Infrared picosecond absorption spectroscopy of microcrystalline silicon: separation between carrier recombination in crystalline and amorphous fractions

We have studied ultra-fast carrier dynamics of photo-excited carriers in hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon prepared by a very high frequency glow-discharge technique. We report on direct observation of two types of dynamics using selective photo-excitation in picosecond pump and probe measurements. One type of the observed dynamics has been found to be independent of the sample preparation, while the other reflects the relative weights of crystalline and amorphous fractions. We propose a simple rate-equation model that describes the carrier dynamics in microcrystalline silicon in terms of the composition of those in Si microcrystallites and in the a-Si:H tissue which surrounds the microcrystallites. The model without any fitting parameters reproduces the experimental data very well when the dynamics are scaled with relative volume fractions as obtained from Raman spectra. Received: 23 November 2000 / Accepted: 17 March 2001 / Published online: 23 May 2001     

Commutative idempotent residuated lattices

We investigate the variety of residuated lattices with a commutative and idempotent monoid reduct.     

A Simple Bi-directional Mode Expansion Propagation Algorithm Based on Modes of a Parallel-plate Waveguide

The bi-directional mode expansion propagation algorithm (BEP) is known to be an accurate and efficient method for modelling field distribution in high-index contrast waveguide structures with strong back-reflections like Bragg gratings and photonic crystals. The main difficulty of this method is that for lossy structures, the propagation constants of modes are to be searched in the complex plane. To speed-up this procedure, a two-step algorithm for eigenmode calculation based on the expansion into the modes of an empty metallic waveguide has recently been proposed. Proper truncation rules possessing good convergence of the expansion method for both TE and TM modes have also been recently published. In this contribution, both these approaches are combined in the development of an extremely simple version of the two-dimensional BEP method that makes use of the field expansion into the eigenmodes of a parallel-plate waveguide. The method is strictly reciprocal and appeared to be computationally reliable also for strongly lossy structures. High numerical stability is ensured using the scattering matrix formalism, and an efficient method of calculating Bloch modes for symmetric as well as asymmetric periodic waveguide structures is adopted. A wide range of applicability of the method is demonstrated by a few examples.     

A rigid graph for every set

A graph G is called rigid if the identical mapping V(G)→V(G) is the only homomorphism G→G. In this note we give a simple construction of a rigid oriented graph on every set. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 39: 108–110, 2002     

Mappings of finite distortion: Hausdorff measure of zero sets

We prove that a for a mapping f of finite distortion , the -Hausdorff measure of any point preimage is zero provided is integrable, with , and the multiplicity function of f is essentially bounded. As a consequence for we obtain that the mapping is then open and discrete. Received: 18 June 2001 / Revised version: 31 January 2002 / Published online: 27 June 2002     

Parton-hadron duality in event generators

The validity of local parton-hadron duality within the framework of HERWIG and JETSET event generators is investigated. We concentrate one ⁺ e ^– annihilations in LEP 2 energy range as these interactions provide theoretically the cleanest condition for the discussion of this concept. We conclude that the concept of local parton-hadron duality is not valid in either of the two generators considered.     

Fluorimetric determination of the levels of urinary neopterin and serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the nonagenarians

Twelve self-sustaining nonagenarians, 10 women and two men, aged 94+/-3 years, and eight institutionalised nonagenarians, eight women, aged 91+/-1 year as well as 11 control subjects, seven women and four men, aged 84+/-5 years entered the study. Urinary neopterin, an indicator of systemic immune activation, and serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), a marker of lipoperoxidation, were determined initially, and collection of the blood and urine samples was repeated at 3-month interval. Neopterin was measured in the urine specimens by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. A C(18) reversed-phase column 3.3x150 mm, 5 mum-diameter packing Separon SGX was used. Potassium phosphate buffer (15 mmol l(-1), pH 6.4) at flow rate of 0.8 ml min(-1) was used as mobile phase. After centrifugation (5 min, 1300xg) and diluting 100 mul of urine specimens with 1.0 ml of mobile phase containing 2 g of disodium-EDTA per litre, a 20 mul sample was injected on a column. Neopterin was identified by its native fluorescence (353 nm excitation, 438 nm emission). Creatinine was determined by Jaffé kinetic reaction after dilution of sample 1:50 (v/v). The concentration of neopterin in urine was expressed as neopterin/creatinine ratio (mumol mol(-1) creatinine). TBARS were determined spectrofluorometrically using LS-5 spectrofluorimeter (excitation wavelength 528 nm, emission wavelength 558 nm) after extraction with n-butanol treatment with thiobarbituric acid. The significance of differences between nonagenarians and control group was examined by ANOVA-Kruskal-Wallis tests, using statistical software NCSS 6.0.21 (Kaysville, UT, 1996). The decision on significance was based on P=0.05. Urinary neopterin was significantly higher in institutionalised compared to self-sustaining subjects and controls (625+/-565 vs. 203+/-63 mumol mol(-1) creatinine, and 198+/-128 mumol mol(-1) creatinine, respectively, P=0.006). The serum TBARS were higher in both groups of nonagenarians (3.23+/-1.16 mumol l(-1) and 2.69+/-0.39 vs. 2.12+/-0.83 mumol l(-1) for the self-sustaining, institutionalised and controls, respectively, P=0.023). We conclude that the fluorimetric determinations of urinary neopterin and serum TBARS can be useful for the monitoring health status in the elderly patients.     

Homomorphic images of finite subdirectly irreducible unary algebras

We prove that a finite unary algebra with at least two operation symbols is a homomorphic image of a (finite) subdirectly irreducible algebra if and only if the intersection of all its subalgebras which have at least two elements is nonempty. While working on this paper the first and the third authors were partially supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, grant #201/02/0594, and by the institutional grant MSM0021620839; the second author was supported by the Ministry of Science, Technologies and Development of Republic of Serbia, grant no. 1227.     

Aluminum(III) complexes containing O,O chelating ligand

The stoichiometric reactions of trimethylaluminum with 2,6‐(MeOCH₂)₂C₆H₃OH (LH) revealed compounds L₃Al ( 1 ) and L₂AlMe ( 2 ). On the other hand reaction of 1 equiv. of LH with trimethylaluminum did not lead to the formation of complex LAlMe₂ ( 3 ), rather 2 together with Me₃Al were observed as a result of a disproportionation of 3 . Compounds 1 and 2 were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and in the case of 1 by X‐ray diffraction. Derivative 2 underwent transmetalation with Ph₃SnOH, giving LSnPh₃ ( 4 ) as the result of a migration of ligand L from the aluminum to the tin atom. The identity of 4 was established by elemental analysis, ¹H, ¹³C and ¹¹⁹Sn NMR spectroscopy and ¹H, ¹¹⁹Sn HMBC experiments. The system 2 and B(C₆F₅)₃ in a 1:1 molar ratio was shown to be active in the polymerization of propylene oxide and ε‐caprolactone. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.