Neutrino Mass Matrices in Models with Horizontal Symmetries

We have studied the most general neutrino mass matrices in models with SU(2) and SU(3) horizontal symmetries. Without going into the details of the models it is possible to write down the effective operators, which predict the structure of the Majorana neutrino mass matrices. Unlike other extensions of the standard model, the structure is now independent of the effective Yukawa couplings and depends entirely on the Higgs which gives mass to the other fermions. In the case of SU(3) symmetries the lowest dimensional operators are forbidden requiring a low mass scale for lepton number violation.Comment: 11 pages latex file, a few references added in 2nd versio

Surface plasmon resonance imaging detection of silver nanoparticle-tagged immunoglobulin

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2011 The Royal Society.The detection sensitivity of silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-tagged goat immunoglobulin G (gIgG) microarrays was investigated by studying surface plasmon resonance (SPR) images captured in the visible wavelength range with the help of a Kretchmann-configured optical coupling set-up. The functionalization of anti-gIgG molecules on the AgNP surface was studied using transmission electron microscopy, photon correlation measurements and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. A value of 1.3 × 107 M−1 was obtained for the antibody–antigen binding constant by monitoring the binding events at a particular resonance wavelength. The detection limit of this SPR imaging instrument is 6.66 nM of gIgG achieved through signal enhancement by a factor of larger than 4 owing to nanoparticle tagging with the antibody.The European Commissio

Electron charge transport in non-peripherally substituted copper phthalocyanine

Bottom-gate, bottom-contact organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) were fabricated using solvent soluble copper-1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(hexyl)phthalocyanine as the active semiconductor layer. The compound was deposited as 70 nm thick spin-coated films onto gold source-drain electrodes supported on octadecyltrichlorosilane treated 250 nm thick SiO2 gate insulator. The analysis of experimental results showed the n-type field effect behaviour. Devices annealed at 100 oC under vacuum were found to exhibit the field-effect mobility of 0.0989 cm2 V-1 s-1, with an on/off current modulation ratio of ∼106, a reduced threshold voltage of 0.7 V and a sub-threshold swing of 2.12 V decade-1. The variations in surface morphology of the devices are found reflected considerably in the electrical measurements. The device contact resistance was found to be decreased as the gate bias increased and also with the annealing

Hybrid phthalocyanine/lead sulphide nanocomposite for bistable memory switches

Asimple, one-step method is employed to produce, at room temperature, a single layer of an organicinorganic nanocomposite containing non-aggregated lead sulphide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a 130 nmthick solution processed film of the organic semiconductor 6PcH2 (metal-free, non-peripherally substituted octahexyl phthalocyanine) on indium tin oxide. The mean size of PbS QDs is found from x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy techniques to be much smaller than the Bohr radius. Further evidence of the quantum confinement effect is provided by a blue shift in the absorption spectrum and the increased band gap of 1.95 eV with respect to bulk PbS. The current–voltage characteristics of the hybrid and pristine 6PcH2 films, both in a sandwich configuration with the aluminium top electrode, exhibit bistable switching type hysteresis. The on-off ratio of the nanocomposite device is at least three orders of magnitude higher than that for 6PcH2 organic films, while both devices operate at a very low bias voltage of 0.5 V. The inclusion of the PbS QDs into the 6PcH2 film enhances the conductivity by nearly two orders of magnitude over that of a comparable pristine 6PcH2 film due to the formation of a charge transfer complex with PbS QDs and 6PcH2 acting as acceptors and donors of electrons, respectively

Channel Length Dependent Characterisations of Organic Thin Film Transistors with Solution Processable Gadolinium Phthalocyanine Derivatives

Spin-coated 52-nm-thick films of newly synthesised gadolinium liquid crystalline bisphthalocyanine sandwich (GdPc 2) complexes with octyl chains non-peripheral positions have been successfully employed as active layers for bottom-gate organic field effect transistors having both short (5μm) and long (20μm) channels. The scaling down of the channel length (L) decreases the field effect mobility due to the increase in the contact resistance between the gold electrodes and the GdPc 2 semiconducting layer. Values of on–off ratio and sub-threshold voltage swing are higher nearly one order of magnitude for L=5μm than those for L=20μm

Steady state charge conduction through solution processed liquid crystalline lanthanide bisphthalocyanine films

