Structural transformation in mechanosynthesized bcc Fe-Al-Si(Ge) solid solutions during heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubalova, L.M.; Sviridov, I.A.; Vasilyeva, O.Ya.; Fadeeva, V.I.

2007-01-01

X-ray diffractometry and Moessbauer spectroscopy study of Fe 50 Al 25 Si 25 and Fe 50 Al 25 Ge 25 alloys obtained by mechanical alloying (MA) of elementary powders was carried out. Phase transformation during heating of synthesized products was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). After 2.5 h of MA monophase alloys containing bcc Fe(Al, Ge) solid solutions Fe(Al, Si) are formed. Fe(Al, Si) is partially ordered B2 type and Fe(Al, Ge) is completely disordered. DSC curves of synthesized alloys displayed the presence of exothermal peaks caused by phase transformation. The metastable Fe(Al, Si) solid solution transformed into FeAl 1-x Si x (B2) and FeSi 1-x Al x (B20) equilibrium phases. The Fe(Al, Ge) solid solution transformed into equilibrium phases through intermediate stage of Fe 6 Ge 3 Al 2 metastable phase formation. The Fe 6 Ge 3 Al 2 phase dissociated into three equilibrium phases: FeAl 1-x Ge x (B2), χ-Fe 6 Ge 5 and η-Fe 13 (Ge, Al) 8 (B8 2 ). The structure of Fe 6 Ge 3 Al 2 was calculated by Rietveld method, the distribution of Al and Ge in the elementary cell and its parameters were calculated. Moessbauer study showed that Fe(Al, Si) and Fe(Al, Ge) solid solutions are paramagnetic. In the equilibrium state the alloy containing Si is also paramagnetic while the alloy with Ge showed ferromagnetic properties

Investigation of the {Fe}/{Si} interface and its phase transformations

Science.gov (United States)

Fanciulli, M.; Degroote, S.; Weyer, G.; Langouche, G.

1997-04-01

Thin 57Fe films (3-10 Å) have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on (7 × 7) reconstructed Si(111) and (2 × 1) reconstructed Si(001) surfaces and by e-gun evaporation on an H-terminated Si(111) surface. Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) with high statistical accuracy and resolution allowed a detailed microscopic investigation of the silicide formation mechanism and of the structural phase transformations upon annealing.

Pressure-induced transformations in amorphous silicon: A computational study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcez, K. M. S., E-mail: kmgarcez@ufma.br [Universidade Federal do Maranhão, 65700-000 Bacabal, Maranhão (Brazil); Antonelli, A., E-mail: aantone@ifi.unicamp.br [Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, UNICAMP, 13083-859 Campinas, São Paulo (Brazil)

2014-02-14

We study the transformations between amorphous phases of Si through molecular simulations using the environment dependent interatomic potential (EDIP) for Si. Our results show that upon pressure, the material undergoes a transformation from the low density amorphous (LDA) Si to the high density amorphous (HDA) Si. This transformation can be reversed by decompressing the material. This process, however, exhibits clear hysteresis, suggesting that the transformation LDA ↔ HDA is first-order like. The HDA phase is predominantly five-fold coordinated, whereas the LDA phase is the normal tetrahedrally bonded amorphous Si. The HDA phase at 400 K and 20 GPa was submitted to an isobaric annealing up to 800 K, resulting in a denser amorphous phase, which is structurally distinct from the HDA phase. Our results also show that the atomic volume and structure of this new amorphous phase are identical to those of the glass obtained by an isobaric quenching of the liquid in equilibrium at 2000 K and 20 GPa down to 400 K. The similarities between our results and those for amorphous ices suggest that this new phase is the very high density amorphous Si.

Pressure-induced transformations in amorphous silicon: A computational study

Science.gov (United States)

Garcez, K. M. S.; Antonelli, A.

2014-02-01

We study the transformations between amorphous phases of Si through molecular simulations using the environment dependent interatomic potential (EDIP) for Si. Our results show that upon pressure, the material undergoes a transformation from the low density amorphous (LDA) Si to the high density amorphous (HDA) Si. This transformation can be reversed by decompressing the material. This process, however, exhibits clear hysteresis, suggesting that the transformation LDA ↔ HDA is first-order like. The HDA phase is predominantly five-fold coordinated, whereas the LDA phase is the normal tetrahedrally bonded amorphous Si. The HDA phase at 400 K and 20 GPa was submitted to an isobaric annealing up to 800 K, resulting in a denser amorphous phase, which is structurally distinct from the HDA phase. Our results also show that the atomic volume and structure of this new amorphous phase are identical to those of the glass obtained by an isobaric quenching of the liquid in equilibrium at 2000 K and 20 GPa down to 400 K. The similarities between our results and those for amorphous ices suggest that this new phase is the very high density amorphous Si.

Bainite transformation and TRIP effect in 20Mn2SiVB steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huo Yanqiu; Long Xiuhui; Zhou Zhenhua; Li Jianguo

2006-01-01

Transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel is a relatively new type of automotive steel known for its combination of high-strength and high ductility which was developed in the 1990s. 20Mn2SiVB steel is a kind of TRIP steel with low-carbon and low-alloying contents and high-strength. Specimens of a tested 20Mn2SiVB steel austenitized at 920 deg. C and austempered at 420 deg. C in a salt bath at different time are investigated. The microstructure obtained is studied by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that bainitic ferrite precipitates at the boundary of the austenite first, and with the prolongation of the isothermal time, the amount of bainitic ferrite increase. Then the ferrite decollates the austenite grain and lath-shaped bainitic ferrite with little island-shaped austenite forms during the holding time. The microstructure contains carbide-free bainite, granular bainite, retained austenite and martensite in the process of bainite transformation. Tensile test of the different treated specimens indicates that a better comprehensive property can be gained after austenized at 920 deg. C following austempered at 420 deg. C for 5 min, a certain TRIP effect can be also obtained under this condition

Phase transformations behavior in a Cu-8.0Ni-1.8Si alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lei, Q. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Li, Z., E-mail: lizhou6931@163.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China) and Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Materials Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Changsha, 410083 (China); Wang, M.P. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Key Laboratory of Nonferrous Metal Materials Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education, Changsha, 410083 (China); Zhang, L.; Gong, S. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Xiao, Z. [Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L693 GH (United Kingdom); Pan, Z.Y. [Hunan Nonferrous Metals Holding Group Co., Ltd., Changsha, 410015 (China)

2011-02-24

Research highlights: > High solute concentrations Cu-Ni-Si alloy with super high strength and high conductivity has a good prospect for replacing Cu-Be alloys. At least four different kinds of precipitation products (DO{sub 22} ordered structure, {beta}-Ni{sub 3}Si precipitate, {delta}-Ni{sub 2}Si precipitate and {gamma}-Ni{sub 5}Si{sub 2} precipitate) have been observed in previous investigation. Therefore, the overall phase transformation behavior of Cu-Ni-Si alloy appears to be very complex. And most previous studies on the phase transformation usually investigated the precipitation process at only one temperature or at most a few temperatures, which is far away to establish a time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram for Cu-Ni-Si alloy. > The phase transformation behavior of Cu-8.0Ni-1.8Si alloy has been studied systematically at wide temperature range in this paper. The results we have gained are that: after solution treatment, followed by different conditions of isothermal treatment, DO{sub 22} ordering, discontinuous precipitation and continuous precipitation were observed in the alloy; discontinuous precipitates of {beta}-Ni{sub 3}Si phase appeared when the alloy isothermal treated at 550 deg. C for short time, which had not been reported by the previous Cu-Ni-Si system alloy's researchers in their papers; two kinds of precipitates of {beta}-Ni{sub 3}Si and {delta}-Ni{sub 2}Si were determined by the TEM characterization; the orientation relationship between the two kinds of precipitates and Cu-matrix is that: (1 1 0){sub Cu}//(1 1 0){sub {beta}}//(211-bar){sub {delta}}, [112-bar]{sub Cu}//[11-bar 2]{sub {beta}}//[3 2 4]{sub {delta}}; during overaging treatment, Cu-matrix, {beta}-Ni{sub 3}Si, {delta}-Ni{sub 2}Si and {delta}'-Ni{sub 2}Si were distinguished in the samples and the orientation relationship between the precipitates and Cu-matrix can be expressed as that: (0 2 2){sub Cu}//(0 2 2){sub {beta}}//(1 0 0){sub {delta}}, (02-bar 2){sub Cu

Stress map for ion irradiation: Depth-resolved dynamic competition between radiation-induced viscoelastic phenomena in SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dillen, T. van; Siem, M.Y.S.; Polman, A.

2004-01-01

The dynamic competition between structural transformation, Newtonian viscous flow, and anisotropic strain generation during ion irradiation of SiO 2 , leads to strongly depth-dependent evolution of the mechanical stress, ranging between compressive and tensile. From independent in situ stress measurements during irradiation, generic expressions are derived of the nuclear stopping dependence of both the structural transformation rate and the radiation-induced viscosity. Using these data we introduce and demonstrate the concept of a 'stress map' that predicts the depth-resolved saturation stress in SiO 2 for any irradiation up to several MeV

Kinetic analysis of temperature-induced transformation of zeolite 4A to low-carnegieite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosanovic, C.; Subotic, B.; Ristic, A.

2004-01-01

Kinetics of the isothermal amorphization of zeolite 4A and recrystallization of the formed amorphous phase to low-carnegieite at three different temperatures were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction method. Changes in the fractions f A of zeolite 4A, f a of amorphous aluminosilicate and f C of low-carnegieite during heating of zeolite 4A, show that amorphization and recrystallization take place simultaneously. Kinetic analyzes of single processes (amorphization, recrystallization) as well as solution of the population balance of the entire transformation process (simultaneous transformation of zeolite 4A into amorphous aluminosilicate and its recrystallization into low-carnegieite) have shown that: (A) the transformation of zeolite 4A takes place by a random, diffusion-limited agglomeration of the short-range-ordered aluminosilicate subunits formed by thermally induced breaking of Si-O-Si and Si-O-Al bonds between different building units of zeolite framework; and (B) the crystallization of low-carnegieite occurs by homogeneous nucleation of low-carnegieite inside the matrix of amorphous aluminosilicate and diffusion-controlled, one-dimensional growth of the nuclei, thus forming needle-shaped crystals of low-carnegieite

(001) 3C SiC/Ni contact interface: In situ XPS observation of annealing induced Ni2Si formation and the resulting barrier height changes

Science.gov (United States)

Tengeler, Sven; Kaiser, Bernhard; Chaussende, Didier; Jaegermann, Wolfram

2017-04-01

The electronic states of the (001) 3C SiC/Ni interface prior and post annealing are investigated via an in situ XPS interface experiment, allowing direct observation of the induced band bending and the transformation from Schottky to ohmic behaviour for the first time. A single domain (001) 3C SiC sample was prepared via wet chemical etching. Nickel was deposited on the sample in multiple in situ deposition steps via RF sputtering, allowing observation of the 3C SiC/Ni interface formation. Over the course of the experiments, an upward band bending of 0.35 eV was observed, along with defect induced Fermi level pinning. This indicates a Schottky type contact behaviour with a barrier height of 0.41 eV. The subsequent annealing at 850 °C for 5 min resulted in the formation of a Ni2Si layer and a reversal of the band bending to 0.06 eV downward. Thus explaining the ohmic contact behaviour frequently reported for annealed n-type 3C SiC/Ni contacts.

Probing the Evolution of Retained Austenite in TRIP Steel During Strain-Induced Transformation: A Multitechnique Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Haidemenopoulos, G. N.; Constantinou, M.; Kamoutsi, H.; Krizan, D.; Bellas, I.; Koutsokeras, L.; Constantinides, G.

2018-06-01

X-ray diffraction analysis, magnetic force microscopy, and the saturation magnetization method have been employed to study the evolution of the percentage and size of retained austenite (RA) particles during strain-induced transformation in a transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel. A low-alloy TRIP-700 steel with nominal composition Fe-0.2C-0.34Si-1.99Mn-1Al (mass%) was subjected to interrupted tensile testing at strain levels of 0-22% and the microstructure subsequently studied. The results of the three experimental techniques were in very good agreement regarding the estimated austenite volume fraction and its evolution with strain. Furthermore, this multitechnique approach revealed that the average particle size of RA reduced as the applied strain was increased, suggesting that larger particles are less stable and more susceptible to strain-induced phase transformation. Such experimentally determined evolution of the austenite size with strain could serve as an input to kinetic models that aim to predict the strain-induced transformation in low-alloy TRIP steels.

Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy of SiGe layer evolution on Si(100) induced by dewetting

Science.gov (United States)

Shklyaev, A. A.; Volodin, V. A.; Stoffel, M.; Rinnert, H.; Vergnat, M.

2018-01-01

High temperature annealing of thick (40-100 nm) Ge layers deposited on Si(100) at ˜400 °C leads to the formation of continuous films prior to their transformation into porous-like films due to dewetting. The evolution of Si-Ge composition, lattice strain, and surface morphology caused by dewetting is analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, Raman, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. The Raman data reveal that the transformation from the continuous to porous film proceeds through strong Si-Ge interdiffusion, reducing the Ge content from 60% to about 20%, and changing the stress from compressive to tensile. We expect that Ge atoms migrate into the Si substrate occupying interstitial sites and providing thereby the compensation of the lattice mismatch. Annealing generates only one type of radiative recombination centers in SiGe resulting in a PL peak located at about 0.7 and 0.8 eV for continuous and porous film areas, respectively. Since annealing leads to the propagation of threading dislocations through the SiGe/Si interface, we can tentatively associate the observed PL peak to the well-known dislocation-related D1 band.

Novel targets for sensitizing breast cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis with siRNA delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Thapa, Bindu; Bahadur Kc, Remant; Uludağ, Hasan

2018-02-01

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in variety of cancer cells without affecting most normal cells, which makes it a promising agent for cancer therapy. However, TRAIL therapy is clinically not effective due to resistance induction. To identify novel regulators of TRAIL that can aid in therapy, protein targets whose silencing sensitized breast cancer cells against TRAIL were screened with an siRNA library against 446 human apoptosis-related proteins in MDA-231 cells. Using a cationic lipopolymer (PEI-αLA) for delivery of library members, 16 siRNAs were identified that sensitized the TRAIL-induced death in MDA-231 cells. The siRNAs targeting BCL2L12 and SOD1 were further evaluated based on the novelty and their ability to sensitize TRAIL induced cell death. Silencing both targets sensitized TRAIL-mediated cell death in MDA-231 cells as well as TRAIL resistant breast cancer cells, MCF-7. Combination of TRAIL and siRNA silencing BCL2L12 had no effect in normal human umbilical vein cells and human bone marrow stromal cell. The silencing of BCL2L12 and SOD1 enhanced TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in MDA-231 cells via synergistically activating capsase-3 activity. Hence, here we report siRNAs targeting BCL2L12 and SOD1 as a novel regulator of TRAIL-induced cell death in breast cancer cells, providing a new approach for enhancing TRAIL therapy for breast cancer. The combination of siRNA targeting BCL2L12 and TRAIL can be a highly effective synergistic pair in breast cancer cells with minimal effect on the non-transformed cells. © 2017 UICC.

Transformation of sludge Si to nano-Si/SiOx structure by oxygen inward diffusion as precursor for high performance anodes in lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Qiqi; Dai, Dongyang; Zhang, Chengzhi; Han, Fei; Lv, Tiezheng; Li, Xiaoshan; Wang, Shijie; Zhu, Rui; Liao, Haojie; Zhang, Shiguo

2018-05-01

Although several Si/C composite structures have been proposed for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), they have still suffered from expensive and complex processes of nano-Si production. Herein, a simple, controllable oxygen inward diffusion was utilized to transform Si sludge obtained from the photovoltaic (PV) industry into the nano-Si/SiOx structure as a result of the high diffusion efficiency of O inside Si and high surface area of the sludge. After further process, a yolk/shell Si/C structure was obtained as an anode material for LIBs. This composite demonstrated an excellent cycling stability, with a high reversible capacity (˜ 1250 mAh/g for 500 cycles), by void space originally left by the SiOx accommodate inner Si expansion. We believe this is a rather simple way to convert the waste Si into a valuable nano-Si for LIB applications.

Crystallization and Martensitic Transformation Behavior of Ti-Ni-Si Alloy Ribbons Prepared via Melt Spinning.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Ju-Wan; Kim, Yeon-Wook; Nam, Tae-Hyun

2018-09-01

Ti-(50-x)Ni-xSi (at%) (x = 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0) alloy ribbons were prepared via melt spinning and their crystallization procedure and transformation behavior were investigated using differential scanning calorimtry, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Ti-Ni-Si alloy ribbons with Si content less than 1.0 at% were crystalline, whereas those with Si content more than 3.0 at% were amorphous. Crystallization occurred in the sequence of amorphous →B2 → B2 → Ti5Si4 + TiNi3 → B2 + Ti5Si4 + TiNi3 + TiSi in the Ti-47.0Ni-3.0Si alloy and amorphous →R → R + Ti5Si4 + TiNi3 → R + Ti5Si4 + TiNi3 + TiSi in the Ti-45.0Ni-5.0Si alloy. The activation energy for crystallization was 189 ±8.6 kJ/mol for the Ti-47Ni-3Si alloy and 212±8.6 kJ/mol for the Ti-45Ni-5Si alloy. One-stage B2-R transformation behavior was observed in Ti-49.5Ni-0.5Si, Ti-49.0Ni-1.0Si, and Ti-47.0Ni- 3.0Si alloy ribbons after heating to various temperatures in the range of 873 K to 1073 K. In the Ti-45.0Ni-5.0Si alloy, one-stage B2-R transformation occurred after heating to 893 K, two-stage B2-R-B19' occurred after heating to 973 K, and two-stage B2-R-B19' occurred on cooling and one-stage B19'-B2 occurred on heating, after heating to 1073 K.

Shear-driven phase transformation in silicon nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Vincent, L; Djomani, D; Fakfakh, M; Renard, C; Belier, B; Bouchier, D; Patriarche, G

2018-03-23

We report on an unprecedented formation of allotrope heterostructured Si nanowires by plastic deformation based on applied radial compressive stresses inside a surrounding matrix. Si nanowires with a standard diamond structure (3C) undergo a phase transformation toward the hexagonal 2H-allotrope. The transformation is thermally activated above 500 °C and is clearly driven by a shear-stress relief occurring in parallel shear bands lying on {115} planes. We have studied the influence of temperature and axial orientation of nanowires. The observations are consistent with a martensitic phase transformation, but the finding leads to clear evidence of a different mechanism of deformation-induced phase transformation in Si nanowires with respect to their bulk counterpart. Our process provides a route to study shear-driven phase transformation at the nanoscale in Si.

(001) 3C SiC/Ni contact interface: In situ XPS observation of annealing induced Ni_2Si formation and the resulting barrier height changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tengeler, Sven; Kaiser, Bernhard; Chaussende, Didier; Jaegermann, Wolfram

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Schottky behavior (Φ_B = 0.41 eV) and Fermi level pining were found pre annealing. • Ni_2Si formation was confirmed for 5 min at 850 °C. • 3C/Ni_2Si Fermi level alignment is responsible for ohmic contact behavior. • Wet chemical etching (Si–OH/C–H termination) does not impair Ni_2Si formation. - Abstract: The electronic states of the (001) 3C SiC/Ni interface prior and post annealing are investigated via an in situ XPS interface experiment, allowing direct observation of the induced band bending and the transformation from Schottky to ohmic behaviour for the first time. A single domain (001) 3C SiC sample was prepared via wet chemical etching. Nickel was deposited on the sample in multiple in situ deposition steps via RF sputtering, allowing observation of the 3C SiC/Ni interface formation. Over the course of the experiments, an upward band bending of 0.35 eV was observed, along with defect induced Fermi level pinning. This indicates a Schottky type contact behaviour with a barrier height of 0.41 eV. The subsequent annealing at 850 °C for 5 min resulted in the formation of a Ni_2Si layer and a reversal of the band bending to 0.06 eV downward. Thus explaining the ohmic contact behaviour frequently reported for annealed n-type 3C SiC/Ni contacts.

Effects of Si on microstructure and phase transformation at elevated temperatures in ferritic white cast irons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiengmoon, A., E-mail: ampornw@nu.ac.th [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok 65000 (Thailand); Pearce, J.T.H. [Panyapiwat Institute of Management, Nonthaburi 11120 (Thailand); Nusen, S.; Chairuangsri, T. [Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand)

2016-10-15

The effects of Si on microstructure and phase transformation at elevated temperature of ferritic 31wt.%Cr-1.1wt.%C white cast irons with up to 3wt.%Si have been studied. Applications of these irons include parts requiring heat resistance at elevated temperature. The irons were produced by sand casting. The microstructure in as-cast condition and after being subjected to high temperature (700 to 1000 °C) was investigated by light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. The results revealed that the as-cast microstructure consisted mainly of primary ferrite dendrites and eutectic (ferrite + M{sub 7}C{sub 3}). Si promotes M{sub 7}C{sub 3}-to-M{sub 23}C{sub 6} transformation in the irons subjected to transformation at elevated temperature, but no sigma phase was found. The extent of M{sub 7}C{sub 3}-to-M{sub 23}C{sub 6} transformation increases proportional to the increasing transformation temperature, holding time and Si content in the irons. For the iron with 1.0wt.%Si content after holding at elevated temperatures, martensite was also found, which could be attributed to carbon accretion effects in eutectic ferrite. Si was incorporated in M{sub 23}C{sub 6} such that M{sub 23}C{sub 6} containing Si can show darker contrast under SEM-BEI as compared to M{sub 7}C{sub 3}; this is the opposite to what has been observed for the cases of typical M{sub 23}C{sub 6} and M{sub 23}C{sub 6} containing Mo or W. The results obtained are important to understand the change in properties of ferritic, high chromium irons containing Si subjected to elevated temperature.

Transformation lines in an Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn-Si polycrystalline shape memory alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Kikuaki; Hayashi, Toshimitsu; Fischer, F.D.; Buchmayr, B.

1994-01-01

Transformation lines, the martensite/austenite start and finish conditions in the stress-temperature plane, are determined in an Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn-Si polycrystalline shape memory alloy with two different experimental procedures. The transformation lines are shown to be almost linear with nearly the same slope. The martensitic transformation zone and the reverse transformation zone do not coincide, and the reverse transformation zone is very wide; T Af -T As ∼ 180 K. The strong dependence on the preloading of the transformation lines, especially of the reverse transformation lines, is examined. (orig.)

Effect of pre-deformation temperature on reverse transformation characteristic in Fe-Mn-Si based alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, D.; Xing, X.; Chen, J.; Dong, Z.; Liu, W.

2000-01-01

Two alloys of A: Fe-28Mn-6Si-5Cr(wt.%) and B: Fe-13Mn-5Si-12Cr-6Ni(wt.%) with different Ms temperatures were selected to be subjected to tensile deformation under different temperatures. The effect of deformation temperature on shape memory effect (SME) and the reverse transformation kinetics were studied respectively. It was found that: (1) The best SME could be obtained by deformation at Ms temperature; (2) The As temperature varied with deformation temperature. The lower the deformation temperature was, the lower the As temperature would be; (3) Some non-transformation related strain recovery between deformation temperature and As temperature was observed to be resulted from the retraction of stacking faults. The facts that the variation of As temperature with deformation temperature, as well as the non-transformation strain recovery imply that the γ→ε martensitic transformation in Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys exhibits quasithermoelastic property. (orig.)

(001) 3C SiC/Ni contact interface: In situ XPS observation of annealing induced Ni{sub 2}Si formation and the resulting barrier height changes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tengeler, Sven, E-mail: stengeler@surface.tu-darmstadt.de [Institute of Material Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LMGP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Kaiser, Bernhard [Institute of Material Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Chaussende, Didier [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LMGP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Jaegermann, Wolfram [Institute of Material Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany)

2017-04-01

Highlights: • Schottky behavior (Φ{sub B} = 0.41 eV) and Fermi level pining were found pre annealing. • Ni{sub 2}Si formation was confirmed for 5 min at 850 °C. • 3C/Ni{sub 2}Si Fermi level alignment is responsible for ohmic contact behavior. • Wet chemical etching (Si–OH/C–H termination) does not impair Ni{sub 2}Si formation. - Abstract: The electronic states of the (001) 3C SiC/Ni interface prior and post annealing are investigated via an in situ XPS interface experiment, allowing direct observation of the induced band bending and the transformation from Schottky to ohmic behaviour for the first time. A single domain (001) 3C SiC sample was prepared via wet chemical etching. Nickel was deposited on the sample in multiple in situ deposition steps via RF sputtering, allowing observation of the 3C SiC/Ni interface formation. Over the course of the experiments, an upward band bending of 0.35 eV was observed, along with defect induced Fermi level pinning. This indicates a Schottky type contact behaviour with a barrier height of 0.41 eV. The subsequent annealing at 850 °C for 5 min resulted in the formation of a Ni{sub 2}Si layer and a reversal of the band bending to 0.06 eV downward. Thus explaining the ohmic contact behaviour frequently reported for annealed n-type 3C SiC/Ni contacts.

Vibration mitigation by the reversible fcc/hcp martensitic transformation during cyclic tension-compression loading of an Fe-Mn-Si-based shape memory alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawaguchi, Takahiro; Sahu, Puspendu; Kikuchi, Takehiko; Ogawa, Kazuyuki; Kajiwara, Setsuo; Kushibe, Atsumichi; Higashino, Masahiko; Ogawa, Takatoshi

2006-01-01

The present work concerns the damping behavior of an Fe-28Mn-6Si-5Cr-0.5NbC (mass%) shape memory alloy determined by low cycle fatigue tests, and the corresponding deformation mechanism under cyclic tension-compression loading. The specific damping capacity increases with increasing strain amplitude and reaches saturation at ∼80%, above the strain amplitude of 0.4%. Quantitative X-ray diffraction analyses and microstructural observations using atomic force microscopy revealed that a significant amount of the tensile stress-induced ε martensite is reversely transformed into the austenite by subsequent compression; in other words, the stress-induced 'reverse' martensitic transformation takes place in the alloy

Hydrosilylation induced by N→Si intramolecular coordination: spontaneous transformation of organosilanes into 1-aza-silole-type molecules in the absence of a catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Novák, Miroslav; Dostál, Libor; Alonso, Mercedes; De Proft, Frank; Růžička, Aleš; Lyčka, Antonín; Jambor, Roman

2014-02-24

Our attempts to synthesize the N→Si intramolecularly coordinated organosilanes Ph2 L(1) SiH (1 a), PhL(1) SiH2 (2 a), Ph2 L(2) SiH (3 a), and PhL(2) SiH2 (4 a) containing a CH=N imine group (in which L(1) is the C,N-chelating ligand {2-[CH=N(C6 H3 -2,6-iPr2)]C6 H4}(-) and L(2) is {2-[CH=N(tBu)]C6 H4}(-)) yielded 1-[2,6-bis(diisopropyl)phenyl]-2,2-diphenyl-1-aza-silole (1), 1-[2,6-bis(diisopropyl)phenyl]-2-phenyl-2-hydrido-1-aza-silole (2), 1-tert-butyl-2,2-diphenyl-1-aza-silole (3), and 1-tert-butyl-2-phenyl-2-hydrido-1-aza-silole (4), respectively. Isolated organosilicon amides 1-4 are an outcome of the spontaneous hydrosilylation of the CH=N imine moiety induced by N→Si intramolecular coordination. Compounds 1-4 were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The geometries of organosilanes 1 a-4 a and their corresponding hydrosilylated products 1-4 were optimized and fully characterized at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. The molecular structure determination of 1-3 suggested the presence of a Si-N double bond. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, however, shows a very strong donor-acceptor interaction between the lone pair of the nitrogen atom and the formal empty p orbital on the silicon and therefore, the calculations show that the Si-N bond is highly polarized pointing to a predominantly zwitterionic Si(+) N(-) bond in 1-4. Since compounds 1-4 are hydrosilylated products of 1 a-4 a, the free energies (ΔG298), enthalpies (ΔH298), and entropies (ΔH298) were computed for the hydrosilylation reaction of 1 a-4 a with both B3LYP and B3LYP-D methods. On the basis of the very negative ΔG298 values, the hydrosilylation reaction is highly exergonic and compounds 1 a-4 a are spontaneously transformed into 1-4 in the absence of a catalyst. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication of FeSi and Fe{sub 3}Si compounds by electron beam induced mixing of [Fe/Si]{sub 2} and [Fe{sub 3}/Si]{sub 2} multilayers grown by focused electron beam induced deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Porrati, F.; Sachser, R.; Huth, M. [Physikalisches Institut, Goethe-Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main (Germany); Gazzadi, G. C. [S3 Center, Nanoscience Institute-CNR, Via Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena (Italy); Frabboni, S. [S3 Center, Nanoscience Institute-CNR, Via Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena (Italy); FIM Department, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena (Italy)

2016-06-21

Fe-Si binary compounds have been fabricated by focused electron beam induced deposition by the alternating use of iron pentacarbonyl, Fe(CO){sub 5}, and neopentasilane, Si{sub 5}H{sub 12} as precursor gases. The fabrication procedure consisted in preparing multilayer structures which were treated by low-energy electron irradiation and annealing to induce atomic species intermixing. In this way, we are able to fabricate FeSi and Fe{sub 3}Si binary compounds from [Fe/Si]{sub 2} and [Fe{sub 3}/Si]{sub 2} multilayers, as shown by transmission electron microscopy investigations. This fabrication procedure is useful to obtain nanostructured binary alloys from precursors which compete for adsorption sites during growth and, therefore, cannot be used simultaneously.

Influence of Al addition on phase transformation and thermal stability of nickel silicides on Si(0 0 1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Shih-Hsien; Twan, Sheng-Chen; Cheng, Shao-Liang; Lee, Tu; Hu, Jung-Chih; Chen, Lien-Tai; Lee, Sheng-Wei

2014-01-01

Highlights: ► The presence of Al slows down the Ni 2 Si–NiSi phase transformation but significantly promotes the NiSi 2−x Al x formation. ► The behavior of phase transformation strongly depends on the Al concentration of the initial Ni 1−x Al x alloys. ► The Ni 0.91 Al 0.09 /Si system exhibits remarkably improved thermal stability, even after high temperature annealing for 1000 s. ► The relationship between microstructures, electrical property, and thermal stability of Ni(Al) silicides is discussed. -- Abstract: The influence of Al addition on the phase transformation and thermal stability of Ni silicides on (0 0 1)Si has been systematically investigated. The presence of Al atoms is found to slow down the Ni 2 Si–NiSi phase transformation but significantly promote the NiSi 2−x Al x formation during annealing. The behavior of phase transformation strongly depends on the Al concentration of the initial Ni 1−x Al x alloys. Compared to the Ni 0.95 Pt 0.05 /Si and Ni 0.95 Al 0.05 /Si system, the Ni 0.91 Al 0.09 /Si sample exhibits remarkably enhanced thermal stability, even after high temperature annealing for 1000 s. The relationship between microstructures, electrical property, and thermal stability of Ni silicides is discussed to elucidate the role of Al during the Ni 1−x Al x alloy silicidation. This work demonstrated that thermally stable Ni 1−x Al x alloy silicides would be a promising candidate as source/drain (S/D) contacts in advanced complementary metal–oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices

Impurities and evaluation of induced activity of SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noda, Tetsuji; Araki, Hiroshi; Ito, Shinji; Fujita, Mitsutane; Maki, Koichi

1997-01-01

Impurity of SiC f /SiC composites prepared by CVI was analyzed by neutron activation analysis and glow discharge mass spectrometry. The evaluation of the induced activity of the composites based on the chemical compositions was made using a simulation calculation for fusion reactor blanket. Impurities of 35 elements were detected in the composites. However the total concentration of metallic impurities was below 20 mass ppm. The analyses of induced activity of the composites show that the dose rate decreases by about 5 orders of magnitude in a day after the shutdown. It is recommended that the purification of SiC fibers is necessary to reduce the activity by 10 9 after several ten years cooling of fusion reactors. (author)

Alpha-particle irradiation induced defects in SiO2 films of Si-SiO2 structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koman, B.P.; Gal'chynskyy, O.V.; Kovalyuk, R.O.; Shkol'nyy, A.K.

1996-01-01

The aim of the work was to investigate alpha-particle irradiation induced defects in Si-SiO 2 structures by means of the thermostimulated discharge currents (TSDC) analysis. The object of investigation were (p-Si)-SiO 2 structures formed by a combined oxidation of the industrial p-Si wafers in dry and wet oxygen at temperature of 1150 C. The TSD currents were investigated in the temperature range between 90 and 500 K under linear heating rate. Pu 238 isotopes were the source of alpha-particles with an energy of 4-5 MeV and a density of 5.10 7 s -1 cm -2 . The TSD current curves show two peculiar maxima at about 370 and 480 K. Alpha-particle irradiation doesn't affect the general shape of the TSDC curves but leads to a shift of the maximum at 370 K and reduces the total electret charge which is accumulated in the Si-SiO 2 structures during polarization. The energy distribution function of the defects which are involved in SiO 2 polarization has been calculated. It showes that defects with activation energies of about 0.8 and 1.0 eV take part in forming the electret state, and these activation energies have certain energy distributions. It has been found that the TSDC maximum at 370 K has space charge nature and is caused by migration of hydrogen ions. In irradiated samples hydrogen and natrium ions localize on deeper trapping centres induced by alpha-particle irradiation. (orig.)

Continuous AFM observation of martensitic transformation and its reversion in training cycles of Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, D.Z.; Kikuchi, T.; Kajiwara, S.; Shinya, N.

2000-01-01

The effect of thermomechanical treatment (so-called ''training'') cycles on stress-induced martensitic transformation and its reversion has been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to make clear the origin of improvement of shape memory effect (SME) due to training in Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys (SMAs). It was found that training cycles make martensite plates tend to grow on the primary shear system, i.e., on the most favorable shear system for the fcc to hcp martensitic transformation. In addition, training cycles lead to a more uniform distribution of thin martensite plates in a grain. Martensitic plates with the above characteristics are easier to be reverted back to parent phase when heated, and then nearly perfect SME is obtained. AFM observation shows that the key factor to realize perfect SME in Fe-Mn-Si based SMAs is to produce the uniform distribution of thin martensite plates on the primary shear system when deformed by external stress. (orig.)

Electron irradiation-induced defects in {beta}-SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oshima, Ryuichiro [Osaka Prefectural Univ., Sakai (Japan). Reseach Inst. for Advanced Science and Technology

1996-04-01

To add information of point defects in cubic crystal SiC, polycrystal {beta}-SiC on the market was used as sample and irradiated by neutron and electron. In situ observation of neutron and electron irradiation-induced defects in {beta}-SiC were carried out by ultra high-voltage electronic microscope (UHVEM) and ordinary electronic microscope. The obtained results show that the electron irradiation-induced secondary defects are micro defects less than 20 nm at about 1273K, the density of defects is from 2x10{sup 17} to 1x10{sup 18}/cc, the secondary defects may be hole type at high temperature and the preexistant defects control nuclear formation of irradiation-induced defects, effective sink. (S.Y.)

Growth and solid/solid transformation in a Ni-Si eutectic alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dutra, A.T. [Department of Materials Engineering, State University of Campinas, P.O. Box 6122, Campinas 13083-970, SP (Brazil); Ferrandini, P.L. [Department of Materials Engineering, State University of Campinas, P.O. Box 6122, Campinas 13083-970, SP (Brazil); Costa, C.A.R. [Institute of Chemistry, State University of Campinas, P.O. Box 6154, Campinas 13083-970, SP (Brazil); Goncalves, M.C. [Institute of Chemistry, State University of Campinas, P.O. Box 6154, Campinas 13083-970, SP (Brazil); Caram, R. [Department of Materials Engineering, State University of Campinas, P.O. Box 6122, Campinas 13083-970, SP (Brazil)]. E-mail: rcaram@fem.unicamp.br

2005-08-16

High temperature structural components demand materials that maintain satisfactory mechanical and chemical characteristics. These needs may be met by applying some eutectic alloys, including Ni-Ni{sub 3}Si. This paper deals with the directional solidification of Ni-Ni{sub 3}Si grown under several growth rates. The analysis of the eutectic microstructure was carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results obtained provided a precise analysis of the Ni{sub 3}Si phase. It could be noticed that the solid/solid transformations by which Ni{sub 3}Si phase goes through, deeply affects its morphology. In addition, quantitative information on the eutectic structure was obtained. It was confirmed that the growth rate variation deeply affects the final microstructure as it influences the efficiency of atomic diffusion along the solid/liquid interface.

Growth and solid/solid transformation in a Ni-Si eutectic alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dutra, A.T.; Ferrandini, P.L.; Costa, C.A.R.; Goncalves, M.C.; Caram, R.

2005-01-01

High temperature structural components demand materials that maintain satisfactory mechanical and chemical characteristics. These needs may be met by applying some eutectic alloys, including Ni-Ni 3 Si. This paper deals with the directional solidification of Ni-Ni 3 Si grown under several growth rates. The analysis of the eutectic microstructure was carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results obtained provided a precise analysis of the Ni 3 Si phase. It could be noticed that the solid/solid transformations by which Ni 3 Si phase goes through, deeply affects its morphology. In addition, quantitative information on the eutectic structure was obtained. It was confirmed that the growth rate variation deeply affects the final microstructure as it influences the efficiency of atomic diffusion along the solid/liquid interface

Electron-irradiation-induced phase transformation in alumina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.L.; Arakawa, K.; Lee, J.-G.; Mori, H.

2010-01-01

In this study, electron-irradiation-induced phase transformations between alumina polymorphs were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the electron-irradiation-induced α → κ' phase transformation occurred in the alumina under 100 keV electron irradiation. It is likely that the knock-on collision between incident electrons and Al 3+ cations is responsible for the occurrence of electron-irradiation-induced phase transformation from α-alumina to κ'-alumina.

Optical microscope study of the γ(FCC)ε(HC) martensitic transformation of a Fe-16%Mn-9%Cr-5%Si-4%Ni shape memory alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergeon, N.; Guenin, G.

1995-01-01

The γ(FCC) ε(HC) transformation is studied by light optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy in a polycrystalline Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-Ni shape memory alloy. Thermal and stress-induced martensites are both studied to point out differences. A color etching method permitted to clearly observe morphological evolutions during the transformation and its reversion. Deformations of a golden microgrid deposed on austenitic samples are observed by SEM during the transformation. This technic has led to point out microscopic differences concerning the two kinds of martensite. SEM results are used to explain light optical microscopy observations. (orig.)

Pressure Induced Phase Transformations in Ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reimanis, Ivar [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Cioabanu, Cristian [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)

2017-10-15

The study of materials with unusual properties offers new insight into structure-property relations as well as promise for the design of novel composites. In this spirit, the PIs seek to (1) understand fundamental mechanical phenomena in ceramics that exhibit pressure-induced phase transitions, negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and negative compressibility, and (2) explore the effect of these phenomena on the mechanical behavior of composites designed with such ceramics. The broad and long-term goal is to learn how to utilize these unusual behaviors to obtain desired mechanical responses. While the results are expected to be widely applicable to many ceramics, most of the present focus is on silicates, as they exhibit remarkable diversity in structure and properties. Eucryptite, a lithium aluminum silicate (LiAlSiO₄), is specifically targeted because it exhibits a pressure-induced phase transition at a sufficiently low pressure to be accessible during conventional materials processing. Thus, composites with eucryptite may be designed to exhibit a novel type of transformation toughening. The PIs have performed a combination of activities that encompass synthesis and processing to control structures, atomistic modeling to predict and understand structures, and characterization to study mechanical behavior. Several materials behavior discoveries were made. It was discovered that small amounts of Zn (as small as 0.1 percent by mol) reverse the sign of the coefficient of thermal expansion of beta-eucryptite from negative to slightly positive. The presence of Zn also significantly mitigates microcracking that occurs during thermal cycling of eucryptite. It is hypothesized that Zn disrupts the Li ordering in beta-eucryptite, thereby altering the thermal expansion behavior. A nanoindentation technique developed to characterize incipient plasticity was applied to examine the initial stages of the pressure induced phase transformation from beta to

Impurities and evaluation of induced activity of CVI SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noda, Tetsuji; Fujita, Mitsutane; Araki, Hiroshi; Kohyama, Akira

2000-01-01

Impurity of SiC f /SiC composites prepared by CVI was analyzed by neutron activation analysis and glow discharge mass spectrometry. The evaluation of the induced activity of the composites based on the chemical compositions was made using a simulation calculation for fusion reactor blanket. Impurities of 35 elements were detected in the composites. However, the total concentration of metallic impurities was below 20 mass ppm. The analyses of induced activity of the composites show that the dose rate decreases by about six orders of magnitude in a day after the shutdown. It is recommended that the purification of SiC composites, especially reduction of Fe and Ni contents, is necessary to reduce the activity to satisfy the limit of remote handling recycling after several 10 years cooling of fusion reactors

Conductive atomic force microscopy studies on the transformation of GeSi quantum dots to quantum rings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, S L; Xue, F; Wu, R; Cui, J; Jiang, Z M; Yang, X J

2009-04-01

Conductive atomic force microscopy has been employed to study the topography and conductance distribution of individual GeSi quantum dots (QDs) and quantum rings (QRs) during the transformation from QDs to QRs by depositing an Si capping layer on QDs. The current distribution changes significantly with the topographic transformation during the Si capping process. Without the capping layer, the QDs are dome-shaped and the conductance is higher at the ring region between the center and boundary than that at the center. After capping with 0.32 nm Si, the shape of the QDs changes to pyramidal and the current is higher at both the center and the arris. When the Si capping layer increases to 2 nm, QRs are formed and the current of individual QRs is higher at the rim than that at the central hole. By comparing the composition distributions obtained by scanning Auger microscopy and atomic force microscopy combined with selective chemical etching, the origin of the current distribution change is discussed.

Ion irradiation-induced diffusion in bixbyite-fluorite related oxides: Dislocations and phase transformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rolly, Gaboriaud, E-mail: Rolly.gaboriaud@univ-poitiers.fr [Institut Pprime, CNRS-University of Poitiers, SP2MI-BP 30179, 86962 Chasseneuil-Futuroscope (France); Fabien, Paumier [Institut Pprime, CNRS-University of Poitiers, SP2MI-BP 30179, 86962 Chasseneuil-Futuroscope (France); Bertrand, Lacroix [CSIC – University of Sevilla, Avenida Américo Vespucio, 49, 41092 Sevilla (Spain)

2014-05-01

Ion-irradiation induced diffusion and the phase transformation of a bixbyite-fluorite related rare earth oxide thin films are studied. This work is focused on yttrium sesquioxide, Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, thin films deposited on Si (1 0 0) substrates using the ion beam sputtering technique (IBS). As-deposited samples were annealed ant then irradiated at cryogenic temperature (80 K) with 260 keV Xe{sup 2+} at different fluences. The irradiated thin oxide films are characterized by X-ray diffraction. A cubic to monoclinic phase transformation was observed. Analysis of this phenomenon is done in terms of residual stresses. Stress measurements as a function of irradiation fluences were realised using the XRD-sin{sup 2}ψ method. Stress evolution and kinetic of the phase transformation are compared and leads to the role-played by the nucleation of point and extended defects.

Structural Transformation in Fe73.5Nb3Cu1Si15.5B7 Amorphous Alloy Induced by Laser Heating

Science.gov (United States)

Nykyruy, Yu. S.; Mudry, S. I.; Kulyk, Yu. O.; Zhovneruk, S. V.

2018-03-01

The effect of continuous laser irradiation (λ = 1.06 μm) with laser power of 45 W on the structure of Fe73.5Nb3Cu1Si15.5B7 amorphous alloy has been studied using X-ray diffraction and SEM methods. The sample of the ribbon has been placed at a distance from the focal plane of the lens, so a laser beam has been defocused and the diameter of laser spot on the ribbon surface has been about 10 mm. An exposure time τ varied within interval 0.25-0.70 s. Under such conditions structural transformation processes, which depend on the exposure time, have occurred in an irradiated zone. Crystallization process has started at τ = 0.35 s with the formation of α-Fe(Si) nanocrystalline phase, while complete crystallization has occurred at τ = 0.55 s with formation of two nanocrystalline phases: α-Fe(Si) and a hexagonal H-phase.

Orthorhombic Intermediate State in the Zinc Blende to Rocksalt Transformation Path of SiC at High Pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Catti, Michele

2001-01-01

The mechanism of the B3/B1 phase transition of SiC has been investigated by periodic LCAO-DFT least-enthalpy calculations. A new transformation pathway, based on a Pmm2 orthorhombic intermediate state with two SiC units per cell, is found to be energetically favored over the traditional R3m mechanism. The computed activation enthalpy is 0.75eV/SiC unit at the predicted transition pressure of 92GPa (B3LYP functional). Activation enthalpy and activation volume vs pressure are analyzed to characterize the kinetic aspects of the transformation

Elemental process of amorphization induced by electron irradiation in Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamasaki, Jun; Takeda, Seiji; Tsuda, Kenji

2002-01-01

We recently found that amorphization is induced in Si by electron irradiation. Examining the amorphization systematically, we have established the diagram of steady states under electron irradiation, either amorphous Si (a-Si) or crystalline Si (c-Si) as a function of incident electron energy, electron dose, and irradiation temperature. Utilizing transmission electron microscopy, electron energy filtered diffraction and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, we have characterized the atomic structure, the electronic structure, and the thermal stability of a-Si induced by electron irradiation. Based on the experimental data, we have also concluded that the amorphization is caused by the accumulation of not point defects but small cascade damages. Analyzing the change in the intensity of halo diffraction rings during amorphization, we have clarified that the smallest cascade damage that contributes to amorphization includes only about four Si atoms. This presumably supports the amorphization mechanism that four self-interstitial atoms form the quasistable structure I4 in c-Si and it becomes an amorphous embryo

Impact of concentration and Si doping on the properties and phase transformation behavior of nanocrystalline alumina prepared via solvothermal synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mekasuwandumrong, Okorn; Tantichuwet, Panutin; Chaisuk, Choowong; Praserthdam, Piyasan

2008-01-01

Solvothermal reaction of 20 g aluminum isopropoxide (AIP) in mineral oil at 300 deg. C for 2 h gave χ-alumina showing high thermal stability while the reaction with higher amounts of starting AIP (30 and 40 g) contributed contamination of pseudoboehmite. The χ-alumina thus obtained directly transformed into α-alumina completely at approximately 1400 deg. C bypassing the other transition alumina phases whereas some part of the contaminated product transformed to γ-alumina through θ-alumina and finally α-alumina. When silicon was doped in the alumina matrix (5, 10, 20 and 50 at.%) using tetraethylorthosilicate as the silicon (Si) precursor, χ-alumina was still observed without any contaminations at low concentration doping (5-20 at.%). Amorphous structure was obtained by doping 50 at.% Si. The phase transformation temperature was shifted to the high temperature after loading the Si. The α-phase transformation did not go to completion even after calcinations at 1500 deg. C. This could be due to the incorporation of Si atom in alumina lattice forming SiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 solid solution

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of gamma irradiated SiO2 nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Huseynov, Elchin; Garibov, Adil; Mehdiyeva, Ravan; Huseynova, Efsane

2018-03-01

In the present work, nano SiO2 particles are investigated before and after gamma irradiation (25, 50, 75, 100 and 200 kGy) using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy method for the wavenumber between 400-4000 cm-1. It is found that as a result of spectroscopic analysis, five new peaks have appeared after gamma radiation. Two of new obtained peaks (which are located at 687 cm-1 and 2357 cm-1 of wavenumber) were formed as a result of gamma radiation interaction with Si-O bonds. Another three new peaks (peaks appropriate to 941, 2052 and 2357 cm-1 values of wavenumber) appear as a result of interaction of water with nano SiO2 particles after gamma irradiation. It has been defined as asymmetrical bending vibration, symmetrical bending vibration, symmetrical stretching vibration and asymmetrical stretching vibration of Si-O bonds appropriate to peaks.

Kinetics of phase transformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, M.O.; Aziz, M.J.; Stephenson, G.B.

1992-01-01

This volume contains papers presented at the Materials Research Society symposium on Kinetics of Phase Transformations held in Boston, Massachusetts from November 26-29, 1990. The symposium provided a forum for research results in an exceptionally broad and interdisciplinary field. Presentations covered nearly every major class of transformations including solid-solid, liquid-solid, transport phenomena and kinetics modeling. Papers involving amorphous Si, a dominant topic at the symposium, are collected in the first section followed by sections on four major areas of transformation kinetics. The symposium opened with joint sessions on ion and electron beam induced transformations in conjunction with the Surface Chemistry and Beam-Solid Interactions: symposium. Subsequent sessions focused on the areas of ordering and nonlinear diffusion kinetics, solid state reactions and amorphization, kinetics and defects of amorphous silicon, and kinetics of melting and solidification. Seven internationally recognized invited speakers reviewed many of the important problems and recent results in these areas, including defects in amorphous Si, crystal to glass transformations, ordering kinetics, solid-state amorphization, computer modeling, and liquid/solid transformations

Electrically driven hybrid Si/III-V Fabry-Pérot lasers based on adiabatic mode transformers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben Bakir, B; Descos, A; Olivier, N; Bordel, D; Grosse, P; Augendre, E; Fulbert, L; Fedeli, J M

2011-05-23

We report the first demonstration of an electrically driven hybrid silicon/III-V laser based on adiabatic mode transformers. The hybrid structure is formed by two vertically superimposed waveguides separated by a 100-nm-thick SiO2 layer. The top waveguide, fabricated in an InP/InGaAsP-based heterostructure, serves to provide optical gain. The bottom Si-waveguides system, which supports all optical functions, is constituted by two tapered rib-waveguides (mode transformers), two distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and a surface-grating coupler. The supermodes of this hybrid structure are controlled by an appropriate design of the tapers located at the edges of the gain region. In the middle part of the device almost all the field resides in the III-V waveguide so that the optical mode experiences maximal gain, while in regions near the III-V facets, mode transformers ensure an efficient transfer of the power flow towards Si-waveguides. The investigated device operates under quasi-continuous wave regime. The room temperature threshold current is 100 mA, the side-mode suppression ratio is as high as 20 dB, and the fiber-coupled output power is ~7 mW.

Simulation of light-induced degradation of μc-Si in a-Si/μc-Si tandem solar cells by the diode equivalent circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Weicht, J. A.; Hamelmann, F. U.; Behrens, G.

2016-02-01

Silicon-based thin film tandem solar cells consist of one amorphous (a-Si) and one microcrystalline (μc-Si) silicon solar cell. The Staebler - Wronski effect describes the light- induced degradation and temperature-dependent healing of defects of silicon-based solar thin film cells. The solar cell degradation depends strongly on operation temperature. Until now, only the light-induced degradation (LID) of the amorphous layer was examined in a-Si/μc-Si solar cells. The LID is also observed in pc-Si single function solar cells. In our work we show the influence of the light-induced degradation of the μc-Si layer on the diode equivalent circuit. The current-voltage-curves (I-V-curves) for the initial state of a-Si/pc-Si modules are measured. Afterwards the cells are degraded under controlled conditions at constant temperature and constant irradiation. At fixed times the modules are measured at standard test conditions (STC) (AM1.5, 25°C cell temperature, 1000 W/m2) for controlling the status of LID. After the degradation the modules are annealed at dark conditions for several hours at 120°C. After the annealing the dangling bonds in the amorphous layer are healed, while the degradation of the pc-Si is still present, because the healing of defects in pc-Si solar cells needs longer time or higher temperatures. The solar cells are measured again at STC. With this laboratory measured I-V-curves we are able to separate the values of the diode model: series Rs and parallel resistance Rp, saturation current Is and diode factor n.

