Extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies of thulium doped GaN epilayers

The local structure of Tm³⁺ ions incorporated into GaN epilayers was studied by means of Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure. The samples were doped either in situ during growth by Molecular Beam Epitaxy or by ion implantation of layers grown by Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition. The implantation was done at ion energy of 300 keV and different nominal fluences of 3×10¹⁵, 4×10¹⁵ cm⁻² and 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻². The concentration of Tm in the samples studied was measured by Wavelength Dispersive X-ray analysis. For the in situ doped sample with concentration of 0.5%, and for all of the implanted samples, Tm was found on the Ga site in GaN. The ion implanted sample and an in situ doped sample with a similar concentration of Tm showed the same local structure, which suggests that the lattice site occupied by Tm does not depend on the doping method. When the average Tm concentration for in situ doped samples is increased to 1.2% and 2.0%, Tm is found to occupy the Ga substitutional site and the presence of a substantial number of Tm ions in the second coordination sphere indicates dopant clustering in the films. The formation of pure TmN clusters was found in an in situ doped sample with a dopant concentration of 3.4%.     

Magnetic pole pinning at rectangular defects on MnAs/GaAs(0 0 1)

Strong magnetic poles at characteristic rectangular defects have been observed using a magnetic force microscope on a MnAs(  1 0 0) thin film with the thickness of 30 nm. The MnAs thin film was epitaxially grown on a GaAs(0 0 1) substrate. The magnetic poles were in one-arranging direction, being independent of the magnetization direction of the film. The poles were pinned at the edges of the rectangular defects until just below the Curie temperature, and formed a stable magnetic-field loop on the MnAs surface. The stability of the magnetic pole pinning shows the distinctive feature of the magnetic domain structure on the surface with a strong anisotropy, which was built in the heterostructure of MnAs and GaAs.     

Photoelastic stress freezing analysis of total shoulder replacement systems

Photoelastic stress freezing analyses in the orthopaedic literature have, in the past, been limited to studies where bone-on-bone, bone-on-metal or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)-on-metal constructs are modeled. In these cases photoelastic plastics are used to simulate either bone or UHMWPE as it interacts with a metal implant. In joints such as the shoulder, a UHMWPE component is often cemented directly into the scapula's glenoid concavity using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). While a photoelastic material can be used to simulate bone with proper load scaling, UHMWPE and PMMA have very different mechanical properties at elevated stress freezing temperatures as compared within vivo body temperature. In this study, materials were identified such that proper scaling of elastic properties at elevated temperatures was utilized to simulate the metal-UHMWPE-PMMA-bone construct. Stresses on orthogonal planes throughout the glenoid were compared for two different UHMWPE component anchoring geometries (keeled and pegged). High stresses were found at the neck of the glenoid and also at the component-bone interface beneath simulated PMMA inclusions.     

Multicommuted fluorometric multiparameter sensor for simultaneous determination of naproxen and salicylic acid in biological fluids.

A combined approach based on solid-phase optosensing and multicommutation principles has been applied to develop a method for the simultaneous analysis of two pharmaceuticals (naproxen and salicylic acid) in biological fluids. The multicommuted flow-through optosensor was based on direct native fluorescence measurements of both analgesics using a non-polar sorbent (C18 silica gel) as a solid sensing zone. The flow system was controlled by Java-written home-made software and designed using three-way solenoid valves for an independent automated manipulation of sample and carrier solutions. Using an optimized sampling time, the method was calibrated in the range of 1 - 25 and 5 - 200 ng mL(-1). The obtained detection limits were 0.3 and 1.3 ng mL(-1) for naproxen and salicylic acid, respectively, with RSD (%) values of better than 2% for both analytes. The proposed methodology was successfully applied to urine, serum and pharmaceutical preparations. Recovery percentages ranging from 96.1 to 104% were obtained for both analytes.     

Neuropeptide imaging on an LTQ with vMALDI source: The complete ‘all-in-one’ peptidome analysis

Direct tissue imaging was performed on dissected insect tissue using a MALDI ion trap to visualize endogenous neuropeptides. Coupling tissue imaging to tandem MSⁿ allows for the identification of previously known species and the ability to identify new ones by de novo sequencing, as searchable databases for insects are sparse. Direct tissue imaging is an attractive technique for the study of neuropeptides as minimal sample preparation is required prior to mass spectrometry. We successfully identified neuropeptides present in the corpora cardiaca and allata of Acheta domesticus (the house cricket). Diagnostic fragments at low m/z were used to distinguish between lipids and neuropeptides. The distribution of peptides appears to be more differentially localized than that of phospholipids, which seem to be more evenly distributed within the tissue.     

Mineral and chemical compositions and structure-sorption properties of bottom sediments as the basic components of enterosorbents and application materials

The mineral and chemical compositions, as well as some structure-sorption characteristics were determined for clay minerals selected for examination. The integrated coefficients of contamination of bottom sediments with each of the toxicant metals (Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn) were calculated. The minerals examined presumably can be used in medicine as efficient application materials, cosmetic agents, and sorbents (enterosorbents).     

Influence of charge distribution on the conformation of neutral polyampholytes

Summary Two polyampholyte copolymers based on sodium-2-acrylamido-2-methylsulfonate (NaAMPS) and methacryloyloxyethyltrimethylammonium chloride (MADQUAT) have been prepared either in homogeneous solution or by an inverse microemulsion polymerization technique. The copolymer microstructure was shown to depend on the method of preparation. The microemulsion polymerization yields copolymers with a monomer sequence distribution not far from random while those obtained by polymerization in solution have a strong tendency to alternation. The aqueous-solution properties of the two samples have been investigated by viscometry. The results show that the charge distribution along the copolymer chain affects considerably its conformation, in good agreement with recent theoretical studies. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994     

Mössbauer studies on some Argentinian soil: Mollisols from Bahia Blanca

Clay fractions of a Mollisol sample as is, treated with ammonium oxalate (AO), with dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) and with dithionite-ethilene-diamine-tetraacetic acid (D-EDTA) methods, were studied. Illite-montmorillonites together with hematites, goethites and maghemites, all of the AI-substituted and with a wide range of sizes, were identified. It is found that the AO attack extracts little iron, whereas the other two attacks extract the magnetic signal. Furthermore, the DCB attack facilitates the reduction of the Fe³⁺ ions, while the D-EDTA method does not. Instead, this attack extracts more clay mineral Fe ions. A comparison with large grain soil samples is made.