Fast Photoresponse and Long Lifetime UV Photodetectors and Field Emitters Based on ZnO/Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Films

We have designed photodetectors and UV field emitters based on a combination of ZnO nanowires/nanorods (ZNRs) and bilayer diamond films in a metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) structure. The ZNRs were fabricated on different diamond films and systematic investigations showed an ultra‐high photoconductive response from ZNRs prepared on ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) operating at a lower voltage of 2 V. We found that the ZNRs/UNCD photodetector (PD) has improved field emission properties and a reduced turn‐on field of 2.9 V μm^?1 with the highest electron field emission (EFE) by simply illuminating the sample with ultraviolet (UV) light. The photoresponse (I_photo/I_dark) behavior of the ZNRs/UNCD PD exhibits a much higher photoresponse (912) than bare ZNRs (229), ZNRs/nanocrystalline diamond (NCD; 518), and ZNRs/microcrystalline diamond (MCD; 325) under illumination at λ=365 nm. A photodetector with UNCD films offers superior stability and a longer lifetime compared with carbon materials and bare ZNRs. The lifetime stability of the ZNRs/UNCD‐based device is about 410 min, which is markedly superior to devices that use bare ZNRs (92 min). The ZNRs/UNCD PD possesses excellent photoresponse properties with improved lifetime and stability; in addition, ZNRs/UNCD‐based UV emitters have great potential for applications such as cathodes in flat‐panel displays and microplasma display devices.     

Visual observation of avidin-biotin affinity by fluorescent G4.5 poly(amidoamine) dendrimer

An air-treated G4.5 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer displayed the enhanced fluorescence enough to be utilized as a fluorescence marker to visualize avidin-biotin affinity: On a fluorescence microscopic image, the avidin labeled by a fluorescent G4.5 PAMAM dendrimer was observed to be selectively bound on the biotin pattern that was prepared by amide-bonding of biotin on a carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayer and in turn by UV-irradiation with a photomask on the monolayer.     

Activated T lymphocytes migrate toward the cathode of DC electric fields in microfluidic devices

Immune cell migration is a fundamental process that enables immunosurveillance and immune responses. Understanding the mechanism of immune cell migration is not only of importance to the biology of cells, but also has high relevance to cell trafficking mediated physiological processes and diseases such as embryogenesis, wound healing, autoimmune diseases and cancers. In addition to the well-known chemical concentration gradient based guiding mechanism (i.e. chemotaxis), recent studies have shown that lymphocytes can respond to applied physiologically relevant direct current (DC) electric fields by migrating toward the cathode of the fields (i.e. electrotaxis) in both in vitro and in vivo settings. In the present study, we employed two microfluidic devices allowing controlled application of electric fields inside the microfluidic channel for quantitative studies of lymphocyte electrotaxis in vitro at the single cell level. The first device is fabricated by soft-lithography and the second device is made in glass with integrated on-chip electrodes. Using both devices, we for the first time showed that anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies activated human blood T cells migrate to the cathode of the applied DC electric field. This finding is consistent with previous electrotaxis studies on other lymphocyte subsets suggesting electrotaxis is a novel guiding mechanism for immune cell migration. Furthermore, the characteristics of electrotaxis and chemotaxis of activated T cells in PDMS microfluidic devices are compared.     

A Stress Stability Behavior and Development of an LC Assay Method for Anastrozole

This present work narrates the stress stability behavior and development of a liquid chromatographic method for the quantitative determination of anastrozole. Anastrozole is appropriately used when using substantial amounts of aromatizing steroids, or when one is prone to gynecomastia and using moderate amounts of such steroids. A chromatographic separation was achieved on a Hichrom RPB18 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μ) column using water and mixture of acetonitrile and methanol (1:1 ratio) as mobile phase. Forced degradation studies were performed on bulk samples of anastrozole using acid, base, hydrogen peroxide, heat and UV light. Degradation of the drug substance was observed in base hydrolysis. Degradation product formed under base hydrolysis was found to be Imp-C. The sample solution and mobile phase were found to be stable up to 48 h. The developed method was validated with respect to linearity, accuracy, precision, robustness and forced degradation studies prove the stability indicating power of the method.     

