Imaging of Formaldehyde Adsorption and Diffusion on TiO2(110)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Zhenrong; Tang, Miru; Wang, Zhitao

2015-03-01

Surface reactions of formaldehyde with reduced TiO2(110) surfaces have been studied using variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT). STM results show that formaldehyde preferably adsorbs on the bridging bonded oxygen (Ob) vacancy (VO) defect site. Bias-dependent STM images show that both the Ti-bound CH2O and the VO-bound CH2O are positioned between the Ob row and the Ti row. The VO-bound formaldehyde rotates at 95 K. It starts to diffuse along the Ob row as –CH2– at ~170 K and starts to diffuse along the Ti row as a molecule at ~215 K. However, the stabilities andmore » the configurations of the Ti-bound and the VO-bound formaldehyde calculated using DFT are not in line with the experimental results. The values of diffusion barriers determined experimentally and theoretically are also different. The discrepancy between the experiment and theory indicates the presence of a complex charge distribution related to the defects.« less

Identification of surface terminations of iron pnictides with low-temperature STM/STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jihui; Li, Ang; Ma, Jihua; Wu, Zheng; Yin, Jiaxin; Lv, Bing; Chu, C. W.; Sefat, A.; McGuire, M.; Sales, B.; Mandrus, D.; Zhang, Chenglin; Dai, Pengcheng; Jin, Rongying; Zhang, Jiandi; Plummer, E. W.; Chen, Genfu; Ding, Hong; Pan, Shuheng H.

2013-03-01

The alkaline-earth metal iron pnictide superconductor AEFe2As2 (AE =Ca, Sr, Ba) have been studied extensively with modern surface techniques, such as scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES). Yet the surface termination upon cleaving is still controversial. Hence, the interpretation of those results of STM/STS and reconcile with results of other surface techniques tend to be challenging. We have performed a systematic low-temperature STM/STS study on a series of (Ca,Na)Fe2As2, (Ba,K)Fe2As2, Ba(Fe,Co)2As2, and BaFe2(As,P)2. We found that, with cryogenic cleaving method, all three crystalline atomic layers can be revealed and identified. We will discuss their identities and their implications.

Haptic-STM: a human-in-the-loop interface to a scanning tunneling microscope.

PubMed

Perdigão, Luís M A; Saywell, Alex

2011-07-01

The operation of a haptic device interfaced with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is presented here. The user moves the STM tip in three dimensions by means of a stylus attached to the haptic instrument. The tunneling current measured by the STM is converted to a vertical force, applied to the stylus and felt by the user, with the user being incorporated into the feedback loop that controls the tip-surface distance. A haptic-STM interface of this nature allows the user to feel atomic features on the surface and facilitates the tactile manipulation of the adsorbate/substrate system. The operation of this device is demonstrated via the room temperature STM imaging of C(60) molecules adsorbed on an Au(111) surface in ultra-high vacuum.

Ultra compact multitip scanning tunneling microscope with a diameter of 50 mm.

PubMed

Cherepanov, Vasily; Zubkov, Evgeny; Junker, Hubertus; Korte, Stefan; Blab, Marcus; Coenen, Peter; Voigtländer, Bert

2012-03-01

We present a multitip scanning tunneling microscope (STM) where four independent STM units are integrated on a diameter of 50 mm. The coarse positioning of the tips is done under the control of an optical microscope or scanning electron microscopy in vacuum. The heart of this STM is a new type of piezoelectric coarse approach called KoalaDrive. The compactness of the KoalaDrive allows building a four-tip STM as small as a single-tip STM with a drift of less than 0.2 nm/min at room temperature and lowest resonance frequencies of 2.5 kHz (xy) and 5.5 kHz (z). We present as examples of the performance of the multitip STM four point measurements of silicide nanowires and graphene.

Nano-scale Stripe Structures on FeTe Observed by Low-temperature STM/STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugimoto, A.; Ukita, R.; Ekino, T.

We have investigated the nano-scale stripe structures on a parent compound of the iron chalcogenide superconductor Fe1+dTe (d=0.033) by using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The STM topographies and the dI/dV maps show clear stripe structures with the period of twice as large as the Te-Te atomic displacement (~0.76 nm = 2a0, a0 is lattice constant), in addition to weak modulation with the same period of lattice constant (~0.38 nm). The bias-voltage dependence of both STM topographies and dI/dV maps show the several kinds of the stripe structures. The 2a0 modulations are similar to the bicollinear spin order of the parent compound FeTe, indicating the possibility of the coupling with spin density wave and electronic structures.

SteamTablesGrid: An ActiveX control for thermodynamic properties of pure water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Mahendra P.

2011-04-01

An ActiveX control, steam tables grid ( StmTblGrd) to speed up the calculation of the thermodynamic properties of pure water is developed. First, it creates a grid (matrix) for a specified range of temperature (e.g. 400-600 K with 40 segments) and pressure (e.g. 100,000-20,000,000 Pa with 40 segments). Using the ActiveX component SteamTables, the values of selected properties of water for each element (nodal point) of the 41×41 matrix are calculated. The created grid can be saved in a file for its reuse. A linear interpolation within an individual phase, vapor or liquid is implemented to calculate the properties at a given value of temperature and pressure. A demonstration program to illustrate the functionality of StmTblGrd is written in Visual Basic 6.0. Similarly, a methodology is presented to explain the use of StmTblGrd in MS-Excel 2007. In an Excel worksheet, the enthalpy of 1000 random datasets for temperature and pressure is calculated using StmTblGrd and SteamTables. The uncertainty in the enthalpy calculated with StmTblGrd is within ±0.03%. The calculations were performed on a personal computer that has a "Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.2 GHz, RAM 1.0 GB" processor and Windows XP. The total execution time for the calculation with StmTblGrd was 0.3 s, while it was 60.0 s for SteamTables. Thus, the ActiveX control approach is reliable, accurate and efficient for the numerical simulation of complex systems that demand the thermodynamic properties of water at several values of temperature and pressure like steam flow in a geothermal pipeline network.

Note: Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope with detachable scanner and reliable transfer mechanism for tip and sample exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Weifeng; Wang, Jihao; Wang, Junting; Zhang, Jing; Hou, Yubin; Lu, Qingyou

2017-12-01

A homebuilt low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) featuring a detachable scanner based on a double slider design, along with a reliable transfer mechanism for tip and sample exchange, is present. The coarse motor is decoupled from the scanner, which prevents the motor instabilities including vibrations and drifts from entering the tip-sample loop and thus improves the performance of the STM. In addition, in situ exchange of tips and samples can be implemented easily and reliably using a winch-type transfer mechanism. Atomically resolved images on graphite are demonstrated to show the performance of the proposed STM.

Note: Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope with detachable scanner and reliable transfer mechanism for tip and sample exchange.

PubMed

Ge, Weifeng; Wang, Jihao; Wang, Junting; Zhang, Jing; Hou, Yubin; Lu, Qingyou

2017-12-01

A homebuilt low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) featuring a detachable scanner based on a double slider design, along with a reliable transfer mechanism for tip and sample exchange, is present. The coarse motor is decoupled from the scanner, which prevents the motor instabilities including vibrations and drifts from entering the tip-sample loop and thus improves the performance of the STM. In addition, in situ exchange of tips and samples can be implemented easily and reliably using a winch-type transfer mechanism. Atomically resolved images on graphite are demonstrated to show the performance of the proposed STM.

Compact low temperature scanning tunneling microscope with in-situ sample preparation capability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Jungdae; Department of Physics and EHSRC, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 680-749; Nam, Hyoungdo

2015-09-15

We report on the design of a compact low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) having in-situ sample preparation capability. The in-situ sample preparation chamber was designed to be compact allowing quick transfer of samples to the STM stage, which is ideal for preparing temperature sensitive samples such as ultra-thin metal films on semiconductor substrates. Conventional spring suspensions on the STM head often cause mechanical issues. To address this problem, we developed a simple vibration damper consisting of welded metal bellows and rubber pads. In addition, we developed a novel technique to ensure an ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) seal between the copper andmore » stainless steel, which provides excellent reliability for cryostats operating in UHV. The performance of the STM was tested from 2 K to 77 K by using epitaxial thin Pb films on Si. Very high mechanical stability was achieved with clear atomic resolution even when using cryostats operating at 77 K. At 2 K, a clean superconducting gap was observed, and the spectrum was easily fit using the BCS density of states with negligible broadening.« less

Compact low temperature scanning tunneling microscope with in-situ sample preparation capability.

PubMed

Kim, Jungdae; Nam, Hyoungdo; Qin, Shengyong; Kim, Sang-ui; Schroeder, Allan; Eom, Daejin; Shih, Chih-Kang

2015-09-01

We report on the design of a compact low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) having in-situ sample preparation capability. The in-situ sample preparation chamber was designed to be compact allowing quick transfer of samples to the STM stage, which is ideal for preparing temperature sensitive samples such as ultra-thin metal films on semiconductor substrates. Conventional spring suspensions on the STM head often cause mechanical issues. To address this problem, we developed a simple vibration damper consisting of welded metal bellows and rubber pads. In addition, we developed a novel technique to ensure an ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) seal between the copper and stainless steel, which provides excellent reliability for cryostats operating in UHV. The performance of the STM was tested from 2 K to 77 K by using epitaxial thin Pb films on Si. Very high mechanical stability was achieved with clear atomic resolution even when using cryostats operating at 77 K. At 2 K, a clean superconducting gap was observed, and the spectrum was easily fit using the BCS density of states with negligible broadening.

A 30 mK, 13.5 T scanning tunneling microscope with two independent tips.

PubMed

Roychowdhury, Anita; Gubrud, M A; Dana, R; Anderson, J R; Lobb, C J; Wellstood, F C; Dreyer, M

2014-04-01

We describe the design, construction, and performance of an ultra-low temperature, high-field scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with two independent tips. The STM is mounted on a dilution refrigerator and operates at a base temperature of 30 mK with magnetic fields of up to 13.5 T. We focus on the design of the two-tip STM head, as well as the sample transfer mechanism, which allows in situ transfer from an ultra high vacuum preparation chamber while the STM is at 1.5 K. Other design details such as the vibration isolation and rf-filtered wiring are also described. Their effectiveness is demonstrated via spectral current noise characteristics and the root mean square roughness of atomic resolution images. The high-field capability is shown by the magnetic field dependence of the superconducting gap of CuxBi2Se3. Finally, we present images and spectroscopy taken with superconducting Nb tips with the refrigerator at 35 mK that indicate that the effective temperature of our tips/sample is approximately 184 mK, corresponding to an energy resolution of 16 μeV.

Nature of water and hydrogen reactions on transition metal surfaces studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatarkhanov, Mouslim Magomedovich

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) has already been established as a tool for the investigation of simple reaction mechanisms. In this work I present results of two parallel studies using STM: first, hydrogen on Ru(0001) surface and second, water on Ru(0001) and Pd(111). In both studies initial stages of adsorption up to saturation monolayer coverage were investigated by variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (VT STM). The first step of the hydrogen adsorption study was the identification and characterization of the various coverage structures on clean Ru(0001). Hydrogen was found to adsorb dissociatively forming ( 3x3 )R30°, 3 domains of (2x1), (2x2)-3H and (1x1) for increasing coverages of theta=0.3 ML, 0.5 ML, 0.75 ML and 0.1 ML respectively. Some of these structures were observed to coexist at intermediate coverage values. In addition effects of impurities such as oxygen and carbon on hydrogen adsorption has been discussed. Next, near saturation coverage the interesting mechanism of how H 2 dissociates and binds to the surface of Ru(0001) has been observed. We found that the H2 dissociation takes place only on Ru sites where the metal atom is not bound to any H atom. Such active sites are formed when at least 3 H-vacancies aggregate by thermal diffusion. Sites formed by single H-vacancies (i.e. unoccupied Ru sites) or pairs of adjoining vacancies were found to be unreactive toward H2. H-vacancies were observed as single entities diffusing on the surface at 50 K and able to form transient triangular shaped aggregations where H2 molecules dissociated. It was found that the diffusion and aggregation of the H-vacancies is essential in creation of active sites where dissociative adsorption of hydrogen occurs. The first step of water studies was the initial stages of growth of water on the hexagonal surfaces of Pd(111) and Ru(0001) in the temperature range between 40 K and 130 K. In addition, DFT calculations and STM image simulations were used to validate the models. Below 130 K water dissociation does not occur at any appreciable rate and only molecular films are formed. At these temperatures the kinetics of water growth leads to structures where the molecules bind to the metal substrate through the O-lone pair while making 3 H-bonds with neighboring molecules and form clusters of hexagonal units with a honeycomb structure. This bonding geometry imposes limitations to the size of the clusters, with unsaturated H-bonds confined to the cluster periphery. It is found that growth proceeds by attachement of water molecules to the edge of the clusters by H-bonds. These molecules bind only weakly to the metal substrate and can hop around the edges. Comparison of DFT and STM image calculations with experiments shows that on Pd the edge-attached molecules form two different structures, a metastable one where the molecule is elevated by 2.7 A with respect to the cluster molecules, and another where they are elevated by only 0.4 A. On Ru only the less elevated (0.4 A higher) edge-attached molecules are observed. In next final step, water structures on Ru(0001) were studied at temperatures above 140K. STM findings were backed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Additional DFT calculations and STM simulations provided validation of proposed models. It was found that while undissociated water layers are metastable below 140 K, heating above this temperature produces drastic transformations whereby a fraction of the water molecules partially dissociate and form mixed H 2O-OH structures. XPS and XAS revealed the presence of hydroxyl groups with their O-H bond essentiallymostly parallel to the surface. STM images show that the mixed H2O-OH structures consist of long narrow stripes aligned with the three crystallographic directions perpendicular to the close-packed atomic rows of the Ru(0001) substrate. The internal structure of the stripes is a honeycomb network of H-bonded water and hydroxyl species. We found that the metastable low temperature molecular phase can also be converted to a mixed H2O-OH phase through excitation by the tunneling electrons when their energy is 0.5 eV or higher above the Fermi level. Structural models based on the STM images were used for Density Functional Theory optimizations of the stripes geometry. The optimized geometry was then utilized to calculate STM images for comparison with the experiment.

LT-STM/STS studies of clean armchair edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ju, Zheng; Zhang, Wenhan; Wu, Weida; Weida Wu Team

It was predicted and observed that the passivated zigzag edges of graphene host highly localized edge state. This edge state is predicted to be spin-polarized, which is appealing for spintronic applications. In contrast, no edge state was expected at passivated armchair graphene edge. Here we report low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) studies of electronic properties of clean monoatomic step edges on cleaved surface of HOPG. Most of step edges are armchair edges, in agreement with previous STM results. We observed only (√{ 3} ×√{ 3}) R30° superstructure near armchair edges, which has been reported in previous STM studies. On the other hand, no honeycomb superstructure was observed in our STM data. In addition, our STM results reveal an intriguing localized electronic state at clean armchair edges. Spectroscopic and spatial evolution of this edge state will be presented. This work is supported by NSF DMR-1506618.

The generality of working memory capacity: a latent-variable approach to verbal and visuospatial memory span and reasoning.

