Tailored nano-antennas for directional Raman studies of individual carbon nanotubes

We exploit the near field enhancement of nano-antennas to investigate the Raman spectra of otherwise not optically detectable carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We demonstrate that a top-down fabrication approach is particularly promising when applied to CNTs, owing to the sharp dependence of the scattered intensity on the angle between incident light polarization and CNT axis. In contrast to tip enhancement techniques, our method enables us to control the light polarization in the sample plane, locally amplifying and rotating the incident field and hence optimizing the Raman signal. Such promising features are confirmed by numerical simulations presented here. The relative ease of fabrication and alignment makes this technique suitable for the realization of integrated devices that combine scanning probe, optical, and transport characterization

Comparing the Effect of Teaching Using Educational Booklets and Lecture along with Educational Booklets on Nurses\' Knowledge about Professional Laws and Regulations

Introduction: Learning professional laws and regulations are not achieved through traditional methods of education. The aim of this study was to present a new educational method for nurses concerning professional laws and regulations and compare the effect of this method on their knowledge. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 150 nurses employed in educational hospitals of Sari and Qaem-Shahr were selected randomly and matched in three groups of 50 based on education and position. A combination of two methods of booklet and lecture was used for the first group (experiment group), booklet method only was used for the second (experiment), and no intervention was done in third (control group). Pre-test was performed for the three groups before the study and, after three weeks, the post-test was held. A questionnaire was used for gathering data and the data was analyzed by SPSS software. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean scores, before and after education in the first group (experiment group). The difference in the knowledge score between the 2 experiment groups and the control group (after intervention) was confirmed. Also, the difference between the mean scores of the groups 1 and 2 as well as groups 1 and 3 was confirmed. The difference between the mean scores of the groups, bas-ed on age and working experience was statistically significant. Conclusion: Considering the increase in the mean scores of the first experiment group after education, it is recommended to employ the combination method (lecture and booklet) in educating nurses about profess-ional laws and regulations

Weak localization and Raman study of anisotropically etched graphene antidots

We study a crystallographic etching process of graphene nanostructures, where zigzag edges can be prepared selectively. The process involves heating exfoliated single-layer graphene samples with a predefined pattern of antidot arrays in an argon atmosphere at 820 ∘C, which selectively removes carbon atoms located on armchair sites. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy cannot resolve the structure on the atomic scale. However, weak localization and Raman measurements, which both probe intervalley scattering at armchair edges, indicate that zigzag regions are enhanced compared to samples prepared with oxygen based reactive ion etching only