Analysis of synaptic bodies in the Sprague-Dawley rat pineal gland under extreme photoperiods

Synaptic bodies (SBs) are small, prominent organelles in pinealocytes, most probably involved in signal transduction processes. To check the influence of the photoperiod on their shape plasticity and number we chose two extreme lighting conditions, i.e. 20h of illumination followed by 4h of darkness (LD 20:4) versus (LD 4:20). Pineal glands were assessed at 0, 4 and 13h after dark onset. Under both conditions reconstructed SBs were plates or ribbons but never spheres and there were no obvious differences in morphology. Photoperiodic changes in SB profile size and number were investigated: application of the established method for SB quantification based on single section profile counts (SSPC) of areas showed a significant increase of SB profiles under LD 20:4. However, it has to be noted that SSPC depend on both, number and size of the structures. In contrast to this, modification of the disector counting method, also applied for unbiased quantification of whole SBs, revealed that rat pinealocytes show insignificantly more SBs under LD 20:4 than under 4:20 conditions. The lengths of the SB profiles, which were first measured under different conditions in this study, depend on SB size. They increased significantly under LD 20:4. In conclusion, we detected only an increase in SB size but not in their number. We further prove that, at least for SBs, it is of no value to calculate disector levels from SSPCs.     

Conformation of poly(L-lysine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) molecular brushes in aqueous solution studied by small-angle neutron scattering

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been employed for the analysis of conformations of poly(L-lysine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g -PEG) molecular bottle brushes in aqueous solutions. The degree of polymerisation of the PEG chains was systematically varied in order to unravel dependence of the conformational properties of the bottle brushes on the molecular weight of the grafted chains. The grafting density was kept constant and high enough to ensure strong overlap of the PEG chains. The scattering spectra were fitted on the basis of the model of an effective worm-like chain with the account of average radial distribution and local fluctuations of the PEG density in the bottle brush. The results of the fits indicate that molecular brushes retain weakly bent configuration on the length scale of the order of (or larger than) the brush thickness. This finding is in agreement with earlier simulation and recent theoretical results.     

Multiple shear banding in a computational amorphous alloy model

The strain localized phenomenon, so called shear bands (SBs), in an amorphous alloy have received a lot of attention in recent years. In this study, we microscopically investigated the nature and dynamics of multiple SBs using molecular dynamics model. In the SB region, intense shear-induced structural change occurred, typified by the annihilation of pentagonal short-range order, and significant localized heating accompanied with the SB propagation was observed. Moreover, a large number of fine SBs operated simultaneously at a high strain rate, whereas, only a few SBs appeared and propagated abruptly at a low strain rate. These results were discussed with respect to brittle/ductile deformation of bulk metallic glasses. PACS 31.15.xv; 62.20.F-; 81.05.Kf     

Point mobility of a cylindrical plate incorporating a tapered hole of power-law profile

The paper describes the results of experimental measurements of point mobility carried out on circular plates containing tapered holes of quadratic power-law profile with attached damping layers. The obtained results are compared to the developed numerical model, as a means of validation. The profiles of the tapered hole in the plates are designed to replicate near zero reflection of quasi-plane waves from a tapered hole in geometrical acoustics approximation, also known as acoustic black hole effect. The driving point mobility measurements are provided, showing a comparison of the results for a constant thickness circular plate, a constant thickness plate with a layer of damping film applied and a plate with a quadratic power-law profile machined into the center, which is tested with a thin layer of elastic damping material attached. The results indicate a substantial suppression of resonant peaks, agreeing with a numerical model, which is based on the analytical solution available for the vibration of a plate with a central quadratic power-law profile. The paper contains results for the case of free boundary conditions on all edges of the plates, with emphasis placed on the predictions of resonant frequencies and the amplitudes of vibration and loss factor.     

