Galvanomagnetic study of the quantum-well valence band of germanium in the Ge<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Si<Subscript>x</Subscript>/Ge/Ge<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Si<Subscript>x</Subscript> potential well

The structure of the quantum-well valence band in a Ge(111) two-dimensional layer is calculated by the self-consistent method. It is shown that the effective mass characterizing the motion of holes along the germanium layer is almost one order of magnitude smaller than the mass for the motion of heavy holes along the [111] direction in a bulk material (this mass is responsible for the formation of quantum-well levels). This creates a unique situation in which a large number of subbands appear to be populated at moderate values of the layer thickness d _w and the hole concentration p _s . The depopulation of two or more upper subbands in a 38-nm-thick germanium layer at a hole concentration p _s = 5 × 10¹⁵ m^?2 is revealed from the results of measuring the magnetoresistance in a strong magnetic field aligned parallel to the germanium layers. The destruction of the quantum Hall state at a filling factor ν = 1 indicates that the two lower subbands merge together in a self-formed potential profile of the double quantum well. It is demonstrated that, in a quasi-two-dimensional hole gas, the latter effect should be sensitive to the layer strain.     

Electron-stimulated desorption of cesium atoms from cesium layers deposited on a germanium-coated tungsten surface

The yield and energy distribution of Cs atoms from cesium layers adsorbed on germanium-coated tungsten were measured, using the time-of-flight technique with a surface-ionization-based detector, as a function of the energy of bombarding electrons, germanium film thickness, the amount of adsorbed cesium, and substrate temperature. The threshold for the appearance of Cs atoms is ～30 eV, which correlates well with the germanium 3d-level ionization energy. As the electron energy increases, the Cs atom yield passes through a broad maximum at ～120 eV. For germanium film thicknesses from 0.5 to 2 monolayers, resonance Cs yield peaks were observed at electron energies of 50 and 80 eV, which can be related to the tungsten 5p and 5s core-level ionization energies. As the cesium coverage increases, the Cs atom yield passes through a flat maximum at monolayer coverage. The energy distribution of Cs atoms follows a bell-shaped curve. With increasing cesium coverage, this curve shifts to higher energies for thin germanium films and to lower energies for thick films. The Cs energy distribution measured at a substrate temperature T = 160 K exhibits two bell-shaped peaks, namely, a narrow peak with a maximum at ～0.35 eV, associated with tungsten core-level excitation, and a broad peak with a maximum at ～0.5 eV, deriving from the excitation of the germanium 3d core level. The results obtained can be described within a model of Auger-stimulated desorption.     

Heat and mass transfer in a coal-water fuel particle at the stage of “thermal” treatment

The problem of heat and mass transfer has been solved numerically under the conditions of coal-water fuel particle ignition. The concurrent processes of evaporation, filtration of steam, thermal decomposition of the organic part of coal, thermal and chemical interaction of steam and coke carbon, and oxidation of products of their reaction and volatiles by the external oxidizer have been taken into account. The scales of influence of individual thermophysical and thermochemical properties of coals on the characteristics and conditions of ignition of coal-water slurry have been determined.     

Natural sulfur-containing minerals as topological insulators with a wide band gap

The electronic structure of quaternary natural minerals PbBi₂Te₂S₂ (aleksite), Pb₂Bi₂Te₂S₃ (saddlebackite), and PbBi₄Te₄S₃ (C phase) has been theoretically studied. These compounds have a layered structure: aleksite and saddlebackite are formed by seven- and nine-layer blocks, respectively, and C phase consists of five- and seven-layer blocks separated by van der Waals gaps. It has been shown that all studied materials are three-dimensional topological insulators with a wide band gap in the electronic spectrum and have a high spin polarization. For these reasons, they are promising for applications.     

The possibility of using the equivalent plane wave model to increase the efficiency of taking bearings of low-frequency signals in shallow water

The possibility of approximating the sound field in the region of interference maxima using the equivalent plane wave model with the actual amplitude and the average ??effective?? phase velocity calculated or measured by the phase gradient at the array aperture is discussed. The method is substantiated by studying the mode, interference, and phase structures of the low-frequency sound field along with the spatial responses of an extended linear array. For bottom-moored or towed geophysical arrays whose sizes are large compared to the wavelength, both the necessity and the possibility of reducing the error in taking the bearing of a sound source in a waveguide are justified. The use of the proposed model is recommended for approximate matching of the array to the transfer function of the waveguide to reduce the bearing error.     

