields defects in SrTiO3 that also plays an important role for the room temperature ferroelectricity. Different from thin film techniques, the ferroelectricity in the ion irradiated SrTiO3 can occur for much larger thicknesses, depending on the energy and type of ion.

Effect of Holstein genotype on innate immune and metabolic responses of heifers to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration.

Heifers (n = 4/genotype) from unselected (stable genotype since 1964, UH) and contemporary (CH) Holsteins that differed in milk yield (6,200 and 11,100 kg milk/305 d) were used to assess the impact of selection on innate immune and acute-phase response to an endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS). Jugular catheters were implanted 24 h before LPS administration. Blood samples were collected at -1, -0.5, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 24 h relative to iv administration of 0.5 µg LPS/kg BW. Rectal body temperature (BT) was determined at these sampling times and at 5 and 7 h. Dermal biopsies were collected after the 24 h blood sample and processed to isolate fibroblasts. Plasma was analyzed for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), serum amyloid A (SAA), xanthine oxidase (XO), and nitrate + nitrite (NOx), cortisol, glucose, and IGF-1 content. Isolated fibroblasts were exposed to IL-1ß or LPS and IL-6 and IL-8 content of culture media determined. Exposure to LPS increased BTs and plasma concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6 SAA, XO, cortisol, and glucose (P < 0.05) in both genotypes. Plasma concentrations of TNF-α, XO, NOx, and glucose did not differ (P > 0.25) between the genotypes, but IL-6 and SAA concentrations were reduced (P < 0.05) in CH relative to UH heifers while cortisol and IGF-1 concentrations tended (P < 0.08) to be reduced in CH heifers. After 36 h exposure to LPS, concentrations of IL-6 were greater (P < 0.05) in culture media from incubations of CH than UH fibroblasts but concentrations of IL-8 did not differ between genotypes. There was a trend (P = 0.08) for IL-8 concentrations to be reduced in media from CH fibroblasts exposed to IL-1ß for 24 h but IL-6 concentrations did not differ between genotypes. Results indicate 50 yr of selection has reduced the robustness of the innate immune and acute-phase response to LPS in the contemporary Holstein heifer.

Local structure of Ni80X20 (X: Cr, Mn, Pd) solid-solution alloys and its response to ion irradiation.

The local structure of Ni80X20 (X: Cr, Mn, Pd) solid-solution alloys was investigated with x-ray absorption and total scattering x-ray diffraction methods. Atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis indicated that the local lattice distortion is strongly relevant to the atomic size mismatch, and the local lattice distortion in Ni80Pd20 alloy is obviously larger than that in other solid-solution alloys. The bond length of different atomic pairs was derived from the fitting of extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectra. Quantitative analysis of the local bonding environment in Ni80Cr20 during Ni ion irradiation suggested that Cr atoms tend to form clusters in Ni80Cr20 with the increase of ion dose.

Local structure and defects in ion irradiated KTaO3.

The modification of the local structure in cubic perovskite KTaO3 irradiated with 3 MeV and 1.1 GeV Au ions is studied by Raman and x-ray absorption spectroscopy, complemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In the case of irradiation with 3 MeV Au ions where displacement cascade processes are dominant, the Ta L3-edge x-ray absorption measurements suggest that a peak corresponding to the Ta-O bonds in the TaO6 octahedra splits, which is attributed to the formation of TaK antisite defects that are coupled with oxygen vacancies, V O. This finding is consistent with the DFT calculations. Under irradiation with 1.1 GeV ions, the intense ionization and electronic energy deposition lead to a blue shift and an intensity reduction of active Raman bands. In the case of sequential irradiations, extended x-ray absorption fine structure measurements reveal a decrease in concentration of coupled TaK-V O defects under subsequent irradiation with 1.1 GeV Au ions.

Local Structure and Short-Range Order in a NiCoCr Solid Solution Alloy.

Multielement solid solution alloys are intrinsically disordered on the atomic scale, and many of their advanced properties originate from the local structural characteristics. The local structure of a NiCoCr solid solution alloy is measured with x-ray or neutron total scattering and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques. The atomic pair distribution function analysis does not exhibit an observable structural distortion. However, an EXAFS analysis suggests that the Cr atoms are favorably bonded with Ni and Co in the solid solution alloys. This short-range order (SRO) may make an important contribution to the low values of the electrical and thermal conductivities of the Cr-alloyed solid solutions. In addition, an EXAFS analysis of Ni ion irradiated samples reveals that the degree of SRO in NiCoCr alloys is enhanced after irradiation.

Hepatic mRNA expression for genes related to somatotropic axis, glucose and lipid metabolisms, and inflammatory response of periparturient dairy cows treated with recombinant bovine somatotropin.

Objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effects of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) treatment of periparturient dairy cows on hepatic mRNA expression for genes related to the somatotropic axis, insulin, glucose, and lipid metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Holstein cows were enrolled in the experiment at 253 ± 3 d of gestation and assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: untreated control (n = 53), 87.5 mg of rbST (n = 56; rbST87.5), and 125 mg of rbST (n = 57; rbST125). Cows in the rbST87.5 and rbST125 treatments received weekly injections of rbST from -21 to 28 d relative to calving. A subsample of cows (control = 20, rbST87.5 = 20, rbST125 = 20) was randomly selected for collection of liver samples according to expected calving date, BCS, and previous lactation 305-d mature equivalent milk yield. Only cows that had liver sampled at -21 ± 3, -7 ± 3, and 7 ± 3 d relative to calving were used in the current experiment. Blood, sampled weekly from -28 to 21 d relative to calving, was used to determine the concentrations of growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1, insulin, cortisol, fatty acids, ß-hydroxybutyrate, glucose, haptoglobin, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Liver samples were used to determine hepatic mRNA expression of 50 genes. Treatment with rbST increased growth hormone concentrations during the postpartum period (control = 9.0 ± 0.7, rbST87.5 = 15.3 ± 1.0, rbST125 = 18.5 ± 1.3 ng/mL) and increased insulin-like growth factor 1 concentrations during the prepartum period (control = 107.4 ± 7.2, rbST87.5 = 126.9 ± 6.6, rbST125 = 139.4 ± 6.9 ng/mL). Control cows had greater postpartum concentrations of ß-hydroxybutyrate (control = 776.4 ± 64.0, rbST87.5 = 628.4 ± 59.7, rbST125 = 595.4 ± 60.9 µmol/L) than rbST cows. The rbST87.5 and rbST125 treatments upregulated the hepatic mRNA expression for somatotropic axis genes (GHR, GHR1A, IGF1, IGFBP3, and SOCS2) on d -7 relative to calving and upregulated the mRNA expression for SOCS2 on d 7. On d -7, rbST87.5 and rbST125 treatments increased mRNA expression for genes involved in hepatic lipid transport (ANGPTL4, APOA5, APOB100, and SCARB1) and downregulated mRNA expression for PPARD, which is involved in lipid storage. On d 7, rbST tended to upregulate the mRNA expression for genes involved in gluconeogenesis (PCK1) and fatty acid ß-oxidation (ACOX1), and downregulated the mRNA expression for genes involved in inflammation (TNFRSF1A, ICAM1, CXCL1, MYD88, HIF1A, IL1RN, NFKBIA, and SOCS3) and oxidative stress (XBP1). Administration of rbST during the periparturient period may improve liver function and health by increasing hepatic capacity for gluconeogenesis and lipid transport and by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

Mechanism of Radiation Damage Reduction in Equiatomic Multicomponent Single Phase Alloys.

Recently a new class of metal alloys, of single-phase multicomponent composition at roughly equal atomic concentrations ("equiatomic"), have been shown to exhibit promising mechanical, magnetic, and corrosion resistance properties, in particular, at high temperatures. These features make them potential candidates for components of next-generation nuclear reactors and other high-radiation environments that will involve high temperatures combined with corrosive environments and extreme radiation exposure. In spite of a wide range of recent studies of many important properties of these alloys, their radiation tolerance at high doses remains unexplored. In this work, a combination of experimental and modeling efforts reveals a substantial reduction of damage accumulation under prolonged irradiation in single-phase NiFe and NiCoCr alloys compared to elemental Ni. This effect is explained by reduced dislocation mobility, which leads to slower growth of large dislocation structures. Moreover, there is no observable phase separation, ordering, or amorphization, pointing to a high phase stability of this class of alloys.

Temperature measurements during high flux ion beam irradiations.

A systematic study of the ion beam heating effect was performed in a temperature range of -170 to 900 °C using a 10 MeV Au(3+) ion beam and a Yttria stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) sample at a flux of 5.5 × 10(12) cm(-2) s(-1). Different geometric configurations of beam, sample, thermocouple positioning, and sample holder were compared to understand the heat/charge transport mechanisms responsible for the observed temperature increase. The beam heating exhibited a strong dependence on the background (initial) sample temperature with the largest temperature increases occurring at cryogenic temperatures and decreasing with increasing temperature. Comparison with numerical calculations suggests that the observed heating effect is, in reality, a predominantly electronic effect and the true temperature rise is small. A simple model was developed to explain this electronic effect in terms of an electrostatic potential that forms during ion irradiation. Such an artificial beam heating effect is potentially problematic in thermostated ion irradiation and ion beam analysis apparatus, as the operation of temperature feedback systems can be significantly distorted by this effect.

Tailoring the physical properties of Ni-based single-phase equiatomic alloys by modifying the chemical complexity.