PubMed

Kane, Michael J; Hambrick, David Z; Tuholski, Stephen W; Wilhelm, Oliver; Payne, Tabitha W; Engle, Randall W

2004-06-01

A latent-variable study examined whether verbal and visuospatial working memory (WM) capacity measures reflect a primarily domain-general construct by testing 236 participants in 3 span tests each of verbal WM. visuospatial WM, verbal short-term memory (STM), and visuospatial STM. as well as in tests of verbal and spatial reasoning and general fluid intelligence (Gf). Confirmatory' factor analyses and structural equation models indicated that the WM tasks largely reflected a domain-general factor, whereas STM tasks, based on the same stimuli as the WM tasks, were much more domain specific. The WM construct was a strong predictor of Gf and a weaker predictor of domain-specific reasoning, and the reverse was true for the STM construct. The findings support a domain-general view of WM capacity, in which executive-attention processes drive the broad predictive utility of WM span measures, and domain-specific storage and rehearsal processes relate more strongly to domain-specific aspects of complex cognition. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

Scanning tuneeling microscopy studies of fivefold surfaces of icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystals and of thin silver films on those surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Unal, Baris

2008-01-01

The present work in this dissertation mainly focuses on the clean fivefold surfaces of i-Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystals as well as the nucleation and growth of Ag films on these surfaces. In addition, Ag film growth on NiAl(110) has been explored in the frame of this dissertation. First, we have investigated the equilibration of a fivefold surface of icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal at 900-915 K and 925-950 K, using Omicron variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Annealing at low temperatures resulted in many voids on some terraces while the others were almost void-free. After annealing at 925-950K, void-rich terraces became much rarer. Ourmore » STM images suggest that through growth and coalescence of the voids, a different termination becomes exposed on host terraces. All of these observations in our study indicate that even after the quasicrystalline terrace-step structure appears, it evolves with time and temperature. More specifically, based on the STM observations, we conclude that during the annealing a wide range of energetically similar layers nucleate as surface terminations, however, with increasing temperature (and time) this distribution gets narrower via elimination of the metastable void-rich terraces. Next, we have examined the bulk structural models of icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal in terms of the densities, compositions and interplanar spacings for the fivefold planes that might represent physical surface terminations. In our analyses, we mainly have focused on four deterministic models which have no partial or mixed occupancy but we have made some comparisons with an undeterministic model. We have compared the models with each other and also with the available experimental data including STM, LEED-IV, XPD and LEIS. In all deterministic models, there are two different families of layers (a pair of planes), and the nondeterministic model contains similar group of planes. These two families differ in terms of the chemical decoration of their top planes. Hence, we name them as Pd +(with Pd) and Pd-(without Pd). Based on their planer structure and the step height, it can be said that these two families can be viable surface terminations. However, besides the Pd content, these two sets differ in terms of relative densities of their top planes as well as the gap separating the layer from the nearest atomic plane. The experimental data and other arguments lead to the conclusion that the Pd- family is favored over the Pd +. This has an important implication on the interpretation of local motifs seen in the high resolution STM images. In other words, the dark stars are not formed by cut-Bergmans rather they are formed by cut-Mackays.« less

A 30 mK, 13.5 T scanning tunneling microscope with two independent tips

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roychowdhury, Anita; Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20740; Gubrud, M. A.

We describe the design, construction, and performance of an ultra-low temperature, high-field scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with two independent tips. The STM is mounted on a dilution refrigerator and operates at a base temperature of 30 mK with magnetic fields of up to 13.5 T. We focus on the design of the two-tip STM head, as well as the sample transfer mechanism, which allows in situ transfer from an ultra high vacuum preparation chamber while the STM is at 1.5 K. Other design details such as the vibration isolation and rf-filtered wiring are also described. Their effectiveness is demonstrated viamore » spectral current noise characteristics and the root mean square roughness of atomic resolution images. The high-field capability is shown by the magnetic field dependence of the superconducting gap of Cu{sub x}Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3}. Finally, we present images and spectroscopy taken with superconducting Nb tips with the refrigerator at 35 mK that indicate that the effective temperature of our tips/sample is approximately 184 mK, corresponding to an energy resolution of 16 μeV.« less

Scanning Probe Microscopies and Their Applications Towards the Study of Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helfrich, Jennifer Ann

1995-11-01

The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) in 1982 made it possible to study surfaces and structures at resolutions previously believed unattainable. Adapting the STM for low temperatures makes it possible to study superconductors with new methods and to obtain valuable information. This thesis describes a novel low temperature STM (LTSTM) that was designed and built at Northwestern University for the purpose of studying superconductors in the mixed state. At low temperatures, this LTSTM has a scan range an order of magnitude larger than other LTSTM's designed elsewhere. It is capable of low temperature imaging and obtaining dI/dV vs. V curves. A detailed study of magnetic force microscopy (MFM) probes is also presented. The fields and forces between probe and surface were computer modeled. These results are compared with results from electron holographs of MFM probes. The final section of the thesis describes an a.c. susceptibility measurement on a UPt_3 sphere. Results are presented and discussed.

Sparse-coding denoising applied to reversible conformational switching of a porphyrin self-assembled monolayer induced by scanning tunnelling microscopy.

PubMed

Oliveira, J; Bragança, A M; Alcácer, L; Morgado, J; Figueiredo, M; Bioucas-Dias, J; Ferreira, Q

2018-04-14

Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) was used to induce conformational molecular switching on a self-assembled monolayer of zinc-octaethylporphyrin on a graphite/tetradecane interface at room temperature. A reversible conformational change controlled by applying a tip voltage was observed. Consecutive STM images acquired at alternating tip voltages showed that at 0.4 V the porphyrin monolayer presents a molecular arrangement formed by alternate rows with two different types of structural conformations and when the potential is increased to 0.7 V the monolayer presents only one type of conformation. In this paper, we characterize these porphyrin conformational dynamics by analyzing the STM images, which were improved for better quality and interpretation by means of a denoising algorithm, adapted to process STM images from state of the art image processing and analysis methods. STM remains the best technique to 'see' and to manipulate the matter at atomic scale. A very sharp tip a few angstroms of the surface can provide images of molecules and atoms with a powerful resolution. However, these images are strongly affected by noise which is necessary to correct and eliminate. This paper is about new computational tools specifically developed to denoise the images acquired with STM. The new algorithms were tested in STM images, obtained at room temperature, of porphyrin monolayer which presents reversible conformational change in function of the tip bias voltage. Images with high resolution, acquired in real time, show that the porphyrins have different molecular arrangements whether the tip voltage is 0.4 V or 0.7 V. © 2018 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2018 Royal Microscopical Society.

Spectroscopic scanning tunneling microscopy insights into Fe-based superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, Jennifer E.

2011-12-01

In the first three years since the discovery of Fe-based high Tc superconductors, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy have shed light on three important questions. First, STM has demonstrated the complexity of the pairing symmetry in Fe-based materials. Phase-sensitive quasiparticle interference (QPI) imaging and low temperature spectroscopy have shown that the pairing order parameter varies from nodal to nodeless s± within a single family, FeTe1-xSex. Second, STM has imaged C4 → C2 symmetry breaking in the electronic states of both parent and superconducting materials. As a local probe, STM is in a strong position to understand the interactions between these broken symmetry states and superconductivity. Finally, STM has been used to image the vortex state, giving insights into the technical problem of vortex pinning, and the fundamental problem of the competing states introduced when superconductivity is locally quenched by a magnetic field. Here we give a pedagogical introduction to STM and QPI imaging, discuss the specific challenges associated with extracting bulk properties from the study of surfaces, and report on progress made in understanding Fe-based superconductors using STM techniques.

Self-navigation of a scanning tunneling microscope tip toward a micron-sized graphene sample.

PubMed

Li, Guohong; Luican, Adina; Andrei, Eva Y

2011-07-01

We demonstrate a simple capacitance-based method to quickly and efficiently locate micron-sized conductive samples, such as graphene flakes, on insulating substrates in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). By using edge recognition, the method is designed to locate and to identify small features when the STM tip is far above the surface, allowing for crash-free search and navigation. The method can be implemented in any STM environment, even at low temperatures and in strong magnetic field, with minimal or no hardware modifications.

STM/STS studies of Ca-intercalated bilayer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, Ryota; Sugawara, Katsuaki; Kanetani, Kohei; Iwaya, Katsuya; Sato, Takafumi; Takahashi, Takashi; Hitosugi, Taro

2013-03-01

We have performed low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on a two-dimensional Ca-intercalated bilayer graphene epitaxially grown on a 6H-SiC(0001) substrate. The STM topographic images clearly resolve each intercalated Ca atom with graphene-based honeycomb lattice. Furthermore, we found a clear ×2.5 modulation in the topography, implying charge density wave or Moiré pattern originated from the interaction with the SiC substrate. Comparison with ARPES measurements provided us of further insight into the Fermi surface deduced from STS.

Rotation and diffusion of naphthalene on Pt(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolsbjerg, E. L.; Goubert, G.; McBreen, P. H.; Hammer, B.

2018-03-01

The behavior of naphthalene on Pt(111) surfaces is studied by combining insight from scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and van der Waals enabled density functional theory. Adsorption, diffusion, and rotation are investigated by a series of variable temperature STM experiments revealing naphthalene ability to rotate on-site with ease with a rotational barrier of 0.69 eV. Diffusion to neighbouring sites is found to be more difficult. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical investigations which confirm that the barrier for diffusion is slightly higher than the one for rotation. The theoretical barriers for rotation and translation are found to be 0.75 and 0.78 eV, respectively. An automatic mapping of the possible diffusion pathways reveals very detailed diffusion paths with many small local minima that would have been practically impossible to find manually. This automated procedure provides detailed insight into the preferred diffusion pathways that are important for our understanding of molecule-substrate interactions.

The use of standardised short-term and working memory tests in aphasia research: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Murray, Laura; Salis, Christos; Martin, Nadine; Dralle, Jenny

2017-01-01

Impairments of short-term and working memory (STM, WM), both verbal and non-verbal, are ubiquitous in aphasia. Increasing interest in assessing STM and WM in aphasia research and clinical practice as well as a growing evidence base of STM/WM treatments for aphasia warrant an understanding of the range of standardised STM/WM measures that have been utilised in aphasia. To date, however, no previous systematic review has focused on aphasia. Accordingly, the goals of this systematic review were: (1) to identify standardised tests of STM and WM utilised in the aphasia literature, (2) to evaluate critically the psychometric strength of these tests, and (3) to appraise critically the quality of the investigations utilising these tests. Results revealed that a very limited number of standardised tests, in the verbal and non-verbal domains, had robust psychometric properties. Standardisation samples to elicit normative data were often small, and most measures exhibited poor validity and reliability properties. Studies using these tests inconsistently documented demographic and aphasia variables essential to interpreting STM/WM test outcomes. In light of these findings, recommendations are provided to foster, in the future, consistency across aphasia studies and confidence in STM/WM tests as assessment and treatment outcome measures. PMID:27143500

The use of standardised short-term and working memory tests in aphasia research: a systematic review.

PubMed

Murray, Laura; Salis, Christos; Martin, Nadine; Dralle, Jenny

2018-04-01

Impairments of short-term and working memory (STM, WM), both verbal and non-verbal, are ubiquitous in aphasia. Increasing interest in assessing STM and WM in aphasia research and clinical practice as well as a growing evidence base of STM/WM treatments for aphasia warrant an understanding of the range of standardised STM/WM measures that have been utilised in aphasia. To date, however, no previous systematic review has focused on aphasia. Accordingly, the goals of this systematic review were: (1) to identify standardised tests of STM and WM utilised in the aphasia literature, (2) to evaluate critically the psychometric strength of these tests, and (3) to appraise critically the quality of the investigations utilising these tests. Results revealed that a very limited number of standardised tests, in the verbal and non-verbal domains, had robust psychometric properties. Standardisation samples to elicit normative data were often small, and most measures exhibited poor validity and reliability properties. Studies using these tests inconsistently documented demographic and aphasia variables essential to interpreting STM/WM test outcomes. In light of these findings, recommendations are provided to foster, in the future, consistency across aphasia studies and confidence in STM/WM tests as assessment and treatment outcome measures.

UHV LT-STM system with Sample and Tip Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyer, Michael; Lee, Jonghee; Wang, Hui; Sullivan, Dan; Barker, Barry

2006-03-01

We developed and built a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope system with ultra high vacuum sample and tip preparation capabilities. The STM is mounted inside an UHV can which is submerged in a He bath cryostat. The cryostat is equipped with two superconducting magnets allowing a maximum in plane field of 2 T and a maximum out of plane field of 9 T. The two fields can be combined to a 1 T vector field. The vacuum can is connected to an UHV system at room temperature consisting of two chambers: One dedicated to transferring samples and tips to the STM, and the other chamber used for tip/sample preparation. It is equipped with two electron beam evaporators, an argon ion sputter gun as well as sample heaters. The whole system is supported by an optical table to decouple the STM from building vibrations. The system was successfully used to study standing electron waves on gold (111) as well as vortices on NbSe2. Details of the microscope, sample and tip handling system, as well as the UHV system will be presented.

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of low temperature silicon epitaxy on hydrogen/silicon(001) and phosphine adsorption on silicon(111)-7x7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Jeong-Young

A three-chamber ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) system with preparation, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers was designed and built. Here, one can perform surface preparation, STM e-beam lithography, precursor gas dosing, ion sputtering, silicon epitaxy, and various measurements such as reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Processes performed in the ultra-clean preparation and gas-filled CVD chambers can be monitored by transferring the samples back to the STM chamber to take topographical images. Si deposition on H-terminated Si(001)-2x1 surfaces at temperatures 300--530 K was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. Hydrogen apparently hinders Si adatom diffusion and enhances surface roughening. Post-growth annealing transfers the top layer atoms downward to fill in vacancies in the lower layer, restoring the crystallinity of the thin film. Hydrogen is shown to remain on the growth front up to at least 10 ML. Si deposition onto the H/Si(001)-3x1 surface at 530 K suggests that dihydride units further suppress Si adatom diffusion and increase surface roughness. PH3 adsorption on Si(111)-7x7 was studied for various exposures between 0.3--60 L at room temperature by means of the scanning-tunneling-microscopy (STM). PH3-, PH2-, H-reacted, and unreacted adatoms can be identified by analyzing STM images at different sample biases. Most of PH3 adsorbs dissociatively on the surface at initial exposure, generating H and PH2 adsorption sites, followed by molecular adsorption of PH3. Rest atoms are more reactive than the adatoms and PH 2-reacted rest atom sites are also observed in STM images. Statistical analysis shows that center adatoms are more reactive than corner adatoms and the saturation P coverage is ˜0.22 ML. Finally, 900 K annealing of a PH 3 dosed surface results in a disordered, partially P-covered surface and PH3 dosing at 900 K forms the same surface reconstruction as a P2-adsorbed surface at similar temperature.

Ultra-Compact Multitip Scanning Probe Microscope with an Outer Diameter of 50 mm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepanov, Vasily; Zubkov, Evgeny; Junker, Hubertus; Korte, Stefan; Blab, Marcus; Coenen, Peter; Voigtländer, Bert

We present a multitip scanning tunneling microscope (STM) where four independent STM units are integrated on a diameter of 50 mm. The coarse positioning of the tips is done under the control of an optical microscope or an SEM in vacuum. The heart of this STM is a new type of piezoelectric coarse approach called Koala Drive which can have a diameter greater than 2.5 mm and a length smaller than 10 mm. Alternating movements of springs move a central tube which holds the STM tip or AFM sensor. This new operating principle provides a smooth travel sequence and avoids shaking which is intrinsically present for nanopositioners based on inertial motion with saw tooth driving signals. Inserting the Koala Drive in a piezo tube for xyz-scanning integrates a complete STM inside a 4 mm outer diameter piezo tube of <10 mm length. The use of the Koala Drive makes the scanning probe microscopy design ultra-compact and accordingly leads to a high mechanical stability. The drive is UHV, low temperature, and magnetic field compatible. The compactness of the Koala Drive allows building a four-tip STM as small as a single-tip STM with a drift of <0.2 nm/min and lowest resonance frequencies of 2.5 (xy) and 5.5 kHz (z). We present examples of the performance of the multitip STM designed using the Koala Drive.

