Weighted Relative Group Entropies and Associated Fisher Metrics

With information processing devices such as radio telescopes, microscopes or hi-fi systems, the quality of the output often is limited by distortion or noise introduced at the input stage of the device. This analogy can be extended usefully to specimen preparation for the electron microscope; fixation, which initiates the processing sequence, is the single most important step and, unfortunately, is the least well understood. Although there is an abundance of fixation mixtures recommended in the light microscopy literature, osmium tetroxide and glutaraldehyde are favored for electron microscopy. These fixatives react vigorously with proteins at the molecular level. There is clear evidence for the cross-linking of proteins both by osmium tetroxide and glutaraldehyde and cross-linking may be a necessary if not sufficient condition to define fixatives as a class.

Download Full-text

Crystal chemistry of high-Tc superconductors

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100178720 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 1118-1119

Author(s):

Maryvonne Hervieu

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Deficiency ◽

Large Family ◽

Copper Oxides ◽

High Tc Superconductors ◽

High Tc ◽

Single Mechanism ◽

Square Planar ◽

History Of ◽

Bismuth Cuprates ◽

New Compounds

Four years after the discovery of superconductivity at high temperature in the Ba-La-Cu-O system, more than thirty new compounds have been synthesized, which can be classified in six series of copper oxides: La2CuO4 - type oxides, bismuth cuprates, YBa2Cu3O7 family, thallium cuprates, lead cuprates and Nd2CuO4 - type oxides. Despite their quite different specific natures, close relationships allow their structures to be simply described through a single mechanism. The fifth first families can indeed be described as intergrowths of multiple oxygen deficient perovskite slabs with multiple rock salt-type slabs, according to the representation [ACuO3-x]m [AO]n.The n and m values are integer in the parent structures, n varying from 0 to 3 and m from 1 to 4; every member of this large family can thus be symbolized by [m,n]. The oxygen deficient character of the perovskite slabs involves the existence or the co-existence of several types of copper environment: octahedral, pyramidal and square planar.Both mechanisms, oxygen deficiency and intergrowth, are well known to give rise easily to nonstoichiometry phenomena. Numerous and various phenomena have actually been characterized in these cuprates, strongly depending on the thermal history of the samples.

Download Full-text