Hydrolysis and stability of thin pulsed plasma polymerised maleic anhydride coatings

The stability of plasma polymerised layers has become important because of their widespread use. This study explored the hydrolysis and degradation stability of coatings of plasma polymerised maleic anhydride. Coatings made with different plasma parameters were exposed to aqueous media of different pH as a function of time. ATR-FTIR was used for structure analysis and a toluidine blue staining method allowed quantitative analysis of the hydrolysis of anhydride groups to acid groups. Coatings with constant thickness were obtained at different plasma powers and layers with varying thickness were obtained at constant plasma power by adjusting the polymerisation time. The results show that the hydrolysis resistance of the modified layer is determined by the power used in the plasma polymerisation, while changes in the chemistry of the modified layer are insignificant.     

入射光照对典型光刻胶纳米结构的光学散射测量影响分析

作为一种快速、低成本和非接触的测量手段,光学散射测量在半导体制造业中的纳米结构三维形貌表征方面获得了广泛关注与运用.光学散射测量是一种基于模型的测量方法,在纳米结构待测参数的逆向提取过程中,为降低参数之间的耦合性,通常需要将结构的光学常数作为固定的已知量,即假设结构的材料光学常数不受光学散射仪入射光照的影响.事实上,这一假设对于半导体制造业中的绝大多数材料是成立的,但某些感光材料的光学常数有可能随着入射光的照射时间增加而发生改变,而由此产生的误差会在一定程度上传递给待测形貌参数的逆向提取值.本文针对聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯光刻胶薄膜培片和光栅结构分别开展了光学散射测量实验与仿真研究,结果表明该光刻胶材料的光学常数随着入射光照时间增加而变化,进而导致光栅结构形貌参数的提取结果较大地偏离于真实值,不容被忽视.这一研究发现将为更进一步提高光刻胶纳米结构三维形貌参数的测量精确度提供理论依据.     

Experimental validation of a nonparametric probabilistic model of nonhomogeneous uncertainties for dynamical systems

The paper deals with an experimental validation of a nonparametric probabilistic model of nonhomogeneous uncertainties for dynamical systems. The theory used, recently introduced, allows model uncertainties and data uncertainties to be simultaneously taken into account. An experiment devoted to this validation was specifically developed. The experimental model is constituted of two simple dural rectangular plates connected together with a complex joint. In the mean mechanical model, the complex joint, which is constituted of two additional plates attached with 40 screw-bolts, is modeled by a homogeneous orthotropic continuous plate with constant thickness, as usual. Consequently, the mean model introduces a region (the joint) which has a high level of uncertainties. The objective of the paper is to present the experiment and the comparisons of the theoretical prediction with the experiments.     

Nanopore formation on low-doped p-type silicon under illumination

Porous silicon layers were elaborated by anodization of highly resistive p-type silicon in HF/ethylene glycol solution under front side illumination, as a function of etching time, HF concentration and illumination intensity. The porous layer morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The illumination during anodization was provided by a tungsten lamp or lasers of different wavelengths. Under anodization, a microporous layer is formed up to a critical thickness above which macropores appear. Under illumination, the instability limiting the growth of the microporous layer occurs at a critical thickness much larger than in the dark. This critical thickness depends on HF concentration, illumination wavelength and intensity. These non-trivial dependencies are rationalized in a model in which photochemical etching in the electrochemically formed porous layer plays the central role.     

Characteristics of vertical bent coupling between straight and curved rectangular optical waveguides

In terms of the coupled mode theory (CMT) and the transfer matrix method, we present a technique and relative formulas including the bent coupling coefficient, amplitude coupling ratio, amplitude transmission ratio and propagation power for analyzing the vertical bent coupling between a curved rectangular waveguide and a straight one. Investigations show that the bent coupling appears in an effective coupling region by both sides of the central coupling point. Beyond this effective coupling region, however, the bent coupling is very weak, and the propagation power in the waveguide is closer to a constant. As the bent radius increases, or the thickness of the coupling layer between these two waveguides decreases, this effective coupling region becomes wider, in which the coupling behavior becomes stronger.     