Newly developed low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope and its application to the study of superconducting materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, F.; Dai, C.; Chen, Z.

1994-05-01

A newly developed scanning tunneling microscope (STM) capable of operating at room temperature, 77 K, and 4.2 K is presented. This compact STM has a highly symmetric and rigid tunneling unit designed as an integral frame except the coarse and fine adjustment parts. The tunneling unit is incorporated into a small vacuum chamber that is usually pumped down to 2[times]10[sup [minus]4] Pa to avoid water contamination. The fine mechanic adjustment makes the tip approach the sample in 5 nm steps. The coarse adjustment not only changes the distance between the tip and the sample, but also adjusts the tip tomore » be normal to the surface of the sample. With this low-temperature STM atomic resolution images of Bi-2212 single-crystal and large-scale topographies of a YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7] thin film are observed at 77 K.« less

Spectrotemporal Modulation Sensitivity as a Predictor of Speech-Reception Performance in Noise With Hearing Aids

PubMed Central

Danielsson, Henrik; Hällgren, Mathias; Stenfelt, Stefan; Rönnberg, Jerker; Lunner, Thomas

2016-01-01

The audiogram predicts <30% of the variance in speech-reception thresholds (SRTs) for hearing-impaired (HI) listeners fitted with individualized frequency-dependent gain. The remaining variance could reflect suprathreshold distortion in the auditory pathways or nonauditory factors such as cognitive processing. The relationship between a measure of suprathreshold auditory function—spectrotemporal modulation (STM) sensitivity—and SRTs in noise was examined for 154 HI listeners fitted with individualized frequency-specific gain. SRTs were measured for 65-dB SPL sentences presented in speech-weighted noise or four-talker babble to an individually programmed master hearing aid, with the output of an ear-simulating coupler played through insert earphones. Modulation-depth detection thresholds were measured over headphones for STM (2cycles/octave density, 4-Hz rate) applied to an 85-dB SPL, 2-kHz lowpass-filtered pink-noise carrier. SRTs were correlated with both the high-frequency (2–6 kHz) pure-tone average (HFA; R2 = .31) and STM sensitivity (R2 = .28). Combined with the HFA, STM sensitivity significantly improved the SRT prediction (ΔR2 = .13; total R2 = .44). The remaining unaccounted variance might be attributable to variability in cognitive function and other dimensions of suprathreshold distortion. STM sensitivity was most critical in predicting SRTs for listeners < 65 years old or with HFA <53 dB HL. Results are discussed in the context of previous work suggesting that STM sensitivity for low rates and low-frequency carriers is impaired by a reduced ability to use temporal fine-structure information to detect dynamic spectra. STM detection is a fast test of suprathreshold auditory function for frequencies <2 kHz that complements the HFA to predict variability in hearing-aid outcomes for speech perception in noise. PMID:27815546

Superconducting phonon spectroscopy using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leduc, H. G.; Kaiser, W. J.; Hunt, B. D.; Bell, L. D.; Jaklevic, R. C.

1989-01-01

The low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) system described by LeDuc et al. (1987) was used to observe the phonon density of states effects in a superconductor. Using techniques based on those employed in macroscopic tunneling spectroscopy, electron tunneling current-voltage (I-V) spectra were measured for NbN and Pb, and dI/dV vs V spectra were measured using standard analog derivative techniques. I-V measurements on NbN and Pb samples under typical STM conditions showed no evidence for multiparticle tunneling effects.

Evidence against a charge density wave on Bi(111)

DOE PAGES

Kim, T. K.; Wells, J.; Kirkegaard, C.; ...

2005-08-18

The Bi(111) surface was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) in order to verify the existence of a recently proposed surface charge density wave (CDW). The STM and TEM results to not support a CDW scenario at low temperatures. Thus the quasiparticle interference pattern observed in STM confirms the spin-orbit split character of the surface states which prevents the formation of a CDW, even in the case of good nesting. The dispersion of the electronic states observed with ARPES agrees well with earlier findings. In particular, the Fermi contour of the electronmore » pocket at the centre of the surface Brillouin zone is found to have a hexagonal shape. However, no gap opening or other signatures of a CDW phase transition can be found in the temperature-dependent data.« less

High temperature growth of Pt on the Rh(111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duisberg, M.; Dräger, M.; Wandelt, K.; Gruber, E. L. D.; Schmid, M.; Varga, P.

1999-08-01

The epitaxial growth of Pt on the Rh(111) surface at 700 K was studied with AES, UPS, ISS and STM. From AES and ISS measurements a 2D growth mode is concluded at this substrate temperature. The morphology of the surface is studied by photoemission spectra of adsorbed Xe (PAX) and STM. A disperse distribution of the Pt atoms is suggested by PAX and is consistent with an incorporation of these atoms into the first substrate layer. Atomically and chemically resolved STM measurements confirm these conclusions. The interaction of CO with the surface alloy is investigated by UPS. The CO-induced features in UP spectra show significant differences in the peak positions and shape between the clean substrate and the surface precovered with different amounts of Pt. The CO induced emissions are, thus, used for a quantitative titration of Pt on the Rh surface.

Selective scanning tunneling microscope light emission from rutile phase of VO2.

PubMed

Sakai, Joe; Kuwahara, Masashi; Hotsuki, Masaki; Katano, Satoshi; Uehara, Yoichi

2016-09-28

We observed scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) induced by a tunneling current at the gap between an Ag tip and a VO2 thin film, in parallel to scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) profiles. The 34 nm thick VO2 film grown on a rutile TiO2 (0 0 1) substrate consisted of both rutile (R)- and monoclinic (M)-structure phases of a few 10 nm-sized domains at room temperature. We found that STM-LE with a certain photon energy of 2.0 eV occurs selectively from R-phase domains of VO2, while no STM-LE was observed from M-phase. The mechanism of STM-LE from R-phase VO2 was determined to be an interband transition process rather than inverse photoemission or inelastic tunneling processes.

Cryogenic STM in 3D vector magnetic fields realized through a rotatable insert.

PubMed

Trainer, C; Yim, C M; McLaren, M; Wahl, P

2017-09-01

Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) performed in vector magnetic fields promises atomic scale imaging of magnetic structure, providing complete information on the local spin texture of a sample in three dimensions. Here, we have designed and constructed a turntable system for a low temperature STM which in combination with a 2D vector magnet provides magnetic fields of up to 5 T in any direction relative to the tip-sample geometry. This enables STM imaging and spectroscopy to be performed at the same atomic-scale location and field-of-view on the sample, and most importantly, without experiencing any change on the tip apex before and after field switching. Combined with a ferromagnetic tip, this enables us to study the magnetization of complex magnetic orders in all three spatial directions.

Multilevel Tunnelling Systems and Fractal Clustering in the Low-Temperature Mixed Alkali-Silicate Glasses

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The thermal and dielectric anomalies of window-type glasses at low temperatures (T < 1 K) are rather successfully explained by the two-level systems (2LS) standard tunneling model (STM). However, the magnetic effects discovered in the multisilicate glasses in recent times, magnetic effects in the organic glasses, and also some older data from mixed (SiO2)1−x(K2O)x and (SiO2)1−x(Na2O)x glasses indicate the need for a suitable extension of the 2LS-STM. We show that—not only for the magnetic effects, but also for the mixed glasses in the absence of a field—the right extension of the 2LS-STM is provided by the (anomalous) multilevel tunnelling systems (ATS) proposed by one of us for multicomponent amorphous solids. Though a secondary type of TS, different from the standard 2LS, was invoked long ago already, we clarify their physical origin and mathematical description and show that their contribution considerably improves the agreement with the experimental data. In spite of dealing with low-temperature properties, our work impinges on the structure and statistical physics of glasses at all temperatures. PMID:23861652

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of Carbon Tetrachloride Adsorption and Degradation on a Natural a-Fe2O3(0001) Surface in Ultrahigh Vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taeg Rim, Kwang; Fitts, Jeffrey; Adib, Kaveh; Camillone, Nicholas, III; Schlosser, Peter; Osgood, Richard, Jr.; Flynn, George; Joyce, Stephen

2001-03-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction have been used to study a natural a-Fe2O3(0001) surface and the adsorption and degradation of carbon tetrachloride on the reduced Fe3O4(111) terminated surface. A natural a-Fe2O3 (0001) surface was prepared by repeated cycles of Ar+ ion sputtering and annealing in vacuum or in O2 at 850 K. STM images and a LEED pattern indicate that an Fe3O4(111) terminated surface and a bi-phase can be formed depending on annealing conditions. The Fe3O4(111) terminated surface was dosed with CCl4 at room temperature, and flashed up to 590 K and 850 K. STM images show adsorbates on the surface at room temperature and the degradation products of CCl4 are isolated on the surface as the flashing temperature increases up to 850 K. Results from a companion temperature programmed desorption investigation are used in conjunction with the STM images to propose site specific reactions of CCl4 on the Fe3O4(111) terminated surface.

Whole genome sequencing of Salmonella Typhimurium illuminates distinct outbreaks caused by an endemic multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis type in Australia, 2014.

PubMed

Phillips, Anastasia; Sotomayor, Cristina; Wang, Qinning; Holmes, Nadine; Furlong, Catriona; Ward, Kate; Howard, Peter; Octavia, Sophie; Lan, Ruiting; Sintchenko, Vitali

2016-09-15

Salmonella Typhimurium (STM) is an important cause of foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Subtyping of STM remains critical to outbreak investigation, yet current techniques (e.g. multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis, MLVA) may provide insufficient discrimination. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) offers potentially greater discriminatory power to support infectious disease surveillance. We performed WGS on 62 STM isolates of a single, endemic MLVA type associated with two epidemiologically independent, food-borne outbreaks along with sporadic cases in New South Wales, Australia, during 2014. Genomes of case and environmental isolates were sequenced using HiSeq (Illumina) and the genetic distance between them was assessed by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. SNP analysis was compared to the epidemiological context. The WGS analysis supported epidemiological evidence and genomes of within-outbreak isolates were nearly identical. Sporadic cases differed from outbreak cases by a small number of SNPs, although their close relationship to outbreak cases may represent an unidentified common food source that may warrant further public health follow up. Previously unrecognised mini-clusters were detected. WGS of STM can discriminate foodborne community outbreaks within a single endemic MLVA clone. Our findings support the translation of WGS into public health laboratory surveillance of salmonellosis.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hackley, Jason D.; Kislitsyn, Dmitry A.; Beaman, Daniel K.

We report on the design and operation of a cryogenic ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) coupled to a closed-cycle cryostat (CCC). The STM is thermally linked to the CCC through helium exchange gas confined inside a volume enclosed by highly flexible rubber bellows. The STM is thus mechanically decoupled from the CCC, which results in a significant reduction of the mechanical noise transferred from the CCC to the STM. Noise analysis of the tunneling current shows current fluctuations up to 4% of the total current, which translates into tip-sample distance variations of up to 1.5 picometers. This noisemore » level is sufficiently low for atomic-resolution imaging of a wide variety of surfaces. To demonstrate this, atomic-resolution images of Au(111) and NaCl(100)/Au(111) surfaces, as well as of carbon nanotubes deposited on Au(111), were obtained. Thermal drift analysis showed that under optimized conditions, the lateral stability of the STM scanner can be as low as 0.18 Å/h. Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy measurements based on the lock-in technique were also carried out, and showed no detectable presence of noise from the closed-cycle cryostat. Using this cooling approach, temperatures as low as 16 K at the STM scanner have been achieved, with the complete cool-down of the system typically taking up to 12 h. These results demonstrate that the constructed CCC-coupled STM is a highly stable instrument capable of highly detailed spectroscopic investigations of materials and surfaces at the atomic scale.« less

All-optical lithography process for contacting nanometer precision donor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, D. R.; Marshall, M. T.; Campbell, D. M.; Lu, T. M.; Koepke, J. C.; Scrymgeour, D. A.; Bussmann, E.; Misra, S.

2017-11-01

We describe an all-optical lithography process that can make electrical contact to nanometer-precision donor devices fabricated in silicon using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). This is accomplished by implementing a cleaning procedure in the STM that allows the integration of metal alignment marks and ion-implanted contacts at the wafer level. Low-temperature transport measurements of a patterned device establish the viability of the process.

All-optical lithography process for contacting nanometer precision donor devices

DOE PAGES

Ward, Daniel Robert; Marshall, Michael Thomas; Campbell, DeAnna Marie; ...

2017-11-06

In this article, we describe an all-optical lithography process that can make electrical contact to nanometer-precision donor devices fabricated in silicon using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). This is accomplished by implementing a cleaning procedure in the STM that allows the integration of metal alignment marks and ion-implanted contacts at the wafer level. Low-temperature transport measurements of a patterned device establish the viability of the process.

All-optical lithography process for contacting nanometer precision donor devices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ward, Daniel Robert; Marshall, Michael Thomas; Campbell, DeAnna Marie

In this article, we describe an all-optical lithography process that can make electrical contact to nanometer-precision donor devices fabricated in silicon using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). This is accomplished by implementing a cleaning procedure in the STM that allows the integration of metal alignment marks and ion-implanted contacts at the wafer level. Low-temperature transport measurements of a patterned device establish the viability of the process.

Scanning tunneling microscope with two-dimensional translator.

PubMed

Nichols, J; Ng, K-W

2011-01-01

Since the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), it has been a powerful tool for probing the electronic properties of materials. Typically STM designs capable of obtaining resolution on the atomic scale are limited to a small area which can be probed. We have built an STM capable of coarse motion in two dimensions, the z- and x-directions which are, respectively, parallel and perpendicular to the tip. This allows us to image samples with very high resolution at sites separated by macroscopic distances. This device is a single unit with a compact design making it very stable. It can operate in either a horizontal or vertical configuration and at cryogenic temperatures.

Ordering of Zn-centered porphyrin and phthalocyanine on TiO2(011): STM studies

PubMed Central

Godlewski, Szymon; Such, Bartosz; Pawlak, Rémy; Hinaut, Antoine; Jöhr, Res; Glatzel, Thilo; Meyer, Ernst; Szymonski, Marek

2017-01-01

Zn(II)phthalocyanine molecules (ZnPc) were thermally deposited on a rutile TiO2(011) surface and on Zn(II)meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) wetting layers at room temperature and after elevated temperature thermal processing. The molecular homo- and heterostructures were characterized by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at room temperature and their geometrical arrangement and degree of ordering are compared with the previously studied copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and ZnTPP heterostructures. It was found that the central metal atom may play some role in ordering and growth of phthalocyanine/ZnTPP heterostructures, causing differences in stability of upright standing ZnPc versus CuPc molecular chains at given thermal annealing conditions. PMID:28144569

Structural Transformation of Guanine Coordination Motifs in Water Induced by Metal ions and Temperature.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Jin, Jing; Liu, Xiaoqing; Wang, Li

2018-06-15

The transformation effects of metal ions and temperature on the DNA bases guanine (G) metal-organic coordination motifs in water have been investigated by scanning tunneling microcopy (STM). The G molecules form an ordered hydrogen-bonded structure at the water- highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) interface. The STM observations reveal that the canonical G/9H form can be transformed into the G/(3H, 7H) tautomer by increasing the temperature of the G solution to 38.6oC. Moreover, metal ions bind with G molecules to form G4Fe13+, G3Fe32+ and the heterochiral intermixed G4Na1+ metal-organic networks after the introduction of the alkali-metal ions in cellular environment.

