Very-high-purity InP l.p.e. layers

Very-high-purity l.p.e. InP layers with a ?77 of 67 000cm2/Vs and an n77 of 1.1 × 1015 cm?3, virtually uncompensated, having a low freeze-out ratio of 1.03, and with continuous surfaces with terraces but no inclusions, have been successfully grown, after the residual silicon donor in the melt has been baked away in H2 with trace amounts of H2O.     

The importance of losses in the coupling of transmission lines

A simple model for weakly coupled lossy transmission lines of finite length has recently been proposed by Olsen (1984). He derived a simple formula for the coupling voltage on a load situated at one extremity of the undriven wire. The importance of the coupling due to losses on this voltage with respect to the coupling due to capacitance and inductance is investigated in this paper. It is found that only in a special case, called the resonance matching case, is the role of the losses dominant in the coupling process. This case is characterized by the condition that the characteristic impedance of the wires squared by equal to the product of two loads Z_LG and Z _0R situated at opposite ends of the driven and the undriven wire     

Reflection coefficient at the feed of a radome-covered reflector antenna

The reflection coefficient at the feed of a paraboloidal reflector antenna covered with a paraboloidal radome is evaluated by means of the power-coupling theorem. An asymptotic value of the subsequent expression leads to a simple physical interpretation of the result. A comparison between theoretical and experimental results shows that there is a satisfactory measure of agreement between the two.     

The ability to manipulate behavior and to understand manipulation of beliefs: A comparison of individuals with autism, mental retardation, and normal development.

This study investigated the ability to deceive in participants with autism, mental retardation ( MR ), and normal development. The authors used S. Hala, M. Chandler, and A. S. Fritz's (see record, 78:20899) procedures, in which children deceive by creating false trails or by erasing all trails and lying about the true location of a hidden object. Participants with autism and those with MR did not differ in their ability to use a deceptive method to manipulate the behavior of another person. Participants with autism were significantly less able than participants with MR to understand that they manipulated the beliefs of another person by predicting the outcome of their deceptive act. The normal group outperformed the group with autism but not the group with MR on both parts of the task. Different possible interpretations of the results are discussed, including a deficit in theory of mind and a deficit in executive control functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acarbose in NIDDM patients with poor control on conventional oral agents. A 24-week placebo-controlled study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of acarbose, compared with placebo, on the metabolic control of NIDDM patients inadequately controlled on maximal doses of conventional oral agents. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this three-center double-blind study, 90 Chinese NIDDM patients with persistent poor glycemic control despite maximal doses of sulfonylurea and metformin were randomly assigned to receive additional treatment with acarbose 100 mg thrice daily or placebo for 24 weeks, after 6 weeks of dietary reinforcement. Efficacy was assessed by changes in HbA1c, fasting and 1-h postprandial plasma glucose and insulin levels, and fasting lipid levels. RESULTS: Acarbose treatment was associated with significantly greater reductions in HbA1c (-0.5 +/- 0.2% vs. placebo 0.1 +/- 0.2% [means +/- SEM], P = 0.038), 1-h postprandial glucose (-2.3 +/- 0.4 mmol/l vs. placebo 0.7 +/- 0.4 mmol/l, P < 0.001) and body weight (-0.54 +/- 0.32 kg vs. placebo 0.42 +/- 0.29 kg, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding changes in fasting plasma glucose and lipids or fasting and postprandial insulin levels. Flatulence was the most common side effect (acarbose vs. placebo: 28/45 vs. 11/44, P < 0.05). One patient on acarbose had asymptomatic elevations in serum transaminases that normalized in 4 weeks after acarbose withdrawal. Another patient on acarbose developed severe hypoglycemia; glycemic control was subsequently maintained on half the baseline dosage of sulfonylurea. CONCLUSIONS: In NIDDM patients inadequately controlled on conventional oral agents, acarbose in moderate doses resulted in beneficial effects on glycemic control, especially postprandial glycemia, and mean body weight. Additional use of acarbose can be considered as a useful alternative in such patients if they are reluctant to accept insulin therapy.     

