Comparison of detection efficiencies of negatively charged gold-alkanethiolate-, gold-sulfur- and gold-clusters in ToF-SIMS

In order to improve quantification of high mass ions, the influence of cluster composition on detection efficiencies has been studied using a TOF-SIMS IV with the extended capability of postaccelerating ions up to 20 keV. In this experimental study, we focus on the comparison of detection efficiencies for three types of negatively charged secondary cluster ions: gold-alkanethiolate-clusters (Au_xM_y), gold-sulfur-clusters (Au_xS_y) and gold-clusters (Au_x). The clusters were sputtered from self-assembled monolayers of hexadecanethiols on gold substrates using 10 keV Ar⁺ primary ions. The detection efficiencies were derived on the basis of a function for the secondary electron yield and a fourth-order approximated Poisson probability distribution for electron propagation and amplification within the microchannel plate.In addition to the well-known dependence of detection efficiencies on ion mass and energy, which has already been studied for positively charged ions, we were able to show a similar behaviour for the investigated negatively charged secondary ions. We have observed major variations among the three types of clusters at similar mass and energy as predicted in a theoretical approach. The observed differences are due to the different composition of the investigated clusters which has a major influence on the kinetic ion induced electron emission within the microchannel plate. For the first time it was possible to experimentally verify these predictions for detection efficiencies.     

Numerical flow visualization of first cycle and cyclic motion of a rigid fling-clapping wing

A flow visualization of the two-dimensional rigid fling-clap motions of the flat-plate wing is performed to get the knowledge of fling-clapping mechanism that might be employed by insects during flight. In this numerical visualization, the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations are solved for two types of wing motion; ‘fling followed by clap and pause motion’ and ‘cyclic fling-clapping motion’. The result is observed regarding the main flow features such as the sequential development of the two families of separation vortex pairs and their movement. For the ‘fling followed by clap and pause motion’, a strong separation vortex pair of counterrotation develops in the opening between the wings in the fling phase and they then move out from the opening in the following clap phase. For ‘the cyclic fling-clapping motion’, the separation vortex pair developed in the outside space in the clap phase move into the opening in the following fling phase. The separation vortex pair in the opening developed in the fling phase of the cyclic motion is observed to be stronger than those of the ‘fling followed by clap and pause motion’. Regarding the strong fling separation vortex and the weak clap separation vortex above it in the opening, the flow pattern of the fling phase of the cyclic fling and clap motion is different to that of the fling phase of the first cycle. The flow pattern of the third cycle of the cyclic fling-clapping motion is observed to be almost same as that of the second cycle. Therefore, a periodicity of the flow pattern is established after the second cycle.     

A peptide-derived strategy for specifically targeting the mitochondria and ER of cancer cells: a new approach in fighting cancer

An effective anti-cancer therapy should exclusively target cancer cells and trigger in them a broad spectrum of cell death pathways that will prevent avoidance. Here, we present a new approach in cancer therapy that specifically targets the mitochondria and ER of cancer cells. We developed a peptide derived from the flexible and transmembrane domains of the human protein NAF-1/CISD2. This peptide (NAF-1^44-67) specifically permeates through the plasma membranes of human epithelial breast cancer cells, abolishes their mitochondria and ER, and triggers cell death with characteristics of apoptosis, ferroptosis and necroptosis. In vivo analysis revealed that the peptide significantly decreases tumor growth in mice carrying xenograft human tumors. Computational simulations of cancer vs. normal cell membranes reveal that the specificity of the peptide to cancer cells is due to its selective recognition of their membrane composition. NAF-1^44-67 represents a promising anti-cancer lead compound that acts via a unique mechanism.

An effective anti-cancer therapy should exclusively target cancer cells and trigger in them a broad spectrum of cell death pathways that will prevent avoidance.     

A linear program for the two-hub location problem

This paper considers the discrete two-hub location problem. We need to choose two hubs from a set of nodes. The remaining nodes are to be connected to one of the two hubs which act as switching points for internodal flows. A configuration which minimizes the total flow cost needs to be found. We show that the problem can be solved in polynomial time when the hub locations are fixed. Since there are at most ways to choose the hub locations, the two-hub location problem can be solved in polynomial time. We transform the quadratic 0–1 integer program of the single allocation problem in the fixed two-hub system into a linear program and show that all extreme points of the polytope defined by the LP are integral. Also, the problem can be transformed into a minimum cut problem which can be solved efficiently by any polynomial time algorithm.     

Erratum to Formation and control of Au and Ag nanoparticles inside borate glasses using femtosecond laser and heat treatment

We report the spectroscopic properties of femtosecond laser-irradiated sodium-alumino-borate glass doped with silver and gold ions. We precipitated gold and silver nanoparticles by laser irradiation and annealing at 400°C for 30 min. The irradiation and annealing treatment produced different absorption and emission characteristics in Au³⁺ doped and Au³⁺, Ag⁺ codoped glasses, and the possible mechanisms of the observed results are discussed. The size of the nanoparticles was estimated by TEM and absorption band analysis.     

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.     

Domination number in graphs with minimum degree two

A set D of vertices of a graph G = （V, E） is called a dominating set if every vertex of V not in D is adjacent to a vertex of D. In 1996, Reed proved that every graph of order n with minimum degree at least 3 has a dominating set of cardinality at most 3n/8. In this paper we generalize Reed＇s result. We show that every graph G of order n with minimum degree at least 2 has a dominating set of cardinality at most （3n ＋IV21）/8, where V2 denotes the set of vertices of degree 2 in G. As an application of the above result, we show that for k ≥ 1, the k-restricted domination number rk （G, γ） ≤ （3n＋5k）/8 for all graphs of order n with minimum degree at least 3.     

Advances in digital holographic micro-PTV for analyzing microscale flows

The accurate three-dimensional (3D) velocity field measurement technique has been receiving large attention in the study of microfluidics. DHM-PTV technique was developed by combining the digital holographic microscopy and particle tracking velocimetry technique. DHM-PTV is an ideal method for measuring three-component-three-dimensional (3C-3D) velocity field in a microscale flow with a fairly good spatial resolution. The advances in the DHM-PTV technique enable the measurement of various microscale flows, such as transport of red blood cells in a microtube and 3D flows in microfluidic devices. DHM-PTV is also applied in studying the motile behavior of swimming microorganisms. DHM-PTV would play an important role in ascertaining the undiscovered basic physics in various microscale and biofluid flow phenomena. In the current study, the basic principle of the DHM-PTV technique and its typical applications to microscale flows are introduced and discussed.     

Physical and electrical properties of band-engineered SiO2/(TiO2) x (SiO2)1−x stacks for nonvolatile memory applications

In our study, the physical properties of (TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x , including band-gap, band-offset, and thermal stability and the electrical properties of band-engineered SiO₂/(TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x tunnel barrier stacks, including the tunneling current and charge-trapping characteristics for applications to nonvolatile memory devices were investigated. It was observed that the band-gap and band-offset of (TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x can be controlled by adjustment in the composition of the (TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x films. Ti-silicate film with TiO₂:SiO₂ cycle ratio of 1:5 was maintained in an amorphous phase, even after annealing at 950 °C. The tunneling current of the band-engineered SiO₂/(TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x stacked tunnel barrier was larger than that of a single SiO₂ barrier under a higher external bias, while the tunneling current of a SiO₂/(TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x stacked tunnel barrier under a lower external bias was smaller. Charge-trapping tests showed that the voltage shift for SiO₂/(TiO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1?x is slightly larger than that for single SiO₂.