3,575 research outputs found
Carbon-fiber tips for scanning probe microscopes and molecular electronics experiments
We fabricate and characterize carbon-fiber tips for their use in combined
scanning tunneling and force microscopy based on piezoelectric quartz tuning
fork force sensors. An electrochemical fabrication procedure to etch the tips
is used to yield reproducible sub-100-nm apex. We also study electron transport
through single-molecule junctions formed by a single octanethiol molecule
bonded by the thiol anchoring group to a gold electrode and linked to a carbon
tip by the methyl group. We observe the presence of conductance plateaus during
the stretching of the molecular bridge, which is the signature of the formation
of a molecular junction.Comment: Conference Proceeding (Trends in NanoTechnology 2011, Tenerife
SPAIN); Nanoscale Research Letters, (2012) 7:25
Fast and scalable synthesis of strontium niobates with controlled stoichiometry
An ionic liquid/dextran blend is used to synthesise strontium niobates with exceptional control over stoichiometry.</p
Electric Field Effects on Graphene Materials
Understanding the effect of electric fields on the physical and chemical
properties of two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures is instrumental in the design
of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. Several of those properties are
characterized in terms of the dielectric constant which play an important role
on capacitance, conductivity, screening, dielectric losses and refractive
index. Here we review our recent theoretical studies using density functional
calculations including van der Waals interactions on two types of layered
materials of similar two-dimensional molecular geometry but remarkably
different electronic structures, that is, graphene and molybdenum disulphide
(MoS). We focus on such two-dimensional crystals because of they
complementary physical and chemical properties, and the appealing interest to
incorporate them in the next generation of electronic and optoelectronic
devices. We predict that the effective dielectric constant () of
few-layer graphene and MoS is tunable by external electric fields (). We show that at low fields ( V/\AA)
assumes a nearly constant value 4 for both materials, but increases at
higher fields to values that depend on the layer thickness. The thicker the
structure the stronger is the modulation of with the electric
field. Increasing of the external field perpendicular to the layer surface
above a critical value can drive the systems to an unstable state where the
layers are weakly coupled and can be easily separated. The observed dependence
of on the external field is due to charge polarization driven by
the bias, which show several similar characteristics despite of the layer
considered.Comment: Invited book chapter on Exotic Properties of Carbon Nanomatter:
Advances in Physics and Chemistry, Springer Series on Carbon Materials.
Editors: Mihai V. Putz and Ottorino Ori (11 pages, 4 figures, 30 references
Increase of Cr solubility in cubic Sr2FexCr2-xO6-y unit cell using sol-gel assisted synthesis and characterizations of Sr2FeCrO6-y phase
A homogeneous, non-selective chelating system using EDTA–chitosan was created to produce a cubic phase perovskite material Sr2FeCrO6−y.</p
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Inhibition of TNF-α Improves the Bladder Dysfunction That Is Associated With Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) is common and affects 80% of diabetic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying DBD remain elusive because of a lack of appropriate animal models. We demonstrate DBD in a mouse model that harbors hepatic-specific insulin receptor substrate 1 and 2 deletions (double knockout [DKO]), which develops type 2 diabetes. Bladders of DKO animals exhibited detrusor overactivity at an early stage: increased frequency of nonvoiding contractions during bladder filling, decreased voided volume, and dispersed urine spot patterns. In contrast, older animals with diabetes exhibited detrusor hypoactivity, findings consistent with clinical features of diabetes in humans. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily genes were upregulated in DKO bladders. In particular, TNF-α was upregulated in serum and in bladder smooth muscle tissue. TNF-α augmented the contraction of primary cultured bladder smooth muscle cells through upregulating Rho kinase activity and phosphorylating myosin light chain. Systemic treatment of DKO animals with soluble TNF receptor 1 (TNFRI) prevented upregulation of Rho A signaling and reversed the bladder dysfunction, without affecting hyperglycemia. TNFRI combined with the antidiabetic agent, metformin, improved DBD beyond that achieved with metformin alone, suggesting that therapies targeting TNF-α may have utility in reversing the secondary urologic complications of type 2 diabetes
S-matrix for magnons in the D1-D5 system
We show that integrability and symmetries of the near horizon geometry of the
D1-D5 system determine the S-matrix for the scattering of magnons with
polarizations in AdS3 S3 completely up to a phase. Using
semi-classical methods we evaluate the phase to the leading and to the one-loop
approximation in the strong coupling expansion. We then show that the phase
obeys the unitarity constraint implied by the crossing relations to the
one-loop order. We also verify that the dispersion relation obeyed by these
magnons is one-loop exact at strong coupling which is consistent with their BPS
nature.Comment: 40 pages, Latex, Role of Virasoro constraints clarified, version
matches with published versio
p-wave Holographic Superconductors and five-dimensional gauged Supergravity
We explore five-dimensional and
SO(6) gauged supergravities as frameworks for condensed matter applications.
