1,096 research outputs found
Intercalation of graphene on SiC(0001) via ion-implantation
Electronic devices based on graphene technology are catching on rapidly and
the ability to engineer graphene properties at the nanoscale is becoming, more
than ever, indispensable. Here, we present a new procedure of graphene
functionalization on SiC(0001) that paves the way towards the fabrication of
complex graphene electronic chips. The procedure resides on the well-known
ion-implantation technique. The efficiency of the working principle is
demonstrated by the intercalation of the epitaxial graphene layer on SiC(0001)
with Bi atoms, which was not possible following standard procedures. Our
results put forward the ion-beam lithography to nanostructure and functionalize
desired graphene chips
LEED Holography applied to a complex superstructure: a direct view of the adatom cluster on SiC(111)-(3x3)
For the example of the SiC(111)-(3x3) reconstruction we show that a
holographic interpretation of discrete Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED)
spot intensities arising from ordered, large unit cell superstructures can give
direct access to the local geometry of a cluster around an elevated atom,
provided there is only one such prominent atom per surface unit cell. By
comparing the holographic images obtained from experimental and calculated data
we illuminate validity, current limits and possible shortcomings of the method.
In particular, we show that periodic vacancies such as cornerholes may inhibit
the correct detection of the atomic positions. By contrast, the extra
diffraction intensity due to slight substrate reconstructions, as for example
buckling, seems to have negligible influence on the images. Due to the spatial
information depth of the method the stacking of the cluster can be imaged down
to the fourth layer. Finally, it is demonstrated how this structural knowledge
of the adcluster geometry can be used to guide the dynamical intensity analysis
subsequent to the holographic reconstruction and necessary to retrieve the full
unit cell structure.Comment: 11 pages RevTex, 6 figures, Phys. Rev. B in pres
Holographic Image Reconstruction from Electron Diffraction Intensities of Ordered Superstructures
We report on a novel holographic reconstruction of well resolved atomic images from discrete spot intensities appearing in low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) from crystalline surfaces. This opens holographic LEED to the wide field of ordered systems giving access to rather complex surface structures
Prediction of huge X-ray Faraday rotation at the Gd N_4,5 threshold
X-ray absorption spectra in a wide energy range around the 4d-4f excitation
threshold of Gd were recorded by total electron yield from in-plane magnetized
Gd metal films. Matching the experimental spectra to tabulated absorption data
reveals unprecedented short light absorption lengths down to 3 nm. The
associated real parts of the refractive index for circularly polarized light
propagating parallel or antiparallel to the Gd magnetization, determined
through the Kramers-Kronig transformation, correspond to a magneto-optical
Faraday rotation of 0.7 degrees per atomic layer. This finding shall allow the
study of magnetic structure and magnetization dynamics of lanthanide elements
in nanosize systems and dilute alloys.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, final version resubmitted to Phys. Rev. B, Brief
Reports. Minor change
The role of calcium ions in toxic cell injury.
Calcium ions have been increasingly implicated as a mediator of the mechanisms generating lethal cell injury under a variety of pathologic circumstances. An overview of the various roles suggested for such alterations in cellular calcium homeostasis is presented. The central role of plasma membrane damage in the genesis of irreversible cell injury is used to divide the postulated roles for calcium ions into two major mechanisms. On the one hand, calcium ions have been proposed as mediators of the functional consequences of plasma membrane injury. An influx of extracellular calcium ions across a damaged permeability barrier and down a steep concentration gradient may convert potentially reversible injury into irreversible injury. On the other hand, alterations in intracellular calcium homeostasis are postulated to participate in the mechanisms generating potentially lethal plasma membrane injury. The release of calcium stores sequestered within intracellular organelles raises the cytosolic concentration of free calcium, a process that may activate, in turn, a number of membrane-disruptive processes. The data supporting these two distinct actions of calcium are reviewed and discussed
Novel Reconstruction Mechanism for Dangling-Bond Minimization: Combined Method Surface Structure Determination of SiC(111)-(3×3)
The SiC(111)−(3×3) phase was analyzed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) holography, density functional theory (DFT), and conventional LEED. A single adatom per unit cell found in STM acts as a beam splitter for the holographic inversion of discrete LEED spot intensities. The resulting 3D image guides the detailed analyses by LEED and DFT which find a Si tetramer on a twisted Si adlayer with cloverlike rings. This twist model with one dangling bond left per unit cell represents a novel (n×n)-reconstruction mechanism of group-IV (111) surfaces
Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy on CoSi/Si(111) interfaces: band structure induced atomic-scale resolution and role of localized surface states
Applying a Keldysh Green`s function method it is shown that hot electrons
injected from a STM-tip into a CoSi/Si(111) system form a highly focused
beam due to the silicide band structure. This explains the atomic resolution
obtained in recent Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy (BEEM) experiments.
Localized surface states in the -reconstruction are found to be
responsible for the also reported anticorrugation of the BEEM current. These
results clearly demonstrate the importance of bulk and surface band structure
effects for a detailed understanding of BEEM data.Comment: 5 pages, RevTex, 4 postscript figures,
http://www.icmm.csic.es/Pandres/pedro.ht
Tuberculous meningitis in children: a forgotten public health emergency
Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children with tuberculosis (TB), yet there are currently no estimates of the global burden of paediatric TBM. Due to frequent non-specific clinical presentation and limited and inadequate diagnostic tests, children with TBM are often diagnosed late or die undiagnosed. Even when diagnosed and treated, 20% of children with TBM die. Of survivors, the majority have substantial neurological disability with significant negative impact on children and their families. Surveillance data on this devastating form of TB can help to quantify the contribution of TBM to the overall burden, morbidity and mortality of TB in children and the epidemiology of TB more broadly. Paediatric TBM usually occurs shortly after primary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and reflects ongoing TB transmission to children. In this article we explain the public health importance of paediatric TBM, discuss the epidemiology within the context of overall TB control and health system functioning and the limitations of current surveillance strategies. We provide a clear rationale for the benefit of improved surveillance of paediatric TBM using a TB care cascade framework to support monitoring and evaluation of paediatric TB, and TB control more broadly. Considering the public health implications of a diagnosis of TBM in children, we provide recommendations to strengthen paediatric TBM surveillance and outline how improved surveillance can help us identify opportunities for prevention, earlier diagnosis and improved care to minimize the impact of TBM on children globally
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