A simple solid-on-solid model of epitaxial thin films growth: surface roughness and dynamics

The random deposition model must be enriched to reflect the variety of surface roughness due to some material characteristics of the film growing by vacuum deposition or sputtering. The essence of the computer simulation in this case is to account for possible surface migration of atoms just after the deposition, in connection with binding energy between atoms (as the mechanism provoking the diffusion) and/or diffusion energy barrier. The interplay of these two factors leads to different morphologies of the growing surfaces from flat and smooth ones, to rough and spiky ones. In this paper we extended our earlier calculation by applying some extra diffusion barrier at the edges of terrace-like structures, known as Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier. It is experimentally observed that atoms avoid descending when the terrace edge is approach and these barriers mimic this tendency. Results of our Monte Carlo computer simulations are discussed in terms of surface roughness, and compared with other model calculations and some experiments from literature. The power law of the surface roughness $\sigma$ against film thickness $t$ was confirmed. The nonzero minimum value of the growth exponent $\beta$ near 0.2 was obtained which is due to the limited range of the surface diffusion and the Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier. Observations for different diffusion range are also discussed. The results are also confronted with some deterministic growth models.Comment: 12 pages + 8 figures (to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys. C, journal style applied

New algorithm for the computation of the partition function for the Ising model on a square lattice

A new and efficient algorithm is presented for the calculation of the partition function in the $S=\pm 1$ Ising model. As an example, we use the algorithm to obtain the thermal dependence of the magnetic spin susceptibility of an Ising antiferromagnet for a $8\times 8$ square lattice with open boundary conditions. The results agree qualitatively with the prediction of the Monte Carlo simulations and with experimental data and they are better than the mean field approach results. For the $8\times 8$ lattice, the algorithm reduces the computation time by nine orders of magnitude.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

A simple solid-on-solid model of epitaxial thin films growth: surface morphology anisotropy

In this paper we present a generalization of a simple solid-on-solid epitaxial model of thin films growth, when surface morphology anisotropy is provoked by anisotropy in model control parameters: binding energy and/or diffusion barrier. The anisotropy is discussed in terms of the height-height correlation function. It was experimentally confirmed that the difference in diffusion barriers yields anisotropy in morphology of the surface. We got antisymmetric correlations in the two in-plane directions for antisymmetric binding.Comment: 6 pages + 2 figures (to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys. C, journal style applied

Niezwykłe współwystępowanie nietypowego guza przysadki wydzielającego TSH i przewlekłej białaczki limfatycznej

Thyrotropin-secreting adenomas (TSH-oma) are very rare pituitary tumours. They are macroadenomas usually presenting with signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism, and mass effects. They can co-secrete other hormones such as growth hormone or prolactin. Different malignancies, including haematological ones, are reported in patients with pituitary diseases. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) occurs mostly in older patients, more often in males. CLL is associated with increased risk of second malignancies such as other blood neoplasms, skin and solid tumours. We present a successful neurosurgical outcome in a patient with an interesting coincidence of atypical TSH-oma and asymptomatic CLL. (Endokrynol Pol 2014; 65 (2): 144–147)Gruczolaki wydzielające TSH (TSH-oma) są rzadkimi guzami przysadki. Zwykle są makrogruczolakami dającymi objawy nadczynności tarczycy i następstwa masy guza. Mogą wydzielać także inne hormony, jak hormon wzrostu czy prolaktynę. U chorych z chorobami przysadki występują inne nowotwory, także układu krwionośnego. Przewlekła białaczka limfatyczna (CLL) występuje głównie u osób w starszym wieku, częściej u mężczyzn. Występowanie CLL wiąże się ze zwiększonym zagrożeniem innymi nowotworami: krwi, skóry, guzami litymi. W pracy przedstawiono opis skutecznego leczenia neurochirurgicznego pacjenta z interesującym współwystępowaniem nietypowego guza przysadki wydzielającego TSH oraz chorującego na bezobjawową postać CLL. (Endokrynol Pol 2014; 65 (2): 144–147

INSPIRE: INvestigating Stellar Population In RElics -- V. Final Data Release: the first catalogue of relics outside the local Universe

This paper presents the final sample and data release of the INvestigating Stellar Population In RElics (INSPIRE) project, comprising 52 ultra-compact massive galaxies (UCMGs) observed with the ESO-VLT X-Shooter spectrograph. We measure integrated stellar velocity dispersion, [Mg/Fe] abundances, ages, and metallicities for all the INSPIRE objects. We thus infer star formation histories and confirm the existence of a degree of relicness (DoR), defined in terms of the fraction of stellar mass formed by $z=2$, the cosmic time at which a galaxy has assembled 75% of its mass and the final assembly time. Objects with a high DoR assembled their stellar mass at early epochs, while low-DoR objects show a non-negligible fraction of later-formed populations and hence a spread in ages and metallicities. A higher DoR correlates with larger [Mg/Fe], super-solar metallicity, and larger velocity dispersion values. The 52 UMCGs span a large range of DoR from 0.83 to 0.06, with 38 of them having formed more than 75% of their mass by $z=2$, which translates in a lower limit to the number density of relics at $z\sim0.3$ of $\log \rho \approx 2.8 \times 10^{-7} \text{Mpc}^{-3}$.. Nine relics are extreme (DoR$>0.7$), since they formed almost the totality ($>98\%$) of their stellar mass by redshift $z=2$. With INSPIRE, we have increased the number of fully confirmed relics by more than a factor of 10, also pushing the redshift boundaries, hence building the first sizeable sample of relics outside the local Universe, opening up an important window to explain the mass assembly of massive galaxies in the high-z Universe.Comment: submitted to MNRAS, 20 pages, 16 figures, 3 table

On the dynamics of the adenylate energy system: homeorhesis vs homeostasis.

Biochemical energy is the fundamental element that maintains both the adequate turnover of the biomolecular structures and the functional metabolic viability of unicellular organisms. The levels of ATP, ADP and AMP reflect roughly the energetic status of the cell, and a precise ratio relating them was proposed by Atkinson as the adenylate energy charge (AEC). Under growth-phase conditions, cells maintain the AEC within narrow physiological values, despite extremely large fluctuations in the adenine nucleotides concentration. Intensive experimental studies have shown that these AEC values are preserved in a wide variety of organisms, both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Here, to understand some of the functional elements involved in the cellular energy status, we present a computational model conformed by some key essential parts of the adenylate energy system. Specifically, we have considered (I) the main synthesis process of ATP from ADP, (II) the main catalyzed phosphotransfer reaction for interconversion of ATP, ADP and AMP, (III) the enzymatic hydrolysis of ATP yielding ADP, and (IV) the enzymatic hydrolysis of ATP providing AMP. This leads to a dynamic metabolic model (with the form of a delayed differential system) in which the enzymatic rate equations and all the physiological kinetic parameters have been explicitly considered and experimentally tested in vitro. Our central hypothesis is that cells are characterized by changing energy dynamics (homeorhesis). The results show that the AEC presents stable transitions between steady states and periodic oscillations and, in agreement with experimental data these oscillations range within the narrow AEC window. Furthermore, the model shows sustained oscillations in the Gibbs free energy and in the total nucleotide pool. The present study provides a step forward towards the understanding of the fundamental principles and quantitative laws governing the adenylate energy system, which is a fundamental element for unveiling the dynamics of cellular life