Adsorption and binding dynamics of graphene-supported phospholipid membranes using the QCM-D technique

We report on the adsorption dynamics of phospholipid membranes on graphene-coated substrates using the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) technique. We compare the lipid vescle interaction and membranne formation on gold and silicon dioxide QCM crystal surfaces with their graphene oxide (GO) and reduced (r)GO coated counterparts, and report on the different lipid structures obtained. We establish graphene derivative coatings as support surfaces with tuneable hydrophobicity for the formation of controllable lipid structures. One structure of interest formed are lipid monolayer membrannes which were formed on rGO, which are otherwise challenging to produce. We also demonstrate and monitor biotin-avidin binding on such a membranne, which will then serve as a platform for a wide range of biosensing applications. The QCM-D technique could be extended to both fundamental studies and applications of other covalent and non-covalent interactions in 2-dimensional materials

Position determination of a lander and rover at Mars with Earth-based differential tracking

The presence of two or more landed or orbiting spacecraft at a planet provides the opportunity to perform extremely accurate Earth-based navigation by simultaneously acquiring Doppler data and either Same-Beam Interferometry (SBI) or ranging data. Covariance analyses were performed to investigate the accuracy with which lander and rover positions on the surface of Mars can be determined. Simultaneous acquisition of Doppler and ranging data from a lander and rover over two or more days enables determination of all components of their relative position to under 20 m. Acquiring one hour of Doppler and SBI enables three dimensional lander-rover relative position determination to better than 5 m. Twelve hours of Doppler and either SBI or ranging from a lander and a low circular or half synchronous circular Mars orbiter makes possible lander absolute position determination to tens of meters

Entanglement transitions in random definite particle states

Entanglement within qubits are studied for the subspace of definite particle states or definite number of up spins. A transition from an algebraic decay of entanglement within two qubits with the total number $N$ of qubits, to an exponential one when the number of particles is increased from two to three is studied in detail. In particular the probability that the concurrence is non-zero is calculated using statistical methods and shown to agree with numerical simulations. Further entanglement within a block of $m$ qubits is studied using the log-negativity measure which indicates that a transition from algebraic to exponential decay occurs when the number of particles exceeds $m$. Several algebraic exponents for the decay of the log-negativity are analytically calculated. The transition is shown to be possibly connected with the changes in the density of states of the reduced density matrix, which has a divergence at the zero eigenvalue when the entanglement decays algebraically.Comment: Substantially added content (now 24 pages, 5 figures) with a discussion of the possible mechanism for the transition. One additional author in this version that is accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Functionalization of carbon nanotubes using phenosafranin

The functionalization of carbon nanotubes by using phenosafranin was discussed. The self-assembly of phenosafranin (PSF) to multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) was shown by using spectroscopic analysis and atomic force microscopy (AFM) phase imaging studies. It was observed that the shift in absorption spectra was associated with charge transfer of valence electrons from PSF to electron accepting sites on the MWNT. The Raman-active disorder modes were used to fingerprint PSF attachment to MWNT via defect states. A molecular topographic visual confirmation of PSF attached to the MWNT was obtained by using AFM phase imaging

New Samarium and Neodymium based admixed ferromagnets with near zero net magnetization and tunable exchange bias field

Rare earth based intermetallics, SmScGe and NdScGe, are shown to exhibit near zero net magnetization with substitutions of 6 to 9 atomic percent of Nd and 25 atomic percent of Gd, respectively. The notion of magnetic compensation in them is also elucidated by the crossover of zero magnetization axis at low magnetic fields (less than 103 Oe) and field-induced reversal in the orientation of the magnetic moments of the dissimilar rare earth ions at higher magnetic fields. These magnetically ordered materials with no net magnetization and appreciable conduction electron polarization display an attribute of an exchange bias field, which can be tuned. The attractively high magnetic ordering temperatures of about 270 K, underscore the importance of these materials for potential applications in spintronics.Comment: 6 page text + 5 figure

EtanaViz: A Visual User Interface to Archaeological Digital Libraries

Analyzing and hypothesizing are important scientific processes involved in archaeological activity. In this paper, we describe a visual user interface closely coupled with services for archaeological digital libraries, to help archaeologists analyze data and test hypotheses. Our system, EtanaViz, employs a dynamic hyperbolic tree to display hierarchical relationships among excavation records, based on spatial, temporal, and artifact-related taxonomies. Also, EtanaViz provides stacked bar charts to indicate categories. More specifically, we show how EtanaViz can help users analyze data about animal bones excavated from two archaeological sites, Tell Nimrin and Tell al-'Umayri'. The fauna are associated with cultural phases. Comparisons of animal bones from Tell Nimrin across cultural phases provide insights into changing subsistence strategies during these time periods. Inter-site comparisons also show shifts in animal use as well as long-term adaptations to environmental changes

Polarized Plasmonic Enhancement by Au Nanostructures Probed through Raman Scattering of Suspended Graphene

We characterize plasmonic enhancement in a hotspot between two Au nanodisks using Raman scattering of graphene. Single layer graphene is suspended across the dimer cavity and provides an ideal two-dimensional test material for the local near-field distribution. We detect a Raman enhancement of the order of 103 originating from the cavity. Spatially resolved Raman measurements reveal a near-field localization one order of magnitude smaller than the wavelength of the excitation, which can be turned off by rotating the polarization of the excitation. The suspended graphene is under tensile strain. The resulting phonon mode softening allows for a clear identification of the enhanced signal compared to unperturbed graphene

Optical-phonon resonances with saddle-point excitons in twisted-bilayer graphene

Twisted-bilayer graphene (tBLG) exhibits van Hove singularities in the density of states that can be tuned by changing the twisting angle $\theta$. A $\theta$-defined tBLG has been produced and characterized with optical reflectivity and resonance Raman scattering. The $\theta$-engineered optical response is shown to be consistent with persistent saddle-point excitons. Separate resonances with Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman scattering components can be achieved due to the sharpness of the two-dimensional saddle-point excitons, similar to what has been previously observed for one-dimensional carbon nanotubes. The excitation power dependence for the Stokes and anti-Stokes emissions indicate that the two processes are correlated and that they share the same phonon.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure