159 research outputs found
Stability of an oscillating tip in Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy: theoretical and numerical investigations
This paper is a theoretical and a numerical investigation of the stability of
a tip-cantilever system used in Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy (NC-AFM)
when it oscillates close to a surface. No additional dissipative force is
considered. The theoretical approach is based on a variationnal method
exploiting a coarse grained operation that gives the temporal dependence of the
nonlinear coupled equations of motion in amplitude and phase of the oscillator.
Stability criterions for the resonance peak are deduced and predict a stable
behavior of the oscillator in the vicinity of the resonance. The numerical
approach is based on results obtained with a virtual NC-AFM developped in our
group. The effect of the size of the stable domain in phase is investigated.
These results are in particularly good agreement with the theoretical
predictions. Also they show the influence of the phase shifter in the feedback
loop and the way it can affect the damping signal
Probing the shape of atoms in real space
The structure of single atoms in real space is investigated by scanning
tunneling microscopy. Very high resolution is possible by a dramatic reduction
of the tip-sample distance. The instabilities which are normally encountered
when using small tip-sample distances are avoided by oscillating the tip of the
scanning tunneling microscope vertically with respect to the sample. The
surface atoms of Si(111)-(7 x 7) with their well-known electronic configuration
are used to image individual samarium, cobalt, iron and silicon atoms. The
resulting images resemble the charge density corresponding to 4f, 3d and 3p
atomic orbitals.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. B, 17 pages, 7 figure
Premelting of Thin Wires
Recent work has raised considerable interest on the nature of thin metallic
wires. We have investigated the melting behavior of thin cylindrical Pb wires
with the axis along a (110) direction, using molecular dynamics and a
well-tested many-body potential. We find that---in analogy with cluster
melting---the melting temperature of a wire with radius is lower
than that of a bulk solid, , by . Surface melting
effects, with formation of a thin skin of highly diffusive atoms at the wire
surface, is observed. The diffusivity is lower where the wire surface has a
flat, local (111) orientation, and higher at (110) and (100) rounded areas. The
possible relevance to recent results on non-rupturing thin necks between an STM
tip and a warm surface is addressed.Comment: 10 pages, 4 postscript figures are appended, RevTeX, SISSA Ref.
131/94/CM/S
An all silicon quantum computer
A solid-state implementation of a quantum computer composed entirely of
silicon is proposed. Qubits are Si-29 nuclear spins arranged as chains in a
Si-28 (spin-0) matrix with Larmor frequencies separated by a large magnetic
field gradient. No impurity dopants or electrical contacts are needed.
Initialization is accomplished by optical pumping, algorithmic cooling, and
pseudo-pure state techniques. Magnetic resonance force microscopy is used for
readout. This proposal takes advantage of many of the successful aspects of
solution NMR quantum computation, including ensemble measurement, RF control,
and long decoherence times, but it allows for more qubits and improved
initialization.Comment: ReVTeX 4, 5 pages, 2 figure
Advances in atomic force microscopy
This article reviews the progress of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in
ultra-high vacuum, starting with its invention and covering most of the recent
developments. Today, dynamic force microscopy allows to image surfaces of
conductors \emph{and} insulators in vacuum with atomic resolution. The mostly
used technique for atomic resolution AFM in vacuum is frequency modulation AFM
(FM-AFM). This technique, as well as other dynamic AFM methods, are explained
in detail in this article. In the last few years many groups have expanded the
empirical knowledge and deepened the theoretical understanding of FM-AFM.
