An improved model for computing the reflectivity of a AlAs/GaAs based distributed bragg reflector and vertical cavity surface emitting laser

In this paper, reflectivity of a Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) has been computed by considering the effects of changes of wavelength on the changes of the refractive index of the materials of DBR layers. The intrinsic losses of the materials have been included in the computation of the reflectivity of the DBR. It has been found that the effect of change of the wavelength on the refractive index of the DBR materials reduces the Full Width Half Maxima (FWHM) of the stop band significantly which is expected to improve the laser characteristics. If the FWHM is reduced, the thickness of the active layer of a VCSEL can also be reduced which will further reduce the threshold current of the device. It has been found that the intrinsic losses of the materials have a significant effect on the reflectivity of a DBR. It has also been found that peak reflectivity of a 20 pair AlAs/GaAs DBR reduces by 0.2% after including the intrinsic losses (with a value of the intrinsic losses α = 10 cm^?1).     

Ab initio study of the chemical states of water on Cr2O3(0 0 0 1): From the isolated molecule to saturation coverage

The reactivity of the (0 0 0 1)-Cr–Cr₂O₃ surface towards water was studied by means of periodic DFT + U. Several water coverages were studied, from 1.2H₂O/nm² to 14.1H₂O/nm², corresponding to ¼, 1, 2 and 3 water/Cr at the (0 0 0 1)-Cr₂O₃ surface, respectively. With increasing coverage, water gradually completes the coordination sphere of the surface Cr atoms from 3 (dry surface) to 4 (1.2 and 4.7H₂O/nm²), 5 (9.4H₂O/nm²) and 6 (14.1H₂O/nm²). For all studied coverages, water replaces an O atom from the missing above plane. At coverages 1.2 and 4.7H₂O/nm², the Cr–O_s (surface oxygen) acid–base character and bond directionality govern the water adsorption. The adsorption is molecular at the lowest coverage. At 4.7H₂O/nm², molecular and dissociative states are isoenergetic. The activation energy barrier between the two states being as low as 12 kJ/mol, allowing protons exchanges between the OH groups, as evidenced by ab inito molecular dynamics at room temperature. At coverages of 9.4 and 14.1H₂O/nm², 1D- (respectively, 2D-) water networks are formed. The resulting surface terminations are –Cr(OH)₂ and –Cr(OH)₃– like, respectively. The increased stability of those terminations as compared to the previous ones are due to the stabilization of the adsorbed phase through a H-bond network and to the increase in the Cr coordination number, stabilizing the Cr (t_2g) orbitals in the valence band. An atomistic thermodynamic approach allows us to specify the temperature and water pressure domains of prevalence for each surface termination. It is found that the –Cr(OH)₃-like, –Cr(OH)₂ and anhydrous surfaces may be stabilized depending on (T, P) conditions. Calculated energies of adsorption and OH frequencies are in good agreement with published experimental data and support the full hydroxylation model, where the Cr achieves a 6-fold coordination, at saturation.     

6a,6b,12a,12b‐Tetra­hydro­cyclo­octa­[3,4]­cyclo­buta­[1,2][8]­annulene

The cis,syn,cis‐tricyclic [2+2]‐dimer of cyclo­octatetraene, C₁₆H₁₆, crystallizes in space group Pca2₁ with two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. An extensive network of weak C—H⋯π(Czdbnd;C) interactions between the two independent mol­ecules, A and B, as well as A⋯A and B⋯B interactions, are observed in the supramolecular assembly. The C—H groups point more towards one C atom than to the centre of the Czdbnd;C bond. Notable among the interactions are bifurcated (cyclo­butane)C—H⋯Czdbnd;C contacts that span transannularly the eight‐membered ring.     

Transgenic peas expressing an α‐amylase inhibitor gene from beans show altered expression and modification of endogenous proteins

Differential in‐gel electrophoresis showed contrasting effects of the transgenic expression of an α‐amylase inhibitor from beans on the proteomes of two pea cultivars. One cultivar showed minor changes relative to its non‐transgenic parent with only one protein changing by more than about twofold. Changes in the abundance of certain endogenous proteins in the other cultivar were of greater number and magnitude with some endogenous proteins undetected while some new protein spots appeared in the transgenic proteome. The sets of proteins with altered expression were generally different between the two cultivars. Some of the proteins that were differentially expressed were identified by MS. Most were seed storage globulins, which are sited together with the transgenic product. Some of the changes may be due to alterations in expression levels but there were also changes due to post‐translational processing.     

