C and N stable isotope variation in urine and milk of cattle depending on the diet

The stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of urine and milk samples from cattle under different feeding regimes were analysed over a period of six months. The isotope ratios were measured with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). The δ ¹³C values of milk and urine were dependent on different feeding regimes based on C₃ or C₄ plants. The δ ¹³C values are more negative under grass feeding than under maize feeding. The δ ¹³C values of milk are more negative compared to urine and independent of the feeding regime. Under grass feeding the analysed milk and urine samples are enriched in ¹³C relative to the feed, whereas under maize feeding the ¹³C/¹²C ratio of urine is in the same range and milk is depleted in ¹³C relative to the diet. The difference between the ¹⁵N/¹⁴N ratios for the two feeding regimes is less pronounced than the ¹³C/¹²C ratios. The δ ¹⁵N values in urine require more time to reach the new equilibrium, whereas the milk samples show no significant differences between the two feeding regimes.     

Comparison of electron beam and pulsed laser irradiation effects in Fe80B20

The effects of high-energy electron beam and pulsed excimer laser irradiation on the magnetic properties of Fe₈₀B₂₀ amorphous alloy are investigated by means of transmission and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both types of irradiation were found to induce changes in the magnetic anisotropy of Fe₈₀B₂₀, but the influence of high-energy electron beam irradiation was weaker. Depending on the number of applied laser pulses and repetition rate, controlled magnetic anisotropy and/or relaxation of internal stresses could be obtained by excimer laser irradiation. The presence of molten zones subsequently solidified and of laser-induced internal stresses supports the model of closúre domain structure.     

Femtosecond study of surface structure and composition and time-resolved spectroscopy in metals

Surface structuring and compositioning in aluminum alloy 2024-T3 were demonstrated using a femtosecond pulse laser. Surface nanostructuring was developed as a function of laser parameters and the surface micrographs of the scanning electron microscopy were characterized as a function of incident laser fluence. Surface compositioning was performed by selectively removing the elements on the surface of the sample. Femtosecond studies of highly excited electrons were performed by a pump–probe technique, and the thermalization time was found to be in a range of 1.5–3 ps, increasing with incident fluence. The time-resolved measurement is well matched to the numerical calculation. Received: 6 September 2001 / Accepted: 18 July 2002 / Published online: 25 October 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +1-405/744-6811, E-mail: dou@okstate.edu     

Growth factors for Marangoni instability in a spherical liquid layer under zero-gravity conditions

The neutral-stability analysis presented by Hoefsloot et al. [3] is completed by computing the growth factorsβ for the normal modes and by showing that the neutral states (Re(β)=0) are stationary (Im(β)=0) rather than oscillatory (Im(β)≠0).     

Large field of view MEMS-based confocal laser scanning microscope for fluorescence imaging

Although confocal fluorescence microscopes are widely used in biology and have been proven to be promising diagnostic tools in dermatologic diagnostics, they are at present uncommon in medical practice. This is mainly due to high costs of acquisition and their large and complex outline. With the integration of a MEMS scanner we present a demonstration system of a confocal fluorescence laser scanning microscope which is affordable and portable. It has a field of view of 500 μm × 500 μm and is mainly composed of off-the-shelf components.     

Rashba effect in Ga<Subscript>x</Subscript>In<Subscript>1-x</Subscript>As/InP quantum wire structures

An overview is given on the Rashba effect in Ga_xIn_1-xAs/InP quantum wires. First, the effect of Rashba spin–orbit coupling on the energy level spectrum of quantum wires with different shapes of the confining potential is theoretically investigated. The wave functions as well as the spin densities in the quantum wire are analyzed for different magnetic fields. It is found that, owing to the additional geometrical confinement, a modification of the characteristic beating pattern in the magnetoresistance can be expected. The theoretical findings are compared to measurements on two different types of wires: First, single wires and, second, sets of parallel wires. A characteristic beating pattern in the Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations is observed for wires with an effective width down to approximately 400 nm. The beating pattern is significantly better resolved for the samples with sets of parallel wires, owing to the effective suppression of conductance fluctuations. A comparison with theoretical simulations confirms that the strength of the Rashba effect is basically not affected by the geometrical confinement of the wires. However, for wires with a very small effective width the strong carrier confinement leads to a suppression of the characteristic beating pattern in the Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations. PACS 71.70.Ej; 73.63.-b; 71.70.Di     

Luminescence behavior of inorganic and metalorganic europium(III) dopants incorporated into silica and epoxy-diol ORMOSIL sol-gel hosts

The narrow, intense emission bands of europium (III) make its compounds of interest for various optical source applications. Previous studies have indicated that complexes like tris(4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-thieny1)-1,3-butanedionato-O,O)europium(III), Eu(ttfa)₃, have superior fluorescence properties in select media with respect to comparable inorganic salts like EuCl₃. It has been shown that such complexes are readily incorporated into solid-state matrices via the sol-gel process. The present research examines the luminescence behavior of Eu(ttfa)₃ and EuCl₃ doped into a sol-gel-derived epoxy-diol ORMOSIL host, and extends our earlier work involving doped silica and acrylate ORMOSIL gel materials. The present study focuses on the effects of dopant-matrix interactions and seeks to compare the emission behavior of Eu(ttfa)₃ and EuCl₃ in silica and epoxy-diol ORMOSIL gel host materials.     

Effect of confinement on the weak antilocalization in InGaAs/InP quasi-1D structures

Magnetotransport properties of quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) quantum wires based on InGaAs/InP heterojunctions were studied. The influence of the wire width as well as of the temperature on the weak antilocalization was investigated. A crossover from the weak antilocalization to the weak localization regime was observed in the very narrow wires. The analysis of the characteristic scattering lengths suggests a strong effect of the electron confinement and diffusive boundary scattering on the suppression of the weak antilocalization.