Dry etching is an important process for micro- and nanofabrication. Sputtering effects can arise in two contexts within a dry-etch process. Incoming ions cause removal of volatile products that arise from the interaction between the dry-etch plasma and the surface to be etched. Also, the momentum transfer of an incoming ion can cause direct removal of the material to be etched, which is undesir...

We investigate the kinetics of constant-kernel aggregation which is augmented by ~a! evaporation of monomers from clusters, which is termed aggregation in a ‘‘dry’’ environment, and ~b! continuous cluster growth or condensation, termed aggregation in a ‘‘damp’’ environment. The rate equations for these two processes are analyzed using both exact and asymptotic methods. In dry aggregation, mass ...

The Congo Basin is one of three key convective regions on the planet which, during the transition seasons, dominates global tropical rainfall. There is little agreement as to the distribution and quantity of rainfall across the basin with datasets differing by an order of magnitude in some seasons. The location of maximum rainfall is in the far eastern sector of the basin in some datasets but t...

Electrical characterization of DNA molecules using the mechanically controlled break-junction technique is presented. The main advantage of the technique is the control over the electrode distance during the measurement. This can be used to stretch the DNA and search for the influence of the conformation on the conduction process. The DNA is characterized in liquid and dry environments. From ou...

Itch sensation is provoked by the binding of itch inducing substances (pruritogens) to their cognate receptors (pruriceptors) on peripheral sensory afferents. Because histamine is a well-known pruritogen, antihistamines are the class of agents used most frequently to treat itch. However, antihistamines are not fully effective in some dermatological and systemic diseases characterized by dry ski...

We report the existence of self-organization in wet granular media or slurries, mixtures of particles of different sizes dispersed in a lower density liquid. As in the case of dry granular mixtures, axial banding (alternating bands rich in small and large particles in a long rotating cylinder) and radial segregation (in quasi-2D containers) are observed in slurries. However, when compared with ...

In the present investigation, unidirectional grinding marks were attained on the steel plates. Experiments were then conducted using pins of high purity Al, pure Mg and Al-Mg alloys against the prepared steel plates using an inclined pin-on-plate sliding tester. The inclination angle of the plate was varied in the tests and for each inclination angle, the pins were slid both perpendicular and p...