A new record on the occurrence of Neobythites multistriatus which hitherto had not been recorded from the Bay of Bengal is reported. Two specimens measuring 160 and 180 mm standard length were collected from the landings of a deep-sea trawler by-catch at depths of 200–250 m off the Tuticorin coast in the Gulf of Mannar (part of the Bay of Bengal) during March 2010. This is the first record of Neobythites multistriatus from the Bay of Bengal. The specimen is described and figured.

We present proof-of-concept experiments for developing a highly-sensitive and fast-response miniaturized single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (SWNT-FET) biosensor for electrically detecting adenovirus using ligand-receptor-protein specificity. SWNTs are mildly oxidized to form carboxylic groups on the surfaces without compromising the electronic integrity of the nanotubes. Then the human coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is covalently functionalized onto the nanotube surface via diimide-activated amidation process. Upon exposure of the device to adenovirus protein, Ad12 Knob (Knob), specific binding of Knob to CAR decreases the current that flows through the SWNT-FET device. For control experiment, the CAR-SWNT device is exposed to YieF, which is a virus protein that does not bind specifically to CAR, and no current change is observed. The biological activity of the CAR and Knob proteins that are immobilized on SWNTs has been confirmed by previous fluorescence studies [1]. AFM analysis is done to show height increase of a few nanometers at specific spots where the CAR-Knob complex are covalently linked to the nanotube surface. Therefore, our results show that the human receptor protein CAR does immobilize on SWNT surface while fully retains its biological activity. Moreover, the specific binding of CAR to its complementary adenovirus Knob can be electrically detected using individual SWNT-FET devices. These findings suggest that CAR-functionalized SWNT-FETs can ably serve as biosensors for detection of environmental adenoviruses.

We have prepared FexNi1−x multilayers on Cu(111) in order to learn how to control the structure and magnetism of these thin alloy films, which are relevant to the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect used in magnetic disk drive heads. Using the Spectromicroscopy Facility (7.0.1.2) on Undulator Beamline 7.0 at the Advanced Light Source, we have measured X-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) signals from both Fe and Ni 3p lines for fourteen different thin Ni-Fe alloy films on Cu(111), with Fe concentration ranging from 9% to 84% and for a variety of film thicknesses. The Curie temperature for all of these samples was in the range 200K to 500K. For many of these films, the Curie temperature was considerably lower than was previously seen for similar films deposited on Cu(100). For a particular Fe concentration x, the Curie temperature increases with alloy film thickness. For a specific film thickness, the Curie temperature has a maximum near x≍0.4.

The Petawatt laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has opened a new regime of laser matter interactions in which the quiver motion of plasma electrons is fully relativistic with energies extending well above the threshold for nuclear processes. In addition to ∼few MeV ponderomotive electrons produced in ultra intense laser-solid interactions, we have found a high energy component of electrons extending to ∼100 MeV apparently from relativistic selffocusing and plasma acceleration in the underdense preformed plasma. The generation of hard bremsstrahlung, photonuclear reactions, and preliminary evidence for positron-electron pair production will be discussed.

The TRIDENT laser system at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is being used for fundamental experiments which study the interaction of self-focusing, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a near-diffraction-limited (single) laser hot spot in order to better understand the coupling between these plasma instabilities. The diffraction limited beam mimics a single hot spot found in speckle distributions that are typical of random or kinoform phase plates (RPP or KPP) used for spatial smoothing of laser beams. A long scale length, hot plasma (∼1 mm, ∼0.6 keV) is created by a separate heater beam, and the single hot spot beam is used to drive parametric instabilities. The focal plane distribution and wave-front of the interaction beam are characterized, and its intensity can be varied between 1014–1016 W/cm2. The plasma density, temperature, and flow profiles are measured using a gated imaging spectroscopy of collective Thomson scattering from the heater beam. Results of the laser and plasma characterization, and initial results of backscattered SRS, SBS, and beam steering in a flowing plasma are presented.

The epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) process for GaN has been studied using SiC and sapphire substrates. Both MBE and MOVPE growth processes were employed in the study. The use of SiO2 versus SiNx insulator stripes was investigated using window/stripe widths ranging from 20 μm/4 μm to 3 μm/15 μm. GaN film depositions were completed at temperatures ranging from 800 °C to 1120 °C. Characterization experiments included RHEED, TEM, SEM and cathodolumenescence studies. The MBE growth experiments produced polycrystalline GaN over the insulator stripes even at deposition temperatures as high as 990 °C. In contrast, MOVPE growth produced single-crystal GaN stripes with no observable threading dislocations.

A systematic study of the growth and doping of GaN, AlGaN, and InGaN by both molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) has been performed. Critical differences between the resulting epitaxy are observed in the p-type doping using magnesium as the acceptor species. MBE growth, using rf-plasma sources to generate the active nitrogen species for growth, has been used for III-Nitride compounds doped either n-type with silicon or p-type with magnesium. Blue and violet light emitting diode (LED) test structures were fabricated. These vertical devices required a relatively high forward current and exhibited high leakage currents. This behavior was attributed to parallel shorting mechanisms along the dislocations in MBE grown layers. For comparison, similar devices were fabricated using a single wafer vertical flow MOVPE reactor and ammonia as the active nitrogen species. MOVPE grown blue LEDs exhibited excellent forward device characteristics and a high reverse breakdown voltage. We feel that the excess hydrogen, which is present on the GaN surface due to the dissociation of ammonia in MOVPE, acts to passivate the dislocations and eliminate parallel shorting for vertical device structures. These findings support the widespread acceptance of MOVPE, rather than MBE, as the epitaxial growth technique of choice for III-V nitride materials used in vertical transport bipolar devices for optoelectronic applications.

The epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) process for GaN has been studied using SiC and sapphire substrates. Both MBE and MOVPE growth processes were employed in the study. The use of SiO2 versus SiNx insulator stripes was investigated using window/stripe widths ranging from 2 μm/4 μm to 3 μm/15 μm. GaN film depositions were completed at temperatures ranging from 800°C to 1120°C. Characterization experiments included RHEED, TEM, SEM and cathodolumenescence studies. The MBE growth experiments produced polycrystalline GaN over the insulator stripes even at deposition temperatures as high as 990°C. In contrast, MOVPE growth produced single-crystal GaN stripes with no observable threading dislocations.

A systematic study of the growth and doping of GaN, AlGaN, and InGaN by both molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) has been performed. Critical differences between the resulting epitaxy are observed in the p-type doping using magnesium as the acceptor species. MBE growth, using rf-plasma sources to generate the active nitrogen species for growth, has been used for III-Nitride compounds doped either n-type with silicon or p-type with magnesium. Blue and violet light emitting diode (LED) test structures were fabricated. These vertical devices required a relatively high forward current and exhibited high leakage currents. This behavior was attributed to parallel shorting mechanisms along the dislocations in MBE grown layers. For comparison, similar devices were fabricated using a single wafer vertical flow MOVPE reactor and ammonia as the active nitrogen species. MOVPE grown blue LEDs exhibited excellent forward device characteristics and a high reverse breakdown voltage. We feel that the excess hydrogen, which is present on the GaN surface due to the dissociation of ammonia in MOVPE, acts to passivate the dislocations and eliminate parallel shorting for vertical device structures. These findings support the widespread acceptance of MOVPE, rather than MBE, as the epitaxial growth technique of choice for III-V nitride materials used in vertical transport bipolar devices for optoelectronic applications.

