Electrical properties of pulsed UV laser irradiated amorphous carbon

Amorphous carbon films containing no hydrogen were irradiated with a pulsed UV laser in vacuum. Raman spectroscopy indicates an increase in the quantity of sp(2) clustering with the highest laser energy density and a commensurate reduction in resistivity. The reduction of resistivity is explained to be associated with thermally induced graphitization of amorphous carbon films. The high field transport is consistent with a Poole-Frenkel type transport mechanism via neutral trapping centers related to sp(2) sites which are activated under high fields. Decreasing the resistivity is an important feature for use of carbon as an electronic material. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.</p

Quaternionic Monopoles

We present the simplest non-abelian version of Seiberg-Witten theory: Quaternionic monopoles. These monopoles are associated with Spin^h(4)-structures on 4-manifolds and form finite-dimensional moduli spaces. On a Kahler surface the quaternionic monopole equations decouple and lead to the projective vortex equation for holomorphic pairs. This vortex equation comes from a moment map and gives rise to a new complex-geometric stability concept. The moduli spaces of quaternionic monopoles on Kahler surfaces have two closed subspaces, both naturally isomorphic with moduli spaces of canonically stable holomorphic pairs. These components intersect along Donaldsons instanton space and can be compactified with Seiberg-Witten moduli spaces. This should provide a link between the two corresponding theories. Notes: To appear in CMP The revised version contains more details concerning the Uhlenbeck compactfication of the moduli space of quaternionic monopoles, and possible applications are discussed. Attention ! Due to an ununderstandable mistake, the duke server had replaced all the symbols "=" by "=3D" in the tex-file of the revised version we sent on February, the 2-nd. The command "\def{\ad}" had also been damaged !Comment: LaTeX, 35 page

Electrophoretic deposition onto an insulator for thin film preparation toward electronic device fabrication

An electrostatic film fabrication method utilizing the dielectric layer, entitled dielectric barrier electrophoretic deposition (DBEPD) has been proposed. We demonstrated the fabrication of uniform organic semiconductor thin film onto any kind of substrate by DBEPD. Optical absorption spectra of colloidal poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) film prepared by DBEPD exhibited the clear vibrational structure attributed to highly ordered domains. It was in contrast to the relatively disordered structure as shown in the case of P3HT film prepared by conventional electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Organic field effect transistors fabricated by each method showed similar organic field effect transistor characteristics, however, the uniformity of DBEPD film was superior to EPD film

Effects of Acid Soils on Plant Growth and Successful Revegetation in the Case of Mine Site

Acid soils are caused by mining, potentially causing the death of plants. Although soil pH is one of the useful indicators to evaluate acid soil conditions for successful revegetation, the dissolution of harmful elements under acidic conditions should be considered in addition to the tolerance mechanism of plants in mines. Thus, this study aims to report the current situation of acid soils and plant growth in mine site and to elucidate the effects of acid soils on plant growth over time through field investigation and a vegetation test. The results showed that the dissolution of Al from acid soils which were attributed to the dissolution of sulfides influenced plant growth. Not only soil pH but also the assessment of the dissolution of sulfides over time is crucial for successful revegetation, suggesting that net acid producing potential (NAPP) and net acid generation (NAG) pH, which are used for evaluating the formation of acidic water, are useful to evaluate soil conditions for the revegetation. Furthermore, acid-tolerant plant survived under acidic conditions by increasing the resistance against acidic conditions with the plant growth. Such factors and the proper selection of plant species play an important role in achieving successful revegetation in mines

Temperature-Sensitive Transient Receptor Potential Channels in Corneal Tissue Layers and Cells

We here provide a brief summary of the characteristics of transient receptor potential channels (TRPs) identified in corneal tissue layers and cells. In general, TRPs are nonselective cation channels which are Ca ²⁺ permeable. Most TRPs serve as thermosensitive molecular sensors (thermo-TRPs). Based on their functional importance, the possibilities are described for drug-targeting TRP activity in a clinical setting. TRPs are expressed in various tissues of the eye including both human corneal epithelial and endothelial layers as well as stromal fibroblasts and stromal nerve fibers. TRP vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) heat receptor, also known as capsaicin receptor, along with TRP melastatin type 8 (TRPM8) cold receptor, which is also known as menthol receptor, are prototypes of the thermo-TRP family. The TRPV1 functional channel is the most investigated TRP channel in these tissues, owing to its contribution to maintaining tissue homeostasis as well as eliciting wound healing responses to injury. Other thermo-TRP family members identified in these tissues are TRPV2, 3 and 4. Finally, there is the TRP ankyrin type 1 (TRPA1) cold receptor. All of these thermo-TRPs can be activated within specific temperature ranges and transduce such inputs into chemical and electrical signals. Although several recent studies have begun to unravel complex roles for thermo-TRPs such as TRPV1 in corneal layers and resident cells, additional studies are needed to further elucidate their roles in health and disease

