Improvement of the Correlative AFM and ToF-SIMS Approach Using an Empirical Sputter Model for 3D Chemical Characterization

Technological progress has spurred the development of increasingly sophisticated analytical devices. The full characterization of structures in terms of sample volume and composition is now highly complex. Here, a highly improved solution for 3D characterization of samples, based on an advanced method for 3D data correction, is proposed. Traditionally, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) provides the chemical distribution of sample surfaces. Combining successive sputtering with 2D surface projections enables a 3D volume rendering to be generated. However, surface topography can distort the volume rendering by necessitating the projection of a nonflat surface onto a planar image. Moreover, the sputtering is highly dependent on the probed material. Local variation of composition affects the sputter yield and the beam-induced roughness, which in turn alters the 3D render. To circumvent these drawbacks, the correlation of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with SIMS has been proposed in previous studies as a solution for the 3D chemical characterization. To extend the applicability of this approach, we have developed a methodology using AFM–time-of-flight (ToF)-SIMS combined with an empirical sputter model, “dynamic-model-based volume correction”, to universally correct 3D structures. First, the simulation of 3D structures highlighted the great advantages of this new approach compared with classical methods. Then, we explored the applicability of this new correction to two types of samples, a patterned metallic multilayer and a diblock copolymer film presenting surface asperities. In both cases, the dynamic-model-based volume correction produced an accurate 3D reconstruction of the sample volume and composition. The combination of AFM–SIMS with the dynamic-model-based volume correction improves the understanding of the surface characteristics. Beyond the useful 3D chemical information provided by dynamic-model-based volume correction, the approach permits us to enhance the correlation of chemical information from spectroscopic techniques with the physical properties obtained by AFM

Behaviour at high pressure of a rubidium zeolite of EDI topology

<div>Green open access version of the paper:</div><div>"Behaviour at high pressure of Rb7NaGa8Si12O40·3H2O (a zeolite with EDI topology): a combined experimental–computational study"</div><div>published in:</div><div>Phys Chem Minerals (2016) 43: 209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-015-0787-0<br></div><div>which should be cited to refer to this work.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Supplementary CIF data files are also included</div><div><br></div><div>Popular summary of the paper:</div>https://goo.gl/nJV6Y

MOESM2 of Tough decoy targeting of predominant let-7 miRNA species in adult human hematopoietic cells

Additional file 2. Evolutionary conservation of the let-7 family of miRNAs from representative species progressing from the worm to human. Mature let-7 sequences from each species compared to the corresponding human sequence. Mature let-7 sequences from all species were obtained from the miRBase database release 21 (http://mirbase.org). Some members of the family may be missing due to incomplete sequencing, rather than their absence from a species

The food of pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) fry in ponds with different kinds of management

The aim of this study was a comphensive assessment of the food of pikeperch fry in the monoculture rearing from the stage of summer fry to the stage of autumn fry in ponds with three different types of management and assessment of the influence of individual treatments for pikeperch production. The experiment was performed in small ponds in experimental facility of FFPW in Vodňany. The variants of pond treatment were: a) ponds with additional prey fish (fry of common carp (C. carpio) and grass carp (C. idella)), b) ponds with installed substrate from heather, c) control variant without any support of natural food of pikeperch. All treatments had four repetitions. Rearing of pikeperch fry lasted 97 days. In all treatments, the opportunistic food strategy of pikeperch fry was recorded during the whole period of rearing and the main recorded food was macrozoobenthos, especially insect larvae. Bigger species of zooplankton had also been often found in the stomachs of pikeperch. Considerable development of macrozoobenthos in all experimental ponds was probably caused by the presence of submerged macrophytes. Thus, this factor made harder to estimate influence of installed substrates from heather for production of pikeperch fry and composition of its food. In the treatment with prey fish, the total length (F (9. 450) = 91.1; p < 10-3) and weight (F (9. 450) = 61.9; p < 10-3) of pikeperch fry were for the whole period of rearing significantly higher in comparison to the other treatments. In addition, the survival of pikeperch in the treatment with prey fish reached to 56 - 92,4 % at the end of rearing. In the treatment with substrate from heather, the total length and weight of pikeperch was significantly higher in comparison to the control treatment only in the first term of sampling. In the rest of pikeperch fry rearing period were the values comparable or higher in control treatment. Thus, for the rearing of pikeperch from the stage of summer fry to the stage of autumn fry is appropriate to stock prey fish in ponds. In comparison to installation of artificial substrate, the diversity of water environment, which is subsequently able to provide sufficiently wide natural food for reared pikeperch, seems to be more decisive

Tunneling Plasmonics in Bilayer Graphene

We report experimental signatures of plasmonic effects due to electron tunneling between adjacent graphene layers. At subnanometer separation, such layers can form either a strongly coupled bilayer graphene with a Bernal stacking or a weakly coupled double-layer graphene with a random stacking order. Effects due to interlayer tunneling dominate in the former case but are negligible in the latter. We found through infrared nanoimaging that bilayer graphene supports plasmons with a higher degree of confinement compared to single- and double-layer graphene, a direct consequence of interlayer tunneling. Moreover, we were able to shut off plasmons in bilayer graphene through gating within a wide voltage range. Theoretical modeling indicates that such a plasmon-off region is directly linked to a gapped insulating state of bilayer graphene, yet another implication of interlayer tunneling. Our work uncovers essential plasmonic properties in bilayer graphene and suggests a possibility to achieve novel plasmonic functionalities in graphene few-layers