Optical characterization of InGaN/AlGaN/GaN diode grown on silicon carbide

Electroluminescence (EL) properties of In_xGa_1−xN/Al_yGa_1−yN/GaN/SiC diode were studied. The spectral range for which EL spectra were recorded is 1–3.5 eV. Room temperature EL was obtained for forward bias (3.18 V, 220 μA) at 446.067 nm (blue luminescence band), 606.98 nm (yellow luminescence band) and 893.84 nm (Infrared luminescence band). The EL temperature dependence shows that, BL band is mostly given by e–h recombination corresponding to indium composition equal to 0.17 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.02 obtained theoretically and experimentally, respectively. The yellow band is generally weak and absent at low temperature. The IRL band is more consistent with the DAP recombination and could be explained by the thermal activation of Mg states. The luminescence bands shift to lower energies is due probably to the larger potential fluctuations effect.     

Driving Potentials of Heat and Mass Transport in Porous Building Materials: A Comparison Between General Linear,Thermodynamic and Micromechanical Derivation Schemes

In systems of coupled transport processes the question of the appropriate driving potentials is a point of discussion. In this article, three different approaches to derive models for transport currents are systematically compared. According to a general linear approach, an arbitrary full set of independent state variables and material properties is sufficient to describe any transport current. This approach is derived here from a symmetry principle. Thermodynamic and micromechanical approaches are more complex and even less general, but they allow additional statements about the transport coefficients and they reduce the number of transport processes. In the thermodynamic approach the additional information stems from the calculation of the entropy production rate; the micromechanical approach involves a microphysical model of the considered porous system. As a practical example, the three derivation schemes are applied to the often-encountered case of non-hysteretic heat and moisture transport in homogeneous building materials. It is shown, how the general state variables of a porous system are reduced to only two. Then from the general linear approach it can be seen, that all equations for the moisture transport current using a main driving potential (e.g. moisture content, vapour pressure, chemical potential) and an independent secondary driving potential (e.g. temperature, liquid pressure) are equivalent, without recurrence to the thermodynamic or micromechanical approach. However, the transport coefficients are arbitrary phenomenological functions depending on the two state variables. Based on a literature survey it is shown, which additional statements can be made in the thermodynamic and in the micromechanical approach. The latter yields the pressure-driven model (vapour and liquid pressure as the two driving potentials). Finally it is shown, what is to be expected, if in more complex systems the number of state variables increases.     

In Vitro Phytochemical Screening,Cytotoxicity Studies of Curcuma longa Extracts with Isolation and Characterisation of Their Isolated Compounds

The Curcuma longa plant is endowed with multiple traditional and therapeutic utilities and is here explored for its phytochemical constituents and cytotoxic potential. Turmeric rhizomes were extracted from three different solvents and screened for the presence of different phytochemical constituents, observation of which indicated that the polar solvents favoured extraction of greater versatile phytochemical constituents. These extracts were investigated for their cytotoxic potential by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay on three different of cell lines including SCC-29B (oral cancer cell line), DU-145 (prostate cancer cell line) and the Vero cell line (healthy cell line/non-cancerous cell line). This assay was performed by taking three extracts from isolated curcuminoids and a pure bioactive compound bisdemethoxycurcumin (BD). Bisdemethoxycurcumin was isolated from curcuminoids and purified by column and thin-layer chromatography, and its structural characterisation was performed with different spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, NMR (¹H Proton and ¹³C Carbon-NMR) and LC-MS. Amongst the extracts, the ethanolic extracts exhibited stronger cytotoxic potential against the oral cancer cell line (SCC-29B) with an IC₅₀value of 11.27 μg/mL, and that this was too low of a cytotoxicity against the Vero cell line. Although, curcuminoids have also shown a comparable cytotoxic potential against SCC-29B (IC₅₀ value 16.79 μg/mL), it was not as potent against the ethanolic extract, and it was even found to be cytotoxic against healthy cell lines at a very low dose. While considering the isolated compound, bisdemethoxycurcumin, it also possessed a cytotoxic potential against the prostate cancer cell line (DU-145) (IC₅₀ value of 93.28 μg/mL), but was quite safe for the healthy cell line in comparison to doxorubicin.     

