The electroretinogram (ERG) has been employed for years to collect information about retinal function and pathology. The usefulness of this noninvasive test depends on our understanding of the cell sources that generate the ERG. Important contributors to the ERG are glial Müller cells (MCs), which are capable of generating substantial transretinal potentials in response to light-induced changes in extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o). For instance, the MCs generate the slow PIII (sPIII) component of the ERG as a reaction to a photoreceptor-induced [K+]o decrease in the subretinal space. Similarly, an increase of [K+]o related to activity of postreceptor retinal neurons also produces transretinal glial currents, which can potentially influence the amplitude and shape of the b-wave, one of the most frequently analyzed ERG components. Although it is well documented that the majority of the b-wave originates from On-bipolar cells, some contribution from MCs was suggested many years ago and has never been experimentally rejected. In this work, detailed information about light-evoked [K+]o changes in the isolated mouse retina was collected and then analyzed with a relatively simple linear electrical model of MCs. The results demonstrate that the cornea-positive potential generated by MCs is too small to contribute noticeably to the b-wave. The analysis also explains why MCs produce the large cornea-negative sPIII subcomponent of the ERG, but no substantial cornea-positive potential.

Recent studies have shown that stratigraphically disturbed meteoric ice bedded at Vostok Station between 3318 and 3539 m dates back to 1.2 Ma BP and possibly beyond. As part of the VOICE (Vostok Oldest Ice Challenge) initiative, a new deviation from parent hole 5G-1 was made at depths of 3270–3291 m in the 2018/19 austral season with the aim of obtaining a replicate core of the old ice. Sidetracking was initiated using the standard KEMS-132 electromechanical drill routinely employed for deep ice coring at Vostok, without significant changes to its initial design. Here we describe the method and operating procedures for replicate coring at a targeted depth in an existing slant hole, involving the use of a cable-suspended electromechanical drill. The design of the milling cutter head used for sidetracking is presented. The performance characteristics and the experience of drilling branch-hole 5G-5 at Vostok are described and discussed.

A numerical nonstationary two-dimensional MHD model of a protoplanetary disk near T Tauri star with a jet is developed. The model assumes consideration of pure gas ionization, optically thin cooling, anisotropic thermal conductivity and viscosity. The relaxation of gas-dynamic flows is analyzed. Based on the evolution of plasma flows, profiles of hydrogen spectral lines have been obtained.

The effect of silver nanoparticles showing localised plasmonic resonances on the efficiency of thin film silicon solar cells is studied. Silver (Ag) nanodiscs were deposited on the surface of silicon cells grown on highly doped silicon substrates, through hole-mask colloidal lithography, which is a low-cost and bottom-up technique. The cells have no back reflector in order to exclusively study the effect of the front surface on their properties. Cells with nanoparticles were compared with both bare silicon cells and cells with an antireflection coating. We optically observe a resonance showing an absorption increase controllable by the disc radius. We also see an increase in efficiency with respect to bare cells, but we see a decrease in efficiency with respect to cells with an antireflection coating due to losses at wavelengths below the plasmon resonance. As the material properties are not notably affected by the particles deposition, the loss mechanism is an important absorption in the nanoparticles. We confirm this by numerical simulations.

Full wave numerical study of electromagnetic wavereflection from and transmission through an array of thin, perfectconducting, planar strip complex-shaped elements placed on amagnetized ferrite substrate is carried out. Our results show,that the absorption level and the frequency band of the structure,when the ferromagnetic resonance and a metal element resonance areclose in frequency, are larger than the correspondingcharacteristics of the ferrite layer without metal elements. Asignificant enhancement of the Faraday rotation has frequencyshift with respect to the main resonance. Both right-handed andleft-handed circular polarized incident waves interact effectivelywith a metal array placed on ferrite substrate unlike the knownresonant interaction when only one kind (right- or left-handed) ofcircular polarized waves interacts with the ferrite slab withoutmetal elements.

