More than a decade after the revolutions of 1989, we can see these as a highpoint of a new, worldwide and increasingly global wave of democratic revolution and counter-revolution. Violent struggles between the political forces unleashed have produced genocidal wars and stimulated global state formation. These developments present concerned citizens and students of international relations and po...

We consider the application of the Schreier-Sims algorithm and its variations to matrix groups defined over finite fields. We propose a new algorithm for the selection of the base points and demonstrate that it both improves the performance of the algorithm for a large range of examples and significantly extends the range of application. In particular, the random Schreier-Sims algorithm, with t...

Depth profile analysis by high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry ~SIMS! can accurately determine C and Si concentrations within monolithic reflectors of vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers ~VCSELs!. These SIMS depth profiles are quantified to atomic concentrations using relative sensitivity factors and calibration standards, and are correlated to the laser characteristics. We compa...

SUMO-modified proteins are recognized by SUMO interacting motifs (SIMs), thus triggering diverse cellular responses. Here SIMs were used to develop SUMO-traps to capture endogenous SUMOylated proteins. Our results show that these small peptides are transferable motifs that maintain their SUMO binding capacity when fused to the heterologous carrier protein GST. The tandem disposition of SIMs inc...

Information technology (IT) management is a multifaceted and sophisticated mission, particularly in the context of multinational corporations. Loosely coupled heterogeneous IT systems and almost independent IT departments within business groups around the globe do not facilitate transparency of IT costs and performance. The management of costs and performance of IT, also known as IT controlling...

New technologies for Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) produce three-dimensional hyperspectral chemical images with high spatial resolution and fine mass-spectral precision. SIMS imaging of biological tissues and cells promises to provide an informational basis for important advances in a wide variety of applications, including cancer treatments. However, the volume and complexity of data ...

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analyzes chemical information by measuring ions generated via bombardment of an energetic ion beam on the surface of a specimen. Negative hydrocarbon ion species of C2nH are ubiquitous in TOF-SIMS for any hydrocarbon-containing materials, but their utilities are perhaps not fully explored. Using polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisoprene,...

Time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a SIMS based surface sensitive technique that provide specific compound identification molecules. Recently, the importance ToF-SIMS has grown for characterization and utilization polymers, pharmaceuticals, semi-conductors. The specificity distinguishes it from other techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger elec...

Single-ion magnets (SIMs) are mononuclear molecular complexes exhibiting slow relaxation of magnetization. They are currently attracting a lot of interest because of potential applications in spintronics and quantum information processing. However, exploiting SIMs in, e.g. molecule-inorganic hybrid devices requires a fundamental understanding of the effects of molecule-substrate interactions on...

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) was introduced into cosmochemistry about a decade ago. Major advantages of TOF-SIMS compared to other ion microprobe techniques are (a) parallel detection of all secondary ions with one polarity in a single measurement – both polarities in subsequent analyses, (b) high lateral resolution, (c) sufficient mass resolution for separation of ...