Equiatomic alloys (e.g. high entropy alloys) have recently attracted considerable interest due to their exceptional properties, which might be closely related to their extreme disorder induced by the chemical complexity. In order to understand the effects of chemical complexity on their fundamental physical properties, a family of (eight) Ni-based, face-center-cubic (FCC), equiatomic alloys, extending from elemental Ni to quinary high entropy alloys, has been synthesized, and their electrical, thermal, and magnetic properties are systematically investigated in the range of 4-300 K by combining experiments with ab initio Korring-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential-approximation (KKR-CPA) calculations. The scattering of electrons is significantly increased due to the chemical (especially magnetic) disorder. It has weak correlation with the number of elements but strongly depends on the type of elements. Thermal conductivities of the alloys are largely lower than pure metals, primarily because the high electrical resistivity suppresses the electronic thermal conductivity. The temperature dependence of the electrical and thermal transport properties is further discussed, and the magnetization of five alloys containing three or more elements is measured in magnetic fields up to 4 T.

Approaching Free Fall on Two Degrees of Freedom: Simultaneous Measurement of Residual Force and Torque on a Double Torsion Pendulum.

A torsion pendulum with 2 soft degrees of freedom (DOFs), realized by off-axis cascading two torsion fibers, has been built and operated. This instrument helps characterize the geodesic motion of a test mass for LISA Pathfinder or any other free-fall space mission, providing information on cross talk and other effects that cannot be detected when monitoring a single DOF. We show that it is possible to simultaneously measure both the residual force and the residual torque acting on a quasifree test mass. As an example of the investigations that a double pendulum allows, we report the measurement of the force-to-torque cross talk, i.e., the amount of actuation signal, produced by applying a force on the suspended test mass, that leaks into the rotational DOF, detected by measuring the corresponding (unwanted) torque.

Electronic effects in high-energy radiation damage in tungsten.

Although the effects of the electronic excitations during high-energy radiation damage processes are not currently understood, it is shown that their role in the interaction of radiation with matter is important. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of high-energy collision cascades in bcc-tungsten using the coupled two-temperature molecular dynamics (2T-MD) model that incorporates both the effects of electronic stopping and electron-phonon interaction. We compare the combination of these effects on the induced damage with only the effect of electronic stopping, and conclude in several novel insights. In the 2T-MD model, the electron-phonon coupling results in less damage production in the molten region and in faster relaxation of the damage at short times. These two effects lead to a significantly smaller amount of the final damage at longer times.

Electronic excitation induced amorphization in titanate pyrochlores: an ab initio molecular dynamics study.

The response of titanate pyrochlores (A2Ti2O7, A = Y, Gd and Sm) to electronic excitation is investigated utilizing an ab initio molecular dynamics method. All the titanate pyrochlores are found to undergo a crystalline-to-amorphous structural transition under a low concentration of electronic excitations. The transition temperature at which structural amorphization starts to occur depends on the concentration of electronic excitations. During the structural transition, O2-like molecules are formed, and this anion disorder further drives cation disorder that leads to an amorphous state. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms of amorphization in titanate pyrochlores under laser, electron and ion irradiations.

Theoretical investigation of thermodynamic stability and mobility of the oxygen vacancy in ThO2-UO2 solid solutions.

The thermodynamic stability and the migration energy barriers of oxygen vacancies in ThO2-UO2 solid solutions are investigated by density functional theory calculations. In pure ThO2, the formation energy of the oxygen vacancy is 7.58 eV and 1.46 eV under O rich and O poor conditions, respectively, while its migration energy barrier is 1.97 eV. The addition of UO2 into ThO2 significantly decreases the energetics of formation and migration of the oxygen vacancy. Among the range of UO2-ThO2 solid solutions studied in this work, UO2 exhibits the lowest formation energy (5.99 eV and -0.13 eV under O rich and O poor conditions, respectively) and Th0.25U0.75O2 exhibits the lowest migration energy barrier (∼1 eV). Furthermore, by considering chemical potential, the phase diagram of the oxygen vacancy as a function of both temperature and oxygen partial pressure is shown, which could help to gain experimental control over oxygen vacancy concentration.

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of threshold displacement energies in SrTiO3.

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to study low energy recoil events in SrTiO3. The threshold displacement energies are shown to be strongly dependent on both the orientation and the corresponding atomic arrangement. The minimum threshold displacement energies are 13 eV for an O recoil along the <100> O-O chain, 25 eV for a Sr recoil along the <100> Sr-Sr chain and 38 eV for a Ti recoil along the <110> Ti-Ti chain. The weighted average threshold displacement energies along the primary crystallographic directions are 35.7, 53.5 and >64.9 eV for O, Sr and Ti, respectively. The interstitial configurations produced by the recoil events are <100> and <111> split interstitials for O and Sr, respectively, together with a Ti interstitial occupying a distorted bridge position between two Sr sites. It is found that the recoil events in SrTiO3 are partial-charge transfer assisted processes, and the partial-charge transfer plays an important role in these recoil events.