The effect of Ag intermediate layer on crystalline, optical and electrical properties of nano-structured thin film

ITO thin films and ITO/Ag/ITO multilayered films were prepared on glass substrate by reactive thermal evaporation technique without intentionally heating the substrate. After deposition the films were annealed in air at three different temperatures (300°C, 420°C and 540°C). The thickness of each layer in the ITO/Ag/ITO films was kept constant at 50 nm/10 nm/40 nm. The opto-electrical and structural properties of ITO/Ag/ITO multilayered films were compared with conventional ITO single-layer films. Although both films had identical thickness, 100 nm, the ITO/Ag/ITO films showed a lower resistivity. XRD spectra showed that Ag intermediate layer had a small effect on crystalline properties of ITO/Ag/ITO films.     

Suppression of superconductivity in YBCO/LCMO superlattices

The competition of superconductivity and magnetism in superlattices composed of alternating YBa₂Cu₃O_7−d and La_0.67Ca_0.33MnO₃ thin films is investigated using low-energy optical spectroscopy. The thickness of the superconducting YBCO layers is varied from 30 to 20 nm while the thickness of the magnetic LCMO layers is kept constant at 20 nm. We clearly observe that the superconducting condensate density in the superconducting state of super lattice is drastically reduced by the magnetic subsystem which may be connected with proximity effects that distort the gap symmetry and thus suppress superconductivity.     

Magnetization and FMR studies in multilayer Ni-Ag films

We have prepared Ni-Ag multilayer films and studied their magnetic properties. The Ag layer thickness (tAg) was kept constant at 6nm and t(Ni) varied from 1.5 to 10 nm. The number of bilayers varied from 10 to 50. The magnetization tends to decrease for tNi < 7nm but for tNi < 4nm it again increases. FMR measurements confirm in samples with t(Ni) < 4nm, the presence of regions with increased magnetization. This is attributed to some mixing of Ag and Ni, when the latter acquire an enhanced magnetic moment.     

阻尼耦合双层微穿孔板吸声体研究

提出并研究一种利用两板间微缝进行阻尼耦合的双层微穿孔板(DMPP)吸声体。该吸声体在两层微穿孔板(MPP)之间形成一个宽度小于1mm的微缝,因此其阻尼不仅可由板上的微穿孔提供,还可由两板之间形成的微缝提供。采用声电类比法建立了DMPP转移阻抗的理论模型,并进行实验验证,结果表明理论计算结果与实验吻合较好。然后利用建立的理论模型,对单层MPP和DMPP吸声体的吸声性能进行了对比研究,结果表明,相比于单层MPP,DMPP可以利用微缝提供的阻尼显著改善吸声性能,同时减少实际板厚。最后,对DMPP吸声体的吸声性能及其几何参数的关系进行研究,结果表明,当保持其它结构参数不变时,微缝宽度对DMPP吸声系数的提高存在一个最优值,超过或低于此值会导致吸声系数下降。     

ZnO nanorods/plates on Si substrate grown by low-temperature hydrothermal reaction

The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods/plates are obtained via hydrothermal method assisted by etched porous Al film on Si substrate. The products consist of nanorods with average diameter of 100 nm and nanoplates with thickness of 200-300 nm, which are uniformly distributed widely and grown perpendicularly to the substrate. The ZnO nanoplates with thickness of 150-300 nm were grown on Si substrate coated with a thin continuous Al film (without etching) in the same aqueous solution. The growth mechanism and room temperature photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanorods/plates and nanoplates were investigated. It is found that the introduction of the etched Al film plays a key role in the formation of ZnO nanorods/plates. The annealing process is favorable to enhance the UV PL emissions of the ZnO nanorods/plates.     

Photo-induced effects on structural and optical properties of Ga15Se81Ag4 chalcogenide thin films

Thin films with thickness of 400 nm have been obtained from the Ga₁₅Se₈₁Ag₄ ternary chalcogenide glass prepared by the melt quenching technique. The behavior of several optical constants has been studied from absorption and reflection spectra as a function of photon energy in the wavelength region 400–1200 nm. The amorphous nature of the sample was examined by X-ray diffraction and non-isothermal DSC measurements. Thin films were illuminated by shining white light using 1500 W tungsten lamp with different exposure time. The ambient temperature during the illumination process was controlled and kept at 348 K, selected by DSC thermogram. Analysis of the optical absorption data shows that the rule of non-direct transition predominates. It is found that the optical band gap decreases by increasing the illumination time. It has also been observed that the value of absorption and extinction coefficients increases while the refractive index decreases by increasing the illumination time from 0 to 150 min. The decrease in optical band gap is explained on the basis of the change in nature of the films, from amorphous to crystalline state, with increase of the illumination time.     