Surface Damage Mechanism of Monocrystalline Si Under Mechanical Loading

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qingliang; Zhang, Quanli; To, Suet; Guo, Bing

2017-03-01

Single-point diamond scratching and nanoindentation on monocrystalline silicon wafer were performed to investigate the surface damage mechanism of Si under the contact loading. The results showed that three typical stages of material removal appeared during dynamic scratching, and a chemical reaction of Si with the diamond indenter and oxygen occurred under the high temperature. In addition, the Raman spectra of the various points in the scratching groove indicated that the Si-I to β-Sn structure (Si-II) and the following β-Sn structure (Si-II) to amorphous Si transformation appeared under the rapid loading/unloading condition of the diamond grit, and the volume change induced by the phase transformation resulted in a critical depth (ductile-brittle transition) of cut (˜60 nm ± 15 nm) much lower than the theoretical calculated results (˜387 nm). Moreover, it also led to abnormal load-displacement curves in the nanoindentation tests, resulting in the appearance of elbow and pop-out effects (˜270 nm at 20 s, 50 mN), which were highly dependent on the loading/unloading conditions. In summary, phase transformation of Si promoted surface deformation and fracture under both static and dynamic mechanical loading.

Microstructure design of low alloy transformation-induced plasticity assisted steels

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Ruixian

The microstructure of low alloy Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) assisted steels has been systematically varied through the combination of computational and experimental methodologies in order to enhance the mechanical performance and to fulfill the requirement of the next generation Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS). The roles of microstructural parameters, such as phase constitutions, phase stability, and volume fractions on the strength-ductility combination have been revealed. Two model alloy compositions (i.e. Fe-1.5Mn-1.5Si-0.3C, and Fe-3Mn-1Si-0.3C in wt%, nominal composition) were studied. Multiphase microstructures including ferrite, bainite, retained austenite and martensite were obtained through conventional two step heat treatment (i.e. intercritical annealing-IA, and bainitic isothermal transformation-BIT). The effect of phase constitution on the mechanical properties was first characterized experimentally via systematically varying the volume fractions of these phases through computational thermodynamics. It was found that martensite was the main phase to deteriorate ductility, meanwhile the C/VA ratio (i.e. carbon content over the volume fraction of austenite) could be another indicator for the ductility of the multiphase microstructure. Following the microstructural characterization of the multiphase alloys, two microstructural design criteria (i.e. maximizing ferrite and austenite, suppressing athermal martensite) were proposed in order to optimize the corresponding mechanical performance. The volume fraction of ferrite was maximized during the IA with the help of computational thermodyanmics. On the other hand, it turned out theoretically that the martensite suppression could not be avoided on the low Mn contained alloy (i.e. Fe- 1.5Mn-1.5Si-0.3C). Nevertheless, the achieved combination of strength (~1300MPa true strength) and ductility (˜23% uniform elongation) on the low Mn alloy following the proposed design criteria fulfilled the

Formation of metallic Si and SiC nanoparticles from SiO2 particles by plasma-induced cathodic discharge electrolysis in chloride melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokushige, M.; Tsujimura, H.; Nishikiori, T.; Ito, Y.

2013-01-01

Silicon nanoparticles are formed from SiO 2 particles by conducting plasma-induced cathodic discharge electrolysis. In a LiCl–KCl melt in which SiO 2 particles were suspended at 450 °C, we obtained Si nanoparticles with diameters around 20 nm. During the electrolysis period, SiO 2 particles are directly reduced by discharge electrons on the surface of the melt just under the discharge, and the deposited Si atom clusters form Si nanoparticles, which leave the surface of the original SiO 2 particle due to free spaces caused by a molar volume difference between SiO 2 and Si. We also found that SiC nanoparticles can be obtained using carbon anode. Based on Faraday's law, the current efficiency for the formation of Si nanoparticles is 70%

Defects induced by helium implantation in SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliviero, E.; Barbot, J.F.; Declemy, A.; Beaufort, M.F.; Oliviero, E.

2008-01-01

SiC is one of the considered materials for nuclear fuel conditioning and for the fabrication of some core structures in future nuclear generation reactors. For the development of this advance technology, a fundamental research on this material is of prime importance. In particular, the implantation/irradiation effects have to be understood and controlled. It is with this aim that the structural alterations induced by implantation/irradiation in SiC are studied by different experimental techniques as transmission electron microscopy, helium desorption, X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. In this work, the different types of defects induced by helium implantation in SiC, point or primary defects (obtained at low energy (∼100 eV) until spread defects (obtained at higher energy (until ∼2 MeV)) are exposed. The amorphization/recrystallization and swelling phenomena are presented too. (O.M.)

Annealing-induced evolution of optical properties of the multilayered nanoperiodic SiOx/ZrO2 system containing Si nanoclusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ershov, A. V.; Tetelbaum, D. I.; Chugrov, I. A.; Mashin, A. I.; Mikhaylov, A. N.; Nezhdanov, A. V.; Ershov, A. A.; Karabanova, I. A.

2011-01-01

The photoluminescence, infrared absorption, and Raman spectra of amorphous multilayered nanoperiodic a-SiO x /ZrO 2 structures produced by vacuum evaporation and then annealed at different temperatures (500–1100°C) are studied. It is established that the evolution of the optical properties with increasing annealing temperature is controlled by sequential transformation of Si clusters formed in the SiO x layers from nonphase inclusions to amorphous clusters and then to nanocrystals. The finally formed nanocrystals are limited in sizes by the thickness of the initial SiO x layers and by chemical reactions with ZrO 2 .

SiRNA Crosslinked Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Inflammation-induced Liver Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yaqin; Zeng, Ziying; He, Xiao; Wang, Tingting; Ning, Xinghai; Feng, Xuli

2017-02-01

RNA interference mediated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) provides a powerful tool for gene regulation, and has a broad potential as a promising therapeutic strategy. However, therapeutics based on siRNA have had limited clinical success due to their undesirable pharmacokinetic properties. This study presents pH-sensitive nanoparticles-based siRNA delivery systems (PNSDS), which are positive-charge-free nanocarriers, composed of siRNA chemically crosslinked with multi-armed poly(ethylene glycol) carriers via acid-labile acetal linkers. The unique siRNA crosslinked structure of PNSDS allows it to have minimal cytotoxicity, high siRNA loading efficiency, and a stimulus-responsive property that enables the selective intracellular release of siRNA in response to pH conditions. This study demonstrates that PNSDS can deliver tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) siRNA into macrophages and induce the efficient down regulation of the targeted gene in complete cell culture media. Moreover, PNSDS with mannose targeting moieties can selectively accumulate in mice liver, induce specific inhibition of macrophage TNF-α expression in vivo, and consequently protect mice from inflammation-induced liver damages. Therefore, this novel siRNA delivering platform would greatly improve the therapeutic potential of RNAi based therapies.

Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and phase transformation of Bi2O3-SiO2 glass-ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo H.W.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The Bi2O3-SiO2 (BS glass-ceramics were prepared by melt-quench technique, and the crystallization kinetics and phase transformation behavior were investigated in accordance with Kissinger and Johson-Mehl-Avrami equation, DSC, XRD and SEM. The results show that in the heat treatment process (or termed as re-crystallizing process Bi2SiO5 and Bi4Si3O12 crystals were found consequently. Respectively, the crystallization activation energies of the two crystals are Ep1=14.8kJ/mol and Ep2=34.1kJ/mol. And the average crystallization index of n1=1.73 and n2=1.38 suggested volume nucleation, one-dimensional growth and surface nucleation, one-dimensional growth from surface to the inside respectively. The meta-stable needle-like Bi2SiO5 crystals are easily to be transformed into stable prismatic Bi4Si3O12 crystals. By quenching the melt and hold in 850°C for 1h, the homogenous single Bi4Si3O12 crystals were found in the polycrystalline phase of the BS glassceramics system.

Laser-induced Ni(Pt) germanosilicide formation through a self-limiting melting phenomenon on Si1-xGex/Si heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Setiawan, Y.; Lee, P. S.; Pey, K. L.; Wang, X. C.; Lim, G. C.; Tan, B. L.

2007-01-01

Laser-induced Ni(Pt) germanosilicide formation on Si 1-x Ge x /Si substrate has resulted in the formation of smooth Ni(Pt) germanosilicide/Si interface with minimum interface roughness which is preferred as a contact material. A confined (self-limiting) melting phenomenon occurred during the laser-induced silicidation process at laser fluence of 0.4 J cm -2 (just at the melting threshold of the sample). This phenomenon is caused by significant differences in material properties of Si 1-x Ge x alloy and Si substrates. Formation of highly textured [Ni 1-v (Pt) v ](Si 1-y Ge y ) phase was detected in the sample after 20-pulsed laser thermal annealing at 0.4 J cm -2 . The formation mechanism of the Ni(Pt) monogermanosilicide is discussed

Shock-induced microstructural response of mono- and nanocrystalline SiC ceramics

Science.gov (United States)

Branicio, Paulo S.; Zhang, Jingyun; Rino, José P.; Nakano, Aiichiro; Kalia, Rajiv K.; Vashishta, Priya

2018-04-01

The dynamic behavior of mono- and nanocrystalline SiC ceramics under plane shock loading is revealed using molecular-dynamics simulations. The generation of shock-induced elastic compression, plastic deformation, and structural phase transformation is characterized at different crystallographic directions as well as on a 5-nm grain size nanostructure at 10 K and 300 K. Shock profiles are calculated in a wide range of particle velocities 0.1-6.0 km/s. The predicted Hugoniot agree well with experimental data. Results indicate the generation of elastic waves for particle velocities below 0.8-1.9 km/s, depending on the crystallographic direction. In the intermediate range of particle velocities between 2 and 5 km/s, the shock wave splits into an elastic precursor and a zinc blende-to-rock salt structural transformation wave, which is triggered by shock pressure over the ˜90 GPa threshold value. A plastic wave, with a strong deformation twinning component, is generated ahead of the transformation wave for shocks in the velocity range between 1.5 and 3 km/s. For particle velocities greater than 5-6 km/s, a single overdriven transformation wave is generated. Surprisingly, shocks on the nanocrystalline sample reveal the absence of wave splitting, and elastic, plastic, and transformation wave components are seamlessly connected as the shock strength is continuously increased. The calculated strengths 15.2, 31.4, and 30.9 GPa for ⟨001⟩, ⟨111⟩, and ⟨110⟩ directions and 12.3 GPa for the nanocrystalline sample at the Hugoniot elastic limit are in excellent agreement with experimental data.

3 to 15 keV Ar+ induced Auger electron emission from Si and Ar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kempf, J.; Kaus, G.

1977-01-01

Ar + induced Auger electrons from Si and Ar were investigated at bombardment energies between 3-15 keV and target currents of a few μA. The Auger electron yields were compared with secondary ion yields of Si and Ar by simultaneous SIMS-AES measurements. In the ion induced Auger spectra of Si five Auger peaks and in the Ar spectra three Auger peaks were observed. The ion induced Auger electron yield of Si and Ar were found to be strongly dependent upon the primary ion energy. 'Bulk like' and 'atomic like' Auger transitions of ion induced Auger electrons of Si were observed. (orig.) [de

Mechanisms of radiation-induced neoplastic cell transformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, T.C.H.; Tobias, C.A.

1984-04-01

Studies with cultured mammalian cells demonstrated clearly that radiation can transform cells directly and can enhance the cell transformation by oncogenic DNA viruses. In general, high-LET heavy-ion radiation can be more effective than X and gamma rays in inducing neoplastic cell transformation. Various experimental results indicate that radiation-induced DNA damage, most likely double-strand breaks, is important for both the initiation of cell transformation and for the enhancement of viral transformation. Some of the transformation and enhancement lesions can be repaired properly in the cell, and the amount of irrepairable lesions produced by a given dose depends on the quality of radiation. An inhibition of repair processes with chemical agents can increase the transformation frequency of cells exposed to radiation and/or oncogenic viruses, suggesting that repair mechanisms may play an important role in the radiation transformation. The progression of radiation-transformed cells appears to be a long and complicated process that can be modulated by some nonmutagenic chemical agents, e.g., DMSO. Normal cells can inhibit the expression of transforming properties of tumorigenic cells through an as yet unknown mechanism. The progression and expression of transformation may involve some epigenetic changes in the irradiated cells. 38 references, 15 figures, 1 table.

Mechanisms of radiation-induced neoplastic cell transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, T.C.H.; Tobias, C.A.

1984-04-01

Studies with cultured mammalian cells demonstrated clearly that radiation can transform cells directly and can enhance the cell transformation by oncogenic DNA viruses. In general, high-LET heavy-ion radiation can be more effective than X and gamma rays in inducing neoplastic cell transformation. Various experimental results indicate that radiation-induced DNA damage, most likely double-strand breaks, is important for both the initiation of cell transformation and for the enhancement of viral transformation. Some of the transformation and enhancement lesions can be repaired properly in the cell, and the amount of irrepairable lesions produced by a given dose depends on the quality of radiation. An inhibition of repair processes with chemical agents can increase the transformation frequency of cells exposed to radiation and/or oncogenic viruses, suggesting that repair mechanisms may play an important role in the radiation transformation. The progression of radiation-transformed cells appears to be a long and complicated process that can be modulated by some nonmutagenic chemical agents, e.g., DMSO. Normal cells can inhibit the expression of transforming properties of tumorigenic cells through an as yet unknown mechanism. The progression and expression of transformation may involve some epigenetic changes in the irradiated cells. 38 references, 15 figures, 1 table

c-Jun/AP-1 pathway-mediated cyclin D1 expression participates in low dose arsenite-induced transformation in mouse epidermal JB6 Cl41 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Dongyun; Li Jingxia; Gao Jimin; Huang Chuanshu

2009-01-01

Arsenic is a well-documented human carcinogen associated with skin carcinogenesis. Our previous work reveals that arsenite exposure is able to induce cell transformation in mouse epidermal cell JB6 Cl41 through the activation of ERK, rather than JNK pathway. Our current studies further evaluate downstream pathway in low dose arsenite-induced cell transformation in JB6 Cl41 cells. Our results showed that treatment of cells with low dose arsenite induced activation of c-Jun/AP-1 pathway, and ectopic expression of dominant negative mutant of c-Jun (TAM67) blocked arsenite-induced transformation. Furthermore, our data indicated that cyclin D1 was an important downstream molecule involved in c-Jun/AP-1-mediated cell transformation upon low dose arsenite exposure, because inhibition of cyclin D1 expression by its specific siRNA in the JB6 Cl41 cells resulted in impairment of anchorage-independent growth of cells induced by low dose arsenite. Collectively, our results demonstrate that c-Jun/AP-1-mediated cyclin D1 expression is at least one of the key events implicated in cell transformation upon low dose arsenite exposure

Photolithographic Pattern Transformation by Backside Exposure in a-Si:H Thin-Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Displays

Science.gov (United States)

Uchikoga, Shuichi; Hiromasu, Yasunobu; Onozuka, Yutaka; Koizumi, Takashi; Akiyama, Masahiko; Ikeda, Mitsushi; Suzuki, Kouji

1995-02-01

Resist pattern transformation by backside exposure, which is a key process for a self-alignment technique is investigated. The light intensity and a-Si:H thickness markedly affect the pattern transformation, while the effect of gate insulator thickness is small. Numerical simulations based on Fresnel diffraction showed fairly good agreement with the experimental results.

A review on the martensitic transformation and shape memory effect in Fe-Mn-Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Q.; Humbeeck, J. van; Delaey, L.

1994-01-01

The martensitic transformation and the shape memory effect in Fe-Mn-Si alloys received great attention recently due to its potential commercial value. In this paper, the mechanisms for the martensitic transformation and various parameters influencing the shape memory effect like alloy composition, applied stress, prestrain, crystal orientation, temperature, grain size, pre-existing martensite, thermal cycling and training etc. are reviewed and discussed. (orig.)

Calculation of the driving force for the radiation induced precipitation of Ni3Si in nickel-silicon alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miodownik, A.P.; Watkin, J.S.

1979-01-01

The appearance of precipitates which have been identified as Ni 3 Si in irradiated stainless steels and nickel rich alloys such as Inconel is of considerable interest in relation to the swelling behaviour of such materials. Work on binary nickel-silicon alloys has shown that Ni 3 Si can be induced to precipitate in alloys whose silicon content is well below the accepted solubility limit, and it has also been shown that such precipitates redissolve when heat-treatment is continued at the same temperature in the absence of irradiation. Such effects imply an irradiation induced shift of chemical potential, and cannot be explained by merely involving accelerated diffusion. This paper represents an attempt to calculate the shift in chemical potential required to precipitate Ni 3 Si in alloys containing 1-10% Si (at%) over a range of temperatures (300-1000K), and then proceeds to relate this calculated chemical potential with available information concerning the dose rates required to induce such precipitates at various temperatures. Presentation of the results is modelled on the well established methods for handling the Time-Temperature-Transformation behaviour of ordinary alloy systems, with dose rate being substituted for the time axis. Analogous calculations are presented for nickel-germanium alloys, in order to check whether the numerical values deduced from the nickel silicon system have more general applicability, and also to see whether there are any significant differences in a system where the size factor of the solute is of the opposite sign. (orig.) [de

The direct transformation of ethanol to ethyl acetate over Cu/SiO2 ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Cu/SiO2 catalysts that contain copper phyllosilicate, were successfully ... of attention because both components are simple, non- .... bate on a Micromeritics ASAP 2010 system at liquid- ... The reactor was. Page 3. Direct transformation of ethanol to ethyl acetate. 1015 connected to gas chromatography using a six-port high.

Perivascular delivery of Notch 1 siRNA inhibits injury-induced arterial remodeling.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eileen M Redmond

Full Text Available To determine the efficacy of perivascular delivery of Notch 1 siRNA in preventing injury-induced arterial remodeling.Carotid artery ligation was performed to induce arterial remodeling. After 14 days, morphometric analysis confirmed increased vSMC growth and subsequent media thickening and neointimal formation. Laser capture microdissection, quantitative qRT-PCR and immunoblot analysis of medial tissue revealed a significant increase in Notch1 receptor and notch target gene, Hrt 1 and 2 expression in the injured vessels. Perivascular delivery of Notch 1 siRNA by pluronic gel inhibited the injury-induced increase in Notch 1 receptor and target gene expression when compared to scrambled siRNA controls while concomitantly reducing media thickening and neointimal formation to pre-injury, sham-operated levels. Selective Notch 1 knockdown also reversed the injury-induced inhibition of pro-apoptotic Bax expression while decreasing injury-induced anti-apoptotic Bcl-XL expression to sham-operated control levels. In parallel experiments, proliferative cyclin levels, as measured by PCNA expression, were reversed to sham-operated control levels following selective Notch 1 knockdown.These results suggest that injury-induced arterial remodeling can be successfully inhibited by localized perivascular delivery of Notch 1 siRNA.

Swift heavy-ion induced trap generation and mixing at Si/SiO{sub 2} interface in depletion n-MOS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinde, N. [Ecotopia Science Institute, Division of Energy Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan) and Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India)]. E-mail: nss@nucl.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Bhoraskar, V.N. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India); Dhole, S.D. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India)

2006-01-15

Large channel depletion n-channel MOSFET (Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) is a basic Si-SiO{sub 2} structure to understand irradiation-induced modifications. The contribution of interface and oxide states denoted as {delta}N {sub IT} and {delta}N {sub OT}, respectively, was separated out by using I {sub D}-V {sub DS}, I {sub D}-V {sub GS} measurements. The threshold voltage shift {delta}V {sub T} (V {sub T-irrad} - V {sub T-virgin}) increased for all ions (50 MeV Li, B, F, P and Ni) over the fluence of 2 x 10{sup 11}-2 x 10{sup 13} ions/cm{sup 2}. The increase in {delta}N {sub IT} was associated to trap generation at Si-SiO{sub 2} interface, but a small change in {delta}N {sub OT} indicate less charge trapping in oxide. The electronic energy loss S {sub e} induced increase in {delta}N {sub IT} is not adequate to explain the large shift in threshold voltage. A rough estimate shows that the channel width, W should decrease by 40% for a large increase in {delta}N {sub IT}. Thus, the possible factor affecting reduction of W may be ion beam mixing induced broadening of Si-SiO{sub 2} interface.

Defect-induced polytype transformations in LPE grown SiC epilayers on (1 1 1) 3C-SiC seeds grown by VLS on 6H-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinova, Maya; Zoulis, Georgios; Robert, Teddy; Mercier, Frederic; Mantzari, Alkioni; Galben, Irina; Kim-Hak, Olivier; Lorenzzi, Jean; Juillaguet, Sandrine; Chaussende, Didier; Ferro, Gabriel; Camassel, Jean; Polychroniadis, Efstathios K.

2009-01-01

The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with low-temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) and Raman studies of liquid phase grown epilayers on top of a vapor liquid solid (VLS) grown 3C-SiC buffer layer are compared. While the 6H-SiC substrate was completely covered by the 3C-SiC seed after the first VLS process, degradation occurred during the early stage of the liquid phase epitaxy process. This resulted in polytype instabilities, such that several rhombohedral forms stabilized one after the other. These (21R-SiC, 57R-SiC) eventually led after few microns to a final transition back to 6H-SiC. This interplay of polytypes resulted in a complex optical signature, with specific LTPL and Raman features.

A simple structure wavelet transform circuit employing function link neural networks and SI filters

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Li; Yigang, He

2016-12-01

Signal processing by means of analog circuits offers advantages from a power consumption viewpoint. Implementing wavelet transform (WT) using analog circuits is of great interest when low-power consumption becomes an important issue. In this article, a novel simple structure WT circuit in analog domain is presented by employing functional link neural network (FLNN) and switched-current (SI) filters. First, the wavelet base is approximated using FLNN algorithms for giving a filter transfer function that is suitable for simple structure WT circuit implementation. Next, the WT circuit is constructed with the wavelet filter bank, whose impulse response is the approximated wavelet and its dilations. The filter design that follows is based on a follow-the-leader feedback (FLF) structure with multiple output bilinear SI integrators and current mirrors as the main building blocks. SI filter is well suited for this application since the dilation constant across different scales of the transform can be precisely implemented and controlled by the clock frequency of the circuit with the same system architecture. Finally, to illustrate the design procedure, a seventh-order FLNN-approximated Gaussian wavelet is implemented as an example. Simulations have successfully verified that the designed simple structure WT circuit has low sensitivity, low-power consumption and litter effect to the imperfections.

Raman characterization of damaged layers of 4H-SiC induced by scratching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin-ichi Nakashima

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Recent development of device fabrication of SiC is awaiting detailed study of the machining of the surfaces. We scratched 4H-SiC surfaces with a sliding microindenter made of a SiC chip, and characterized machining affected layers by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results of the Raman measurement of the scratching grooves revealed that there were residual stress, defects, and stacking faults. Furthermore, with heavy scratching load, we found clusters of amorphous SiC, Si, amorphous carbon, and graphite in the scratching grooves. Analysis of the Raman spectra showed that SiC amorphization occurs first and surface graphitization (carbonization is subsequently generated through the phase transformation of SiC. We expect that the Raman characterization of machined surfaces provides information on the machining mechanism for compound semiconductors.

All-epitaxial Co{sub 2}FeSi/Ge/Co{sub 2}FeSi trilayers fabricated by Sn-induced low-temperature epitaxy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawano, M.; Ikawa, M.; Arima, K.; Yamada, S.; Kanashima, T.; Hamaya, K., E-mail: hamaya@ee.es.osaka-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka 560-8531 (Japan)

2016-01-28

We demonstrate low-temperature growth of all-epitaxial Co{sub 2}FeSi/Ge/Co{sub 2}FeSi trilayer structures by developing Sn-induced surfactant-mediated molecular beam epitaxy (SMBE) of Ge on Co{sub 2}FeSi. Despite the growth of a semiconductor on a metal, we verify that the inserted Sn monolayers between Ge and Co{sub 2}FeSi enable to promote the 2D epitaxial growth of Ge up to 5 nm at a T{sub G} of 250 °C. An understanding of the mechanism of the Sn-induced SMBE leads to the achievement of all-epitaxial Co{sub 2}FeSi/Ge/Co{sub 2}FeSi trilayer structures with spin-valve-like magnetization reversals. This study will open a way for vertical-type and high-performance Ge-based spintronics devices.

UV and IR laser induced ablation of Al2O3/SiN:H and a-Si:H/SiN:H

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schutz-Kuchly T.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental work on laser induced ablation of thin Al2O3(20 nm/SiN:H (70 nm and a-Si:H (20 nm/SiN:H (70 nm stacks acting, respectively, as p-type and n-type silicon surface passivation layers is reported. Results obtained using two different laser sources are compared. The stacks are efficiently removed using a femtosecond infra-red laser (1030 nm wavelength, 300 fs pulse duration but the underlying silicon surface is highly damaged in a ripple-like pattern. This collateral effect is almost completely avoided using a nanosecond ultra-violet laser (248 nm wavelength, 50 ns pulse duration, however a-Si:H flakes and Al2O3 lace remain after ablation process.

The crystallography of carbide-free bainites in thermo-mechanically processed low Si transformation-induced plasticity steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereloma, Elena V. [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 (Australia); Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); Al-Harbi, Fayez [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522 (Australia); Gazder, Azdiar A., E-mail: azdiar@uow.edu.au [Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia)

2014-12-05

Highlights: • First EBSD study comparing ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic laths in two TRIP steels. • Both TRIP steels (base and with Nb–Ti additions) subjected to the same TMP schedule. • Crystallography of the ferrite in the 2 bainites studied using the K–S orientation relationship. • Variants in GB associated with self-accommodation. • BF variant selection linked to RA plastic accommodation and limited volume. - Abstract: Carbide-free bainites are important microstructural constituents in bainitic, nanobainitic and transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels. A comparison of the crystallography of ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite lath morphologies, both of which were simultaneously present in a base and a Nb–Ti containing TRIP steel, has been carried out using electron back-scattering diffraction. Ferrite in granular bainite was characterised by the realisation of nearly all 24 variants of the Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship; which in turn was associated with the self-accommodation of the transformation strain. On the other hand, bainitic ferrite comprised a mostly parallel lath structure between thick interlayers of retained austenite and exhibited variant selection such that one or more crystallographic packets are not realised and sometimes only 1–2 variants formed in a crystallographic packet. The variant selection in bainitic ferrite laths was associated with: (i) the plastic accommodation of transformation strain by retained austenite and, (ii) the limited available volume for its formation.

The crystallography of carbide-free bainites in thermo-mechanically processed low Si transformation-induced plasticity steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereloma, Elena V.; Al-Harbi, Fayez; Gazder, Azdiar A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • First EBSD study comparing ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic laths in two TRIP steels. • Both TRIP steels (base and with Nb–Ti additions) subjected to the same TMP schedule. • Crystallography of the ferrite in the 2 bainites studied using the K–S orientation relationship. • Variants in GB associated with self-accommodation. • BF variant selection linked to RA plastic accommodation and limited volume. - Abstract: Carbide-free bainites are important microstructural constituents in bainitic, nanobainitic and transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels. A comparison of the crystallography of ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite lath morphologies, both of which were simultaneously present in a base and a Nb–Ti containing TRIP steel, has been carried out using electron back-scattering diffraction. Ferrite in granular bainite was characterised by the realisation of nearly all 24 variants of the Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship; which in turn was associated with the self-accommodation of the transformation strain. On the other hand, bainitic ferrite comprised a mostly parallel lath structure between thick interlayers of retained austenite and exhibited variant selection such that one or more crystallographic packets are not realised and sometimes only 1–2 variants formed in a crystallographic packet. The variant selection in bainitic ferrite laths was associated with: (i) the plastic accommodation of transformation strain by retained austenite and, (ii) the limited available volume for its formation

Induced electrostatic confinement of electron gas in W-designed strain-compensated Si/Si1-x Ge x /Si type-II quantum wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sfina, N.; Lazzari, J.-L.; Christol, P.; Cuminal, Y.; Said, M.

2006-01-01

We present a numerical modeling of the conduction- and the valence-band diagrams of W designed Si/Si 0.4 Ge 0.6 /Si type II quantum wells. These W structures, strain-compensated on relaxed Si 0.75 Ge 0.25 pseudo-substrates, are potentially interesting for emission and photo-detection around a 1.55μm wavelength. Two main features have been extrapolated by solving self-consistently Schroedinger and Poisson equations, taking into account the electrostatic attraction induced by carrier injection: (i) Coulomb attraction strongly modifies the band profiles and increases the electron probability density at the quantum well interfaces. (ii) The injected carrier concentration enhances the in-plane oscillator strength and the electron-hole wave-function overlap

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Nanoindentation-induced Mechanical Deformation and Phase Transformation in Monocrystalline Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian Sheng-Rui

2008-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractThis work presents the molecular dynamics approach toward mechanical deformation and phase transformation mechanisms of monocrystalline Si(100 subjected to nanoindentation. We demonstrate phase distributions during loading and unloading stages of both spherical and Berkovich nanoindentations. By searching the presence of the fifth neighboring atom within a non-bonding length, Si-III and Si-XII have been successfully distinguished from Si-I. Crystallinity of this mixed-phase was further identified by radial distribution functions.

Gene silencing of HPV16 E6/E7 induced by promoter-targeting siRNA in SiHa cells

OpenAIRE

Hong, D; Lu, W; Ye, F; Hu, Y; Xie, X

2009-01-01

Background: Recently, transcriptional gene silencing induced by small interfering RNA (siRNA) was found in mammalian and human cells. However, previous studies focused on endogenous genes. Methods: In this study, we designed siRNA targeting the promoter of human papillomavirus 16 E6/E7 and transfected it into the cervical cancer cell line, SiHa. E6 and E7 mRNA and protein expression were detected in cells treated by promoter-targeting siRNA. Futhermore, cellular growth, proliferation, apoptos...

Stepwise transformation behavior of the strain-induced martensitic transformation in a metastable stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedstroem, Peter; Lienert, Ulrich; Almer, Jon; Oden, Magnus

2007-01-01

In situ high-energy X-ray diffraction during tensile loading has been used to investigate the evolution of lattice strains and the accompanying strain-induced martensitic transformation in cold-rolled sheets of a metastable stainless steel. At high applied strains the transformation to α-martensite occurs in stepwise bursts. These stepwise transformation events are correlated with stepwise increased lattice strains and peak broadening in the austenite phase. The stepwise transformation arises from growth of α-martensite embryos by autocatalytic transformation

Cancer Stem-Like Cells Accumulated in Nickel-Induced Malignant Transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Fan, Jia; Hitron, John Andrew; Son, Young-Ok; Wise, James T.F.; Roy, Ram Vinod; Kim, Donghern; Dai, Jin; Pratheeshkumar, Poyil; Zhang, Zhuo; Shi, Xianglin

2016-01-01

Nickel compounds are known as human carcinogens. Chronic environmental exposure to nickel is a worldwide health concern. Although the mechanisms of nickel-induced carcinogenesis are not well understood, recent studies suggest that stem cells/cancer stem cells are likely important targets. This study examines the role of cancer stem cells in nickel-induced cell transformation. The nontransformed human bronchial epithelial cell line (Beas-2B) was chronically exposed to nickel chloride for 12 months to induce cell transformation. Nickel induced Beas-2B cell transformation, and cancer stem-like cells were enriched in nickel-transformed cell (BNiT) population. The BNiT cancer stem-like cells demonstrated enhanced self-renewal and distinctive differentiation properties. In vivo tumorigenesis studies show that BNiT cancer stem-like cells possess a high tumor-initiating capability. It was also demonstrated that superoxide dismutase 1 was involved in the accumulation of cancer stem-like cells; the regulation of superoxide dismutase 1 expression was different in transformed stem-like cells and nontransformed. Overall, the accumulation of stem-like cells and their enhanced stemness functions contribute to nickel-induced tumorigenesis. Our study provides additional insight into the mechanisms by which metals or other chemicals can induce carcinogenesis. PMID:26962057

Dynamic strain-induced transformation: An atomic scale investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, H.; Pradeep, K.G.; Mandal, S.; Ponge, D.; Springer, H.; Raabe, D.

2015-01-01

Phase transformations provide the most versatile access to the design of complex nanostructured alloys in terms of grain size, morphology, local chemical constitution etc. Here we study a special case of deformation induced phase transformation. More specifically, we investigate the atomistic mechanisms associated with dynamic strain-induced transformation (DSIT) in a dual-phased multicomponent iron-based alloy at high temperatures. DSIT phenomena and the associated secondary phase nucleation were observed at atomic scale using atom probe tomography. The obtained local chemical composition was used for simulating the nucleation process which revealed that DSIT, occurring during load exertion, proceeds by a diffusion-controlled nucleation process

Si diffusion in compositional disordering of Si-implanted GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices induced by rapid thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uematsu, Masashi; Yanagawa, Fumihiko

1988-01-01

The Si diffusion in Si-implanted GaAs/Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 As superlattices intermixed in the disrodering process induced by rapid thermal annealing (RTA), is investigated by means of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The SIMS profiles indicate that no fast Si diffusion occurs during the disordering, and the disordering occurs when the Si concentration exceeds 1 x 10 19 cm -3 , which is about three times larger than the threshold value for the disordering by furnace annealing (FA). The number of Si atoms which are allowed to pass through the heterointerface is considered to be essential for disordering. (author)

Magnetic properties of Gd5(Si1.5Ge2.5) near the temperature and magnetic field induced first order phase transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, E.M.; Gschneidner, K.A.; Pecharsky, V.K.

2001-01-01

The temperature (from 5 to 300 K) and DC magnetic field (from 0 to 90 kOe) dependencies of the DC magnetization and magnetic susceptibility, and the temperature (from 5 to 350 K) dependency of the AC magnetic susceptibility of Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) have been studied. The temperature and/or magnetic field induced magnetic phase transition in Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) is a first order ferromagnet-paramagnet transition. The temperature of the magnetic transition in low AC magnetic field is 206 and 217 K for cooling and heating, respectively. The DC magnetic field increases the transition temperature by ∼0.36 K/kOe indicating that the paramagnetic phase can be reversibly transformed into the ferromagnetic phase. When the magnetic field is removed, the ferromagnetic phase transforms into the paramagnetic phase showing a large remanence-free hysteresis. The magnetic phase diagram based on the isothermal magnetic field dependence of the DC magnetization at various temperatures for Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) is proposed. The magnetic field dependence of the magnetization in the vicinity of the first order phase transition shows evidence for the formation of a magnetically heterogeneous system in the volume of Gd 5 (Si 1.5 Ge 2.5 ) specimen where the magnetically ordered (ferromagnetic) and disordered (paramagnetic) phases co-exist

Random small interfering RNA library screen identifies siRNAs that induce human erythroleukemia cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Cuiqing; Xiong, Yuan; Zhu, Ning; Lu, Yabin; Zhang, Jiewen; Wang, Song; Liang, Zicai; Shen, Yan; Chen, Meihong

2011-03-01

Cancers are characterized by poor differentiation. Differentiation therapy is a strategy to alleviate malignant phenotypes by inducing cancer cell differentiation. Here we carried out a combinatorial high-throughput screen with a random siRNA library on human erythroleukemia K-562 cell differentiation. Two siRNAs screened from the library were validated to be able to induce erythroid differentiation to varying degrees, determined by CD235 and globin up-regulation, GATA-2 down-regulation, and cell growth inhibition. The screen we performed here is the first trial of screening cancer differentiation-inducing agents from a random siRNA library, demonstrating that a random siRNA library can be considered as a new resource in efforts to seek new therapeutic agents for cancers. As a random siRNA library has a broad coverage for the entire genome, including known/unknown genes and protein coding/non-coding sequences, screening using a random siRNA library can be expected to greatly augment the repertoire of therapeutic siRNAs for cancers.

A comprehensive review of metal-induced cellular transformation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qiao Yi; Costa, Max

2017-09-15

In vitro transformation assays not only serve practical purposes in screening for potential carcinogenic substances in food, drug, and cosmetic industries, but more importantly, they provide a means of understanding the critical biological processes behind in vivo cancer development. In resemblance to cancer cells in vivo, successfully transformed cells display loss of contact inhibition, gain of anchorage independent growth, resistant to proper cell cycle regulation such as apoptosis, faster proliferation rate, potential for cellular invasion, and ability to form tumors in experimental animals. Cells purposely transformed using metal exposures enable researchers to examine molecular changes, dissect various stages of tumor formation, and ultimately elucidate metal induced cancer mode of action. For practical purposes, this review specifically focuses on studies incorporating As-, Cd-, Cr-, and Ni-induced cell transformation. Through investigating and comparing an extensive list of studies using various methods of metal-induced transformation, this review serves to bridge an information gap and provide a guide for avoiding procedural discrepancies as well as maximizing experimental efficiency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modulating factors in the expression of radiation-induced oncogenic transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, E.J.; Hei, T.K.

1990-01-01

Many assays for oncogenic transformation have been developed ranging from those in established rodent cell lines where morphological alteration is scored, to those in human cells growing in nude mice where tumor invasiveness is scored. In general, systems that are most quantitaive are also the least relevant in terms of human carcinogenesis and human risk estimation. The development of cell culture systems has made it possible to assess at the cellular level the oncogenic potential of a variety of chemical, physical and viral agents. Cell culture systems afford the opportunity to identify factors and conditions that may prevent or enhance cellular transformation by radiation and chemicals. Permissive and protective factors in radiation-induced transformation include thyroid hormone and the tumor promoter TPA that increase the transformation incidence for a given dose of radiation, and retinoids, selenium, vitamin E, and 5-aminobenzamide that inhibit the expression of transformation. Densely ionizing α-particles, similar to those emitted by radon daughters, are highly effective in inducing transformations and appear to interact in a supra-additive fashion with asbestos fibers. The activation of a known dominant oncogene has not yet been demonstrated in radiation-induced oncogenic transformation. The most likely mechanism for radiation activation of an oncogene would be via the production of a chromosomal translocation. Radiation also efficiently induces deletions and may thus lead to the loss of a suppressor gene

Carbon redistribution and precipitation in high temperature ion-implanted strained Si/SiGe/Si multi-layered structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gaiduk, Peter; Hansen, John Lundsgaard; Nylandsted Larsen, Arne

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract Carbon depth profiles after high temperature implantation in strained Si/SiGe/Si multilayered system and induced structural defects.......Graphical abstract Carbon depth profiles after high temperature implantation in strained Si/SiGe/Si multilayered system and induced structural defects....

UV-VUV laser induced phenomena in SiO2 glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajihara, Koichi; Ikuta, Yoshiaki; Oto, Masanori; Hirano, Masahiro; Skuja, Linards; Hosono, Hideo

2004-01-01

Creation and annihilation of point defects were studied for SiO 2 glass exposed to ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum UV (VUV) lights to improve transparency and radiation toughness of SiO 2 glass to UV-VUV laser light. Topologically disordered structure of SiO 2 glass featured by the distribution of Si-O-Si angle is a critical factor degrading transmittance near the fundamental absorption edge. Doping with terminal functional groups enhances the structural relaxation and reduces the number of strained Si-O-Si bonds by breaking up the glass network without creating the color centers. Transmittance and laser toughness of SiO 2 glass for F 2 laser is greatly improved in fluorine-doped SiO 2 glass, often referred as 'modified silica glass'. Interstitial hydrogenous species are mobile and reactive at ambient temperature, and play an important role in photochemical reactions induced by exposure to UV-VUV laser light. They terminate the dangling-bond type color centers, while enhancing the formation of the oxygen vacancies. These findings are utilized to develop a deep-UV optical fiber transmitting ArF laser photons with low radiation damage

Structural and defects induced phenomena in γ-rays irradiated 6H-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sibuyi, P.; Ngom, B.D.; Kotsedi, L.

2016-01-01

Damages and/or defects induced by γ-rays irradiation on 6H-SiC single crystals in channeled configuration towards 〈006〉/〈0012〉 crystallographic directions are reported in the range of 0–1200 kGy. Atomic force microscopy, X-rays diffraction, Raman and photoluminescence investigations were used to obtain a comprehensive set of informations on the nature and population distribution of the induced defects. Primarily, there was no carbon clusterization upon γ-rays irradiation and hence no formation of others SiC polytypes. In contrast, the γ-rays irradiation has induced an increase of the surface roughness at higher doses, which indicates a structural degradation. Larger doses induced an emergence of deeper shallow traps at energies greater than 350 meV below the bandgap. - Highlights: • No formation of others SiC polytypes. • The gamma rays irradiation has induced a slight surface amorphization. • A re-crystallization at lower and higher doses is noticed. • Larger doses induced a substantial internal stress.

Martensitic Transformations and Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Fe-Mn-Si Alloys for Biodegradable Medical Implants

Science.gov (United States)

Drevet, Richard; Zhukova, Yulia; Malikova, Polina; Dubinskiy, Sergey; Korotitskiy, Andrey; Pustov, Yury; Prokoshkin, Sergey

2018-03-01

The Fe-Mn-Si alloys are promising materials for biodegradable metallic implants for temporary healing process in the human body. In this study, three different compositions are considered (Fe23Mn5Si, Fe26Mn5Si, and Fe30Mn5Si, all in wt pct). The phase composition analysis by XRD reveals ɛ-martensite, α-martensite, and γ-austenite in various proportions depending on the manganese amount. The DSC study shows that the starting temperature of the martensitic transformation ( M s) of the alloys decreases when the manganese content increases (416 K, 401 K, and 323 K (143 °C, 128 °C, and 50 °C) for the Fe23Mn5Si, Fe26Mn5Si, and Fe30Mn5Si alloys, respectively). Moreover, mechanical compression tests indicate that these alloys have a much lower Young's modulus ( E) than pure iron (220 GPa), i.e., 145, 133, and 118 GPa for the Fe23Mn5Si, Fe26Mn5Si, and Fe30Mn5Si alloys, respectively. The corrosion behavior of the alloys is studied in Hank's solution at 310 K (37 °C) using electrochemical experiments and weight loss measurements. The corrosion kinetics of the Fe-Mn-Si increases with the manganese content (0.48, 0.59, and 0.80 mm/year for the Fe23Mn5Si, Fe26Mn5Si, and Fe30Mn5Si alloys, respectively). The alloy with the highest manganese content shows the most promising properties for biomedical applications as a biodegradable and biomechanically compatible implant material.

Protection of power transformers against geomagnetically induced currents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurevich Vladimir

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The article examines the problem of saturation and failure of power transformers under geomagnetically induced currents and currents of the E3 component of high-altitude nuclear explosions. It also describes a special protective relay reacting on DC component in the transformer neutral current.

Efficient Inhibition of wear debris-induced inflammation by locally delivered siRNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng Xiaochun; Tao Kun; Cheng Tao; Zhu Junfeng; Zhang Xianlong

2008-01-01

Aseptic loosening is the most common long-term complication of total joint replacement, which is associated with the generation of wear debris. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on wear debris-induced inflammation. A local delivery of lentivirus-mediated TNF-α siRNA into the modified murine air pouch, which was stimulated by polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) particles, resulted in significant blockage of TNF-α both in mRNA and protein levels for up to 4 weeks. In addition, significant down-regulation of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was observed in TNF-α siRNA-treated pouches. The safety profile of gene therapy was proven by Bioluminescent assay and quantitative fluorescent flux. Histological analysis revealed less inflammatory responses (thinner pouch membrane and decreased cellular infiltration) in TNF-α siRNA-treated pouches. These findings suggest that local delivery of TNF-α siRNA might be an excellent therapeutic candidate to inhibit particle-induced inflammation.

Development of a kinetic model for bainitic isothermal transformation in transformation-induced plasticity steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, S.; Zhu, R.; Karaman, I.; Arróyave, R.

2013-01-01

In this work, we modify existing models to simulate the kinetics of bainitic transformation during the bainitic isothermal transformation (BIT) stage of a typical two-stage heat treatment – BIT is preceded by an intercritical annealing treatment – for TRIP steels. This effort is motivated by experiments performed in a conventional TRIP steel alloy (Fe–0.32C–1.42Mn–1.56Si) that suggest that thermodynamics alone are not sufficient to predict the amount of retained austenite after BIT. The model implemented in this work considers the non-homogeneous distribution of carbon – resulting from finite carbon diffusion rates – within the retained austenite during bainitic transformation. This non-homogeneous distribution is responsible for average austenite carbon enrichments beyond the so-called T 0 line, the temperature at which the chemical driving force for the bainitic transformation is exhausted. In order to attain good agreement with experiments, the existence of carbon-rich austenite films adjacent to bainitic ferrite plates is posited. The presence of this austenite film is motivated by earlier experimental work published by other groups in the past decade. The model is compared with experimental results and good qualitative agreement is found

Crystallographically based model for transformation-induced plasticity in multiphase carbon steels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tjahjanto, D.D.; Turteltaub, S.; Suiker, A.S.J.

2007-01-01

The microstructure of multiphase steels assisted by transformation-induced plasticity consists of grains of retained austenite embedded in a ferrite-based matrix. Upon mechanical loading, retained austenite may transform into martensite, as a result of which plastic deformations are induced in the

Crystallographically based model for transformation-induced plasticity in multiphase carbon steels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tjahjanto, D.D.; Turteltaub, S.R.; Suiker, A.S.J.

2008-01-01

The microstructure of multiphase steels assisted by transformation-induced plasticity consists of grains of retained austenite embedded in a ferrite-based matrix. Upon mechanical loading, retained austenite may transform into martensite, as a result of which plastic deformations are induced in the

Influence of plastic strain on deformation-induced martensitic transformations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perdahcioglu, Emin Semih; Geijselaers, Hubertus J.M.; Groen, M.

2008-01-01

The effects of plastic strain on deformation-induced martensitic transformations have been investigated experimentally. Austenitic metastable stainless steel samples were heated to a temperature at which the transformation is suppressed and were plastically strained to different amounts. The

Stress-Induced Cubic-to-Hexagonal Phase Transformation in Perovskite Nanothin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Shi-Gu; Li, Yunsong; Wu, Hong-Hui; Wang, Jie; Huang, Baoling; Zhang, Tong-Yi

2017-08-09

The strong coupling between crystal structure and mechanical deformation can stabilize low-symmetry phases from high-symmetry phases or induce novel phase transformation in oxide thin films. Stress-induced structural phase transformation in oxide thin films has drawn more and more attention due to its significant influence on the functionalities of the materials. Here, we discovered experimentally a novel stress-induced cubic-to-hexagonal phase transformation in the perovskite nanothin films of barium titanate (BaTiO 3 ) with a special thermomechanical treatment (TMT), where BaTiO 3 nanothin films under various stresses are annealed at temperature of 575 °C. Both high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy show a higher density of hexagonal phase in the perovskite thin film under higher tensile stress. Both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy does not detect any change in the valence state of Ti atoms, thereby excluding the mechanism of oxygen vacancy induced cubic-to-hexagonal (c-to-h) phase transformation. First-principles calculations show that the c-to-h phase transformation can be completed by lattice shear at elevated temperature, which is consistent with the experimental observation. The applied bending plus the residual tensile stress produces shear stress in the nanothin film. The thermal energy at the elevated temperature assists the shear stress to overcome the energy barriers during the c-to-h phase transformation. The stress-induced phase transformation in perovskite nanothin films with TMT provides materials scientists and engineers a novel approach to tailor nano/microstructures and properties of ferroelectric materials.

Flux distribution in single phase, Si-Fe, wound transformer cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loizos, George; Kefalas, Themistoklis; Kladas, Antonios; Souflaris, Thanassis; Paparigas, Dimitris

2008-01-01

This paper shows experimental results of longitudinal flux density and its harmonics at the limb, the yoke and the corner as well as normal flux in the step lap joint of a single phase, Si-Fe, wound transformer core. Results show that the flux density as well as the harmonics content is higher in the inner (window) side of the core and reduces gradually towards the outer side. Variations of flux density distribution between the limb and the corner or the yoke of the core were observed. A full record of normal flux around the step lap region of the model core was also obtained. Longitudinal and normal flux findings will enable the development of more accurate numerical models that describe the magnetic behavior of magnetic cores

Continuous activation of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzymes leads to arsenite-induced malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Xu [Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu (China); Wang, Dapeng [Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu (China); Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou (China); Ma, Yuan; Xu, Xiguo; Zhu, Zhen; Wang, Xiaojuan; Deng, Hanyi; Li, Chunchun; Chen, Min; Tong, Jian [Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu (China); Yamanaka, Kenzo [Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Carcinogenesis, School of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba (Japan); An, Yan, E-mail: dranyan@126.com [Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu (China)

2015-12-01

Long-term exposure to arsenite leads to human lung cancer, but the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis remain obscure. The transcription factor of nuclear factor-erythroid-2 p45-related factor (Nrf2)-mediated antioxidant response represents a critical cellular defense mechanism and protection against various diseases. Paradoxically, emerging data suggest that the constitutive activation of Nrf2 is associated with cancer development, progression and chemotherapy resistance. However, the role of Nrf2 in the occurrence of cancer induced by long-term arsenite exposure remains to be fully understood. By establishing transformed human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells via chronic low-dose arsenite treatment, we showed that, in acquiring this malignant phenotype, continuous low level of ROS and sustained enhancement of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzyme levels were observed in the later-stage of arsenite-induced cell transformation. The downregulation of Keap1 level may be responsible for the over-activation of Nrf2 and its target enzymes. To validate these observations, Nrf2 was knocked down in arsenite-transformed HBE cells by SiRNA transfection, and the levels of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzymes, ROS, cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation were determined following these treatments. Results showed that blocked Nrf2 expression significantly reduced Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzyme levels, restored ROS levels, and eventually suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation of the transformed cells. In summary, the results of the study strongly suggested that the continuous activation of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzymes led to the over-depletion of intracellular ROS levels, which contributed to arsenite-induced HBE cell transformation. - Highlights: • Low level, long term arsenite exposure induces malignant transformation in vitro. • Long term arsenite exposure reduces ROS and MDA levels. • Long term arsenite

Continuous activation of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzymes leads to arsenite-induced malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Xu; Wang, Dapeng; Ma, Yuan; Xu, Xiguo; Zhu, Zhen; Wang, Xiaojuan; Deng, Hanyi; Li, Chunchun; Chen, Min; Tong, Jian; Yamanaka, Kenzo; An, Yan

2015-01-01

Long-term exposure to arsenite leads to human lung cancer, but the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis remain obscure. The transcription factor of nuclear factor-erythroid-2 p45-related factor (Nrf2)-mediated antioxidant response represents a critical cellular defense mechanism and protection against various diseases. Paradoxically, emerging data suggest that the constitutive activation of Nrf2 is associated with cancer development, progression and chemotherapy resistance. However, the role of Nrf2 in the occurrence of cancer induced by long-term arsenite exposure remains to be fully understood. By establishing transformed human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells via chronic low-dose arsenite treatment, we showed that, in acquiring this malignant phenotype, continuous low level of ROS and sustained enhancement of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzyme levels were observed in the later-stage of arsenite-induced cell transformation. The downregulation of Keap1 level may be responsible for the over-activation of Nrf2 and its target enzymes. To validate these observations, Nrf2 was knocked down in arsenite-transformed HBE cells by SiRNA transfection, and the levels of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzymes, ROS, cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation were determined following these treatments. Results showed that blocked Nrf2 expression significantly reduced Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzyme levels, restored ROS levels, and eventually suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation of the transformed cells. In summary, the results of the study strongly suggested that the continuous activation of Nrf2 and its target antioxidant enzymes led to the over-depletion of intracellular ROS levels, which contributed to arsenite-induced HBE cell transformation. - Highlights: • Low level, long term arsenite exposure induces malignant transformation in vitro. • Long term arsenite exposure reduces ROS and MDA levels. • Long term arsenite

Transformation-Induced Creep and Creep Recovery of Shape Memory Alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, Kohei; Tobushi, Hisaaki; Pieczyska, Elzbieta A

2012-05-22

If the shape memory alloy is subjected to the subloop loading under the stress-controlled condition, creep and creep recovery can appear based on the martensitic transformation. In the design of shape memory alloy elements, these deformation properties are important since the deflection of shape memory alloy elements can change under constant stress. The conditions for the progress of the martensitic transformation are discussed based on the kinetics of the martensitic transformation for the shape memory alloy. During loading under constant stress rate, temperature increases due to the stress-induced martensitic transformation. If stress is held constant during the martensitic transformation stage in the loading process, temperature decreases and the condition for the progress of the martensitic transformation is satisfied, resulting in the transformation-induced creep deformation. If stress is held constant during the reverse transformation stage in the unloading process, creep recovery appears due to the reverse transformation. The details for these thermomechanical properties are investigated experimentally for TiNi shape memory alloy, which is most widely used in practical applications. The volume fraction of the martensitic phase increases in proportion to an increase in creep strain.