Limit cycles in a forced Lorenz system

We consider a Lorenz system where the control parameter is sinusoidally modulated. Limit cycles appear where previously there were strange attractors. Perturbation theory is used to estimate the critical amplitude of the modulation for which limit cycles appear.     

Auditory temporal resolution in normal-hearing preschool children revealed by word recognition in continuous and interrupted noise

The purpose of this study was to examine temporal resolution in normal-hearing preschool children. Word recognition was evaluated in quiet and in spectrally identical continuous and interrupted noise at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 10, 0, and -10 dB. Sixteen children 4 to 5 years of age and eight adults participated. Performance decreased with decreasing S/N. At poorer S/Ns, participants demonstrated superior performance or a release from masking in the interrupted noise. Adults performed better than children, yet the release from masking was equivalent. Collectively these findings are consistent with the notion that preschool children suffer from poorer processing efficiency rather than temporal resolution per se.     

Asymmetric synthesis of hexapropionate synthons by sequential enantiotopic group selective enolization of meso diketones

Meso 1,9-diketones (six to seven stereocenters) are readily obtained by stepwise or simultaneous two-directional aldol reactions of tetrahydro-4H-thiopyran-4-one with a thiopyran-derived aldehyde or dialdehyde. Enantioselective enolizations of these diketones with the lithium amide from (R,R)-bis(1-phenylethyl)amine occur with simultaneous kinetic resolution to give the mono-TMS enol ethers in >90% yields (BORSM) and >95% ee. The products are applicable to polypropionate synthesis. [reaction: see text]     

A comparison between the reduced differential transform method and the Adomian decomposition method for the Newell–Whitehead–Segel equation

In this paper, we will carry out a comparative study between the reduced differential transform method and the Adomian decomposition method. This is been achieved by handling the Newell–Whitehead–Segel equation. Two numerical examples have also been carried out to validate and demonstrate efficiency of the two methods. Furthermost, it is shown that the reduced differential transform method has an advantage over the Adomian decomposition method that it takes less time to solve the nonlinear problems without using the Adomian polynomials.     

Studies on the synthesis and characterization of Zn1− x Cd x S and Zn1− x Cd x S:Mn2+ semiconductor quantum dots

Quantum dots (3–4?nm) of Zn_{1? x} Cd _x S (both free of Mn²⁺ and with Mn²⁺ incorporated) were synthesized through a novel solvothermal-microwave irradiation technique. Detailed structural analysis of the Zn_{1? x} Cd _x S and Zn_{1? x} Cd _x S:Mn²⁺ (x?=?0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) materials was carried out using powder X-ray diffraction technique. For all the compositions, the crystallite size was controlled to less than 1.5?nm. The optical energy gap for Zn_{1? x} Cd _x S was found to vary from 3.878 to 2.519?eV and for Zn_1?x Cd _x S:Mn²⁺ it varies from 3.830 to 2.442?eV when x is increased from 0 to 1. Overall, the optical energy gap could be tuned from a minimum of 2.442?eV to a maximum of 3.878?eV. DC conductivity analysis (from 40°C to 150°C) and electrical energy gap analysis for all the compositions were also performed. The dc conductivity for Zn_{1? x} Cd _x S solid solutions varies from 0.3840?×?10^?10 to 8.7782?×?10^?10?mho/m at 150°C and for Zn_{1? x} Cd _x S:Mn²⁺ it varies from 0.5751?×?10^?10 to 9.8078?×?10^?10 mho /m at 150°C (for x?=?0 to x?=?1). The method of synthesis and the results observed in this investigation may assist in the fabrication of optical devices when the required operational performance falls under the range observed in the study.     

Propagation of an electromagnetic soliton in an anisotropic biquadratic ferromagnetic medium

Information storage technology based on anisotropic ferromagnets with sufficiently high magneto-optical effects has received much attention in recent years.Magneto-optical recording combines the merits of magnetic and optical techniques.We investigate the magneto-optical effects on a biquadratic ferromagnet and show that the dynamics of the system are governed by a perturbed nonlinear Schro¨dinger equation.The evolutions of amplitude and velocity of the soliton are found to be time independent,thereby admitting the lossless propagation of the electromagnetic soliton in the medium,which may have potential applications in soliton based optical communication systems.We also exploit the role of perturbation,which has a significant impact on the propagation of an electromagnetic soliton.