Type II c-Met inhibitors: molecular insight into crucial interactions for effective inhibition

The c-Met tyrosine kinase plays an important role in human cancers. Preclinical studies demonstrated that c-Met is over-expressed, mutated and amplified in a variety of human tumor types and design of more potent c-Met inhibitors is a priority. In this study, 14 molecular dynamics simulations of potent type II c-Met inhibitors were run to resolve the critical interactions responsible for high affinity of ligands towards c-Met considering the essential flexibility of protein–ligand interactions. Residues Phe1223 and Tyr1159, involved in pi-pi interactions were recognized as the most effective residues in the ligand binding in terms of binding free energies. Hydrogen bond interaction with Met1160 was also found necessary for effective type II ligand binding to c-Met.

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Radiation damage estimation in the Al-alloy cladding of the MNSR reactor

The radiation damage rates in the Al-303-1-alloy cladding of the Syrian Miniature Neutron Source Reactor reactor has been numerically estimated with the The MCNP-4C and NJOY93 codes and the ENDF/B-VI library. The calculations showed that the Al-cladding alloy had received a maximum radiation damage rate equal to 7.01×10^?9 (dpa/s). The total damage and helium production rates in the Al-cladding alloy were 0.13 (dpa) and 1.01×10^?2 (appm, He), respectively. The contribution of the fast neutrons in the radiation damage was most effective.     

Amorphous/Crystalline （n-n） Si Heterojunction Photodetector Made by Q-Switched 0.532-mm Laser Pulses with Novel Technique

Amorphous/crystalline n-n-isotype Si heterojunetions are made by a pulsed Q-switched second harmonic generation Nd：YAG laser. The process includes melting and subsequently fast resolidification of a thin front layer of monocrystalline Si by laser pulses to create an amorphous layer （phase transition）. Different laser energy densities are used to form the amorphous layer on a monocrystalline Si substrate, the results of the electrical characteristics of the heterojunctions are dependent strongly on the laser energy density. Optoelectronic properties such as current-voltage, capacitance voltage, and spectral sensitivity are measured in a-Si/c-Si hereto junctions （in the absence of anti-reflecting coating and frontal grid contact） prepared by different laser energy densities. The built-in-potential values extracted from current-voltage measurements are close to the published results of （n-p） amorphous/crystalline hereto junction made by glow discharge and plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Furthermore, examination of the formation of amorphous pattern on Si surface is carried out with the help of optical microscopy. Best photovoltaic performance is recognized to be at ,5.6 J/cm^2. The photodetector shows a wide spectral response, and the peak response is at 780nm. On the other hand, this peak is independent of laser energy.     

New Method of Pure Diazomethane Preparation

An improved procedure for the preparation of pure diazo-methane, dissolved in di-n-butyl phthalate is reported.     

ELECTRONIC SPECTRA OF AZA-AROMATICS IN POLYMER MATRICES†

Abstract— The absorption and fluorescence spectra of acridine, phenazine, their cations and phenazine-di-N-oxide are studied in several polymer matrices. There is a one-to-one correspondence between previously measured spectra in fluid media and those reported here for plastic media. The matrix-induced spectral shifts are dependent upon the polarity and hydrogen-bonding ability of the polymer substrate. Environmental perturbations are also produced by high pressures (0–27 kbar) applied to the polymer matrix. Specific interactions between polymer substrate and the electronically excited solutes are evident from pressure-induced red shifts of the fluorescence and changes in quantum yields under pressure. These interactions between solute and its microscopic environment are subtle and varied for this group of nitrogen hetero-cyclics, although their effects are smaller than those encountered in the adsorption of related dyes.