FcepsilonRI-alpha siRNA inhibits the antigen-induced activation of mast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Safaralizadeh, Reza; Soheili, Zahra-Soheila; Deezagi, Abdolkhaleg; Pourpak, Zahra; Samiei, Shahram; Moin, Mostafa

2009-12-01

FcepsilonRI, The high affinity receptor for IgE plays a critical role in triggering the allergic reactions. It is responsible for inducing mast cell degranulation and deliberation of allergy mediators when it is aggregated by allergen and IgE complexes. FcepsilonRI on the mast cells consists of three subunits; alpha chain directly binds IgE, beta chain and dimmer of gamma chains together mediate intracellular signaling. Cross-linking of IgE-bound FcepsilonRI on the surface of mast cells and basophils by the multivalent antigen induces release of chemical mediators. The present in vitro study was designed to investigate the effect of synthetic FcepsilonRI-alpha siRNA on the antigen-induced activation of MC/9 cells. MC/9 cells which are murine mast cells were transfected by FcepsilonRI-alpha siRNA and negative control siRNA. After 6 h, anti-DNP (Dinitrophenyl) IgE was used for the cells sensitization. Then the cells were challenged with Dinitrophenyl-Human Serum Albumin (DNP-HSA) for mast cell degranulation induction before collection of supernatants. The amount of mRNA and protein expression was measured by Real Time PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Determination of the expression rate of FcepsilonRI-alpha on cell surface was achieved by flow cytometry. ELISA and spectrophotometry methods were used subsequently for measuring the effects of FcepsilonRI-alpha siRNA on antigen-induced histamine and beta-hexosaminidase release. FcepsilonRI-alpha siRNA treated cells showed significant decrease in FcepsilonRI-alpha mRNA and protein expression in comparison to control cells. FcepsilonRI-mediated mast cell release of beta-hexosaminidase and histamine were also inhibited. In this study it was shown that FcepsilonRI-alpha siRNA could suppress FcepsilonRI-alpha expression and inhibited degranulation and histamine release in antigen-stimulated MC/9 cells. In conclusion, knock-down of FcepsilonRI-alpha by siRNA could be a promising method for inhibition of the mast

Single- and dual-wavelength laser pulses induced modification in 10×(Al/Ti)/Si multilayer system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salatić, B. [University of Belgrade, Institute of Physics Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade (Serbia); Petrović, S., E-mail: spetro@vinca.rs [University of Belgrade, Institute of Nuclear Science-Vinča, POB 522, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); Peruško, D. [University of Belgrade, Institute of Nuclear Science-Vinča, POB 522, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); Čekada, M.; Panjan, P. [Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Pantelić, D.; Jelenković, B. [University of Belgrade, Institute of Physics Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade (Serbia)

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Experimental and numerical study of laser-induced ablation and micro-sized crater formation. • Dual-wavelength pulses induce creation of wider and deeper craters due to synergies of two processes. • Sunflower-like structure formed by dual-wavelength pulses at low irradiance. • Numerical model of nanosecond pulsed laser ablation for complex (Al/Ti)/Si system has been developed. - Abstract: The surface morphology of the ablation craters created in the multilayer 10×(Al/Ti)/Si system by nanosecond laser pulses at single- and dual wavelength has been studied experimentally and numerically. A complex multilayer thin film including ten (Al/Ti) bilayers deposited by ion sputtering on Si(1 0 0) substrate to a total thickness of 260 nm were illuminated at different laser irradiance in the range 0.25–3.5 × 10{sup 9} W cm{sup −2}. Single pulse laser irradiation was done at normal incidence in air, with the single wavelength, either at 532 nm or 1064 nm or with both laser light simultaneously in the ratio of 1:10 for energy per pulse between second harmonic and 1064 nm. Most of the absorbed laser energy was rapidly transformed into heat, producing intensive modifications of composition and morphology on the sample surface. The results show an increase in surface roughness, formation of specific nanostructures, appearance of hydrodynamic features and ablation of surface material with crater formation. Applying a small fraction (10%) of the second harmonic in dual-wavelength pulses, a modification of the 10×(Al/Ti)/Si system by a single laser pulse was reflected in the formation of wider and/or deeper craters. Numerical calculations show that the main physical mechanism in ablation process is normal evaporation without phase explosion. The calculated and experimental results agree relatively well for the whole irradiance range, what makes the model applicable to complex Al/Ti multilayer systems.

Well-Defined Surface Species [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Me3] Prepared by Direct Methylation of [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Cl3], a Catalyst for Cycloalkane Metathesis and Transformation of Ethylene to Propylene

KAUST Repository

Hamieh, Ali Imad Ali

2015-04-03

The silica-supported tungsten oxo-trimethyl complex [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Me3] was synthesized using a novel SOMC synthetic approach. By grafting the inexpensive stable compound WOCl4 on the surface of silica, partially dehydroxylated at 700 °C (SiO2-700), a well-defined monopodal surface complex [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Cl3] was produced. The supported complex directly methylated with ZnMe2 and transformed into [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Me3], which we fully characterized by microanalysis, IR, mass balance and SS NMR (1H, 13C, 1H-13C HETCOR, 1H-1H DQ and TQ). [(≡Si - O)W(=O)Me3] has two conformational isomers on the surface at room temperature. The conversion of one to the other was observed at 318 K by variable-temperature 13C CP/MAS and 1H spin echo MAS solid-state NMR; this was also confirmed by NMR and DFT calculations. [(≡Si - O)W(=O)Me3] was found to be active in cyclooctane metathesis and to have a wide distribution range in ring-contracted and ring-expanded products. In addition, [(≡Si - O)W(=O)Me3] proved to be highly active for selective transformation of ethylene to propylene compared to other silica-supported organometallic complexes. (Chemical Equation Presented). © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Well-Defined Surface Species [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Me3] Prepared by Direct Methylation of [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Cl3], a Catalyst for Cycloalkane Metathesis and Transformation of Ethylene to Propylene

KAUST Repository

Hamieh, Ali Imad Ali; Chen, Yin; Abdel-Azeim, Safwat; Abou-Hamad, Edy; Goh, Li Min Serena; Samantaray, Manoja; Dey, Raju; Cavallo, Luigi; Basset, Jean-Marie

2015-01-01

The silica-supported tungsten oxo-trimethyl complex [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Me3] was synthesized using a novel SOMC synthetic approach. By grafting the inexpensive stable compound WOCl4 on the surface of silica, partially dehydroxylated at 700 °C (SiO2-700), a well-defined monopodal surface complex [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Cl3] was produced. The supported complex directly methylated with ZnMe2 and transformed into [(≡Si - O -)W(=O)Me3], which we fully characterized by microanalysis, IR, mass balance and SS NMR (1H, 13C, 1H-13C HETCOR, 1H-1H DQ and TQ). [(≡Si - O)W(=O)Me3] has two conformational isomers on the surface at room temperature. The conversion of one to the other was observed at 318 K by variable-temperature 13C CP/MAS and 1H spin echo MAS solid-state NMR; this was also confirmed by NMR and DFT calculations. [(≡Si - O)W(=O)Me3] was found to be active in cyclooctane metathesis and to have a wide distribution range in ring-contracted and ring-expanded products. In addition, [(≡Si - O)W(=O)Me3] proved to be highly active for selective transformation of ethylene to propylene compared to other silica-supported organometallic complexes. (Chemical Equation Presented). © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Hydrogen activated axial inter-conversion in SiC nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruemmeli, Mark H.; Adebimpe, David B.; Borowiak-Palen, Ewa; Gemming, Thomas; Ayala, Paola; Ioannides, Nicholas; Pichler, Thomas; Huczko, Andrzej; Cudzilo, Stanislaw; Knupfer, Martin; Buechner, Bernd

2009-01-01

A facile low pressure annealing route using NH 3 as a hydrogen source for the structural and chemical modification of SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) is presented. The developed route transforms SiCNWs into tubular SiC nanostructures while coaxial SiO 2 /SiCNWs reverse their sheath/core structure. Our findings suggest a decomposition process induced via the preferential substitution of silicon by hydrogen and via the difference in diffusion rates of available atomic species, which leads to axial structural rearrangement. In addition to these effects, the procedure improves the crystallinity of the samples. The process could be exploited as a viable route to manipulate a variety of nanostructures and films for doping and etching and structural manipulation. - Graphical abstract: SiC and SiO 2 /SiCNWs are shown to be structurally modified through a hydrogen activated replacement route which can even lead to the axial inter-conversion of species. The process could be exploited as a viable route to manipulate a variety of nanostructures and films for doping and etching and structural manipulation

Role of thyroid in x-ray-induced oncogenic transformation in cell culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borek, C.

1982-01-01

This paper examines the role of thyroid hormones in x-ray-induced neoplastic transformation of C3H/10 T 1/2 cells. In addition, the delineation of the time when transformation is sensitive to T3, the dependence of transformation on T3 concentration, and the involvement of protein synthesis are studied. The results indicate that thyroid hormone plays a key role in the initiation of x-ray-induced neoplastic transformation and that induction of protein synthesis may mediate this response

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiNx/SiNy multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Xiaofan; Ma, Zhongyuan; Yang, Huafeng; Yu, Jie; Wang, Wen; Zhang, Wenping; Li, Wei; Xu, Jun; Xu, Ling; Chen, Kunji; Huang, Xinfan; Feng, Duan

2014-01-01

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiN x /SiN y multilayers with high on/off ratio of 10 9 . High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiNx/SiNy multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Xiaofan; Ma, Zhongyuan; Yang, Huafeng; Yu, Jie; Wang, Wen; Zhang, Wenping; Li, Wei; Xu, Jun; Xu, Ling; Chen, Kunji; Huang, Xinfan; Feng, Duan

2014-09-01

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiNx/SiNy multilayers with high on/off ratio of 109. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

Phase transformation in rapidly quenched Fe-Cr-Co-Mo-Ti-Si-B alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Zhukov, D. G.; Shubakov, V. S.; Zhukova, E. Kh; Gorshenkov, M. V.

2018-03-01

The research results of phase transformations in Fe-24Cr-16Co-3Mo-0.2Ti-1Si-B alloys (with a boron content of 1 to 3% by mass) obtained by rapid quenching are presented. The structure formation regularities during the melt spinning and during the subsequent crystallization annealing in rapidly quenched bands of the Fe-Cr-Co-Mo-Ti-Si-B system alloys were studied. The changes in the phase composition of the rapidly quenched Fe-Cr-Co-Mo-Ti- Si-B system alloys after quenching at various quench rates and at different boron concentrations in the alloys are studied. It is shown that during crystallization from an amorphous state, at temperatures above 570 °C, in addition to the α-phase, the σ-phase appears first, followed by the γ-phase. Heat treatment of rapidly quenched bands to high-coercive state was carried out. A qualitative assessment of magnetic properties in a high-coercivity state was carried out. An evaluation of the level of magnetic properties in a high-coercivity state allows us to conclude that the application of a magnetic field during crystallization from an amorphous state leads to anisotropy of the magnetic properties, that is, an anisotropic effect of thermo-magnetic treatment is detected.

Sign reversal of transformation entropy change in Co2Cr(Ga,Si) shape memory alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Xiao; Omori, Toshihiro; Kainuma, Ryosuke; Nagasako, Makoto; Kanomata, Takeshi

2015-01-01

In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and compression tests were performed on Co 2 Cr(Ga,Si) shape memory alloys. The reentrant martensitic transformation behavior was directly observed during the in situ XRD measurements. The high-temperature parent phase and low-temperature reentrant parent phase were found to have a continuous temperature dependence of lattice parameter, therefore suggesting that they are the same phase in nature. Moreover, compression tests were performed on a parent-phase single crystal sample; an evolution from normal to inverse temperature dependence of critical stress for martensitic transformation was directly observed. Based on the Clausius-Clapeyron analysis, a sign reversal of entropy change can be expected on the same alloy

Radiation-induced transformation in oncogene primed C3H/10T1/2 cells; a new system for analysis of multi-step transformation in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drozdoff, V.V.

1988-01-01

Several established rodent cell lines, such as C3H/10T1/2 fibroblasts, have been developed to study radiation and chemically-induced malignant transformation. Most experimental evidence has supported the idea that transformation in 10T1/2 cells involved at least two steps but that the apparent frequency of transformation depends on the density of plated cells. A new approach is presented here for studying radiation-induced transformation. An oncogene primed cell system (C3H-myc) was developed by introducing a constitutively active mouse c-myc gene into 10T1/2 cells. A primary goal was to determine if the introduction of an activated oncogene could substitute for one of the required steps in radiation-induced transformation. Results are presented that show that the expression of the exogenous myc gene significantly increased the frequency of radiation-induced transformation in these cells. Subculture experiments performed to analyze the kinetics of transformation in C3H-myc cells and reconstruction experiments allowing the effects of normal cells on radiation-induced transformants to be determined indicated that transformed cells arose very shortly after irradiation. These results support the conclusion that a radiation-induced event can complement the effect of myc in C3H-myc cells and directly result in transformation. This system thus provides an opportunity to isolate early steps in radiation-induced transformation and should facilitate the identification and analysis of these events

Effects of ionizing radiation on laser-induced damage in SiO/sub 2/

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soileau, M J; Mansour, N; Canto, E; Griscom, D L

1988-05-01

The effects of radiation damage on bulk laser-induced damage in SiO/sub 2/ were investigated. Samples studied included Spectrasil A, B, and WF (water free). Measurements of laser-induced breakdown were conducted with 532 and 1064 nm laser pulses of approximately 20 ns duration. Reductions of up to 40% in the laser-induced breakdown threshold were observed at 532 nm for samples exposed to 10/sup 8/ rad of ..gamma..-radiation. The decrease in breakdown threshold for irradiated SiO/sub 2/ samples at 532 nm was found to be proportional to the linear absorption of the specimen at 266 nm. These results are in good agreement with a proposed model which suggests that two-photon absorption initiated avalanche process is responsible for laser-induced breakdown for these materials.

Incubation and nanostructure formation on n- and p-type Si(1 0 0) and Si(1 1 1) at various doping levels induced by sub-nanojoule femto- and picosecond near-infrared laser pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schüle, M.; Afshar, M.; Feili, D.; Seidel, H.; König, K.; Straub, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Nanorifts, ripples of period 130 nm and randomly nanoporous surface structures were generated. • Such nanostructures emerged on heavily and lightly n- and p-doped Si(1 0 0) and Si(1 1 1) surfaces. • Strong incubation occurred irrespective of dopant type and concentration or surface orientation. • Incubation is attributed to photoexcitation from laser-induced defect states in the bandgap. • Aggregation of defects results in nanocracks, which turn into nanorift and nanoripple patterns. • Ablation involved predominantly single-photon processes but also multiphoton absorption. - Abstract: N- and p-doped Si(1 0 0) and Si(1 1 1) surfaces with dopant concentrations of 2 × 10 14 –1 × 10 19 cm −3 were irradiated by tightly focused 85-MHz repetition rate Ti:sapphire laser light (central wavelength 800 nm, bandwidth 120 nm) at pulse durations of 12 fs to 1.6 ps. Dependent on pulse peak intensity and exposure time nanorifts, ripples of period 130 nm as well as sponge-like randomly nanoporous surface structures were generated with water immersion and, thereafter, laid bare by etching off aggregated oxide nanoparticles. The same structure types emerged in air or water with transform-limited 100-fs pulses. At a pulse length of 12 fs pronounced incubation occurred with incubation coefficients S = 0.66–0.85, whereas incubation was diminished for picosecond pulses (S > 0.95). The ablation threshold strongly rose with dopant concentration. At similar doping level it was higher for n-type than for p-type samples and for Si(1 0 0) compared to Si(1 1 1) surfaces. These observations are attributed to laser-induced defect states in the bandgap which participate in photoexcitation, deactivation of dopants by complex formation, and different densities of interface states at the boundary with the ultrathin native silicon dioxide surface layer. The threshold increase with pulse length revealed predominant single-photon excitation as well as multiphoton

Alpha-particles induce preneoplastic transformation of rat tracheal epithelial cells in culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassen, D.G.; Seiler, F.A.; Shyr, L.-J.; Griffith, W.C.

1990-01-01

To characterize the potential role of high-l.e.t. radiation in respiratory carcinogenesis, the cytotoxic and transforming potency of 5.5 MeV α-particles from electroplated sources of 238 Pu were determined using primary cultures of rat tracheal epithelial cells. RBE for cell killing by α-particles versus X-rays varied with dose, and ranged between 4 and 1.5 for α doses in the range 0.2-4 Gy. At equally toxic doses (relative survival 0.18-0.2), all three agents induced similar frequencies of preneoplastic transformation. For preneoplastic transformation induced by doses of α- and X-radiations giving 80 per cent toxicity, an α RBE of 2.4 was derived. The similar RBEs for cell killing and for preneoplastic transformation suggest an association between the type or degree of radiation-induced damage responsible for both cell killing and cell transformation. (author)

Effects of Si on the microstructure, ordering transformation and properties of the Cu60Zn40 alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doostmohammadi, Hamid; Moridshahi, Hamid

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A duplex brass (Cu 60 Zn 40 ) was developed by additions of Si. • Phase fractions in the microstructure were changed and β phase was increased. • Microstructural changes were discussed by electron to atom ratio. • Dilatometric showed that Si increased the ordering temperature of β to β′. • The developed lead-free brass alloy can find application in machining. - Abstract: Effects of small additions of Si to Cu 60 Zn 40 on the properties, microstructure and phase transformation were investigated. It was found that Si promotes the formation of β′ phase and the microstructure of the alloys was changed from duplex α + β′ to single phase β′ brass. Electron to atom ratio was calculated and it was concluded that increment in this ratio led to a decrease in stacking fault energy which had an important role in reduction of the grain size as well microstructural variations in this study. The dilatomeric analysis showed that Si increased the ordering temperature of Cu 60 Zn 40 alloy. Finally, based on the properties, the Cu–Zn 40 –Si alloys are predicted to have the potential of being an alternative for free cutting leaded brass

CREEP-INDUCED STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN Ni-Si-B AMORPHOUS ALLOY

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jurikova, A.; Miskuf, J.; Csach, K.; Ocelik, V.

The influence of the stress annealing on the reversible structural relaxation of a Ni-Si-B amorphous ribbon was studied. Creep-induced structural changes in the amorphous structure were derived from anisothermal DSC and dilatometric experiments. It is demonstrated that considerable enthalpy and

Magneto-transport phenomena in metal/SiO2/n(p)-Si hybrid structures

Science.gov (United States)

Volkov, N. V.; Tarasov, A. S.; Rautskii, M. V.; Lukyanenko, A. V.; Bondarev, I. A.; Varnakov, S. N.; Ovchinnikov, S. G.

2018-04-01

Present review touches upon a subject of magnetotransport phenomena in hybrid structures which consist of ferromagnetic or nonmagnetic metal layer, layer of silicon oxide and silicon substrate with n- or p-type conductivity. Main attention will be paid to a number gigantic magnetotransport effects discovered in the devices fabricated on the base of the M/SiO2/n(p)-Si (M is ferromagnetic or paramagnetic metal) hybrid structures. These effects include bias induced dc magnetoresistance, gigantic magnetoimpedance, dc magnetoresistance induced by an optical irradiation and lateral magneto-photo-voltaic effect. The magnetoresistance ratio in ac and dc modes for some of our devices can exceed 106% in a magnetic field below 1 T. For lateral magneto-photo-voltaic effect, the relative change of photo-voltage in magnetic field can reach 103% at low temperature. Two types of mechanisms are responsible for sensitivity of the transport properties of the silicon based hybrid structures to magnetic field. One is related to transformation of the energy structure of the (donor) acceptor states including states near SiO2/n(p)-Si interface in magnetic field. Other mechanism is caused by the Lorentz force action. The features in behaviour of magnetotransport effects in concrete device depend on composition of the used structure, device topology and experimental conditions (bias voltage, optical radiation and others). Obtained results can be base for design of some electronic devices driven by a magnetic field. They can also provide an enhancement of the functionality for existing sensors.

Laser induced structural transformation in chalcogenide based superlattices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zallo, Eugenio, E-mail: zallo@pdi-berlin.de; Wang, Ruining; Bragaglia, Valeria; Calarco, Raffaella [Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin (Germany)

2016-05-30

Superlattices made of alternating layers of nominal GeTe and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} have been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. A structural irreversible transformation into ordered GeSbTe alloy is induced by high power laser light exposure. The intensity ratio of anti-Stokes and Stokes scattering under laser illumination gives a maximum average temperature in the sample of 177 °C. The latter is lower than the growth temperature and of 400 °C necessary by annealing to transform the structure in a GeSbTe alloy. The absence of this configuration after in situ annealing even up to 300 °C evidences an electronic excitation induced-transition which brings the system into a different and stable crystalline state.

Laser induced structural transformation in chalcogenide based superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zallo, Eugenio; Wang, Ruining; Bragaglia, Valeria; Calarco, Raffaella

2016-01-01

Superlattices made of alternating layers of nominal GeTe and Sb 2 Te 3 have been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy. A structural irreversible transformation into ordered GeSbTe alloy is induced by high power laser light exposure. The intensity ratio of anti-Stokes and Stokes scattering under laser illumination gives a maximum average temperature in the sample of 177 °C. The latter is lower than the growth temperature and of 400 °C necessary by annealing to transform the structure in a GeSbTe alloy. The absence of this configuration after in situ annealing even up to 300 °C evidences an electronic excitation induced-transition which brings the system into a different and stable crystalline state.

Additional evaluation of alpha induced neutron production nuclear data. 9Be, 27Al, 28,29,30Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murata, Toru; Shibata, Keiichi

2005-01-01

Alpha particle induced neutron production cross sections, emitted neutron energy spectrum and angular distributions were evaluated for the target nucleus 9 Be, 27 Al and Si isotopes; 28 Si, 29 Si and 30 Si in the incident energy region below 15 MeV. (author)

Mechanisms of aluminium-induced crystallization and layer exchange upon low-temperature annealing of amorphous Si/polycrystalline Al bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J Y; Wang, Z M; Jeurgens, L P H; Mittemeijer, E J

2009-06-01

Aluminium-induced crystallization (ALIC) of amorphous Si and subsequent layer exchange (ALILE) occur in amorphous-Si/polycrystalline-Al bilayers (a-Si/c-Al) upon annealing at temperatures as low as 165 degrees C and were studied by X-ray diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopic depth profiling. It follows that: (i) nucleation of Si crystallization is initiated at Al grain boundaries and not at the a-Si/c-Al interface; (ii) low-temperature annealing results in a large Si grain size in the continuous c-Si layer produced by ALILE. Thermodynamic model calculations show that: (i) Si can "wet" the Al grain boundaries due to the favourable a-Si/c-Al interface energy (as compared to the Al grain-boundary energy); (ii) the wetting-induced a-Si layer at the Al grain boundary can maintain its amorphous state only up to a critical thickness, beyond which nucleation of Si crystallization takes place; and (iii) a tiny driving force controls the kinetics of the layer exchange.

Electrically induced metastability in SI-GaAs studied by positron lifetime spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Y.L.; Beling, C.D.; Fung, S.; Ling, C.C.; Lui, M.K.; Mui, W.K.

2001-01-01

Recently, a room temperature electrically induced metastability in semi-insulating (SI)-GaAs has been reported in which the normally high resistance state of SI-GaAs converts into a low resistance state when breakdown electric fields are applied to the metal/Si-GaAs/metal system. The low resistance state persists when the electric field is lowered below the breakdown bias and as such may thus be considered as metastable state of the material. To clarify whether the high field breakdown has its origins in some atomic configurational change induced through high energy electron collisions we have employed positron lifetime spectroscopy. Lifetime spectra that have been taken at the same bias in both the high current and low current phases show that the positron lifetime in the metastable state has no change within the experimental error from that of the normal state, thus suggesting that the metastability is most likely of purely electronic origin. (orig.)

Total Ionizing Dose Effects of Si Vertical Diffused MOSFET with SiO2 and Si3N4/SiO2 Gate Dielectrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiongjiong Mo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The total ionizing dose irradiation effects are investigated in Si vertical diffused MOSFETs (VDMOSs with different gate dielectrics including single SiO2 layer and double Si3N4/SiO2 layer. Radiation-induced holes trapping is greater for single SiO2 layer than for double Si3N4/SiO2 layer. Dielectric oxidation temperature dependent TID effects are also studied. Holes trapping induced negative threshold voltage shift is smaller for SiO2 at lower oxidation temperature. Gate bias during irradiation leads to different VTH shift for different gate dielectrics. Single SiO2 layer shows the worst negative VTH at VG=0 V, while double Si3N4/SiO2 shows negative VTH shift at VG=-5 V, positive VTH shift at VG=10 V, and negligible VTH shift at VG=0 V.

Transformation-induced plasticity in multiphase steels subjected to thermomechanical loading

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tjahjanto, D.D.; Turteltaub, S.R.; Suiker, A.S.J.; Zwaag, van der S.

2008-01-01

The behaviour of transformation-induced plasticity steels subjected to combined thermomechanical loading is studied at the microscale by means of numerical simulations. The microstructure is composed of an austenitic phase that may deform plastically and/or transform into martensite, and a ferritic

Thin film pc-Si by aluminium induced crystallization on metallic substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cayron C.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Thin film polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si on flexible metallic substrates is promising for low cost production of photovoltaic solar cells. One of the attractive methods to produce pc-Si solar cells consists in thickening a large-grained seed layer by epitaxy. In this work, the deposited seed layer is made by aluminium induced crystallization (AIC of an amorphous silicon (a-Si thin film on metallic substrates (Ni/Fe alloy initially coated with a tantalum nitride (TaN conductive diffusion barrier layer. Effect of the thermal budget on the AIC grown pc-Si seed layer was investigated in order to optimize the process (i.e. the quality of the pc-Si thin film. Structural and optical characterizations were carried out using optical microscopy, μ-Raman and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD. At optimal thermal annealing conditions, the continuous AIC grown pc-Si thin film showed an average grain size around 15 μm. The grains were preferably (001 oriented which is favorable for its epitaxial thickening. This work proves the feasibility of the AIC method to grow large grains pc-Si seed layer on TaN coated metal substrates. These results are, in terms of grains size, the finest obtained by AIC on metallic substrates.

Evolution of Radiation Induced Defects in SiC: A Multiscale Simulation Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Hao

Because of various excellent properties, SiC has been proposed for many applications in nuclear reactors including cladding layers in fuel rod, fission products container in TRISO fuel, and first wall/blanket in magnetic controlled fusion reactors. Upon exposure to high energy radiation environments, point defects and defect clusters are generated in materials in amounts significantly exceeding their equilibrium concentrations. The accumulation of defects can lead to undesired consequences such as crystalline-to-amorphous transformation1, swelling, and embrittlement, and these phenomena can adversely affect the lifetime of SiC based components in nuclear reactors. It is of great importance to understand the accumulation process of these defects in order to estimate change in properties of this material and to design components with superior ability to withstand radiation damages. Defect clusters are widely in SiC irradiated at the operation temperatures of various reactors. These clusters are believed to cause more than half of the overall swelling of irradiated SiC and can potentially lead to lowered thermal conductivity and mechanical strength. It is critical to understand the formation and growth of these clusters. Diffusion of these clusters is one importance piece to determine the growth rate of clusters; however it is unclear so far due to the challenges in simulating rare events. Using a combination of kinetic Activation Relaxation Technique with empirical potential and ab initio based climbing image nudged elastic band method, I performed an extensive search of the migration paths of the most stable carbon tri-interstitial cluster in SiC. This research reveals paths with the lowest energy barriers to migration, rotation, and dissociation of the most stable cluster. Based on these energy barriers, I concluded defect clusters are thermally immobile at temperatures lower than 1500 K and can dissociate into smaller clusters and single interstitials at

Annealing study on radiation-induced defects in 6H-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinheiro, M.V.B.; Lingner, T.; Caudepon, F.; Greulich-Weber, S.; Spaeth, J.M.

2004-01-01

We present the results of a systematic isochronal annealing investigation of vacancy-related defects in electron-irradiated n-type 6H-SiC:N. A series of 10 samples cut from a commercial wafer and annealed up to 1200 C after electron-irradiation (1.5 x 10 18 cm -3 ) was characterized with photoluminescence (PL), Magnetic circular dichroism of the absorption (MCDA) and conventional electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Apart from less stable triplet-related defects which vanished between 150 C and 300 C, the thermal behavior of three radiation-induced defects was studied: the silicon vacancy (V Si ), the carbon-antisite-carbon-vacancy pair (C Si -V C ) and the D1 center. Their annealing behavior showed that the destruction of the isolated V Si between 750 C and 900 C is followed by the formation of thermally more stable C Si -V C pairs, a result that has been theoretically predicted recently. By further heating the samples the C Si -V C pairs are annealed out between 900 C and 1050 C and were followed by an increase in the D1 center concentration. (orig.)

Induced over voltage test on transformers using enhanced Z-source inverter based circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Peter, Geno; Sherine, Anli

2017-09-01

The normal life of a transformer is well above 25 years. The economical operation of the distribution system has its roots in the equipments being used. The economy being such, that it is financially advantageous to replace transformers with more than 15 years of service in the second perennial market. Testing of transformer is required, as its an indication of the extent to which a transformer can comply with the customers specified requirements and the respective standards (IEC 60076-3). In this paper, induced over voltage testing on transformers using enhanced Z source inverter is discussed. Power electronic circuits are now essential for a whole array of industrial electronic products. The bulky motor generator set, which is used to generate the required frequency to conduct the induced over voltage testing of transformers is nowadays replaced by static frequency converter. First conventional Z-source inverter, and second an enhanced Z source inverter is being used to generate the required voltage and frequency to test the transformer for induced over voltage test, and its characteristics is analysed.

Silencing Histone Deacetylase 7 Alleviates Transforming Growth Factor-β1-Induced Profibrotic Responses in Fibroblasts Derived from Peyronie’s Plaque

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong Hyuk Kang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Epigenetic modifications, such as histone acetylation/deacetylation and DNA methylation, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders and fibrotic diseases. The aim of this study was to study the differential gene expression of histone deacetylases (HDACs in fibroblasts isolated from plaque tissue of Peyronie’s disease (PD or normal tunica albuginea (TA and to examine the anti-fibrotic effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA-mediated silencing of HDAC7 in fibroblasts derived from human PD plaque. Materials and Methods: For differential gene expression study, we performed reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for HDAC isoforms (1–11 in fibroblasts isolated from PD plaque or normal TA. Fibroblasts isolated from PD plaque were pretreated with HDAC7 siRNA (100 pmol and then stimulated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1, 10 ng/mL. Protein was extracted from treated fibroblasts for Western blotting. We also performed immunocytochemistry to detect the expression of extracellular matrix proteins and to examine the effect of HDAC2 siRNA on the TGF-β1-induced nuclear translocation of Smad2/3 and myofibroblastic differentiation. Results: The mRNA expression of HDAC2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11 was higher in fibroblasts isolated from PD plaque than in fibroblasts isolated from normal TA tissue. Knockdown of HDAC7 in PD fibroblasts inhibited TGF-β1-induced nuclear shuttle of Smad2 and Smad3, transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, and abrogated TGF-β1-induced production of extracellular matrix protein. Conclusions: These findings suggest that specific inhibition of HDAC7 with RNA interference may represent a promising epigenetic therapy for PD.

AFM and FTIR characterization of microcrystalline Si obtained from isothermal annealing of Al/a-Si:H

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rojas-Lopez, M.; Orduna-Diaz, A.; Delgado-Macuil, R. [Centro de Investigacion en Biotecnologia Aplicada (CIBA), IPN, Tlaxcala, Tlax. 72197 (Mexico); Olvera-Hernandez, J. [Centro de Investigacion en Dispositivos Semiconductores (CIDS), BUAP, Puebla, Pue. 72570 (Mexico); Navarro-Contreras, H.; Vidal, M.A.; Saucedo, N.; Mendez-Garcia, V.H. [Instituto de Investigacion en Comunicacion Optica (IICO), UASLP, San Luis Potosi, S.L.P. 78100 (Mexico)

2007-04-15

Atomic force microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to investigate the morphology of the microcrystalline surface, and also the amorphous-crystalline structural transformation of a-Si:H films, isothermally annealed during several hours. Crystallization process was strongly influenced by the deposition of an Al layer on the surface of a-Si:H samples. Representative AFM images show the presence of grains, which increase in diameter with the annealing time. Relative crystallized fraction as a function of the annealing time can be described adequately by using the Avrami equation. The kinetic of this crystallization process suggest a two-dimensional growth of the Si nuclei. Fourier transform infrared measurements show the presence of an intense band near 512 cm{sup -1} associated to Si-Si bonding. We observed the relative diminishing of the intensity of the Si-H wagging mode at 694 cm{sup -1} with annealing time, suggesting effusion of hydrogen to the surface of microcrystalline films. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Structural transformations in MoOx thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camacho-Lopez, M.A.; Haro-Poniatowski, E.; Escobar-Alarcon, L.

2004-01-01

In this work, laser-induced crystallization in MoO x thin films (1.8≤x≤2.1) is reported. This transformation involves a MoO x oxidation and subsequently a crystallization process from amorphous MoO 3 to crystalline αMoO 3 . For comparison purposes crystallization is induced thermally, in an oven, as well. The crystallization kinetics is monitored by Raman spectroscopy; a threshold in the energy density necessary to induce the phase transformation is determined in the case of photo-crystallization. This threshold depends on the type of substrate on which the film is deposited. For the thin films deposited on glass substrates, the structural transformation is from amorphous MoO x to the thermodynamically stable αMoO 3 crystalline phase. For the thin films deposited on Si(100) the structural transformation is from amorphous MoO x to a mixture of αMoO 3 and the thermodynamically unstable βMoO 3 crystalline phases. The structural transformations are also characterized by scanning electron microscopy and light-transmission experiments. (orig.)

Valence band variation in Si (110) nanowire induced by a covered insulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong-Hua, Xu; Xiao-Yan, Liu; Yu-Hui, He; Gang, Du; Ru-Qi, Han; Jin-Feng, Kang; Chun, Fan; Ai-Dong, Sun

2010-01-01

In this work, we investigate strain effects induced by the deposition of gate dielectrics on the valence band structures in Si (110) nanowire via the simulation of strain distribution and the calculation of a generalized 6×6k·p strained valence band. The nanowire is surrounded by the gate dielectric. Our simulation indicates that the strain of the amorphous SiO 2 insulator is negligible without considering temperature factors. On the other hand, the thermal residual strain in a nanowire with amorphous SiO 2 insulator which has negligible lattice misfit strain pushes the valence subbands upwards by chemical vapour deposition and downwards by thermal oxidation treatment. In contrast with the strain of the amorphous SiO 2 insulator, the strain of the HfO 2 gate insulator in Si (110) nanowire pushes the valence subbands upwards remarkably. The thermal residual strain by HfO 2 insulator contributes to the up-shifting tendency. Our simulation results for valence band shifting and warping in Si nanowires can provide useful guidance for further nanowire device design. (classical areas of phenomenology)

Polyethylenimine-based siRNA nanocomplexes reprogram tumor-associated dendritic cells via TLR5 to elicit therapeutic antitumor immunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cubillos-Ruiz, Juan R; Engle, Xavier; Scarlett, Uciane K; Martinez, Diana; Barber, Amorette; Elgueta, Raul; Wang, Li; Nesbeth, Yolanda; Durant, Yvon; Gewirtz, Andrew T; Sentman, Charles L; Kedl, Ross; Conejo-Garcia, Jose R

2009-08-01

The success of clinically relevant immunotherapies requires reversing tumor-induced immunosuppression. Here we demonstrated that linear polyethylenimine-based (PEI-based) nanoparticles encapsulating siRNA were preferentially and avidly engulfed by regulatory DCs expressing CD11c and programmed cell death 1-ligand 1 (PD-L1) at ovarian cancer locations in mice. PEI-siRNA uptake transformed these DCs from immunosuppressive cells to efficient antigen-presenting cells that activated tumor-reactive lymphocytes and exerted direct tumoricidal activity, both in vivo and in situ. PEI triggered robust and selective TLR5 activation in vitro and elicited the production of hallmark TLR5-inducible cytokines in WT mice, but not in Tlr5-/- littermates. Thus, PEI is a TLR5 agonist that, to our knowledge, was not previously recognized. In addition, PEI-complexed nontargeting siRNA oligonucleotides stimulated TLR3 and TLR7. The nonspecific activation of multiple TLRs (specifically, TLR5 and TLR7) reversed the tolerogenic phenotype of human and mouse ovarian tumor-associated DCs. In ovarian carcinoma-bearing mice, this induced T cell-mediated tumor regression and prolonged survival in a manner dependent upon myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88; i.e., independent of TLR3). Furthermore, gene-specific siRNA-PEI nanocomplexes that silenced immunosuppressive molecules on mouse tumor-associated DCs elicited discernibly superior antitumor immunity and enhanced therapeutic effects compared with nontargeting siRNA-PEI nanocomplexes. Our results demonstrate that the intrinsic TLR5 and TLR7 stimulation of siRNA-PEI nanoparticles synergizes with the gene-specific silencing activity of siRNA to transform tumor-infiltrating regulatory DCs into DCs capable of promoting therapeutic antitumor immunity.

Characteristics of radiation-induced neoplastic transformation in vitro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Little, J.B.

1986-01-01

Data are presented to support the hypothesis that the initial step in the morphologic transformation of irradiated rodent (BALB/3T3) cells is a frequent cellular event involving a large fraction of the irradiated population. This process appears to involve DNA damage, but not to represent a targeted mutation in specific structural gene(s). Morphologic transformation and immortalization appear to be distinct steps in the overall process of transformation. In contradistinction to rodent cells, immortalization is a very rare event in human diploid cells which is induced at extremely low frequencies. The hypothesis is presented that immortality develops among clones of cells bearing stable chromosomal rearrangements which emerge during the proliferation of a population of radiation damaged cells.

The Investigation of Strain-Induced Martensite Reverse Transformation in AISI 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Cios, G.; Tokarski, T.; Żywczak, A.; Dziurka, R.; Stępień, M.; Gondek, Ł.; Marciszko, M.; Pawłowski, B.; Wieczerzak, K.; Bała, P.

2017-10-01

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the strain-induced martensitic transformation and reversion transformation of the strain-induced martensite in AISI 304 stainless steel using a number of complementary techniques such as dilatometry, calorimetry, magnetometry, and in-situ X-ray diffraction, coupled with high-resolution microstructural transmission Kikuchi diffraction analysis. Tensile deformation was applied at temperatures between room temperature and 213 K (-60 °C) in order to obtain a different volume fraction of strain-induced martensite (up to 70 pct). The volume fraction of the strain-induced martensite, measured by the magnetometric method, was correlated with the total elongation, hardness, and linear thermal expansion coefficient. The thermal expansion coefficient, as well as the hardness of the strain-induced martensitic phase was evaluated. The in-situ thermal treatment experiments showed unusual changes in the kinetics of the reverse transformation (α' → γ). The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the reverse transformation may be stress assisted—strains inherited from the martensitic transformation may increase its kinetics at the lower annealing temperature range. More importantly, the transmission Kikuchi diffraction measurements showed that the reverse transformation of the strain-induced martensite proceeds through a displacive, diffusionless mechanism, maintaining the Kurdjumov-Sachs crystallographic relationship between the martensite and the reverted austenite. This finding is in contradiction to the results reported by other researchers for a similar alloy composition.

Pressure-induced transformations in computer simulations of glassy water

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Janet; Starr, Francis W.; Giovambattista, Nicolas

2013-11-01

Glassy water occurs in at least two broad categories: low-density amorphous (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) solid water. We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study the transformations of glassy water using the ST2 model. Specifically, we study the known (i) compression-induced LDA-to-HDA, (ii) decompression-induced HDA-to-LDA, and (iii) compression-induced hexagonal ice-to-HDA transformations. We study each transformation for a broad range of compression/decompression temperatures, enabling us to construct a "P-T phase diagram" for glassy water. The resulting phase diagram shows the same qualitative features reported from experiments. While many simulations have probed the liquid-state phase behavior, comparatively little work has examined the transitions of glassy water. We examine how the glass transformations relate to the (first-order) liquid-liquid phase transition previously reported for this model. Specifically, our results support the hypothesis that the liquid-liquid spinodal lines, between a low-density and high-density liquid, are extensions of the LDA-HDA transformation lines in the limit of slow compression. Extending decompression runs to negative pressures, we locate the sublimation lines for both LDA and hyperquenched glassy water (HGW), and find that HGW is relatively more stable to the vapor. Additionally, we observe spontaneous crystallization of HDA at high pressure to ice VII. Experiments have also seen crystallization of HDA, but to ice XII. Finally, we contrast the structure of LDA and HDA for the ST2 model with experiments. We find that while the radial distribution functions (RDFs) of LDA are similar to those observed in experiments, considerable differences exist between the HDA RDFs of ST2 water and experiment. The differences in HDA structure, as well as the formation of ice VII (a tetrahedral crystal), are a consequence of ST2 overemphasizing the tetrahedral character of water.

Evolution of a novel Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P alloy in Al-Si melt and its influence on microstructure and properties of high-Si Al-Si alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-Lu Zhou

Full Text Available A novel Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy has been developed to refine primary Si to 14.7 ± 1.3 μm, distributed uniformly in Al-27Si alloy. Comparing with traditional Cu-14P and Al-3P, Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P provided a much better refining effect, with in-situ highly active AlP. The refined Al-27Si alloy exhibited a CTE of 16.25 × 10−6/K which is slightly higher than that of Sip/Al composites fabricated by spray deposition. The UTS and elongation of refined Al-27Si alloy were increased by 106% and 235% comparing with those of unrefined alloy. It indicates that the novel Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P alloy is more suitable for high-Si Al-Si alloys and may be a candidate for refining hypereutectic Al-Si alloy for electronic packaging applications. Moreover, studies showed that TiP is the only P-containing phase in Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy. A core-shell reaction model was established to reveal mechanism of the transformation of TiP to AlP in Al-Si melts. The transformation is a liquid-solid diffusion reaction driven by chemical potential difference and the reaction rate is controlled by diffusion. It means sufficient holding time is necessary for Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy to achieve better refining effect. Keywords: Hypereutectic Al-Si alloy, Primary Si, Refinement, AlP, Thermal expansion behavior, Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy

In vitro cell transformation induced by synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontana, Caroline; Kirsch, Anaïs; Seidel, Carole; Marpeaux, Léa; Darne, Christian; Gaté, Laurent; Remy, Aurélie; Guichard, Yves

2017-11-01

Synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles (SAS) are among the most widely produced and used nanomaterials, but little is known about their carcinogenic potential. This study aims to evaluate the ability of four different SAS, two precipitated, NM-200 and NM-201, and two pyrogenic, NM-202 and NM-203, to induce the transformation process. For this, we used the recently developed in vitro Bhas 42 cell transformation assay (CTA). The genome of the transgenic Bhas 42 cells contains several copies of the v-Ha-ras gene, making them particularly sensitive to tumor-promoter agents. The Bhas 42 CTA, which includes an initiation assay and a promotion assay, was validated in our laboratory using known soluble carcinogenic substances. Its suitability for particle-type substances was verified by using quartz Min-U-Sil 5 (Min-U-Sil) and diatomaceous earth (DE) microparticles. As expected given their known transforming properties, Min-U-Sil responded positively in the Bhas 42 CTA and DE responded negatively. Transformation assays were performed with SAS at concentrations ranging from 2μg/cm 2 to 80μg/cm 2 . Results showed that all SAS have the capacity to induce transformed foci, interestingly only in the promotion assay, suggesting a mode of action similar to tumor-promoter substances. NM-203 exhibited transforming activity at a lower concentration than the other SAS. In conclusion, this study showed for the first time the transforming potential of different SAS, which act as tumor-promoter substances in the Bhas 42 model of cell transformation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Deformation induced martensitic transformation in stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagy, E.; Mertinger, V.; Tranta, F.; Solyom, J.

2003-01-01

Deformation induced martensitic transformation was investigated in metastable austenitic stainless steel. This steel can present a microstructure of austenite (γ), α' martensite and non magnetic ε martensite. Uni-axial tensile test was used for loading at different temperatures below room temperature (from -120 to 20 deg. C). During the deformation the transformation takes place at certain places in an anisotropic way and texture also develops. Quantitative phase analysis was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic methods while the texture was described by X-ray diffraction using a special inverse pole figure. The quantitative phase analysis has shown that the formation of α' and ε martensite from austenite is the function of deformation rate, and deformation temperature. The transformation of the textured austenite takes place in an anisotropic way and a well defined crystallographic relationship between the parent and α' martensite phase has been measured

Ion induced intermixing and consequent effects on the leakage currents in HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}/Si systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manikanthababu, N.; Saikiran, V.; Pathak, A.P.; Rao, S.V.S.N. [University of Hyderabad, School of Physics, Hyderabad (India); Chan, T.K.; Vajandar, S.; Osipowicz, T. [National University of Singapore, Department of Physics, Centre for Ion Beam Applications (CIBA), Singapore (Singapore)

2017-05-15

Atomic layer deposited (ALD) samples with layer stacks of HfO{sub 2} (3 nm)/SiO{sub 2} (0.7 nm)/Si were subjected to 120 MeV Au ion irradiation at different fluences to study intermixing effects across the HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} interface. High-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (HRBS) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements confirm an increase in the interlayer thickness as a result of SHI induced intermixing effects. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements reveal an order of magnitude difference in the leakage current density between the pristine and irradiated samples. This can be explained by considering the increased physical thickness of interlayer (HfSiO). Furthermore, the samples were subjected to rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process to analyze annealing kinetics. (orig.)

Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of transformation-sensitive polypeptides during chemically, spontaneously, and oncogene-induced transformation of rat liver epithelial cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wirth, P J; Luo, L D; Fujimoto, Y

1992-01-01

; AFB), spontaneously, and oncogene (v-Ha-ras, v-raf, and v-myc/v-raf)-induced transformation of RLE cells. Two-dimensional mapping of [35S]methionine-labeled whole cell lysate, cell-free in vitro translation products and [32P]orthophosphate-labeled polypeptides revealed subsets of polypeptides specific...... for each transformation modality. A search of the RLE protein database indicated the specific subcellular location for the majority of these transformation-sensitive proteins. Significant alterations in the expression of the extracellular matrix protein, fibronectin, as well as tropomyosin......- and intermediate filament-related polypeptides (vimentin, beta-tubulin, the cytokeratins, and actin) were observed among the various transformant cell lines. Immunoprecipitation and Western immunoblot analysis of tropomyosin expression in four individual AFB-, as well as four spontaneously induced, and each...

Enhanced relaxation of strained Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} layers induced by Co/Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} thermal reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ridgway, M.C.; Elliman, R.G.; Rao, M.R. [Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia); Baribeau, J.M. [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

1993-12-31

Enhanced relaxation of strained Ge{sub x}Si{sub l-x} layers during the formation of CoSi{sub 2} by Co/Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} thermal reaction has been observed. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to monitor the extent of relaxation. Possible mechanisms responsible for the enhanced relaxation, including metal-induced dislocation nucleation, chemical and/or structural inhomogeneities at the reacted layer/Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} interface and point defect injection due to silicide formation will be discussed. Also, methodologies for inhibiting relaxation will be presented. 11 refs., 1 fig.

Enhanced relaxation of strained Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} layers induced by Co/Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} thermal reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ridgway, M C; Elliman, R G; Rao, M R [Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia); Baribeau, J M [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

1994-12-31

Enhanced relaxation of strained Ge{sub x}Si{sub l-x} layers during the formation of CoSi{sub 2} by Co/Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} thermal reaction has been observed. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to monitor the extent of relaxation. Possible mechanisms responsible for the enhanced relaxation, including metal-induced dislocation nucleation, chemical and/or structural inhomogeneities at the reacted layer/Ge{sub x}Si{sub 1-x} interface and point defect injection due to silicide formation will be discussed. Also, methodologies for inhibiting relaxation will be presented. 11 refs., 1 fig.

Xenon-ion-induced and thermal mixing of Co/Si bilayers and their interplay

Science.gov (United States)

Novaković, M.; Zhang, K.; Popović, M.; Bibić, N.; Hofsäss, H.; Lieb, K. P.

2011-05-01

Studies on ion-irradiated transition-metal/silicon bilayers demonstrate that interface mixing and silicide phase formation depend sensitively on the ion and film parameters, including the structure of the metal/Si interface. Thin Co layers e-gun evaporated to a thickness of 50 nm on Si(1 0 0) wafers were bombarded at room temperature with 400-keV Xe + ions at fluences of up to 3 × 10 16 cm -2. We used either crystalline or pre-amorphized Si wafers the latter ones prepared by 1.0-keV Ar-ion implantation. The as-deposited or Xe-ion-irradiated samples were then isochronally annealed at temperatures up to 700 °C. Changes of the bilayer structures induced by ion irradiation and/or annealing were investigated with RBS, XRD and HRTEM. The mixing rate for the Co/c-Si couples, Δ σ2/ Φ = 3.0(4) nm 4, is higher than the value expected for ballistic mixing and about half the value typical for spike mixing. Mixing of pre-amorphized Si is much weaker relative to crystalline Si wafers, contrary to previous results obtained for Fe/Si bilayers. Annealing of irradiated samples produces very similar interdiffusion and phase formation patterns above 400 °C as in the non-irradiated Co/Si bilayers: the phase evolution follows the sequence Co 2Si → CoSi → CoSi 2.

Xenon-ion-induced and thermal mixing of Co/Si bilayers and their interplay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novakovic, M.; Zhang, K.; Popovic, M.; Bibic, N.; Hofsaess, H.; Lieb, K.P.

2011-01-01

Studies on ion-irradiated transition-metal/silicon bilayers demonstrate that interface mixing and silicide phase formation depend sensitively on the ion and film parameters, including the structure of the metal/Si interface. Thin Co layers e-gun evaporated to a thickness of 50 nm on Si(1 0 0) wafers were bombarded at room temperature with 400-keV Xe + ions at fluences of up to 3 x 10 16 cm -2 . We used either crystalline or pre-amorphized Si wafers the latter ones prepared by 1.0-keV Ar-ion implantation. The as-deposited or Xe-ion-irradiated samples were then isochronally annealed at temperatures up to 700 o C. Changes of the bilayer structures induced by ion irradiation and/or annealing were investigated with RBS, XRD and HRTEM. The mixing rate for the Co/c-Si couples, Δσ 2 /Φ = 3.0(4) nm 4 , is higher than the value expected for ballistic mixing and about half the value typical for spike mixing. Mixing of pre-amorphized Si is much weaker relative to crystalline Si wafers, contrary to previous results obtained for Fe/Si bilayers. Annealing of irradiated samples produces very similar interdiffusion and phase formation patterns above 400 o C as in the non-irradiated Co/Si bilayers: the phase evolution follows the sequence Co 2 Si → CoSi → CoSi 2 .