We investigated the in situ growth of YBa2Cu3O7−δ superconducting thin films by a sequential ion beam sputtering technique, studying the relations among deposition parameters, structural and superconducting properties. The films were deposited following the stacking sequence of YBa2Cu3O7−δ, with individual layer thicknesses nominally equal to one monolayer. O2 was supplied during deposition. Predominantly c-axis oriented films were grown on (100) SrTiO3, (100) MgO, and oxidized Si (SiO2/Si) substrates. The microstructure and film-substrate orientation relations were studied by transmission electron microscopy. X-ray studies showed the presence of homogeneous and inhomogeneous strains along the c-direction that persisted after low temperature oxygen anneals. Resistivity measurements showed correlations between the superconducting transition characteristics and the lattice distortions along the c-direction. The effect of deposition parameters on the lattice distortions was investigated, finding that the c-axis lattice parameter was larger in films grown at lower temperatures. This was interpreted in terms of the thermally activated dissociation of O2 at the film surface during growth. We assumed that the c-axis lattice expansion was due to kinetic limitations to the incorporation of oxygen into the film during growth. This led to a consistent description of the results obtained in this work and the O2 pressure dependence of the c-axis lattice expansion reported for other in situ techniques. Studies were performed on films grown by this technique as well as on films grown in situ by magnetron sputtering in an attempt to elucidate the nature of the defect structure causing the c-axis lattice distortions.

Single crystals of CdTe or dilute alloys of Cd1−yZnyTe (y ≤ 0.04) and CdTe1−zSez (z ≤ 0.04) with low defect density and large single-crystal area (>30 cm2) are required as substrates for high-quality epitaxial Hg1−xCdxTe thin films in the infrared (IR) detector industry. Bridgman or gradient freeze has been the most common current technique used for growing these materials. This paper reviews the current status and the evolution at SBRC of one variation of the Bridgman technique, viz., vertical-modified Bridgman (VMB), for producing large-area substrates with excellent uniformity and reproducibility. CdTe, Cd1−yZnyTe (y ≤ 0.04) and CdTe1−zSez (z ≤ 0.04) boules of 5-to 7.5-cm diameter have been grown unseeded in the present version of the VMB growth system. In general, under optimum growth conditions, the boules have the smallest grain structure (several grains) at the tip end with enhancement of grain selection as the cylindrical body of the boule is approached, resulting in one predominant and large grain occupying 70 to 80 percent of the entire boule volume; {111}-oriented Cd1−yZnyTe and CdTe1−zSez substrates with single-crystal areas as large as 50 to 60 cm2 have been obtained from these boules. Crystal quality characterized by x-ray rocking curve, IR transmission (2.5 to 20 µm), low-temperature photoluminescence, and Hall-effect measurements as a function of temperature, showed a strong correlation with the starting material quality (especially that of elemental Te and Se). Analyses of the thermal history during growth reveals that the presence of the ampoule (with charge) increases the temperature inside the furnace by 10 to 15 degrees. The temperature gradient at the tip was measured to be 8 to 10°C/cm and it dropped to 4 to 5°C/cm beyond 2.5 cm from the tip - where rapid enhancement of grain selection takes place in most boules. The effect of this temperature rise on the initial crystallization near the tip of a boule can be explained from the numerical thermal model that was developed for the growth process with radiative and conductive heat transfer included and using a temperature profile similar to that existing in the actual growth furnace. Conditions for maximizing the fraction solidifying with a slightly convex interface, hence maximizing the single-crystal yield are discussed.

In the atmospheres of cool oxygen-rich stars, water vapor is the most important molecular absorber. Yet no laboratory or theoretical spectrum exists for water vapor of sufficient detail to be useful for radiative transfer calculations in a stellar atmosphere. Because of the complexities of its bent triatomic structure, this deficiency is not likely to the be resolved soon. We have, therefore, undertaken the preparation of a synthetic spectrum for water vapor.

It is shown how a result of S.R. Caradus on the approximation problem can be obtained from known theorems.

Terms used here are standard (see [1] or [3]).

Let X denote a Banach space, S its unit ball in the weak topology, and X* the dual of X. In [1], the following theorem is proved:(I) If X is reflexive and X* (considered as a subspaoe of the continuous scalar-valued functions C(S) in the canonical way) is complemented in C(S), then X has the approximation property.

It is our purpose to point out that (I) is a corollary to some known theorems that yield the stronger conclusion (II) below.