Cyclopropenes and methylenecyclopropanes in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions

The review considers the main results of the cycloaddition reactions involving cyclopropenes and methylenecyclopropanes, the compounds bearing strained three-membered rings and, respectively, endo- and exocyclic double bonds. The main attention is focused on the reactions of these compounds with 1,3-dipoles (nitrones, azomethine imines, azomethine ylides, carbonyl ylides, etc.), which gave complex heterocyclic systems with high regio- and stereoselectivity.

     

Synthesis and structures of complexes ofN-(2-aminoethyl)diaziridines with transition metal salts

A series of complexes ofN-(2-aminoethyl)diaziridines with transition metal salts (Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Mn²⁺, or Fe²⁺) were synthesized. Their structures were established by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The structure of bis[1,2-bis(2-aminoethyl)diaziridine]cadmium(II) diperehlorate was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 1910–1914, November, 2000.     

Borylation of saturated heterocycles with several heteroatoms. (Review)

New examples of the borylation of a series of five-and six-membered saturated 1,3-and 1,3,2-heterocycles with the formation of cyclic boric esters are described. The probable mechanism of the reaction is discussed. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 643–654, May, 2006.     

New insights into the transition pathway from nonspecific to specific complex of DNA with Escherichia coli integration host factor

To elucidate the nature of the transition-state ensemble along the reaction pathway from a nonspecific protein-DNA complex to the specific complex, we have carried out measurements of DNA bending/unbending dynamics on a cognate DNA substrate in complex with integration host factor (IHF), an architectural protein from E. coli that bends its cognate site by approximately 180 degrees . We use a laser temperature jump to perturb the IHF-DNA complex and monitor the relaxation kinetics with time-resolved FRET measurements on DNA substrates end-labeled with a FRET pair. Previously, we showed that spontaneous bending/kinking of DNA, from thermal disruption of base-pairing/-stacking interactions, may be the rate-limiting step in the formation of the specific complex (Kuznetsov, S. V.; Sugimura, S.; Vivas, P.; Crothers, D. M.; Ansari, A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2006, 103, 18515). Here, we probe the effect of varying [KCl], which affects the stability of the complex, on this rate-limiting step. We find that below approximately 250 mM KCl, the observed relaxation kinetics are from the unimolecular bending/unbending of DNA, and the relaxation rate kr is independent of [KCl]. Above approximately 300 mM KCl, dissociation of the IHF-DNA complex becomes significant, and the observed relaxation process includes contributions from the association/dissociation step, with kr decreasing with increasing [KCl]. The DNA bending step occurs with a positive activation enthalpy, despite the large negative enthalpy change reported for the specific IHF-DNA complex (Holbrook, J. A.; Tsodikov, O. V.; Saecker, R. M.; Record, M. T., Jr. J. Mol. Biol. 2001, 310, 379). Our conclusion from these studies is that in the uphill climb to the transition state, the DNA is kinked, but with no release of ions, as indicated by the salt-independent behavior of k(r) at low [KCl]. Any release of ions in the unimolecular process, together with conformational changes in the protein-DNA complex that facilitate favorable interactions and that contribute to the negative enthalpy change, must occur as the system leaves the transition state, downhill to the final complex.     

Determination of the saturation vapor pressure of silicon by Knudsen cell mass spectrometry

Silicon evaporation has been investigated by high-temperature mass spectrometry, and the saturation vapor pressure of silicon over its melt has been determined over the temperature range from 1739 and 2326 K. The saturation vapor pressure data obtained via silicon evaporation from Knudsen cells made of molybdenum, tungsten, molybdenum disilicide-lined molybdenum, and graphite silicided by the gas-phase method are compared. Among these materials, silicided graphite is the most inert toward silicon vapor. The silicon partial pressures measured in the silicided graphite cell are close to the recommended values.