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells, mediated by a long non-coding RNA, HOTAIR, are involved in cell malignant transformation induced by cigarette smoke extract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yi; Luo, Fei; Xu, Yuan; Wang, Bairu; Zhao, Yue; Xu, Wenchao; Shi, Le; Lu, Xiaolin; Liu, Qizhan

2015-01-01

The incidence of lung diseases, including cancer, caused by cigarette smoke is increasing, but the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation induced by cigarette smoke remain unclear. This report describes a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that is induced by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and experiments utilizing lncRNAs to integrate inflammation with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. The present study shows that, induced by CSE, IL-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, leads to activation of STAT3, a transcription activator. A ChIP assay determined that the interaction of STAT3 with the promoter regions of HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) increased levels of HOTAIR. Blocking of IL-6 with anti-IL-6 antibody, decreasing STAT3, and inhibiting STAT3 activation reduced HOTAIR expression. Moreover, for HBE cells cultured in the presence of HOTAIR siRNA for 24 h, the CSE-induced EMT, formation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and malignant transformation were reversed. Thus, IL-6, acting on STAT3 signaling, which up-regulates HOTAIR in an autocrine manner, contributes to the EMT and to CSCs induced by CSE. These data define a link between inflammation and EMT, processes involved in the malignant transformation of cells caused by CSE. This link, mediated through lncRNAs, establishes a mechanism for CSE-induced lung carcinogenesis. - Highlights: • STAT3 directly regulates the levels of LncRNA HOTAIR. • LncRNA HOTAIR mediates the link between inflammation and EMT. • LncRNA HOTAIR is involved in the malignant transformation of cells caused by CSE

The Study of Phase Transformations of AlSi9Cu3 Alloy by DSC Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piątkowski J.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available With the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, the characteristic temperatures and enthalpy of phase transformations were defined for commercial AlSi9Cu3 cast alloy (EN AC-46000 that is being used for example for pressurized castings for automotive industry. During the heating with the speed of 10°C·min−1 two endothermic effects has been observed. The first appears at the temperature between 495 °C and 534 °C, and the other between 555 °C and 631 °C. With these reactions the phase transformation enthalpy comes up as +6 J g−1 and +327 J g−1. During the cooling with the same speed, three endothermic reactions were observed at the temperatures between 584 °C and 471 °C. The total enthalpy of the transitions is – 348 J g−1.

Inhibition of radiation-induced transformation in vitro by bacterial endotoxins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carew, J.A.; Collins, M.F.; Kennedy, A.R.

1988-01-01

Bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides) were found to suppress X-ray-induced malignant transformation of C3H/10T1/2 cells. Endotoxins were effective if present either throughout the 6-week transformation assay period, or for the final 4-week phase, but not when present only for the initial 2-week phase. Neither growth nor survival of C3H/10T1/2 cells, or a radiation-transformed cell line derived from them, were affected by endotoxins. Also, the endotoxins did not affect the formation of foci by the radiation transformed cells when these cells were co-cultured with untransformed cells. These results suggest that endotoxins exert their effect directly upon the transformation process itself, perhaps at a 'late' step in the conversion of an untransformed to a transformed cell. (author)

Inhibition of radiation-induced transformation in vitro by bacterial endotoxins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carew, J A; Collins, M F; Kennedy, A R

1988-05-01

Bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharides) were found to suppress X-ray-induced malignant transformation of C3H/10T1/2 cells. Endotoxins were effective if present either throughout the 6-week transformation assay period, or for the final 4-week phase, but not when present only for the initial 2-week phase. Neither growth nor survival of C3H/10T1/2 cells, or a radiation-transformed cell line derived from them, were affected by endotoxins. Also, the endotoxins did not affect the formation of foci by the radiation transformed cells when these cells were co-cultured with untransformed cells. These results suggest that endotoxins exert their effect directly upon the transformation process itself, perhaps at a 'late' step in the conversion of an untransformed to a transformed cell.

Investigation of strain-induced martensitic transformation in metastable austenite using nanoindentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, T.-H.; Oh, C.-S.; Kim, D.H.; Oh, K.H.; Bei, H.; George, E.P.; Han, H.N.

2010-01-01

Strain-induced martensitic transformation of metastable austenite was investigated by nanoindentation of individual austenite grains in multi-phase steel. A cross-section prepared through one of these indented regions using focused ion beam milling was examined by transmission electron microscopy. The presence of martensite underneath the indent indicates that the pop-ins observed on the load-displacement curve during nanoindentation correspond to the onset of strain-induced martensitic transformation. The pop-ins can be understood as resulting from the selection of a favorable martensite variant during nanoindentation.

Investigation of Strain-Induced Martensitic Transformation in Metastable Austenite using Nanoindentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, T.-H. [Seoul National University; Oh, C.-S. [Korean Institute of Materials Science; Kim, D. H. [Seoul National University; Oh, K. H. [Seoul National University; Bei, Hongbin [ORNL; George, Easo P [ORNL; Han, H. N. [Seoul National University

2010-01-01

Strain-induced martensitic transformation of metastable austenite was investigated by nanoindentation of individual austenite grains in multi-phase steel. A cross-section prepared through one of these indented regions using focused ion beam milling was examined by transmission electron microscopy. The presence of martensite underneath the indent indicates that the pop-ins observed on the load-displacement curve during nanoindentation correspond to the onset of strain-induced martensitic transformation. The pop-ins can be understood as resulting from the selection of a favorable martensite variant during nanoindentation.

Pressure-induced ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase transformation in porous PZT95/5 ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, T.; Dong, X.L.; Chen, X.F.; Yao, C.H.; He, H.L.

2007-01-01

The hydrostatic pressure-induced ferroelectric to antiferroelectric (FE-AFE) phase transformation of PZT95/5 ceramics was investigated as a function of porosity, pore shape and pore size. FE-AFE phase transformations were more diffuse and occurred at lower hydrostatic pressures with increasing porosity. The porous PZT95/5 ceramics with spherical pores exhibited higher transformation pressures than those with irregular pores. Moreover, FE-AFE phase transformations of porous PZT95/5 ceramics with polydisperse irregular pores were more diffuse than those of porous PZT95/5 ceramics with monodisperse irregular pores. The relation between pore structure and hydrostatic pressure-induced FE-AFE transformation was established according to stress concentration theory. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Electron microscopy study of Ni induced crystallization in amorphous Si thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radnóczi, G. Z.; Battistig, G.; Pécz, B.; Dodony, E.; Vouroutzis, N.; Stoemenos, J.; Frangis, N.; Kovács, A.

2015-01-01

The crystallization of amorphous silicon is studied by transmission electron microscopy. The effect of Ni on the crystallization is studied in a wide temperature range heating thinned samples in-situ inside the microscope. Two cases of limited Ni source and unlimited Ni source are studied and compared. NiSi 2 phase started to form at a temperature as low as 250°C in the limited Ni source case. In-situ observation gives a clear view on the crystallization of silicon through small NiSi 2 grain formation. The same phase is observed at the crystallization front in the unlimited Ni source case, where a second region is also observed with large grains of Ni 3 Si 2 . Low temperature experiments show, that long annealing of amorphous silicon at 410 °C already results in large crystallized Si regions due to the Ni induced crystallization

Effect of addition of V and C on strain recovery characteristics in Fe-Mn-Si alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Chengxin; Wang Guixin; Wu Yandong; Liu Qingsuo; Zhang Jianjun

2006-01-01

Shape recoverable strain, recovery stress and low-temperature stress relaxation characteristics in an Fe-17Mn-5Si-10Cr-4Ni (0.08C) alloy and an Fe-17Mn-2Cr-5Si-2Ni-1V (0.23C) alloy have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and measurement of recoverable strain and recovery stress. The amount of stress-induced ε martensite under tensile deformation at room temperature, recoverable strain and recovery stress are increased obviously with addition V and C in Fe-Mn-Si alloy, which is owing to the influence of addition V and C on strengthening austenitic matrix. Addition of V and C in Fe-Mn-Si alloy is evidently effective to reduce the degree of low-temperature stress relaxation, for the dispersed VC particles 50-180 nm in size precipitated during annealing restrain the stress induced martensitic transformation

Dose dependence of radiation-induced segregation in Ni-1 at% Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehn, L.E.; Okamoto, P.R.; Wiedersich, H.

1979-01-01

Measurements have been made of alloy composition as a function of depth from the external surface in Ni-1 at% Si specimens after irradiation with 3-MeV 58 Ni + ions to several different doses at nominal temperatures of 525 and 600 0 C. Very rapid segregation of Si toward the external surface ocurred during irradiation. Surface concentrations of Si in excess of the 10 at% solubility limit were found at both irradiation temperatures after a dose of only approximately 0.05 dpa. The rate of segregation decreased markedly in the dose range from approximately 1-10 dpa. Qualitative agreement was found between the experimental observations and calculations made using a modified Johnson-Lam segregation mode (1976). The present investigation suggests that radiation-induced segregation may significantly alter the mechanical behavior of irradiated alloys long before the onset of void swelling. (Auth.)

Electron backscatter diffraction studies of focused ion beam induced phase transformation in cobalt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, H.G., E-mail: helen.jones@npl.co.uk [National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW (United Kingdom); Day, A.P. [Aunt Daisy Scientific Ltd, Claremont House, High St, Lydney GL15 5DX (United Kingdom); Cox, D.C. [National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW (United Kingdom); Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2016-10-15

A focused ion beam microscope was used to induce cubic to hexagonal phase transformation in a cobalt alloy, of similar composition to that of the binder phase in a hardmetal, in a controlled manner at 0°, 45° and 80° ion incident angles. The cobalt had an average grain size of ~ 20 μm, allowing multiple orientations to be studied, exposed to a range of doses between 6 × 10{sup 7} and 2 × 10{sup 10} ions/μm{sup 2}. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to determine the original and induced phase orientations, and area fractions, before and after the ion beam exposure. On average, less phase transformation was observed at higher incident angles and after lower ion doses. However there was an orientation effect where grains with an orientation close to (111) planes were most susceptible to phase transformation, and (101) the least, where grains partially and fully transformed at varying ion doses. - Highlights: •Ion-induced phase change in FCC cobalt was observed at multiple incidence angles. •EBSD was used to study the relationship between grain orientation and transformation. •Custom software analysed ion dose and phase change with respect to grain orientation. •A predictive capability of ion-induced phase change in cobalt was enabled.

Preparation, characterization and infrared emissivity study of helical polyurethane-SiO2 core-shell composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhiqiang; Zhou Yuming; Yao Qingzhao; Sun Yanqing

2009-01-01

Helical polyurethane-SiO 2 (HPU-SiO 2 ) core-shell composite was prepared after surface modification of SiO 2 nanoparticles. HPU-SiO 2 was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the helical polyurethane has been successfully grafted onto the surfaces of the modified SiO 2 . HPU-SiO 2 composite exhibits clearly core-shell structure. The ultraviolet absorption and crystallizability of HPU-SiO 2 are changed due to the shell of helical polyurethane, which possesses regular single-handed conformation and inter-chain hydrogen bonds. The infrared emissivity of HPU-SiO 2 was also investigated. The result indicates that the interfacial interactions between organic shell and inorganic core induce the infrared emissivity value being reduced from 0.781 for SiO 2 to 0.503 for HPU-SiO 2 .

Trichomonas vaginalis Metalloproteinase Induces mTOR Cleavage of SiHa Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Juan-Hua; Choi, In-Wook; Yang, Jung-Bo; Zhou, Wei; Cha, Guang-Ho; Zhou, Yu; Ryu, Jae-Sook

2014-01-01

Trichomonas vaginalis secretes a number of proteases which are suspected to be the cause of pathogenesis; however, little is understood how they manipulate host cells. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates cell growth, cell proliferation, cell motility, cell survival, protein synthesis, and transcription. We detected various types of metalloproteinases including GP63 protein from T. vaginalis trophozoites, and T. vaginalis GP63 metalloproteinase was confirmed by sequencing and western blot. When SiHa cells were stimulated with live T. vaginalis, T. vaginalis excretory-secretory products (ESP) or T. vaginalis lysate, live T. vaginalis and T. vaginalis ESP induced the mTOR cleavage in both time- and parasite load-dependent manner, but T. vaginalis lysate did not. Pretreatment of T. vaginalis with a metalloproteinase inhibitor, 1,10-phenanthroline, completely disappeared the mTOR cleavage in SiHa cells. Collectively, T. vaginalis metallopeptidase induces host cell mTOR cleavage, which may be related to survival of the parasite. PMID:25548410

Modulation of surface wettability of superhydrophobic substrates using Si nanowire arrays and capillary-force-induced nanocohesion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dawood, M.K.; Zheng, H.; Kurniawan, N.A.; Leong, K.C.; Foo, Y.L.; Rajagopalan, Raj; Khan, S.A.; Choi, W.K.

2012-01-01

We describe a new scalable method to fabricate large-area hybrid superhydrophobic surfaces with selective adhesion properties on silicon (Si) nanowire array substrates by exploiting liquid-medium-dependent capillary-force-induced nanocohesion. Gold (Au) nanoparticles were deposited on Si by glancing

Relationship between hydrogen-induced phase transformations and pitting nucleation sites in duplex stainless steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Liqiu; Yang, Binjie; Qin, Sixiao [University of Science and Technology Beijing (China). Corrosion and Protection Center

2016-02-15

This paper demonstrates the hydrogen-induced phase transformation and the associated pitting nucleation sites of 2507 duplex stainless steel using scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy and magnetic force microscopy. The low potential sites in Volta potential images, which are considered as the pitting nucleation sites, are strongly dependent on the hydrogen-induced phase transformation. They firstly initiate on the magnetic martensite laths in the austenite phase or at the ferrite/austenite boundaries, and then appear near the needle-shaped microtwins in the ferrite phase, because of the difference in physicochemical properties of hydrogen-induced phase transformation microstructures.

Xenon-ion-induced and thermal mixing of Co/Si bilayers and their interplay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novakovic, M. [VINCA Institute of Nuclear Sciences, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); II. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Zhang, K. [II. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Popovic, M.; Bibic, N. [VINCA Institute of Nuclear Sciences, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia); II. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Hofsaess, H. [II. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Lieb, K.P., E-mail: plieb@gwdg.d [II. Physikalisches Institut, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Goettingen (Germany)

2011-05-01

Studies on ion-irradiated transition-metal/silicon bilayers demonstrate that interface mixing and silicide phase formation depend sensitively on the ion and film parameters, including the structure of the metal/Si interface. Thin Co layers e-gun evaporated to a thickness of 50 nm on Si(1 0 0) wafers were bombarded at room temperature with 400-keV Xe{sup +} ions at fluences of up to 3 x 10{sup 16} cm{sup -2}. We used either crystalline or pre-amorphized Si wafers the latter ones prepared by 1.0-keV Ar-ion implantation. The as-deposited or Xe-ion-irradiated samples were then isochronally annealed at temperatures up to 700 {sup o}C. Changes of the bilayer structures induced by ion irradiation and/or annealing were investigated with RBS, XRD and HRTEM. The mixing rate for the Co/c-Si couples, {Delta}{sigma}{sup 2}/{Phi} = 3.0(4) nm{sup 4}, is higher than the value expected for ballistic mixing and about half the value typical for spike mixing. Mixing of pre-amorphized Si is much weaker relative to crystalline Si wafers, contrary to previous results obtained for Fe/Si bilayers. Annealing of irradiated samples produces very similar interdiffusion and phase formation patterns above 400 {sup o}C as in the non-irradiated Co/Si bilayers: the phase evolution follows the sequence Co{sub 2}Si {yields} CoSi {yields} CoSi{sub 2}.

Structural transformations in MoO{sub x} thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Camacho-Lopez, M.A.; Haro-Poniatowski, E. [Departamento de Fisica, Laboratorio de Optica Cuantica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa, Apdo. Postal 55-534, 09340, Mexico D. F. (Mexico); Escobar-Alarcon, L. [Departamento de Fisica, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apdo. Postal 18-1027, 11801, Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

2004-01-01

In this work, laser-induced crystallization in MoO{sub x} thin films (1.8{<=}x{<=}2.1) is reported. This transformation involves a MoO{sub x} oxidation and subsequently a crystallization process from amorphous MoO{sub 3} to crystalline {alpha}MoO{sub 3}. For comparison purposes crystallization is induced thermally, in an oven, as well. The crystallization kinetics is monitored by Raman spectroscopy; a threshold in the energy density necessary to induce the phase transformation is determined in the case of photo-crystallization. This threshold depends on the type of substrate on which the film is deposited. For the thin films deposited on glass substrates, the structural transformation is from amorphous MoO{sub x} to the thermodynamically stable {alpha}MoO{sub 3} crystalline phase. For the thin films deposited on Si(100) the structural transformation is from amorphous MoO{sub x} to a mixture of {alpha}MoO{sub 3} and the thermodynamically unstable {beta}MoO{sub 3} crystalline phases. The structural transformations are also characterized by scanning electron microscopy and light-transmission experiments. (orig.)

Radiation-induced grain subdivision and bubble formation in U3Si2 at LWR temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Tiankai; Gong, Bowen; He, Lingfeng; Harp, Jason; Tonks, Michael; Lian, Jie

2018-01-01

U3Si2, an advanced fuel form proposed for light water reactors (LWRs), has excellent thermal conductivity and a high fissile element density. However, limited understanding of the radiation performance and fission gas behavior of U3Si2 is available at LWR conditions. This study explores the irradiation behavior of U3Si2 by 300 keV Xe+ ion beam bombardment combining with in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation. The crystal structure of U3Si2 is stable against radiation-induced amorphization at 350 °C even up to a very high dose of 64 displacements per atom (dpa). Grain subdivision of U3Si2 occurs at a relatively low dose of 0.8 dpa and continues to above 48 dpa, leading to the formation of high-density nanoparticles. Nano-sized Xe gas bubbles prevail at a dose of 24 dpa, and Xe bubble coalescence was identified with the increase of irradiation dose. The volumetric swelling resulting from Xe gas bubble formation and coalescence was estimated with respect to radiation dose, and a 2.2% volumetric swelling was observed for U3Si2 irradiated at 64 dpa. Due to extremely high susceptibility to oxidation, the nano-sized U3Si2 grains upon radiation-induced grain subdivision were oxidized to nanocrystalline UO2 in a high vacuum chamber for TEM observation, eventually leading to the formation of UO2 nanocrystallites stable up to 80 dpa.

Phase transformations in Higher Manganese Silicides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allam, A. [MADIREL, UMR 7246 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France); IM2NP, UMR 7334 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, Case 142, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France); Boulet, P. [MADIREL, UMR 7246 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France); Nunes, C.A. [Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais (DEMAR), Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL), Universidade de Sao Paulo - USP, Caixa Postal 116, 12600-970 Lorena, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Sopousek, J.; Broz, P. [Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Kolarska 2, 611 37 Brno (Czech Republic); Masaryk University, Central European Institute of Technology, CEITEC, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Record, M.-C., E-mail: m-c.record@univ-cezanne.fr [IM2NP, UMR 7334 CNRS - Universite Aix-Marseille, av Normandie-Niemen, Case 142, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France)

2013-02-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The phase transitions of the Higher Manganese Silicides were investigated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The samples were characterised by XRD, DTA and DSC. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} is the stable phase at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer At around 800 Degree-Sign C, Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} is transformed into Mn{sub 15}Si{sub 26}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The phase transition is of a second order. - Abstract: This work is an investigation of the phase transformations of the Higher Manganese Silicides in the temperature range [100-1200 Degree-Sign C]. Several complementary experimental techniques were used, namely in situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The evolution of both the lattice parameters and the thermal expansion coefficients was determined from in situ XRD measurements. The stability of the samples was investigated by thermal analysis (DTA) and Cp measurements (DSC). This study shows that Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} which is the stable phase at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure undergoes a phase transformation at around 800 Degree-Sign C. Mn{sub 27}Si{sub 47} is transformed into Mn{sub 15}Si{sub 26}. This phase transformation seems to be of a second order one. Indeed it was not evidenced by DTA and by contrast it appears on the Cp curve.

The γ-ε martensitic transformation: a model for stress induced variant and its interaction with grain boundary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenin, G.

1995-01-01

The γ (f.c.c.) to ε (h.c.p.) martensitic transformation occurs through the Shockley a/6 left angle 211 right angle faulting every second {111} plane of the f.c.c. structure. A stress induced thin single variant corresponds to a single a/6 left angle 211 right angle faulting vector and leads to a large homogeneous shear (0.35) in amplitude. The tip of such a plate is composed of a set of identical Shockley partial dislocations with large mutual interactions. This work is a presentation of a model which describes the martensite morphology of stress induced ε martensite in shape memory Fe-Mn-Si based alloys. The model includes the formation mechanism of the plate (Seeger's like) and its growth inside a limited grain. The mutual interaction of Shockley dislocations and their interaction with the grain boundary is semi quantitatively described; it leads to a lenticular shape of ε martensite thin plates. The model is able to explain the behaviour of this kind of alloys concerning the superelastic effect and the shape memory. (orig.)

Poly(ADP-ribose polymerase 1 is indispensable for transforming growth factor-β Induced Smad3 activation in vascular smooth muscle cell.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Huang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor type-β (TGF-β/Smad pathway plays an essential role in vascular fibrosis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS generation also mediates TGF-β signaling-induced vascular fibrosis, suggesting that some sort of interaction exists between Smad and redox pathways. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the influence of poly(ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1, a downstream effector of ROS, on TGF-β signaling transduction through Smad3 pathway in rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs. METHODS AND RESULTS: TGF-β1 treatment promoted PARP1 activation through induction of ROS generation in rat VSMCs. TGF-β1-induced phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of Smad3 was prevented by treatment of cells with PARP inhibitor, 3-aminobenzamide (3AB or N-(6-oxo-5,6-dihydrophenanthridin-2-yl-2-(N,N-dimethylaminoacetami (PJ34, or PARP1 siRNA. TGF-β1 treatment promoted poly(ADP-ribosylation of Smad3 via activation of PARP1 in the nucleus. Poly(ADP-ribosylation enhanced Smad-Smad binding element (SBE complex formation in nuclear extracts and increased DNA binding activity of Smad3. Pretreatment with 3AB, PJ34, or PARP1 siRNA prevented TGF-β1-induced Smad3 transactivation and expression of Smad3 target genes, including collagen Iα1, collagen IIIα1 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, in rat VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: PARP1 is indispensable for TGF-β1 induced Smad3 activation in rat VSMCs. Targeting PARP1 may be a promising therapeutic approach against vascular diseases induced by dysregulation of TGF-β/Smad3 pathway.

Stimulated transformation in nano-layered composites with Se0.6Te0.4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malyovanik, M.; Shipljak, M.; Cheresnya, V.; Ivan, I.; Csik, A.; Kokenyesi, S.; Debrecen Univ.

2005-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. The main types of the photo-induced structural transformations (PST) in chalcogenide glasses and amorphous layers can be systematized as i) structural transformations within amorphous phase, ii) photo-induced crystallization or amorphyzation, iii) photo-induced mass transport. These main known types of PST can be further detailed, for example concerning photo-induced anisotropy, photo- bleaching, etc., and are widely investigated. But the fundamentals of these effects even in the most known compositions like AsSe, As 2 S 3 are not clear, especially for the nanostructures, where the possible cluster formation, size restrictions and interface conditions may essentially influence the parameters of the material. Furthermore, the basic applied problem related to the PST consists of the possibility of digital or analog optical information storage, phase change memory, fabrication of elements for optics and photonics. These applications require determined spectral and temperature range of functioning, increased sensitivity, transformation rates and stability of the memory at the same time. The realization of such requirements can be expected in nanosized objects made of chalcogenides due to the suitable change of thermodynamical parameters, conductivity, optical and other characteristics. The establishment of correlations between the compositional modulation at nanoscale-dimensions (3-10 nm) in Se 0.6 Te 0.4 and the changes of the optical and electrical parameters as well as the possible improvement of optical recording process in comparison with homogeneous Se 0.6 Te 0.4 films were the aims of the present work. Two types of nano-multilayers, namely Se 0.6 Te 0.4 /SiO x and Se 0.6 Te 0.4 /As 2 S 3 were investigated with respect to the thermo- or light-stimulated structural transformations, since they strongly di r by the possibility of intermixing or crystallization in a steady-state process of heating or laser illumination. Photo

SHI induced irradiation effect on Mo/Si interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agarwal, Garima; Agarwal, Shivani; Jain, Rajkumar; Lal, Chhagan; Jain, I.P.; Kabiraj, D.; Pandey, Akhilesh

2006-01-01

Present parametric study investigates the characteristics of SHI induced mixed molybdenum silicide film with various ion fluences. The deposition of molybdenum thin films onto the Silicon substrate was performed using e-beam evaporation, while the heavy Au ion irradiation with energy 120 MeV was subsequently applied to form molybdenum silicide. The samples have been characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) for the identification of phase formation at the interface. Formation of t-Mo 5 Si 3 mixed molybdenum silicide was observed on increasing the ion irradiation fluences. (author)

Interferon-Tau has Antiproliferative effects, Represses the Expression of E6 and E7 Oncogenes, Induces Apoptosis in Cell Lines Transformed with HPV16 and Inhibits Tumor Growth In Vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla-Quirarte, Herbey Oswaldo; Trejo-Moreno, Cesar; Fierros-Zarate, Geny; Castañeda, Jhoseline Carnalla; Palma-Irizarry, Marie; Hernández-Márquez, Eva; Burguete-Garcia, Ana Isabel; Peralta-Zaragoza, Oscar; Madrid-Marina, Vicente; Torres-Poveda, Kirvis; Bermúdez-Morales, Victor Hugo

2016-01-01

Interferon tau (IFN-τ) is a promising alternative antiviral and immunotherapeutic agent in a wide variety of diseases including infectious, neurodegenerative, autoimmune and cancer due to its low toxicity in comparison with other type I interferon´s. The objective of our study was established the effect of the bovine IFN-τ on human (SiHa) and murine (BMK-16/myc) cells transformed with HPV 16 and evaluates the antitumor effect in a murine tumor model HPV 16 positive. We determine that bovine IFN-τ has antiproliferative effects, pro-apoptotic activity and induces repression of viral E6 and E7 oncogenes (time- and dose-dependent) on human and murine cells transformed with HPV 16 similar to the effects of IFN-β. However, IFN-τ induces greater antiproliferative effect, apoptosis and repression of both oncogenes in BMK-16/myc cells compared to SiHa cells. The differences were explained by the presence and abundance of the type I interferon receptor (IFNAR) in each cell line. On the other hand, we treated groups of tumor-bearing mice (HPV16 positive) with IFN-τ and showed the inhibition tumor growth effect in vivo. Our finding indicates that bovine IFN-τ may be a good candidate for immunotherapy against cervical cancer. PMID:27994659

First interactions between hydrogen and stress-induced reverse transformation of Ni-Ti superelastic alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama, Ken'ichi; Hashimoto, Tatsuki; Sakai, Jun'ichi

2017-11-01

The first dynamic interactions between hydrogen and the stress-induced reverse transformation have been investigated by performing an unloading test on a Ni-Ti superelastic alloy subjected to hydrogen charging under a constant applied strain in the elastic deformation region of the martensite phase. Upon unloading the specimen, charged with a small amount of hydrogen, no change in the behaviour of the stress-induced reverse transformation is observed in the stress-strain curve, although the behaviour of the stress-induced martensite transformation changes. With increasing amount of hydrogen charging, the critical stress for the reverse transformation markedly decreases. Eventually, for a larger amount of hydrogen charging, the reverse transformation does not occur, i.e. there is no recovery of the superelastic strain. The residual martensite phase on the side surface of the unloaded specimen is confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Upon training before the unloading test, the properties of the reverse transformation slightly recover after ageing in air at room temperature. The present study indicates that to change the behaviour of the reverse transformation a larger amount of hydrogen than that for the martensite transformation is necessary. In addition, it is likely that a substantial amount of hydrogen in solid solution more strongly suppresses the reverse transformation than hydrogen trapped at defects, thereby stabilising the martensite phase.

Transformation induced plasticity in maraging steel: an experimental study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagayama, K.; Kitajima, Y.; Kigami, S.; Tanaka, K.

2000-01-01

The deformation behavior of a maraging TRIP (transformation induced plasticity) steel (MAVAL X12) is studied experimentally under a constant load. The existence of the back stress in the axial direction is directly proved by investigating the dilatation curves. Martensite-start lines are given under tensile, compressive and shear stresses. The evolution of TRIP strain and the maximum TRIP strain are determined. The alloy response during isothermal tensile test is explained in terms of influences both by the composite and transformation. (orig.)

In induced reconstructions of Si(1 1 1) as superlattice matched epitaxial templates for InN growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuyyalil, Jithesh; Tangi, Malleswararao; Shivaprasad, S.M.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► A novel growth method to form InN at low growth temperatures. ► Use of Si reconstruction as a growth template for group III nitrides. ► Band gap variation of InN – Moss–Burstein shift – non-parabolic conduction band for InN. ► Super lattice matching epitaxy of metal induced reconstructions with III–V unit cell. -- Abstract: Indium induced surface reconstructions of Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 are used as templates to grow high quality InN. We grow InN on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7, Si(1 1 1)-4 × 1-In and Si(1 1 1)-1 × 1-In reconstructed surfaces and study the quality of the films formed using complementary characterization tools. InN grown on Si(1 1 1)-1 × 1-In reconstruction shows superior film quality with lowest band-edge emission having a narrow full width at half maximum, intense and narrow 0 0 0 2 X-ray diffraction, low surface roughness and carrier concentration an order lower than other samples. We attribute the high quality of the film formed at 300 °C to the integral matching of InN and super lattice dimensions, we also study the reasons for the band gap variation of InN in the literature. Present study demonstrates the proposed Superlattice Matched Epitaxy can be a general approach to grow good quality InN at much lower growth temperature on compatible In induced reconstructions of the Si surface.

A mechanistic model for radiation-induced crystallization and amorphization in U3Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rest, J.

1994-06-01

Radiation-induced amorphization is assessed. A rate-theory model is formulated wherein amorphous clusters are formed by the damage event These clusters are considered centers of expansion (CE), or excess-free-volume zones. Simultaneously, centers of compression (CC) are created in the material. The CCs are local regions of increased density that travel through the material as an elastic (e.g., acoustic) shock wave. The CEs can be annihilated upon contact with CCs (annihilation probability depends on height of the energy barrier), forming either a crystallized region indistinguishable from the host material, or a region with a slight disorientation (recrystallized grain). Recrystallized grains grow by the accumulation of additional CCs. Full amorphization is calculated on the basis of achieving a fuel volume fraction consistent with the close packing of spherical entities. Amorphization of a recrystallized grain is hindered by the grain boundary. Preirradiation of U 3 Si above the critical temperature for amorphization results in of nanometer-size grains. Subsequent reirradiation below the critical temperature shows that the material has developed a resistance to radiation-induced amorphization higher dose needed to amorphize the preirradiated samples than now preirradiated samples. In the model, it is assumed that grain boundaries act as effective defect sinks, and that enhanced defect annihilation is responsible for retarding amorphization at low temperature. The calculations have been validated against data from ion-irradiation experiments with U 3 Si. To obtain additional validation, the model has also been applied to the ion-induced motion of the interface between crystalline and amorphous phases of U 3 Si. Results of this analysis are compared to data and results of calculations for ion bombardment of Si

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiN{sub x}/SiN{sub y} multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Xiaofan; Ma, Zhongyuan, E-mail: zyma@nju.edu.cn; Yang, Huafeng; Yu, Jie; Wang, Wen; Zhang, Wenping; Li, Wei; Xu, Jun; Xu, Ling; Chen, Kunji; Huang, Xinfan; Feng, Duan [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Photonic Electronic Materials Sciences and Technology, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2014-09-28

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiN{sub x}/SiN{sub y} multilayers with high on/off ratio of 10{sup 9}. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

Porous Se@SiO2 nanospheres treated paraquat-induced acute lung injury by resisting oxidative stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhu Y

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Yong Zhu,1,* Guoying Deng,2,* Anqi Ji,2 Jiayi Yao,1 Xiaoxiao Meng,1 Jinfeng Wang,1 Qian Wang,2 Qiugen Wang,2 Ruilan Wang1 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, 2Trauma Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Acute paraquat (PQ poisoning is one of the most common forms of pesticide poisoning. Oxidative stress and inflammation are thought to be important mechanisms in PQ-induced acute lung injury (ALI. Selenium (Se can scavenge intracellular free radicals directly or indirectly. In this study, we investigated whether porous Se@SiO2 nanospheres could alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation in PQ-induced ALI. Male Sprague Dawley rats and RLE-6TN cells were used in this study. Rats were categorized into 3 groups: control (n=6, PQ (n=18, and PQ + Se@SiO2 (n=18. The PQ and PQ + Se@SiO2 groups were randomly and evenly divided into 3 sub-groups according to different time points (24, 48 and 72 h after PQ treatment. Porous Se@SiO2 nanospheres 1 mg/kg (in the PQ + Se@SiO2 group were administered via intraperitoneal injection every 24 h. Expression levels of reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, reactive oxygen species (ROS, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB, phosphorylated NF-κB (p-NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β were detected, and a histological analysis of rat lung tissues was performed. The results showed that the levels of ROS, malondialdehyde, NF-κB, p-NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β were markedly increased after PQ treatment. Glutathione and superoxide dismutase levels were reduced. However, treatment with porous Se@SiO2 nanospheres markedly alleviated PQ-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. Additionally, the results from histological examinations and wet-to-dry weight ratios of rat lung

Three Crystalline Polymorphs of KFeSi04, Potassium Ferrisilicate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bentzen, Janet Jonna

1983-01-01

Orthorhombic α-KFeSi04 ( a =0.5478, b =0.9192, c =0.8580 nm), hexagonal β-KFeSiO4 (a =0.5309, c =0.8873 nm), and hexagonal γ-KFeSi04 (a =0.5319, c =0.8815 nm) were synthesized by devitrification of KFeSiO4 glass. Powder X-ray diffraction data are given for all three polymorphs. Alpha KFeSiO4, the......, and synthetic kaliophilite, KAISiO4, respectively, and it is proposed that β- and λ-KFeSiO4 are linked by Si-Fe order-disorder. Beta KFeSiO4 transforms slowly into α-KFeSi04 above 910°C but the transformation was not shown to be reversible in the present dry-heating experiments....

On formation of silicon nanocrystals under annealing SiO2 layers implanted with Si ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachurin, G.A.; Yanovskaya, S.G.; Volodin, V.A.; Kesler, V.G.; Lejer, A.F.; Ruault, M.-O.

2002-01-01

Raman scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence have been used to study the formation of silicon nanocrystals in SiO 2 implanted with Si ions. Si clusters have been formed at once in the postimplanted layers, providing the excessive Si concentration more ∼ 3 at. %. Si segregation with Si-Si 4 bonds formation is enhanced as following annealing temperature increase, however, the Raman scattering by Si clusters diminishes. The effect is explained by a transformation of the chain-like Si clusters into compact phase nondimensional structures. Segregation of Si nanoprecipitates had ended about 1000 deg C, but the strong photoluminescence typical for Si nanocrystals manifested itself only after 1100 deg C [ru

Numerical simulation of transformation-induced microscopic residual stress in ferrite-martensite lamellar steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikami, Y; Inao, A; Mochizuki, M; Toyoda, M

2009-01-01

The effect of transformation-induced microscopic residual stress on fatigue crack propagation behavior of ferrite-martensite lamellar steel was discussed. Fatigue tests of prestrained and non-prestrained specimens were performed. Inflections and branches at ferrite-martensite boundaries were observed in the non-prestrained specimens. On the other hand, less inflections and branches were found in the prestrained specimens. The experimental results showed that the transformation induced microscopic residual stress has influence on the fatigue crack propagation behavior. To estimate the microscopic residual, a numerical simulation method for the calculation of microscopic residual stress stress induced by martensitic transformation was performed. The simulation showed that compressive residual stress was generated in martensite layer, and the result agree with the experimental result that inflections and branches were observed at ferrite-martensite boundaries.

X-ray diffraction study of thermally and stress-induced phase transformations in single crystalline Ni-Mn-Ga alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martynov, V.V.

1995-01-01

Using in-situ single crystal X-ray diffraction methods, thermally- and stress-induced crystal structure evolution was investigated in two Ni-Mn-Ga Heusler-type alloys. For the 51at.%Ni-24at.%Mn-25at.%Ga alloy it was found that application of external stress in a temperature range ∼20 C above the M s at first causes intensity changes of X-ray diffuse scattering peaks in β-phase. Further stressing results in stress-induced phase transformations and under the appropriate conditions three successive martensitic transformations (one is parent-to-martensite and two are martensite-to-martensite transformations) can be stress induced. Of these only the parent-to-martensite transformation can be thermally-induced. Two successive structural transformations (thermally-induced parent-to-martensite and stress-induced martensite-to-martensite transformations) were found in 52at.%Ni-25at.%Mn-23at.%Ga alloy. Crystal structure, lattice parameters, type of modulation, and the length of modulation period for all martensites were identified. (orig.)

Effect of microstructure on shape memory effect and transformation behavior in an Fe-32Mn-6.5Si alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J. Y.; Choi, C. S.; Jee, K. K.; Shin, M. C.; Jang, W. Y.

1998-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of microstructure and pre-strain on Shape Memory Effect(SME) and transformation behavior in an Fe-32Mn-6.5Si alloy. The alloy was annealed at various temperatures from 600 to 1200 .deg. C for 1 hour to vary microstructure after cold rolling. Shape memory effect and reverse transformation behavior were examined through bending test and TMA after deforming the alloy with various degree of pre-strain. Austenite grain size increases with an increase in heat treatment temperature, except the specimen heat-treated at 600 .deg. C, which remains unrecrystallized. The specimen heat-treated at 600 .deg. C, retaining cold rolling effect, exhibits the best SME due to a high Md temperature. In the recrystallized specimens, the larger grain size, the better SME. As grain size increases, the reverse transformation range becomes shorter, indicating that reverse transformation takes place with less constraint. The better SME in a large grain size can be attributed to the easiness of the reverse transformation

Transformation between divacancy defects induced by an energy pulse in graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Jun; Liu, XiaoYi; Zhou, Wei; Wang, FengChao; Wu, HengAn

2016-07-08

The mutual transformations among the four typical divacancy defects induced by a high-energy pulse were studied via molecular dynamics simulation. Our study revealed all six possible mutual transformations and found that defects transformed by absorbing energy to overcome the energy barrier with bonding, debonding, and bond rotations. The reversibility of defect transformations was also investigated by potential energy analysis. The energy difference was found to greatly influence the transformation reversibility. The direct transformation path was irreversible if the energy difference was too large. We also studied the correlation between the transformation probability and the input energy. It was found that the transformation probability had a local maxima at an optimal input energy. The introduction of defects and their structural evolutions are important for tailoring the exceptional properties and thereby performances of graphene-based devices, such as nanoporous membranes for the filtration and desalination of water.

SiO2-induced release of sVEGFRs from pulmonary macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Jie; Lv, Yan; Chen, Jin; Wang, Jing; Yao, Honghong

2018-01-01

The inhalation of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) particles causes silicosis, a stubborn pulmonary disease that is characterized by alveolar inflammation during the early stage. Soluble cytokine receptors (SCRs) play important roles in regulating inflammation by either attenuating or promoting cytokine signaling. However, the role of SCRs in silicosis remains unknown. Luminex assays revealed increased soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (sVEGFR) family levels in the plasma of silicosis patients. In an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), cells from the differentiated human monocytic cell line U937 released sVEGFR family proteins after exposure to SiO 2 (50μg/cm 2 ). Further Western blot experiments revealed that VEGFR expression was also elevated in U937 cells. In contrast, levels of sVEGFR family members did not change in the supernatants of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after exposure to SiO 2 (50μg/cm 2 ). Interestingly, VEGFR expression in HUVECs decreased after SiO 2 treatment. In a scratch assay, HUVECs exhibited cell migration ability, indicating the acquisition of mesenchymal properties. Our findings highlight the important role of sVEGFRs in both inflammation and fibrosis induced by SiO 2 , suggesting a possible mechanism for the fibrogenic effects observed in pulmonary diseases associated with fibrosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temperature suppression of STM-induced desorption of hydrogen on Si(100) surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thirstrup, C.; Sakurai, M.; Nakayama, T.

1999-01-01

The temperature dependence of hydrogen (H) desorption from Si(100) H-terminated surfaces by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is reported for negative sample bias. It is found that the STM induced H desorption rate (R) decreases several orders of magnitude when the substrate temperature...

Radiation-induced rhabdomyosarcomatous transformation of a recurrent meningeal haemangiopericytoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ka Kit Leung, G.; Chun Kit Lee, W.; Nicholls, J.M.

2007-01-01

A 53-year-old woman presented in 1979 with a posterior fossa meningeal haemangiopericytoma (HPC) for which she underwent surgical resection and post-operative radiotherapy. Repeated tumor recurrences occurred 18 years afterwards which were treated with resections and stereotactic radiotherapy. Surgery for tumor recurrence in 2005 revealed features of rhabdomyosarcomatous transformation. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of rhabdomyosarcomatous transformation within a HPC which was likely to be radiation-induced, and was associated with relentless disease progression more than 20 years after the initial presentation. (author)

Electric-current-induced step bunching on Si(111)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homma, Yoshikazu; Aizawa, Noriyuki

2000-01-01

We experimentally investigated step bunching induced by direct current on vicinal Si(111)'1x1' surfaces using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The scaling relation between the average step spacing l b and the number of steps N in a bunch, l b ∼N -α , was determined for four step-bunching temperature regimes above the 7x7-'1x1' transition temperature. The step-bunching rate and scaling exponent differ between neighboring step-bunching regimes. The exponent α is 0.7 for the two regimes where the step-down current induces step bunching (860-960 and 1210-1300 deg. C), and 0.6 for the two regimes where the step-up current induces step bunching (1060-1190 and >1320 deg. C). The number of single steps on terraces also differs in each of the four temperature regimes. For temperatures higher than 1280 deg. C, the prefactor of the scaling relation increases, indicating an increase in step-step repulsion. The scaling exponents obtained agree reasonably well with those predicted by theoretical models. However, they give unrealistic values for the effective charges of adatoms for step-up-current-induced step bunching when the 'transparent' step model is used

X-ray diffraction studies of structures of Be, Al, LiF, Fe+3%Si, Si, SiO2, KCl under dynamic pressures from 2 Gpa to 20 Gpa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egorov, L.A.; Barenboim, A.I.; Mokhova, V.V.; Dorohin, V.V.; Samoilov, A.I.

1997-01-01

Currently, the only direct method to study behaviour of solid crystal substance structures under dynamic compression is method to record X-rays diffraction pictures of crystal structures under shock compression. Thepaper presents results of X-rays diffraction measurements concerning structural parameters of shock compressed substances at pressures higher than Hugoniot elastic limit (Be, Al, LiF, Fe+3%Si), lower than Hugoniot elastic limit (Si, SiO 2 , LiF) and in the area of pressures of phase transformation beginning (KCl, Si). Recorded states of shock-compressed substance structures demonstrate identity of structural deformations at pressures higher and lower than Hugoniot elastic limit as well as at pressures above the phase transformation point, which can be characterized as single-axial deformations. (orig.)

Caveolin-1 down-regulation is required for Wnt5a-Frizzled 2 signalling in Ha-RasV12 -induced cell transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hsiu-Kuan; Lin, Hsi-Hui; Chiou, Yu-Wei; Wu, Ching-Lung; Chiu, Wen-Tai; Tang, Ming-Jer

2018-05-01

Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is down-regulated during MK4 (MDCK cells harbouring inducible Ha-Ras V12 gene) transformation by Ha-Ras V12 . Cav1 overexpression abrogates the Ha-Ras V12 -driven transformation of MK4 cells; however, the targeted down-regulation of Cav1 is not sufficient to mimic this transformation. Cav1-silenced cells, including MK4/shCav1 cells and MDCK/shCav1 cells, showed an increased cell area and discontinuous junction-related proteins staining. Cellular and mechanical transformations were completed when MDCK/shCav1 cells were treated with medium conditioned by MK4 cells treated with IPTG (MK4+I-CM) but not with medium conditioned by MK4 cells. Nanoparticle tracking analysis showed that Ha-Ras V12 -inducing MK4 cells increased exosome-like microvesicles release compared with their normal counterparts. The cellular and mechanical transformation activities of MK4+I-CM were abolished after heat treatment and exosome depletion and were copied by exosomes derived from MK4+I-CM (MK4+I-EXs). Wnt5a, a downstream product of Ha-Ras V12 , was markedly secreted by MK4+I-CM and MK4+I-EXs. Suppression of Wnt5a expression and secretion using the porcupine inhibitor C59 or Wnt5a siRNA inhibited the Ha-Ras V12 - and MK4+I-CM-induced transformation of MK4 cells and MDCK/shCav1 cells, respectively. Cav1 down-regulation, either by Ha-Ras V12 or targeted shRNA, increased frizzled-2 (Fzd2) protein levels without affecting its mRNA levels, suggesting a novel role of Cav1 in negatively regulating Fzd2 expression. Additionally, silencing Cav1 facilitated the internalization of MK4+I-EXs in MDCK cells. These data suggest that Cav1-dependent repression of Fzd2 and exosome uptake is potentially relevant to its antitransformation activity, which hinders the activation of Ha-Ras V12 -Wnt5a-Stat3 pathway. Altogether, these results suggest that both decreasing Cav1 and increasing exosomal Wnt5a must be implemented during Ha-Ras V12 -driven cell transformation. © 2018 The Authors

Growth of β-FeSi2 layers on Si (111) by solid phase and reactive deposition epitaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miquita, D.R.; Paniago, R.; Rodrigues, W.N.; Moreira, M.V.B.; Pfannes, H.-D.; Oliveira, A.G. de

2005-01-01

Iron silicides were grown on Si (111) substrates by Solid Phase Epitaxy (SPE) and Reactive Deposition Epitaxy (RDE) to identify the optimum conditions to obtain the semiconducting β-FeSi 2 phase. The films were produced under different growth and annealing conditions and analyzed in situ and ex situ by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and ex situ by Conversion Electron Moessbauer Spectroscopy. The use of these techniques allowed the investigation of different depth regions of the grown layer. Films of the ε-FeSi and β-FeSi 2 phases were obtained as well as the mixtures Fe 3 Si + ε-FeSi and ε-FeSi + β-FeSi 2 . The sequence Fe 3 Si→ε-FeSi→β-FeSi 2 was found upon annealing, where the phase transformation occurred due to the migration of silicon atoms from the substrate to the surface region of the grown layer. The best conditions for the phase transformation in SPE samples were met after annealing in the range 700 - 800 deg. C. For the RDE samples, the transition to the beta phase occurred between 600 and 700 deg. C, but pure β-FeSi 2 was obtained only after two hours of annealing at 700 deg. C

Epigenetic silencing of miR-218 by the lncRNA CCAT1, acting via BMI1, promotes an altered cell cycle transition in the malignant transformation of HBE cells induced by cigarette smoke extract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Lu; Xu, Hui; Luo, Fei; Liu, Xinlu; Lu, Xiaolin; Yang, Qianlei; Xue, Junchao; Chen, Chao; Shi, Le; Liu, Qizhan

2016-01-01

Cigarette smoking is the strongest risk factor for the development of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to lung cancer are largely unknown. A long-noncoding RNA (lncRNA), CCAT1, regarded as cancer-associated, has been investigated extensively. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) induced by cigarette smoke remain unclear. In the present investigation, cigarette smoke extract (CSE) caused an altered cell cycle and increased CCAT1 levels and decreased miR-218 levels in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. Depletion of CCAT1 attenuated the CSE-induced decreases of miR-218 levels, suggesting that miR-218 is negatively regulated by CCAT1 in HBE cells exposed to CSE. The CSE-induced increases of BMI1 levels and blocked by CCAT1 siRNA were attenuated by an miR-218 inhibitor. Moreover, in CSE-transformed HBE cells, the CSE-induced cell cycle changes and elevated neoplastic capacity were reversed by CCAT1 siRNA or BMI1 siRNA. This epigenetic silencing of miR-218 by CCAT1 induces an altered cell cycle transition through BMI1 and provides a new mechanism for CSE-induced lung carcinogenesis. - Highlights: • CSE exposure induces increases of CCAT1 levels and decreases of miR-218 levels. • CCAT1 negatively regulates miR-218 expression. • CCAT1, regulated by miR-218, via BMI1, is involved in the CSE-induced altered cell cycle transition.

Epigenetic silencing of miR-218 by the lncRNA CCAT1, acting via BMI1, promotes an altered cell cycle transition in the malignant transformation of HBE cells induced by cigarette smoke extract

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Lu; Xu, Hui; Luo, Fei; Liu, Xinlu; Lu, Xiaolin; Yang, Qianlei; Xue, Junchao; Chen, Chao; Shi, Le; Liu, Qizhan, E-mail: drqzliu@hotmail.com

2016-08-01

Cigarette smoking is the strongest risk factor for the development of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to lung cancer are largely unknown. A long-noncoding RNA (lncRNA), CCAT1, regarded as cancer-associated, has been investigated extensively. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) induced by cigarette smoke remain unclear. In the present investigation, cigarette smoke extract (CSE) caused an altered cell cycle and increased CCAT1 levels and decreased miR-218 levels in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. Depletion of CCAT1 attenuated the CSE-induced decreases of miR-218 levels, suggesting that miR-218 is negatively regulated by CCAT1 in HBE cells exposed to CSE. The CSE-induced increases of BMI1 levels and blocked by CCAT1 siRNA were attenuated by an miR-218 inhibitor. Moreover, in CSE-transformed HBE cells, the CSE-induced cell cycle changes and elevated neoplastic capacity were reversed by CCAT1 siRNA or BMI1 siRNA. This epigenetic silencing of miR-218 by CCAT1 induces an altered cell cycle transition through BMI1 and provides a new mechanism for CSE-induced lung carcinogenesis. - Highlights: • CSE exposure induces increases of CCAT1 levels and decreases of miR-218 levels. • CCAT1 negatively regulates miR-218 expression. • CCAT1, regulated by miR-218, via BMI1, is involved in the CSE-induced altered cell cycle transition.

Nitridation of si using mechano-fusion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Z. L.; Calka, A.; Williams, J. S.

1996-01-01

Full text: It has been found that silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) can be formed by ball milling of Si in ammonia. However only small fraction of Si can be transformed into 1 Si 3 N 4 . The major milling effect is the formation of poly/nanocrystalline silicon. At this stage of research it is difficult to answer the question why ball milling causes only limited formation of Si 3 N 4 . It is due to little understanding of 1 processes occurring during milling. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to study nitridation reaction during milling of Si in ammonia. In particular the 1 effect of milling conditions such as milling energies, atmosphere and a form of starting material was studied. The micro/macrostructural development during milling and subsequent annealing was studied using x-ray diffractometry, thermal analysis, elemental analysis measurement. It was found that the transformed fraction of Si 3 N 4 compound is strongly dependent on milling energies and milling atmosphere

Minority Carrier Tunneling and Stress-Induced Leakage Current for p+ gate MOS Capacitors with Poly-Si and PolySi0.7Ge0.3 Gate Material

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houtsma, V.E.; Holleman, J.; Salm, Cora; de Haan, I.R.; Schmitz, Jurriaan; Widdershoven, F.P.; Widdershoven, F.P.; Woerlee, P.H.

1999-01-01

In this paper the I-V conduction mechanism for gate injection (-V g), Stress-Induced Leakage Current (SILC) characteristics and time-to-breakdown (tbd) of PMOS capacitors with p+-poly-Si and poly-SiGe gate material on 5.6, 4.8 and 3.1 nm oxide thickness are studied. A model based on Minority Carrier

Micromechanics of transformation-induced plasticity and variant coalescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marketz, F.; Fischer, F.D.; University for Mining and Metallurgy, Leoben; Tanaka, K.

1996-01-01

Quantitative micromechanics descriptions of both transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) associated with the martensitic transformation in an Fe-Ni alloy and of variant coalescence in a Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloy are presented. The macroscopic deformation behavior of a polycrystalline aggregate as a result of the rearrangements within the crystallites is modelled with the help of a finite element based periodic microfield approach. In the case of TRIP the parent→martensite transformation is described by microscale thermodynamic and kinetic equations taking into account internal stress states. The simulation of a classical experiment on TRIP allows to quantify the Magee-effect and the Greenwood-Johnson effect. Furthermore, the development of the martensitic microstructure is studied with respect to the stress-assisted transformation of preferred variants. In the case of variant coalescence the strain energy due to internal stress states has an important influence on the mechanical behavior. Formulating the reorientation process on the size scale of self-accommodating plate groups in terms of the mobility of the boundaries between martensitic variants the macroscopic behavior in uniaxial tension is predicted by an incremental modelling procedure. Furthermore, influence of energy dissipation on the overall behavior is quantified. (orig.)