Scanning tunneling microscopy studies of pulse deposition of dinuclear organometallic molecules on Au(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Song; Alex Kandel, S.

2008-01-01

Ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to study trans-[Cl(dppe)2Ru(CC)6Ru(dppe)2Cl] [abbreviated as Ru2, diphenylphosphinoethane (dppe)] on Au(111). This large organometallic molecule was pulse deposited onto the Au(111) surface under ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) conditions. UHV STM studies on the prepared sample were carried out at room temperature and 77K in order to probe molecular adsorption and to characterize the surface produced by the pulse deposition process. Isolated Ru2 molecules were successfully imaged by STM at room temperature; however, STM images were degraded by mobile toluene solvent molecules that remain on the surface after the deposition. Cooling the sample to 77K allows the solvent molecules to be observed directly using STM, and under these conditions, toluene forms organized striped domains with regular domain boundaries and a lattice characterized by 5.3 and 2.7Å intermolecular distances. When methylene chloride is used as the solvent, it forms analogous domains on the surface at 77K. Mild annealing under vacuum causes most toluene molecules to desorb from the surface; however, this annealing process may lead to thermal degradation of Ru2 molecules. Although pulse deposition is an effective way to deposit molecules on surfaces, the presence of solvent on the surface after pulse deposition is unavoidable without thermal annealing, and this annealing may cause undesired chemical changes in the adsorbates under study. Preparation of samples using pulse deposition must take into account the characteristics of sample molecules, solvent, and surfaces.

Method and apparatus for differential spectroscopic atomic-imaging using scanning tunneling microscopy

DOEpatents

Kazmerski, Lawrence L.

1990-01-01

A Method and apparatus for differential spectroscopic atomic-imaging is disclosed for spatial resolution and imaging for display not only individual atoms on a sample surface, but also bonding and the specific atomic species in such bond. The apparatus includes a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) that is modified to include photon biasing, preferably a tuneable laser, modulating electronic surface biasing for the sample, and temperature biasing, preferably a vibration-free refrigerated sample mounting stage. Computer control and data processing and visual display components are also included. The method includes modulating the electronic bias voltage with and without selected photon wavelengths and frequency biasing under a stabilizing (usually cold) bias temperature to detect bonding and specific atomic species in the bonds as the STM rasters the sample. This data is processed along with atomic spatial topography data obtained from the STM raster scan to create a real-time visual image of the atoms on the sample surface.

Ethylene dissociation on flat and stepped Ni(1 1 1): A combined STM and DFT study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vang, Ronnie T.; Honkala, Karoliina; Dahl, Søren; Vestergaard, Ebbe K.; Schnadt, Joachim; Lægsgaard, Erik; Clausen, Bjerne S.; Nørskov, Jens K.; Besenbacher, Flemming

2006-01-01

The dissociative adsorption of ethylene (C 2H 4) on Ni(1 1 1) was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The STM studies reveal that ethylene decomposes exclusively at the step edges at room temperature. However, the step edge sites are poisoned by the reaction products and thus only a small brim of decomposed ethylene is formed. At 500 K decomposition on the (1 1 1) facets leads to a continuous growth of carbidic islands, which nucleate along the step edges. DFT calculations were performed for several intermediate steps in the decomposition of ethylene on both Ni(1 1 1) and the stepped Ni(2 1 1) surface. In general the Ni(2 1 1) surface is found to have a higher reactivity than the Ni(1 1 1) surface. Furthermore, the calculations show that the influence of step edge atoms is very different for the different reaction pathways. In particular the barrier for dissociation is lowered significantly more than the barrier for dehydrogenation, and this is of great importance for the bond-breaking selectivity of Ni surfaces. The influence of step edges was also probed by evaporating Ag onto the Ni(1 1 1) surface. STM shows that the room temperature evaporation leads to a step flow growth of Ag islands, and a subsequent annealing at 800 K causes the Ag atoms to completely wet the step edges of Ni(1 1 1). The blocking of the step edges is shown to prevent all decomposition of ethylene at room temperature, whereas the terrace site decomposition at 500 K is confirmed to be unaffected by the Ag atoms. Finally a high surface area NiAg alloy catalyst supported on MgAl 2O 4 was synthesized and tested in flow reactor measurements. The NiAg catalyst has a much lower activity for ethane hydrogenolysis than a similar Ni catalyst, which can be rationalized by the STM and DFT results.

Spatially Resolved Nano-Scale Characterization of Electronic States in SrTiO3(001) Surfaces by STM/STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwaya, Katsuya; Ohsawa, Takeo; Shimizu, Ryota; Hashizume, Tomihiro; Hitosugi, Taro

2012-02-01

We have performed low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on TiO2-terminated SrTiO3(001) thin film surfaces. The conductance map exhibited electronic modulations that were completely different from the surface structure. We also found that the electronic modulations were strongly dependent on temperature and the density of atomic defects associated with oxygen vacancies. These results suggest the existence of strongly correlated two-dimensional electronic states near the SrTiO3 surface, implying the importance of electron correlation at the interfaces of SrTiO3-related heterostructures.

Strong Temperature Dependence in the Reactivity of H 2 on RuO 2 (110)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henderson, Michael A.; Dahal, Arjun; Dohnálek, Zdenek

2016-08-04

The ability of hydrogen to facilitate many types of heterogeneous catalysis starts with its adsorption. As such, understanding the temperature-dependence sticking of H2 is critical toward controlling and optimizing catalytic conditions in those cases where adsorption is rate-limiting. In this work, we examine the temperature-dependent sticking of H2/D2 to the clean RuO2(110) surface using the King & Wells molecular beam approach, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We show that the sticking probability (molecular or dissociative) of H2/D2 on this surface is highly temperature-dependent, decreasing from ~0.4-0.5 below 25 K to effectively zero above 200 K. Bothmore » STM and TPD reveal that OH/OD formation is severely limited for adsorption temperatures above ~150 K. Previous literature reports of extensive surface hydroxylation from H2/D2 exposures at room temperature were most likely the result of inadvertent contamination brought about from dosing by chamber backfilling.« less

High-stability cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope based on a closed-cycle cryostat.

PubMed

Hackley, Jason D; Kislitsyn, Dmitry A; Beaman, Daniel K; Ulrich, Stefan; Nazin, George V

2014-10-01

We report on the design and operation of a cryogenic ultra-high vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) coupled to a closed-cycle cryostat (CCC). The STM is thermally linked to the CCC through helium exchange gas confined inside a volume enclosed by highly flexible rubber bellows. The STM is thus mechanically decoupled from the CCC, which results in a significant reduction of the mechanical noise transferred from the CCC to the STM. Noise analysis of the tunneling current shows current fluctuations up to 4% of the total current, which translates into tip-sample distance variations of up to 1.5 picometers. This noise level is sufficiently low for atomic-resolution imaging of a wide variety of surfaces. To demonstrate this, atomic-resolution images of Au(111) and NaCl(100)/Au(111) surfaces, as well as of carbon nanotubes deposited on Au(111), were obtained. Thermal drift analysis showed that under optimized conditions, the lateral stability of the STM scanner can be as low as 0.18 Å/h. Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy measurements based on the lock-in technique were also carried out, and showed no detectable presence of noise from the closed-cycle cryostat. Using this cooling approach, temperatures as low as 16 K at the STM scanner have been achieved, with the complete cool-down of the system typically taking up to 12 h. These results demonstrate that the constructed CCC-coupled STM is a highly stable instrument capable of highly detailed spectroscopic investigations of materials and surfaces at the atomic scale.

Water-Mediated Proton Hopping on an Iron Oxide Surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Merte, L. R.; Peng, Guowen; Bechstein, Ralf

2012-05-18

The diffusion of hydrogen atoms across solid oxide surfaces is often assumed to be accelerated by the presence of water molecules. Here we present a high-resolution, high-speed scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of the diffusion of H atoms on an FeO thin film. STM movies directly reveal a water-mediated hydrogen diffusion mechanism on the oxide surface at temperatures between 100 and 300 kelvin. Density functional theory calculations and isotope-exchange experiments confirm the STM observations, and a proton-transfer mechanism that proceeds via an H3O+-like transition state is revealed. This mechanism differs from that observed previously for rutile TiO2(110), where water dissociationmore » is a key step in proton diffusion.« less

Initial stages of Lutetium growth on Si (111)-7 × 7 probed by STM and core-level photoelectron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smykalla, Lars; Shukrynau, Pavel; Hietschold, Michael

2017-09-01

The interaction of small amounts of Lutetium with the Si (111)-7 × 7 reconstructed surface was investigated in detail using a combination of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS and UPS). Various immobile and also fastly moving atoms and nanocluster were found in the initial growth of the Lu/Si interface. Density functional theory calculations and photoelectron spectroscopy results suggest that the most attractive adsorption sites for the Lu atoms are basins around Si rest-atoms and there is no strong interaction between Lu and Si at the initial steps of film growth. However Lu nanocluster could also be found on other adsorption sites which results in a different voltage dependence in STM. Coverage-dependent STM images reveal the growth of a closed Lu metal overlayer by joining of the clusters. The existence of a stoichiometric Lu silicide compound was not detected on the surface in the initial growth for deposition at room temperature.

Ultra low signals in ballistic electron emission microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heller, Eric

The extension of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy known as Ballistic Electron Emission Microscopy (BEEM) was expanded to allow useful data collection at lower signal levels than previously possible, and a critical BEEM shortcoming was discovered and quantified. As a separate effort, a new method for measuring SB-type step energies on Si(001) SA-type steps that under some circumstances is more accurate than previous methods was used and will be presented. Finally, extensive modifications to a Scanning Tunneling Microscope used for most of this research will be presented. First, it will be shown theoretically and experimentally that by amplifying the hot BEEM electrons that make up the useful BEEM signal before they are thermalized, internal gain can be applied specifically to these electrons without amplifying standard BEEM noise sources. It will be shown that BEEM with single hot electron sensitivity (approximately a factor of 1000 improvement in the minimum detectable BEEM signal) is attainable with modified commercially existing avalanche photodiodes. With this new low-signal capability, it was obvious that a new BEEM-like signal was being detected. We have discovered that photons generated by STM tunneling will create a false signal in most BEEM samples. Furthermore, we have characterized this effect which we call "STM-PC" and it will be demonstrated with Pd/SiO2/Si and Au/SiO2/Si samples that this false signal closely mimics BEEM and is easily confused for BEEM. We will discuss ways to separate real BEEM from this new effect. Separately, thermally generated kinks on A-type steps on the Si(001) surface were counted and analyzed to find the SB-type step energy. Previous work by others was extended by counting a new type of feature, the "switch" kink, to allow a more accurate determination of the energy of SB-steps in the presence of defects that can bow steps and cause non-thermal kinks. Considerable data collection along with this new extension allowed a more accurate determination of the SB-type kink energy than before and the first experimental evidence that it increases with tensile strain on the Si(001) surface. Modifications to an Omicron Variable Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscope (VT-STM) will be presented. The VT-STM will be moved to the Electrical Engineering Department cleanroom of The Ohio State University and will allow in-situ studies of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) grown samples. Modifications, repairs, and operating procedures will be discussed for the VT-STM and supporting hardware. Last, work on Low Temperature Grown Gallium Arsenide (LTG-GaAs) will be presented. The ultimate goal of detecting mm-scale arsenic precipitates that form with annealing using BEEM was not successful. Precipitates were imaged with atomic force microscopy, but these same precipitates are not seen with BEEM under some conditions.

Temperature Driven Topological Switch in 1T'-MoTe2 and Strain Induced Nematicity in NaFeAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Ayelet Denise Notis

Quasiparticle interference (QPI) is a powerful technique within Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) that is used to probe the electronic bandstructure of materials. This thesis presents two examples using QPI to measure the bandstructure in materials with exotic electronic states that can be tuned via outside parameters (temperature and strain). In Part I of the thesis, we discuss the temperature dependence of Fermi Arcs in 1T'-MoTe 2, and then in Part II, the strain dependent nematic state in NaFeAs. The recent discovery of Weyl semimetals has introduced a new family of materials with topologically protected electronic properties and potential applications due to their anomalous transport effects. Even more useful is a Weyl semimetal that can be turned "on" and "off," switching between a topological and trivial state. One possible material is MoTe2, which undergoes a phase transition at 240K. This thesis consists of experiments using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Spectroscopy (STS) at different temperatures to visualize changes in the electronic bandstructure of MoTe2 across the topological phase transition. We show that a signature of topologically protected Fermi Arcs is present at low temperatures but disappears at room temperature, in the trivial phase. We include an in-depth discussion of how to account for thermal effects when comparing these two types of measurements. In Part II, we discuss strain induced nematicity in NaFeAs, an iron pnictide. Nematic fluctuations and spin correlations play an important role in the phase diagram of the iron pnictides, a family of unconventional superconductors. Illuminating the mechanism behind this symmetry breaking is key to understanding the superconducting state. Previous work has shown that nematicity in the iron pnictides responds strongly to applied strain [1, 2]. In this thesis, I present results from a new experimental technique, elasto-scanning tunneling microscopy (E-STM), which combines in situ strain and atomic resolution STM/STS. For the first time, we are able to observe the effects of strain on nematicity at the local level. We perform E-STM measurements in both the spin density wave phase and the tetragonal phase of NaFeAs and measure a distinct response in each. We successfully use strain to manipulate domain boundaries in the spin density wave state and we find the intensity of nematic fluctuations is coupled to strain in NaFeAs in the tetragonal phase.

The color temperature of (2060) Chiron: A warm and small nucleus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campins, H.; Telesco, C. M.; Osip, D. J.; Rieke, G. H.; Rieke, M. J.; Schulz, B.

1994-01-01

We present three sets of thermal-infrared observations of (2060) Chiron, obtained in 1991, 1993, and 1994. These observations allow the first estimates of the color temperature of Chiron as well as refined estimates of the radius and albedo of its nucleus. 10/20 micrometer color temperatures of 126(sub -6 sup +11) and 137(sub -9 sup +14) K are obtained from the 1993 and 1994 observations, respectively. These temperatures are consistent with the Standard Thermal Model (STM; Lebofsky & Spencer, 1989), but significantly higher than those predicted by the Isothermal Latitude Model. Our estimates of Chiron's radius based on the STM are in agreement with each other, with the observations of Lebofsky et al. (1984), and with recent occultation results (Buie et al., (1993). We obtained values for the radius of 74 +/- 11 km in 1991, 88 +/- 10 and 104 +/- 10 km in 1993, and, 94 +/- 6 and 91 +/- 13 km in 1994.