In-plane electrical characteristics of non-peripherally octyl (C8H17) and hexyl (C6H13) substituted liquid crystalline (LC) double decker lanthanide bisphthalocyanine (LnPc2) complexes with central metal ions lutetium (Lu), and gadolinium (Gd) have been measured in thin film formulations on interdigitated gold (Au) electrodes for the applied voltage (V_a) range of 〖0 ≤ V〗_a ≤100 V. The conduction mechanism is found to be Ohmic within the bias of 〖0 ≤ V〗_a ≤30 V 0≤Va≤30 V while the bulk limited Poole-Frenkel mechanism is responsible for the higher bias. The compounds show individual characteristics depending on the central metal ions, substituent chain lengths and their mesophases. Values of 67.55 μS〖cm〗^(-1) and 42.31 μS〖cm〗^(-1) have been obtained. for room temperature in-plane Ohmic conductivity of as-deposited octyl lutetium (C8LuPc2) and hexyl gadolinium (C6GdPc2) films, respectively while C8GdPc2 films exhibit nearly two orders of magnitude smaller conductivity. On annealing at 80 ̊C, Ohmic conductivities of C8LuPc2 and C8GdPc2 are found to have increased but the conductivity of C6GdPc2 decreases by more than one order of magnitude to 1.5 μS〖cm〗^(-1). For physical interpretation of the charge transport behavior of these three molecules, their UV-visible optical absorption spectra have been studied in the solution and in as-deposited and annealed solid phases. It is believed that both orientational and positional reorganisations are responsible depending upon the size of the central ion and side chain length

Newly Synthesised Gadolinium bis-Phthalocyanine Sandwich Complex: Ambipolar Organic Semiconductor

Time of flight (TOF) photocurrent transient studies on 5µm thick solution processed films of novel non-peripherally octa-octyl-substituted liquid crystalline gadolinium bis-1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(octyl) phthalocyanines (8GdPc2) provide a quantitative analysis of the intrinsic ambipolar charge transport relative to mesomorphic structure of this lanthanide compound. Characteristic liquid crystalline phases of these molecules have been identified from differential scanning calorimetry supported by observation from the UV-visible absorption, showing crystal-columnar mesophase and columnar mesophase-isotropic liquid transitions at 64.2°C and 162°C, respectively. The TOF carrier mobility is found to be structure dependent and highest values of 4.73×10−6m2/Vs and 1.6×10−6m2/Vs have been estimated for hole and electron mobilities for hexagonally packed, columnar structures of the spin-coated films. These results are exploitable for development of single molecule based all organic complimentary analogue and digital circuits with tunable field effect performance

Uteroglobin Represses Allergen-induced Inflammatory Response by Blocking PGD2 Receptor–mediated Functions

Uteroglobin (UG) is an antiinflammatory protein secreted by the epithelial lining of all organs communicating with the external environment. We reported previously that UG-knockout mice manifest exaggerated inflammatory response to allergen, characterized by increased eotaxin and Th2 cytokine gene expression, and eosinophil infiltration in the lungs. In this study, we uncovered that the airway epithelia of these mice also express high levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, a key enzyme for the production of proinflammatory lipid mediators, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) contain elevated levels of prostaglandin D2. These effects are abrogated by recombinant UG treatment. Although it has been reported that prostaglandin D2 mediates allergic inflammation via its receptor, DP, neither the molecular mechanism(s) of DP signaling nor the mechanism by which UG suppresses DP-mediated inflammatory response are clearly understood. Here we report that DP signaling is mediated via p38 mitogen–activated protein kinase, p44/42 mitogen–activated protein kinase, and protein kinase C pathways in a cell type–specific manner leading to nuclear factor–κB activation stimulating COX-2 gene expression. Further, we found that recombinant UG blocks DP-mediated nuclear factor–κB activation and suppresses COX-2 gene expression. We propose that UG is an essential component of a novel innate homeostatic mechanism in the mammalian airways to repress allergen-induced inflammatory responses

Compact modeling of organic thin film transistors with solution processed octadecyl substituted tetrabenzotriazaporphyrin as an active layer

Using 70nm thick spin-coated film of newly synthesized octadecyl substituted copper tetrabenzotriazaporphyrin (10CuTBTAP) as an active layer on a highly doped silicon (110) gate electrode substrates, output characteristics and transfer characteristics of bottom-gate bottom-contact organic thin film transistors have been measured at room temperature. A compact model for thin film transistors has been employed as a part of circuit design tool to extract device parameters such as the charge carrier mobility μ, the threshold voltage VT and the contact resistances. Parallel measurements and analysis were performed on similarly constructed devices with a copper phthalocyanine analogue (10CuPc). The results reveal that the 10CuPc layer is relatively more susceptible to trapping degradation near the gate region than a 10CuTBTAP layer, which is significant in order to achieve stability in these transistors. The application of the simple square law in the classical MOS model provides a quicker but approximate interpretation of the transistor performance without providing information on the gate voltage dependence of mobility and the effects of the contact regions. In this comparative study, the analysis of the contact regions is found to be very important for determining the difference in the performance of two transistors