confusus and Nyctobates gigas (Tenebrionidae) collected in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, were studied through conventional staining, C-banding, silver nitrate impregnation (AgNO3), and the base specific fluorochromes CMA(3) and DAPI. Z. aff. confusus was found to have 2n = 20 (9+Xyp) while N. gigas exhibited 2n = 18 (8+neoXY). Large pericentromeric blocks of constitutive heterochromatin (CH) were detected throughout the autosomal complement of the two species, except in one autosomal pair of N. gigas in which no heterochromatic block was observed. The sex chromosomes of both species were almost totally heterochromatic. Double

4EGI-1 nmr staining with CMA(3)/DA (distamycin) and DAPI/DA marked CH in Z. aff. confusus. However, DAPI staining was more intense. N. gigas was found to possess blocks of CH-positive CMA(3) and homogeneous DAPI. AgNO3 GSK1904529A concentration staining also revealed differences between the two species. In Z. confusus an NOR was observed in the sexual bivalent Xyp and N. gigas was found to have an autosomal NOR.”
“A 0.92Na(0.5)Bi(0.5)TiO(3)-0.08 K0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (0.92NBT-0.08KBT) lead-free piezoelectric single crystal with dimensions of Phi 35 x 10 mm was successfully grown by the top-seeded solution growth method. The effective segregation coefficient

for K was calculated to be 0.27. An x-ray powder diffraction measurement showed that the as-grown crystal possesses a rhombohedral perovskite structure at room temperature. The room-temperature dielectric constants for poled < 001 >, < 110 >, and < 111 > oriented crystal SCH727965 mw samples are found to be 683, 567, and 435 at 1 kHz, respectively. The (T-m, epsilon(m)) values for < 001 >, < 110 >, and < 111 > oriented crystals are (316 degrees C, 4318), (317 degrees C, 4160), and (318 degrees C, 4348) at 1 kHz, which indicate that the dielectric parameters of the as-grown crystals show weaker anisotropy.

The curves, epsilon(T), for the three crystallographic orientations show two anomalies at about 170 and 320 degrees C, respectively, relating to the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase and the antiferroelectric-paraelectric phase. There is a thermal hysteresis, Delta T approximate to 35 degrees C for the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transformation between heating and cooling. The antiferroelectric phase, the thermal hysteresis, and the dielectric relaxor behavior around 170 degrees C can be attributed to the formation of an intermediate orthorhombic modulated phase at 170-320 degrees C. For the < 001 >, < 110 >, and < 111 > crystal samples, the room-temperature piezoelectric constants, d(33), reach 175, 130, and 70 pC/N, respectively. The remanent polarization for the < 001 >, < 110 >, and < 111 > crystal samples are 8.1, 10.8, and 13.