Heat transfer between two nanoparticles through near field interaction

We introduce a thermal conductance by using the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to analyze the heat transfer between two nanoparticles separated by a submicron distance. Using either a molecular dynamics technique or a model based on the Coulomb interaction between fluctuating dipoles, we derive the thermal conductance. Both models agree for distances larger than a few diameters. For separation distances smaller than the particle diameter, we find a transition regime characterized by a thermal conductance larger than the contact conductance.     

Kinetic roughening of laser deposited polymer films: crossover from single particle character to continuous growth

The crossover in kinetic roughening of thin films from a particle-character-dominated regime to continuous growth behavior has been observed in this work. This has been accomplished by atomic force microscopy investigations of pulsed laser deposited amorphous organic films with thicknesses ranging from several nanometers to more than 4 microm. The early-stage random-deposition-like processes end once a closed layer is formed, which grows without saturation on the characteristic length scales. In addition, the influence of oblique film deposition has been examined and interpreted.     

Hydrogen control of ferromagnetism in a dilute magnetic semiconductor

We show that upon exposure to a remote dc hydrogen plasma, the magnetic and electronic properties of the dilute magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs change qualitatively. While the as-grown Ga1-xMnxAs thin films are ferromagnetic at temperatures T less, similar 70 K, the samples are found to be paramagnetic after the hydrogenation, with a Brillouin-type magnetization curve even at T=2 K. Comparing magnetization and electronic transport measurements, we conclude that the density of free holes p is significantly reduced by the plasma process, while the density of Mn magnetic moments does not change.     

Regulation of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 after central and peripheral nerve lesions

Background  

Interruption of mature axons activates a cascade of events in neuronal cell bodies which leads to various outcomes from functional regeneration in the PNS to the failure of any significant regeneration in the CNS. One factor which seems to play an important role in the molecular programs after axotomy is the stearoyl Coenzyme A-desaturase-1 (SCD-1). This enzyme is needed for the conversion of stearate into oleate. Beside its role in membrane synthesis, oleate could act as a neurotrophic factor, involved in signal transduction pathways via activation of protein kinases C.     

On Allee effects in structured populations

Maps of the nonnegative cone of into itself are considered where are nonnegative, primitive matrices with nondecreasing entries and at least one increasing entry. Let denote the dominant eigenvalue of and . These maps are shown to exhibit a dynamical trichotomy. First, if , then for all nonzero . Second, if , then for all . Finally, if and 1$">, then there exists a compact invariant hypersurface separating . For below , , while for above, . An application to nonlinear Leslie matrices is given.

     

Real bounds, ergodicity and negative Schwarzian for multimodal maps

We consider smooth multimodal maps which have finitely many non-flat critical points. We prove the existence of real bounds. From this we obtain a new proof for the non-existence of wandering intervals, derive extremely useful improved Koebe principles, show that high iterates have `negative Schwarzian derivative' and give results on ergodic properties of the map. One of the main complications in the proofs is that we allow to have inflection points.

     

Reduction of Cu(II) in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

The mechanisms of the reduction of Cu(II) in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) are studied. In MALDI mass spectra, ions cationized by copper mostly contain Cu(I) even if Cu(II) salts are added to the sample. It was found that Cu(II) was reduced to Cu(I) by gas-phase charge exchange with matrix molecules, which is a thermodynamically favorable process. Under some conditions, large amounts of free electrons are present in the plume. Cu(II) can be even more efficiently reduced to Cu(I) by free electron capture in the gas phase. The matrices studied in this work are nicotinic acid, dithranol, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid.     

Expansion of derivatives in one-dimensional dynamics

We study the expansion of derivatives along orbits of real and complex one-dimensional mapsf, whose Julia setJ _f attracts a finite setCrit of non-flat critical points. Assuming that for eachcεCrit, either |D f ⁿ(f(c))|→∞ (iff is real) orb _n·|Df ⁿ(f(c))|→∞ for some summable sequence {b _n} (iff is complex; this is equivalent to summability of |D f ⁿ(f(c))|⁻¹), we show that for everyxεJ _f\U _i f ⁻ⁱ(Crit), there existℓ(x)≤max _c ℓ(c) andK′(x)>0

On the computation of all extensions of a -adic field of a given degree

Let be a -adic field. It is well-known that has only finitely many extensions of a given finite degree. Krasner has given formulae for the number of extensions of a given degree and discriminant. Following his work, we present an algorithm for the computation of generating polynomials for all extensions of a given degree and discriminant.