55 research outputs found
IETS and quantum interference: propensity rules in the presence of an interference feature
Destructive quantum interference in single molecule electronics is an
intriguing phe- nomenon; however, distinguishing quantum interference effects
from generically low transmission is not trivial. In this paper, we discuss how
quantum interference ef- fects in the transmission lead to either low current
or a particular line shape in current-voltage curves, depending on the position
of the interference feature. Sec- ondly, we consider how inelastic electron
tunneling spectroscopy can be used to probe the presence of an interference
feature by identifying vibrational modes that are se- lectively suppressed when
quantum interference effects dominate. That is, we expand the understanding of
propensity rules in inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy to molecules with
destructive quantum interference.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure
Single-molecule Electronics: Cooling Individual Vibrational Modes by the Tunneling Current
Electronic devices composed of single molecules constitute the ultimate limit
in the continued downscaling of electronic components. A key challenge for
single-molecule electronics is to control the temperature of these junctions.
Controlling heating and cooling effects in individual vibrational modes, can in
principle, be utilized to increase stability of single-molecule junctions under
bias, to pump energy into particular vibrational modes to perform
current-induced reactions or to increase the resolution in inelastic electron
tunneling spectroscopy by controlling the life-times of phonons in a molecule
by suppressing absorption and external dissipation processes. Under bias the
current and the molecule exchange energy, which typically results in heating of
the molecule. However, the opposite process is also possible, where energy is
extracted from the molecule by the tunneling current. Designing a molecular
'heat sink' where a particular vibrational mode funnels heat out of the
molecule and into the leads would be very desirable. It is even possible to
imagine how the vibrational energy of the other vibrational modes could be
funneled into the 'cooling mode', given the right molecular design. Previous
efforts to understand heating and cooling mechanisms in single molecule
junctions, have primarily been concerned with small models, where it is unclear
which molecular systems they correspond to. In this paper, our focus is on
suppressing heating and obtaining current-induced cooling in certain
vibrational modes. Strategies for cooling vibrational modes in single-molecule
junctions are presented, together with atomistic calculations based on those
strategies. Cooling and reduced heating are observed for two different cooling
schemes in calculations of atomistic single-molecule junctions.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
Personalized training via serious game to improve daily living skills in pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder
The majority of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit difficulties in social communication and behavior, which hinder their learning capability, amid others. Among technological solutions for people with ASD, serious games are frequently used to enhance learning of specific skills and instructional contents. However, because of heterogeneity in applications and game design, few studies have investigated their use in training daily activities. This paper presents a 3D personalized serious game we developed and validated to help ASD patients practice with shopping activities. Personalized training is paramount in people with ASD, thus several elements of this game were personalized to improve engagement and therefore the effectiveness of the virtual training. In order to assess the validity of the game, ten subjects (age 11.9 2.7, 20% female) with ASD played ten sessions of the serious game, once per week. The participants underwent a real-life experience pre- and post-training in a real-life supermarket. Changes in daily living skills among participants were evaluated through specific tools: a form based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth; and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II. Significant improvements (p<0.05) were detected in the main skills trained with the serious game, especially in learning the shopping procedure, directing attention, and problem-solving skills. These findings suggest that personalized serious games can represent a prominent tool to enhance daily living skills, but future work should clinically validate their efficacy
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