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Gold nanoparticle formation in diamond-like carbon using two different methods: Gold ion implantation and codeposition of gold and carbon J. Appl. Phys. 112, 074312 (2012) We have demonstrated that multi-wavelength Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies are sufficient to completely characterize the structural properties of ultra-thin hydrogenated diamondlike carbon (DLC:H) films subjected to rapid thermal annealing (RTA, 1 s up to 659 C) and to resolve the structural differences between films grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, facing target sputtering and filtered cathodic vacuum arc with minute variations in values of mass density, hydrogen content, and sp 3 fraction. In order to distinguish unequivocally between films prepared with different density, thickness, and RTA treatment, a new method for analysis of Raman spectra was invented. This newly developed analysis method consisted of plotting the position of the Raman G band of carbon versus its full width at half maximum. Moreover, we studied the passivation of non-radiative recombination centers during RTA by performing measurements of the increase in photoluminescence in conjunction with the analysis of DLC:H networks simulated by molecular dynamics. The results show that dangling bond passivation is primarily a consequence of thermally-induced sp 2 clustering rather than hydrogen diffusion in the film. V C 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx

Internal fertilization ensures successful reproduction of tetrapod vertebrates on land, although how this mode of reproduction evolved is unknown. Here, we identified a novel gene encoding sperm motility-initiating substance (SMIS), a key protein for the internal fertilization of the urodele Cynops pyrrhogaster by Edman degradation of an isolated protein and subsequent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The SMIS gene encoded a 150 amino-acid sequence including the cysteine knot (CK) motif. No gene with substantial similarity to the SMIS was in the data bank of any model organisms. An active site of the SMIS was in the C-terminal region of the 2nd loop of CK motif. A synthetic peptide including the active site sequence bound to the midpiece and initiated/enhanced the circular motion of C. pyrrhogaster sperm, which allows penetration of the egg jelly specialized for the internal fertilization of this species. The synthetic peptide bound to whole sperm of Rhacophorus arboreus and enhanced the rotary motion, which is adapted to propel the sperm through egg coat matrix specialized for arboreal reproduction, while it bound to the tip of head and tail of Bufo japonicus sperm, and enhanced the vibratory motion, which is suited to sperm penetration through the egg jelly specialized for the reproduction of that species in freshwater. The polyclonal antibody against the active site of the SMIS specifically bound to egg coat matrix of R. arboreus. These findings suggest that diversification of amphibian reproductive modes accompanies the specialization of egg coat and the adaptation of sperm motility to penetrate the specialized egg coat, and SMIS acts as the sperm motility enhancer of anurans and urodeles that might facilitate to adaptively optimize sperm motility for allowing the establishment of internal fertilization.

In semiconductor manufacturing processes, it is important that the SiO 2 isolation films around aluminum connection lines have flat surfaces in order to produce the multilayered connection lines used in high-density devices. In this paper, we analyzed transient changes, in the thickness distributions of a liquid-SOG (Spin-on-Glass) film on a two-dimensionally (2-D) grooved substrate during the evaporative shrinking process. The flow due to surface tension of the shrinking liquid film was calculated. Since the film is thin, a boundary layer approximation could be applied, and fourth-order differential equations of film thickness were solved using an iteration method. The viscosity and the shrinkage rate were assumed to be functions of the concentration of the solvent in the film. When the parameter of ratio [(surface tension)=f(viscosity)2(shrinking speed)g] is large and the width of the grooves is small, final surface undulations of the film are shallow. The effect of the centrifugal force was also analyzed.

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