Kinetics of the maintenance of the epidermis

The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin. It is comprised of keratin-containing cells called keratinocytes. Functionally, the epidermis serves as a physical barrier that can prevent infection and regulate body hydration. Maintenance and repair of the epidermis are important for human health. Mechanistically, these processes occur primarily via proliferation and differentiation of stem cells located in the basal monolayer. These processes are believed to depend on cell-cell communication and spatial constraints but existing kinetic models focus mainly on proliferation and differentiation. To address this issue, we present a mean-field kinetic model that takes these additional factors into account and describes the epidermis at a biosystem level. The corresponding equations operate with the populations of stem cells and differentiated cells in the basal layer. The keratinocytes located above the basal layer are treated at a more coarse-grained level by considering the thickness of the epidermis. The model clarifies the likely role of various negative feedbacks that may control the epidermis and, accordingly, provides insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena such as wound healing.     

State-specific multireference complete-active-space coupled-cluster approach versus other quantum chemical methods: dissociation of the N2 molecule

A comprehensive comparison of different quantum-chemical methods applied to calculate the N₂ ground state potential energy curve is presented. In the comparison we highlight the multireference state-specific (MRSS) coupled-cluster (CC) approach with the complete-active-space (CAS) reference and with single and double excitations from all reference determinants in the CC operator developed in our group. The method is called CASCCSD. The energy and amplitude equations for the method and the corresponding computer code have been generated using a computerized automative procedure that in the present work was extended to produce a parallel computer code. The complete CASCCSD wave function for N₂ includes some selected eight-fold excitations in the CC operator. An analysis of the wave function estimates the importance of those excitations at large internuclear separations.     

Hydrodynamic instability of premixed flame propagating in narrow planar channel in the presence of gas flow

The paper analyses the hydrodynamic instability of a flame propagating in the space between two parallel plates in the presence of gas flow. The linear analysis was performed in the framework of a two-dimensional model that describes the averaged gas flow in the space between the plates and the perturbations development of two-dimensional combustion wave. The model includes the parametric dependences of the flame front propagation velocity on its local curvature and on the combustible gas velocity averaged along the height of the channel. It is assumed that the viscous gas flow changes the surface area of the flame front and thereby affects the propagation velocity of the two-dimensional combustion wave. In the absence of the influence of the channel walls on the gas flow, the model transforms into the Darrieus–Landau model of flame hydrodynamic instability. The dependences of the instability growth rate on the wave vector of disturbances, the velocity of the unperturbed gas flow, the viscous friction coefficients and other parameters of the problem are obtained. It is shown that the viscous gas flow in the channel can lead, in some cases, to a significant increase in instability compared with a flame propagating in free space. In particular, the instability increment depends on the direction of the gas flow with respect direction of the flame propagation. In the case when the gas flow moves in the opposite direction to the direction of the flame propagation, the pulsating instability can appear.     

Dijkgraaf–Witten invariants of surfaces and projective representations of groups

We compute the Dijkgraaf–Witten invariants of surfaces in terms of projective representations of groups. As an application we prove that the complex Dijkgraaf–Witten invariants of surfaces of positive genus are positive integers.     

Zirconia-based planar NO2 sensor using ultrathin NiO or laminated NiO–Au sensing electrode

The nanostructured thin NiO films with the thicknesses of 30–180 nm were examined as a sensing electrode (SE) for the planar mixed-potential-type yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based NO₂ sensor. The sensing characteristics were examined in the temperature range of 600–800 °C under the wet condition (5 vol.% water vapor). Among the NiO-SEs tested, the 60 nm-thick NiO-SE sintered at 1,000 °C was found to give the highest NO₂ sensitivity in the NO₂ concentration range of 50–400 ppm accompanying with fast response/recovery at the operating temperatures of 600–700 °C. The high NO₂ sensitivity was attributed to the high catalytic activity for both electrochemical reactions of O₂ and NO₂ at the interface of NiO-SE/YSZ. The ultrathin gold layer with the thickness of about 60 nm was additionally formed on the 60 nm-thick NiO-SE to fabricate the laminated-type (60 nm NiO/60 nm Au)-SE. It was demonstrated that the use of this laminated (NiO–Au)-SE improved both the sensitivity and the selectivity to NO₂.     

Interpretation of transport measurements in ZnO-thin films

In order to interpret results of temperature dependent Hall measurements in heteroepitaxial ZnO-thin films, we adopted a multilayer conductivity model considering carrier-transport through the interfacial layer with degenerate electron gas as well as the upper part of ZnO layers with lower conductivity. This model was applied to the temperature dependence of the carrier concentration and mobility measured by Hall effect in a ZnO-layer grown on c-sapphire with conventional high-temperature MgO and low-temperature ZnO buffer. We also compared our results with the results of maximum entropy mobility-spectrum analysis (MEMSA). The formation of the highly conductive interfacial layer was explained by analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images taken from similar layers.     

Atomic and Electronic Structures of Traps in Silicon Oxide and Silicon Oxynitride

Silicon oxide (SiO₂) and silicon oxynitride (SiO_xN_y) are two key dielectrics used in silicon devices. The excellent interface properties of these dielectrics with silicon have enabled the tremendous advancement of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) technology. However, these dielectrics are still found to have pronounced amount of localized states which act as electron or hole traps and lead to the performance and reliability degradations of the MOS integrated circuits. A better understanding of the nature of these states will help to understand the constraints and lifetime performance of the MOS devices. Recently, due to the available of ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations and some synchrotron radiation experiments, substantial progress has been achieved in understanding the atomic and electronic nature of the defects in these dielectrics. In this review, the properties, formation and removal mechanisms of various defects in silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride films will be critically discussed. Some remarks on the thermal ionization energies in connection with the optical ionization energies of electron and hole traps, as well as some of the unsolved issues in these materials will be highlighted.     

Solitons in a medium with linear dissipation and localized gain

We present a variety of dissipative solitons and breathing modes in a medium with localized gain and homogeneous linear dissipation. The system possesses a number of unusual properties, like exponentially localized modes in both focusing and defocusing media, existence of modes in focusing media at negative propagation constant values, simultaneous existence of stable symmetric and antisymmetric localized modes when the gain landscape possesses two local maxima, as well as the existence of stable breathing solutions.