The influence of processing parameters of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and lanthanum oxide (La2O3) gate dielectric is investigated. Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and tris(isopropylcyclopentadienyl) lanthanum [La(iPrCp)3] were used as precursors separately, and H2O was used as oxidant. The ultra-thin La1 - x Al x O3 gate dielectric films are deposited on p-type silicon substrates by atom layer deposition (A...

We investigate the influence of active-ion distributions on energy-transfer upconversion (ETU) in a static upconversion regime in which energy migration is inactive and the active local environment is important for the dynamics of ETU. Neodymium is used as the probe ion. In oxide and fluoride host materials, Nd3+ possesses only one metastable excited state (4F3/2) from which strong ETU occurs. ...

The electrochemical properties of fluoride-coated lithium cobalt oxide [LiCoO2] thin films were characterized. Aluminum fluoride [AlF3] and lanthanum fluoride [LaF3] coating layers were fabricated on a pristine LiCoO2 thin film by using a spin-coating process. The AlF3- and LaF3-coated films exhibited a higher rate capability, cyclic performance, and stability at high temperature than the prist...

Titanium (Ti) has been widely used in clinical applications for its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, the bioinertness of the surface of Ti has motivated researchers to improve the physicochemical and biological properties of the implants through various surface modifications, such as coatings. For this purpose, we prepared a novel bioactive material, a lanthanum-in...

The effectiveness of phosphate binders can be assessed by evaluating urinary phosphorus excretion in healthy volunteers, which indicates the ability of the phosphate binder to reduce gastrointestinal phosphate absorption. Healthy volunteers were enrolled into one of five separate randomized trials; four were open label and one double blind. Following a screening period of ≤28 days, participants...

The extraction-separation of lanthanum and europium ions with bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (DEHPA) in cyclohexane was improved by adding 12-crown-4 (12C4) to the aqueous phase as a masking agent. In the presence of this crown ether the extraction curve of lanthanum ions versus pH shifts to the higher pH region, while the curve is not influenced for the europium ions. Consequently the separ...

X-537 A and A 23187, two antibiotics which form liphophilic complexes with divalent cations, function as ionophores in vesicular fragments of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Addition of either ionophore to SR preloaded with calcium in the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), causes rapid release of calcium. Furthermore, net calcium accumulation by SR is prevented, when the ionophores are adde...

cis,trans-Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant growth and development, regulation of seed maturation, germination, and adaptation to environmental stresses. Knowledge of ABA mechanisms of action and the interactions of components required for ABA signal transduction is far from complete. Using transient gene expression in rice protoplasts, we observed additive and inhibitory eff...

Astragalus membranaceus is widely used to treat stroke and chronic debilitating diseases in China, but the mechanism has not been fully demonstrated to data. In the present study, we, using astragaloside IV, a purified extract from astragalus membranaceus, to a focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion rat model, aimed to investigate the effect of astragaloside IV on the permeability of the blood-bra...

The cells of the amphibian atrial myocardium contain many so-called micropinocytosis vesicles, irregularly distributed along the cell membrane. In freeze-etch replicas they appear as pits when the cell membrane is seen as from an external view point, or as irregular stumps, when viewed as from an internal or cytoplasmic aspect of the membrane. In occasional specimens in which the fracture has t...