ITO substrate resistivity effect on the properties of CuInSe<Subscript>2</Subscript> deposited using two-electrode system

The purpose of this work is to deposit the CuInSe₂ films on the ITO substrate by electrodeposition technique using a simplified two electrodes system and to investigate the effect of ITO sheet resistance on the fundamental properties of the resulting films. The as deposited films were annealed under argon atmosphere at 300 °C during 30 min. The structural, morphological and electrical properties were characterized respectively by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrical resistivity measurements. The optical band gap of samples was estimated using the optical absorption technique. After annealing, the XRD spectra show diffraction peaks corresponding to the single-phase chalcopyrite CuInSe₂ with (112) as main reflection. The SEM images reveal a homogeneous surface and the estimated grain size was calculated from Scherrer’s Equation with (112) peak lay in the range of 165–272 Å. The band gap, E _g, is a decreasing function with the ITO sheet resistance.     

Substrate temperature influence on ZnS thin films prepared by ultrasonic spray

ZnS thin films were deposited by ultrasonic spray technique. The starting solution is a mixture of 0.1 M zinc chloride as source of Zn and 0.05 M thiourea as source of S. The glass substrate temperature was varied in the range of 250 °C-400 °C to investigate the influence of substrate temperature on the structure, chemical composition and optical properties of ZnS films. The DRX analyses indicated that ZnS films have nanocrystalline hexagonal structure with (002) preferential orientation and grain size varied from 20 to 50 nm, increasing with substrate temperature. The optical films characterization was carried out by the UV-visible transmission. The optical gap and films disorder were deduced from the absorption spectra and the refractive indices of the films were determined by ellipsometric measurements. It is shown that the obtained films are generally composed of ZnO and ZnS phases with varied proportion, while at deposition temperature of 400 °C, they are near stoichiometric ZnS.     

Synchronized chaotic mode hopping in DBR lasers with delayedopto-electric feedback

We propose and demonstrate a scheme for generating synchronized chaotic mode hopping in two wavelength-tunable lasers. Chaotic mode hopping resulting in large hops in wavelength is induced by delayed feedback of an electrical signal proportional to the intensity of the laser output which passes through an optical filter. Mode hopping among up to 11 modes was experimentally observed and optical signals in each wavelength band show a different on-off modulation time series. Analysis of the time series indicates high dimensionality. By using a unidirectional coupling method that injects part of the output of one laser into another, we can synchronize the chaotic mode hopping of two separate lasers and obtain synchronized chaotic on-off modulation patterns in multiple corresponding wavelength bands. The robustness of the synchronization with respect to the parameter mismatch and the effects of the coupling strength are investigated. The chaotic mode hopping dynamics and synchronization are well described with a numerical model that includes the characteristics of the laser tuning and the filter transmission. A multiplexed data transmission scheme using chaotic carriers is proposed and experiments demonstrate that multiple messages can be simultaneously recovered when chaos synchronization is achieved     

Metalloendopeptidase ADAM-like Decysin 1 (ADAMDEC1) in Colonic Subepithelial PDGFRα+ Cells Is a New Marker for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Metalloendopeptidase ADAM-Like Decysin 1 (ADAMDEC1) is an anti-inflammatory peptidase that is almost exclusively expressed in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. We have recently found abundant and selective expression of Adamdec1 in colonic mucosal PDGFRα⁺ cells. However, the cellular origin for this gene expression is controversial as it is also known to be expressed in intestinal macrophages. We found that Adamdec1 mRNAs were selectively expressed in colonic mucosal subepithelial PDGFRα⁺ cells. ADAMDEC1 protein was mainly released from PDGFRα⁺ cells and accumulated in the mucosal layer lamina propria space near the epithelial basement membrane. PDGFRα⁺ cells significantly overexpressed Adamdec1 mRNAs and protein in DSS-induced colitis mice. Adamdec1 was predominantly expressed in CD45⁻ PDGFRα⁺ cells in DSS-induced colitis mice, with only minimal expression in CD45⁺ CD64⁺ macrophages. Additionally, overexpression of both ADAMDEC1 mRNA and protein was consistently observed in PDGFRα⁺ cells, but not in CD64⁺ macrophages found in human colonic mucosal tissue affected by Crohn’s disease. In summary, PDGFRα⁺ cells selectively express ADAMDEC1, which is localized to the colon mucosa layer. ADAMDEC1 expression significantly increases in DSS-induced colitis affected mice and Crohn’s disease affected human tissue, suggesting that this gene can serve as a diagnostic and/or therapeutic target for intestinal inflammation and Crohn’s disease.     