Rectification of radio frequency current in ferromagnetic nanowire

We report the rectification of a constant wave radio frequency (RF) current by using a single-layer magnetic nanowire; a direct-current voltage is resonantly generated when the RF current flows through the nanowire. The mechanism of the rectification is discussed in terms of the spin torque diode effect reported for magnetic tunnel junction devices and the rectification is shown to be direct attributable to resonant spin wave excitation by the RF current.Comment: 20 Pages, 4 figures, submitte

MOCK-UP TEST OF REMOTE CONTROLLED DISMANTLING APPARATUS FOR LARGE-SIZED VESSELS

ABSTRACT The remote dismantling apparatus, which is equipped with multi-units for functioning of washing, cutting, collection of cut pieces and so on, has been constructed to dismantle the large-sized vessels in the JAERI&apos;s Reprocessing Test Facility (JRTF). The apparatus has five-axis movement capability and its operation is performed remotely. The mock-up tests were performed to evaluate the applicability of the apparatus to actual dismantling activities by using the mock-ups of LV-3 and LV-5 in the facility. It was confirmed that each unit was satisfactory functioned by remote operation. Efficient procedure for dismantling the large-sized vessel was studied and various data were obtained from the mock-up tests. This apparatus was found to be applicable for the actual dismantling activity in JRTF

The effect of potassium on aluminous phase stability in the lower mantle

The aluminous calcium-ferrite type phase (CF) and new aluminous phase (NAL) are thought to hold the excess alumina produced by the decomposition of garnet in MORB compositions in the lower mantle. The respective stabilities of CF and NAL in the nepheline-spinel binary (NaAlSiO4 –MgAl2O4 ) are well established. However with the addition of further components the phase relations at lower mantle conditions remain unclear. Here we investigate a range of compositions around the nepheline apex of the nepheline-kalsilite-spinel compositional join (NaAlSiO4 –KAlSiO4–MgAl2O4 ) at 28–78 GPa and 2000 K. Our experiments indicate that even small amounts of a kalsilite (KAlSiO4 ) component dramatically impact phase relations. We find NAL to be stable up to at least 71 GPa in potassium-bearing compositions. This demonstrates the stabilizing effect of potassium on NAL, because NAL is not observed at pressures above 48 GPa on the nepheline-spinel binary. We also observe a broadening of the CF stability field to incorporate larger amounts of potassium with increasing pressure. For pressures below 50 GPa only minor amounts (&lt;0.011(1) K/(K+Na+Mg) ) of potassium are soluble in CF, whereas at 68 GPa, we find a solubility in CF of at least 0.088(3) K/(K+Na+Mg). This indicates that CF and NAL are suitable hosts of the alkali content of MORB compositions at lower mantle conditions. For sedimentary compositions at lower mantle pressures, we expect K-Hollandite to be stable in addition to CF and NAL for pressures of 28–48 GPa, based on our simplified compositions

Inhibitory Effects of Anti-VEGF Antibody on the Growth and Angiogenesis of Estrogen-induced Pituitary Prolactinoma in Fischer 344 Rats: Animal Model of VEGF-targeted Therapy for Human Endocrine Tumors

Estrogen-induced pituitary prolactin-producing tumors (PRLoma) in F344 rats express a high level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) associated with marked angiogenesis and angiectasis. To investigate whether tumor development in E2-induced PRLoma is inhibited by anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody (G6-31), we evaluated tumor growth and observed the vascular structures. With simultaneous treatment with G6-31 for the latter three weeks of the 13-week period of E2 stimulation (E2+G6-31 group), the following inhibitory effects on the PRLoma were observed in the E2+G6-31 group as compared with the E2-only group. In the E2+G6-31 group, a tendency to reduction in pituitary weight was observed and significant differences were observed as (1) reductions in the Ki-67-positive anterior cells, (2) increases in TUNEL-positive anterior cells, and (3) repair of the microvessel count by CD34-immunohistochemistry. The characteristic “blood lakes” in PRLomas were improved and replaced by repaired microvascular structures on 3D observation using confocal laser scanning microscope. These inhibitory effects due to anti-VEGF antibody might be related to the autocrine/paracrine action of VEGF on the tumor cells, because VEGF and its receptor are co-expressed on the tumor cells. Thus, our results demonstrate that anti-VEGF antibody exerted inhibitory effects on pituitary tumorigenesis in well-established E2 induced PRLomas

Theory of optical spectra of polar quantum wells: Temperature effects

Theoretical and numerical calculations of the optical absorption spectra of excitons interacting with longitudinal-optical phonons in quasi-2D polar semiconductors are presented. In II-VI semiconductor quantum wells, exciton binding energy can be tuned on- and off-resonance with the longitudinal-optical phonon energy by varying the quantum well width. A comprehensive picture of this tunning effect on the temperature-dependent exciton absorption spectrum is derived, using the exciton Green's function formalism at finite temperature. The effective exciton-phonon interaction is included in the Bethe-Salpeter equation. Numerical results are illustrated for ZnSe-based quantum wells. At low temperatures, both a single exciton peak as well as a continuum resonance state are found in the optical absorption spectra. By contrast, at high enough temperatures, a splitting of the exciton line due to the real phonon absorption processes is predicted. Possible previous experimental observations of this splitting are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B. Permanent address: [email protected]