A GABA- or glycine-induced increase in Cl− permeability can produce either a depolarization or hyperpolarization, depending on the Cl− equilibrium potential. It has been shown that retinal neurons express the chloride cotransporters, Na-K-2Cl (NKCC) and K-Cl (KCC), the primary molecular mechanisms that control the intracellular Cl− concentration. We thus studied (1) the localization of these cotransporters in the fish retina, and (2) how suppression of cotransporter activity in the fish retina affects function. Specific antibodies against NKCC and KCC2 revealed that both cotransporters were expressed in the outer and inner plexiform layers, and colocalized in many putative amacrine cells and in cells of the ganglion cell layer. However, the somata of putative horizontal cells displayed only NKCC immunoreactivity and many bipolar cells were only immunopositive for KCC2. In the outer retina, application of bumetanide, a specific inhibitor of NKCC activity, (1) increased the steady-state extracellular concentration of K+ ([K+]o) and enhanced the light-induced decrease in the [K+]o, (2) increased the sPIII photoreceptor-dependent component of the ERG, and (3) reduced the extracellular space volume. In contrast, in the outer retina, application of furosemide, a specific inhibitor of KCC activity, decreased sPIII and the light-induced reduction in [K+]o, but had little effect on steady-state [K+]o. In the inner retina, bumetanide increased the sustained component of the light-induced increase in [K+]o. These findings thus indicate that NKCC and KCC2 control the [K+]o and extracellular space volume in the retina in addition to regulating GABA- and glycine-mediated synaptic transmission. In addition, the anatomical and electrophysiological results together suggest that all of the major neuronal types in the fish retina are influenced by chloride cotransporter activity.

We report studies of the temperature dependence of Raman lines in high quality GaN and AlN. The temperature dependence of the phonon energies and linewidths are used to produce consistent phonon decay properties of zone center optic phonons. In GaN we observe the E22 phonon to decay into three phonons, while the A1(LO) phonon is well described according to the so-called Ridley process – one TO and one LA phonon. For AlN the E22 phonon decays by two phonon emission and the A1(LO) line also exhibits a dependence consistent with the Ridley process. Along with the phonon decay processes, it is important in each case to take into account the contribution of the thermal expansion, including the temperature dependence, to describe observed temperature shifts in the phonon properties.

Long-term field tests of cemented aqueous radioactive wastes in an experimental mound type surface repository were carried out at Moscow Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon” from 1965 to 2004. Aqueous radioactive wastes of different compositions containing short-lived radionuclides including 90Sr and 137Cs at concentrations from 0.34 to 1.8 MBq/L were immobilized using cementation technology. Water solution to cement ratio was 0.66, grout mixing time 10-15 minutes, and cement paste hardening time 7 days. 73 cement blocks with a volume of 0.027 m3 were disposed of for long-term tests in a simple mound type surface repository. The atmospheric precipitates, which contacted radioactive cement blocks, were collected and analyzed for the content of radionuclides. In August 2004 the experimental repository was opened, cemented blocks, underlying and covering materials were retrieved for analyses. XRD analyses showed that along with amorphous tobermorite gel the main crystal phases in cements are calcite and portlandite. Both visual inspection and radiometric analyses demonstrate that cemented blocks are in good condition and that the cement paste has retained radionuclides from the wastes. Thus after 39 years of storage in the mound type repository the cemented aqueous wastes are reliable immobilized.

We consider possible magnetic symmetries of two-dimensional square lattices with circular ferrite rods magnetized by a uniform dc magnetic field. These structures can be used as tunable and nonreciprocal photonic crystals. Classification of eigenmodes in such crystals and compatibility relations are discussed on the basis of magnetic group theory and the theory of (co)representations. Some general electromagnetic properties of the magnetic crystals such as change in the basic domain of the Brillouin zone, change of symmetry in limiting cases, bidirectionality and nonreciprocity, symmetry relations for the waves and lifting of eigenwave degeneracies by dc magnetic field are also discussed.

Report presents results of research aimed the investigation of possibility to use such chalcogenide materials as vitreous As2S3, As2Se3 and their solid solutions for gas sensors applications. For a long time these materials were well-known as materials mostly used for optical information registration. Developed approach allows to widening the sphere of application of given materials and create new class of gas sensitive devices.

Thin film gas sensitive elements on the base of solid solutions of (As2S3)x-(As2Se3)1−x (where x=0; 0.3; 0.5; 0.7 and 1.0) were obtained by means of the thermal evaporation under vacuum conditions 10−5 Torr. Thin films can be deposited on both hard and flexible substrate. Formed films had specific resistance on the level 1010–1014 Ohm.cm (on dependence on composition) at the thickness of 1–2 μm.

