Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth and structural properties of GaN and AlN on 3C-SiC(0 0 1) substrates

AlN and GaN was deposited by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on 3C-SiC(0 0 1) substrates on low-temperature (LT) GaN and AlN buffer layers. It is shown that not only GaN but also epitaxial AlN can be stabilized in the metastable zincblende phase. The zincblende AlN is only obtained on a zincblende LT-GaN buffer layer; on the other hand, AlN crystallizes in the wurtzite phase if it is grown directly on a 3C-SiC(0 0 1) substrate or on a LT-AlN buffer layer. The structural properties of the layers and in particular the orientation relationship of the wurtzite AlN on the 3C-SiC(0 0 1) were analyzed by conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.     

Excluding a Simple Good Pair Approach to Directed Cuts

In 1972, Mader proved that every undirected graph has a good pair, that is, an ordered pair (u,v) of nodes such that the star of v is a minimum cut separating u and v. In 1992, Nagamochi and Ibaraki gave a simple procedure to find a good pair as the basis of an elegant and very efficient algorithm to find minimum cuts in graphs. This paper rules out the simple good pair approach for the problem of finding a minimum directed cut in a digraph and for the more general problem of minimizing submodular functions. In fact, we construct a digraph with no good pair. Note that if a graph has no good pair, then it may not possess a so-called cut-equivalent tree. Benczúr constructed a digraph with no cut-equivalent tree; our counterexample thus extends Benczúr's one. Received: March 12, 1999 Final version received: June 19, 2000     

The Onset of Dehydrogenation in Solid Ammonia Borane: An Ab Initio Metadynamics Study

The discovery of effective hydrogen storage materials is fundamental for the progress of a clean energy economy. Ammonia borane (H₃BNH₃, AB) has attracted great interest as a promising candidate but the reaction path that leads from its solid phase to hydrogen release is not yet fully understood. To address the need for insights in the atomistic details of such a complex solid state process, in this work we use ab‐initio molecular dynamics and metadynamics to study the early stages of AB dehydrogenation. We show that the formation of ammonia diborane (H₃NBH₂(μ‐H)BH₃) leads to the release of NH₄⁺, which in turn triggers an autocatalytic H₂ production cycle. Our calculations provide a model for how complex solid state reactions can be theoretically investigated and rely upon the presence of multiple ammonia borane molecules, as substantiated by standard quantum‐mechanical simulations on a cluster.     

Characterization of glyco isoforms in plasma-derived human antithrombin by on-line capillary zone electrophoresis-electrospray ionization-quadrupole ion trap-mass spectrometry of the intact glycoproteins

The carbohydrate structures of five isoforms of alpha-AT and two isoforms of beta-AT were determined by applying capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) on-line coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) using an ion-trap analyzer. For the AT preparations gained from a plasma pool at least semiquantitative information on the isoform-distributions could be gained. Unlike to the commonly used approaches starting from enzymatically treated glycoproteins, this approach deals with intact proteins. The high accuracy of the molecular mass determination obtained by the ion-trap analyzer allows one to calculate and ascertain the carbohydrate composition assuming no variations in the protein moiety of AT and to exclude or confirm the presence of the potential post-translational or other modifications. Therefore, the direct coupling of CZE with ESI-MS does not only represent a fast alternative technique to two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) but serves as a method which provides structural information complementary to that gained from peptide mapping methods.     

Fundamental aspects of chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis

A review is presented that surveys the basic theory of direct separation of enantiomers by capillary electrophoretic (CE) techniques. These separations are based on the formation of diastereomeric complexes between the enantiomeric analytes and a chiral selector added to the electrolyte solution. The review covers a comprehensive treatment of the equations needed for optimization of selectivity coefficients, resolution and analysis time in the zone electrophoretic mode. In this context, it takes into account combined equilibria of complexation and protonation/deprotonation as well as complexation and paritition into micelles. On the basis of these equations, the benefits of charged selectors and the optimization potential inherent to pH tuning can be documented. In addition, the review deals with some basic aspects of chiral isoelectric focusing and briefly discusses indirect enantioseparation. In a subsequent section a survey is given on particularfeatures of the various types of chiral selectors. Finally, the recent developments in preparative enantioseparation in continuous free-flow system and by use of isoelectric membranes are discussed.     

Fully reversible procedure for silver staining improves densitometry of complex mixtures of biopolymers resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Due to its high sensitivity, silver staining is a widely popular method for the revelation of biopolymers separated by both native and denaturing electrophoresis. A step-by-step method for the destaining and restaining of overdeveloped/overloaded silver-stained bands is described that is applicable to both proteins and nucleic acids. The procedure significantly improves densitometric analysis of gels that have been silver stained with either commercial kits or solutions made in-house. The method permits reproducible densitometry of silver-stained gels and allows quantification of both main and minor components in complex mixture of molecules resolved on the same gel slab. All steps may be interrupted and are readily reversible, allowing for facile densitometric analyses and photographic recording under optimized conditions. Furthermore, common artifacts such as differential staining of the two gel surfaces, localized uneven yellow-ochre background, and the presence of fold marks and fingerprints can be easily removed.     

Quantum memory assisted probing of dynamical spin correlations

We propose a method to probe time-dependent correlations of nontrivial observables in many-body ultracold lattice gases. The scheme uses a quantum nondemolition matter-light interface, first to map the observable of interest on the many-body system into the light and then to store coherently such information into an external system acting as a quantum memory. Correlations of the observable at two (or more) instances of time are retrieved with a single final measurement that includes the readout of the quantum memory. Such a method brings to reach the study of dynamics of many-body systems in and out of equilibrium by means of quantum memories in the field of quantum simulators.     

Strategies for Zonal Cartilage Repair using Hydrogels

Articular cartilage is a highly hydrated tissue with depth‐dependent cellular and matrix properties that provide low‐friction load bearing in joints. However, the structure and function are frequently lost and there is insufficient repair response to regenerate high‐quality cartilage. Several hydrogel‐based tissue‐engineering strategies have recently been developed to form constructs with biomimetic zonal variations to improve cartilage repair. Modular hydrogel systems allow for systematic control over hydrogel properties, and advanced fabrication techniques allow for control over construct organization. These technologies have great potential to address many unanswered questions involved in prescribing zonal properties to tissue‐engineered constructs for cartilage repair.