Binding of T-antigen disaccharides to Artocarpus hirsuta lectin and jacalin are energetically different

The thermodynamics of binding of Me-alpha(-GalNAc, Gal-beta-1-3GalNAc-alpha-O-Me (T-antigen-alpha), Gal-beta-1-3GalNAc and Gal-alpha-1-6Glc (mellibiose) to Artocarpus hirsuta lectin was studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding affinities of the saccharides are in the order Gal-beta-1-3GalNAc-alpha-O-Me > Me-alpha-GalNAc > Me-alpha-Gal > Gal-beta-1-3GalNAc > Gal-alpha-1-6Glc. The binding affinities were comparable to those for jacalin. However, binding of the saccharides to the A. hirsuta lectin was not affected as strongly by temperature as observed in jacalin and the trend was found to be reversed. Values for AH and AS were found to be positive in A. hirsuta lectin-disaccharide binding despite similar binding affinities. Thus, with 99% structural and 96% sequence homology, with similar sugar specificity and affinity, the energetics of the disaccharide binding of the two lectins seem to be different. Me-alpha-GalNAc binding to A. hirsuta lectin is enthalpically driven, because the association constant decreases with increasing temperature. However, the binding of the T-antigen disaccharides and mellibiose disaccharides to the lectin is entropically driven. The difference in the molecular associations in the packing and variation of the C-terminal length of the beta chain of the A. hirsuta lectin could be reflected in the different disaccharide binding energetics.     

Two-dimensional facets in Langmuir monolayers of 1-O-hexadecyl-rac-glycerol at the air-water interface

We study the surface phase behavior in Langmuir monolayers of 1-O-hexadecyl-rac-glycerol (C16G) by film balance and Brewster angle microscopy over a wide range of temperatures. A cusp point followed by a pronounced plateau region in the pressure-area (pi-A) isotherm indicates a first-order phase transition between a lower density liquid expanded (LE) phase and a higher density liquid condensed (LC) phase at the air-water interface. A wide variety of condensed domains are found to form just after the appearance of the cusp point. The observed surface morphology was compared with that of ethylene glycol mono-n-hexadecyl ether (C16E1) that bears an ethylene oxide (EO) unit in the head-group. As usually observed, the domains of C16E1 are found to be circular at lower temperatures and fractal at higher temperatures. Contrary to this usual behavior, the domains of C16G are found to be strip-like structures at lower temperatures, which attain increasingly compact shape as the temperature increases and finally attain faceted structures at > or = 25 degrees C. It is concluded that a higher degree of dehydration around the head-group region of C16G appreciably reduces the hydration-induced repulsive interactions between the head-groups and imparts to the molecules an increase in hydrophobicity, thereby a closer molecular packing. As a result, the molecules form increasingly compact domains as the temperature increases. Since the head-group of C16E1 is much smaller than that of C16G, dehydration effect cannot appreciably increase its hydrophobic character. Rather, increases in subphase temperature result in a decrease in the line tension of the interface giving fractal structures at higher temperatures. In addition, the changes in enthalpy (deltaH) and entropy (deltaS) values were also calculated to understand the thermodynamic nature of condensation of the molecules in the LE-LC transition region.     

Convenient method of synthesizing 3-ethoxycarbonyl indoles

We have developed a convenient two-step procedure for the synthesis of 3-ethoxycarbonyl indoles from commercially available materials. The two-step procedure involves the synthesis of 2-aryl-3-hydroxypropenoic acid ester, followed by a catalytic reduction. This method is efficient, simple, and selective.     

Electrophoretic mobility and molecular distribution studies of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers of defined charges

Generation 5 ethylenediamine (EDA)-cored poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers (E5, E denotes the EDA core and 5 the generation number) with different degrees of acetylation and carboxylation were synthesized and used as a model system to investigate the effect of charge and the influence of dendrimer surface modifications on electrophoretic mobility (EM) and molecular distribution. The surface-modified dendrimers were characterized by size-exclusion chromatography, 1H NMR, MALDI-TOF-MS, PAGE, and CE. The focus of our study was to determine how EM changes as a function of particle charge and molecular mass, and how the molecular distribution changes due to surface modifications. We demonstrate that partially modified dendrimers have much broader migration peaks than those of fully surface functionalized or unmodified E5 dendrimers due to variations in the substitution of individual dendrimer surfaces. EM decreased nonlinearly with increases in surface acetylation for both PAMAM acetamides and PAMAM succinamic acids, indicating a complex migration activity in CE separations that is not solely due to charge/mass ratio changes. These studies provide new insights into dendrimer properties under an electric field, as well as into the characterization of dendrimer-based materials being developed for medical applications.     

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation to 4.5 microm in ZBLAN fluoride fibers by nanosecond diode pumping

A mid-infrared supercontinuum (SC) is generated in ZBLAN (ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF...) fluoride fibers from amplified nanosecond laser diode pulses with a continuous spectrum from approximately 0.8 microm to beyond 4.5 microm. The SC has an average power of approximately 23 mW, a pump-to-SC power conversion efficiency exceeding 50%, and a spectral power density of approximately -20 dBm/nm over a large fraction of the spectrum. The SC generation is initiated by the breakup of nanosecond laser diode pulses into femtosecond pulses through modulation instability, and the spectrum is then broadened primarily through fiber nonlinearities in approximately 2-7 m lengths of ZBLAN fiber. The SC long-wavelength edge is consistent with the intrinsic ZBLAN material absorption.