Neutron scattering study of the phase transformation of LaNi3 induced by hydriding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruan Jinghui; Zeng Xiangxin; Niu Shiwen

1994-01-01

The phase transformation of LaNi 3 induced by hydriding and de-hydriding is investigated using the neutron diffraction and the neutron inelastic scattering. The results show that the hydriding sample, LaNi 3 H x , is transformed from crystalline state of the LaNi 3 into amorphous state with a microcrystalline characteristic of LaNi 5 , and the de-hydriding sample produced by LaNi 3 H x dehydrated at 600 degree C is decomposed into new crystalline states composed by LaNi 5 -and La-hydrides. The procedure of phase transformation is that the result of the transformation of LaNi 3 induced by hydriding shows the properties of LaNi 5 -H 2 system

Comparative genome analysis of three eukaryotic parasites with differing abilities to transform leukocytes reveals key mediators of theileria-induced leukocyte transformation

KAUST Repository

Hayashida, Kyoko; Hara, Yuichiro; Abe, Takashi; Yamasaki, Chisato; Toyoda, Atsushi; Kosuge, Takehide; Suzuki, Yutaka; Sato, Yoshiharu; Kawashima, Shuichi; Katayama, Toshiaki; Wakaguri, Hiroyuki; Inoue, Noboru; Homma, Keiichi; Tada-Umezaki, Masahito; Yagi, Yukio; Fujii, Yasuyuki; Habara, Takuya; Kanehisa, Minoru; Watanabe, Hidemi; Ito, Kimihito; Gojobori, Takashi; Sugawara, Hideaki; Imanishi, Tadashi; Weir, William; Gardner, Malcolm; Pain, Arnab; Shiels, Brian; Hattori, Masahira; Nene, Vishvanath; Sugimoto, Chihiro

2012-01-01

. annulata. T. parva and T. annulata induce transformation of infected cells of lymphocyte or macrophage/monocyte lineages; in contrast, T. orientalis does not induce uncontrolled proliferation of infected leukocytes and multiplies predominantly within

Shape recovery characteristics of biaxially prestrained Fe-Mn-Si-based shape memory alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, M.; Naoi, H.; Yasuda, H.; Maruyama, T.

2008-01-01

Fe-Mn-Si-based shape memory alloy has already been used practically for steel pipe joints. In most of the applications including the steel pipe joints, it is possible to estimate the reduction of diameter from the experimental data of the shape recovery after uniaxial stretching of the alloy materials. However, studies on shape recovery effects after biaxial stretching are important for the extensive applications of the alloy. In this study, we investigated the shape recovery strain after uniaxial and biaxial stretching and the microstructures of the alloy in order to see the effects of uniaxial and biaxial prestrain on the stress-induced martensitic transformation. Amounts of shape recovery strain in the biaxially prestrained specimens are smaller than those in the uniaxially prestrained specimens. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that reverse transformations of stress-induced martensitic ε-phase are prevented by slip bands formed at the same time in the biaxially prestrained specimens, but not in the uniaxially prestrained specimens. The technological data and interpretations presented in this study should be useful in forming design guidelines for promoting the extensive applications of Fe-Mn-Si-based shape memory alloy

Stability of Retained Austenite in High-Al, Low-Si TRIP-Assisted Steels Processed via Continuous Galvanizing Heat Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

McDermid, J. R.; Zurob, H. S.; Bian, Y.

2011-12-01

Two galvanizable high-Al, low-Si transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-assisted steels were subjected to isothermal bainitic transformation (IBT) temperatures compatible with the continuous galvanizing (CGL) process and the kinetics of the retained austenite (RA) to martensite transformation during room temperature deformation studied as a function of heat treatment parameters. It was determined that there was a direct relationship between the rate of strain-induced transformation and optimal mechanical properties, with more gradual transformation rates being favored. The RA to martensite transformation kinetics were successfully modeled using two methodologies: (1) the strain-based model of Olsen and Cohen and (2) a simple relationship with the normalized flow stress, ( {{{σ_{{flow}} - σ_{YS} }/{σ_{YS }}}} ) . For the strain-based model, it was determined that the model parameters were a strong function of strain and alloy thermal processing history and a weak function of alloy chemistry. It was verified that the strain-based model in the present work agrees well with those derived by previous workers using TRIP-assisted steels of similar composition. It was further determined that the RA to martensite transformation kinetics for all alloys and heat treatments could be described using a simple model vs the normalized flow stress, indicating that the RA to martensite transformation is stress-induced rather than strain-induced for temperatures above the Ms^{σ }.

Stress-induced martensitic transformation and ferroelastic deformation adjacent microhardness indents in tetragonal zirconia single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chien, F.R.; Ubic, F.J.; Prakash, V.; Heuer, A.H.

1998-01-01

The stress-induced tetragonal to monoclinic (t → m) martensitic transformation, stress-induced ferroelastic domain switching, and dislocation slip were induced by Vickers microindentation at elevated temperatures in polydomain single crystals of 3 mol%-Y 2 O 3 -stabilized tetragonal ZrO 2 single crystals (3Y-TZS). Chemical etching revealed traces along t directions adjacent to indentations, and Raman spectroscopy and TEM have shown that these traces are caused by products of the martensitic transformation, i.e. the monoclinic product phase forms primarily as thin, long plates with a habit plane approximately on (bar 301) m . This habit plane and the associated shear strain arising from the transformation, visible in TEM micrographs at the intersection of crystallographically equivalent martensite plates, were successfully predicted using the observed lattice correspondence and the phenomenological invariant plane strain theory of martensitic transformations. The extent of the martensitic transformation increased with increasing temperature from room temperature up to 300 C, but then decreased at higher temperatures. Ferroelastic deformation of tetragonal ZrO 2 has been observed at all temperatures up to 1,000 C. At the highest temperature, only ferroelastic domain switching and dislocation slip occurred during indentation-induced deformation

Transformation strain by chemical disordering in silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Ju

2004-01-01

Swelling is observed in radiation-induced amorphization of SiC, which can be attributed to both structural and chemical disordering. By first-principles calculations, an attempt is made to separate the two factors by creating complete chemical disorder with no initial structural disorder in a 64-atom supercell. By relaxing all stresses and internal forces, significant transformation strains, both hydrostatic and shear, are observed. The relaxed configurations are found to be metallic. Softening of the bulk modulus is found to correlate closely with volume expansion, regardless of whether the expansion is caused by structural or chemical disordering, or with no disorder at all. It is postulated that partial chemical disordering contributes significantly to the internal residual stresses and macroscopic swelling of amorphous SiC

Ga induced superstructures as templates for lattice matched hetroepitaxial growth of GaN on Si(111) substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Praveen; Kuyyalil, Jithesh; Shivaprasad, S. M.

2010-01-01

High quality GaN is grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on Ga induced superstructural phases of Si(111)7x7. Three stable surface phases induced by Ga adsorption, viz., (1x1), (6.3x6.3), and (√3x√3)R30 deg., are employed as templates to grow epitaxial (0001) GaN thin films. GaN grown on Si(√3x√3)R30 deg. -Ga is found to be highly crystalline with intense (0002) x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence peaks with low full width at half maximum, low surface roughness, and stoichiometric surface composition. The high quality of these GaN films formed at a low temperature of 400 deg. C is explained by the integral (x2) lattice matching between the unit cell of GaN and the (√3x√3) phase. The experiments demonstrate a plausible approach of adsorbate induced surface modifications as templates for III-V hetroepitaxy on Si surfaces.

On the modeling of irradiation-induced homogeneous precipitation in proton-bombarded Ni-Si solid solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Nghi Q.; Janghorban, K.; Ardell, A. J.

1981-10-01

Irradiation-induced solute redistribution leading to precipitation of coherent γ' particles in undersaturated Ni-based solid solutions containing 6 and 8 at.% Si during 400-keV proton bombardment was modeled, based on the concept of solute segregation in concentrated alloys under spatially-dependent defect production conditions. The combined effects of (i) an extremely large difference between the defect production rates in the peak-damage and mid-range regions during irradiation and (ii) a preferential coupling between the interstitial and solute fluxes generate a net transient flux of Si atoms into the mid-range region, which is much larger than the solute flux out of this location. As a result, the Si concentration exceeds the solubility limit and homogeneous precipitation of the γ' phase occurs in this particular region of the irradiated samples. The spatial, compositional and temperature dependences of irradiation-induced homogeneous precipitation derived from the present theoretical calculations are in good qualitative agreement with experimental observations

Origin of temperature-induced low friction of sputtered Si-containing amorphous carbon coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jantschner, O.; Field, S.K.; Holec, D.; Fian, A.; Music, D.; Schneider, J.M.; Zorn, K.; Mitterer, C.

2015-01-01

This work reports on a tribological study of magnetron-sputtered silicon-containing amorphous carbon thin films vs. their alumina counterparts. Temperature cycling during ball-on-disk tests in humid air revealed a decrease in the coefficient of friction from 0.3 to <0.02 beyond 240 ± 15 °C. Systematic variation of the environment confirmed oxygen to be responsible for the low friction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the wear tracks indicates oxidation of Si-C bonds and formation of Si-O-C bonds, followed by further oxidation to SiO 2 above 450 °C. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of gas interactions with the a-C surface revealed dissociation of O 2 and the formation of oxides. Additional density functional theory calculations of Si incorporation into a graphene layer, resembling the surface of the film, showed preferential attraction of gaseous species (H, O, -OH, H 2 O), to Si-sites as compared to C-sites. Hence, the temperature- and atmosphere-induced changes in friction coefficient can be understood based on correlative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio data: the formation of Si-O-C bonds stemming from a reaction of the as-deposited coating with atmosphere in the tribological contact is observed by theory and experiment

A correlative approach to segmenting phases and ferrite morphologies in transformation-induced plasticity steel using electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gazder, Azdiar A; Al-Harbi, Fayez; Spanke, Hendrik Th; Mitchell, David R G; Pereloma, Elena V

2014-12-01

Using a combination of electron back-scattering diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy data, a segmentation procedure was developed to comprehensively distinguish austenite, martensite, polygonal ferrite, ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths in a thermo-mechanically processed low-Si, high-Al transformation-induced plasticity steel. The efficacy of the ferrite morphologies segmentation procedure was verified by transmission electron microscopy. The variation in carbon content between the ferrite in granular bainite and bainitic ferrite laths was explained on the basis of carbon partitioning during their growth. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy study on SiC-side interface structure of SiO2–SiC formed by thermal oxidation in dry oxygen

Science.gov (United States)

Isomura, Noritake; Kosaka, Satoru; Kataoka, Keita; Watanabe, Yukihiko; Kimoto, Yasuji

2018-06-01

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is demonstrated to measure the fine atomic structure of SiO2–SiC interfaces. The SiC-side of the interface can be measured by fabricating thin SiO2 films and using SiC-selective EXAFS measurements. Fourier transforms of the oscillations of the EXAFS spectra correspond to radial-structure functions and reveal a new peak of the first nearest neighbor of Si for m-face SiC, which does not appear in measurements of the Si-face. This finding suggests that the m-face interface could include a structure with shorter Si–C distances. Numerical calculations provide additional support for this finding.

Rod-like β-FeSi2 phase grown on Si (111) substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Ming; Tanaka, Miyoko; Takeguchi, Masaki; Furuya, Kazuo

2004-01-01

Pure Fe with coverage of 0.5-2.0 nm was deposited on Si (111) 7x7 surfaces by reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE) in an integrated ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the as-deposited epitaxial phase exhibits rod-like and equilateral triangular morphology. The as-deposited phase was identified as c-FeSi 2 by electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that there exists lattice distortion in epitaxial c-FeSi 2 phase. Upon annealing at 1073 K, the metastable c-FeSi 2 transforms into equilibrium β-FeSi 2 phase, the latter inherits completely the morphology of c-FeSi 2 phase. Based on RDE and subsequent annealing, a new fabrication technique to grow rod-like semiconducting β-FeSi 2 on a Si substrate has been proposed in the present work

Nitrogen ion induced nitridation of Si(111) surface: Energy and fluence dependence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Praveen [Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064 (India); ISOM, Universidad Politecnia de Madrid, 28040 (Spain); Kumar, Mahesh [Physics and Energy Harvesting Group, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi 110012 (India); Nötzel, R. [ISOM, Universidad Politecnia de Madrid, 28040 (Spain); Shivaprasad, S.M., E-mail: smsprasad@jncasr.ac.in [Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064 (India)

2014-06-01

We present the surface modification of Si(111) into silicon nitride by exposure to energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions. In-situ UHV experiments have been performed to optimize the energy and fluence of the N{sub 2}{sup +} ions to form silicon nitride at room temperature (RT) and characterized in-situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We have used N{sub 2}{sup +} ion beams in the energy range of 0.2–5.0 keV of different fluence to induce surface reactions, which lead to the formation of Si{sub x}N{sub y} on the Si(111) surface. The XPS core level spectra of Si(2p) and N(1s) have been deconvoluted into different oxidation states to extract qualitative information, while survey scans have been used for quantifying of the silicon nitride formation, valence band spectra show that as the N{sub 2}{sup +} ion fluence increases, there is an increase in the band gap. The secondary electron emission spectra region of photoemission is used to evaluate the change in the work function during the nitridation process. The results show that surface nitridation initially increases rapidly with ion fluence and then saturates. - Highlights: • A systematic study for the formation of silicon nitride on Si(111). • Investigation of optimal energy and fluence for energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions. • Silicon nitride formation at room temperature on Si(111)

A macroscopic model to simulate the mechanically induced martensitic transformation in metastable austenitic stainless steels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perdahcioglu, Emin Semih; Geijselaers, Hubertus J.M.

2012-01-01

Mechanically induced martensitic transformation and the associated transformation plasticity phenomena in austenitic stainless steels are studied. The mechanisms responsible for the transformation are investigated and put into perspective based on experimental evidence. The stress and strain

Chemical effect of Si+ ions on the implantation-induced defects in ZnO studied by a slow positron beam

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, M.; Wang, D. D.; Chen, Z. Q.; Kimura, S.; Yamashita, Y.; Mori, A.; Uedono, A.

2013-01-01

Undoped ZnO single crystals were implanted with 300 keV Si+ ions to a dose of 6 × 1016 cm-2. A combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), positron annihilation, Raman scattering, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and photoluminescence (PL) was used to study the microstructure evolution after implantation and subsequent annealing. A very large increase of Doppler broadening S parameters in Si+-implanted region was detected by using a slow positron beam, indicating that vacancy clusters or microvoids are induced by implantation. The S parameters increase further after annealing up to 700 °C, suggesting agglomeration of these vacancies or microvoids to larger size. Most of these defects are removed after annealing up to 1100 °C. The other measurements such as XRD, Raman scattering, and PL all indicate severe damage and even disordered structure induced by Si+ implantation. The damage and disordered lattice shows recovery after annealing above 700 °C. Amorphous regions are observed by HRTEM measurement, directly testifies that amorphous phase is induced by Si+ implantation in ZnO. Analysis of the S - W correlation and the coincidence Doppler broadening spectra gives direct evidence of SiO2 precipitates in the sample annealed at 700 °C, which strongly supports the chemical effect of Si ions on the amorphization of ZnO lattice.

Hysteresis and Power-Law Statistics during temperature induced martensitic transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paul, Arya; Sengupta, Surajit; Rao, Madan

2011-01-01

We study hysteresis in temperature induced martensitic transformation using a 2D model solid exhibiting a square to rhombic structural transition. We find that upon quenching, the high temperature square phase, martensites are nucleated at sites having large non-affineness and ultimately invades the whole of the high temperature square phase. On heating the martensite, the high temperature square phase is restored. The transformation proceeds through avalanches. The amplitude and the time-duration of these avalanches exhibit power-law statistics both during heating and cooling of the system. The exponents corresponding to heating and cooling are different thereby indicating that the nucleation and dissolution of the product phase follows different transformation mechanism.

β-carotene and canthaxanthin inhibit chemically- and physically-induced transformation in 10T1/2 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pung, A.; Rundhaug, J.E.; Yoshizawa, C.N.; Bertram, J.S.

1988-01-01

We have studied the effects of β-carotene (β-C), a vitamin A precursor of plant origin, and canthaxanthin (CTX), a non-provitamin A carotenoid, on the neoplastic transformation of C3H/10T1/2 murine fibroblast cells. We show that both β-C and CTX inhibit 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA)-induced transformation. Both carotenoids failed to inhibit X-ray-induced transformation when the cells were treated prior to and during irradiation. However, when the drugs were added 1 week after X-irradiation and maintained in the medium thereafter, both carotenoids inhibited subsequent development of transformed foci in a dose-dependent manner. Again, CTX was more effective than β-C. The inhibition of MCA-induced transformation was reversible; upon removal of the drug, transformed foci developed within 2 weeks, indicating that the carotenoids were not specifically toxic to initiated cells. Although both carotenoids caused a small dose-dependent decrease in the growth rate of both parental and initiated 10T1/2 cells, they did not markedly affect colony size or number when the cells were treated as in the transformation assays, nor did they influence the expression of neoplasia of two transformed cell lines. We suggest that the carotenoids' lipid anti-oxidant properties may be responsible for their inhibitory actions on transformation. (author)

The mechanism of kaempferol induced apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in human cervical cancer SiHa cell: From macro to nano.

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Lv-Ying; Bai, Hai-Hua; Cai, Ji-Ye; Deng, Sui-Ping

2016-11-01

Kaempferol has been identified as a potential cancer therapeutic agent by an increasing amount of evidences. However, the changes in the topography of cell membrane induced by kaempferol at subcellular- or nanometer-level were still unclear. In this work, the topographical changes of cytomembrane in human cervical cancer cell (SiHa) induced by kaempferol, as well as the role of kaempferol in apoptosis induction and its possible mechanisms, were investigated. At the macro level, MTT assays showed that kaempferol inhibited the proliferation of SiHa cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that kaempferol could induce SiHa cell apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, and intracellular free calcium elevation. At the micro level, fluorescence imaging by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) indicated that kaempferol could also destroy the networks of microtubules. Using high resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM), we determined the precise changes of cellular membrane induced by kaempferol at subcellular or nanometer level. The spindle-shaped SiHa cells shrank after kaempferol treatment, with significantly increased cell surface roughness. These data showed structural characterizations of cellular topography in kaempferol-induced SiHa cell apoptosis and might provide novel integrated information from macro to nano level to assess the impact of kaempferol on cancer cells, which might be important for the understanding of the anti-cancer mechanisms of drugs. SCANNING 38:644-653, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Photostress analysis of stress-induced martensite phase transformation in superelastic NiTi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katanchi, B.; Choupani, N.; Khalil-Allafi, J.; Baghani, M.

2017-01-01

Phase transformation in shape memory alloys is the most important factor in their unique behavior. In this paper, the formation of stress induced martensite phase transformation in a superelastic NiTi (50.8% Ni) shape memory alloy was investigated by using the photo-stress method. First, the material's fabrication procedure has been described and then the material was studied using the metallurgical tests such as differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction to characterize the material features and the mechanical tensile test to investigate the superelastic behavior. As a new method in observation of the phase transformation, photo-stress pictures showed the formation of stress induced martensite in a superelastic dog-bone specimen during loading and subsequently it's disappearing during unloading. Finally, finite element analysis was implemented using the constitutive equations derived based on the Boyd-Lagoudas phenomenological model.

Photostress analysis of stress-induced martensite phase transformation in superelastic NiTi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katanchi, B. [Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Choupani, N., E-mail: choupani@sut.ac.ir [Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khalil-Allafi, J. [Research Center for Advance Materials, Faculty of Materials Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Baghani, M. [School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-03-14

Phase transformation in shape memory alloys is the most important factor in their unique behavior. In this paper, the formation of stress induced martensite phase transformation in a superelastic NiTi (50.8% Ni) shape memory alloy was investigated by using the photo-stress method. First, the material's fabrication procedure has been described and then the material was studied using the metallurgical tests such as differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction to characterize the material features and the mechanical tensile test to investigate the superelastic behavior. As a new method in observation of the phase transformation, photo-stress pictures showed the formation of stress induced martensite in a superelastic dog-bone specimen during loading and subsequently it's disappearing during unloading. Finally, finite element analysis was implemented using the constitutive equations derived based on the Boyd-Lagoudas phenomenological model.

Silicon carbide modified carbon materials. Formation of nanocrystalline SiC from thermochemical processes in the system coal tar pitch/poly(carbosilane)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Czosnek, C.; Janik, J.F.; Olejniczak, Z. [Stanislaw Staszic University of Mining & Meterology, AGH, Krakow (Poland)

2002-12-01

Poly(carbosilane) or PCS, (-CH{sub 2}-SiH(CH{sub 3})-){sub n}, is used as a Si-bearing precursor in combination with a coal tar pitch to study thermally induced transformations toward SiC-modified carbon composites. Following mixing of the components in the molten pitch at 160{sup o}C, the mixture is heated under argon atmosphere at 500{sup o}C yielding a solid carbonizate that is further subjected to separate pyrolysis experiments at 1300{sup o}C or 1650{sup o}C. At temperatures up to 500{sup o}C, the PCS reacts with suitable pitch components as well as undergoing decomposition reactions. At higher temperatures, clusters of prevailingly nanocrystalline beta-SiC are confirmed after the 1650{sup o}C pyrolysis step with indications that the formation of the compound starts at 1300{sup o}C. Si-29 MAS NMR, XRD, FT-IR, XPS, and elemental analysis are used to characterize each pyrolysis step, especially, from the viewpoint of transformation of silicon species to silicon carbide in the carbon matrix evolved from the pitch.

Electron-beam induced amorphization of stishovite: Silicon-coordination change observed using Si K-edge extended electron energy-loss fine structure

Science.gov (United States)

van Aken, P. A.; Sharp, T. G.; Seifert, F.

The analysis of the extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) of the Si K-edge for sixfold-coordinated Si in synthetic stishovite and fourfold-coordinated Si in natural α-quartz is reported by using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in combination with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The stishovite Si K-edge EXELFS spectra were measured as a time-dependent series to document irradiation-induced amorphization. The amorphization was also investigated through the change in Si K- and O K-edge energy-loss near edge structure (ELNES). For α-quartz, in contrast to stishovite, electron irradiation-induced vitrification, verified by selected area electron diffraction (SAED), produced no detectable changes of the EXELFS. The Si K-edge EXELFS were analysed with the classical extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) treatment and compared to ab initio curve-waved multiple-scattering (MS) calculations of EXAFS spectra for stishovite and α-quartz. Highly accurate information on the local atomic environment of the silicon atoms during the irradiation-induced amorphization of stishovite is obtained from the EXELFS structure parameters (Si-O bond distances, coordination numbers and Debye-Waller factors). The mean Si-O bond distance R and mean Si coordination number N changes from R=0.1775 nm and N=6 for stishovite through a disordered intermediate state (R 0.172 nm and N 5) to R 0.167 nm and N 4.5 for a nearly amorphous state similar to α-quartz (R=0.1609 nm and N=4). During the amorphization process, the Debye-Waller factor (DWF) passes through a maximum value of as it changes from for sixfold to for fourfold coordination of Si. This increase in Debye-Waller factor indicates an increase in mean-square relative displacement (MSRD) between the central silicon atom and its oxygen neighbours that is consistent with the presence of an intermediate structural state with fivefold coordination of Si. The distribution of coordination states can be estimated by

Electron-beam induced amorphization of stishovite: Silicon-coordination change observed using Si K-edge extended electron energy-loss fine structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aken, P.A. van; Sharp, T.G.; Seifert, F.

1998-01-01

The analysis of the extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) of the Si K-edge for sixfold-coordinated Si in synthetic stishovite and fourfold-coordinated Si in natural α-quartz is reported by using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in combination with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The stishovite Si K-edge EXELFS spectra were measured as a time-dependent series to document irradiation-induced amorphization. The amorphization was also investigated through the change in Si K- and O K-edge energy-loss near edge structure (ELNES). For α-quartz, in contrast to stishovite, electron irradiation-induced vitrification, produced no detectable changes of the EXELFS. The Si K-edge EXELFS were analysed with the classical extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) treatment and compared to ab initio curve-waved multiple-scattering (MS) calculations of EXAFS spectra for stishovite and α-quartz. Highly accurate information on the local atomic environment of the silicon atoms during the irradiation-induced amorphization of stishovite is obtained from the EXELFS structure parameters The mean Si-O bond distance R and mean Si coordination number N changes from R=0.1775 nm and N=6 for stishovite through a disordered intermediate state (R∼0.172 nm and N∼5) to R∼0.167 nm and N∼4.5 for a nearly amorphous state similar to α-quartz (R=0.1609 nm and N=4). During the amorphization process, the Debye-Waller factor (DWF) passes through a maximum value of σ N 2 ∼83.8pm 2 as it changes from σ st 2 =51.8pm 2 for sixfold to σ qu 2 =18.4pm 2 for fourfold coordination of Si. This increase in Debye-Waller factor indicates an increase in mean-square relative displacement (MSRD) between the central silicon atom and its oxygen neighbours. Using the EXELFS data for amorphization, a new method is developed to derive the relative amounts of Si coordinations in high-pressure minerals with mixed coordination. For the radiation-induced amorphization process of

Light-induced negative differential resistance in graphene/Si-quantum-dot tunneling diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyeong Won; Jang, Chan Wook; Shin, Dong Hee; Kim, Jong Min; Kang, Soo Seok; Lee, Dae Hun; Kim, Sung; Choi, Suk-Ho; Hwang, Euyheon

2016-07-28

One of the interesing tunneling phenomena is negative differential resistance (NDR), the basic principle of resonant-tunneling diodes. NDR has been utilized in various semiconductor devices such as frequency multipliers, oscillators, relfection amplifiers, logic switches, and memories. The NDR in graphene has been also reported theoretically as well as experimentally, but should be further studied to fully understand its mechanism, useful for practical device applications. Especially, there has been no observation about light-induced NDR (LNDR) in graphene-related structures despite very few reports on the LNDR in GaAs-based heterostructures. Here, we report first observation of LNDR in graphene/Si quantum dots-embedded SiO2 (SQDs:SiO2) multilayers (MLs) tunneling diodes. The LNDR strongly depends on temperature (T) as well as on SQD size, and the T dependence is consistent with photocurrent (PC)-decay behaviors. With increasing light power, the PC-voltage curves are more structured with peak-to-valley ratios over 2 at room temperature. The physical mechanism of the LNDR, governed by resonant tunneling of charge carriers through the minibands formed across the graphene/SQDs:SiO2 MLs and by their nonresonant phonon-assisted tunneling, is discussed based on theoretical considerations.

High-dose MeV electron irradiation of Si-SiO2 structures implanted with high doses Si+

Science.gov (United States)

Kaschieva, S.; Angelov, Ch; Dmitriev, S. N.

2018-03-01

The influence was studied of 22-MeV electron irradiation on Si-SiO2 structures implanted with high-fluence Si+ ions. Our earlier works demonstrated that Si redistribution is observed in Si+-ion-implanted Si-SiO2 structures (after MeV electron irradiation) only in the case when ion implantation is carried out with a higher fluence (1016 cm-2). We focused our attention on the interaction of high-dose MeV electron irradiation (6.0×1016 cm-2) with n-Si-SiO2 structures implanted with Si+ ions (fluence 5.4×1016 cm-2 of the same order magnitude). The redistribution of both oxygen and silicon atoms in the implanted Si-SiO2 samples after MeV electron irradiation was studied by Rutherford back-scattering (RBS) spectroscopy in combination with a channeling technique (RBS/C). Our results demonstrated that the redistribution of oxygen and silicon atoms in the implanted samples reaches saturation after these high doses of MeV electron irradiation. The transformation of amorphous SiO2 surface into crystalline Si nanostructures (after MeV electron irradiation) was evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Silicon nanocrystals are formed on the SiO2 surface after MeV electron irradiation. The shape and number of the Si nanocrystals on the SiO2 surface depend on the MeV electron irradiation, while their size increases with the dose. The mean Si nanocrystals height is 16-20 nm after irradiation with MeV electrons at the dose of 6.0×1016 cm-2.

Finite-strain micromechanical model of stress-induced martensitic transformations in shape memory alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stupkiewicz, S.; Petryk, H.

2006-01-01

A micromechanical model of stress-induced martensitic transformation in single crystals of shape memory alloys is developed. This model is a finite-strain counterpart to the approach presented recently in the small-strain setting [S. Stupkiewicz, H. Petryk, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 50 (2002) 2303-2331]. The stress-induced transformation is assumed to proceed by the formation and growth of parallel martensite plates within the austenite matrix. Propagation of phase transformation fronts is governed by a rate-independent thermodynamic criterion with a threshold value for the thermodynamic driving force, including in this way the intrinsic dissipation due to phase transition. This criterion selects the initial microstructure at the onset of transformation and governs the evolution of the laminated microstructure at the macroscopic level. A multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into elastic and transformation parts is assumed, with full account for the elastic anisotropy of the phases. The pseudoelastic behavior of Cu-Zn-Al single crystal in tension and compression is studied as an application of the model

Neuropilin-2 induced by transforming growth factor-β augments migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wittmann, Philipp; Grubinger, Markus; Gröger, Christian; Huber, Heidemarie; Sieghart, Wolfgang; Peck-Radosavljevic, Markus; Mikulits, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer and the third most lethal cancer worldwide. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) describes the transformation of well-differentiated epithelial cells to a de-differentiated phenotype and plays a central role in the invasion and intrahepatic metastasis of HCC cells. Modulation of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling is known to induce various tumor-promoting and EMT-inducing pathways in HCC. The meta-analysis of a panel of EMT gene expression studies revealed that neuropilin 2 (NRP2) is significantly upregulated in cells that have undergone EMT induced by TGF-β. In this study we assessed the functional role of NRP2 in epithelial and mesenchymal-like HCC cells and focused on the molecular interplay between NRP2 and TGF-β/Smad signaling. NRP2 expression was analyzed in human HCC cell lines and tissue arrays comprising 133 HCC samples. Cell migration was examined by wound healing and Transwell assays in the presence and absence of siRNA against NRP2. NRP2 and TGF-β signaling were analyzed by Western blotting and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. We show that NRP2 is particularly expressed in HCC cell lines with a dedifferentiated, mesenchymal-like phenotype. NRP2 expression is upregulated by the canonical TGF-β/Smad signaling while NRP2 expression has no impact on TGF-β signaling in HCC cells. Reduced expression of NRP2 by knock-down or inhibition of TGF-β signaling resulted in diminished cell migration independently of each other, suggesting that NRP2 fails to collaborate with TGF-β signaling in cell movement. In accordance with these data, elevated levels of NRP2 correlated with a higher tumor grade and less differentiation in a large collection of human HCC specimens. These data suggest that NRP2 associates with a less differentiated, mesenchymal-like HCC phenotype and that NRP2 plays an important role in tumor cell migration upon TGF-β-dependent HCC

Silicon electrodeposition from chloride-fluoride melts containing K2SiF6 and SiO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhuk Sergey I.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Silicon electrodeposition on glassy carbon from the KF-KCl-K2SiF6, KF-KCl-K2SiF6-KOH and KF-KCl-K2SiF6-SiO2 melts was studied by the cyclic voltammetry. Тhe electroreduction of Si(IV to metallic Si was observed as a single 4-electron wave under all considered conditions. The reactions of cathode reduction of silicon from fluoride and oxyfluoride complexes were suggested. It was shown that the process can be controlled by the preliminary transformation of SiO44- to SiF62- and SiOxFyz-. The influence of the current density on structure and morphology of silicon deposits obtained during galvanostatic electrolysis of the KF-KCl-K2SiF6-SiO2 melt was studied.

Study of application of Si2 and TiO2 nanofluids in electric oil transformers for performance analysis of thermal conductivity and dielectric rigidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopes, Daniel R.P.; Oliveira, Otávio L. de; Rocha, Marcelo da S.

2017-01-01

Electric transformers are essential equipment in the distribution of electrical energy as they are used for the continuous supply of electricity. For this reason it is important to study the possibilities of improving your insulation and cooling systems. The application of nanofluids in insulating mineral oils, which have a cooling and electrical insulation function, is a relevant issue in this area. In this work, the characteristics of the base mineral oil used in electric transformers with colloidal samples (nanofluids) made with the same base oil are compared using different concentrations of SiO 2 and TiO 2 nanoparticles. The characteristics of thermal conductivity and dielectric strength of nanofluid depend on nanoparticle concentrations, but the fluid must maintain all the insulation characteristics to be used in electrical transformers. The analysis will be performed through computational simulations using FEMM 2D software, applying its thermal conductivity module. The input data were taken from the characterization of samples produced with different concentrations of SiO 2 and TiO 2 nanoparticles (using the same mineral base oil). The parameters were applied in a computational model of a 50 kVA transformer, with usual geometry and natural circulation of oil (by convection) referencing electric transformers used in the market for energy conversion. This paper presents some of the results of a study of the dielectric properties and thermal conductivity of a mineral oil based nanofluid

GSK3 inactivation is involved in mitochondrial complex IV defect in transforming growth factor (TGF) {beta}1-induced senescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byun, Hae-Ok; Jung, Hyun-Jung; Seo, Yong-Hak; Lee, Young-Kyoung [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 443-721 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Molecular Science and Technology, The Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon 443-721 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Sung-Chul [Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 443-721 (Korea, Republic of); Seong Hwang, Eun [Department of Life Science, University of Seoul, Seoul 130-743 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Gyesoon, E-mail: ypeace@ajou.ac.kr [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 443-721 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Molecular Science and Technology, The Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon 443-721 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-09-10

Transforming growth factor {beta}1 (TGF {beta}1) induces Mv1Lu cell senescence by persistently producing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) through decreased complex IV activity. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of TGF {beta}1 on mitochondrial complex IV activity. TGF {beta}1 progressively phosphorylated the negative regulatory sites of both glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) {alpha} and {beta}, corresponding well to the intracellular ROS generation profile. Pre-treatment of N-acetyl cysteine, an antioxidant, did not alter this GSK3 phosphorylation (inactivation), whereas pharmacological inhibition of GSK3 by SB415286 significantly increased mitochondrial ROS, implying that GSK3 phosphorylation is an upstream event of the ROS generation. GSK3 inhibition by SB415286 decreased complex IV activity and cellular O{sub 2} consumption rate and eventually induced senescence of Mv1Lu cell. Similar results were obtained with siRNA-mediated knockdown of GSK3. Moreover, we found that GSK3 not only exists in cytosol but also in mitochondria of Mv1Lu cell and the mitochondrial GSK3 binds complex IV subunit 6b which has no electron carrier and is topologically located in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Involvement of subunit 6b in controlling complex IV activity and overall respiration rate was proved with siRNA-mediated knockdown of subunit 6b. Finally, TGF {beta}1 treatment decreased the binding of the subunit 6b to GSK3 and subunit 6b phosphorylation. Taken together, our results suggest that GSK3 inactivation is importantly involved in TGF {beta}1-induced complex IV defects through decreasing phosphorylation of the subunit 6b, thereby contributing to senescence-associated mitochondrial ROS generation.

Experimental study of stress-induced localized transformation plastic zones in tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Q.; Zhao, Z.; Chen, W.; Qing, X.; Xu, X.; Dai, F.

1994-01-01

Stress-induced martensitic transformation plastic zones in ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline ceramics (Ce-TZP), under loading conditions of uniaxial tension, compression, and three-point bending, are studied by experiments. The transformed monoclinic phase volume fraction distribution and the corresponding plastic strain distribution and the surface morphology (surface uplift) are measured by means of moire interferometry, Raman microprobe spectroscopy, and the surface measurement system. The experimental results from the above three kinds of specimens and methods consistently show that the stress-induced transformation at room temperature of the above specimen is not uniform within the transformation zone and that the plastic deformation is concentrated in some narrow band; i.e., macroscopic plastic flow localization proceeds during the initial stage of plastic deformation. Flow localization phenomena are all observed in uniaxial tension, compression, and three-point bending specimens. Some implications of the flow localization to the constitutive modeling and toughening of transforming thermoelastic polycrystalline ceramics are explored

Effect of annealing induced residual stress on the resonance frequency of SiO2 microcantilevers

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, S.; Prabakar, K.; Tripura Sundari, S.

2018-04-01

In the present work, effect of residual stress, induced due to annealing of SiO2 microcantilevers (MCs) on their resonance frequency is studied. SiO2MCs of various dimensions were fabricated using direct laser writer & wet chemical etching method and were annealed at 800 °C in oxygen environment, post release. The residual stress was estimated from the deflection profile of the MCs measured using 3D optical microscope, before and after annealing. Resonance frequency of the MCs was measured using nano-vibration analyzer and was found to change after annealing. Further the frequency shift was found to depend on the MC dimensions. This is attributed to the large stress gradients induced by annealing and associated stiffness changes.

Gibbs energy modelling of the driving forces and calculation of the fcc/hcp martensitic transformation temperatures in Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn-Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cotes, S.; Fernandez Guillermet, A.; Sade, M.

1999-01-01

Very recent, accurate dilatometric measurements of the fcc hcp martensitic transformation (MT) temperatures are used to develop a new thermodynamic description of the fcc and hcp phases in the Fe-Mn-Si system, based on phenomenological models for the Gibbs energy function. The composition dependence of the driving forces for the fcc→hcp and the hcp→fcc MTs is established. Detailed calculations of the MT temperatures are reported, which are used to investigate the systematic effects of Si additions upon the MT temperatures of Fe-Mn alloys. A critical comparison with one of the most recent thermodynamic analyses of the Fe-Mn-Si system, which is due to Forsberg and Agren, is also presented. (orig.)

The color-flavor transformation of induced QCD

CERN Document Server

Shnir, Ya M

2002-01-01

The color-flavor transformation is applied to the $U(N_c)$ lattice model, in which the gauge theory is induced by the chiral scalar field associated with an elementary plaquette. The flavor degrees of freedom are related with the number of generations of the auxiliary field, and flavor components of each generation are associated with all the plaquettes having a lattice site in common. The property of the dual color-flavor transformed theory, which is expressed in terms of the gauge singlets, are analyzed in $d=2$ and $d=3$ dimensions. The saddle point solution of the model in the large-$N_c$ limit is discussed. The correlations between the plaquettes, which are described by the dual theory, allows to define the dual lattice. In $d=3$ dimensions it is made of tetradecahedra which correspond to the cubes of the original lattice. The continuum limit of $d=2$ effective theory is discussed.

The color-flavor transformation of induced QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shnir, Ya.

2002-09-01

The color-flavor transformation is applied to the U(N c ) lattice model, in which the gauge theory is induced by the chiral scalar field associated with an elementary plaquette. The flavor degrees of freedom are related with the number of generations of the auxiliary field, and flavor components of each generation are associated with all the plaquettes having a lattice site in common. The property of the dual color-flavor transformed theory, which is expressed in terms of the gauge singlets, are analyzed in d=2 and d=3 dimensions. The saddle point solution of the model in the large-N c limit is discussed. The correlations between the plaquettes, which are described by the dual theory, allows to define the dual lattice. In d=3 dimensions it is made of tetradecahedra which correspond to the cubes of the original lattice. The continuum limit of d=2 effective theory is discussed. (author)

Alleviation of process-induced cracking of the antireflection TiN coating (ARC-TiN) in Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Si films

CERN Document Server

Peng, Y C; Yang, Y R; Hsieh, W Y; Hsieh, Y F

1999-01-01

The alleviation of cracking of the TiN-ARC layer on Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Si films after the development process has been achieved. For the TiN-ARC/Al-Cu system, the stress-induced defects decreased with increasing TiN-ARC layer thickness. In contrast, for the TiN-ARC/Al-Cu-Si system, Si nodules formed during cooling, thereby inducing poor coverage with high aspect-ratio holes. As a result, the photoresist developer penetrated through the films. Chemical vapor deposition of TiN-ARC or predeposition of a Ti Interposing layer was used to eliminate the formation of Si nodules.

Preparation and Characterization of SiO2/SiCN Core-shell Ceramic Microspheres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Hai-yuan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The SiO2/PSN core-shell microspheres were prepared via an emulsion reaction combined with the polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs method using polysilazane (PSN in situ polymerization on the surface of SiO2 modified by silane coupling agents MPS, followed by pyrolysis process to obtain SiO2/SiCN core-shell ceramic microspheres. The effects of raw mass ratio, curing time and pyrolysis temperature on the formation and the morphology of core-shell microspheres were studied. The morphology, chemical composition and phase transformation were characterized by SEM, EDS, TEM, FT-IR and XRD. The results show that after reaction for 4h at 200℃, SiO2 completely coated PSN forms a core-shell microsphere with rough surface when the mass ratio of SiO2 and PSN is 1:4; when pyrolysis temperature is at 800-1200℃, amorphous SiO2/SiCN core-shell ceramic microspheres are prepared; at 1400℃, the amorphous phase partially crystallizes to produce SiO2, SiC and Si3N4 phase.

Electric-field-induced paraelectric to ferroelectric phase transformation in prototypical polycrystalline BaTiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhiyang; Hinterstein, Manuel; Daniels, John E.; Webber, Kyle G.; Hudspeth, Jessica M.

2014-01-01

An electric-field-induced paraelectric cubic to ferroelectric tetragonal phase transformation has been directly observed in prototypical polycrystalline BaTiO 3 at temperatures above the Curie point (T C ) using in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The transformation persisted to a maximum temperature of 4 °C above T C . The nature of the observed field-induced transformation and the resulting development of domain texture within the induced phase were dependent on the proximity to the transition temperature, corresponding well to previous macroscopic measurements. The transition electric field increased with increasing temperature above T C , while the magnitude of the resultant tetragonal domain texture at the maximum electric field (4 kV mm −1 ) decreased at higher temperatures. These results provide insights into the phase transformation behavior of a prototypical ferroelectric and have important implications for the development of future large-strain phase-change actuator materials.

Role of reactive oxygen species in arsenic-induced transformation of human lung bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Zhuo, E-mail: zhuo.zhang@uky.edu [Graduate Center for Toxicology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Pratheeshkumar, Poyil; Budhraja, Amit; Son, Young-Ok [Center for Research on Environmental Diseases, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Kim, Donghern [Graduate Center for Toxicology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Shi, Xianglin [Center for Research on Environmental Diseases, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States)

2015-01-09

Highlights: • Short term exposure of cells to arsenic causes ROS generation. • Chronical exposure of cells to arsenic causes malignant cell transformation. • Inhibition of ROS generation reduces cell transformation by arsenic. • Arsenic-transformed cells exhibit reduced capacity of generating ROS. • Arsenic-transformed cells exhibit increased levels of antioxidants. - Abstract: Arsenic is an environmental carcinogen, its mechanisms of carcinogenesis remain to be investigated. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to be important. A previous study (Carpenter et al., 2011) has measured ROS level in human lung bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells and arsenic-transformed BEAS-2B cells and found that ROS levels were higher in transformed cells than that in parent normal cells. Based on these observations, the authors concluded that cell transformation induced by arsenic is mediated by increased cellular levels of ROS. This conclusion is problematic because this study only measured the basal ROS levels in transformed and parent cells and did not investigate the role of ROS in the process of arsenic-induced cell transformation. The levels of ROS in arsenic-transformed cells represent the result and not the cause of cell transformation. Thus question concerning whether ROS are important in arsenic-induced cell transformation remains to be answered. In the present study, we used expressions of catalase (antioxidant against H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2, antioxidant against O{sub 2}{sup ·−}) to decrease ROS level and investigated their role in the process of arsenic-induced cell transformation. Our results show that inhibition of ROS by antioxidant enzymes decreased arsenic-induced cell transformation, demonstrating that ROS are important in this process. We have also shown that in arsenic-transformed cells, ROS generation was lower and levels of antioxidants are higher than those in parent cells, in a disagreement with the previous

Role of reactive oxygen species in arsenic-induced transformation of human lung bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Zhuo; Pratheeshkumar, Poyil; Budhraja, Amit; Son, Young-Ok; Kim, Donghern; Shi, Xianglin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Short term exposure of cells to arsenic causes ROS generation. • Chronical exposure of cells to arsenic causes malignant cell transformation. • Inhibition of ROS generation reduces cell transformation by arsenic. • Arsenic-transformed cells exhibit reduced capacity of generating ROS. • Arsenic-transformed cells exhibit increased levels of antioxidants. - Abstract: Arsenic is an environmental carcinogen, its mechanisms of carcinogenesis remain to be investigated. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to be important. A previous study (Carpenter et al., 2011) has measured ROS level in human lung bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells and arsenic-transformed BEAS-2B cells and found that ROS levels were higher in transformed cells than that in parent normal cells. Based on these observations, the authors concluded that cell transformation induced by arsenic is mediated by increased cellular levels of ROS. This conclusion is problematic because this study only measured the basal ROS levels in transformed and parent cells and did not investigate the role of ROS in the process of arsenic-induced cell transformation. The levels of ROS in arsenic-transformed cells represent the result and not the cause of cell transformation. Thus question concerning whether ROS are important in arsenic-induced cell transformation remains to be answered. In the present study, we used expressions of catalase (antioxidant against H 2 O 2 ) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2, antioxidant against O 2 ·− ) to decrease ROS level and investigated their role in the process of arsenic-induced cell transformation. Our results show that inhibition of ROS by antioxidant enzymes decreased arsenic-induced cell transformation, demonstrating that ROS are important in this process. We have also shown that in arsenic-transformed cells, ROS generation was lower and levels of antioxidants are higher than those in parent cells, in a disagreement with the previous report. The

Investigation of protection problems due to geomagnetically induced currents (solar magnetic disturbances, transformers)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The problems with geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) flowing in power systems during solar magnetic disturbances were studied. Transformers can overheat as a result of GIC because they can cause offset saturation of power system transformers. Harmonic currents can also be introduced into the system which then affect the relay and protection systems. Several studies have been conducted using simplified transformer core models to predict the transformer response to DC excitation. In this study, an accurate transformer core model was developed and validated by comparing the recorded waveforms during GIC events with simulated waveforms using the model. The new transformer core model was used to evaluate the performance of different protection schemes under GIC

Hard X-ray total scattering study on the structure of Si-dopped ferric oxyhydroxides and products of their transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Pieczara, Gabriela; Borkiewicz, Olaf; Manecki, Maciej; Rzepa, Grzegorz

2016-04-01

Here we report the results of a detailed structural investigation, using synchrotron-based pair distribution function analyses (PDF) and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), on a series of Si-bearing synthetic analogues of ferrihydrite with a range of Si/Fe ratio relevant to geological environments and on products of their thermal transformation. Hard X-ray total scattering data suitable for PDF analyses have been collected at the PDF-dedicated beamline 11-ID-B and the HR-XRD data at beamline 11-BM of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Ferrihydrite is a poorly crystalline, nano-sized hydrous ferric oxyhydroxide with a nominal/ideal formula Fe5HO8•4H2O. Its chemical composition however, can vary significantly and the atomic structure is yet to be fully understood despite multitude of structural studies undertaken over the past two decades (Michel et al., 2007; Manceau, 2009). One of the most commonly discussed and still unsettled contention points regarding the structural arrangements of ferrihydrite is related to the presence or absence of tetraherdally coordinated iron(III) within its structure. The majority of experimental work carried out to date focused on pure, synthetic ferrihydrite analogues with chemical composition close to ideal/nominal. This approach is clearly a significant oversimplification of natural ferrihydrite which always contains substantial amounts of admixtures, with Si, C, P, As, Ca, S and Al being the most common. One of the most important and the most commonly encountered impurities is Si, in the form of silicate ion that has strong affinity for ferrihydrite. SiO2content in natural ferrihydrites can vary substantially but generally falls with the range of 2.6-31.5 wt% (Cismasu et al., 2011). In certain environments however, such as modern seafloor hydrothermal vents, higher Si/Fe ratios (up to ca. 3) have been reported (Sun et al., 2013). The results of previous reports indicate that silicate

120 MeV Ag ion induced effects in Au/HfO2/Si MOSCAPs

Science.gov (United States)

Manikanthababu, N.; Prajna, K.; Pathak, A. P.; Rao, S. V. S. Nageswara

2018-05-01

HfO2/Si thinfilms were deposited by RF sputtering technique. 120 MeV Ag ion irradiation has been used to study the electrical properties of Au/HfO2/Si MOSCAPs. SHI (120 MeV Ag) induced annealing, defects creation and intermixing effects on the electrical properties of these systems have been studied. Here, we have observed that the high electronic excitation can cause a significant reduction of leakage currents in these MOSCAP devices. Various quantum mechanical tunneling phenomenon has been observed from the I-V characteristics.

Microstructures induced by excimer laser surface melting of the SiC{sub p}/Al metal matrix composite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qian, D.S., E-mail: Daishu.qian@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk; Zhong, X.L.; Yan, Y.Z.; Hashimoto, T.; Liu, Z.

2017-08-01

Highlights: • Microstructural analysis of the excimer laser-melted SiC{sub p}/AA2124;. • Analytical, FEM, and SPH simulation of the laser-material interaction;. • Mechanism of the formation of the laser-induced microstructure. - Abstract: Laser surface melting (LSM) was carried out on the SiC{sub p}/Al metal matrix composite (MMC) using a KrF excimer laser with a fluence of 7 J/cm{sup 2}. The re-solidification microstructure was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray detector, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It was found that a 2.5 μm thick melted layer was formed in the near-surface region, in which dissolution of the intermetallics and removal of the SiC particles occurred. The thermal and material response upon laser irradiation was simulated using three models, i.e. analytical model, finite element model (FEM) and smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model. The effect of SiC particles on the LSM process, the mechanism of the SiC removal and the re-solidification microstructures in the melted layer were discussed. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental results and contributed to the generic understanding of the re-solidification microstructures induced by ns-pulsed lasers.

Grafted SiC nanocrystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saini, Isha; Sharma, Annu; Dhiman, Rajnish

2017-01-01

), raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy was used to study optical properties such as optical energy gap (Eg), Urbach's energy (Eu), refractive index (n), real (ε1) and imaginary (ε2) parts of dielectric constant of PVA as well as PVA......Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) grafted SiC (PVA-g-SiC)/PVA nanocomposite was synthesized by incorporating PVA grafted silicon carbide (SiC) nanocrystals inside PVA matrix. In-depth structural characterization of resulting nanocomposite was carried out using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR...

Elimination of the induced current error in magnetometers using superconducting flux transformers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dummer, D.; Weyhmann, W.

1987-01-01

The changing magnetization of a sample in a superconducting flux transformer coupled magnetometer induces a current in the transformer which in turn changes the field at the sample. This ''image'' field and the error caused by it can be eliminated by sensing the current in the loop and nulling it by feedback through a mutual inductance. We have tested the technique on the superconducting transition of indium in an applied magnetic field and shown that the observed width of the transition is greatly reduced by maintaining zero current in the flux transformer

Adaptive self-assembly and induced-fit transformations of anion-binding metal-organic macrocycles

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ting; Zhou, Li-Peng; Guo, Xiao-Qing; Cai, Li-Xuan; Sun, Qing-Fu

2017-06-01

Container-molecules are attractive to chemists due to their unique structural characteristics comparable to enzymes and receptors in nature. We report here a family of artificial self-assembled macrocyclic containers that feature induced-fit transformations in response to different anionic guests. Five metal-organic macrocycles with empirical formula of MnL2n (M=Metal L=Ligand n=3, 4, 5, 6, 7) are selectively obtained starting from one simple benzimidazole-based ligand and square-planar palladium(II) ions, either by direct anion-adaptive self-assembly or induced-fit transformations. Hydrogen-bonding interactions between the inner surface of the macrocycles and the anionic guests dictate the shape and size of the product. A comprehensive induced-fit transformation map across all the MnL2n species is drawn, with a representative reconstitution process from Pd7L14 to Pd3L6 traced in detail, revealing a gradual ring-shrinking mechanism. We envisage that these macrocyclic molecules with adjustable well-defined hydrogen-bonding pockets will find wide applications in molecular sensing or catalysis.

