We have examined in detail the optical properties of InGaN quantum wells ͑QWs͒ grown on pyramidal GaN mesas prepared by lateral epitaxial overgrowth ͑LEO͒ in a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition system that resulted in QWs on ͕1-101͖ facets. The effects of In migration during growth on the resulting QW thickness and composition were examined with transmission electron microscopy ͑TEM͒ and various cathodoluminescence ͑CL͒ imaging techniques, including CL wavelength imaging and activation energy imaging. Spatial variations in the luminescence efficiency, QW interband transition energy, thermal activation energy, and exciton binding energy were probed at various temperatures. Cross-sectional TEM was used to examine thickness variations of the InGaN/GaN QW grown on a pyramidal mesa. CL imaging revealed a marked improvement in the homogeneity of CL emission of the LEO sample relative to a reference sample for a conventionally grown In 0.15 Ga 0.85 N/GaN QW. The characteristic phase separation that resulted in a spotty CL image profile and attendant carrier localization in the reference sample is significantly reduced in the LEO QW sample. Spatial variations in the QW transition energy, piezoelectric field, and thermal activation energy were modeled using excitonic binding and transition energy calculations based on a single-band, effective-mass theory using Airy function solutions. Band-edge and effective-mass parameters were first obtained from a strain-and In-composition-dependent k"p calculation for wurtzite In x Ga 1Ϫx N, using a 6ϫ6 k"p Hamiltonian in the ͕1-101͖ representations. The calculations and experiments confirm a facet-induced migration of In during growth, which results in a smooth compositional variation from xϷ0.10 at the bottom of the pyramid to x Ϸ0.19 at the top. We demonstrate the existence of a strong correlation between the observed thermal activation behavior of QW luminescence intensity and the associated exciton binding energy for various positions along the pyramidal InGaN/GaN QWs, suggesting exciton dissociation is responsible for the observed temperature dependence of the QW luminescence in the ϳ150 to 300 K range.

Background:Axl plays multiple roles in tumourigenesis in several cancers. Here we evaluated the expression and biological function of Axl in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).Methods:Axl expression was analysed in a tissue microarray of 174 RCC samples by immunostaining and a panel of 11 normal tumour pairs of human RCC tissues by western blot, as well as in RCC cell lines by both western blot and quantitative PCR. The effects of Axl knockdown in RCC cells on cell growth and signalling were investigated. The efficacy of a humanised Axl targeting monoclonal antibody hMAb173 was tested in histoculture and tumour xenograft.Results:We have determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) that Axl is expressed in 59% of RCC array samples with moderate to high in 20% but not expressed in normal kidney tissue. Western blot analysis of 11 pairs of tumour and adjacent normal tissue show high Axl expression in 73% of the tumours but not normal tissue. Axl is also expressed in RCC cell lines in which Axl knockdown reduces cell viability and PI3K/Akt signalling. The Axl antibody hMAb173 significantly induced RCC cell apoptosis in histoculture and inhibited the growth of RCC tumour in vivo by 78%. The hMAb173-treated tumours also had significantly reduced Axl protein levels, inhibited PI3K signalling, decreased proliferation, and induced apoptosis.Conclusions:Axl is highly expressed in RCC and critical for RCC cell survival. Targeting Axl is a potential approach for RCC treatment.

We have used spatially and temporally resolved cathodoluminescence ͑CL͒ to study the carrier recombination dynamics of InGaN quantum wells ͑QWs͒ grown on ͑0001͒-oriented planar GaN and ͕1101͖-oriented facets of GaN triangular prisms prepared by lateral epitaxial overgrowth in a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition system. The effects of In migration during growth on the resulting QW thickness and composition were examined. We employed a variable temperature time-resolved CL imaging approach that enables a spatial correlation between regions of enhanced exciton localization, luminescence efficiency, and radiative lifetime with the aim of distinguishing between excitons localized in In-rich quantum dots and those in the surrounding Ga-rich QW regions.