Single molecule junction conductance and binding geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamenetska, Maria

This Thesis addresses the fundamental problem of controlling transport through a metal-organic interface by studying electronic and mechanical properties of single organic molecule-metal junctions. Using a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) we image, probe energy-level alignment and perform STM-based break junction (BJ) measurements on molecules bound to a gold surface. Using Scanning Tunneling Microscope-based break-junction (STM-BJ) techniques, we explore the effect of binding geometry on single-molecule conductance by varying the structure of the molecules, metal-molecule binding chemistry and by applying sub-nanometer manipulation control to the junction. These experiments are performed both in ambient conditions and in ultra high vacuum (UHV) at cryogenic temperatures. First, using STM imaging and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements we explore binding configurations and electronic properties of an amine-terminated benzene derivative on gold. We find that details of metal-molecule binding affect energy-level alignment at the interface. Next, using the STM-BJ technique, we form and rupture metal-molecule-metal junctions ˜104 times to obtain conductance-vs-extension curves and extract most likely conductance values for each molecule. With these measurements, we demonstrated that the control of junction conductance is possible through a choice of metal-molecule binding chemistry and sub-nanometer positioning. First, we show that molecules terminated with amines, sulfides and phosphines bind selectively on gold and therefore demonstrate constant conductance levels even as the junction is elongated and the metal-molecule attachment point is modified. Such well-defined conductance is also obtained with paracyclophane molecules which bind to gold directly through the pi system. Next, we are able to create metal-molecule-metal junctions with more than one reproducible conductance signatures that can be accessed by changing junction geometry. In the case of pyridine-linked molecules, conductance can be reliably switched between two distinct conductance states using sub-nanometer mechanical manipulation. Using a methyl sulfide linker attached to an oligoene backbone, we are able to create a 3-nm-long molecular potentiometer, whose resistance can be tuned exponentially with Angstom-scale modulations in metal-molecule configuration. These experiments points to a new paradigm for attaining reproducible electrical characteristics of metal-organic devices which involves controlling linker-metal chemistry rather than fabricating identically structured metal-molecule interfaces. By choosing a linker group which is either insensitive to or responds reproducibly to changes in metal-molecule configuration, one can design single molecule devices with functionality more complex than a simple resistor. These ambient temperature experiments were combined with UHV conductance measurements performed in a commercial STM on amine-terminated benzene derivatives which conduct through a non-resonant tunneling mechanism, at temperatures varying from 5 to 300 Kelvin. Our results indicate that while amine-gold binding remains selective irrespective of environment, conductance is not temperature independent, in contrast to what is expected for a tunneling mechanism. Furthermore, using temperature-dependent measurements in ambient conditions we find that HOMO-conducting amines and LUMO-conducting pyridines show opposite dependence of conductance on temperature. These results indicate that energy-level alignment between the molecule and the electrodes changes as a result of varying electrode structure at different temperatures. We find that temperature can serve as a knob with which to tune transport properties of single molecule-metal junctions.

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy studies of the heavy-electron superconductor TlNi2Se2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilfert, Stefan; Schmitt, Martin; Schmidt, Henrik; Mauerer, Tobias; Sessi, Paolo; Wang, Hangdong; Mao, Qianhui; Fang, Minghu; Bode, Matthias

2018-01-01

We report on the structural and superconducting electronic properties of the heavy-electron superconductor TlNi2Se2 . By using a variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (VT-STM) the coexistence of (√{2 }×√{2 }) R 45∘ and (2 ×1 ) surface reconstructions is observed. Similar to earlier observations on the "122" family of Fe-based superconductors, we find that their respective surface fraction strongly depends on the temperature during cleavage, the measurement temperature, and the sample's history. Cleaving at low temperature predominantly results in the (√{2 }×√{2 }) R 45∘ -reconstructed surface. A detailed analysis of the (√{2 }×√{2 }) R 45∘ -reconstructed domains identifies (2 ×1 ) -ordered dimers, tertramers, and higher order even multimers as domain walls. Higher cleaving temperatures and the warming of low-temperature-cleaved samples increases the relative weight of the (2 ×1 ) surface reconstruction. By slowly increasing the sample temperature Ts inside the VT-STM we find that the (√{2 }×√{2 }) R 45∘ surface reconstructions transforms into the (2 ×1 ) structure at Ts=123 K. We identify the polar nature of the TlNi2Se2 (001) surface as the most probable driving mechanism of the two reconstructions, as both lead to a charge density ρ =0.5 e- , thereby avoiding divergent electrostatic potentials and the resulting "polar catastrophe." Low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) performed with normal metal and superconducting probe tips shows a superconducting gap which is best fit with an isotropic s wave. We could not detect any correlation between the local surface reconstruction, suggesting that the superconductivity is predominantly governed by TlNi2Se2 bulk properties. Correspondingly, temperature- and field-dependent data reveal that both the critical temperature and critical magnetic field are in good agreement with bulk values obtained earlier from transport measurements. In the superconducting state the formation of an Abrikosov lattice is observed without any zero bias anomaly at the vortex core.

Short-term memory and long-term memory are still different.

PubMed

Norris, Dennis

2017-09-01

A commonly expressed view is that short-term memory (STM) is nothing more than activated long-term memory. If true, this would overturn a central tenet of cognitive psychology-the idea that there are functionally and neurobiologically distinct short- and long-term stores. Here I present an updated case for a separation between short- and long-term stores, focusing on the computational demands placed on any STM system. STM must support memory for previously unencountered information, the storage of multiple tokens of the same type, and variable binding. None of these can be achieved simply by activating long-term memory. For example, even a simple sequence of digits such as "1, 3, 1" where there are 2 tokens of the digit "1" cannot be stored in the correct order simply by activating the representations of the digits "1" and "3" in LTM. I also review recent neuroimaging data that has been presented as evidence that STM is activated LTM and show that these data are exactly what one would expect to see based on a conventional 2-store view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Short-Term Memory and Long-Term Memory are Still Different

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

A commonly expressed view is that short-term memory (STM) is nothing more than activated long-term memory. If true, this would overturn a central tenet of cognitive psychology—the idea that there are functionally and neurobiologically distinct short- and long-term stores. Here I present an updated case for a separation between short- and long-term stores, focusing on the computational demands placed on any STM system. STM must support memory for previously unencountered information, the storage of multiple tokens of the same type, and variable binding. None of these can be achieved simply by activating long-term memory. For example, even a simple sequence of digits such as “1, 3, 1” where there are 2 tokens of the digit “1” cannot be stored in the correct order simply by activating the representations of the digits “1” and “3” in LTM. I also review recent neuroimaging data that has been presented as evidence that STM is activated LTM and show that these data are exactly what one would expect to see based on a conventional 2-store view. PMID:28530428

STM/STS investigation of edge structure in epitaxial graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridene, M.; Girard, J. C.; Travers, L.; David, C.; Ouerghi, A.

2012-08-01

In this paper, we have used low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (LT-STM/STS) to study zigzag or armchair edges of epitaxial graphene on 6H-SiC (0001). The monolayer carbon structures exhibit occasionally one-dimensional ridge (1D) in close vicinity to step edge. This ridge exhibits different edges orientations in armchair-zigzag transition which give rise to different local density of states (LDOS) along this 1D structure. This ridge formation is likely explained by residual compressive in-plane stresses.

Design of PID temperature control system based on STM32

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianxin; Li, Hailin; Ma, Kai; Xue, Liang; Han, Bianhua; Dong, Yuemeng; Tan, Yue; Gu, Chengru

2018-03-01

A rapid and high-accuracy temperature control system was designed using proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm with STM32 as micro-controller unit (MCU). The temperature control system can be applied in the fields which have high requirements on the response speed and accuracy of temperature control. The temperature acquisition circuit in system adopted Pt1000 resistance thermometer as temperature sensor. Through this acquisition circuit, the monitoring actual temperature signal could be converted into voltage signal and transmitted into MCU. A TLP521-1 photoelectric coupler was matched with BD237 power transistor to drive the thermoelectric cooler (TEC) in FTA951 module. The effective electric power of TEC was controlled by the pulse width modulation (PWM) signals which generated by MCU. The PWM signal parameters could be adjusted timely by PID algorithm according to the difference between monitoring actual temperature and set temperature. The upper computer was used to input the set temperature and monitor the system running state via serial port. The application experiment results show that the temperature control system is featured by simple structure, rapid response speed, good stability and high temperature control accuracy with the error less than ±0.5°C.

Combined low-temperature scanning tunneling/atomic force microscope for atomic resolution imaging and site-specific force spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schwarz, Udo; Albers, Boris J.; Liebmann, Marcus

2008-02-27

The authors present the design and first results of a low-temperature, ultrahigh vacuum scanning probe microscope enabling atomic resolution imaging in both scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) modes. A tuning-fork-based sensor provides flexibility in selecting probe tip materials, which can be either metallic or nonmetallic. When choosing a conducting tip and sample, simultaneous STM/NC-AFM data acquisition is possible. Noticeable characteristics that distinguish this setup from similar systems providing simultaneous STM/NC-AFM capabilities are its combination of relative compactness (on-top bath cryostat needs no pit), in situ exchange of tip and sample at low temperatures, short turnaroundmore » times, modest helium consumption, and unrestricted access from dedicated flanges. The latter permits not only the optical surveillance of the tip during approach but also the direct deposition of molecules or atoms on either tip or sample while they remain cold. Atomic corrugations as low as 1 pm could successfully be resolved. In addition, lateral drifts rates of below 15 pm/h allow long-term data acquisition series and the recording of site-specific spectroscopy maps. Results obtained on Cu(111) and graphite illustrate the microscope's performance.« less

Shutter heating system of Antarctic bright star survey telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jie; Dong, Shucheng; Jiang, Fengxin; Zhang, Hongfei; Wang, Jian

2016-07-01

A heat preservation system for mechanical shutter in Antarctic is introduced in the paper. The system consists of the heat preservation chamber, the host controller STM32F103C8T6 with peripheral circuit and the control algorithm. The whole design is carried out on the basis of the low temperature requirement, including the cavity structure and thermal insulation. The heat preservation chamber is used to keep the shutter warm and support the weight of the camera. Using PT100 as the temperature sensor, the signal processing circuit converts the temperature to the voltage which is then digitized by the 12 bit ADC in the STM32. The host controller transforms the voltage data into temperature, and through the tuning of the Fussy PID algorithm which controls the duty cycle of the MOSFET, the temperature control of chamber is realized. The System has been tested in the cryogenic environment for a long time, with characteristic of low temperature resistance, small volume, high accuracy of temperature control as well as remote control and detection.

Quantum tunneling in real space: Tautomerization of single porphycene molecules on the (111) surface of Cu, Ag, and Au.

PubMed

Kumagai, Takashi; Ladenthin, Janina N; Litman, Yair; Rossi, Mariana; Grill, Leonhard; Gawinkowski, Sylwester; Waluk, Jacek; Persson, Mats

2018-03-14

Tautomerization in single porphycene molecules is investigated on Cu(111), Ag(111), and Au(111) surfaces by a combination of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is revealed that the trans configuration is the thermodynamically stable form of porphycene on Cu(111) and Ag(111), whereas the cis configuration occurs as a meta-stable form. The trans → cis or cis → trans conversion on Cu(111) can be induced in an unidirectional fashion by injecting tunneling electrons from the STM tip or heating the surface, respectively. We find that the cis ↔ cis tautomerization on Cu(111) occurs spontaneously via tunneling, verified by the negligible temperature dependence of the tautomerization rate below ∼23 K. Van der Waals corrected DFT calculations are used to characterize the adsorption structures of porphycene and to map the potential energy surface of the tautomerization on Cu(111). The calculated barriers are too high to be thermally overcome at cryogenic temperatures used in the experiment and zero-point energy corrections do not change this picture, leaving tunneling as the most likely mechanism. On Ag(111), the reversible trans ↔ cis conversion occurs spontaneously at 5 K and the cis ↔ cis tautomerization rate is much higher than on Cu(111), indicating a significantly smaller tautomerization barrier on Ag(111) due to the weaker interaction between porphycene and the surface compared to Cu(111). Additionally, the STM experiments and DFT calculations reveal that tautomerization on Cu(111) and Ag(111) occurs with migration of porphycene along the surface; thus, the translational motion couples with the tautomerization coordinate. On the other hand, the trans and cis configurations are not discernible in the STM image and no tautomerization is observed for porphycene on Au(111). The weak interaction of porphycene with Au(111) is closest to the gas-phase limit and therefore the absence of trans and cis configurations in the STM images is explained either by the rapid tautomerization rate or the similar character of the molecular frontier orbitals of the trans and cis configurations.

Quantum tunneling in real space: Tautomerization of single porphycene molecules on the (111) surface of Cu, Ag, and Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Takashi; Ladenthin, Janina N.; Litman, Yair; Rossi, Mariana; Grill, Leonhard; Gawinkowski, Sylwester; Waluk, Jacek; Persson, Mats

2018-03-01

Tautomerization in single porphycene molecules is investigated on Cu(111), Ag(111), and Au(111) surfaces by a combination of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is revealed that the trans configuration is the thermodynamically stable form of porphycene on Cu(111) and Ag(111), whereas the cis configuration occurs as a meta-stable form. The trans → cis or cis → trans conversion on Cu(111) can be induced in an unidirectional fashion by injecting tunneling electrons from the STM tip or heating the surface, respectively. We find that the cis ↔ cis tautomerization on Cu(111) occurs spontaneously via tunneling, verified by the negligible temperature dependence of the tautomerization rate below ˜23 K. Van der Waals corrected DFT calculations are used to characterize the adsorption structures of porphycene and to map the potential energy surface of the tautomerization on Cu(111). The calculated barriers are too high to be thermally overcome at cryogenic temperatures used in the experiment and zero-point energy corrections do not change this picture, leaving tunneling as the most likely mechanism. On Ag(111), the reversible trans ↔ cis conversion occurs spontaneously at 5 K and the cis ↔ cis tautomerization rate is much higher than on Cu(111), indicating a significantly smaller tautomerization barrier on Ag(111) due to the weaker interaction between porphycene and the surface compared to Cu(111). Additionally, the STM experiments and DFT calculations reveal that tautomerization on Cu(111) and Ag(111) occurs with migration of porphycene along the surface; thus, the translational motion couples with the tautomerization coordinate. On the other hand, the trans and cis configurations are not discernible in the STM image and no tautomerization is observed for porphycene on Au(111). The weak interaction of porphycene with Au(111) is closest to the gas-phase limit and therefore the absence of trans and cis configurations in the STM images is explained either by the rapid tautomerization rate or the similar character of the molecular frontier orbitals of the trans and cis configurations.

Analyzing optical properties of thin vanadium oxide films through semiconductor-to-metal phase transition using spectroscopic ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jianing; Pribil, Greg K.

2017-11-01

We investigated the optical behaviors of vanadium dioxide (VO2) films through the semiconductor-to-metal (STM) phase transition using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Correlations between film thickness and refractive index were observed resulting from the absorbing nature of these films. Simultaneously analyzing data at multiple temperatures using Kramers-Kronig consistent oscillator models help identify film thickness. Nontrivial variations in resulting optical constants were observed through STM transition. As temperature increases, a clear increase is observed in near infrared absorption due to Drude losses that accompany the transition from semiconducting to metallic phases. Thin films grown on silicon and sapphire substrate present different optical properties and thermal hysteresis due to lattice stress and compositional differences.

Cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope with a magnetic coarse approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davydov, D. N.; Deltour, R.; Horii, N.; Timofeev, V. A.; Grokholski, A. S.

