Modeling of strained quantum-well lasers with spin-orbit coupling

A complete model with the spin-orbit coupling for strained quantum-well lasers is presented. Explicit formulas for the momentum-matrix elements are given. The improvement in the threshold current density of tensile strained quantum-well lasers, as compared with that of the unstrained quantum well, is shown to result from the enhanced momentum matrix. The differential gain and the linewidth enhancement factor are calculated. The theoretical results show a smaller linewidth enhancement factor for compressively and tensile strained quantum wells than that of the unstrained structure, as has been experimentally observed. The temperature behavior of both the radiative component and the Anger component of the threshold current density is shown. Due to a decrease of gain and differential gain with increasing temperature, the threshold carrier density in unstrained quantum wells is increased with a large increment of the Auger recombination current at high temperature. For strained quantum wells, this increment is moderate because of the smaller threshold carrier density     

Polyaniline‐modified cellulose nanofibrils as reinforcement of a smart polyurethane

Segmented polyurethanes exhibiting shape memory properties were modified by the addition of polyaniline (PANI)‐coated cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). The two‐phase structure of the polymer is responsible for the material's ability to ‘remember’ and autonomously recover its original shape after being deformed in response to an external thermal stimulus. PANI was grown on the surface of the CNFs via in situ polymerization. Modified nanocrystals were added to the segmented polyurethane in concentrations ranging from 0 to 15 wt%. The changes in the material properties associated with the percolation of the coated fibrils appear at higher concentrations than previously observed for non‐modified CNFs, which suggests that fibril agglomeration is occurring due to the PANI coating. The shape memory behavior of the composites is maintained at about the same level as that of the unfilled polyurethane only up to 4 wt% of fibrils. At higher concentrations, the rigidity of the nanofibrils as well as their interaction with the hard‐segment phase and the increasing difficulty of dispersing them in the polymer collaborate to produce early breakage of the specimens when stretched at temperatures above the melting point of the soft segments. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Purification and crystallization of complexes modeling the active state of the fragile histidine triad protein

Fragile histidine triad protein (Fhit) is a diadenosine triphosphate (ApppA) hydrolase encoded at the human chromosome 3 fragile site which is frequently disrupted in tumors. Reintroduction of FHIT coding sequences to cancer cell lines with FHIT deletions suppressed the ability of these cell lines to form tumors in nude mice even when the reintroduced FHIT gene had been mutated to allow ApppA binding but not hydrolysis. Because this suggested that the tumor suppressor activity of Fhit protein depends on substrate-dependent signaling rather than ApppA catabolism, we prepared two crystalline forms of Fhit protein that are expected to model its biologically active, substrate-bound state. Wild-type and the His96Asn forms of Fhit were overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and crystallized in the presence and absence of ApppA and an ApppA analog. Single crystals obtained by vapor diffusion against ammonium sulfate diffracted X-rays to beyond 2.75 A resolution. High quality native synchrotron X-ray data were collected for an orthorhombic and a hexagonal crystal form.      

A novel synthesis method for the preparation of aromatic poly(imide benzoxazole) from trimellitic anhydride chloride and bis(o‐aminophenol)

A poly(imide benzoxazole) was prepared directly from trimellitic anhydride chloride and 2,2‐bis(3‐amino‐4‐hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane (BisAPAF) monomers in a two‐step method. In the first step, a poly(hydroxyamide amic acid) precursor was synthesized by the low‐temperature solution polymerization in an organic solvent. Subsequently, thermal cyclodehydration of the poly(hydroxyamide amic acid) precursor at 350°C produced the corresponding poly(imide benzoxazole). The inherent viscosity of the precursor polymer was 0.22 dL/g. The cyclized poly(imide benzoxazole) showed a glass transition temperature (T_g) at 329°C and a 5% weight loss temperature at 530°C in nitrogen and at 525°C in air. The poly(imide benzoxazole) is amorphous as evidenced by the wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurement. The structures of the precursor polymer and the fully cyclized polymer were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2388–2391, 2003     

Isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behavior of nylon/saponite and nylon/montmorillonite nanocomposites

DSC thermal analysis and X‐ray diffraction have been used to investigate the isothermal crystallization behavior and crystalline structure of nylon 6/clay nanocomposites. Nylon 6/clay has prepared by the intercalation of ε‐caprolactam and then exfoliating the layered silicates by subsequent polymerization. The DSC isothermal results reveal that introducing saponite into the nylon structure causes strongly heterogeneous nucleation induced change of the crystal growth process from a two‐dimensional crystal growth to a three dimensional spherulitic growth. But the crystal growth mechanism of nylon/montmorillonite nanocomposites is a mixed two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional spherulitic growth. The activation energy drastically decreases with the presence of 2.5 wt % clay in nylon/clay nanocomposites and then slightly increases with increasing clay content. The result indicates that the addition of clay into nylon induces the heterogeneous nucleation (a lower ΔE) at lower clay content and then reduces the transportation ability of polymer chains during crystallization processes at higher clay content (a higher ΔE). The correlation among crystallization kinetics, melting behavior, and crystalline structure of nylon/clay nanocomposites is also discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2196–2204, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of a positive‐working,aqueous‐base‐developable photosensitive polyimide precursor