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of overlapping recoil events in ThO2.

Ab initio molecular dynamics is used to study defect production and interactions from overlapping atomic recoil events in thoria. The pre-existing defects, charge redistribution, and structural distortion from an initial recoil event significantly affect the dynamics of defect production processes that occur from a subsequent overlapping recoil event. The final defect configurations and increase in system energy are dependent on the incident directions and sequence of the recoils. A linear relationship between system potential energy and charge transfer at the distance of closest approach between the recoil and atomic nuclei demonstrates the important role of charge transfer in the response of thoria to single and overlapping recoils.

Role of estrogen receptor-α (ESR1) and the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR1) in estradiol-stimulated proliferation of cultured bovine satellite cells.

Although the exact mechanism(s) by which estradiol (E(2)) enhances muscle growth in a number of species, including humans and cattle, is not known, E(2) treatment has been shown to stimulate proliferation of cultured bovine satellite cells (BSCs). This is particularly significant because satellite cells are the source of nuclei needed to support postnatal muscle fiber hypertrophy and are thus crucial in determining the rate and extent of muscle growth. The objective of this study was to assess the role of estrogen receptor-α (ESR1) and the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR1) in E(2)-stimulated proliferation of cultured BSCs. To accomplish this, we have used small interfering RNA (siRNA) to silence expression of ESR1 or IGFR1 and assessed the effects on E(2)-stimulated proliferation in BSC cultures. In BSCs treated with nonspecific siRNA, E(2) significantly (P < 0.05) stimulates proliferation under conditions in which neither IGF-1 nor IGF-2 expression is increased; however, treatment of ESR1- or IGFR1-silenced cells with E(2) does not significantly stimulate proliferation. These results indicate that both ESR1 and IGFR1 are required for E(2) to stimulate proliferation in BSC cultures. The fact that this occurs under culture conditions in which neither IGF-1 nor IGF-2 mRNA expression is increased strongly suggests that E(2) activates IGFR1 via a mechanism that does not involve increased IGF-1 or IGF-2 binding to the receptor.

Interaction between stray electrostatic fields and a charged free-falling test mass.

We present an experimental analysis of force noise caused by stray electrostatic fields acting on a charged test mass inside a conducting enclosure, a key problem for precise gravitational experiments. Measurement of the average field that couples to the test mass charge, and its fluctuations, is performed with two independent torsion pendulum techniques, including direct measurement of the forces caused by a change in electrostatic charge. We analyze the problem with an improved electrostatic model that, coupled with the experimental data, also indicates how to correctly measure and null the stray field that interacts with the test mass charge. Our measurements allow a conservative upper limit on acceleration noise, of 2 (fm/s2)/Hz(1/2) for frequencies above 0.1 mHz, for the interaction between stray fields and charge in the LISA gravitational wave mission.

Oxygen vacancy formation and migration in Ce(x)Th(1-x)O2 solid solution.

A local-density approximation with the Hubbard U correction (LDA+U) method has been employed to investigate oxygen vacancy formation and migration in Ce(x)Th(1-x)O(2). The addition of CeO(2) into ThO(2) significantly decreases the oxygen vacancy formation and migration energies. ThO(2) containing 50% CeO(2) exhibits the lowest calculated formation energy, 3.7 eV, and the lowest calculated migration energy, 0.2 eV, occurs for a CeO(2) content of 75%, suggesting that introducing CeO(2) into ThO(2) promotes the formation of mobile oxygen vacancies. If the ceria content is less than about 35%, the reduced Ce(x)Th(1-x)O(2) becomes antiferromagnetic (AFM), whereas the ferromagnetic (FM) state dominates for x values above about 35%, which may allow the tailoring of magnetic properties by varying the CeO(2) content.

Pressure induced structural transformation in Gd2Ti2O7 and Gd2Zr2O7.

Ab initio total energy calculations have been performed to study the phase stability of Gd(2)Ti(2)O(7) and Gd(2)Zr(2)O(7) pyrochlores over the pressure range from 0 to 60 GPa. Both compounds are unstable under pressure, and phase transformations to the defect-cotunnite structure are predicted. The phase transformation pressure of 43.6 GPa for Gd(2)Ti(2)O(7) is considerably larger than the value of 13 GPa for Gd(2)Zr(2)O(7), in good agreement with experiments. The decreased structural stability of Gd(2)Zr(2)O(7) under pressure, relative to Gd(2)Ti(2)O(7), is a consequence of the lower compressibility of the ⟨Zr-O⟩ bond and the higher compressibility of the ⟨Gd-O⟩ bond. In addition, the Gd 4f electrons are found to have only a small effect in determining the pressure induced phase transformation.