1993-11-01

A compact, rigid, and reliable cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope (CSTM) with a vertical electromagnetic coarse approach system was developed. This device can be used for topographic and local tunneling spectroscopy studies at liquid nitrogen and helium temperatures. Minimal step sizes of 28 nm for the electromagnetic translation device were achieved. The additional possibility of a coarse approach operation in the inertial slip-stick mode, without electromagnets, was successfully tested, making this STM compatible with external magnetic fields. A simple technique for characterizing the STM rigidity has been developed. Preliminary data, taken with this instrument are presented, demonstrating the achievement, at liquid helium temperature, of atomic resolution for topographic studies, and also the possibility of measuring simultaneously superconducting energy gap spectra.

Facility for low-temperature spin-polarized-scanning tunneling microscopy studies of magnetic/spintronic materials prepared in situ by nitride molecular beam epitaxy.

PubMed

Lin, Wenzhi; Foley, Andrew; Alam, Khan; Wang, Kangkang; Liu, Yinghao; Chen, Tianjiao; Pak, Jeongihm; Smith, Arthur R

2014-04-01

Based on the interest in, as well as exciting outlook for, nitride semiconductor based structures with regard to electronic, optoelectronic, and spintronic applications, it is compelling to investigate these systems using the powerful technique of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), a technique capable of achieving magnetic resolution down to the atomic scale. However, the delicate surfaces of these materials are easily corrupted by in-air transfers, making it unfeasible to study them in stand-alone ultra-high vacuum STM facilities. Therefore, we have carried out the development of a hybrid system including a nitrogen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy/pulsed laser epitaxy facility for sample growth combined with a low-temperature, spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope system. The custom-designed molecular beam epitaxy growth system supports up to eight sources, including up to seven effusion cells plus a radio frequency nitrogen plasma source, for epitaxially growing a variety of materials, such as nitride semiconductors, magnetic materials, and their hetero-structures, and also incorporating in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction. The growth system also enables integration of pulsed laser epitaxy. The STM unit has a modular design, consisting of an upper body and a lower body. The upper body contains the coarse approach mechanism and the scanner unit, while the lower body accepts molecular beam epitaxy grown samples using compression springs and sample skis. The design of the system employs two stages of vibration isolation as well as a layer of acoustic noise isolation in order to reduce noise during STM measurements. This isolation allows the system to effectively acquire STM data in a typical lab space, which during its construction had no special and highly costly elements included, (such as isolated slabs) which would lower the environmental noise. The design further enables tip exchange and tip coating without breaking vacuum, and convenient visual access to the sample and tip inside a superconducting magnet cryostat. A sample/tip handling system is optimized for both the molecular beam epitaxy growth system and the scanning tunneling microscope system. The sample/tip handing system enables in situ STM studies on epitaxially grown samples, and tip exchange in the superconducting magnet cryostat. The hybrid molecular beam epitaxy and low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy system is capable of growing semiconductor-based hetero-structures with controlled accuracy down to a single atomic-layer and imaging them down to atomic resolution.

Verbal short-term memory development and spoken language outcomes in deaf children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Harris, Michael S; Kronenberger, William G; Gao, Sujuan; Hoen, Helena M; Miyamoto, Richard T; Pisoni, David B

2013-01-01

Cochlear implants (CIs) help many deaf children achieve near-normal speech and language (S/L) milestones. Nevertheless, high levels of unexplained variability in S/L outcomes are limiting factors in improving the effectiveness of CIs in deaf children. The objective of this study was to longitudinally assess the role of verbal short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) capacity as a progress-limiting source of variability in S/L outcomes after CI in children. Longitudinal study of 66 children with CIs for prelingual severe-to-profound hearing loss. Outcome measures included performance on digit span forward (DSF), digit span backward (DSB), and four conventional S/L measures that examined spoken-word recognition (Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten word test), receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test ), sentence-recognition skills (Hearing in Noise Test), and receptive and expressive language functioning (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Fourth Edition Core Language Score; CELF). Growth curves for DSF and DSB in the CI sample over time were comparable in slope, but consistently lagged in magnitude relative to norms for normal-hearing peers of the same age. For DSF and DSB, 50.5% and 44.0%, respectively, of the CI sample scored more than 1 SD below the normative mean for raw scores across all ages. The first (baseline) DSF score significantly predicted all endpoint scores for the four S/L measures, and DSF slope (growth) over time predicted CELF scores. DSF baseline and slope accounted for an additional 13 to 31% of variance in S/L scores after controlling for conventional predictor variables such as: chronological age at time of testing, age at time of implantation, communication mode (auditory-oral communication versus total communication), and maternal education. Only DSB baseline scores predicted endpoint language scores on Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and CELF. DSB slopes were not significantly related to any endpoint S/L measures. DSB baseline scores and slopes taken together accounted for an additional 4 to 19% of variance in S/L endpoint measures after controlling for the conventional predictor variables. Verbal STM/WM scores, process measures of information capacity, develop at an average rate in the years after cochlear implantation, but were found to consistently lag in absolute magnitude behind those reported for normal-hearing peers. Baseline verbal STM/WM predicted long-term endpoint S/L outcomes, but verbal STM slopes predicted only endpoint language outcomes. Verbal STM/WM processing skills reflect important underlying core elementary neurocognitive functions and represent potential intervention targets for improving endpoint S/L outcomes in pediatric CI users.

A combined scanning tunneling microscope-atomic layer deposition tool.

PubMed

Mack, James F; Van Stockum, Philip B; Iwadate, Hitoshi; Prinz, Fritz B

2011-12-01

We have built a combined scanning tunneling microscope-atomic layer deposition (STM-ALD) tool that performs in situ imaging of deposition. It operates from room temperature up to 200 °C, and at pressures from 1 × 10(-6) Torr to 1 × 10(-2) Torr. The STM-ALD system has a complete passive vibration isolation system that counteracts both seismic and acoustic excitations. The instrument can be used as an observation tool to monitor the initial growth phases of ALD in situ, as well as a nanofabrication tool by applying an electric field with the tip to laterally pattern deposition. In this paper, we describe the design of the tool and demonstrate its capability for atomic resolution STM imaging, atomic layer deposition, and the combination of the two techniques for in situ characterization of deposition.

Intrinsic Josephson junction behaviour of the low Tc superconductor (LaSe) 1.14(NbSe 2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kačmarčík, J.; Szabó, P.; Samuely, P.; Rodrigo, J. G.; Suderow, H.; Vieira, S.; Lafond, A.; Meerschaut, A.

2008-04-01

Interlayer magnetotransport measurements on the highly anisotropic (LaSe)1.14(NbSe2) superconductor with Tc ∼ 1.2 K have indicated that this layered compound represents a model system of intrinsic Josephson junctions [P. Szabó et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 86 (2001) 5990]. Scanning tunneling microscopy at room temperature and tunneling spectroscopy measurements at very low temperatures are presented in this work. STM imaging has revealed the presence of two types of surfaces which can be attributed to the appearance of LaSe or NbSe2 layers on the surface. The use of STM tip made of superconducting lead enabled a precise measurement of the temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap Δ(T) on the NbSe2 layer. Δ(T) obtained from the surface sensitive STS data support the scenario obtained from our previous interlayer - ergo bulk sensitive magnetotransport measurements.

A comprehensive study of catalytic, morphological and electronic properties of ligand-protected gold nanoclusters using XPS, STM, XAFS, and TPD techniques

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Qiyuan; Cen, Jiajie; Zhao, Yue

Ultra-small gold nanoclusters were synthesized via a ligand exchange method and deposited onto different TiO2 supports to study their properties. STM imaging revealed that the as-synthesized gold nanoclusters had 2-D morphology consisting of monolayers of gold atoms. In conclusion, subsequent XPS, XAFS, and CO oxidation TPD results indicated that heat treatments of gold clusters at different temperatures significantly altered their electronic and catalytic properties due to ligand deprotection and cluster agglomeration.

STM/STS on proximity-coupled superconducting graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovadia, Maoz; Ji, Yu; Lee, Gil-Ho; Fang, Wenjing; Hoffman, Jennifer; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo; Kong, Jing; Kim, Philip

Graphene in good electrical contact with a superconductor has been observed to have an enhanced proximity effect. Application of a magnetic field is expected to generate an Abrikosov lattice of superconducting vortices, each containing Andreev bound states in its core. With our versatile, homebuilt, low temperature scanning tunneling force microscope (STM/SFM), we investigate the electronic properties of graphene on superconducting NbSe2 in a magnetic field and search for signatures of these vortex core states. This work was supported by the STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, NSF Grant No. DMR-1231319.

STM/STS on proximity-coupled superconducting graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovadia, Maoz; Ji, Yu; Hoffman, Jennifer; Wang, Joel I.-Jan; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo

2015-03-01

Graphene in good electrical contact with a superconductor has been observed to have an enhanced proximity effect. Application of a magnetic field is expected to generate an Abrikosov lattice of superconducting vortices, each containing Andreev bound states in its core. With our versatile, homebuilt, low temperature scanning tunneling force microscope (STM/SFM), we investigate the electronic properties of graphene on superconducting NbSe2 in a magnetic field and search for signatures of these vortex core states. This work was supported by the STC Center for Integrated Quantum Materials, NSF Grant No. DMR-1231319.

A comprehensive study of catalytic, morphological and electronic properties of ligand-protected gold nanoclusters using XPS, STM, XAFS, and TPD techniques

DOE PAGES

Wu, Qiyuan; Cen, Jiajie; Zhao, Yue; ...

2017-12-08

Ultra-small gold nanoclusters were synthesized via a ligand exchange method and deposited onto different TiO2 supports to study their properties. STM imaging revealed that the as-synthesized gold nanoclusters had 2-D morphology consisting of monolayers of gold atoms. In conclusion, subsequent XPS, XAFS, and CO oxidation TPD results indicated that heat treatments of gold clusters at different temperatures significantly altered their electronic and catalytic properties due to ligand deprotection and cluster agglomeration.

Interaction between perylene-derivated molecules observed by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernisse, Loranne; Guillermet, Olivier; Gourdon, André; Coratger, Roland

2018-03-01

Derivative perylene molecules deposited on Ag(111) and on NaCl(001) ultrathin layers have been investigated using low temperature STM and NC-AFM. When the metallic substrate is held at ambient temperature during evaporation, the molecules form characteristic trimers on the Ag(111) surface and interact through their polar groups. Close to the steps, the molecules form linear structures and seems to stand side by side. On the other hand, after deposition on a substrate cooled at liquid helium temperature, single molecules are observed both on metal and on NaCl. On the ultrathin insulator layers, the STM images present characteristic contrasts related to the molecular orbitals which favors the localization of aldehyde groups. In this case, the lateral molecular interactions may induce the formation of small assemblies in which the electronic levels are slightly shifted. A possible interpretation of this phenomenon is to take into account polar interactions and charge transfer between neighboring molecules.

Spectrotemporal Modulation Sensitivity as a Predictor of Speech Intelligibility for Hearing-Impaired Listeners

PubMed Central

Bernstein, Joshua G.W.; Mehraei, Golbarg; Shamma, Shihab; Gallun, Frederick J.; Theodoroff, Sarah M.; Leek, Marjorie R.

2014-01-01

Background A model that can accurately predict speech intelligibility for a given hearing-impaired (HI) listener would be an important tool for hearing-aid fitting or hearing-aid algorithm development. Existing speech-intelligibility models do not incorporate variability in suprathreshold deficits that are not well predicted by classical audiometric measures. One possible approach to the incorporation of such deficits is to base intelligibility predictions on sensitivity to simultaneously spectrally and temporally modulated signals. Purpose The likelihood of success of this approach was evaluated by comparing estimates of spectrotemporal modulation (STM) sensitivity to speech intelligibility and to psychoacoustic estimates of frequency selectivity and temporal fine-structure (TFS) sensitivity across a group of HI listeners. Research Design The minimum modulation depth required to detect STM applied to an 86 dB SPL four-octave noise carrier was measured for combinations of temporal modulation rate (4, 12, or 32 Hz) and spectral modulation density (0.5, 1, 2, or 4 cycles/octave). STM sensitivity estimates for individual HI listeners were compared to estimates of frequency selectivity (measured using the notched-noise method at 500, 1000measured using the notched-noise method at 500, 2000, and 4000 Hz), TFS processing ability (2 Hz frequency-modulation detection thresholds for 500, 10002 Hz frequency-modulation detection thresholds for 500, 2000, and 4000 Hz carriers) and sentence intelligibility in noise (at a 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio) that were measured for the same listeners in a separate study. Study Sample Eight normal-hearing (NH) listeners and 12 listeners with a diagnosis of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss participated. Data Collection and Analysis STM sensitivity was compared between NH and HI listener groups using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. A stepwise regression analysis compared STM sensitivity for individual HI listeners to audiometric thresholds, age, and measures of frequency selectivity and TFS processing ability. A second stepwise regression analysis compared speech intelligibility to STM sensitivity and the audiogram-based Speech Intelligibility Index. Results STM detection thresholds were elevated for the HI listeners, but only for low rates and high densities. STM sensitivity for individual HI listeners was well predicted by a combination of estimates of frequency selectivity at 4000 Hz and TFS sensitivity at 500 Hz but was unrelated to audiometric thresholds. STM sensitivity accounted for an additional 40% of the variance in speech intelligibility beyond the 40% accounted for by the audibility-based Speech Intelligibility Index. Conclusions Impaired STM sensitivity likely results from a combination of a reduced ability to resolve spectral peaks and a reduced ability to use TFS information to follow spectral-peak movements. Combining STM sensitivity estimates with audiometric threshold measures for individual HI listeners provided a more accurate prediction of speech intelligibility than audiometric measures alone. These results suggest a significant likelihood of success for an STM-based model of speech intelligibility for HI listeners. PMID:23636210

Extracting the Bosonic Spectra of Pb Using Superconducting-Tip STS and Comparing it with the Cuprates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niestemski, F. C.; Johnston, S.; Contryman, A. W.; Camp, C. D.; Devereaux, T. P.; Manoharan, H. C.

2012-02-01

In high-temperature superconductors the meaning of the common feature labeled ``peak-dip-hump'' is still a point of great debate. In terms of scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) this refers to the shape of satellite features that occur outside the coherence peaks in the dI/dV spectra. There are many conflicting interpretations and labeling schemes for this feature in both the hole- and electron-doped cuprates. The path to resolving this confusion is to study a well-understood BCS superconductor to better observe the way that the STM measures bosonic information. Utilizing the ultra-low electronic noise of our home-built low-temperature STM, and utilizing a superconducting tip for increased spectral resolution, we recreate the original McMillan and Rowell S-I-S junctionootnotetextW. L. McMillan and J. M. Rowell Phys. Rev. Lett., 14, 108-112 (1965) with the STM equivalent (S-Vacuum-S). This method provides very high energy resolution for both the filled and empty electronic states in both the superconducting and normal state. We compare this data to first-principle Eliashberg calculations and relate this data to ``peak-dip-hump'' in the high Tc case.

Performance mapping of the STM4-120 kinematic Stirling engine using a statistical design of experiments method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, M. A.; Rawlinson, K. S.