A positive‐working, aqueous‐base‐developable photosensitive polyimide precursor based on poly(amic ester)‐bearing phenolic hydroxyl groups and a diazonaphthoquinone photosensitive compound was developed. The poly(amic ester) was prepared from a direct polymerization of 2,2′‐bis‐(3‐amino‐4‐hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane and bis(n‐butyl)ester of pyromellitic acid in the presence of phenylphosphonic dichloride as an activator. Subsequently, the thermal imidization of the poly(amic ester) precursor at 300°C produced the corresponding polyimide. The inherent viscosity of the precursor polymer was 0.23 dL/g. The cyclized polyimide showed a glass‐transition temperature at 356°C and a 5% weight loss at 474°C in nitrogen. The structures of the precursor polymer and the fully cyclized polymer were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H‐NMR. The photosensitive polyimide precursor containing 25 wt % diazonaphthoquinone photoactive compound showed a sensitivity of 150 mJ/cm² and a contrast of 1.65 in a 3 μm film with 1.25 wt % tetramethylammonium hydroxide developer. A pattern with a resolution of 10 μm was obtained from this composition. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 352–358, 2002     

Novel positive‐working aqueous‐base developable photosensitive polyimide precursors based on diazonaphthoquinone‐capped polyamic esters

Novel positive‐working aqueous‐base developable photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) precursors based on partially diazonaphthoquinone (DNQ)‐capped polyamic esters bearing phenolic hydroxyl groups and a DNQ photosensitive compound (PIC‐3) were developed. The partially DNQ capped polyamic esters were prepared from an esterification reaction of 1,2‐naphthoquinone diazide‐5‐sulfonyl chloride with the polyamic esters. The partially DNQ capped polyamic esters decreased the dark film loss effectively in the aqueous‐base developer and were able to make thicker film resists compared to the uncapped polyamic esters. The 25 mol % DNQ‐capped BisAPAF–PMDA polyamic ester and BisAPAF–ODPA polyamic ester containing 25 wt % PIC‐3 photosensitive compound showed a sensitivity of 176 and 185 mJ/cm², and a contrast of 1.68 and 1.02, respectively, in a 3‐μm film with 1.25 wt % tetramethylammonium hydroxide developer. A pattern with a resolution of 5 μm was obtained from both PSPI precursor compositions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2293–2300, 2003     

Sex Differences in the Triad of Acquired Sensorineural Hearing Loss

The triad of noise-generated, drug-induced, and age-related hearing loss is the major cause of acquired sensorineural hearing loss (ASNHL) in modern society. Although these three forms of hearing loss display similar underlying mechanisms, detailed studies have revealed the presence of sex differences in the auditory system both in human and animal models of ASNHL. However, the sexual dimorphism of hearing varies among noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), ototoxicity, and age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Importantly, estrogen may play an essential role in modulating the pathophysiological mechanisms in the cochlea and several reports have shown that the effects of hormone replacement therapy on hearing loss are complex. This review will summarize the clinical features of sex differences in ASNHL, compare the animal investigations of cochlear sexual dimorphism in response to the three insults, and address how estrogen affects the auditory organ at molecular levels.     

Dietary supplementation with arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids has no effect on pulmonary surfactant in artificially reared infant rats

Despite the potential use of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) supplementation to promote growth and neural development of the infant, little is known about potential harmful effects of the supplementation. The present study determined whether supplementation with arachidonic acid (AA) and/or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in rat milk formula (RMF) affects saturation of pulmonary surfactant phospholipids (PL). Beginning at 7 d of age, infant rats were artificially fed for 10 d with RMF supplemented with AA at 0, 0.5, and 1.0% of total fatty acid, or supplemented with DHA at 0, 0.5, and 1.0%, or cosupplemented with AA and DHA at levels of 0∶0, 0.5∶0.3, and 1.0∶0.6% of the fat blend. Lung tissue PL contained 43 weight percent palmitate (16∶0) of total fatty acids in infant rats fed the unsupplemented RMF. The supplementation with AA at both 0.5 and 1.0% decreased the weight percentage of 16∶0 and stearate (18∶0), indicating a decrease in saturation of PL. The observed decreases were accompanied by increases in AA and linoleic acid (18∶2n−6). Surfactant phosphatidylcholine (PC) consisted of 71 weight percent 16∶0 in the unsupplemented group, and this highly saturated PC was not altered by the cosupplementation with AA and DHA although there was a slight increase in DHA. Similarly, the cosupplementation did not change fatty acid composition of surfactant PL when compared with the unsupplemented group. The cosupplementation slightly decreased the weight percentage of 16∶0 with a proportional increase in 18∶0 leading to an unchanged weight percentage of total saturated fatty acids. These results suggest that, unlike lung tissue PL, the composition of saturated fatty acids in surfactant PL, particularly PC, is resistant to change by dietary AA and DHA supplementation. This, together with the unchanged concentration of total fatty acids in surfactant PC, indicates that LCPUFA cosupplementation causes no effect on pulmonary surfactant.