High-Speed CMI Optical Intraoffice Transmission System: Design and Performance

This paper presents the design and performance features of a successfully developed optical intraoffice transmission system operating at 100-400 Mbits/s. The keys to the commercial realization of this simple, highly reliable, and low-cost system are the employment of the 1.3 μm LED and graded-index multimode fiber. Additionally important, the system makes use of coded mark inversion (CMI) coding to ensure bit sequence independence (BSI) and good error-monitoring capability. Experimental results have clarified the optimum bandwidth of the low-pass filter at the receiver end and the commercially attainable transmission distance. Furthermore, an available system gain of 15.4 dB is demonstrated through 400 Mbit/s transmission experiments. This value enables transmission over distances in excess of 4 km through multimode fiber (900 MHzcdotpkm, 0.8 dB/km).     

Monte Carlo simulation program for ecosystems

A Monte Carlo computer simulation program is designed in order to describe the spatial and time evolution of a population of living individuals under preassigned environmental conditions of energy. The simulation is inspired by previous techniques developed in physics--in particular, in molecular dynamics and simulations of liquids--and it already provides some new insights regarding macroscopic deterministic models in ecology and concerning eventual control of artificial biomass production plants.     

Large intracranial vessel occlusive vasculopathy after radiation therapy in children: clinical features and usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging

The marine rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis, is able to digest Chlorella efficiently, suggesting that the rotifer contains a powerful cellulolytic enzyme system. A multi-component cellulolytic complex, including endoglucanase (CM-cellulase), cellobiohydrolase and beta-glucosidase, was found in Brachionus plicatilis. Endoglucanase (endo-beta-1,4 glucanase) was purified to homogeneity from rotifer homogenates using a sequential chromatographic method. The purified enzyme exhibits a strong hydrolytic activity with carboxymethyl(CM)-cellulose. The optimum temperature and pH for the endoglucanase activity were 37 degrees C and 7.0, respectively. 80% of the CM-cellulase activity was retained in salt mixture that ranged from 150 to 500 mM NaCl equivalent. The purified protein was isolated with a molecular weight of approximately 62 kDa estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Design and performance of an optoelectronic matrix switch usingSi-p-i-n photodiodes

Switching speed, isolation, optical-source requirements, and attainable matrix dimensions of an optoelectronic matrix switch using Si p-i-n photodiodes are discussed. By charging the internal capacitance of the diode with a photocurrent, forward bias voltages are attained that establish off-states. The novel features of the matrix switch are that the switch elements have high output impedance at off-states, and no electrical power is required to establish the off-states. This leads to advantages in fabricating large-dimension matrix switches     

Dithioester functionalization of poly(cyclohexene oxide) and its application to obtain block copolymers

A new method of introducing dithioester groups into the polymer chain of poly(cyclohexene oxide) is reported. It includes the use of diaryliodonium salt and an aromatic dithioacid as a redox couple to initiate the cationic polymerization of cyclohexene oxide. It was found that the dithioacid by itself cannot start the polymerization of cationic polymerizable monomers; however, in combination with a diaryliodonium salt, an exothermic reaction was produced, yielding a thiocarbonylthio‐functionalized polyether. Thermal profiles of the redox polymerizations were determined by means of optical pyrometry. A preliminary study showed that when the poly(cyclohexene oxide) functionalized with dithioester groups was introduced into the radical polymerization of styrene, the polystyryl growing radicals reacted with the dithioester‐functionalized polyether to form a block polymer. The amount of polyether actually incorporated into the block copolymer was calculated to be 70% of the initial amount of poly(cyclohexene oxide)/dithiobenzoic acid charged into the reactor. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008