A kinetic Stirling cycle engine, the Stirling Thermal Motors (STM) STM4-120, was tested at the Sandia National Laboratories Engine Test Facility (ETF) from March 1989-August 1992. Sandia is interested in determining this engine's potential for solar-thermal-electric applications. The last round of testing was conducted from July-August 1992 using Sandia-designed gas-fired heat pipe evaporators as the heat input system to the engine. The STM4-120 was performance mapped over a range of sodium vapor temperatures, cooling water temperatures, and cycle pressures. The resulting shaft power output levels ranged from 5-9 kW. The engine demonstrated high conversion efficiency (24-31%) even though the power output level was less than 40% of the rated output of 25 kW. The engine had been previously derated from 25 kW to 10 kW shaft power due to mechanical limitations that were identified by STM during parallel testing at their facility in Ann Arbor, MI. A statistical method was used to design the experiment, to choose the experimental points, and to generate correlation equations describing the engine performance given the operating parameters. The testing was truncated due to a failure of the heat pipe system caused by entrainment of liquid sodium in the condenser section of the heat pipes. Enough data was gathered to generate the correlations and to demonstrate the experimental technique. The correlation is accurate in the experimental space and is simple enough for use in hand calculations and spreadsheet-based system models. Use of this method can simplify the construction of accurate performance and economic models of systems in which the engine is a component. The purpose of this paper is to present the method used to design the experiments and to analyze the performance data.

A 10 mK scanning tunneling microscope operating in ultra high vacuum and high magnetic fields.

PubMed

Assig, Maximilian; Etzkorn, Markus; Enders, Axel; Stiepany, Wolfgang; Ast, Christian R; Kern, Klaus

2013-03-01

We present design and performance of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) that operates at temperatures down to 10 mK providing ultimate energy resolution on the atomic scale. The STM is attached to a dilution refrigerator with direct access to an ultra high vacuum chamber allowing in situ sample preparation. High magnetic fields of up to 14 T perpendicular and up to 0.5 T parallel to the sample surface can be applied. Temperature sensors mounted directly at the tip and sample position verified the base temperature within a small error margin. Using a superconducting Al tip and a metallic Cu(111) sample, we determined an effective temperature of 38 ± 1 mK from the thermal broadening observed in the tunneling spectra. This results in an upper limit for the energy resolution of ΔE = 3.5 kBT = 11.4 ± 0.3 μeV. The stability between tip and sample is 4 pm at a temperature of 15 mK as demonstrated by topography measurements on a Cu(111) surface.

Controllable dissociations of PH3 molecules on Si(001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qin; Lei, Yanhua; Shao, Xiji; Ming, Fangfei; Xu, Hu; Wang, Kedong; Xiao, Xudong

2016-04-01

We demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge that controllable dissociation of PH3 adsorption products PH x (x = 2, 1) can be realized by STM (scanning tunneling microscope) manipulation techniques at room temperature. Five dissociative products and their geometric structures are identified via combining STM experiments and first-principle calculations and simulations. In total we realize nine kinds of controllable dissociations by applying a voltage pulse among the PH3-related structures on Si(001). The dissociation rates of the five most common reactions are measured by the I-t spectrum method as a function of voltage. The suddenly increased dissociation rate at 3.3 V indicates a transition from multivibrational excitation to single-step excitation induced by inelastic tunneling electrons. Our studies prove that selectively breaking the chemical bonds of a single molecule on semiconductor surface by STM manipulation technique is feasible.

Scanning tunneling microscope-quartz crystal microbalance study of temperature gradients at an asperity contact.

PubMed

Pan, L; Krim, J

2013-01-01

Investigations of atomic-scale friction frequently involve setups where a tip and substrate are initially at different temperatures. The temperature of the sliding interface upon contact has thus become a topic of interest. A method for detecting initial tip-sample temperature differences at an asperity contact is described, which consists of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip in contact with the surface electrode of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The technique makes use of the fact that a QCM is extremely sensitive to abrupt changes in temperature. In order to demonstrate the technique's capabilities, QCM frequency shifts were recorded for varying initial tip-substrate temperature differences as an STM tip was brought into and out of contact. The results are interpreted within the context of a recent model for thermal heat conduction at an asperity contact, and it is concluded that the transient frequency response is attributable to small changes in temperature close to the region of contact rather than a change in the overall temperature of the QCM itself. For the assumed model parameters, the results moreover reveal substantial temperature discontinuities at the boundary between the tip and the sample, for example, on the order of 10-15 °C for initial temperature differences of 20 °C.

Scanning tunneling microscope-quartz crystal microbalance study of temperature gradients at an asperity contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, L.; Krim, J.

2013-01-01

Investigations of atomic-scale friction frequently involve setups where a tip and substrate are initially at different temperatures. The temperature of the sliding interface upon contact has thus become a topic of interest. A method for detecting initial tip-sample temperature differences at an asperity contact is described, which consists of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip in contact with the surface electrode of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The technique makes use of the fact that a QCM is extremely sensitive to abrupt changes in temperature. In order to demonstrate the technique's capabilities, QCM frequency shifts were recorded for varying initial tip-substrate temperature differences as an STM tip was brought into and out of contact. The results are interpreted within the context of a recent model for thermal heat conduction at an asperity contact, and it is concluded that the transient frequency response is attributable to small changes in temperature close to the region of contact rather than a change in the overall temperature of the QCM itself. For the assumed model parameters, the results moreover reveal substantial temperature discontinuities at the boundary between the tip and the sample, for example, on the order of 10-15 °C for initial temperature differences of 20 °C.

An experimental study of furan adsorption and decomposition on vicinal palladium surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loui, A.; Chiang, S.

2018-04-01

The intact adsorption and decomposition of furan (C4H4O) on vicinal palladium surfaces with (111)-oriented terraces has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) over a range of temperatures. STM images at 225 K show that furan molecules lie flat and prefer to adsorb at upper step edges. At 225 K, furan molecules adsorbed on "narrow" terraces of 20 to 45 Å in width appear to diffuse more readily than those adsorbed on "wide" terraces of 160 to 220 Å. A distinct population of smaller features appears in STM images on "narrow" terraces at 288 K and on "wide" terraces at 415 K and is identified with the C3H3 decomposition product, agreeing with prior studies which demonstrated that furan dissociates on Pd(111) to yield carbon monoxide (CO) and a C3H3 moiety in the 280 to 320 K range. Based on our direct visualization of this reaction using STM, we propose a spatial mechanism in which adsorption of furan at upper step edges allows catalysis of the dissociation, followed by diffusion of the product to lower step edges.

Electrodeposition of Al in 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ionic liquids: in situ STM and EQCM studies.

PubMed

Moustafa, E M; El Abedin, S Zein; Shkurankov, A; Zschippang, E; Saad, A Y; Bund, A; Endres, F

2007-05-10

In the present paper, the electrodeposition of Al on flame-annealed Au(111) and polycrystalline Au substrates in two air- and water-stable ionic liquids namely, 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide, [Py(1,4)]Tf(2)N, and 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide, [EMIm]Tf(2)N, has been investigated by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), and cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammogram of aluminum deposition and stripping on Au(111) in the upper phase of the biphasic mixture of AlCl(3)/[EMIm]Tf(2)N at room temperature (25 degrees C) shows that the electrodeposition process is completely reversible as also evidenced by in situ STM and EQCM studies. Additionally, a cathodic peak at an electrode potential of about 0.55 V vs Al/Al(III) is correlated to the aluminum UPD process that was evidenced by in situ STM. A surface alloying of Al with Au at the early stage of deposition occurs. It has been found that the Au(111) surface is subject to a restructuring/reconstruction in the upper phase of the biphasic mixture of AlCl(3)/[Py(1,4)]Tf(2)N at room temperature (25 degrees C) and that the deposition is not fully reversible. Furthermore, the underpotential deposition of Al in [Py(1,4)]Tf(2)N is not as clear as in [EMIm]Tf(2)N. The frequency shift in the EQCM experiments in [Py(1,4)]Tf(2)N shows a surprising result as an increase in frequency and a decrease in damping with bulk aluminum deposition at potentials more negative than -1.8 V was observed at room temperature. However, at 100 degrees C there is a frequency decrease with ongoing Al deposition. At -2.0 V vs Al/Al(III), a bulk aluminum deposition sets in.

Gallenene epitaxially grown on Si(1 1 1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Min-Long; Tu, Yu-Bing; Sun, Kai; Wang, Ya-Li; Xie, Zheng-Bo; Liu, Lei; Shi, Ming-Xia; Wang, Jun-Zhong

2018-07-01

Gallenene, an analogue of graphene composed of gallium, is epitaxially grown on Si(1 1 1) surface and studied by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM). The STM images display that the buffer layer has a superstructure with respect to the substrate lattice and the gallenene layer has a hexagonal honeycomb structure. The scanning tunneling spectra (STS) of the gallenene show that it behaves as a metallic layer. First-principles calculations give the proposed configuration. Our results provide a method to synthesize the gallenene and shed important light on the growth mechanism of it.

Structural paradox in submonolayer chlorine coverage on Au(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheltov, V. V.; Cherkez, V. V.; Andryushechkin, B. V.; Zhidomirov, G. M.; Kierren, B.; Fagot-Revurat, Y.; Malterre, D.; Eltsov, K. N.

2014-05-01

In this work, we present a combined low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) study of chlorine adsorption on Au(111) at low coverages. Our STM study of Cl/Au(111) system has shown that at submonolayer coverages (θ < 0.1 ML) chlorine atoms form chainlike structures with abnormally short distances of 3.8 Å between them. Our DFT calculations have shown that chlorine atoms can interact with each other through distortion of the substrate and this indirect elastic interaction is strong enough to affect their arrangement in the chainlike structures.

Tunneling STM/STS and break-junction spectroscopy of the layered nitro-chloride superconductors MNCl (M = Ti, Hf, Zr)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekino, Toshikazu; Sugimoto, Akira; Gabovich, Alexander M.; Zheng, Zhanfeng; Zhang, Shuai; Yamanaka, Shoji

2014-05-01

The layered superconductors β-MNCl with the critical temperatures Tc = 14 K (M = Zr) - 25 K (M = Hf) were investigated by means of scanning-tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and break-junction tunneling spectroscopy. The STM/STS was used to investigate the surface electronic structures in nanometer length scale, while the BJTS was employed to precisely determine the gap characteristics. Both techniques consistently clarified the unusually large size of the superconducting gap. Wide gap distributions with large-scale maximum gap values were also revealed in α-KyTiNCl with a different crystal structure.

Probing semiconductor gap states with resonant tunneling.

PubMed

Loth, S; Wenderoth, M; Winking, L; Ulbrich, R G; Malzer, S; Döhler, G H

2006-02-17

Tunneling transport through the depletion layer under a GaAs {110} surface is studied with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The observed negative differential conductivity is due to a resonant enhancement of the tunneling probability through the depletion layer mediated by individual shallow acceptors. The STM experiment probes, for appropriate bias voltages, evanescent states in the GaAs band gap. Energetically and spatially resolved spectra show that the pronounced anisotropic contrast pattern of shallow acceptors occurs exclusively for this specific transport channel. Our findings suggest that the complex band structure causes the observed anisotropies connected with the zinc blende symmetry.

Single Crystal Synthesis and STM Studies of High Temperature Superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrientos, Alfonso

1997-01-01

This is a final report for the work initiated in September of 1994 under the grant NAG8-1085 - NASA/OMU, on the fabrication of bulk and single crystal synthesis, specific heat measuring and STM studies of high temperature superconductors. Efforts were made to fabricate bulk and single crystals of mercury based superconducting material. A systematic thermal analysis on the precursors for the corresponding oxides and carbonates were carried out to synthesized bulk samples. Bulk material was used as seed in an attempt to grow single crystals by a two-step self flux process. On the other hand bulk samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility, We studied the specific heat behavior in the range from 80 to 300 K. Some preliminary attempts were made to study the atomic morphology of our samples. As part of our efforts we built an ac susceptibility apparatus for measuring the transition temperature of our sintered samples.

Atomic structures of B20 FeGe thin films grown on the Si(111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Wondong; Noh, Seungkyun; Yoon, Jisoo; Kim, Young Heon; Lee, Inho; Kim, Jae-Sung; Hwang, Chanyong

We investigated the growth and atomic structures of FeGe thin films on the Si (111) surface by using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The 2 5nm- thick FeGe thin films were prepared on the clean Si(111) 7x7 surface by co-deposition of Fe and Ge from separated electron-beam evaporators. With direct deposition on the substrate at the temperature above 550 K, the surface of FeGe films was not smooth and consisted of coarse grains. By the combination of room-temperature annealing and post-annealing process around 800 K, the structure of FeGe thin films evolved into the well crystalized structures. Atom-resolved STM images revealed that there are at least four different surface terminations. We constructed atomic models for each surface terminations based on the bulk atomic arrangement of a B20 chiral structure and confirmed that the observed STM images are successfully reproduced by using computational simulations employing Vienna Ab Initio Simulation package (VASP) with a B20 chiral structure model. TEM cross-sectional images also support our atomic models by revealing clearly the characteristic zigzag features of B20 structures of FeGe(111) thin films.

Resolving the Structure of a Well-Ordered Hydroxyl Overlayer on In 2O 3 (111): Nanomanipulation and Theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wagner, Margareta; Lackner, Peter; Seiler, Steffen

Changes in chemical and physical properties resulting from water adsorption play an important role in the characterization and performance of device-relevant materials. Studies of model oxides with well-characterized surfaces can provide detailed information that is vital for a general understanding of water–oxide interactions. In this work, we study single crystals of indium oxide, the prototypical transparent contact material that is heavily used in a wide range of applications and most prominently in optoelectronic technologies. Water adsorbs dissociatively already at temperatures as low as 100 K, as confirmed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory. This dissociationmore » takes place on lattice sites of the defect-free surface. While the In 2O 3(111)-(1 × 1) surface offers four types of surface oxygen atoms (12 atoms per unit cell in total), water dissociation happens exclusively at one of them together with a neighboring pair of 5-fold coordinated In atoms. These O–In groups are symmetrically arranged around the 6-fold coordinated In atoms at the surface. At room temperature, the In 2O 3(111) surface thus saturates at three dissociated water molecules per unit cell, leading to a well-ordered hydroxylated surface with (1 × 1) symmetry, where the three water OWH groups plus the surface OSH groups are imaged together as one bright triangle in STM. Manipulations with the STM tip by means of voltage pulses preferentially remove the H atom of one surface OSH group per triangle. The change in contrast due to strong local band bending provides insights into the internal structure of these bright triangles. The experimental results are further confirmed by quantitative simulations of the STM image corrugation.« less

Resolving the Structure of a Well-Ordered Hydroxyl Overlayer on In 2O 3 (111): Nanomanipulation and Theory

DOE PAGES

Wagner, Margareta; Lackner, Peter; Seiler, Steffen; ...

2017-11-01

Changes in chemical and physical properties resulting from water adsorption play an important role in the characterization and performance of device-relevant materials. Studies of model oxides with well-characterized surfaces can provide detailed information that is vital for a general understanding of water–oxide interactions. In this work, we study single crystals of indium oxide, the prototypical transparent contact material that is heavily used in a wide range of applications and most prominently in optoelectronic technologies. Water adsorbs dissociatively already at temperatures as low as 100 K, as confirmed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory. This dissociationmore » takes place on lattice sites of the defect-free surface. While the In 2O 3(111)-(1 × 1) surface offers four types of surface oxygen atoms (12 atoms per unit cell in total), water dissociation happens exclusively at one of them together with a neighboring pair of 5-fold coordinated In atoms. These O–In groups are symmetrically arranged around the 6-fold coordinated In atoms at the surface. At room temperature, the In 2O 3(111) surface thus saturates at three dissociated water molecules per unit cell, leading to a well-ordered hydroxylated surface with (1 × 1) symmetry, where the three water OWH groups plus the surface OSH groups are imaged together as one bright triangle in STM. Manipulations with the STM tip by means of voltage pulses preferentially remove the H atom of one surface OSH group per triangle. The change in contrast due to strong local band bending provides insights into the internal structure of these bright triangles. The experimental results are further confirmed by quantitative simulations of the STM image corrugation.« less

The Reactivity and Structure of Size Selected VxO y Clusters on a TiO2 (110)-(1 X 1) Surface of Variable Oxidation State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neilson, Hunter L.