These theories contain charged (dilatonic) black holes and 2-forms which have
non-trivial quantum numbers with respect to U(1) subgroups of SO(6). A question
of interest is whether they also contain black holes with two-form hair with
the required asymptotic to give rise to holographic superconductivity. We first
consider the case, which contains a complex two-form potential
which has U(1) charge . We find that a slight
generalization, where the two-form potential has an arbitrary charge , leads
to a five-dimensional model that exhibits second-order superconducting
transitions of p-wave type where the role of order parameter is played by
, provided . We identify the operator that condenses
in the dual CFT, which is closely related to Super Yang-Mills
theory with chemical potentials. Similar phase transitions between R-charged
black holes and black holes with 2-form hair are found in a generalized version
of the gauged supergravity Lagrangian where the two-forms have
charge .Comment: 35 pages, 14 figure
Simulation of the CMS Resistive Plate Chambers
The Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) muon subsystem contributes significantly to
the formation of the trigger decision and reconstruction of the muon trajectory
parameters. Simulation of the RPC response is a crucial part of the entire CMS
Monte Carlo software and directly influences the final physical results. An
algorithm based on the parametrization of RPC efficiency, noise, cluster size
and timing for every strip has been developed. Experimental data obtained from
cosmic and proton-proton collisions at TeV have been used for
determination of the parameters. A dedicated validation procedure has been
developed. A good agreement between the simulated and experimental data has
been achieved.Comment: to be published in JINS
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for estimating soil properties: A technology for the 21st century
Spectroscopic measurements of soil samples are reliable because they are highly repeatable and reproducible. They characterise the samples' mineral-organic composition. Estimates of concentrations of soil constituents are inevitably less precise than estimates obtained conventionally by chemical analysis. But the cost of each spectroscopic estimate is at most one-tenth of the cost of a chemical determination. Spectroscopy is cost-effective when we need many data, despite the costs and errors of calibration. Soil spectroscopists understand the risks of over-fitting models to highly dimensional multivariate spectra and have command of the mathematical and statistical methods to avoid them. Machine learning has fast become an algorithmic alternative to statistical analysis for estimating concentrations of soil constituents from reflectance spectra. As with any modelling, we need judicious implementation of machine learning as it also carries the risk of over-fitting predictions to irrelevant elements of the spectra. To use the methods confidently, we need to validate the outcomes with appropriately sampled, independent data sets. Not all machine learning should be considered 'black boxes'. Their interpretability depends on the algorithm, and some are highly interpretable and explainable. Some are difficult to interpret because of complex transformations or their huge and complicated network of parameters. But there is rapidly advancing research on explainable machine learning, and these methods are finding applications in soil science and spectroscopy. In many parts of the world, soil and environmental scientists recognise the merits of soil spectroscopy. They are building spectral libraries on which they can draw to localise the modelling and derive soil information for new projects within their domains. We hope our article gives readers a more balanced and optimistic perspective of soil spectroscopy and its future. Highlights Spectroscopy is reliable because it is a highly repeatable and reproducible analytical technique. Spectra are calibrated to estimate concentrations of soil properties with known error. Spectroscopy is cost-effective for estimating soil properties. Machine learning is becoming ever more powerful for extracting accurate information from spectra, and methods for interpreting the models exist. Large libraries of soil spectra provide information that can be used locally to aid estimates from new samples
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