Growth of CoSi2 on Si(001) by reactive deposition epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, C.W.; Shin, C.-S.; Gall, D.; Zuo, J.M.; Petrov, I.; Greene, J.E.

2005-01-01

CaF 2 -structure CoSi 2 layers were formed on Si(001) by reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE) and compared with CoSi 2 layers obtained by conventional solid phase growth (SPG). In both sets of experiments, Co was deposited by ultrahigh-vacuum magnetron sputtering and CoSi 2 formed at 600 deg. C. However, in the case of RDE, CoSi 2 formation occurred during Co deposition while for SPG, Co was deposited at 25 deg. C and silicidation took place during subsequent annealing. X-ray diffraction pole figures and transmission electron microscopy results demonstrate that RDE CoSi 2 layers are epitaxial with a cube-on-cube relationship (001) CoSi 2 parallel (001) Si and [100] CoSi 2 parallel[100] Si . In contrast, SPG films are polycrystalline with an average grain size of ≅1000 A and a mixed 111/002/022/112 orientation. We attribute the striking difference to rapid Co diffusion into the Si(001) substrate during RDE for which the high Co/Si reactivity gives rise to a flux-limited reaction resulting in the direct formation of the disilicide phase. In contrast, sequential nucleation and transformation among increasingly Si-rich phases--from orthorhombic Co 2 Si to cubic CoSi to CoSi 2 --during SPG results in polycrystalline layers with a complex texture

First-principle investigations of the magnetic properties and possible martensitic transformation in Ni2MnX (X=Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge and Sn)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Wei; Gao, She-Sheng; Meng, Yang

2014-01-01

The magnetic and electronic properties of Ni 2 MnX (X=Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge and Sn) Heusler alloys have been studied by using the first-principle projector augmented wave potential within the generalized gradient approximation. The possible non-modulated martensitic transformation in these six alloys has been investigated. Both austenitic and martensitic Ni 2 MnX (X=Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge and Sn) Heusler alloys are found to be ferromagnets. In martensitic phase, the energies minimum occurs at c/a=0.99 for Ni 2 MnX (X=Al, In, Ge and Sn), and the energy minimum occurs at c/a=1.02 for Ni 2 MnSi. But there is a negligible energy difference ΔE (<6 meV/cell) between the austenitic and martensitic phases for each alloy. Meanwhile, around c/a=1, an anomaly is observed in the E-c/a curve, which is related to a very slightly tetragonal distortion trend in Ni 2 MnX (X=Al, In, Si, Ge and Sn). The energy difference ΔE between the austenitic and martensitic phases for Ni 2 MnGa is as large as 99 meV/cell, so it is more likely to realize martensitic transformation in it. - Highlights: • Both austenitic and martensitic Ni 2 MnX alloys are found to be ferromagnets. • The energy difference between the martensitic and austenitic phases is negligible. • The total moment in martensitic phase is close to corresponding to austenitic phase

Influence of Substrate on Crystal Orientation of Large-Grained Si Thin Films Formed by Metal-Induced Crystallization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaoru Toko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Producing large-grained polycrystalline Si (poly-Si film on glass substrates coated with conducting layers is essential for fabricating Si thin-film solar cells with high efficiency and low cost. We investigated how the choice of conducting underlayer affected the poly-Si layer formed on it by low-temperature (500°C Al-induced crystallization (AIC. The crystal orientation of the resulting poly-Si layer strongly depended on the underlayer material: (100 was preferred for Al-doped-ZnO (AZO and indium-tin-oxide (ITO; (111 was preferred for TiN. This result suggests Si heterogeneously nucleated on the underlayer. The average grain size of the poly-Si layer reached nearly 20 µm for the AZO and ITO samples and no less than 60 µm for the TiN sample. Thus, properly electing the underlayer material is essential in AIC and allows large-grained Si films to be formed at low temperatures with a set crystal orientation. These highly oriented Si layers with large grains appear promising for use as seed layers for Si light-absorption layers as well as for advanced functional materials.

Using the transformer oil-based nanofluid for cooling of power distribution transformer

OpenAIRE

Mushtaq Ismael Hasan

2017-01-01

Thermal behavior of electrical distribution transformer has been numerically studied with the effect of surrounding air temperature. 250 KVA distribution transformer is chosen as a study model and studied in temperature range cover the weather conditions of hot places. Transformer oil-based nanofluids were used as a cooling medium instead of pure transformer oil. Four types of solid particles (Cu, Al2O3, TiO2 and SiC) were used to compose nanofluids with volume fractions (1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and ...

Adaptive Response Against Spontaneous Neoplastic Transformation In Vitro Induced by Ionizing Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redpath, J. Leslie

2003-01-01

The goal of this project was to establish a dose response curve for radiation-induced neoplastic transformation of HeLa x skin fibroblast human hybrid cells in vitro under experimental conditions were an adaptive response, if it were induced, would have an opportunity to be expressed. During the first two years of the grant an exhaustive series of experiments were performed and the resulting data were reported at the 2000 Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research Society and then Subsequently published. The data showed that an adaptive response against spontaneous neoplastic transformation was seen up to doses of 10cGy of Cs-137 gamma rays. At dose of 30, 50 and 100 cGy the transformation frequencies were above background. This indicated that for this system, under the specific experimental conditions used, there was a threshold of somewhere between 10 and 30 cGy. The results also indicated some unexpected, though very interesting, correlations with relative risk estimates made from human epidemiologic studies

Si effects on radiation induced segregation in high purity Fe-18Cr-14Ni alloys irradiated by Ni ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohta, Joji; Kako, Kenji; Mayuzumi, Masami; Kusanagi, Hideo; Suzuki, Takayoshi

1999-01-01

To illustrate the effects of the element Si on radiation induced segregation, which causes irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC), we investigated grain boundary chemistry of high purity Fe-18Cr-14Ni-Si alloys irradiated by Ni ions using FE-TEM. The addition of Si up to 1% does not affect the Cr depletion at grain boundaries, while it slightly enhances the depletion of Fe and the segregation of Ni and Si. The addition of 2% Si causes the depletion of Cr and Fe and the segregation of Ni and Si at grain boundaries. Thus, the Si content should be as low as possible. In order to reduce the depletion of Cr at grain boundaries, which is one of the major causes of IASCC, Si content should be less than 1%. (author)

Enhancement of the core near-band-edge emission induced by an amorphous shell in coaxial one-dimensional nanostructure: the case of SiC/SiO{sub 2} core/shell self-organized nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fabbri, Filippo; Rossi, Francesca; Attolini, Giovanni; Salviati, Giancarlo; Iannotta, Salvatore [IMEM-CNR Institute, Viale Usberti 37/A, I-43124 Parma (Italy); Aversa, Lucrezia; Verucchi, Roberto; Nardi, Marco [IFN-CNR Institute, Via alla Cascata 56/C-Povo, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Fukata, Naoki [International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics, National Institute for Materials Science and PRESTO JST, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Dierre, Benjamin; Sekiguchi, Takashi [Nano Device Characterization Group, Advanced Electronic Materials Center, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan)

2010-08-27

We report the influence of the native amorphous SiO{sub 2} shell on the cathodoluminescence emission of 3C-SiC/SiO{sub 2} core/shell nanowires. A shell-induced enhancement of the SiC near-band-edge emission is observed and studied as a function of the silicon dioxide thickness. Since the diameter of the investigated SiC cores rules out any direct bandgap optical transitions due to confinement effects, this enhancement is ascribed to a carrier diffusion from the shell to the core, promoted by the alignment of the SiO{sub 2} and SiC bands in a type I quantum well. An accurate correlation between the optical emission and structural and SiO{sub 2}-SiC interface properties is also reported.

Transformation from amorphous to nano-crystalline SiC thin films ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

phous SiC to cubic nano-crystalline SiC films with the increase in the gas flow ratio. Raman scattering ... Auger electron spectroscopy showed that the carbon incorporation in the .... with a 514 nm Ar+ laser excitation source and the laser.

Thermal stability of iron silicide nanowires epitaxially grown on Si(110) substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zou, Zhi-Qiang, E-mail: zouzhq@shanghaitech.edu.cn [School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, Pudong, Shanghai, 201210 (China); Li, Xu; Liu, Xiao-Yong; Shi, Kai-Juan; Guo, Xin-Qiu [Analytical and Testing Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2017-03-31

Highlights: • The α-FeSi{sub 2} nanowires epitaxially grown on Si(110) can be stable up to 750 °C. • The stable temperature of the nanowires is much lower than that of the bulk α-FeSi{sub 2} due to their small size and high relative surface area. • With increasing annealing temperature, the α-FeSi{sub 2} nanowires undergo an Ostwald ripening process and transform into large β-FeSi{sub 2} nanorods or three-dimensional nanocrystals. • The reduction in surface energy drives the transformation from metallic α-FeSi{sub 2} phase to semiconducting β-FeSi{sub 2} phase. - Abstract: Metallic α-FeSi{sub 2} nanowires (NWs) are epitaxially grown on Si(110) at 650 °C. Their evolution as a function of annealing temperature has been studied in situ by scanning tunneling microscopy. The NWs are stable up to 750 °C, which is much lower than that of the bulk α-FeSi{sub 2}. With further increasing the annealing temperature, some NWs begin to shrink in length and transform into wider and higher semiconducting β-FeSi{sub 2} nanorods or three-dimensional (3D) islands at 925 °C. The phase transformation is driven by the reduction in surface energy. On the other hand, some α-FeSi{sub 2} NWs begin to dissolve and become thinner until disappearing. The growth of the β-FeSi{sub 2} nanorods or 3D nanocrystals follows the Ostwald ripening mechanism, i.e., the large islands grow in size at the expense of the small ones. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study shows that the Fe 2p peaks of β-FeSi{sub 2} nanocrystals exhibit a negative shift of 0.2 eV with respect to the α-FeSi{sub 2} NWs.

Stress- and Magnetic Field-Induced Martensitic Transformation at Cryogenic Temperatures in Fe-Mn-Al-Ni Shape Memory Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Ji; Xu, Xiao; Miyake, Atsushi; Kimura, Yuta; Omori, Toshihiro; Tokunaga, Masashi; Kainuma, Ryosuke

2017-12-01

Stress-induced and magnetic-field-induced martensitic transformation behaviors at low temperatures were investigated for Fe-Mn-Al-Ni alloys. The magnetic-field-induced reverse martensitic transformation was directly observed by in situ optical microscopy. Magnetization measurements under pulsed magnetic fields up to 50 T were carried out at temperatures between 4.2 and 125 K on a single-crystal sample; full magnetic-field-induced reverse martensitic transformation was confirmed at all tested temperatures. Compression tests from 10 to 100 K were conducted on a single-crystal sample; full shape recovery was obtained at all tested temperatures. It was found that the temperature dependence of both the critical stress and critical magnetic field is small and that the transformation hysteresis is less sensitive to temperature even at cryogenic temperatures. The temperature dependence of entropy change during martensitic transformation up to 100 K was then derived using the Clausius-Clapeyron relation with critical stresses and magnetic fields.

Heavy Ion Microbeam- and Broadbeam-Induced Transients in SiGe HBTs

Science.gov (United States)

Pellish, Jonathan A.; Reed, Robert A.; McMorrow, Dale; Vizkelethy, Gyorgy; Ferlet-Cavrois, Veronique; Baggio, Jacques; Duhamel, Olivier; Moen, Kurt A.; Phillips, Stanley D.; Diestelhorst, Ryan M.;

The effects of phase transformation on the structure and mechanical properties of TiSiCN nanocomposite coatings deposited by PECVD method

Science.gov (United States)

Abedi, Mohammad; Abdollah-zadeh, Amir; Bestetti, Massimiliano; Vicenzo, Antonello; Serafini, Andrea; Movassagh-Alanagh, Farid

2018-06-01

In the present study, the effects of phase transformations on the structure and mechanical properties of TiSiCN coatings were investigated. TiSiCN nanocomposite coatings were deposited on AISI H13 hot-work tool steel by a pulsed direct current plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process at 350 or 500 °C, using TiCl4 and SiCl4 as the precursors of Ti and Si, respectively, in a CH4/N2/H2/Ar plasma as the source of carbon and nitrogen and reducing environment. Some samples deposited at 350 °C were subsequently annealed at 500 °C under Ar atmosphere. Super hard self-lubricant TiSiCN coatings, having nanocomposite structure consisting of TiCN nanocrystals and amorphous carbon particles embedded in an amorphous SiCNx matrix, formed through spinodal decomposition in the specimens deposited or annealed at 500 °C. In addition, it was revealed that either uncomplete or relatively coarse phase segregation of titanium compounds was achieved during deposition at 350 °C and 500 °C, respectively. On the contrary, by deposition at 350 °C followed by annealing at 500 °C, a finer structure was obtained with a sensible improvement of the mechanical properties of coatings. Accordingly, the main finding of this work is that significant enhancement in key properties of TiSiCN coatings, such as hardness, adhesion and friction coefficient, can be obtained by deposition at low temperature and subsequent annealing at higher temperature, thanks to the formation of a fine grained nanocomposite structure.

Luminescence properties of Si-capped β-FeSi{sub 2} nanodots epitaxially grown on Si(001) and (111) substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amari, Shogo; Ichikawa, Masakazu [Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Nakamura, Yoshiaki, E-mail: nakamura@ee.es.osaka-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531 (Japan); PRESTO, JST, 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)

2014-02-28

We studied the luminescence properties of Si-capped β-FeSi{sub 2} nanodots (NDs) epitaxially grown on Si substrates by using photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectroscopies. Codepositing Fe and Si on ultrathin SiO{sub 2} films induced the self-assembly of epitaxial β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs. The PL spectra of the Si/β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs/Si structure depended on the crystal orientation of the Si substrate. These structures exhibited a broad PL peak near 0.8 eV on both Si(001) and (111) substrates. The PL intensity depended on the shape of the β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs. For the flat NDs, which exhibited higher PL intensity, we also recorded EL spectra. We explained the luminescence properties of these structures by the presence of nanostructured Si offering radiative electronic states in the Si cap layers, generated by nano-stressors for upper Si layer: the strain-relaxed β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs.

Low silicon U(Al,Si)3 stabilization by Zr addition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pizarro, L.M.; Alonso, P.R.; Rubiolo, G.H.

2009-01-01

Previous knowledge states that (U,Zr)Al 3 and U(Al,Si) 3 phases with Zr and Si content higher than 6 at.% (7.7 wt%) and 4 at.% (1.4 wt%), respectively, does not partially transform to UAl 4 at 600 o C. In this work, four alloys within the quaternary system U-Al-Si-Zr were made with a fixed nominal 0.18 at.% (0.1 wt%) Si content in order to assess the synergetic effect of both Zr and Si alloying elements to the thermodynamic stability of the (U,Zr)(Al,Si) 3 phase. Heat treatments at 600 deg. C were undertaken and samples were analyzed by means of XRD, EPMA and EDS techniques. A remarkable conclusion is that addition of 0.3 at.% Si in the (U,Zr)(Al,Si) 3 phase reduces in 2.7 at.% the necessary Zr content to inhibit its transformation to U(Al,Si) 4 .

Surface damage studies of ETFE polymer bombarded with low energy Si ions (≤100 keV)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minamisawa, Renato Amaral; Almeida, Adelaide De; Budak, Satilmis; Abidzina, Volha; Ila, Daryush

2007-01-01

Surface studies of ethylenetetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), bombarded with Si in a high-energy tandem Pelletron accelerator, have recently been reported. Si ion bombardment with a few MeV to a few hundred keV energies was shown to be sufficient to produce damage on ETFE film. We report here the use of a low energy implanter with Si ion energies lower than 100 keV, to induce changes on ETFE films. In order to determine the radiation damage, ETFE bombarded films were simulated with SRIM software and analyzed with optical absorption photometry (OAP), Raman and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy to show quantitatively the physical and chemical property changes. Carbonization occurs following higher dose implantation, and hydroperoxides were formed following dehydroflorination of the polymer

Self-trapping nature of Tl nanoclusters on the Si(111)-7x7 surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, C G; Kim, N D; Lee, G; Shin, S Y; Kim, J S; Chung, J W

2008-01-01

We have studied properties of thallium (Tl) nanoclusters formed on the Si(111)-7x7 surface at room temperature (RT) by utilizing photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy (HREELS) combined with first principles calculations. Our PES data reveal that the surface states stemming from the Si substrate remain quite inert with Tl adsorption producing no Tl-induced state until saturation at Tl coverage θ=0.21 monolayers. Such a behavior, in sharp contrast with the extremely reactive surface states upon the formation of Na or Li nanoclusters, together with the presence of a unique Tl-induced loss peak in HREELS spectra suggests no strong Si-Tl bonding, and is well understood in terms of gradual filling of Si dangling bonds with increasing θ. Our calculation further indicates the presence of several metastable atomic structures of Tl nanoclusters at RT rapidly transforming from one to another faster than 10 10 flippings per second. We thus conclude that the highly mobile Tl atoms form self-trapped nanoclusters within the attractive basins of the Si substrate at RT with several metastable phases. The mobile and multi-phased nature of Tl nanoclusters not only accounts for all the existing experimental observations available at present, but also provides an example of self-trapping of atoms in a nanometre-scale region

Influence of Minor Alloying Elements on Selective Oxidation and Reactive Wetting of CMnSi TRIP Steel during Hot Dip Galvanizing

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Lawrence; Kim, Myung Soo; Kim, Young Ha; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2014-09-01

The influence of the addition of minor alloying elements on the selective oxidation and the reactive wetting of CMnSi transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels was studied by means of galvanizing simulator tests. Five TRIP steels containing small alloying additions of Cr, Ni, Ti, Cu, and Sn were investigated. After intercritical annealing (IA) at 1093 K (820 °C) in a N2 + 5 pct H2 gas atmosphere with a dew point of 213 K (-60 °C), two types of oxides were formed on the strip surface: Mn-rich xMnO·SiO2 ( x > 1.5) and Si-rich xMnO·SiO2 ( x galvanizing. The addition of a small amount of Sn is shown to significantly decrease the density of Zn-coating defects on CMnSi TRIP steels.

Influence of processing-induced phase transformations on the dissolution of theophylline tablets

OpenAIRE

Debnath, Smita; Suryanarayanan, Raj

2004-01-01

The object of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of (1) processing-induced decrease in drug crystallinity and (2) phase transformations during dissolution, on the per-formance of theophylline tablet formulations. Anhydrous theophylline underwent multiple transformations (anhydrate »hydrate»anhydrate) during processing. Although the crystallinity of the anhydrate obtained finally was lower than that of the unprocessed drug, it dissolved at a slower rate. This decrease in dissolut...

Irradiation-induced precipitation in Ni--Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbu, A.; Ardell, A.J.

1975-07-01

The microstructures of Ni + ion-irradiated Ni--Si solid-solution alloys, containing 2, 4, 6 and 8 at. percent Si were investigated as a function of dose, dose-rate, and temperature. Results of transmission electron microscopy and other data show the precipitation of γ' (Ni 3 Si) in all samples irradiated at 500 0 C. Characteristics of the precipitates are described and a mechanism for their formation is suggested. (U.S.)

Transforming growth factor β inhibits platelet derived growth factor-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation via Akt-independent, Smad-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abel Martin-Garrido

Full Text Available In adult tissue, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs exist in a differentiated phenotype, which is defined by the expression of contractile proteins and lack of proliferation. After vascular injury, VSMC adopt a synthetic phenotype associated with proliferation, migration and matrix secretion. The transition between phenotypes is a consequence of the extracellular environment, and in particular, is regulated by agonists such as the pro-differentiating cytokine transforming growth factor β (TGFβ and the pro-proliferative cytokine platelet derived growth factor (PDGF. In this study, we investigated the interplay between TGFβ and PDGF with respect to their ability to regulate VSMC proliferation. Stimulation of human aortic VSMC with TGFβ completely blocked proliferation induced by all isoforms of PDGF, as measured by DNA synthesis and total cell number. Mechanistically, PDGF-induced Cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression was inhibited by TGFβ. TGFβ had no effect on PDGF activation of its receptor and ERK1/2, but inhibited Akt activation. However, constitutively active Akt did not reverse the inhibitory effect of TGFβ on Cyclin D1 expression even though inhibition of the proteasome blocked the effect of TGFβ. siRNA against Smad4 completely reversed the inhibitory effect of TGFβ on PDGF-induced Cyclin D1 expression and restored proliferation in response to PDGF. Moreover, siRNA against KLF5 prevented Cyclin D1 upregulation by PDGF and overexpression of KLF5 partially reversed TGFβ-induced inhibition of Cyclin D1 expression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that KLF5 is required for PDGF-induced Cyclin D1 expression, which is inhibited by TGFβ via a Smad dependent mechanism, resulting in arrest of VSMCs in the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

Transforming growth factor β inhibits platelet derived growth factor-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation via Akt-independent, Smad-mediated cyclin D1 downregulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Garrido, Abel; Williams, Holly C; Lee, Minyoung; Seidel-Rogol, Bonnie; Ci, Xinpei; Dong, Jin-Tang; Lassègue, Bernard; Martín, Alejandra San; Griendling, Kathy K

2013-01-01

In adult tissue, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) exist in a differentiated phenotype, which is defined by the expression of contractile proteins and lack of proliferation. After vascular injury, VSMC adopt a synthetic phenotype associated with proliferation, migration and matrix secretion. The transition between phenotypes is a consequence of the extracellular environment, and in particular, is regulated by agonists such as the pro-differentiating cytokine transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and the pro-proliferative cytokine platelet derived growth factor (PDGF). In this study, we investigated the interplay between TGFβ and PDGF with respect to their ability to regulate VSMC proliferation. Stimulation of human aortic VSMC with TGFβ completely blocked proliferation induced by all isoforms of PDGF, as measured by DNA synthesis and total cell number. Mechanistically, PDGF-induced Cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression was inhibited by TGFβ. TGFβ had no effect on PDGF activation of its receptor and ERK1/2, but inhibited Akt activation. However, constitutively active Akt did not reverse the inhibitory effect of TGFβ on Cyclin D1 expression even though inhibition of the proteasome blocked the effect of TGFβ. siRNA against Smad4 completely reversed the inhibitory effect of TGFβ on PDGF-induced Cyclin D1 expression and restored proliferation in response to PDGF. Moreover, siRNA against KLF5 prevented Cyclin D1 upregulation by PDGF and overexpression of KLF5 partially reversed TGFβ-induced inhibition of Cyclin D1 expression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that KLF5 is required for PDGF-induced Cyclin D1 expression, which is inhibited by TGFβ via a Smad dependent mechanism, resulting in arrest of VSMCs in the G1 phase of the cell cycle.

Plastic Deformation Induced by Nanoindentation Test Applied on ZrN/Si3N4 Multilayer Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengtao Wu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available ZrN/Si3N4 multilayer coating that alternates with either nanocrystalline ZrN or amorphous Si3N4 interlayers was fabricated by reactively magnetron sputtering in an Ar-N2 mixture atmosphere. The thicknesses of the nanocrystalline ZrN and the amorphous Si3N4 interlayers are ~12.5 and 2.5 nm, respectively. The ZrN/Si3N4 coating exhibits a promoted hardness of 28.6 ± 1.2 GPa when compared to the binary ZrN. Microstructure evolution just underneath the nanoindentation impression of the ZrN/Si3N4 multilayer coating has been investigated. The result indicates that both ZrN nanograin rotations and plastic flow of the Si3N4 interlayers contribute to the permanent deformation of the multilayer coating induced by the nanoindentation. In addition, the introduction of the a-Si3N4 interlayers hinders both the initiation and propagation of microcracks when the multilayer coating was applied to the scratch test. The propagation deflection of the microcracks was observed attributed to the heterogenous interface, which produces the hardness promotion of the multilayer coating eventually.

Mössbauer spectroscopy study of surfactant sputtering induced Fe silicide formation on a Si surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beckmann, C.; Zhang, K. [2nd Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen (Germany); Hofsäss, H., E-mail: hans.hofsaess@phys.uni-goettingen.de [2nd Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen (Germany); Brüsewitz, C.; Vetter, U. [2nd Institute of Physics, University of Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen (Germany); Bharuth-Ram, K. [Physics Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001 (South Africa)

2015-12-01

Highlights: • We study the formation of self-organized nanoscale dot and ripple patterns on Si. • Patterns are created by keV noble gas ion irradiation and simultaneous {sup 57}Fe co-deposition. • Ion-induced phase separation and the formation of a-FeSi{sub 2} is identified as relevant process. - Abstract: The formation of Fe silicides in surface ripple patterns, generated by erosion of a Si surface with keV Ar and Xe ions and simultaneous co-deposition of Fe, was investigated with conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. For the dot and ripple patterns studied, we find an average Fe concentration in the irradiated layer between 6 and 25 at.%. The Mössbauer spectra clearly show evidence of the formation of Fe disilicides with Fe content close to 33 at.%, but very little evidence of the formation of metallic Fe particles. The results support the process of ion-induced phase separation toward an amorphous Fe disilicide phase as pattern generation mechanism. The observed amorphous phase is in agreement with thermodynamic calculations of amorphous Fe silicides.

Mechanically induced atomic disorder and phase transformations. Doctoral thesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Limei, D

1992-11-30

The study shows the possibilities of preparing alloys in various metastable configurations by the simple technique of ball milling. Firstly, chapter 2 gives the description of experimental techniques. In chapter 3, evidence of atomic anti-site disordering in A15-structure superconducting compounds Nb3Sn and Nb3Au during an early stage of milling is demonstrated. Chapter 4 represents the experimental results on the B2-structure magnetic compounds CoGa and CoAl upon mechanical impact. These compounds are well known for their particular type of atomic disorder, namely triple-defect disorder. Various examples of experimental evidence of phase transformations induced by mechanical grinding are presented in chapter 5. Section 5.2 gives an example of amorphization induced by mechanical attrition in the intermetallic compound Ni3Sn. Section 5.3 shows the milling experiment of the intermetallic compound V3 Ga. In section 5.4, for the first time, the observation of a phase transformation to a high-temperature phase with a complex structure will be demonstrated for the intermetallic compound Co3Sn2. In the last chapter, detailed studies on the intermetallic Nb-Au binary compounds for a variety of compositions are presented.

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition during oncogenic transformation induced by hexavalent chromium involves reactive oxygen species-dependent mechanism in lung epithelial cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Song-Ze, E-mail: dingsongze@hotmail.com [Department of Internal Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Wei-Wu Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000 (China); Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Yang, Yu-Xiu; Li, Xiu-Ling [Department of Internal Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Wei-Wu Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000 (China); Michelli-Rivera, Audrey [Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States); Han, Shuang-Yin [Department of Internal Medicine, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Wei-Wu Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000 (China); Wang, Lei; Pratheeshkumar, Poyil; Wang, Xin; Lu, Jian; Yin, Yuan-Qin; Budhraja, Amit; Hitron, Andrew J. [Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536 (United States)

2013-05-15

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is an important human carcinogen associated with pulmonary diseases and lung cancer. Exposure to Cr(VI) induces DNA damage, cell morphological change and malignant transformation in human lung epithelial cells. Despite extensive studies, the molecular mechanisms remain elusive, it is also not known if Cr(VI)-induced transformation might accompany with invasive properties to facilitate metastasis. We aimed to study Cr(VI)-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion during oncogenic transformation in lung epithelial cells. The results showed that Cr(VI) at low doses represses E-cadherin mRNA and protein expression, enhances mesenchymal marker vimentin expression and transforms the epithelial cell into fibroblastoid morphology. Cr(VI) also increases cell invasion and promotes colony formation. Further studies indicated that Cr(VI) uses multiple mechanisms to repress E-cadherin expression, including activation of E-cadherin repressors such as Slug, ZEB1, KLF8 and enhancement the binding of HDAC1 in E-cadherin gene promoter, but DNA methylation is not responsible for the loss of E-cadherin. Catalase reduces Cr(VI)-induced E-cadherin and vimentin protein expression, attenuates cell invasion in matrigel and colony formation on soft agar. These results demonstrate that exposure to a common human carcinogen, Cr(VI), induces EMT and invasion during oncogenic transformation in lung epithelial cells and implicate in cancer metastasis and prevention. - Graphical abstract: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition during oncogenic transformation induced by hexavalent chromium involves reactive oxygen species-dependent mechanisms in lung epithelial cells. - Highlights: • We study if Cr(VI) might induce EMT and invasion in epithelial cells. • Cr(VI) induces EMT by altering E-cadherin and vimentin expression. • It also increases cell invasion and promotes oncogenic transformation. • Catalase reduces Cr(VI)-induced EMT, invasion and

Recombination-induced formation of hydrogen-defect complexes in 4H and 6H-SiC: electrical and optical characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koshka, Y.; Los, A.; Mazzola, M.S.; Sankin, I.

2003-01-01

The phenomenon of recombination-induced passivation of defects with hydrogen was investigated in SiC polytypes. Excitation of the hydrogenated samples with above-band gap light at low temperatures resulted in formation of different non-metastable hydrogen-related luminescence centres. Electrical measurements revealed strong recombination-induced passivation of electrical activity of aluminium and boron acceptors in p-type SiC epilayers, which in some cases resulted in inversion of the conductivity type. Athermal migration of hydrogen is considered as a possible mechanism for the observed phenomena

Detection of Potential Induced Degradation in c-Si PV Panels Using Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oprea, Matei-lon; Spataru, Sergiu; Sera, Dezso

2016-01-01

This work, for the first time, investigates an Impedance Spectroscopy (IS) based method for detecting potential-induced degradation (PID) in crystalline silicon photovoltaic (c-Si PV) panels. The method has been experimentally tested on a set of panels that were confirmed to be affected by PID...

Depleted uranium induces neoplastic transformation in human lung epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Hong; LaCerte, Carolyne; Thompson, W Douglas; Wise, John Pierce

2010-02-15

Depleted uranium (DU) is commonly used in military armor and munitions, and thus, exposure of soldiers and noncombatants is frequent and widespread. Previous studies have shown that DU has both chemical and radiological toxicity and that the primary route of exposure of DU to humans is through inhalation and ingestion. However, there is limited research information on the potential carcinogenicity of DU in human bronchial cells. Accordingly, we determined the neoplastic transforming ability of particulate DU to human bronchial epithelial cells (BEP2D). We observed the loss of contact inhibition and anchorage independent growth in cells exposed to DU after 24 h. We also characterized these DU-induced transformed cell lines and found that 40% of the cell lines exhibit alterations in plating efficiency and no significant changes in the cytotoxic response to DU. Cytogenetic analyses showed that 53% of the DU-transformed cell lines possess a hypodiploid phenotype. These data indicate that human bronchial cells are transformed by DU and exhibit significant chromosome instability consistent with a neoplastic phenotype.

Heteroepitaxial growth of SiC films by carbonization of polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett films on Si

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goloudina S.I.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High quality single crystal SiC films were prepared by carbonization of polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett films on Si substrate. The films formed after annealing of the polyimide films at 1000°C, 1100°C, 1200°C were studied by Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electon microscopy (TEM, transmission electron diffraction (TED, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. XRD study and HRTEM cross-section revealed that the crystalline SiC film begins to grow on Si (111 substrate at 1000°C. According to the HRTEM cross-section image five planes in 3C-SiC (111 film are aligned with four Si(111 planes at the SiC/Si interface. It was shown the SiC films (35 nm grown on Si(111 at 1200°C have mainly cubic 3C-SiC structure with a little presence of hexagonal polytypes. Only 3C-SiC films (30 nm were formed on Si (100 substrate at the same temperature. It was shown the SiC films (30-35 nm are able to cover the voids in Si substrate with size up to 10 μm.

Phenomenological inelastic constitutive equations for SiC and SiC fibers under irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Azab, A.; Ghoniem, N.M.

1994-01-01

Experimental data on irradiation-induced dimensional changes and creep in β-SiC and SiC fibers is analyzed, with the objective of studying the constitutive behavior of these materials under high-temperature irradiation. The data analysis includes empirical representation of irradiation-induced dimensional changes in SiC matrix and SiC fibers as function of time and irradiation temperature. The analysis also includes formulation of simple scaling laws to extrapolate the existing data to fusion conditions on the basis of the physical mechanisms of radiation effects on crystalline solids. Inelastic constitutive equations are then developed for SCS-6 SiC fibers, Nicalon fibers and CVD SiC. The effects of applied stress, temperature, and irradiation fields on the deformation behavior of this class of materials are simultaneously represented. Numerical results are presented for the relevant creep functions under the conditions of the fusion reactor (ARIES IV) first wall. The developed equations can be used in estimating the macro mechanical properties of SiC-SiC composite systems as well as in performing time-dependent micro mechanical analysis that is relevant to slow crack growth and fiber pull-out under fusion conditions

Stress induced martensitic transformation from bcc to fcc in Ag-Zn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takezawa, K.; Akamatsu, R.; Marukawa, K.

1995-01-01

The martensitic transformation in Ag-Zn alloys of low-Zn content has been studied by optical and electron microscopic observations and by tensile tests. The β 1 phase of B2 structure transforms to the thermo-elastic martensite having 9R structure similar to Cu-based alloys upon cooling to temperature below Ms. When the β 1 phase is stretched at room temperature, the slip deformation occurs at first and then the stress-induced martensite(SIM) of wedge-like morphology forms. The SIM has the ordered fcc structure containing micro-twins. This direct transformation from bcc to fcc is a unique feature in Ag-Zn alloys. In Cu alloys, martensites of fcc structure appear only after the second transformation from the first transformation product of 9R structure. The critical stress for the martensitic transformation and a degree of order of SIM decrease as the deformation temperature rises. In Ag-Zn alloys, the martensite of disordered fcc is thermally produced also by up-quenching to a higher temperature. In the present study, the relation between martensites of ordered and disordered fcc is discussed through thermodynamical calculations. The condition for the direct transformation from bcc to fcc is also examined. (orig.)

A first-principles model of copper-boron interactions in Si: implications for the light-induced degradation of solar Si

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, E.; Coutinho, J.; Öberg, S.; Torres, V. J. B.

2017-02-01

The recent discovery that Cu contamination of Si combined with light exposure has a significant detrimental impact on carrier life-time has drawn much concern within the solar-Si community. The effect, known as the copper-related light-induced degradation (Cu-LID) of Si solar cells, has been connected to the release of Cu interstitials within the bulk (2016 Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 147 115-26). In this paper, we describe a comprehensive analysis of the formation/dissociation process of the CuB pair in Si by means of first-principles modelling, as well as the interaction of CuB defects with photo-excited minority carriers. We confirm that the long-range interaction between the \\text{Cu}\\text{i}+ cation and the \\text{B}\\text{s}- anion has a Coulomb-like behaviour, in line with the trapping-limited diffusivity of Cu observed by transient ion drift measurements. On the other hand, the short-range interaction between the d-electrons of Cu and the excess of negative charge on \\text{B}\\text{s}- produces a repulsive effect, thereby decreasing the binding energy of the pair when compared to the ideal point-charge Coulomb model. We also find that metastable CuB pairs produce acceptor states just below the conduction band minimum, which arise from the Cu level emptied by the B acceptor. Based on these results, we argue that photo-generated minority carriers trapped by the metastable pairs can switch off the Coulomb interaction that holds the pairs together, enhancing the release of Cu interstitials, and acting as a catalyst for Cu-LID.

Trichomonas vaginalis Induces SiHa Cell Apoptosis by NF-κB Inactivation via Reactive Oxygen Species

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Juan-Hua; Kang, Byung-Hun; Yang, Jung-Bo; Rhee, Yun-Ee; Noh, Heung-Tae; Choi, In-Wook; Cha, Guang-Ho; Yuk, Jae-Min

2017-01-01

Trichomonas vaginalis induces apoptosis in host cells through various mechanisms; however, little is known about the relationship between apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NF-κB signaling pathways in the cervical mucosal epithelium. Here, we evaluated apoptotic events, ROS production, and NF-κB activity in T. vaginalis-treated cervical mucosal epithelial SiHa cells, with or without specific inhibitors, using fluorescence microscopy, DNA fragmentation assays, subcellular fractionation, western blotting, and luciferase reporter assay. SiHa cells treated with live T. vaginalis at a multiplicity of infection of 5 (MOI 5) for 4 h produced intracellular and mitochondrial ROS in a parasite-load-dependent manner. Incubation with T. vaginalis caused DNA fragmentation, cleavage of caspase 3 and PARP, and release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. T. vaginalis-treated SiHa cells showed transient early NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation, which dramatically dropped at 4 h after treatment. Suppression of NF-κB activity was dependent on parasite burden. However, treatment with the ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-C-cysteine (NAC), reversed the effect of T. vaginalis on apoptosis and NF-κB inactivation in SiHa cells. Taken together, T. vaginalis induces apoptosis in human cervical mucosal epithelial cells by parasite-dose-dependent ROS production through an NF-κB-regulated, mitochondria-mediated pathway. PMID:29410962

Trichomonas vaginalis Induces SiHa Cell Apoptosis by NF-κB Inactivation via Reactive Oxygen Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan-Hua Quan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Trichomonas vaginalis induces apoptosis in host cells through various mechanisms; however, little is known about the relationship between apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS, and NF-κB signaling pathways in the cervical mucosal epithelium. Here, we evaluated apoptotic events, ROS production, and NF-κB activity in T. vaginalis-treated cervical mucosal epithelial SiHa cells, with or without specific inhibitors, using fluorescence microscopy, DNA fragmentation assays, subcellular fractionation, western blotting, and luciferase reporter assay. SiHa cells treated with live T. vaginalis at a multiplicity of infection of 5 (MOI 5 for 4 h produced intracellular and mitochondrial ROS in a parasite-load-dependent manner. Incubation with T. vaginalis caused DNA fragmentation, cleavage of caspase 3 and PARP, and release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm. T. vaginalis-treated SiHa cells showed transient early NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation, which dramatically dropped at 4 h after treatment. Suppression of NF-κB activity was dependent on parasite burden. However, treatment with the ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-C-cysteine (NAC, reversed the effect of T. vaginalis on apoptosis and NF-κB inactivation in SiHa cells. Taken together, T. vaginalis induces apoptosis in human cervical mucosal epithelial cells by parasite-dose-dependent ROS production through an NF-κB-regulated, mitochondria-mediated pathway.

Causal Correlation Functions and Fourier Transforms: Application in Calculating Pressure Induced Shifts

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Q.; Tipping, R. H.; Lavrentieva, N. N.

2012-01-01

By adopting a concept from signal processing, instead of starting from the correlation functions which are even, one considers the causal correlation functions whose Fourier transforms become complex. Their real and imaginary parts multiplied by 2 are the Fourier transforms of the original correlations and the subsequent Hilbert transforms, respectively. Thus, by taking this step one can complete the two previously needed transforms. However, to obviate performing the Cauchy principal integrations required in the Hilbert transforms is the greatest advantage. Meanwhile, because the causal correlations are well-bounded within the time domain and band limited in the frequency domain, one can replace their Fourier transforms by the discrete Fourier transforms and the latter can be carried out with the FFT algorithm. This replacement is justified by sampling theory because the Fourier transforms can be derived from the discrete Fourier transforms with the Nyquis rate without any distortions. We apply this method in calculating pressure induced shifts of H2O lines and obtain more reliable values. By comparing the calculated shifts with those in HITRAN 2008 and by screening both of them with the pair identity and the smooth variation rules, one can conclude many of shift values in HITRAN are not correct.

Stress-induced martensitic transformations in NiTi and NiTi-TiC composites investigated by neutron diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaidyanathan, R.; Dunand, D.C.

1999-01-01

Superelastic NiTi (51.0 at.% Ni) specimens reinforced with 0, 10 and 20 vol.% TiC particles were deformed under uniaxial compression while neutron diffraction spectra were collected. The experiments yielded in-situ measurements of the thermoelastic stress-induced transformation. The evolution of austenite/martensite phase fractions and of elastic strains in the reinforcing TiC particles and the austenite matrix were obtained by Rietveld refinement during the loading cycle as the austenite transforms to martensite (and its subsequent back transformation during unloading). Phase fractions and strains are discussed in terms of load transfer in composites where the matrix undergoes a stress-induced phase transformation. (orig.)

Differential RNAi responses of Nicotiana benthamiana individuals transformed with a hairpin-inducing construct during Plum pox virus challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Montes, Christian; Castro, Álvaro; Barba, Paola; Rubio, Julia; Sánchez, Evelyn; Carvajal, Denisse; Aguirre, Carlos; Tapia, Eduardo; DelÍ Orto, Paola; Decroocq, Veronique; Prieto, Humberto

2014-10-01

Gene silencing and large-scale small RNA analysis can be used to develop RNA interference (RNAi)-based resistance strategies for Plum pox virus (PPV), a high impact disease of Prunus spp. In this study, a pPPViRNA hairpin-inducing vector harboring two silencing motif-rich regions of the PPV coat protein (CP) gene was evaluated in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana (NB) plants. Wild-type NB plants infected with a chimeric PPV virus (PPV::GFP) exhibited affected leaves with mosaic chlorosis congruent to GFP fluorescence at 21 day post-inoculation; transgenic lines depicted a range of phenotypes from fully resistant to susceptible. ELISA values and GFP fluorescence intensities were used to select transgenic-resistant (TG-R) and transgenic-susceptible (TG-S) lines for further characterization of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) by large-scale small RNA sequencing. In infected TG-S and untransformed (WT) plants, the observed siRNAs were nearly exclusively 21- and 22-nt siRNAs that targeted the whole PPV::GFP genome; 24-nt siRNAs were absent in these individuals. Challenged TG-R plants accumulated a full set of 21- to 24-nt siRNAs that were primarily associated with the selected motif-rich regions, indicating that a trans-acting siRNAs process prevented viral multiplication. BLAST analysis identified 13 common siRNA clusters targeting the CP gene. 21-nt siRNA sequences were associated with the 22-nt siRNAs and the scarce 23- and 24-nt molecules in TG-S plants and with most of the observed 22-, 23-, and 24-nt siRNAs in TG-R individuals. These results validate the use of a multi-hot spot silencing vector against PPV and elucidate the molecules by which hairpin-inducing vectors initiate RNAi in vivo.

Neutron tolerance of advanced SiC-fiber/CVI-SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katoh, Y.; Kohyama, A.; Snead, L.L.; Hinoki, T.; Hasegawa, A.

2003-01-01

Fusion blankets employing a silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composite (SiC/SiC composite) as the structural material provide attractive features represented by high cycle efficiency and extremely low induced radioactivity. Recent advancement in processing and utilization techniques and application studies in ceramic gas turbine and advanced transportation systems, SiC/SiC composites are steadily getting matured as industrial materials. Reference SiC/SiC composites for fusion structural applications have been produced by a forced-flow chemical vapor infiltration (FCVI) method using conventional and advanced near-stoichiometric SiC fibers and extensively evaluated primarily in Japan-US collaborative JUPITER program. In this work, effect of neutron irradiation at elevated temperatures on mechanical property of these composites is characterized. Unlike in conventional SiC/SiC composites, practically no property degradation was identified in advanced composites with a thin carbon interphase by a neutron fluence level of approximately 8dpa at 800C. (author)

Pulsed ion-beam induced nucleation and growth of Ge nanocrystals on SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stepina, N. P.; Dvurechenskii, A. V.; Armbrister, V. A.; Kesler, V. G.; Novikov, P. L.; Gutakovskii, A. K.; Kirienko, V. V.; Smagina, Zh. V.; Groetzschel, R.

2007-01-01

Pulsed low-energy (200 eV) ion-beam induced nucleation during Ge deposition on thin SiO 2 film was used to form dense homogeneous arrays of Ge nanocrystals. The ion-beam action is shown to stimulate the nucleation of Ge nanocrystals when being applied after thin Ge layer deposition. Temperature and flux variation was used to optimize the nanocrystal size and array density required for memory device. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation shows that ion impacts open an additional channel of atom displacement from a nanocrystal onto SiO 2 surface. This results both in a decrease in the average nanocrystal size and in an increase in nanocrystal density

Irradiation induced improvement in crystallinity of epitaxially grown Ag thin films on Si substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahiro, Katsumi; Nagata, Shinji; Yamaguchi, Sadae [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan). Inst. for Materials Research

1997-03-01

We report the improvement in crystallinity of epitaxially grown Ag films on Si(100) substrates with ion irradiation. The irradiation of 0.5 MeV Si ions to 2x10{sup 16}/cm{sup 2} at 200degC, for example, reduces the channeling minimum yield from 60% to 6% at Ag surface. The improvement originates from the decrease of mosaic spread in the Ag thin film. In our experiments, ion energy, ion species and irradiation temperature have been varied. The better crystallinity is obtained as the higher concentration of defect is generated. The mechanism involved in the irradiation induced improvement is discussed. (author)

Microstructural changes in silicon induced by patterning with focused ion beams of Ga, Si and Au

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chee, See Wee; Kammler, Martin; Balasubramanian, Prabhu; Reuter, Mark C.; Hull, Robert; Ross, Frances M.

2013-01-01

We use focused beams of Ga + , Au + and Si ++ ions to induce local microstructural changes in single crystal silicon. The ions were delivered as single spot pulses into thin Si membranes that could subsequently be imaged and annealed in situ in a transmission electron microscope. For each ion, the focused ion beam implantation created an array of amorphous regions in the crystalline membrane. Annealing causes solid phase epitaxial regrowth to take place, but we show that the resulting microstructure depends on the ion species. For Ga + and Au + , precipitates remain after recrystallization, while for Si ++ , dislocation loops form around the periphery of each implanted spot. We attribute these loops to defects formed during solid phase epitaxial regrowth, with controlled placement of the loops possible. - Highlights: ► Ga + , Au + and Si ++ were implanted into thin membranes of Si. ► Samples were imaged and annealed in situ in a transmission electron microscope. ► Focused ion beam implantation created an array of amorphous spots. ► After recrystallization, precipitates form for Ga + and Au + , dislocation loops for Si ++ . ► Controlled placement of the dislocation loops possible

Radiation Resistance of the U(Al, Si)3 Alloy: Ion-Induced Disordering

Science.gov (United States)

Yaniv, Gili; Horak, Pavel; Vacik, Jiri; Mykytenko, Natalia; Rafailov, Gennady; Dahan, Itzchak; Fuks, David; Kiv, Arik

2018-01-01

During the exploitation of nuclear reactors, various U-Al based ternary intermetallides are formed in the fuel-cladding interaction layer. Structure and physical properties of these intermetallides determine the radiation resistance of cladding and, ultimately, the reliability and lifetime of the nuclear reactor. In current research, U(Al, Si)3 composition was studied as a potential constituent of an interaction layer. Phase content of the alloy of an interest was ordered U(Al, Si)3, structure of which was reported earlier, and pure Al (constituting less than 20 vol % of the alloy). This alloy was investigated prior and after the irradiation performed by Ar ions at 30 keV. The irradiation was performed on the transmission electron microscopy (TEM, JEOL, Japan) samples, characterized before and after the irradiation process. Irradiation induced disorder accompanied by stress relief. Furthermore, it was found that there is a dose threshold for disordering of the crystalline matter in the irradiated region. Irradiation at doses equal or higher than this threshold resulted in almost solely disordered phase. Using the program “Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter” (SRIM), the parameters of penetration of Ar ions into the irradiated samples were estimated. Based on these estimations, the dose threshold for ion-induced disordering of the studied material was assessed. PMID:29393870

Oxidation induced crack healing of Cr2(Al,Si)C max phase ceramic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shen, L.; Li, S.B.; Van der Zwaag, S.; Sloof, W.G.

2013-01-01

The oxidation crack healing of Cr2AlC and Cr2(Al,Si)C was studied and compared with known healing of Ti2AlC. The oxidation induced crack healing of Ti2AlC is relatively fast and leads to full strength recovery, but the oxidation product contains besides ?-Al2O3 also undesired TiO2. However, when

Performance Improvement of Microcrystalline p-SiC/i-Si/n-Si Thin Film Solar Cells by Using Laser-Assisted Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsin-Ying Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The microcrystalline p-SiC/i-Si/n-Si thin film solar cells treated with hydrogen plasma were fabricated at low temperature using a CO2 laser-assisted plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LAPECVD system. According to the micro-Raman results, the i-Si films shifted from 482 cm−1 to 512 cm−1 as the assisting laser power increased from 0 W to 80 W, which indicated a gradual transformation from amorphous to crystalline Si. From X-ray diffraction (XRD results, the microcrystalline i-Si films with (111, (220, and (311 diffraction were obtained. Compared with the Si-based thin film solar cells deposited without laser assistance, the short-circuit current density and the power conversion efficiency of the solar cells with assisting laser power of 80 W were improved from 14.38 mA/cm2 to 18.16 mA/cm2 and from 6.89% to 8.58%, respectively.

Chronic Exposure to Particulate Nickel Induces Neoplastic Transformation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amie L. Holmes

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Nickel is a well-known human lung carcinogen with the particulate form being the most potent; however, the carcinogenic mechanism remains largely unknown. Few studies have investigated the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of nickel in its target cell, human bronchial epithelial cells. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of particulate nickel in human lung epithelial cells. We found that nickel subsulfide induced concentration- and time-dependent increases in both cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in human lung epithelial cells (BEP2D. Chronic exposure to nickel subsulfide readily induced cellular transformation, inducing 2.55, 2.9 and 2.35 foci per dish after exposure to 1, 2.5 and 5 μg/cm2 nickel subsulfide, respectively. Sixty-one, 100 and 70 percent of the foci isolated from 1, 2.5, and 5 μg/cm2 nickel subsulfide treatments formed colonies in soft agar and the degree of soft agar colony growth increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, chronic exposure to particulate nickel induces genotoxicity and cellular transformation in human lung epithelial cells.

Resolving the EH6/7 level in 4H-SiC by Laplace-transform deep level transient spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfieri, G.; Kimoto, T.

2013-01-01

We show that Laplace transform deep level transient spectroscopy (LDLTS) is an effective technique for the separation of the overlapping emission rates of the EH 6 and EH 7 levels, which are known to constitute EH 6/7 , a mid-gap level in n-type 4H-SiC. The analysis of the electron irradiation dose, electric field dependence, and the effects of carbon interstitials injection on the emission rates of EH 6 and EH 7 shows that EH 7 is dominant over EH 6 and confirms that their nature is related to a carbon vacancy.

Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, T.Y.

2000-01-01

Characteristics of martensitic transformation fcc(γ)→hcp(ε) in Fe-Mn-Si based alloys are briefly reviewed. By analyzing the influences of constituents and treatments on shape memory effect (SME) in Fe-Mn-Si, the main factors controlling SME are summarized as austenite strengthening, stacking fault energy (probability) and antiferromagnetic temperature. Contribution of thermomechanical training to SME is introduced. The Fe-Mn-Si-RE (rare earth elements) and Fe-Mn-Si-Cr-N alloys are recommended as two novel shape memory alloys with superior SME. (orig.)

Annealing-induced Ge/Si(100) island evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yangting; Drucker, Jeff

2003-01-01

Ge/Si(100) islands were found to coarsen during in situ annealing at growth temperature. Islands were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy of pure Ge and annealed at substrate temperatures of T=450, 550, 600, and 650 deg. C, with Ge coverages of 6.5, 8.0, and 9.5 monolayers. Three coarsening mechanisms operate in this temperature range: wetting-layer consumption, conventional Ostwald ripening, and Si interdiffusion. For samples grown and annealed at T=450 deg. C, consumption of a metastably thick wetting layer causes rapid initial coarsening. Slower coarsening at longer annealing times occurs by conventional Ostwald ripening. Coarsening of samples grown and annealed at T=550 deg. C occurs via a combination of Si interdiffusion and conventional Ostwald ripening. For samples grown and annealed at T≥600 deg. C, Ostwald ripening of SiGe alloy clusters appears to be the dominant coarsening mechanism

Study of low energy Si5- and Cs- implantation induced amorphization effects in Si(1 0 0)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenka, H P; Joseph, B; Kuiri, P K; Sahu, G; Mahapatra, D P; Mishra, P; Ghose, D

2008-01-01

The damage growth and surface modifications in Si(1 0 0), induced by 25 keV Si 5 - cluster ions, as a function of fluence, φ, has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and channelling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS/C). RBS/C results indicate a nonlinear growth in damage from which it has been possible to get a threshold fluence, φ 0 , for amorphization as 2.5 x 10 13 ions cm -2 . For φ below φ 0 , a growth in damage as well as surface roughness has been observed. At a φ of 1 x 10 14 ions cm -2 , damage saturation coupled with a much reduced surface roughness has been found. In this case a power spectrum analysis of AFM data showed a significant drop in spectral density, as compared with the same obtained for a fluence, φ 0 . This drop, together with damage saturation, can be correlated with a transition to a stress relaxed amorphous phase. Irradiation with similar mass Cs - ions, at the same energy and fluence, has been found to result in a reduced accumulation of defects in the near surface region leading to reduced surface features.