Aspects of nanometer scale imaging with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) laboratory sources

Imaging systems with nanometer resolution are instrumental to the development of the fast evolving field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Decreasing the wavelength of illumination is a direct way to improve the spatial resolution in photon-based imaging systems and motivated a strong interest in short wavelength imaging techniques in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region. In this review paper, various EUV imaging techniques, such as 2D and 3D holography, EUV microscopy using Fresnel zone plates, EUV reconstruction of computer generated hologram (CGH) and generalized Talbot self-imaging will be presented utilizing both coherent and incoherent compact laboratory EUV sources. Some of the results lead to the imaging with spatial resolution reaching 50 nm in a very short exposure time. These techniques can be used in a variety of applications from actinic mask inspection in the EUV lithography, biological imaging to mask-less lithographic processes in nanofabrication.     

Novel effects in extremely broadband semiconductor optical amplifiers with non-identical quantum wells

An extremely broad emission spectrum is obtained for semiconductor optical amplifiers with multiple quantum wells fabricated on the substrate. The spectral width is nearly 400 nm (1200–1600 nm), which covers the entire usable bandwidth of an optical fiber. Broadband characteristics allow observing three novel effects: (i) the bi-directional guided effect of lasing mode in a bent waveguide of semiconductor optical amplifiers, (ii) the optical switching effect in one semiconductor optical amplifier for optical communication band, and (iii) the effect of separate confinement heterostructure layer thickness.     

Reconstruction of the acoustic impedance profile in a plate using an inverse spectral procedure

An inverse spectral procedure was applied to reconstruct the acoustic impedance profile along the thickness direction of a plate using its thickness resonance frequencies, density and thickness. For a successful reconstruction, the material-property profile must be symmetric about the mid-plane of the plate. Several cases of numerical simulations, including plates with a few layers and with a high number of layers are described. The calculated resonance frequencies were used to reconstruct the acoustic impedance profile, a process that was successful for all cases. We assume that a plate with a high number of layers, each with a different but constant acoustic impedance, simulates a plate with a smoothly varying acoustic impedance profile. It can be concluded that such a plate, which generates small, virtually undetectable, internally reflected waves, can also be reconstructed. In the special case of a plate of unknown thickness and unknown but constant density, the method is still useful, because a relative variation of the material property can be reconstructed using only the resonance frequencies. An experiment using a resonance-mode electromagnetic acoustic transducer (resonance-mode EMAT) is also described. EMAT is a non-contact ultrasonic method that can measure thickness resonance frequencies, making it appropriate for this method. Some examples of applications are measurement of the temperature profile inside a rolled metal sheet, measurement of a clad metal plate, and monitoring of a metal casting.     

Free vibration analysis of Mindlin plates with linearly varying thickness

A method based on the variational principles in conjunction with the finite difference technique is applied to examine the free vibration characteristics of isotropic rectangular plates of linearly varying thickness by including the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia. The validity of the present approach is demonstrated by comparing the results with other solutions proposed for plates with uniform and linearly varying thickness. Natural frequencies and mode shapes of Mindlin plates with simply supported and clamped edges are determined for various values of relative thickness ratio and the taper thickness constant.     

Oscillatory clusters in the periodically illuminated, spatially extended Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction

Cluster-cluster transitions in the periodically illuminated photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction-diffusion system exhibit the same scenario as in the autonomous BZ system with negative global feedback: two-phase clusters <--> three-phase clusters <--> irregular clusters <--> localized clusters. Transitions induced by changing the dark ( TD) or light ( TL) phases of the periodic external square wave illumination are dependent not only on the frequency of illumination at constant TD/TL, but also on the ratio TD/TL at constant frequency (when TD+TL = const).