A novel circuit for independent control of electron energy and emission current of a hot cathode electron source

The implementation of a non-linear combination of two reference voltages to control the anode voltage in the previously described biasing system of an electron source with a hot cathode allows elimination of the correlation between the emission current and the accelerating voltage. The presented system is highly suitable for applications in electron-impact mass spectrometers, ionization gauges and other instruments (for example, electron microscopes).     

Structure and thermodynamics of lipid bilayers on polyethylene glycol cushions: fact and fiction of PEG cushioned membranes

In developing well hydrated polymer cushioned membranes, structural studies are often neglected. In this work, neutron and X-ray reflectivity studies reveal that hybrid bilayer/polyethylene glycol (PEG) systems created from mixtures of phospholipids and PEG conjugated lipopolymers do not yield a hydrated cushion beneath the bilayer unless the terminal ends of the lipopolymers are functionalized with reactive end groups and can covalently bind (tether) to the underlying support surface. While reactive PEG tethered systems yielded bilayers with near complete surface coverage, a bimodal distribution of heights with sub-micrometer lateral dimensions was observed consisting of cushioned membrane domains and uncushioned regions in close proximity to the support. The membrane fraction cushioned by the hydrated polymer could be controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of lipopolymer in the bilayer. A general phase diagram based on the free energy of the various configurations is derived that qualitatively predicts the observed behavior and the resulting structure of such systems a priori. As further evidenced by ellipsometry, atomic force and fluorescence microscopy, the tethered system provides a simple means for fabricating small cushioned domains within a membrane.     

Tuning Photodynamic Properties of BODIPY Dyes,Porphyrins’ Little Sisters

The photodynamic properties of a series of non-halogenated, dibrominated and diiodinated BODIPYs with a phthalimido or amino end modification on the phenoxypentyl and phenoxyoctyl linker in the meso position were investigated. Halogen substitution substantially increased the singlet oxygen production based on the heavy atom effect. This increase was accompanied by a higher photodynamic activity against skin melanoma cancer cells SK-MEL-28, with the best compound reaching an EC₅₀ = 0.052 ± 0.01 µM upon light activation. The dark toxicity (toxicity without light activation) of all studied dyes was not detected up to the solubility limit in cell culture medium (10 µM). All studied BODIPY derivatives were predominantly found in adiposomes (lipid droplets) with further lower signals colocalized in either endolysosomal vesicles or the endoplasmic reticulum. A detailed investigation of cell death indicated that the compounds act primarily through the induction of apoptosis. In conclusion, halogenation in the 2,6 position of BODIPY dyes is crucial for the efficient photodynamic activity of these photosensitizers.     

Scalar soliton generation in all-polarization-maintaining, graphene mode-locked fiber laser

All-polarization-maintaining, self-starting Erbium-doped fiber laser based on graphene-saturable absorber is presented. Scalar soliton pulses with 570 fs duration and 114.1 MHz repetition rate were achieved at a 1557 nm center wavelength and with 6 nm bandwidth. The graphene-saturable absorber was formed by mechanical exfoliation of pure graphite. The laser was environmentally stable and could operate for long periods of time with linearly polarized output and degree of polarization at the level of 98%.     

Partitioning of atmospheric carbon dioxide over Central Europe: insights from combined measurements of CO2 mixing ratios and their carbon isotope composition

Regular measurements of atmospheric CO (2) mixing ratios and their carbon isotope composition ((13)C/(12)C and (14)C/(12)C ratios) performed between 2005 and 2009 at two sites of contrasting characteristics (Krakow and the remote mountain site Kasprowy Wierch) located in southern Poland were used to derive fossil fuel-related and biogenic contributions to the total CO (2) load measured at both sites. Carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, not coming from fossil fuel and biogenic sources, was considered 'background' CO (2). In Krakow, the average contribution of fossil fuel CO (2) was approximately 3.4%. The biogenic component was of the same magnitude. Both components revealed a distinct seasonality, with the fossil fuel component reaching maximum values during winter months and the biogenic component shifted in phase by approximately 6 months. The partitioning of the local CO (2) budget for the Kasprowy Wierch site revealed large differences in the derived components: the fossil fuel component was approximately five times lower than that derived for Krakow, whereas the biogenic component was negative in summer, pointing to the importance of photosynthetic sink associated with extensive forests in the neighbourhood of the station. While the presented study has demonstrated the strength of combined measurements of CO (2) mixing ratios and their carbon isotope signature as efficient tools for elucidating the partitioning of local atmospheric CO (2) loads, it also showed the important role of the land cover and the presence of the soil in the footprint of the measurement location, which control the net biogenic surface CO (2) fluxes.     

