Many biological processes are regulated by the presence and movement of cellular Ca²⁺ ions. The concentration of Ca²⁺ in a cellular environment is regulated by IP₃ sensitive channels that lie on the surface of a cell’s endoplasmic reticulum. Little is known about the macroscopic effects of intracellular Ca²⁺ activity, so...
Physicists who study semiconductor devices are fascinated by the fundamental limits of device performance. From the sub-threshold swing of transistors to the power conversion efficiency of photocells, performance is limited by the electronic structure of the materials used to build them. To surpass traditional device limits, we must turn to...
In nanoscale materials, the Coulombic interaction between electrons are stronger than in bulk materials. These stronger interactions, caused by confinement and reduced dielectric screening, have interesting consequences for light-matter interactions. In carbon nanotubes (CNTs), strong interactions can enhance the impact ionization process, and thus assist photocurrent generation in CNTs. Conversely,...
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a promising technique for the production of
biologically safe, wear resistant and corrosion protective coatings for orthopedic
applications. In this work, the impact of coating thickness and surface preparation on the
hardness (H), elastic modulus (E), wear resistance, and delamination of ALD Al2O3 films
is...
Mitotic recombination is a common autosomal mutation in mammalian cells involving crossover events between homologous chromosomes. This process can convert a cell with a heterozygous deficiency to one with a homozygous deficiency, and thus often represents the second step in tumor suppressor gene inactivation. In this study I examined the...
The multistage model of carcinogenesis states that an accumulation of mutations in genes that are important for maintaining cellular homeostasis may lead to cancer. A specific type of mutation observed in particular types of cancer is the CC-->TT mutation found in the TP53 gene of patients with basal or squamous...
The AAPD recommends placement of dental pit and fissure sealants on surfaces that are high risk or that already exhibit incipient carious lesions. Protection provided by sealants may be enhanced by the addition of ion-releasing, anti-microbial filler particles of bioactive glass.
Objective: We prepared novel dental pit and fissure sealant...