Structural and dielectric properties of the phase Pb1−2xKxM3+xNb2O6, M = La or Bi

The Pb_1?2xK_xM³⁺_xNb₂O₆, M = La or Bi, solid solutions have been prepared by solid state reaction and their structural and ferroelectric properties have been established. Complete crystalline solid solubility exists in both systems; in addition, three structurally related phases, namely, the ferroelectric orthorhombic and tetragonal tungsten bronze phases and the paraelectric tetragonal K.₅La.₅Nb₂O₆ type phase, have been identified at room temperature. The composition ranges for three phases are 0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.47, 0.48 ≤ x ≤ 0.85, 0.86 ≤ x ≤ 1.0, respectively. The ferroelectric phase transition temperature, T_c, decreases with increasing concentration of K⁺ and La³⁺ or Bi³⁺ in the orthorhombic tungsten bronze phase. A few compositions from each system exhibit excellent dielectric and piezoelectric characteristics, indicating that they could be future materials for piezoelectric and high frequency dielectric studies.     

The equivalency of surface tension,surface energy and surface free energy

In much of the available literature, there is confusion regarding the correct use of the terms surface tension, surface energy and surface free energy. As a result, these three terms have been used interchangeably to describe the same quantity. This problem is particularly serious in the area of solid surface science. Linford has examined and discussed such inconsistencies but failed to differentiate the three quantities clearly. In the present paper, the definitions and the relationships between surface tension, surface energy and surface free energy are examined and their proper usage clarified.     

Manufacture of Multilayered Artificial Cell Membranes through Sequential Bilayer Deposition on Emulsion Templates

Efforts to manufacture artificial cells that replicate the architectures, processes and behaviours of biological cells are rapidly increasing. Perhaps the most commonly reconstructed cellular structure is the membrane, through the use of unilamellar vesicles as models. However, many cellular membranes, including bacterial double membranes, nuclear envelopes, and organelle membranes, are multilamellar. Due to a lack of technologies available for their controlled construction, multilayered membranes are not part of the repertoire of cell-mimetic motifs used in bottom-up synthetic biology. To address this, we developed emulsion-based technologies that allow cell-sized multilayered vesicles to be produced layer-by-layer, with compositional control over each layer, thus enabling studies that would otherwise remain inaccessible. We discovered that bending rigidities scale with the number of layers and demonstrate inter-bilayer registration between coexisting liquid–liquid domains. These technologies will contribute to the exploitation of multilayered membrane structures, paving the way for incorporating protein complexes that span multiple bilayers.     

Layered Antiferromagnetism Induces Large Negative Magnetoresistance in the van der Waals Semiconductor CrSBr

The recent discovery of magnetism within the family of exfoliatable van der Waals (vdW) compounds has attracted considerable interest in these materials for both fundamental research and technological applications. However, current vdW magnets are limited by their extreme sensitivity to air, low ordering temperatures, and poor charge transport properties. Here the magnetic and electronic properties of CrSBr are reported, an air-stable vdW antiferromagnetic semiconductor that readily cleaves perpendicular to the stacking axis. Below its Néel temperature, T_N = 132 ± 1 K, CrSBr adopts an A-type antiferromagnetic structure with each individual layer ferromagnetically ordered internally and the layers coupled antiferromagnetically along the stacking direction. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) reveal that the electronic gap is Δ_E = 1.5 ± 0.2 eV with a corresponding PL peak centered at 1.25 ± 0.07 eV. Using magnetotransport measurements, strong coupling between magnetic order and transport properties in CrSBr is demonstrated, leading to a large negative magnetoresistance response that is unique among vdW materials. These findings establish CrSBr as a promising material platform for increasing the applicability of vdW magnets to the field of spin-based electronics.