Novel dibenzothiophene chromophores with peripheral barbituric acceptors

A series of novel chromophores based on central 2,8-disubstituted dibenzothiophene (DBT) or dibenzothiophene-S,S-dioxide (DBTO) has been designed and prepared. The interconnection of DBT(O) central scaffold with two peripheral barbituric acceptors via various π-spacer allowed significant property tuning of target chromophores. Four new final chromophores and six DBT(O)-intermediates have been successfully synthesized and fully characterized. Experimental and calculated data showed that the fundamental properties are affected by the chromophore A-π-D-π-A or A-π-A-π-A arrangement (DBT vs. DBTO) and the π-linker (ethenylene vs. ethynylene). Thorough structure-property relationships have been elucidated and discussed in detail.     

Lp-Lq time decay estimate to the solution of the Cauchy problem of the system of equations for nonlocal model of hyperbolic thermoelasticity theory

The aim of this paper is to present a new system of equations describing nonlocal model of hyperbolic thermoelasticity theory. We used the Papkin and Gurtin approach based on the constitutive relations for internal energy e(x), and heat flux q(x), with integral terms. Such system of equations describes the propagation of thermal perturbation with finite velocity. Using the modified Cagniard–de Hoop's method we constructed the matrix of fundamental solutions for this system of equations in three–dimensional space. Basing on the constructed matrix of fundamental solutions in the explicit formula we represent the solution of the Cauchy problem to this system of equations in the form of some kind of convolutions. Next, applying the method of Sobolev spaces, we obtain the L^p−L^q time decay estimate to the solution of the Cauchy problem. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Reliability based limit design of steel frames with limited residual strain energy capacity

The aim of this paper is to take into consideration the influence of the limited load carrying capacity of the connections on the plastic limit state of elasto-plastic steel (or composite) framed structures under multi-parameter stochastic loading and probabilistically given conditions. In addition to the plastic limit design to control the plastic behaviour of the structure, bound on the complementary strain energy of the residual forces is also applied. This bound has significant effect for the load parameter. If the design uncertainties (manufacturing, strength, geometrical) are expressed by the calculation of the complementary strain energy of the residual forces a reliability based extended limit design problem is formed. The formulations of the problems yield to nonlinear mathematical programming which are solved by the use of sequential quadratic algorithm. The bi-level optimization procedure governed by the reliability index calculation. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Suppression of heating rates in cryogenic surface-electrode ion traps

Dense arrays of trapped ions provide one way of scaling up ion trap quantum information processing. However, miniaturization of ion traps is currently limited by sharply increasing motional state decoherence at sub-100 mum ion-electrode distances. We characterize heating rates in cryogenically cooled surface-electrode traps, with characteristic sizes in the 75 to 150 mum range. Upon cooling to 6 K, the measured rates are suppressed by 7 orders of magnitude, 2 orders of magnitude below previously published data of similarly sized traps operated at room temperature. The observed noise depends strongly on the fabrication process, which suggests further improvements are possible.     

Cocyclic subshifts

Motivated by the computations in the theory of cohomological Conley index, cocyclic subshifts are the supports of locally constant matrix cocycles on the full shift over a finite alphabet. They properly generalize sofic systems and topological Markov chains; and, via the Wedderburn-Artin theory of finite-dimensional algebras, admit a similar structure theory with a spectral decomposition into mixing components. These components have specification, which implies intrinsic ergodicity and entropy generation by sequences of horseshoes. Also, a zeta-like generating function for cocyclic subshifts leads to simple criteria for existence of a factor map onto the full two-shift – which gives practical tools for detecting chaos in general discrete dynamical systems. Received June 30, 1997; in final form May 21, 1999