It was established that CGS thin films possess gas sensitivity S, determined as S=(Ggas-Gait)/Gair, on the level 2–3 relative units for CO and 7–8 for hydrogen at the 100 ppm concentration levels of both gases in atmosphere already at the room temperature that allows to excluding the heater from the gas sensor construction decreasing through that both manufacturing and operational cost.

It is concluded that chalcogenide semiconductor materials can be considered as perspective materials for gas sensor application, including space exploration application.

This paper presents result of investigation of the oxygen interaction with a surface of semiconductor metal oxide film. The idea to carry out such research is connected with the key role, which oxygen plays in the processes of impurity gas molecules detection in atmosphere and semiconductor surface sensibilization. Numerical modeling of the interaction was carried out for different temperatures and oxygen partial pressures. Results of modeling are compared with the results of experimental study of oxygen-semiconductor film system.

In this paper we report p-GaN growth by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on sapphire substrates. Mg or Zn impurities were used for doping. Layer thickness ranged from 2 to 5 microns. For both impurities, as-grown GaN layers had p-type conductivity. Concentration NA-ND was varied from 1016 to 1018 cm−3. An annealing procedure at 750°C in argon ambient typically increased the concentration NA-ND in 1.5–3.5 times. For Mg doped GaN layers, room temperature hole mobility of 80 cm2V−1s−1 was measured by conventional Van Der Pau Hall effect technique for material having hole concentration of about 1x1018 cm−3. Initial results on highly electrically conducting p-type AlGaN/GaN heterostructures doped with Zn are also reported.

Results of investigation aimed at the improvement of gas sensitive characteristics of tin dioxide thin film's based gas sensors through their treatment in high frequent (HF) oxygen plasma and sensibilization by means of doping are presented.

Tin dioxide thin films were deposited from alcohol solutions of SnCl45H2O by means of chemical spray pyrolysis method on alumina substrate at the temperatures in the range from 400 to 500°C. The thickness of films was varied in the range 20–100 nm.

Surface treatment of obtained tin dioxide layers was carried out in pure oxygen plasma at room temperature and 3-4 times increase of the resistance and gas sensitivity was obtained at that. These parameters' changing is discussed from the point of view of thin film's stoichiometry alteration, for control of which there were used IR and SIMS measurements. Obtained results are compared with results of the film's high temperature (∼600oC) thermal annealing on air.

To increase thin film's gas sensitivity and selectivity the doping with Pd and Cu was applied. Doping was carried out also through chemical spray pyrolysis method from the solutions of corresponding compounds of Pd and Cu. Such modification of SnO2 surface hasallowed to increasing sensitivity to H2 up to 5.103 rel. units (high selectivity) at the simultaneous shift of sensitivity maximum from 350 to 150°C. Doping with Cu has allowed to increasing 4-5 times sensitivity and selectivity toward CH4 and C3H8 gases in air and reducing operating temperatures from 500–520°C to 350–370°C.

It is concluded that combination of HF oxygen plasma tin dioxide film' treatment and its surface sensibilization is an effective way to considerably improvement of gas sensitive and selective characteristics of tin dioxide based thin film gas sensors (TFGS).

This letter reports on multi-layer submicron epitaxial device structures grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). This is the first demonstration of both high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices and ultraviolet light emitting diodes (LED) emitting in the wavelength range from 305 to 340 nm based on AlGaN/GaN and AlGaN/AlGaN heterostructures grown by HVPE. Two unique aspects of this technological approach are the growth of Al-containing epitaxial material by HVPE and use of HVPE to form submicron multi-layer epitaxial structures. The high performance of HVPE grown devices presented in this report demonstrates the significant potential that exists for HVPE growth technology for mass production of device epitaxial wafers.

High quality undoped AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) structures have been gorwn by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE). The morphology of the films grown on Al2O3 substrates is excellent with root-mean-square roughness of ∼0.2nm over 10×10μm2 measurement area. Capacitance-voltage measurements show formation of dense sheet of charge at the AlGaN/GaN interface. HEMTs with 1μm gate length fabricated on these structures show transconductances in excess of 110 mS/mm and drain-source current above 0.6A/mm. Gate lag measurements show similar current collapse characteristics to HEMTs fabricated in MBE- or MOCVD grown material.