Thermally induced formation of SiC nanoparticles from Si/C/Si multilayers deposited by ultra-high-vacuum ion beam sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, C-K; Wu, B-H

2006-01-01

A novel approach for the formation of SiC nanoparticles (np-SiC) is reported. Deposition of Si/C/Si multilayers on Si(100) wafers by ultra-high-vacuum ion beam sputtering was followed by thermal annealing in vacuum for conversion into SiC nanoparticles. The annealing temperature significantly affected the size, density, and distribution of np-SiC. No nanoparticles were formed for multilayers annealed at 500 0 C, while a few particles started to appear when the annealing temperature was increased to 700 0 C. At an annealing temperature of 900 0 C, many small SiC nanoparticles, of several tens of nanometres, surrounding larger submicron ones appeared with a particle density approximately 16 times higher than that observed at 700 0 C. The higher the annealing temperature was, the larger the nanoparticle size, and the higher the density. The higher superheating at 900 0 C increased the amount of stable nuclei, and resulted in a higher particle density compared to that at 700 0 C. These particles grew larger at 900 0 C to reduce the total surface energy of smaller particles due to the higher atomic mobility and growth rate. The increased free energy of stacking defects during particle growth will limit the size of large particles, leaving many smaller particles surrounding the large ones. A mechanism for the np-SiC formation is proposed in this paper

Multifunctional selenium nanoparticles as carriers of HSP70 siRNA to induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Y

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Yinghua Li,1 Zhengfang Lin,1 Mingqi Zhao,1 Tiantian Xu,1 Changbing Wang,1 Huimin Xia,1,* Hanzhong Wang,2,* Bing Zhu1,* 1Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 2State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Small interfering RNA (siRNA as a new therapeutic modality holds promise for cancer treatment, but it is unable to cross cell membrane. To overcome this limitation, nanotechnology has been proposed for mediation of siRNA transfection. Selenium (Se is a vital dietary trace element for mammalian life and plays an essential role in the growth and functioning of humans. As a novel Se species, Se nanoparticles have attracted more and more attention for their higher anticancer efficacy. In the present study, siRNAs with polyethylenimine (PEI-modified Se nanoparticles (Se@PEI@siRNA have been demonstrated to enhance the apoptosis of HepG2 cells. Heat shock protein (HSP-70 is overexpressed in many types of human cancer and plays a significant role in several biological processes including the regulation of apoptosis. The objective of this study was to silence inducible HSP70 and promote the apoptosis of Se-induced HepG2 cells. Se@PEI@siRNA were successfully prepared and characterized by various microscopic methods. Se@PEI@siRNA showed satisfactory size distribution, high stability, and selectivity between cancer and normal cells. The cytotoxicity of Se@PEI@siRNA was lower for normal cells than tumor cells, indicating that these compounds may have fewer side effects. The gene-silencing efficiency of Se@PEI@siRNA was significantly much higher than Lipofectamine 2000@siRNA and resulted in a significantly reduced HSP70 mRNA and protein expression in cancer cells. When the expression of HSP70 was diminished, the function of cell protection was also removed and cancer cells became more

In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies of the effect of microstructure on tensile behavior and retained austenite stability of thermo-mechanically processed transformation induced plasticity steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Kun [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522 (Australia); Liss, Klaus-Dieter [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522 (Australia); Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234 (Australia); Timokhina, Ilana B. [Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3217 (Australia); Pereloma, Elena V., E-mail: elenap@uow.edu.au [School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522 (Australia)

2016-04-26

Transmission electron microscopy and in situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the martensitic transformation and lattice strains under uniaxial tensile loading of Fe-Mn-Si-C-Nb-Mo-Al Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steel subjected to different thermo-mechanical processing schedules. In contrast with most of the diffraction analysis of TRIP steels reported previously, the diffraction peaks from the martensite phase were separated from the peaks of the ferrite-bainite α-matrix. The volume fraction of retained γ-austenite, as well as the lattice strain, were determined from the diffraction patterns recorded during tensile deformation. Although significant austenite to martensite transformation starts around the macroscopic yield stress, some austenite grains had already experienced martensitic transformation. Hooke’s Law was used to calculate the phase stress of each phase from their lattice strain. The ferrite-bainite α-matrix was observed to yield earlier than austenite and martensite. The discrepancy between integrated phase stresses and experimental macroscopic stress is about 300 MPa. A small increase in carbon concentration in retained austenite at the early stage of deformation was detected, but with further straining a continuous slight decrease in carbon content occurred, indicating that mechanical stability factors, such as grain size, morphology and orientation of the retained austenite, played an important role during the retained austenite to martensite transformation.

Extracellular localization of catalase is associated with the transformed state of malignant cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Böhm, Britta; Heinzelmann, Sonja; Motz, Manfred; Bauer, Georg

2015-12-01

Oncogenic transformation is dependent on activated membrane-associated NADPH oxidase (NOX). However, the resultant extracellular superoxide anions are also driving the NO/peroxynitrite and the HOCl pathway, which eliminates NOX-expressing transformed cells through selective apoptosis induction. Tumor progression is dependent on dominant interference with intercellular apoptosis-inducing ROS signaling through membrane-associated catalase, which decomposes H2O2 and peroxynitrite and oxidizes NO. Particularly, the decomposition of extracellular peroxynitrite strictly requires membrane-associated catalase. We utilized small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of catalase and neutralizing antibodies directed against the enzyme in combination with challenging H2O2 or peroxynitrite to determine activity and localization of catalase in cells from three distinct steps of multistage oncogenesis. Nontransformed cells did not generate extracellular superoxide anions and only showed intracellular catalase activity. Transformed cells showed superoxide anion-dependent intercellular apoptosis-inducing ROS signaling in the presence of suboptimal catalase activity in their membrane. Tumor cells exhibited tight control of intercellular apoptosis-inducing ROS signaling through a high local concentration of membrane-associated catalase. These data demonstrate that translocation of catalase to the outside of the cell membrane is already associated with the transformation step. A strong local increase in the concentration of membrane-associated catalase is achieved during tumor progression and is controlled by tumor cell-derived H2O2 and by transglutaminase.

Properties of films and p-i-n photo-transformed structures on the basis of a-Si:H and its alloys, received in glow discharge of a constant current

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tauasarov, K.

1997-01-01

The work devoted to investigation and control of structural, optical and photoelectric properties of films of amorphous hydrogenated silicon and its alloys, deposited in glow discharge of a constant current were done, creation of photo transformed p-i-n structures investigation its photoelectric characteristics. The main results and conclusions: A new method of deposition in glow discharge of a constant current qualitative doping and un doping a-Si:H layer and p-i-n structures on the basis of amorphous hydrogenated silicon was developed. For reception of amorphous p + and n - films for first time synthesised and applied mono-silborina and mono-silphosfin, containing pointed Si-B and Si-P linkages. New layered linear - organized structure in the films a-Si:H (T=200 deg C) was found out with distance between layers 7,5 A-o. Degree of crystallinity from combinational spectrum was determined. Concentration of films and connection between a hydrogen and silicon was determined from a IR-spectrum. It was shown that introduction of vary zone p + layer from a-Si x C 1-x :H into photo transformed p-i-n structure on the basis of a-Si:H results to decreasing of recombination losses in the area of p-i hetero boundary, and as result a photosensitive in the short-wave area of a spectrum increased. Best p-i-n structures in condition of natural illumination had following parameters: density of current of short circuit I sc =12,9 m A/cm 2 , voltage in single course U lm =0,85 V, factor of Ff.=0,55 filling and h=7% efficiency. (author)

Constitutive modelling of stainless steels for cryogenic applications. Strain induced martensitic transformation

CERN Document Server

Garion, C

2001-01-01

The 300-series stainless steels are metastable austenitic alloys: martensitic transformation occurs at low temperatures and/or when plastic strain fields develop in the structures. The transformation influences the mechanical properties of the material. The present note aims at proposing a set of constitutive equations describing the plastic strain induced martensitic transformation in the stainless steels at cryogenic temperatures. The constitutive modelling shall create a bridge between the material sciences and the structural analysis. For the structures developing and accumulating plastic deformations at sub-zero temperatures, it is of primary importance to be able to predict the intensity of martensitic transformation and its effect on the material properties. In particular, the constitutive model has been applied to predict the behaviour of the components of the LHC interconnections, the so-called bellows expansion joints (the LHC mechanical compensation system).

Comparative genome analysis of three eukaryotic parasites with differing abilities to transform leukocytes reveals key mediators of theileria-induced leukocyte transformation

KAUST Repository

Hayashida, Kyoko

2012-09-04

We sequenced the genome of Theileria orientalis, a tick-borne apicomplexan protozoan parasite of cattle. The focus of this study was a comparative genome analysis of T. orientalis relative to other highly pathogenic Theileria species, T. parva and T. annulata. T. parva and T. annulata induce transformation of infected cells of lymphocyte or macrophage/monocyte lineages; in contrast, T. orientalis does not induce uncontrolled proliferation of infected leukocytes and multiplies predominantly within infected erythrocytes. While synteny across homologous chromosomes of the three Theileria species was found to be well conserved overall, subtelomeric structures were found to differ substantially, as T. orientalis lacks the large tandemly arrayed subtelomere-encoded variable secreted protein-encoding gene family. Moreover, expansion of particular gene families by gene duplication was found in the genomes of the two transforming Theileria species, most notably, the TashAT/TpHN and Tar/Tpr gene families. Gene families that are present only in T. parva and T. annulata and not in T. orientalis, Babesia bovis, or Plasmo-dium were also identified. Identification of differences between the genome sequences of Theileria species with different abilities to transform and immortalize bovine leukocytes will provide insight into proteins and mechanisms that have evolved to induce and regulate this process. The T. orientalis genome database is available at http://totdb.czc.hokudai.ac.jp/. 2012 Hayashida et al. T.

Complexity estimates based on integral transforms induced by computational units

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kůrková, Věra

2012-01-01

Roč. 33, September (2012), s. 160-167 ISSN 0893-6080 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP202/11/1368 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : neural networks * estimates of model complexity * approximation from a dictionary * integral transforms * norms induced by computational units Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 1.927, year: 2012

Considerations for application of Si(Li) detectors in analyses of sub-keV, ion-induced x rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musket, R.G.

1985-01-01

Spectroscopy of ion-induced x rays is commonly performed using lithium-drifted, silicon detectors, Si(Li), with beryllium windows. Strong absorption of x rays with energies below 1 keV occurs in even the thinnest commercially available beryllium windows and precludes useful analysis of sub-keV x rays. Access to the sub-keV x ray region can be achieved using windowless (WL) and ultra-thin-windowed (UTW) Si(Li) detectors. These detectors have been shown to be useful for spectroscopy of x rays with energies above approximately 200 eV. The properties of such detectors are reviewed with regard to analysis of ion-induced x rays. In particular, considerations of detection efficiency, output linearity, energy resolution, peak shapes, and vacuum requirements are presented. The use of ion excitation for determination of many detector properties serves to demonstrate the usefulness of WL and UTW detectors for the spectroscopy of sub-keV, ion-induced x rays. 23 refs., 4 figs

Joining of SiC/SiCf ceramic matrix composites for fusion reactor blanket applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colombo, P.; Riccardi, B.; Donato, A.; Scarinci, G.

2000-01-01

Using a preceramic polymer, joints between SiC/SiC f ceramic matrix composites were obtained. The polymer, upon pyrolysis at high temperature, transforms into a ceramic material and develops an adhesive bonding with the composite. The surface morphology of 2D and 3D SiC/SiC f composites did not allow satisfactory results to be obtained by a simple application of the method initially developed for monolithic SiC bodies, which employed the use of a pure silicone resin. Thus, active or inert fillers were mixed with the preceramic polymer, in order to reduce its volumetric shrinkage which occurs during pyrolysis. In particular, the joints realized using the silicone resin with Al-Si powder as reactive additive displayed remarkable shear strength (31.6 MPa maximum). Large standard deviation for the shear strength has nevertheless been measured. The proposed joining method is promising for the realization of fusion reactor blanket structures, even if presently the measured strength values are not fully satisfactory

Transforming growth factor β-induced expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans is mediated through non-Smad signaling pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Jahan, Naima; Hannila, Sari S

2015-01-01

The expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) by reactive astrocytes is a major factor contributing to glial scarring and regenerative failure after spinal cord injury, but the molecular mechanisms underlying CSPG expression remain largely undefined. One contributing factor is transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), which is upregulated after injury and has been shown to induce expression of CSPGs in vitro. TGFβ typically mediates its effects through the Smad2/3 signaling pathway, and it has been suggested that this pathway is responsible for CSPG expression. However, there is evidence that TGFβ can also activate non-Smad signaling pathways. In this study, we report that TGFβ-induced expression of three different CSPGs--neurocan, brevican, and aggrecan--is mediated through non-Smad signaling pathways. We observed significant increases in TGFβ-induced expression of neurocan, brevican, and aggrecan following siRNA knockdown of Smad2 or Smad4, which indicates that Smad signaling is not required for the expression of these CSPGs. In addition, we show that neurocan, aggrecan, and brevican levels are significantly reduced when TGFβ is administered in the presence of either the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, but not the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126. This suggests that TGFβ mediates this effect through non-Smad-dependent activation of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, and targeting this pathway may therefore be an effective means of reducing CSPG expression in the injured CNS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrically active induced energy levels and metastability of B and N vacancy-complexes in 4H–SiC

Science.gov (United States)

Igumbor, E.; Olaniyan, O.; Mapasha, R. E.; Danga, H. T.; Omotoso, E.; Meyer, W. E.

2018-05-01

Electrically active induced energy levels in semiconductor devices could be beneficial to the discovery of an enhanced p or n-type semiconductor. Nitrogen (N) implanted into 4H–SiC is a high energy process that produced high defect concentrations which could be removed during dopant activation annealing. On the other hand, boron (B) substituted for silicon in SiC causes a reduction in the number of defects. This scenario leads to a decrease in the dielectric properties and induced deep donor and shallow acceptor levels. Complexes formed by the N, such as the nitrogen-vacancy centre, have been reported to play a significant role in the application of quantum bits. In this paper, results of charge states thermodynamic transition level of the N and B vacancy-complexes in 4H–SiC are presented. We explore complexes where substitutional N/N or B/B sits near a Si (V) or C (V) vacancy to form vacancy-complexes (NV, NV, NV, NV, BV, BV, BV and BV). The energies of formation of the N related vacancy-complexes showed the NV to be energetically stable close to the valence band maximum in its double positive charge state. The NV is more energetically stable in the double negative charge state close to the conduction band minimum. The NV on the other hand, induced double donor level and the NV induced a double acceptor level. For B related complexes, the BV and BV were energetically stable in their single positive charge state close to the valence band maximum. As the Fermi energy is varied across the band gap, the neutral and single negative charge states of the BV become more stable at different energy levels. B and N related complexes exhibited charge state controlled metastability behaviour.

'Water Structure' versus 'Radical Scavenger' theories as explanations for the suppressive effects of DMSO and related compounds on radiation-induced transformation in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, A.R.; Symons, M.C.R.

1987-01-01

We report here that dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO): (i) suppresses radiation-induced transformation in vitro, even when DMSO treatments begin as late as 10 days post-irradiation; (ii) inhibits the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) enhancement of radiation-induced transformation in vitro; (iii) does not affect the expression of transformed cells as foci (when surrounded by non-transformed cells); and (iv) may be affecting radiation-induced transformation through its solvent properties (i.e. the 'Water Structure' theory), while its effects on the TPA enhancement of radiation transformation may be mediated by its free radical scavenging abilities. DMSO, dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylacetamide (DMA) are similar solvents which are all very effective in their ability to suppress radiation-induced transformation in vitro. As DMSO is known to be an extremely effective OH free-radical scavenging agent, while DMF and DMA are not as efficient at scavenging free radicals, our results suggest that properties other than free-radical scavenging ability may be important in the suppressive effects of these compounds on radiation-induced transformation in vitro. (author)

Super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO₂-coated SiC nanowires: fabrication, mechanism and ultraviolet-durable super-hydrophobicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jian; Li, Zhenjiang; Zhang, Meng; Meng, Alan

2015-04-15

The interest in highly water-repellent surfaces of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires has grown in recent years due to the desire for self-cleaning and anticorrosive surfaces. It is imperative that a simple chemical treatment with fluoroalkylsilane (FAS, CF3(CF2)7CH2CH2Si(OC2H5)3) in ethanol solution at room temperature resulted in super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires. The static water contact angle of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires surfaces was changed from 0° to 153° and the morphology, microstructure and crystal phase of the products were almost no transformation before and after super-hydrophobic treatment. Moreover, a mechanism was expounded reasonably, which could elucidate the reasons for their super-hydrophobic behavior. It is important that the super-hydrophobic surfaces of SiO2-coated SiC nanowires possessed ultraviolet-durable (UV-durable) super-hydrophobicity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on the nanostructure formation mechanism of hypereutectic Al–17.5Si alloy induced by high current pulsed electron beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Bo, E-mail: gaob@smm.neu.edu.cn [School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China); Hu, Liang [School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China); Li, Shi-wei [School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China); Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China); Hao, Yi [School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China); Zhang, Yu-dong [Laboratoire d’Etude des Textures et Applications aux Matériaux (LETAM, UMR-CNRS 7078), Université Paul Verlaine de Metz, Ile du Saulcy, Metz 57012 (France); Tu, Gan-feng [School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China); Grosdidier, Thierry [Laboratoire d’Etude des Textures et Applications aux Matériaux (LETAM, UMR-CNRS 7078), Université Paul Verlaine de Metz, Ile du Saulcy, Metz 57012 (France)

2015-08-15

This work investigates the nanostructure forming mechanism of hypereutectic Al–17.5Si alloy associated with the high current pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) treatment with increasing number of pulses by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and SEM. The surface layers were melted and resolidified rapidly. The treated surfaces show different structural characteristics in different compositions and distribution zones. The top melted-layer zone can be divided into three zones: Si-rich, Ai-rich, and intermediate zone. The Al-rich zone has a nano-cellular microstructure with a diameter of ∼100 nm. The microstructure in the Si-rich zone consists of fine, dispersive, and spherical nano-sized Si crystals surrounded by α(Al) cells. Some superfine eutectic structures form in the boundary of the two zones. With the increase of number of pulses, the proportion of Si-rich zone to the whole top surface increases, and more cellular substructures are transformed to fine equiaxed grain. In other words, with increasing number of pulses, more Si elements diffuse to the Al-rich zone and provide heterogeneous nucleation sites, and Al grains are refined dramatically. Moreover, the relationship between the substrate Si phase and crystalline phase is determined by EBSD; that is, (1 1 1){sub Al}//(0 0 1){sub Si} with a value of disregistry δ at approximately 5%. The HCPEB technique is a versatile technique for refining the surface microstructure of hypereutectic Al–Si alloys.

In situ observation of electron-beam-induced dewetting of CdSe thin film embedded in SiO2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fabrim, Zacarias Eduardo; Kjelstrup-Hansen, Jakob; Fichtner, Paulo F. P.

In this work we show the dewetting process of the CdSe thin films induced by electron beam irradiation. A multilayer heterostructure of SiO2/CdSe/SiO2 was made by a magnetron sputtering process. A plan-view (PV) sample was irradiated with 200 kV electrons in the TEM with two current densities: 0.......33 A.cm2 and 1.0 A.cm2 and at 80 kV with 0.37 A.cm2. The dewetting of the CdSe film is inferred by a number of micrographs taken during the irradiation. The microstructural changes were analyzed under the assumption of being induced by ballistic collision effects in the absence of sample heating....

Evaluation of damage induced by high irradiation levels on α-Ni-Ni3Si eutectic structure

Science.gov (United States)

Camacho Olguin, Carlos Alberto; Garcia-Borquez, Arturo; González-Rodríguez, Carlos Alberto; Loran-Juanico, Jose Antonio; Cruz-Mejía, Hector

2015-06-01

Diluted alloys of the binary system Ni-Si have been used as target of beam of ions, electrons, neutrons and so on because in this kind of alloy occurs transformations order-disorder, when the temperature is raised. This fact has permitted to evaluate the phenomena associated with the damage induced by irradiation (DII). The results of these works have been employed to understand the behavior under irradiation of complex alloys and to evaluate the reliability of the results of mathematical simulation of the evolution of the DII. The interest in the alloy system Ni-Si has been reborn due to the necessity of developing materials, which have better resistance against the corrosion on more aggressive environments such as those generated on the nuclear power plants or those that exist out of the Earth's atmosphere. Now, a growing interest to use concentrated alloys of this binary system on diverse fields of the materials science has been taking place because up to determined concentration of silicon, a regular eutectic is formed, and this fact opens the possibility to develop lamellar composite material by directional solidification. However, nowadays, there is a lack of fundamental knowledge about the behavior of this type of lamellar structure under aggressive environments, like those mentioned before. Hence, the task of this work is to evaluate the effect that has the irradiation over the microstructure of the concentrated alloy Ni22at%Si. The dendritic region of the hypereutectic alloy consists of an intermetallic phase Ni3Si, whereas the interdendritic region is formed by the alternation of lamellas of solid solution α-Ni and intermetallic phase Ni3Si. Such kind of microstructure has the advantage to get information of the DII over different phases individually, and at the same time, about of the microstructure influence over the global damage in the alloy. The hypereutectic Ni22at%Si alloy was irradiated perpendicularly to its surface, with 3.66 MeV - Ni ions up

Interferon-β induces cellular senescence in cutaneous human papilloma virus-transformed human keratinocytes by affecting p53 transactivating activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria V Chiantore

Full Text Available Interferon (IFN-β inhibits cell proliferation and affects cell cycle in keratinocytes transformed by both mucosal high risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV and cutaneous HPV E6 and E7 proteins. In particular, upon longer IFN-β treatments, cutaneous HPV38 expressing cells undergo senescence. IFN-β appears to induce senescence by upregulating the expression of the tumor suppressor PML, a well known IFN-induced gene. Indeed, experiments in gene silencing via specific siRNAs have shown that PML is essential in the execution of the senescence programme and that both p53 and p21 pathways are involved. IFN-β treatment leads to a modulation of p53 phosphorylation and acetylation status and a reduction in the expression of the p53 dominant negative ΔNp73. These effects allow the recovery of p53 transactivating activity of target genes involved in the control of cell proliferation. Taken together, these studies suggest that signaling through the IFN pathway might play an important role in cellular senescence. This additional understanding of IFN antitumor action and mechanisms influencing tumor responsiveness or resistance appears useful in aiding further promising development of biomolecular strategies in the IFN therapy of cancer.

Kinetic of martensitic transformations induced by hydrogen in the austenite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Sergio P. de; Saavedra, A.; Miranda, P.E.V. de

1986-01-01

The X-ray diffractometry technique was used, with an automatic data acquisition system to determine the kinetics of hydrogen induced martensitic phase transformations in an AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel type, used in nuclear power plants. Hydrogenation was performed cathodically in a 1N sulfuric acid solution, containing 100 mg/l of arsenic trioxide, at 50 0 C, during 2 hours and with a current density of 200 A/m 2 . It was found that the microstructure of the steel plays a role on the generation of hydrogen induced martensitic phases and surface micro cracks. Both kinetics were slower on a pre-cold rolled steel. (Author) [pt

Progressive degradation in a-Si: H/SiN thin film transistors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Merticaru, A.R.; Mouthaan, A.J.; Kuper, F.G.

2003-01-01

In this paper we present the study of gate-stress induced degradation in a-Si:H/SiN TFTs. The drain current transient during gate bias stress (forward or reverse bias) and subsequent relaxation cannot be fitted with the models existent in the literature but it shows to be described by a progressive

Effect of adding Si on shape memory effect in Co-Ni alloy system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Weimin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030 (China); Liu Yan [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Jiang Bohong [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030 (China)]. E-mail: bhjiang@sjtu.edu.cn; Zhou Pingnan [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030 (China)

2006-11-25

In this paper, the effect of adding Si to Co-31.5 mass% Ni alloys on fcc-hcp martensitic transformation is investigated. The Co-Ni-Si ternary alloys with different amount of Si from 1 to 5 mass% were prepared. The stacking fault probability of Co-Ni-Si polycrystalline alloys were determined by X-ray diffraction profile analysis and compared with the binary Co-Ni alloy. The results show that the stacking fault probability of the fcc phase of alloys increases with increasing Si content. The effect of Si on phase transformation and shape memory behavior is evaluated. The experimental results show that both the critical strength and the shape memory effect of the ternary alloys will increase by the addition of Si. The improvement mechanism of the shape memory effect by adding Si to binary Co-Ni alloys is discussed.

Position-dependent shear-induced austenite– martensite transformation in double-notched TRIP and dual-phase steel samples

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blondé, R.J.P.; Jimenez-Melero, E.; Anusuya Ponnusami, S.; Zhao, L.; Schell, N.; Brück, E.H.; Van der Zwaag, S.; Van Dijk, N.H.

2014-01-01

While earlier studies on transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) steels focused on the determination of the austenite-to-martensite decomposition in uniform deformation or thermal fields, the current research focuses on the determination of the local retained austenite-to-martensite transformation

Rapid ultrasound-induced transient-liquid-phase bonding of Al-50Si alloys with Zn interlayer in air for electrical packaging application.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Chen, Xiaoguang; Zhu, Lin; Yan, Jiuchun; Lai, Zhiwei; Zhao, Pizhi; Bao, Juncheng; Lv, Guicai; You, Chen; Zhou, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Jian; Li, Yuntao

2017-01-01

Al-50Si alloys were joined by rapid ultrasound-induced transient-liquid-phase bonding method using Zn foil as interlayer at 390°C in air, below the melt point of interlayer. The fracture of oxide films along the edge of Si particles led to contact and inter-diffusion between aluminum substrate and Zn interlayer, and liquefied Zn-Al alloys were developed. The width of Zn-Al alloys gradually decreased with increasing the ultrasonic vibration time due to liquid squeezing out and accelerated diffusion. A stage of isothermal solidification existed, and the completion time was significantly shortened. In the liquid metal, the acoustic streaming and ultrasonic cavitations were induced. As the process developed, much more Si particles, which were particulate-reinforced phases of Al-50Si, gradually migrated to the center of soldering seam. The highest average shear strength of joints reached to 94.2MPa, and the fracture mainly occurred at the base metal. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The antifibrotic effects of TGF-β1 siRNA on hepatic fibrosis in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lang, Qing; Liu, Qi; Xu, Ning; Qian, Ke-Li; Qi, Jing-Hu; Sun, Yin-Chun; Xiao, Lang; Shi, Xiao-Feng

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We constructed CCL4 induced liver fibrosis model successfully. → We proofed that the TGF-β1 siRNA had a definite therapy effect to CCL4 induced liver fibrosis. → The therapy effect of TGF-β1 siRNA had dose-dependent. -- Abstract: Background/aims: Hepatic fibrosis results from the excessive secretion of matrix proteins by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which proliferate during fibrotic liver injury. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is the dominant stimulus for extracellular matrix (ECM) production by stellate cells. Our study was designed to investigate the antifibrotic effects of using short interference RNA (siRNA) to target TGF-β1 in hepatic fibrosis and its mechanism in rats exposed to a high-fat diet and carbon tetrachloride (CCL4). Methods: A total of 40 healthy, male SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats were randomly divided into five even groups containing of eight rats each: normal group, model group, TGF-β1 siRNA 0.125 mg/kg treatment group, TGF-β1 siRNA 0.25 mg/kg treatment group and TGF-β1 siRNA negative control group (0.25 mg/kg). CCL4 and a high-fat diet were used for 8 weeks to induce hepatic fibrosis. All the rats were then sacrificed to collect liver tissue samples. A portion of the liver samples were soaked in formalin for Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, classifying the degree of liver fibrosis, and detecting the expression of type I and III collagen and TGF-β1; the remaining liver samples were stored in liquid nitrogen to be used for detecting TGF-β1 by Western blotting and for measuring the mRNA expression of type I and III collagen and TGF-β1 by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Comparing the TGF-β1 siRNA 0.25 mg/kg treatment group to the model group, the TGF-β1 siRNA negative control group and the TGF-β1 siRNA 0.125 mg/kg treatment group showed significantly reduced levels of pathological changes, protein expression and the mRNA expression of TGF-β1, type I collagen and type III collagen (P < 0

The antifibrotic effects of TGF-{beta}1 siRNA on hepatic fibrosis in rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lang, Qing; Liu, Qi [Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Instituted for Virus Hepatitis and Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Xu, Ning [The Second Hospital of YuLin, Shanxi Province (China); Qian, Ke-Li; Qi, Jing-Hu; Sun, Yin-Chun; Xiao, Lang [Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Instituted for Virus Hepatitis and Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China); Shi, Xiao-Feng, E-mail: sxff2003@yahoo.com.cn [Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Instituted for Virus Hepatitis and Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing (China)

2011-06-10

Highlights: {yields} We constructed CCL4 induced liver fibrosis model successfully. {yields} We proofed that the TGF-{beta}1 siRNA had a definite therapy effect to CCL4 induced liver fibrosis. {yields} The therapy effect of TGF-{beta}1 siRNA had dose-dependent. -- Abstract: Background/aims: Hepatic fibrosis results from the excessive secretion of matrix proteins by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which proliferate during fibrotic liver injury. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-{beta}1 is the dominant stimulus for extracellular matrix (ECM) production by stellate cells. Our study was designed to investigate the antifibrotic effects of using short interference RNA (siRNA) to target TGF-{beta}1 in hepatic fibrosis and its mechanism in rats exposed to a high-fat diet and carbon tetrachloride (CCL4). Methods: A total of 40 healthy, male SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats were randomly divided into five even groups containing of eight rats each: normal group, model group, TGF-{beta}1 siRNA 0.125 mg/kg treatment group, TGF-{beta}1 siRNA 0.25 mg/kg treatment group and TGF-{beta}1 siRNA negative control group (0.25 mg/kg). CCL4 and a high-fat diet were used for 8 weeks to induce hepatic fibrosis. All the rats were then sacrificed to collect liver tissue samples. A portion of the liver samples were soaked in formalin for Hematoxylin-Eosin staining, classifying the degree of liver fibrosis, and detecting the expression of type I and III collagen and TGF-{beta}1; the remaining liver samples were stored in liquid nitrogen to be used for detecting TGF-{beta}1 by Western blotting and for measuring the mRNA expression of type I and III collagen and TGF-{beta}1 by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Comparing the TGF-{beta}1 siRNA 0.25 mg/kg treatment group to the model group, the TGF-{beta}1 siRNA negative control group and the TGF-{beta}1 siRNA 0.125 mg/kg treatment group showed significantly reduced levels of pathological changes, protein expression and the m

Arsenite induces cell transformation by reactive oxygen species, AKT, ERK1/2, and p70S6K1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, Richard L.; Jiang, Yue; Jing, Yi; He, Jun; Rojanasakul, Yon; Liu, Ling-Zhi; Jiang, Bing-Hua

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► Chronic exposure to arsenite induces cell proliferation and transformation. ► Arsenite-induced transformation increases ROS production and downstream signalings. ► Inhibition of ROS levels via catalase reduces arsenite-induced cell transformation. ► Interruption of AKT, ERK, or p70S6K1 inhibits arsenite-induced cell transformation. -- Abstract: Arsenic is naturally occurring element that exists in both organic and inorganic formulations. The inorganic form arsenite has a positive association with development of multiple cancer types. There are significant populations throughout the world with high exposure to arsenite via drinking water. Thus, human exposure to arsenic has become a significant public health problem. Recent evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate multiple changes to cell behavior after acute arsenic exposure, including activation of proliferative signaling and angiogenesis. However, the role of ROS in mediating cell transformation by chronic arsenic exposure is unknown. We found that cells chronically exposed to sodium arsenite increased proliferation and gained anchorage-independent growth. This cell transformation phenotype required constitutive activation of AKT, ERK1/2, mTOR, and p70S6K1. We also observed these cells constitutively produce ROS, which was required for the constitutive activation of AKT, ERK1/2, mTOR, and p70S6K1. Suppression of ROS levels by forced expression of catalase also reduced cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. These results indicate cell transformation induced by chronic arsenic exposure is mediated by increased cellular levels of ROS, which mediates activation of AKT, ERK1/2, and p70S6K1.

Comparison of structural re-organisations observed on pre-patterned vicinal Si(1 1 1) and Si(1 0 0) surfaces during heat treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraus, A.; Neddermeyer, H.; Wulfhekel, W.; Sander, D.; Maroutian, T.; Dulot, F.; Martinez-Gil, A.; Hanbuecken, M.

2004-01-01

The creation of distinct, periodically structured vicinal Si(1 1 1) and (1 0 0) substrates has been studied using scanning tunnelling microscopy at various temperatures. The vicinal Si(1 1 1) and (1 0 0) surfaces transform under heat treatment in a self-organised way into flat and stepped regions. Optical and electron beam lithography is used to produce a regular hole pattern on the surfaces, which interferes with the temperature-driven morphological changes. The step motions are strongly influenced by this pre-patterning. Pre-patterned Si(1 1 1) surfaces transform into regular one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) morphologies, which consist of terraces and arrangements of step bunches and facets. On pre-patterned Si(1 0 0) substrates different re-organisations were observed where checkerboard-like 2D structures are obtained

Microstructural modifications induced by rapid thermal annealing in plasma deposited SiOxNyHz films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prado, A. del; San Andres, E.; Martil, I.; Gonzalez-Diaz, G.; Bravo, D.; Lopez, F.J.; Fernandez, M.; Martinez, F.L.

2003-01-01

The effect of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) processes on the structural properties of SiO x N y H z films was investigated. The samples were deposited by the electron cyclotron resonance plasma method, using SiH 4 , O 2 and N 2 as precursor gases. For SiO x N y H z films with composition close to that of SiO 2 , which have a very low H content, RTA induces thermal relaxation of the lattice and improvement of the structural order. For films of intermediate composition and of compositions close to SiN y H z , the main effect of RTA is the release of H at high temperatures (T>700 deg. C). This H release is more significant in films containing both Si-H and N-H bonds, due to cooperative reactions between both kinds of bonds. In these films the degradation of structural order associated to H release prevails over thermal relaxation, while in those films with only N-H bonds, thermal relaxation predominates. For annealing temperatures in the 500-700 deg. C range, the passivation of dangling bonds by the nonbonded H in the films and the transition from the paramagnetic state to the diamagnetic state of the K center result in a decrease of the density of paramagnetic defects. The H release observed at high annealing temperatures is accompanied by an increase of density of paramagnetic defects

In-situ studies of stress- and magnetic-field-induced phase transformation in a polymer-bonded Ni-Co-Mn-In composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, D.M.; Nie, Z.H.; Wang, G.; Wang, Y.D.; Brown, D.E.; Pearson, J.; Liaw, P.K.; Ren, Y.

2010-01-01

A polymer-bonded Ni 45 Co 5 Mn 36.6 In 13.4 ferromagnetic shape-memory composite was fabricated, having magnetic-field-driven shape recovery properties. The thermo-magnetization curves of the composite suggested that the magnetic-field-induced reverse martensitic transformation occurs in the composite. The effects of temperature, stress, and magnetic-field on the phase transformation properties were systematically investigated using an in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction technique. A temperature-induced reversible martensitic phase transformation was confirmed within the composite, showing a broad phase transformation interval. Stress-induced highly textured martensite was observed in the composite during uniaxial compressive loading, with a residual strain after unloading. The origin of the textured martensite can be explained by the grain-orientation-dependent Bain distortion energy. A recovery strain of ∼1.76% along the compression direction was evidenced in the pre-strained composite with an applied magnetic-field of 5 T. This recovery was caused by the magnetic-field-induced reverse martensitic phase transformation. The phase transformation properties of the ferromagnetic shape-memory composite, different from its bulk alloys, can be well explained by the Clausius-Clapeyron relation. The large magnetic-field-induced strain, together with good ductility and low cost, make the polymer-bonded Ni-Co-Mn-In composites potential candidates for magnetic-field-driven actuators.

Chloride-induced shape transformation of silver nanoparticles in a water environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Lan; Li, Xin; He, Rong; Wu, Lijun; Zhang, Liyun; Zeng, Jie

2015-01-01

The effects of chloride on dissolution and toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been well studied. However, their intermediate shapes during the transition have not been illustrated to-date. Herein, the chloride-induced shape transformation process of AgNPs under long-term, low-concentration conditions is explored. A unique triangular Ag–AgCl heterostructure is observed. The structure then evolves into a symmetric hexapod and finally into a smaller AgNP. This transformation process could be affected by other environmental conditions, such as 0.4 mg/mL humic acid, 5% surfactants and 1 mg/mL bovine serum albumin protein. Our results offer new knowledge regarding the shape transformation process of AgNPs in the presence of chloride, which can be valuable in relevant studies concerning the effect of water chemistry on the behavior of AgNPs. - Highlights: • Several significant intermediate structures have been firstly observed during AgNPs shape transformation process. • These findings of intermediate shapes offer the new knowledge on understanding the environmental fate of AgNPs. • The effects of other environmental factors on shape transformation have been well explored. - Significant intermediate structures are discovered during the AgNPs environmental process, enriching the knowledge of understanding the environmental fate of AgNPs

Characterization of ion-assisted induced absorption in A-Si thin-films used for multivariate optical computing

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Aditya B.; Price, James M.; Dai, Bin; Perkins, David; Chen, Ding Ding; Jones, Christopher M.

2015-06-01

Multivariate optical computing (MOC), an optical sensing technique for analog calculation, allows direct and robust measurement of chemical and physical properties of complex fluid samples in high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) downhole environments. The core of this MOC technology is the integrated computational element (ICE), an optical element with a wavelength-dependent transmission spectrum designed to allow the detector to respond sensitively and specifically to the analytes of interest. A key differentiator of this technology is it uses all of the information present in the broadband optical spectrum to determine the proportion of the analyte present in a complex fluid mixture. The detection methodology is photometric in nature; therefore, this technology does not require a spectrometer to measure and record a spectrum or a computer to perform calculations on the recorded optical spectrum. The integrated computational element is a thin-film optical element with a specific optical response function designed for each analyte. The optical response function is achieved by fabricating alternating layers of high-index (a-Si) and low-index (SiO2) thin films onto a transparent substrate (BK7 glass) using traditional thin-film manufacturing processes (e.g., ion-assisted e-beam vacuum deposition). A proprietary software and process are used to control the thickness and material properties, including the optical constants of the materials during deposition to achieve the desired optical response function. The ion-assisted deposition is useful for controlling the densification of the film, stoichiometry, and material optical constants as well as to achieve high deposition growth rates and moisture-stable films. However, the ion-source can induce undesirable absorption in the film; and subsequently, modify the optical constants of the material during the ramp-up and stabilization period of the e-gun and ion-source, respectively. This paper characterizes the unwanted

Compositional and optical properties of SiO x films and (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions deposited by HFCVD

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

In this work, non-stoichiometric silicon oxide (SiO x ) films and (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions, as-grown and after further annealing, are characterized by different techniques. The SiO x films and (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions are obtained by hot filament chemical vapor deposition technique in the range of temperatures from 900°C to 1,150°C. Transmittance spectra of the SiO x films showed a wavelength shift of the absorption edge thus indicating an increase in the optical energy band gap, when the growth temperature decreases; a similar behavior is observed in the (SiO x /SiO y ) structures, which in turn indicates a decrease in the Si excess, as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveals, so that, the film and junction composition changes with the growth temperature. The analysis of the photoluminescence (PL) results using the quantum confinement model suggests the presence of silicon nanocrystal (Si-nc) embedded in a SiO x matrix. For the case of the as-grown SiO x films, the absorption and emission properties are correlated with quantum effects in Si-nc and defects. For the case of the as-grown (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions, only the emission mechanism related to some kinds of defects was considered, but silicon nanocrystal embedded in a SiO x matrix is present. After thermal annealing, a phase separation into Si and SiO2 occurs, as the FTIR spectra illustrates, which has repercussions in the absorption and emission properties of the films and junctions, as shown by the change in the A and B band positions on the PL spectra. These results lead to good possibilities for proposed novel applications in optoelectronic devices. PACS 61.05.-a; 68.37.Og; 61.05.cp; 78.55.-m; 68.37.Ps; 81.15.Gh PMID:25342935

Strategies for Improving siRNA-Induced Gene Silencing Efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Safari, Fatemeh; Rahmani Barouji, Solmaz; Tamaddon, Ali Mohammad

2017-12-01

Purpose: Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis and progression of cancers. Gene silencing of hTERT by short interfering RNA (siRNA) is considered as a promising strategy for cancer gene therapy. Various algorithms have been devised for designing a high efficient siRNA which is a significant issue in the clinical usage. Thereby, in the present study, the relation of siRNA designing criteria and the gene silencing efficiency was evaluated. Methods: The siRNA sequences were designed and characterized by using on line soft wares. Cationic co-polymer (polyethylene glycol-g-polyethylene imine (PEG-g-PEI)) was used for the construction of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) containing siRNAs. The cellular uptake of the PECs was evaluated. The gene silencing efficiency of different siRNA sequences was investigated and the effect of observing the rational designing on the functionality of siRNAs was assessed. Results: The size of PEG-g-PEI siRNA with N/P (Nitrogen/Phosphate) ratio of 2.5 was 114 ± 0.645 nm. The transfection efficiency of PECs was desirable (95.5% ± 2.4%.). The results of Real-Time PCR showed that main sequence (MS) reduced the hTERT expression up to 90% and control positive sequence (CPS) up to 63%. These findings demonstrated that the accessibility to the target site has priority than the other criteria such as sequence preferences and thermodynamic features. Conclusion: siRNA opens a hopeful window in cancer therapy which provides a convenient and tolerable therapeutic approach. Thereby, using the set of criteria and rational algorithms in the designing of siRNA remarkably affect the gene silencing efficiency.

Gigantic magnetoelectric effect caused by magnetic-field-induced canted antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition in quasi-two-dimensional Ca2CoSi2O7 crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Akaki, M.; Tozawa, J.; Akahoshi, D.; Kuwahara, H.

2009-05-01

We have investigated the magnetic and dielectric properties of Ca2CoSi2O7 crystal. The dielectricity and magnetism of Ca2CoSi2O7 are strongly coupled below a canted antiferromagnetic transition temperature (TN). Magnetic fields induce electric polarization below TN. Interestingly, the magnetic-field-induced electric polarization is detected even without poling electric fields. Below TN, a canted antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition is induced by magnetic fields. The large magnetocapacitance is observed around TN. The origin of the large magnetocapacitance is due to the magnetic-field-induced the canted antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition.

A macroscopic model to simulate the mechanically induced martensitic transformation in metastable austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perdahcıoğlu, E.S.; Geijselaers, H.J.M.

2012-01-01

Mechanically induced martensitic transformation and the associated transformation plasticity phenomena in austenitic stainless steels are studied. The mechanisms responsible for the transformation are investigated and put into perspective based on experimental evidence. The stress and strain partitioning into the austenite and martensite phases are formulated using a mean-field homogenization approach. At this intermediate length-scale the average stress in the austenite phase is computed and utilized to compute the mechanical driving force resolved in the material. The amount of transformation and the transformation plasticity is derived as a function of the driving force. The mechanical response of the material is obtained by combining the homogenization and the transformation models. The model is verified by mechanical tests under biaxial loading conditions during which different transformation rates are observed. As a final verification of the model, a bending test is used which manifests the stress-state dependency of the transformation.

Thickness dependent formation and properties of GdSi2/Si(100) interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peto, G.; Molnar, G.; Dozsa, L.; Horvath, Z.E.; Horvath, Zs.J.; Zsoldos, E.; Dimitriadis, C.A.; Papadimitriou, L.

2005-01-01

Epitaxial and polycrystalline orthorhombic GdSi 2 films were grown on Si(100) substrates by solid phase reaction between Si and Gd films at different thicknesses of the Gd film. The most important property of these GdSi 2 /Si interfaces was defect formation. This was investigated by studying the properties of the Schottky barriers by means of current voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics, deep level transient spectroscopy by double crystal X-ray diffractometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Epitaxial growth of the silicide layer ensured a relatively low interface defect density (about 10 10 cm -2 ), while the non-epitaxial growth induced defects of a much higher density (about 10 12 cm -2 ). The defects generated during the silicide formation are located within a depth of about 10 nm from the GdSi 2 /Si interface. (orig.)

Data on cell growth inhibition induced by anti-VEGF siRNA delivered by Stealth liposomes incorporating G2 PAMAM-cholesterol versus Metafectene® as a function of exposure time and siRNA concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nasim Golkar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this data article, carboxyfluorescein-loaded liposomes were prepared and purified from free carboxyfluorescein using gel filtration chromatography in the first part. In the next part, following preparation of anti-VEGF siRNA loaded liposomes incorporating hydrophobically modified G2 PAMAM dendrimer (G2-Chol40% (Golkar et al., 2016 [1], the cell growth inhibition induced by the formulations (siRNA/Metafectene complexes and siRNA loaded liposomes incorporating hydrophobic G2 was evaluated at two exposure times through MTT assay in a breast cancer cell (SKBR-3 and compared by two-way ANOVA. Keywords: Anti-VEGF siRNA, Cell growth inhibition, Polyamidoaminedendrimer, Liposome

Occurrence and properties of antibodies against virus-associated transformation proteins in radiation-induced osteosarcomas in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofherr, J.

1983-01-01

In this thesis it was looked if there is an immunresponse against such viral oncogene products in mice with radiation-induced osteosarcomas. Sera from mice with transplantable radiation-induced osteosacomas showed strong cytotoxicity against cells from a Moloney sarcoma virus-induced tumor and to a smaller extent also against FBJ osteosarcoma virus-transformed nonproducer cells. The cytotoxic activity was bound to the IgM fraction of the sera. Immunprecipitation of 35 S-methionine labelled virus- or radiation-transformed cells with cytotoxic sera showed on PAGE two proteins of molecular weights (m.w.) of about 50-55 kD. A protein of about 38 kD was expressed only in transformed cells whereas another protein of about 43 kD was seen in all cells except in uninfected muscle cells of adult mice. In order to further characterize the nature of these antigens immunprecipitates with unlabelled cells were tested in a protein kinase assay with gamma 32 P ATP and analysed on PAGE. Phosphorylation of proteins occured predominantly of more than 70 kD m.w., of about 68 kD, 50-55 kD and to a lesser extent also of about 32, 34 and 39 kD. The phosphorylation site of the proteins was at serine and threonine residues. These results indicate that mice with radiation-induced osteosarkomas develop antibodies against 'in vivo' and 'in vitro'-sarcoma virus transformed cells. (orig./MG) [de

Bond formation in hafnium atom implantation into SiC induced by high-energy electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuda, H.; Mori, H.; Sakata, T.; Naka, M.; Fujita, H.

1992-01-01

Bilayer films of Hf (target atoms)/α-SiC (substrate) were irradiated with 2 MeV electrons in an ultra-high voltage electron microscope (UHVEM), with the electron beam incident on the hafnium layer. As a result of the irradiation, hafnium atoms were implanted into the SiC substrate. Changes in the microstructure and valence electronic states associated with the implantation were studied by a combination of UHVEM and Auger valence electron spectroscopy. The implantation process is summarized as follows. (1) Irradiation with 2 MeV electrons first induces a crystalline-to-amorphous transition in α-SiC. (2) Hafnium atoms which have been knocked-off from the hafnium layer by collision with the 2 MeV electrons are implanted into the resultant amorphous SiC. (3) The implanted hafnium atoms make preferential bonding to carbon atoms. (4) With continued irradiation, the hafnium atoms repeat the displacement along the beam direction and the subsequent bonding with the dangling hybrids of carbon and silicon. The repetition of the displacement and subsequent bonding lead to the deep implantation of hafnium atoms into the SiC substrate. It is concluded that implantation successfully occurs when the bond strength between a constituent atom of a substrate and an injected atom is stronger than that between constituent atoms of a substrate. (Author)

Arsenic transformation predisposes human skin keratinocytes to UV-induced DNA damage yet enhances their survival apparently by diminishing oxidant response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Yang; Kojima, Chikara; Chignell, Colin; Mason, Ronald; Waalkes, Michael P.

2011-01-01

Inorganic arsenic and UV, both human skin carcinogens, may act together as skin co-carcinogens. We find human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) are malignantly transformed by low-level arsenite (100 nM, 30 weeks; termed As-TM cells) and with transformation concurrently undergo full adaptation to arsenic toxicity involving reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress response to high arsenite concentrations. Oxidative DNA damage (ODD) is a possible mechanism in arsenic carcinogenesis and a hallmark of UV-induced skin cancer. In the current work, inorganic arsenite exposure (100 nM) did not induce ODD during the 30 weeks required for malignant transformation. Although acute UV-treatment (UVA, 25 J/cm 2 ) increased ODD in passage-matched control cells, once transformed by arsenic to As-TM cells, acute UV actually further increased ODD (> 50%). Despite enhanced ODD, As-TM cells were resistant to UV-induced apoptosis. The response of apoptotic factors and oxidative stress genes was strongly mitigated in As-TM cells after UV exposure including increased Bcl2/Bax ratio and reduced Caspase-3, Nrf2, and Keap1 expression. Several Nrf2-related genes (HO-1, GCLs, SOD) showed diminished responses in As-TM cells after UV exposure consistent with reduced oxidant stress response. UV-exposed As-TM cells showed increased expression of cyclin D1 (proliferation gene) and decreased p16 (tumor suppressor). UV exposure enhanced the malignant phenotype of As-TM cells. Thus, the co-carcinogenicity between UV and arsenic in skin cancer might involve adaptation to chronic arsenic exposure generally mitigating the oxidative stress response, allowing apoptotic by-pass after UV and enhanced cell survival even in the face of increased UV-induced oxidative stress and increased ODD. - Highlights: → Arsenic transformation adapted to UV-induced apoptosis. → Arsenic transformation diminished oxidant response. → Arsenic transformation enhanced UV-induced DNA damage.

Constitutive Model Of Graded Micro-Structure Obtained Via Strain Induced Phase Transformation

CERN Document Server

Ortwein, Rafał

The literature review has been divided into three main sub-chapters. The first one is concentrated on the general information about stainless steels and their applications. It is important to perform a general overview and get an idea where the results of the present thesis could be applied. Description of all the brands of stainless steels, their microstructures and properties are important, as similar characteristics can be found in the newly created functionally graded structures. The second sub-chapter is an overview of the most important constitutive models and the experimental results for materials that undergo plastic strain induced phase transformation. Finally, the last one is devoted to functionally graded microstructures obtained via strain induced martensitic transformation – the subject of particular importance for the present thesis. As a general note, the literature review is organized mainly in a chronological order. In some cases similar publications or publications of the same Authors were...

Experimental and simulation studies of neutron-induced single-event burnout in SiC power diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Shoji, Tomoyuki; Nishida, Shuichi; Hamada, Kimimori; Tadano, Hiroshi

2014-01-01

Neutron-induced single-event burnouts (SEBs) of silicon carbide (SiC) power diodes have been investigated by white neutron irradiation experiments and transient device simulations. It was confirmed that a rapid increase in lattice temperature leads to formation of crown-shaped aluminum and cracks inside the device owing to expansion stress when the maximum lattice temperature reaches the sublimation temperature. SEB device simulation indicated that the peak lattice temperature is located in the vicinity of the n-/n+ interface and anode contact, and that the positions correspond to a hammock-like electric field distribution caused by the space charge effect. Moreover, the locations of the simulated peak lattice temperature agree closely with the positions of the observed destruction traces. Furthermore, it was theoretically demonstrated that the period of temperature increase of a SiC power device is two orders of magnitude less than that of a Si power device, using a thermal diffusion equation.