Consequently, the spatial resolution and ease of use have been increased
dramatically. Vacuum AFM opens up new classes of experiments, ranging from
imaging of insulators with true atomic resolution to the measurement of forces
between individual atoms.Comment: In press (Reviews of Modern Physics, scheduled for July 2003), 86
pages, 44 figure
Environmental pressure from the 2014–15 eruption of Bárðarbunga volcano, Iceland
The effusive six months long 2014-2015 Bárðarbunga eruption (31 August-27 February) was the largest in Iceland for more than 200 years, producing 1.6 ± 0.3 km3 of lava. The total SO2 emission was 11 ± 5 Mt, more than the amount emitted from Europe in 2011. The ground level concentration of SO2 exceeded the 350 μg m−3 hourly average health limit over much of Iceland for days to weeks. Anomalously high SO2 concentrations were also measured at several locations in Europe in September. The lowest pH of fresh snowmelt at the eruption site was 3.3, and 3.2 in precipitation 105 km away from the source. Elevated dissolved H2SO4, HCl, HF, and metal concentrations were measured in snow and precipitation. Environmental pressures from the eruption and impacts on populated areas were reduced by its remoteness, timing, and the weather. The anticipated primary environmental pressure is on the surface
waters, soils, and vegetation of Iceland
Thermal Diffusion Processes in Metal-Tip-Surface Interactions: Contact Formation and Adatom Mobility
Non-antibiotic quorum sensing inhibitors acting against N-acyl homoserine lactone synthase as druggable target
YesN-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-based quorum sensing (QS) is important for the regulation of proteobacterial virulence determinants. Thus, the inhibition of AHL synthases offers non-antibiotics-based therapeutic potentials against QS-mediated bacterial infections. In this work, functional AHL synthases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasI and RhlI were heterologously expressed in an AHL-negative Escherichia coli followed by assessments on their AHLs production using AHL biosensors and high resolution liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LCMS). These AHL-producing E. coli served as tools for screening AHL synthase inhibitors. Based on a campaign of screening synthetic molecules and natural products using our approach, three strongest inhibitors namely are salicylic acid, tannic acid and trans-cinnamaldehyde have been identified. LCMS analysis further confirmed tannic acid and trans-cinnemaldehyde efficiently inhibited AHL production by RhlI. We further demonstrated the application of trans-cinnemaldehyde inhibiting Rhl QS system regulated pyocyanin production in P. aeruginosa up to 42.06%. Molecular docking analysis suggested that trans-cinnemaldehyde binds to the LasI and EsaI with known structures mainly interacting with their substrate binding sites. Our data suggested a new class of QS-inhibiting agents from natural products targeting AHL synthase and provided a potential approach for facilitating the discovery of anti-QS signal synthesis as basis of novel anti-infective approach.University of Malaya High Impact Research (HIR) Grant (UM-MOHE HIR Grant UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN/14/1, no. H-50001-A000027) given to K.G.C. and National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 81260481) given to H.W
Imatinib Treatment Induces CD5+ B Lymphocytes and IgM Natural Antibodies with Anti-Leukemic Reactivity in Patients with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
Imatinib mesylate is a first line treatment of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and of a rare form of gastrointestinal stromal cancer, where the response to the drug is also linked to the immune system activation with production of antineoplastic cytokines. In this study, forty patients in the chronic phase of disease, treated with imatinib mesylate, were analyzed. Bone marrow aspirates were drawn at diagnosis, after 3, 6, 12, 18 months for haematological, cytofluorimetric, cytogenetic, biomolecular evaluation and cytokine measurement. Responder and non responder patients were defined according to the European LeukemiaNet recommendations. In responder patients (n = 32), the percentage of bone marrow CD20+CD5+sIgM+ lymphocytes, and the plasma levels of IgM, were significantly higher, at 3 months and up to 9 months, than in non responders. These IgM reacted with O-linked sugars expressed by leukemic cells and could induce tumor cell apoptosis. In responeìder patients the stromal-derived factor-1 and the B-lymphocyte-activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family significantly raised in the bone marrow after imatinib administration, together with the bone morphogenetic proteins-2 and −7. All patients with high number of CD20+CD5+sIgM+ cells and high stromal-derived factor-1 and B lymphocyte activating factor levels, underwent complete cytogenetic and/or molecular remission by 12 months. We propose that CD20+CD5+sIgM+ lymphocytes producing anti-carbohydrate antibodies with anti-tumor activity, might contribute to the response to imatinib treatment. As in multivariate analysis bone marrow CD20+CD5+sIgM+ cells and stromal-derived factor-1 and B-lymphocyte-activating factor levels were significantly related to cytogenetical and molecular changes, they might contribute to the definition of the pharmacological response
Gradual caldera collapse at Bárdarbunga volcano, Iceland, regulated by lateral magma outflow
Large volcanic eruptions on Earth commonly occur with a collapse of the roof of a crustal magma reservoir, forming a caldera. Only a few such collapses occur per century, and the lack of detailed observations has obscured insight into the mechanical interplay between collapse and eruption.We usemultiparameter geophysical and geochemical data to show that the 110-squarekilometer and 65-meter-deep collapse of Bárdarbunga caldera in 2014-2015 was initiated through withdrawal of magma, and lateral migration through a 48-kilometers-long dike, from a 12-kilometers deep reservoir. Interaction between the pressure exerted by the subsiding reservoir roof and the physical properties of the subsurface flow path explain the gradual, nearexponential decline of both collapse rate and the intensity of the 180-day-long eruption
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