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Highly directional-dependent metal-insulator transition is observed in epitaxial double perovskite LaBaCo2O5.5+δ films. The film exhibit metallic along [100], but remain semiconducting along [010] under application of a magnetic field parallel to the surface of the film. The physical origin for the properties is identified as in-plane tensile strain arising from oxygen vacancies. First-principle calculations suggested the tensile strain drastically alters the band gap, and the vanishing gap opens up [100] conduction channels for Fermi-surface electrons. Our observation of strain-induced highly directional-dependent metal-insulator transition may open up new dimension for multifunctional devices.

This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of two dose-titrated regimens of irbesartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist selective for the AT1 subtype, vs placebo in hypertensive patients when titrated to clinical response. Patients with seated diastolic blood pressure (SeDBP) 95 to 110mm Hg following a 4- to 5-week single-blind placebo lead-in period were randomised to double-blind irbesartan 75mg, 150mg or matching placebo administered orally once daily for 12 weeks. At week 6, the dose of double-blind medication was doubled for patients with SeDBP ≥90mm Hg. The primary outcome measure was change from baseline in SeDBP at week 12 of double-blind treatment. Mean changes from baseline in SeDBP were significantly greater for irbesartan 75mg/ 150mg (−8.3mm Hg) and 150mg/300mg (−10.5mm Hg) dose regimens vs placebo (−4.2mm Hg) [p < 0.01]. At week 12, greater proportions of patients receiving irbesartan 75mg/150mg and 150mg/300mg achieved normalised blood pressure (SeDBP

Ferroelectric BaTiO3/SrTiO3 with optimized c-axis-oriented multilayered thin films were epitaxially fabricated on (001) MgO substrates. The microstructural studies indicate that the in-plane interface relationships between the films as well as the substrate are determined to be (001)SrTiO3//(001)BaTiO3//(001)MgO and [100]SrTiO3//[100]BaTiO3//[100]MgO. The microwave (5 to 18 GHz) dielectric measurements reveal that the multilayered thin films have excellent dielectric properties with large dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and high dielectric tunability, which suggests that the as-grown ferroelectric multilayered thin films can be developed for room-temperature tunable microwave elements and related device applications.