Waveguide prism-coupling methods were used to measure the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of AlxGa1-xN films grown on sapphire substrates by HVPE and MOCVD. Several discrete wavelengths ranging from 442 nm to 1064 nm were used and the results were fit to one-term Sellmeier equations. The maximum standard uncertainty in the refractive index measurements was ± 0.005 and the maximum standard uncertainty in the self-consistent calculation for film thickness was ± 15 nm. Analysis of normal-incidence spectroscopic transmittance and reflectance measurements, correlated with the prism-coupling results, was used to determine the ordinary refractive index as a continuous function of wavelength from the band gap wavelength of each sample (between 252 nm and 364 nm) to 2500 nm. The Al compositions of the samples were determined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis (EDS). HVPE grown samples had compositions x = 0.279, 0.363, 0.593, and 0.657. MOCVD samples had x = 0.00, 0.419, 0.507, 0.618, 0.660, and 0.666. The maximum standard uncertainty in the absolute EDS-determined value for x was ± 0.02.

The system C – Al – TiO2 has been demonstrated to be a strong candidate for the processing of irradiated reactor graphite waste with the retention of biologic hazardous carbon-14 in chemically and thermal stable corundum-carbide ceramics. The corundum-carbide ceramics is obtained from the powdered precursors blend through self-sustaining thermochemical reactions. Investigations of the system C – Al – TiO2 were carried out both theoretically and experimentally. The refining thermodynamic calculations of the phase composition of resulting end product were performed for a wide variety of components content in the system being investigated. Aluminium oxycarbides production was taken into account in the calculations. Thermodynamic functions of aluminium oxycarbides Al4O4C and Al2OC have been calculated for this purpose using currently available literature evidences and own assessments of missing data. On the basis of thermodynamic simulation the proportions of the source substances were determined, which result in the aluminium oxycarbides production. These simulation results have been supported by XRD-analysis of produced specimens. The experimental processing of reactor graphite was conducted by the use of self-sustaining reactions in C – Al – TiO2 powder blends. Test specimens were produced by mass ranging from 0.1 to 3 kg in the argon atmosphere. Various techniques were used to characterize the produced specimens. The compressive strength of specimens of corundum-carbide matrices produced ranges from 7 to 13 MPa. The leaching rates of Cs-137 and Sr-90 from specimens ranged between 10-4 and 10-5 g/(cm2.day) respectively. The carry-over of the carbon combined in carbon monoxide from the reacting mixtures during exothermic process may run up to 1% wt. that appropriates roughly to less than 0.01% wt. of the carbon-14 in the irradiated reactor graphite.

A broad band with a maximum at about 2.9 eV (blue band) is widely observed in the photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of unintentionally doped GaN grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). In some samples this band exhibits fine structure attributed to electron-phonon coupling, in others it appears featureless. Different defect origin and recombination mechanisms responsible for the blue band have been suggested in the past. The situation is complicated by the fact that bands similar in shape and position were observed also in Zn- and Mg-doped GaN, as well as in undoped GaN after dry or wet etching. We investigated PL in HVPE-grown undoped, Si- and Zn-doped GaN layers in wide temperature and excitation intensity ranges. We have found that the shape, temperature and excitation intensity dependencies of the blue band in undoped GaN are almost identical to those in GaN lightly doped with Zn. Moreover, in both undoped and Zn-doped samples we observed a distinctive set of peaks related to an exciton bound to the Zn acceptor. Although the exact structure of the Zn acceptor is still unknown, our experimental results unambiguously demonstrate that Zn impurity is responsible for the blue band in unintentionally doped GaN. The results of transient PL study are also consistent with the above attribution.

Using calculated tables of the second-rank constitutive tensors for linear bianisotropic media, some general electromagnetic properties of the media are discussed. We consider enantiomorphism, crosscoupling tensors and nonreciprocity. The presented tables obtained by group-theoretical methods and comprising 122 discrete point and 21 continuous magnetic groups of symmetry can serve for investigation of some other physical properties of the media. Also considered are the main distinctions of the tables from those published earlier.

In this paper, we discuss a general method for symmetry synthesis of electromagnetic multiports. Two approaches are possible in this problem: (1) solution for all the possible symmetry groups describing the multiports, and (2) determination of the symmetry group of a given ideal scattering matrix and calculation of the real matrix. A three-way nonreciprocal divider synthesis illustrates the second approach. Also, for four-ports defined is the group tree allowing one to calculate all the possible scattering matrices.