Progressive formation of fine and coarse ripples on SiC surface by repeated irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses

In this work, we report the progressive formation of first nanoparticles, next fine ripples, and eventually coarse ripples during the irradiation of single-crystal 6H-SiC surfaces with increasing number of femtosecond laser pulses (λ = 515 nm, τ = 250 fs, repetition rate = 100 kHz). At laser fluences greater than the single-pulse ablation threshold, nanoparticles were produced on the surface by the first few pulses over which fine ripple patterns overlapped at increased pulse numbers. As the pulse number was further increased over ten, the surface was gradually transformed into a coarse ripple–covered one. At laser fluence below the threshold, however, only fine ripples were formed nonuniformly.     

Beam Recombination Characteristics in Array Laser Amplification Using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Phase Conjugation

Beam recombination characteristics were numerically investigated in array laser amplification using stimulated Brillouin scattering phase conjugation. To clarify the effect of piston errors due to imperfect phase locking, spatial intensity profiles of the beam recombination output were calculated in both the near and the far field on the basis of Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction theory. The analyses indicate that piston errors are seriously detrimental to the quality of a beam recombination output and should be eliminated by a proper phase locking. It is also found that the gap between the beam splitting-combining wedges has a negligible effect.Presented at 1996 International Workshop on Interferometry (IWI ‘96), August 27-29, Saitama, Japan.     

Combined study of X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy on a surface-grafted phospholipid monolayer on a solid

We investigated the detailed structure of a surface-grafted phospholipid monolayer, which was polymerized in situ onto a methacryloyl-silanized solid surface. By the combined study of X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy, the in situ polymerization step of the lipid molecules are sufficiently detailed to reveal the molecular structure of lipid molecules before and after in situ polymerization. From the data of the X-ray reflectivity, we confirmed that the in situ polymerization process produces a flat lipid monolayer structure and that the lipid monolayer is substantially grafted on a silanized surface by chemical bonding. After the polymerization and washing processes, the thickness of the head group was 9 angstroms and the thickness of the tail group was 21 angstroms. The surface morphology of the polymerized phospholipid monolayer obtained by the measurements of atomic force microscopy was consistent with the results of the X-ray reflectivity. The cross-sectional analysis shows that the surface coverage of lipid molecules, which are chemically grafted onto a silanized surface, is approximately 89%.     

Riesz potential estimates for a class of double phase problems

A double phase problem with a bounded Borel measure on the right hand side is studied. We prove an optimal pointwise gradient estimate for such a measure data problem via Riesz potentials of the measure under log-Dini continuity assumption on the modulating coefficients. As a consequence, we find an optimized $C^1$ regularity criterion.     

Temperature Sensitivity Control and Mechanical Stress Effect of Boron-Doped Long-Period Fiber Gratings

We will present in this work the quantitative analysis of the relationship between the doping concentrations of GeO 2 and B 2 O 3 in the core and cladding regions and the temperature sensitivity of the resonance wavelength shift in long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs). Based on this analysis, the temperature sensitivity was suppressed and enhanced to 0.002 nm/C and 0.28 nm/C, respectively. We will also discuss the effect of the residual mechanical stress on the optical and mechanical properties of LPFGs. In particular, we will present the measurement results of the dependence of the refractive index change and mechanical strength on the residual mechanical stress in the boron-doped fibers with depressed clad and matched clad.     

A two-point in situ method for simultaneous analysis of radioactivity in seawater and sediment

A new in situ radioactivity analysis method was developed to determine the fractional contributions of gamma-ray emitters in seawater and sediment from total measured counts. A semi-empirical formula to determine the fractional count contributions was derived using the variation characteristics of the gamma-ray attenuation rate and geometrical efficiency with the measurement points. The proposed method was employed to make in situ gamma-ray measurements using a CeBr₃ detector for radioactivity analysis of seawater and sediment at a coastal area with a relatively high tidal range. The full energy peak efficiency of the detector at measurement site was obtained using the GEANT4 simulation code. The radioactivity concentration of ⁴⁰K in seawater and sediment was determined using the proposed method and laboratory analysis with sampling. The MDA of the in situ measurement for ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³¹I was also estimated assuming they were deposited on the sediment surface-layer. The validation of this method was demonstrated by comparing with the sampling analysis results.

     

Optical measurement of neural activity using surface plasmon resonance

We demonstrate that surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is applicable to the optical detection of neural signals. A low-noise SPR sensor was developed as a label- and artifact-free method for the extracellular recording of neural activity. The optical responses obtained from a rat sciatic nerve were highly correlated with simultaneously recorded electrical responses. Additional studies with stimulation intensity and lidocaine further confirmed that the optically measured signals originated from neural activities.     

Regularity results of the thin obstacle problem for the p(x)-Laplacian

We study thin obstacle problems involving the energy functional with $p(x)$-growth. We prove higher integrability and Hölder regularity for the gradient of minimizers of the thin obstacle problems under the assumption that the variable exponent $p(x)$ is Hölder continuous.     

Topologically-Interlocked Minicircles as Probes of DNA Topology and DNA-Protein Interactions

DNA minicircles exist in biological contexts, such as kinetoplast DNA, and are promising components for creating functional nanodevices. They have been used to mimic the topological features of nucleosomal DNA and to probe DNA-protein interactions such as HIV-1 and PFV integrases, and DNA gyrase. Here, we synthesized the topologically-interlocked minicircle rotaxane and catenane inside a frame-shaped DNA origami. These minicircles are 183 bp in length, constitute six individual single-stranded DNAs that are ligated to realize duplex interlocking, and adopt temporary base pairing of single strands for interlocking. To probe the DNA-protein interactions, restriction reactions were carried out on DNAs with different topologies such as free linear duplex or duplex constrained inside origami and free or topologically-interlocked minicircles. Except the free linear duplex, all tested structures were resistant to restriction digestion, indicating that the topological features of DNA, such as flexibility, curvature, and groove orientation, play a major role in DNA-protein interactions.     

CO2‐Triggered Switchable Hydrophilicity of a Heterogeneous Conjugated Polymer Photocatalyst for Enhanced Catalytic Activity in Water

Water compatibility for heterogeneous photocatalysts has been pursued for energy and environmental applications. However, there exists a trade‐off between hydrophilicity and recyclability of the photocatalyst. Herein, we report a conjugated polymer photocatalyst with tertiary amine terminals that reversibly binds CO₂ in water, thereby generating switchable hydrophilicity. The CO₂‐assisted hydrophilicity boosted the photocatalytic efficiency in aqueous medium with minimum dosage. When CO₂ was desorbed, the photocatalyst could be simply regenerated from reaction media, facilitating the repeated use of photocatalyst. Hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity control of the polymer photocatalyst was successfully showcased through a variety of organic photoredox reactions under visible‐light irradiation in water.