In situ synthesis and properties of self-reinforced Si3N4–SiO2 ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

reinforced glass–ceramic composites were obtained without any β -Si 3 N 4 seed crystal. These composites with different compositions were prepared in a nitrogenatmosphere for comparison of phase transformation and mechanical properties.

Effect of hydrogen flow on growth of 3C-SiC heteroepitaxial layers on Si(111) substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Guoguo; Zhang, Feng; Niu, Yingxi; Yang, Fei; Liu, Xingfang; Wang, Lei; Zhao, Wanshun; Sun, Guosheng; Zeng, Yiping

2015-01-01

Highlights: • 3C-SiC thin films of preferential orientation along with Si(111) substrates were obtained using home-made horizontal LPCVD with different H_2 flow rate ranging from15 to 30 slm. • High H_2 flow rate will inhibit the out-diffusion of silicon atoms from silicon substrates effectively. Transformation and the mechanism of void formation are discussed based on our model. • The variation of growth rate and n-type doping with increasing H_2 flow rate is researched and the influencing mechanism is discussed. - Abstract: 3C-SiC thin films were grown on Si(111) substrates at 1250 °C by horizontal low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). We performed an exhaustive study on the effect of H_2 flow rate on the crystalline quality, surface morphologies, growth rate, n-type doping of 3C-SiC thin films and the voids at the interface. The films show epitaxial nature with high crystal quality and surface morphology increase obviously with increasing H_2 flow rate. The growth rate and n-type doping are also dependent on H_2 flow rate. The properties of the voids at the interface are discussed based on the cross-sectional scanning electron microscope characterization. Transformation of voids with increasing H_2 flow rate are attributed to higher 3C-SiC film growth rate and H_2 etching rate. The mechanism of void formation is discussed based on our model, too. The results demonstrate that H_2 flow rate plays a very important role in the heteroepitaxial growth of 3C-SiC films.

Effect of hydrogen flow on growth of 3C-SiC heteroepitaxial layers on Si(111) substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Guoguo [Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhang, Feng, E-mail: fzhang@semi.ac.cn [Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Niu, Yingxi; Yang, Fei [Electrical Engineering New Materials and Microelectronics Department, State Grid Smart Grid Research Institute, Beijing 100192 (China); Liu, Xingfang; Wang, Lei; Zhao, Wanshun [Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Sun, Guosheng [Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Dongguan Tianyu Semiconductor, Inc., Dongguan 523000 (China); Zeng, Yiping [Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China)

2015-10-30

Highlights: • 3C-SiC thin films of preferential orientation along with Si(111) substrates were obtained using home-made horizontal LPCVD with different H{sub 2} flow rate ranging from15 to 30 slm. • High H{sub 2} flow rate will inhibit the out-diffusion of silicon atoms from silicon substrates effectively. Transformation and the mechanism of void formation are discussed based on our model. • The variation of growth rate and n-type doping with increasing H{sub 2} flow rate is researched and the influencing mechanism is discussed. - Abstract: 3C-SiC thin films were grown on Si(111) substrates at 1250 °C by horizontal low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). We performed an exhaustive study on the effect of H{sub 2} flow rate on the crystalline quality, surface morphologies, growth rate, n-type doping of 3C-SiC thin films and the voids at the interface. The films show epitaxial nature with high crystal quality and surface morphology increase obviously with increasing H{sub 2} flow rate. The growth rate and n-type doping are also dependent on H{sub 2} flow rate. The properties of the voids at the interface are discussed based on the cross-sectional scanning electron microscope characterization. Transformation of voids with increasing H{sub 2} flow rate are attributed to higher 3C-SiC film growth rate and H{sub 2} etching rate. The mechanism of void formation is discussed based on our model, too. The results demonstrate that H{sub 2} flow rate plays a very important role in the heteroepitaxial growth of 3C-SiC films.

Strain distribution in freestanding Si/Si{sub x}N{sub y} membranes studied by transmission electron microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Hongye, E-mail: hongye18@mm.kyushu-u.ac.j [Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Ikeda, Ken-ichi; Hata, Satoshi; Nakashima, Hideharu [Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Wang, Dong; Nakashima, Hiroshi [Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

2010-09-30

Strain was induced in a bridge-shaped freestanding Si membrane (FSSM) by depositing an amorphous Si{sub x}N{sub y} layer to surround the Si membrane. Convergent beam electron diffraction revealed that compressive strain is distributed uniformly along the horizontal direction in Si{sub x}N{sub y}-deposited FSSM. On the other hand, strain decreases to almost zero at the ends of the FSSM, where the Si{sub x}N{sub y} layer beneath the Si layer is replaced by a SiO{sub 2} buried oxide layer.

Suppression of alkylating agent induced cell transformation and gastric ulceration by low-dose alkylating agent pretreatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onodera, Akira; Kawai, Yuichi; Kashimura, Asako; Ogita, Fumiya; Tsutsumi, Yasuo; Itoh, Norio

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Low-dose MNNG pretreatment suppresses high-dose MNNG induced in vitro transformation. •Gastric ulcers induced by high-dose MNNG decreased after low-dose MNNG pretreatment. •Efficacy of low-dose MNNG related to resistance of mutation and oxidative stress. -- Abstract: Exposure to mild stress by chemicals and radiation causes DNA damage and leads to acquired stress resistance. Although the linear no-threshold (LNT) model of safety assessment assumes risk from any dose, evidence from radiological research demonstrates a conflicting hormetic phenomenon known as the hormesis effect. However, the mechanisms underlying radiation hormesis have not yet been clarified, and little is known about the effects of low doses of chemical carcinogens. We analyzed the efficacy of pretreatment with low doses of the alkylating agent N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) on the subsequent induction of cell transformation and gastric ulceration by high-dose MNNG. We used an in vitro Balb/3T3 A31-1-1 cell transformation test and monitored the formation of gastric ulcers in 5-week-old male ICR mice that were administered MNNG in drinking water. The treatment concentrations of MNNG were determined by the cell survival rate and past reports. For low-dose in vitro and in vivo experiments, MNNG was used at 0.028 μM, and 2.8 μg/mL, respectively. The frequency of cell transformation induced by 10 μm MNNG was decreased by low-dose MNNG pretreatment to levels similar to that of spontaneous transformation. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mutation frequencies induced by 10 μm MNNG were decreased by low-dose MNNG pretreatment. Importantly, low-dose MNNG pretreatment had no effect on cell proliferation. In vivo studies showed that the number of gastric ulcers induced by 1 mg/mL MNNG decreased after low-dose MNNG pretreatment. These data indicate that low-dose pretreatment with carcinogens may play a beneficial role in the prevention of chemical toxicity

Suppression of alkylating agent induced cell transformation and gastric ulceration by low-dose alkylating agent pretreatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Onodera, Akira, E-mail: onodera@pharm.kobegakuin.ac.jp [Department of Toxicology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobegakuin University, 1-1-3 Minatojima, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-8586 (Japan); Kawai, Yuichi [Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobegakuin University, 1-1-3 Minatojima, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-8586 (Japan); Kashimura, Asako; Ogita, Fumiya; Tsutsumi, Yasuo; Itoh, Norio [Department of Toxicology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

2013-06-14

Highlights: •Low-dose MNNG pretreatment suppresses high-dose MNNG induced in vitro transformation. •Gastric ulcers induced by high-dose MNNG decreased after low-dose MNNG pretreatment. •Efficacy of low-dose MNNG related to resistance of mutation and oxidative stress. -- Abstract: Exposure to mild stress by chemicals and radiation causes DNA damage and leads to acquired stress resistance. Although the linear no-threshold (LNT) model of safety assessment assumes risk from any dose, evidence from radiological research demonstrates a conflicting hormetic phenomenon known as the hormesis effect. However, the mechanisms underlying radiation hormesis have not yet been clarified, and little is known about the effects of low doses of chemical carcinogens. We analyzed the efficacy of pretreatment with low doses of the alkylating agent N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) on the subsequent induction of cell transformation and gastric ulceration by high-dose MNNG. We used an in vitro Balb/3T3 A31-1-1 cell transformation test and monitored the formation of gastric ulcers in 5-week-old male ICR mice that were administered MNNG in drinking water. The treatment concentrations of MNNG were determined by the cell survival rate and past reports. For low-dose in vitro and in vivo experiments, MNNG was used at 0.028 μM, and 2.8 μg/mL, respectively. The frequency of cell transformation induced by 10 μm MNNG was decreased by low-dose MNNG pretreatment to levels similar to that of spontaneous transformation. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mutation frequencies induced by 10 μm MNNG were decreased by low-dose MNNG pretreatment. Importantly, low-dose MNNG pretreatment had no effect on cell proliferation. In vivo studies showed that the number of gastric ulcers induced by 1 mg/mL MNNG decreased after low-dose MNNG pretreatment. These data indicate that low-dose pretreatment with carcinogens may play a beneficial role in the prevention of chemical toxicity

New bonding configuration on Si(111) and Ge(111) surfaces induced by the adsorption of alkali metals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lottermoser, L.; Landemark, E.; Smilgies, D.M.

1998-01-01

The structure of the (3×1) reconstructions of the Si(111) and Ge(111) surfaces induced by adsorption of alkali metals has been determined on the basis of surface x-ray diffraction and low-energy electron diffraction measurements and density functional theory. The (3×1) surface results primarily f...... from the substrate reconstruction and shows a new bonding configuration consisting of consecutive fivefold and sixfold Si (Ge) rings in 〈11̅ 0〉 projection separated by channels containing the alkali metal atoms. © 1998 The American Physical Society...

Transformation-Induced Relaxation and Stress Recovery of TiNi Shape Memory Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kohei Takeda

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The transformation-induced stress relaxation and stress recovery of TiNi shape memory alloy (SMA in stress-controlled subloop loading were investigated based on the local variation in temperature and transformation band on the surface of the tape in the tension test. The results obtained are summarized as follows. (1 In the loading process, temperature increases due to the exothermic martensitic transformation (MT until the holding strain and thereafter temperature decreases while holding the strain constant, resulting in stress relaxation due to the MT; (2 In the unloading process, temperature decreases due to the endothermic reverse transformation until the holding strain and thereafter temperature increases while holding the strain constant, resulting in stress recovery due to the reverse transformation; (3 Stress varies markedly in the initial stage followed by gradual change while holding the strain constant; (4 If the stress rate is high until the holding strain in the loading and unloading processes, both stress relaxation and stress recovery are large; (5 It is important to take into account this behavior in the design of SMA elements, since the force of SMA elements varies even if the atmospheric temperature is kept constant.

P-type poly-Si prepared by low-temperature aluminum-induced crystallization and doping for solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Yasuhiro; Yu, Zhenrui; Morales-Acevedo, Arturo [CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2000-07-01

P-type poly-Si thin films prepared by low temperature aluminum-induced crystallization and doping are reported. The starting material was boron-doped a-Si:H prepared by PECVD on glass substrates. Aluminum layers with different thickness were evaporated on a-Si:H surface and conventional thermal annealing was performed at temperatures ranging from 300 to 550 Celsius degrees. XRD, SIMS, and Hall effect measurements were carried out to characterize the annealed Al could be crystallized at temperature as low as 300 Celsius degrees in 60 minutes. This material has high carrier concentration as well as high Hall mobility and can be used as a p-layer of seed layer for thin film poly-Si solar cells. The technique reported here is compatible with PECVD process. [Spanish] Se informa sobre la preparacion de peliculas delgadas tipo P y Poli-Si mediante la cristalizacion inducida de aluminio a baja temperatura y el dopado. El material inicial era de boro dopado y a-Si:H preparado PECVD sobre substratos de vidrio. Se evaporaron capas de aluminio de diferente espesor sobre una superficie de a-Si:H y se llevo a cabo un destemplado termico convencional a temperaturas que varian entre 300 y 500 grados Celsius. Se llevaron a cabo mediciones de XRB, SIMS y del efecto Hall para caracterizar el aluminio destemplado para que pudiera ser cristalizado a temperaturas tan bajas como 300 grados Celsius en 60 minutos. Este material tiene una alta concentracion portadora asi como una alta movilidad Hall y puede usarse como una capa de semilla para celdas solares de pelicula delgada Poli-Si. La tecnica reportada aqui es compatible con el proceso PECVD.

Electrical characterisation of SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors and Si pseudo-HBTS

Science.gov (United States)

De Barros, O.; Le Tron, B.; Woods, R. C.; Giroult-Matlakowski, G.; Vincent, G.; Brémond, G.

1996-08-01

This paper reports an electrical characterisation of the emitter-base junction of Si pseudo-HBTs and SiGe HBTs fabricated in a CMOS compatible single polysilicon self-aligned process. From the reverse characteristics it appears that the definition of the emitter-base junction by plasma etching induces peripheral defects that increase the base current of the transistors. Deep level transient spectroscopy measurements show a deep level in the case of SiGe base, whose spatial origin is not fully determinate up to now.

Low-temperature Au/a-Si wafer bonding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jing, Errong; Xiong, Bin; Wang, Yuelin

2011-01-01

The Si/SiO 2 /Ti/Au–Au/Ti/a-Si/SiO 2 /Si bonding structure, which can also be used for the bonding of non-silicon material, was investigated for the first time in this paper. The bond quality test showed that the bond yield, bond repeatability and average shear strength are higher for this bonding structure. The interfacial microstructure analysis indicated that the Au-induced crystallization of the amorphous silicon process leads to big Si grains extending across the bond interface and Au filling the other regions of the bond interface, which result into a strong and void-free bond interface. In addition, the Au-induced crystallization reaction leads to a change in the IR images of the bond interface. Therefore, the IR microscope can be used to evaluate and compare the different bond strengths qualitatively. Furthermore, in order to verify the superiority of the bonding structure, the Si/SiO 2 /Ti/Au–a-Si/SiO 2 /Si (i.e. no Ti/Au layer on the a-Si surface) and Si/SiO 2 /Ti/Au–Au/Ti/SiO 2 /Si bonding structures (i.e. Au thermocompression bonding) were also investigated. For the Si/SiO 2 /Ti/Au–a-Si/SiO 2 /Si bonding structure, the poor bond quality is due to the native oxide layer on the a-Si surface, and for the Si/SiO 2 /Ti/Au–Au/Ti/SiO 2 /Si bonding structure, the poor bond quality is caused by the wafer surface roughness which prevents intimate contact and limits the interdiffusion at the bond interface.

Swift heavy ion induced phase transformation and thermoluminescence properties of zirconium oxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lokesha, H.S. [Physics R & D Centre, PES Institute of Technology, BSK 3rd Stage, Bangalore 560085 (India); Nagabhushana, K.R., E-mail: bhushankr@gmail.com [Physics R & D Centre, PES Institute of Technology, BSK 3rd Stage, Bangalore 560085 (India); Department of Physics, PES University, BSK 3rd Stage, Bangalore 560085 (India); Singh, Fouran [Inter University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (India)

2016-07-15

Zirconium oxide (ZrO{sub 2}) powder is synthesized by combustion technique. XRD pattern of ZrO{sub 2} shows monoclinic phase with average crystallite size 35 nm. Pellets of ZrO{sub 2} are irradiated with 100 MeV swift Si{sup 7+}, Ni{sup 7+} and 120 MeV swift Ag{sup 9+} ions in the fluence range 3 × 10{sup 10}–3 × 10{sup 13} ions cm{sup −2}. XRD pattern show the main diffraction peak correspond to monoclinic and tetragonal phase of ZrO{sub 2} in 2θ range 27–33°. Structural phase transformation is observed for Ni{sup 7+} and Ag{sup 9+} ion irradiated samples at a fluence 1 × 10{sup 13} ions cm{sup −2} and 3 × 10{sup 12} ions cm{sup −2} respectively, since the deposited electronic energy loss exceeds an effective threshold (>12 keV nm{sup −1}). Phase transition induced by Ag{sup 9+} ion is nearly 2.9 times faster than Ni{sup 7+} ion at 1 × 10{sup 13} ions cm{sup −2}. Ag{sup 9+} ion irradiation leads two ion impact processes. Thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves exhibit two glows, a well resolved peak at ∼424 K and unresolved peak at 550 K for all SHI irradiated samples. TL response is decreased with increase of ion fluence. Beyond 3 × 10{sup 12} ions cm{sup −2}, samples don’t exhibit TL due to annihilation of defects.

Light emissions from LiNbO sub 3 /SiO sub 2 /Si structures

CERN Document Server

Wu, X L; Tang, N; Deng, S S; Bao, X M

2003-01-01

LiNbO sub 3 (LN) films with a high degree of (006) texture were deposited on Si-based dense SiO sub 2 layers by pulsed laser deposition. After annealing, the LN/SiO sub 2 /Si structures were revealed to have ultraviolet-, green-, and red-emitting properties related to self-trapped excitons and E' defect pairs in the SiO sub 2 surface, which are induced by the photorefractive effect of the LN films. The emission wavelength can be tuned by introducing different dopants into the LN films. Waveguiding properties of the structures were demonstrated. The results obtained indicate that the LN/SiO sub 2 /Si structures could be expected to have important applications in modern optoelectronic integration. (letter to the editor)

Different strain relaxation mechanisms in strained Si/Si sub 1 sub - sub x Ge sub x /Si heterostructures by high dose B sup + and BF sub 2 sup + doping

CERN Document Server

Chen, C C; Zhang, S L; Zhu, D Z; Vantomme, A

2002-01-01

Strained Si/Si sub 0 sub . sub 8 Ge sub 0 sub . sub 2 /Si heterostructures are implanted at room temperature with 7.5 keV B sup + and 33 keV BF sub 2 sup + ions to a high dose of 2x10 sup 1 sup 5 ions/cm sup 2 , respectively. The samples are subsequently subjected to three-step anneals (spacer anneal, oxidation anneal and rapid thermal anneal), which are used to simulate a real fabrication process of SiGe-based MOSFET devices. The damage induced by implantation and its recovery are characterized by 2 MeV sup 4 He sup + RBS/channeling spectrometry. A damage layer on the surface is induced by B sup + implantation, but BF sup + sub 2 ion implantation amorphizes the surface of Si/Si sub 0 sub . sub 8 Ge sub 0 sub . sub 2 /Si heterostructure. Channeling angular scans along the axial direction demonstrate that the strain stored in the SiGe layer could be nearly completely retained for the B sup + implanted and subsequently annealed sample. However, the strain in the BF sub 2 sup + implanted/annealed SiGe layer has...

Radiation-induced irreparable heritable changes in cells promoting their tumoral transformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzin, A.M.; Vagabova, M.Eh.; Yurov, S.S.

1988-01-01

In experiments with model plant tumors (Kalanchoe-ti plasmid Agrobat. tumefaciens C-58D) it was shown that exposure of the recepient plant to low-level γ-radiation of Gy induced changes in cells that were not repaired over two months promoting tumoral transformations in them. Those changes were shown to persist in the offspring of the exposed somatic cells

A new high-pressure phase of Fe2SiO4 and the relationship between spin and structural transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Yamanaka, T.; Kyono, A.; Nakamoto, Y.; Kharlamova, S. A.; Struzhkin, V. V.; Gramsch, S.; Mao, H.; Hemley, R. J.

2013-12-01

O4. This new high-pressure phase reversibly transforms to the spinel structure under decompression. A Martensitic transformation of spinel slabs with translation vector [1/8 1/8 1/8] generates the I-Fe2SiO4 structure. The transition is induced by atomic displacements in the spinel structure, which generates the orthorhombic distortion resulting in I-Fe2SiO4 arrangement. A topotactic relation between spinel and I-Fe2SiO4 is suggested as the origin of this phase transition: Fe2SiO4 spinel at 34.8 GPa, Fd m, z = 8, a(spinel)= 7.894 Å I-Fe2SiO4 at 54.6 GPa, Imma,, z = 4, a= 5.543(1)Å, b=6.032(4)Å, c= 7.201(5)Å a = b = d(spnel 110) = 0.707107a (spinel) c= c(spinel) Compression along the [001] direction of the spinel structure and simultaneous elongation along the [110] direction results in the I-Fe2SiO4 arrangement. This transition is induced by the 20% shrinkage of ionic radius of Fe2+in the octahedral site at the low spin state.

Posttranscriptional silencing of the lncRNA MALAT1 by miR-217 inhibits the epithelial–mesenchymal transition via enhancer of zeste homolog 2 in the malignant transformation of HBE cells induced by cigarette smoke extract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Lu; Luo, Fei; Liu, Yi; Liu, Xinlu; Shi, Le; Lu, Xiaolin; Liu, Qizhan

2015-01-01

Lung cancer is regarded as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and cigarette smoking is one of the strongest risk factors for the development of lung cancer. However, the mechanisms for cigarette smoke-induced lung carcinogenesis remain unclear. The present study investigated the effects of an miRNA (miR-217) on levels of an lncRNA (MALAT1) and examined the role of these factors in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. In these cells, CSE caused decreases of miR-217 levels and increases in lncRNA MALAT1 levels. Over-expression of miR-217 with a mimic attenuated the CSE-induced increase of MALAT1 levels, and reduction of miR-217 levels by an inhibitor enhanced expression of MALAT1. Moreover, the CSE-induced increase of MALAT1 expression was blocked by an miR-217 mimic, indicating that miR-217 negatively regulates MALAT1 expression. Knockdown of MALAT1 reversed CSE-induced increases of EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) and H3K27me3 levels. In addition to the alteration from epithelial to spindle-like mesenchymal morphology, chronic exposure of HBE cells to CSE increased the levels of EZH2, H3K27me3, vimentin, and N-cadherin and decreased E-cadherin levels, effects that were reversed by MALAT1 siRNA or EZH2 siRNA. The results indicate that miR-217 regulation of EZH2/H3K27me3 via MALAT1 is involved in CSE-induced EMT and malignant transformation of HBE cells. The posttranscriptional silencing of MALAT1 by miR-217 provides a link, through EZH2, between ncRNAs and the EMT and establishes a mechanism for CSE-induced lung carcinogenesis. - Highlights: • CSE exposure decreases miR-217 levels and increases MALAT1 levels. • miR-217 negatively regulates MALAT1 expression. • MALAT1, via EZH2, is involved in the EMT of CSE-transformed HBE cells.

An amorphous Si-O film tribo-induced by natural hydrosilicate powders on ferrous surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Baosen; Xu, Binshi; Xu, Yi; Ba, Zhixin; Wang, Zhangzhong

2013-01-01

The tribological properties of surface-coated serpentine powders suspended in oil were evaluated using an Optimal SRV-IV oscillating friction and wear tester. The worn surface and the tribo-induced protective film were characterized by scanning electron microscope and focused ion beam (SEM/FIB) work station, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results indicate that with 0.5 wt% addition of serpentine powders to oil, the friction coefficient and wear rate significantly decrease referenced to those of the base oil alone. An amorphous SiO x film with amorphous SiO x particles inserted has formed on the worn surface undergoing the interactions between serpentine particles and friction surfaces. The protective film with excellent lubricating ability and mechanical properties is responsible for the reduced friction and wear.

Single-phase {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} thin films prepared on Si wafer by femtosecond laser ablation and its photoluminescence at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu Peixiang [State Key Laboratory of Laser Technology and Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)]. E-mail: lupeixiang@mail.hust.edu.cn; Zhou Youhua [State Key Laboratory of Laser Technology and Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China) and Physics and Information School, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056 (China)]. E-mail: yhzhou@jhun.edu.cn; Zheng Qiguang [State Key Laboratory of Laser Technology and Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Yang Guang [State Key Laboratory of Laser Technology and Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2006-02-06

Single-phase {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} thin films were prepared on Si(100) and Si(111) wafers by using femtosecond laser deposition with a FeSi{sub 2} alloy target for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field scanning electron microscopy (FSEM), scanning probe microscopy (SPM), electron backscattered diffraction pattern (EBSD), and Fourier-transform Raman infrared spectroscopy (FTRIS) were used to characterize the structure, composition, and properties of the {beta}-FeSi{sub 2}/Si films. The orientation of {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} grains was found to depend on the orientation of the Si substrates, and photoluminescence at wavelength of 1.53 {mu}m was observed from the single-phase {beta}-FeSi{sub 2}/Si thin film at room temperature (20 {sup o}C)

Strain-induced structural changes and chemical reactions. 1: Thermomechanical and kinetic models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levitas, V.I.; Nesterenko, V.F.; Meyers, M.A.

1998-01-01

Strain-induced chemical reactions were observed recently (Nesterenko et al) in experiments in the shear band in both Ti-Si and Nb-Si mixtures. Reactions can start in the solid state or after melting of at least one component. One of the aims is to find theoretically whether there are possible macroscopic mechanisms of mechanical intensification of the above and other chemical reactions due to plastic shear in the solid state. Continuum thermodynamical theory of structural changes with an athermal kinetics, which includes martensitic phase transformations, plastic strain-induced chemical reactions and polymorphic transformations, is developed at finite strains. The theory includes kinematics, criterion of structural change and extremum principle for determination of all unknown variable parameters for the case with neglected elastic strains. Thermodynamically consistent kinetic theory of thermally activated structural changes is suggested. The concept of the effective temperature is introduced which takes into account that temperature can vary significantly (on 1,000 K) during the chemical reactions under consideration. The theory will be applied in Part 2 of the paper for the description of chemical reactions in the shear band

SI: The Stellar Imager

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Schrijver, Carolus J.; Karovska, Margarita

2006-01-01

The ultra-sharp images of the Stellar Imager (SI) will revolutionize our view of many dynamic astrophysical processes: The 0.1 milliarcsec resolution of this deep-space telescope will transform point sources into extended sources, and simple snapshots into spellbinding evolving views. SI s science focuses on the role of magnetism in the Universe, particularly on magnetic activity on the surfaces of stars like the Sun. SI s prime goal is to enable long-term forecasting of solar activity and the space weather that it drives in support of the Living With a Star program in the Exploration Era by imaging a sample of magnetically active stars with enough resolution to map their evolving dynamo patterns and their internal flows. By exploring the Universe at ultra-high resolution, SI will also revolutionize our understanding of the formation of planetary systems, of the habitability and climatology of distant planets, and of many magnetohydrodynamically controlled structures and processes in the Universe.

Fabrication mechanism of friction-induced selective etching on Si(100) surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jian; Song, Chenfei; Li, Xiaoying; Yu, Bingjun; Dong, Hanshan; Qian, Linmao; Zhou, Zhongrong

2012-02-23

As a maskless nanofabrication technique, friction-induced selective etching can easily produce nanopatterns on a Si(100) surface. Experimental results indicated that the height of the nanopatterns increased with the KOH etching time, while their width increased with the scratching load. It has also found that a contact pressure of 6.3 GPa is enough to fabricate a mask layer on the Si(100) surface. To understand the mechanism involved, the cross-sectional microstructure of a scratched area was examined, and the mask ability of the tip-disturbed silicon layer was studied. Transmission electron microscope observation and scanning Auger nanoprobe analysis suggested that the scratched area was covered by a thin superficial oxidation layer followed by a thick distorted (amorphous and deformed) layer in the subsurface. After the surface oxidation layer was removed by HF etching, the residual amorphous and deformed silicon layer on the scratched area can still serve as an etching mask in KOH solution. The results may help to develop a low-destructive, low-cost, and flexible nanofabrication technique suitable for machining of micro-mold and prototype fabrication in micro-systems.

U-Mo/Al-Si interaction: Influence of Si concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allenou, J.; Palancher, H.; Iltis, X.; Cornen, M.; Tougait, O.; Tucoulou, R.; Welcomme, E.; Martin, Ph.; Valot, C.; Charollais, F.; Anselmet, M.C.; Lemoine, P.

2010-01-01

Within the framework of the development of low enriched nuclear fuels for research reactors, U-Mo/Al is the most promising option that has however to be optimised. Indeed at the U-Mo/Al interfaces between U-Mo particles and the Al matrix, an interaction layer grows under irradiation inducing an unacceptable fuel swelling. Adding silicon in limited content into the Al matrix has clearly improved the in-pile fuel behaviour. This breakthrough is attributed to an U-Mo/Al-Si protective layer around U-Mo particles appeared during fuel manufacturing. In this work, the evolution of the microstructure and composition of this protective layer with increasing Si concentrations in the Al matrix has been investigated. Conclusions are based on the characterization at the micrometer scale (X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy) of U-Mo7/Al-Si diffusion couples obtained by thermal annealing at 450 deg. C. Two types of interaction layers have been evidenced depending on the Si content in the Al-Si alloy: the threshold value is found at about 5 wt.% but obviously evolves with temperature. It has been shown that for Si concentrations ranging from 2 to 10 wt.%, the U-Mo7/Al-Si interaction is bi-layered and the Si-rich part is located close to the Al-Si for low Si concentrations (below 5 wt.%) and close to the U-Mo for higher Si concentrations. For Si weight fraction in the Al alloy lower than 5 wt.%, the Si-rich sub-layer (close to Al-Si) consists of U(Al, Si) 3 + UMo 2 Al 20 , when the other sub-layer (close to U-Mo) is silicon free and made of UAl 3 and U 6 Mo 4 Al 43 . For Si weight concentrations above 5 wt.%, the Si-rich part becomes U 3 (Si, Al) 5 + U(Al, Si) 3 (close to U-Mo) and the other sub-layer (close to Al-Si) consists of U(Al, Si) 3 + UMo 2 Al 20 . On the basis of these results and of a literature survey, a scheme is proposed to explain the formation of different types of ILs between U-Mo and Al-Si alloys (i.e. different protective layers).

Radiation-induced interface state generation in MOS devices with reoxidised nitrided SiO2 gate dielectrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lo, G.Q.; Shih, D.K.; Ting, W.; Kwong, D.L.

1989-01-01

In this letter, the radiation-induced interface state generation ΔD it in MOS devices with reoxidised nitrided gate oxides has been studied. The reoxidised nitrided oxides were fabricated by rapid thermal reoxidation (RTO) of rapidly thermal nitrided (RTN) SiO 2 . The devices were irradiated by exposure to X-rays at doses of 0.5-5.0 Mrad (Si). It is found that the RTO process improves the radiation hardness of RTN oxides in terms of interface state generation. The enhanced interface ''hardness'' of reoxidised nitrided oxides is attributed to the strainless interfacial oxide regrowth or reduction of hydrogen concentration during RTO of RTN oxides. (author)

Surface Morphology Transformation Under High-Temperature Annealing of Ge Layers Deposited on Si(100).

Science.gov (United States)

Shklyaev, A A; Latyshev, A V

2016-12-01

We study the surface morphology and chemical composition of SiGe layers after their formation under high-temperature annealing at 800-1100 °C of 30-150 nm Ge layers deposited on Si(100) at 400-500 °C. It is found that the annealing leads to the appearance of the SiGe layers of two types, i.e., porous and continuous. The continuous layers have a smoothened surface morphology and a high concentration of threading dislocations. The porous and continuous layers can coexist. Their formation conditions and the ratio between their areas on the surface depend on the thickness of deposited Ge layers, as well as on the temperature and the annealing time. The data obtained suggest that the porous SiGe layers are formed due to melting of the strained Ge layers and their solidification in the conditions of SiGe dewetting on Si. The porous and dislocation-rich SiGe layers may have properties interesting for applications.

Water accelerated transformation of d-limonene induced by ultraviolet irradiation and air exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li Jun; Hong, Peng; Jiang, Ze Dong; Yang, Yuan Fan; Du, Xi Ping; Sun, Hao; Wu, Li Ming; Ni, Hui; Chen, Feng

2018-01-15

d-Limonene is a fragrant chemical that widely exists in aromatic products. Isotopic labelling of water molecules plus GC-MS and GC-PCI-Q-TOF analyses were used to investigate the influence of water molecules on chemical transformation of d-limonene induced by UV irradiation and air exposure. The results showed that the synergistic effect of UV irradiation, air exposure and water presence could facilitate d-limonene transformation into the limonene oxides: p-mentha-2,8-dienols, hydroperoxides, carveols, l-carvone and carvone oxide. UV irradiation, air exposure, or water alone, however, caused negligible d-limonene transformation. With the aid of isotopic labelling of water and oxygen molecules, it was found that water molecules were split into hydrogen radicals and hydroxyl radicals, and the hydrogen radicals, in particular, promoted the transformation reactions. This study has elucidated the mechanism and factors that influence the transformation of d-limonene, which will benefit industries involved in production and storage of d-limonene-containing products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strain and strain-release engineering at epitaxial SiGe islands on Si(0 0 1) for microelectronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vastola, G.; Marzegalli, A.; Montalenti, F.; Miglio, Leo

2009-01-01

We report original finite element method simulations of the strain components at nanometric GeSi island on Si(0 0 1), for realistic shape, sizes and average composition, discussing the main mechanisms acting in the misfit strain relaxation. The tensile strain induced in a 30 nm Si capping layer and the one upon removing the island, after fixing the top part of the Si layer, is discussed in view of application as a field effect transistor channel, with high career mobility induced by the lattice deformation. The large shear components obtained for steeper island morphologies are predicted to be particularly performing, especially in comparison to one another strained-silicon configuration (totally top-down originated), recently developed by IBM corporation.

Effects of amorphous silica coating on cerium oxide nanoparticles induced pulmonary responses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Jane; Mercer, Robert R.; Barger, Mark; Schwegler-Berry, Diane; Cohen, Joel M.; Demokritou, Philip; Castranova, Vincent

2015-01-01

Recently cerium compounds have been used in a variety of consumer products, including diesel fuel additives, to increase fuel combustion efficiency and decrease diesel soot emissions. However, cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) nanoparticles have been detected in the exhaust, which raises a health concern. Previous studies have shown that exposure of rats to nanoscale CeO 2 by intratracheal instillation (IT) induces sustained pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. In the present study, male Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to CeO 2 or CeO 2 coated with a nano layer of amorphous SiO 2 (aSiO 2 /CeO 2 ) by a single IT and sacrificed at various times post-exposure to assess potential protective effects of the aSiO 2 coating. The first acellular bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and BAL cells were collected and analyzed from all exposed animals. At the low dose (0.15 mg/kg), CeO 2 but not aSiO 2 /CeO 2 exposure induced inflammation. However, at the higher doses, both particles induced a dose-related inflammation, cytotoxicity, inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and tissue inhibitor of MMP at 1 day post-exposure. Morphological analysis of lung showed an increased inflammation, surfactant and collagen fibers after CeO 2 (high dose at 3.5 mg/kg) treatment at 28 days post-exposure. aSiO 2 coating significantly reduced CeO 2 -induced inflammatory responses in the airspace and appeared to attenuate phospholipidosis and fibrosis. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis showed Ce and phosphorous (P) in all particle-exposed lungs, whereas Si was only detected in aSiO 2 /CeO 2 -exposed lungs up to 3 days after exposure, suggesting that aSiO 2 dissolved off the CeO 2 core, and some of the CeO 2 was transformed to CePO 4 with time. These results demonstrate that aSiO 2 coating reduce CeO 2 -induced inflammation, phospholipidosis and fibrosis. - Highlights: • Both CeO 2 and aSiO 2 /CeO 2 particles were detected in the respective particle-exposed lungs. • The

Narrow photoluminescence peak from Ge(Si) islands embedded between tensile-strained Si layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaleev, Mikhail; Novikov, Alexey; Baydakova, Nataliya; Yablonskiy, Artem; Drozdov, Yuriy; Lobanov, Dmitriy; Krasilnik, Zakhary [Institute for Physics of Microstructures, Russian Academy of Sciences, GSP-105, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Kuznetsov, Oleg [Physical-Technical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod State University, pr. Gagarina 23, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation)

2011-03-15

The influence of thickness of the strained Si layers, measurement temperature and optical pumping power on width of the photoluminescence line from Ge(Si) self-assembled nanoislands grown on relaxed SiGe/Si(001) buffer layers and embedded between tensile-stained Si layers was studied. This line appears due to the II-type optical transition between the holes localized in islands and the electrons confined in tensile-strained Si layers under and above the islands. The possibility of tuning the photoluminescence line width by changing the strained Si layer thicknesses under and above the islands is showed. The decrease of the photoluminescence line width from Ge(Si) islands down to values comparable with width of the PL line from InAs/GaAs quantum dots was achieved due to the quantum confinement of electrons in thin strained Si layers and taking into account of the higher diffusion-induced smearing of strained Si layer above the islands. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

SiO2-supported Pt particles studied by electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, D.; Penner, S.; Su, D.S.; Rupprechter, G.; Hayek, K.; Schloegl, R.

2003-01-01

Regularly grown Pt particles supported by amorphous SiO 2 were heated in hydrogen at 873 K after an oxidising treatment. The morphological and structural changes were studied by electron microscopy. Platinum silicides Pt 3 Si with L1 2 (Cu 3 Au) structure, monoclinic Pt 3 Si and tetragonal Pt 12 Si 5 were identified after the treatment. The mechanisms of coalescence of the particles and the formation of irregular large particles are suggested. A topotactic structural transformation accompanied with the migration of Si from the substrate to the particles are suggested to take place during Pt 3 Si formation

PPARalpha siRNA-treated expression profiles uncover the causal sufficiency network for compound-induced liver hypertrophy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xudong Dai

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Uncovering pathways underlying drug-induced toxicity is a fundamental objective in the field of toxicogenomics. Developing mechanism-based toxicity biomarkers requires the identification of such novel pathways and the order of their sufficiency in causing a phenotypic response. Genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi phenotypic screening has emerged as an effective tool in unveiling the genes essential for specific cellular functions and biological activities. However, eliciting the relative contribution of and sufficiency relationships among the genes identified remains challenging. In the rodent, the most widely used animal model in preclinical studies, it is unrealistic to exhaustively examine all potential interactions by RNAi screening. Application of existing computational approaches to infer regulatory networks with biological outcomes in the rodent is limited by the requirements for a large number of targeted permutations. Therefore, we developed a two-step relay method that requires only one targeted perturbation for genome-wide de novo pathway discovery. Using expression profiles in response to small interfering RNAs (siRNAs against the gene for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (Ppara, our method unveiled the potential causal sufficiency order network for liver hypertrophy in the rodent. The validity of the inferred 16 causal transcripts or 15 known genes for PPARalpha-induced liver hypertrophy is supported by their ability to predict non-PPARalpha-induced liver hypertrophy with 84% sensitivity and 76% specificity. Simulation shows that the probability of achieving such predictive accuracy without the inferred causal relationship is exceedingly small (p < 0.005. Five of the most sufficient causal genes have been previously disrupted in mouse models; the resulting phenotypic changes in the liver support the inferred causal roles in liver hypertrophy. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of defining pathways mediating drug-induced

Natural gels: crystal-chemistry of short range ordered components in Al, Fe, and Si systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ildefonse, Ph.; Calas, G.

1997-01-01

In this review, the most important inorganic natural gels are presented: opal, aluminosilicate (allophanes) and hydrous iron oxides and silicates. It is demonstrated that natural gels are ordered at the atomic scale. In allophanes, Al is distributed between octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The amount of Al increases as Al/Si ratio decreases. Si-rich allophane have a local structure around Al and Si very different of that is known in kaolinite or halloysite. Transformation of Si-rich allophanes to crystallized minerals implies dissolution-recrystallization processes. On the contrary, in iron silicate with Fe/Si = 0.72, Si and Fe environments are close to those found in nontronite. The gel transformation to Fe-smectite may occur by long range ordering during ageing. In ferric silicate gels, the similarity of local structure around Fe in poorly ordered precursors and what is known in crystallized minerals suggests a solid transformation during ageing. This difference between iron and aluminium is mainly due to the ability of Al to enter both tetrahedral and octahedral sites, while the affinity of iron for octahedral sites is higher at low temperature

Technique for producing highly planar Si/SiO0.64Ge0.36/Si metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistor channels

OpenAIRE

Grasby, T. J.; Parry, C. P.; Phillips, P. J. (Peter J.); McGregor, Barry M.; Morris, R. J. H. (Richard J. H.); Braithwaite, Glyn; Whall, Terry E.; Parker, Evan H. C.; Hammond, Richard; Knights, Andrew P.; Coleman, P. G.

1999-01-01

Si/Si0.64Ge0.36/Si heterostructures have been grown at low temperature (450 °C) to avoid the strain-induced roughening observed for growth temperatures of 550 °C and above. The electrical properties of these structures are poor, and thought to be associated with grown-in point defects as indicated in positron annihilation spectroscopy. However, after an in situ annealing procedure (800 °C for 30 min) the electrical properties dramatically improve, giving an optimum 4 K mobility of 2500 cm2 V ...

X-radiation-induced transformation in a C3H mouse embryo-derived cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terzaghi, M.; Little, J.B.

1976-01-01

Reproducible x-ray-induced oncogenic transformation has been demonstrated in an established cell line of mouse embryo fibroblasts. Cells derived from transformed foci formed malignant tumors when injected into syngeneic hosts. An exponential increase in the number of transformants per viable cell occurred with doses of up to 400 rads of x-radiation. The transformation frequency in exponentially growing cultures remained constant at 2.3 x 10 -3 following doses of 400 to 1500 rads. There was little change in survival following x-ray doses up to 300 rads. Doses greater than 300 rads were associated with an exponential decline in survival; the D 0 for the survival curve was 175 rads. Transformation frequency varied with changes in the number of viable cells seeded per dish. There was about a 10-fold decline in the transformation frequency when the number of cells was increased from 400 to 1000 viable cells/100-mm Petri dish. Below this density range there was little change in transformation frequency. The presence of lethally preirradiated cells was not associated with an enhancement of transformation in irradiated cells or with the induction of transformation in unirradiated cell cultures. Amphotericin B (Fungizone) inhibited the appearance of transformants when added to the culture medium within 2 to 3 weeks after initiation of the experiment

Unraveling the nature of electric field- and stress- induced structural transformations in soft PZT by a new powder poling technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalyani, Ajay Kumar; V, Lalitha K; James, Ajit R; Fitch, Andy; Ranjan, Rajeev

2015-02-25

A 'powder-poling' technique was developed to study electric field induced structural transformations in ferroelectrics exhibiting a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). The technique was employed on soft PZT exhibiting a large longitudinal piezoelectric response (d(33) ∼ 650 pC N(-1)). It was found that electric poling brings about a considerable degree of irreversible tetragonal to monoclinic transformation. The same transformation was achieved after subjecting the specimen to mechanical stress, which suggests an equivalence of stress and electric field with regard to the structural mechanism in MPB compositions. The electric field induced structural transformation was also found to be accompanied by a decrease in the spatial coherence of polarization.

Effects induced by high and low intensity laser plasma on SiC Schottky detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sciuto Antonella

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Silicon-Carbide detectors are extensively employed as diagnostic devices in laser-generated plasma, allowing the simultaneous detection of photons, electrons and ions, when used in time-of-flight configuration. The plasma generated by high intensity laser (1016 W/cm2 producing high energy ions was characterized by SiC detector with a continuous front-electrode, and a very thick active depth, while SiC detector with an Interdigit front-electrode was used to measure the low energy ions of plasma generated by low intensity laser (1010 W/cm2. Information about ion energy, number of charge states, plasma temperature can be accurately obtained. However, laser exposure induces the formation of surface and bulk defects whose concentration increases with increasing the time to plasma exposure. The surface defects consist of clusters with a main size of the order of some microns and they modify the diode barrier height and the efficiency of the detector as checked by alpha spectrometry. The bulk defects, due to the energy loss of detected ions, strongly affect the electrical properties of the device, inducing a relevant increase of the leakage (reverse current and decrease the forward current related to a deactivation of the dopant in the active detector region.

Effects induced by high and low intensity laser plasma on SiC Schottky detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Sciuto, Antonella; Torrisi, Lorenzo; Cannavò, Antonino; Mazzillo, Massimo; Calcagno, Lucia

2018-01-01

Silicon-Carbide detectors are extensively employed as diagnostic devices in laser-generated plasma, allowing the simultaneous detection of photons, electrons and ions, when used in time-of-flight configuration. The plasma generated by high intensity laser (1016 W/cm2) producing high energy ions was characterized by SiC detector with a continuous front-electrode, and a very thick active depth, while SiC detector with an Interdigit front-electrode was used to measure the low energy ions of plasma generated by low intensity laser (1010 W/cm2). Information about ion energy, number of charge states, plasma temperature can be accurately obtained. However, laser exposure induces the formation of surface and bulk defects whose concentration increases with increasing the time to plasma exposure. The surface defects consist of clusters with a main size of the order of some microns and they modify the diode barrier height and the efficiency of the detector as checked by alpha spectrometry. The bulk defects, due to the energy loss of detected ions, strongly affect the electrical properties of the device, inducing a relevant increase of the leakage (reverse) current and decrease the forward current related to a deactivation of the dopant in the active detector region.

Infrared studies of the evolution of the C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}) defect in irradiated Si upon isothermal anneals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Angeletos, T.; Londos, C. A., E-mail: hlontos@phys.uoa.gr [University of Athens, Solid State Physics Section, Panepistimiopolis Zografos, Athens 157 84 (Greece); Chroneos, A., E-mail: alexander.chroneos@imperial.ac.uk [Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB (United Kingdom); Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

2016-03-28

Carbon-oxygen-self-interstitial complexes were investigated in silicon by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Upon irradiation, the C{sub i}O{sub i} defect (C{sub 3}) forms which for high doses attract self-interstitials (Si{sub I}s) leading to the formation of the C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}) defect (C{sub 4}) with two well-known related bands at 939.6 and 1024 cm{sup −1}. The bands are detectable in the spectra both in room temperature (RT) and liquid helium (LH) temperature. Upon annealing at 150 °C, these bands were transformed to three bands at 725, 952, and 973 cm{sup −1}, detectable only at LH temperatures. Upon annealing at 220 °C, these bands were transformed to three bands at 951, 969.5, and 977 cm{sup −1}, detectable both at RT and LH temperatures. Annealing at 280 °C resulted in the transformation of these bands to two new bands at 973 and 1024 cm{sup −1}. The latter bands disappear from the spectra upon annealing at 315 °C without the emergence of other bands in the spectra. Considering reaction kinetics and defect metastability, we developed a model to describe the experimental results. Annealing at 150 °C triggers the capturing of Si{sub I}s by the C{sub 4} defect leading to the formation of the C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}){sub 2} complex. The latter structure appears to be bistable: measuring at LH, the defect is in configuration C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}){sub 2} giving rise to the bands at 725, 952, and 973 cm{sup −1}, whereas on measurements at RT, the defect converts to another configuration C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}){sub 2}{sup *} without detectable bands in the spectra. Possible structures of the two C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}){sub 2} configurations are considered and discussed. Upon annealing at 220 °C, additional Si{sub I}s are captured by the C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}){sub 2} defect leading to the formation of the C{sub i}O{sub i}(Si{sub I}){sub 3} complex, which in turn on annealing at

Possible involvement of MSX-2 homeoprotein in v-ras-induced transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, C; Akiyama, N; Kitayama, H; Takai, S; Noda, M

1997-04-01

A truncated MSX-2 homeoprotein was found to induce flat reversion when expressed in v-Ki-ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells. Although the expression of endogenous MSX-2 gene is low in most of the normal adult tissues examined, it is frequently activated in carcinoma-derived cell lines. Likewise, the gene is inactive in untransformed cells but is transcriptionally activated after transformation by v-Ki-ras oncogene, suggesting that the intact MSX-2 may play a positive, rather than suppressive, role in cell transformation. To test this possibility, we isolated a full-length human MSX-2 cDNA and tested its activities in two cell systems: fibroblast and myoblast. In NIH3T3 fibroblasts, although the gene by itself failed to confer a transformed phenotype, antisense MSX-2 cDNA as well as truncated MSX-2 cDNA interfered with the transforming activities of both v-Ki-ras and v-raf oncogene. In C2C12 myoblasts, MSX-2 was found to suppress MyoD gene expression, as do activated ras oncogenes, under certain culture conditions, and truncated MSX-2 cDNA was found to inhibit the activities of both MSX-2 and ras in this system as well. Our findings not only suggest that the truncated version MSX-2 may act as a dominant suppressor of intact MSX-2 but also raise the possibility that MSX-2 gene may be an important downstream target for the Ras signaling pathways.

Combination of siRNA-directed Kras oncogene silencing and arsenic-induced apoptosis using a nanomedicine strategy for the effective treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Linjuan; Li, Jingguo; Wang, Yong; Qian, Chenchen; Chen, Yinting; Zhang, Qiubo; Wu, Wei; Lin, Zhong; Liang, Jianzhong; Shuai, Xintao; Huang, Kaihong

2014-02-01

The synergetic inhibitory effects on human pancreatic cancer by nanoparticle-mediated siRNA and arsenic therapy were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(L-lysine) were prepared to form siRNA-complexed polyplex and poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(DL-lactide) were prepared to form arsenic-encapsulated vesicle, respectively. Down-regulation of the mutant Kras gene by siRNA caused defective abilities of proliferation, clonal formation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, as well as cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, which substantially enhanced the apoptosis-inducing effect of arsenic administration. Consequently, co-administration of the two nanomedicines encapsulating siRNA or arsenic showed ideal tumor growth inhibition both in vitro and in vivo as a result of synergistic effect of the siRNA-directed Kras oncogene silencing and arsenic-induced cell apoptosis. These results suggest that the combination of mutant Kras gene silencing and arsenic therapy using nanoparticle-mediated delivery strategy is promising for pancreatic cancer treatment. Treatment of pancreatic cancer remains a major challenge. These authors demonstrate a method that combines a siRNA-based Kras silencing with arsenic delivery to pancreatic cancer cells using nanoparticles, resulting in enhanced apoptosis induction in the treated cells. © 2013.

Investigation of a miRNA-Induced Gene Silencing Technique in Petunia Reveals Alterations in miR173 Precursor Processing and the Accumulation of Secondary siRNAs from Endogenous Genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao Han

Full Text Available MIGS (miRNA-induced gene silencing is a straightforward and efficient gene silencing technique in Arabidopsis. It works by exploiting miR173 to trigger the production of phasiRNAs (phased small interfering RNAs. MIGS can be used in plant species other than Arabidopsis by co-expression of miR173 and target gene fragments fused to an upstream miR173 target site. However, the efficiency and technical mechanisms have not been thoroughly investigated in other plants. In this work, two vectors, pMIGS-chs and pMIGS-pds, were constructed and transformed into petunia plants. The transgenic plants showed CHS (chalcone synthase and PDS (phytoene desaturase gene-silencing phenotypes respectively, indicating that MIGS functions in petunia. MIGS-chs plants were used to investigate the mechanisms of this technique in petunia. Results of 5'- RACE showed that the miR173 target site was cleaved at the expected position and that endogenous CHS genes were cut at multiple positions. Small RNA deep sequencing analysis showed that the processing of Arabidopsis miR173 precursors in MIGS-chs transgenic petunia plants did not occur in exactly the same way as in Arabidopsis, suggesting differences in the machinery of miRNA processing between plant species. Small RNAs in-phase with the miR173 cleavage register were produced immediately downstream from the cleavage site and out-of-phase small RNAs were accumulated at relatively high levels from processing cycle 5 onwards. Secondary siRNAs were generated from multiple sites of endogenous CHS-A and CHS-J genes, indicating that miR173 cleavage induced siRNAs have the same ability to initiate siRNA transitivity as the siRNAs functioning in co-suppression and hpRNA silencing. On account of the simplicity of vector construction and the transitive amplification of signals from endogenous transcripts, MIGS is a good alternative gene silencing method for plants, especially for silencing a cluster of homologous genes with redundant

Investigation of a miRNA-Induced Gene Silencing Technique in Petunia Reveals Alterations in miR173 Precursor Processing and the Accumulation of Secondary siRNAs from Endogenous Genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Yao; Zhang, Bin; Qin, Xiaoting; Li, Mingyang; Guo, Yulong

2015-01-01