The Reactivity and Structure of Size Selected VxOy Clusters on a TiO2 (110) Surface of Variable Oxidation State by Hunter L Neilson The selective oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol by vanadium oxide/TiO2 model systems has received a great deal of interest in the surface science community. Previous studies using temperature programmed desorption and reaction (TPD/R) to probe the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde by vanadia/TiO2 model catalysts have shown that the activity of these systems vary considerably based on the way in which the model system is prepared with formaldehyde desorption temperatures observed anywhere from room temperature to 660 K. The principle reason for this variation is that the preparation of sub-monolayer films of vanadia on TiO2 produces clusters with a multitude of VxOy structures and a mixture of vanadium oxidation states. As a result the stoichiometry of the active vanadium oxide catalyst as well as the oxidation state of vanadium in the active catalyst remain unknown. To better understand this system, our group has probed the reactivity and structure of size-selected Vx, VOy and VxOy clusters on a reduced TiO2 (110) support in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) via TPD/R and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Ex situ preparation of these clusters in the gas phase prior to deposition has allowed us to systematically vary the stoichiometry of the vanadia clusters; a layer of control not available via the usual routes to vanadium oxide. The most active catalysts are shown to have (VO3)n stoichiometry in agreement with the theoretical models of the Metiu group. We have shown that both the activity and selectivity of V2O6 and V3O9 cluster catalysts depend sensitively on the oxidation state of the TiO2 (110) support. For example, V2O6 on a reduced surface is selective for the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde while the selectivity shifts to favor methyl formate as the surface becomes increasingly oxidized. STM studies show that the structure of size-selected V2O6 clusters, upon adsorption to the surface, varies considerably with the oxidation state of the support, in good agreement with our reactivity studies. V 3O9 was shown to catalyze the oxidation of methanol to both formaldehyde and methyl formate on a reduced surface while STM suggests that, unlike V2O6, these clusters are prone to decomposition upon adsorption to the surface. Furthermore, TPD/R of size selected V 2O5 and V2O7 on TiO2 suggests that altering the stoichiometry of the (VO3)n clusters by a single oxygen atom significantly inhibits the activity of these catalysts.

The role of Ag buffer layer in Fe islands growth on Ge (111) surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu, Tsu-Yi, E-mail: phtifu@phy.ntnu.edu.tw; Wu, Jia-Yuan; Jhou, Ming-Kuan

2015-05-07

Sub-monolayer iron atoms were deposited at room temperature on Ge (111)-c(2 × 8) substrates with and without Ag buffer layers. The behavior of Fe islands growth was investigated by using scanning tunneling microscope (STM) after different annealing temperatures. STM images show that iron atoms will cause defects and holes on substrates at room temperature. As the annealing temperature rises, iron atoms pull out germanium to form various kinds of alloyed islands. However, the silver layer can protect the Ag/Ge(111)-(√3×√3) reconstruction from forming defects. The phase diagram shows that ring, dot, and triangular defects were only found on Ge (111)-c(2 × 8) substrates. The kindsmore » of islands found in Fe/Ge system are similar to Fe/Ag/Ge system. It indicates that Ge atoms were pulled out to form islands at high annealing temperatures whether there was a Ag layer or not. But a few differences in big pyramidal or strip islands show that the silver layer affects the development of islands by changing the surface symmetry and diffusion coefficient. The structure characters of various islands are also discussed.« less

Evolution of Ge nanoislands on Si(110)-'16 × 2' surface under thermal annealing studied using STM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangopadhyay, Subhashis; Yoshimura, Masamichi; Ueda, Kazuyuki

2009-11-01

The initial nucleation of Ge nanoclusters on Si(110) at room temperature (RT), annealing-induced surface roughening and the evolution of three-dimensional Ge nanoislands have been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). A few monolayers (ML) of Ge deposited at room temperature lead to the formation of Ge clusters which are homogeneously distributed across the surface. The stripe-like patterns, characteristic of the Si(110)-'16 × 2' surface reconstruction are also retained. Increasing annealing temperatures, however, lead to significant surface diffusion and thus, disruption of the underlying '16 × 2' reconstruction. The annealing-induced removal of the stripe structures (originated from '16 × 2' reconstruction) starts at approximately 300 °C, whereas the terrace structures of Si(110) are thermally stable up to 500 °C. At approximately 650 °C, shallow Ge islands of pyramidal shape with (15,17,1) side facets start to form. Annealing at even higher temperatures enhances Ge island formation. Our findings are explained in terms of partial dewetting of the metastable Ge wetting layer (WL) (formed at room temperature) as well as partial relaxation of lattice strain through three-dimensional (3D) island growth.

Calcium ion binding properties and the effect of phosphorylation on the intrinsically disordered Starmaker protein.

PubMed

Wojtas, Magdalena; Hołubowicz, Rafał; Poznar, Monika; Maciejewska, Marta; Ożyhar, Andrzej; Dobryszycki, Piotr

2015-10-27

Starmaker (Stm) is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) involved in otolith biomineralization in Danio rerio. Stm controls calcium carbonate crystal formation in vivo and in vitro. Phosphorylation of Stm affects its biomineralization properties. This study examined the effects of calcium ions and phosphorylation on the structure of Stm. We have shown that CK2 kinase phosphorylates 25 or 26 residues in Stm. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that Stm's affinity for calcium binding is dependent on its phosphorylation state. Phosphorylated Stm (StmP) has an estimated 30 ± 1 calcium binding sites per protein molecule with a dissociation constant (KD) of 61 ± 4 μM, while the unphosphorylated protein has 28 ± 3 sites and a KD of 210 ± 22 μM. Calcium ion binding induces a compaction of the Stm molecule, causing a significant decrease in its hydrodynamic radius and the formation of a secondary structure. The screening effect of Na(+) ions on calcium binding was also observed. Analysis of the hydrodynamic properties of Stm and StmP showed that Stm and StmP molecules adopt the structure of native coil-like proteins.

Structure Determination of Au on Pt(111) Surface: LEED, STM and DFT Study

PubMed Central

Krupski, Katarzyna; Moors, Marco; Jóźwik, Paweł; Kobiela, Tomasz; Krupski, Aleksander

2015-01-01

Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to investigate the atomic and electronic structure of gold deposited (between 0.8 and 1.0 monolayer) on the Pt(111) face in ultrahigh vacuum at room temperature. The analysis of LEED and STM measurements indicates two-dimensional growth of the first Au monolayer. Change of the measured surface lattice constant equal to 2.80 Å after Au adsorption was not observed. Based on DFT, the distance between the nearest atoms in the case of bare Pt(111) and Au/Pt(111) surface is equal to 2.83 Å, which gives 1% difference in comparison with STM values. The first and second interlayer spacing of the clean Pt(111) surface are expanded by +0.87% and contracted by −0.43%, respectively. The adsorption energy of the Au atom on the Pt(111) surface is dependent on the adsorption position, and there is a preference for a hollow fcc site. For the Au/Pt(111) surface, the top interlayer spacing is expanded by +2.16% with respect to the ideal bulk value. Changes in the electronic properties of the Au/Pt(111) system below the Fermi level connected to the interaction of Au atoms with Pt(111) surface are observed.

Thermally oxidized Inconel 600 and 690 nickel-based alloys characterizations by combination of global photoelectrochemistry and local near-field microscopy techniques (STM, STS, AFM, SKPFM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mechehoud, F.; Benaioun, N. E.; Hakiki, N. E.; Khelil, A.; Simon, L.; Bubendorff, J. L.

2018-03-01

Thermally oxidized nickel-based alloys are studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM) and photoelectro-chemical techniques as a function of oxidation time at a fixed temperature of 623 K. By photoelectrochemistry measurements we identify the formation of three oxides NiO, Fe2O3, Cr2O3 and determine the corresponding gap values. We use these values as parameter for imaging the surface at high bias voltage by STM allowing the spatial localization and identification of both NiO, Fe2O3 oxide phases using STS measurements. Associated to Kelvin probe measurements we show also that STS allow to distinguished NiO from Cr2O3 and confirm that the Cr2O3 is not visible at the surface and localized at the oxide/steel interface.

STM study of the Ga thin films grown on Si(111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Min-Long; Tu, Yu-Bing; Sun, Kai; Ye, Juan; Hao, Shao-Jie; Xiao, Hua-Fang; Wang, Ya-Li; Xie, Zheng-Bo; Wang, Jun-Zhong

2017-09-01

Structural evolution of Ga thin films grown on the Si(111)-√{ 3 } × √{ 3 } -Ga template have been investigated with a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The first Ga layer exhibits a stripe structure along the base vectors of Si(111) lattices. Individual Ga dimers have been directly visualized from the high-resolution STM images of the first Ga layer. The second Ga layer reveals a pseudo 1×1 structure with respect to the Si(111). A new 5×5 phase has been found in the second Ga layer when annealing the sample to 120 ℃. Further annealing to 150 ℃ leads to the formation of 6.3×6.3 phase, which is more stable than the 5×5 phase. The existences of a variety of superstructures of Ga films demonstrates the delicate balance between the interactions of Si(111)-Ga and Ga-Ga. These results shed important light on the epitaxial growth mechanism of Ga films on semiconductor surfaces.

Tunneling electron induced chemisorption of copper phthalocyanine molecules on the Cu(111) surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stock, T.; Nogami, J.

2014-02-17

The adsorption of up to one monolayer (ML) of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules on a room temperature Cu(111) surface has been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Below 1 ML the molecules are in a fluid state and are highly mobile on the surface. At 1 ML coverage the molecules coalesce into a highly ordered 2D crystal phase. At sub-ML coverages, chemisorption of individual CuPc molecules can be induced through exposure to tunneling electrons at a tunneling bias voltage exceeding a threshold value. This tunneling electron induced effect has been exploited to perform molecular STM lithography.

In situ STM imaging of the structures of pentacene molecules adsorbed on Au(111).

PubMed

Pong, Ifan; Yau, Shuehlin; Huang, Peng-Yi; Chen, Ming-Chou; Hu, Tarng-Shiang; Yang, Yawchia; Lee, Yuh-Lang

2009-09-01

In situ scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used to examine the spatial structures of pentacene molecules adsorbed onto a Au(111) single-crystal electrode from a benzene dosing solution containing 16-400 microM pentacene. Molecular-resolution STM imaging conducted in 0.1 M HClO(4) revealed highly ordered pentacene structures of ( radical31 x radical31)R8.9 degrees , (3 x 10), ( radical31 x 10), and ( radical7 x 2 radical7)R19.1 degrees adsorbed on the reconstructed Au(111) electrode dosed with different pentacene solutions. These pentacene structures and the reconstructed Au(111) substrate were stable between 0.2 and 0.8 V [vs reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE]. Increasing the potential to E > 0.8 V lifted the reconstructed Au(111) surface and disrupted the ordered pentacene adlattices simultaneously. Ordered pentacene structures could be restored by applying potentials negative enough to reinforce the reconstructed Au(111). At potentials negative of 0.2 V, the adsorption of protons became increasingly important to displace adsorbed pentacene admolecules. Although the reconstructed Au(111) structure was not essential to produce ordered pentacene adlayers, it seemed to help the adsorption of pentacene molecules in a long-range ordered pattern. At room temperature (25 degrees C), approximately 100 pentacene molecules seen in STM images could rotate and align themselves to a neighboring domain in 10 s, suggesting that pentacene admolecules could be mobile on Au(111) under the STM imaging conditions of -150 mV in bias voltage and 1 nA in feedback current.

Intrinsically disordered and pliable Starmaker-like protein from medaka (Oryzias latipes) controls the formation of calcium carbonate crystals.

PubMed

Różycka, Mirosława; Wojtas, Magdalena; Jakób, Michał; Stigloher, Christian; Grzeszkowiak, Mikołaj; Mazur, Maciej; Ożyhar, Andrzej

2014-01-01

Fish otoliths, biominerals composed of calcium carbonate with a small amount of organic matrix, are involved in the functioning of the inner ear. Starmaker (Stm) from zebrafish (Danio rerio) was the first protein found to be capable of controlling the formation of otoliths. Recently, a gene was identified encoding the Starmaker-like (Stm-l) protein from medaka (Oryzias latipes), a putative homologue of Stm and human dentine sialophosphoprotein. Although there is no sequence similarity between Stm-l and Stm, Stm-l was suggested to be involved in the biomineralization of otoliths, as had been observed for Stm even before. The molecular properties and functioning of Stm-l as a putative regulatory protein in otolith formation have not been characterized yet. A comprehensive biochemical and biophysical analysis of recombinant Stm-l, along with in silico examinations, indicated that Stm-l exhibits properties of a coil-like intrinsically disordered protein. Stm-l possesses an elongated and pliable structure that is able to adopt a more ordered and rigid conformation under the influence of different factors. An in vitro assay of the biomineralization activity of Stm-l indicated that Stm-l affected the size, shape and number of calcium carbonate crystals. The functional significance of intrinsically disordered properties of Stm-l and the possible role of this protein in controlling the formation of calcium carbonate crystals is discussed.

Intrinsically Disordered and Pliable Starmaker-Like Protein from Medaka (Oryzias latipes) Controls the Formation of Calcium Carbonate Crystals

PubMed Central

Różycka, Mirosława; Wojtas, Magdalena; Jakób, Michał; Stigloher, Christian; Grzeszkowiak, Mikołaj; Mazur, Maciej; Ożyhar, Andrzej

2014-01-01

Fish otoliths, biominerals composed of calcium carbonate with a small amount of organic matrix, are involved in the functioning of the inner ear. Starmaker (Stm) from zebrafish (Danio rerio) was the first protein found to be capable of controlling the formation of otoliths. Recently, a gene was identified encoding the Starmaker-like (Stm-l) protein from medaka (Oryzias latipes), a putative homologue of Stm and human dentine sialophosphoprotein. Although there is no sequence similarity between Stm-l and Stm, Stm-l was suggested to be involved in the biomineralization of otoliths, as had been observed for Stm even before. The molecular properties and functioning of Stm-l as a putative regulatory protein in otolith formation have not been characterized yet. A comprehensive biochemical and biophysical analysis of recombinant Stm-l, along with in silico examinations, indicated that Stm-l exhibits properties of a coil-like intrinsically disordered protein. Stm-l possesses an elongated and pliable structure that is able to adopt a more ordered and rigid conformation under the influence of different factors. An in vitro assay of the biomineralization activity of Stm-l indicated that Stm-l affected the size, shape and number of calcium carbonate crystals. The functional significance of intrinsically disordered properties of Stm-l and the possible role of this protein in controlling the formation of calcium carbonate crystals is discussed. PMID:25490041

Spatial Complexity Due to Bulk Electronic Liquid Crystals in Superconducting Dy-Bi2212

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, Erica; Phillabaum, Benjamin; Dahmen, Karin

2012-02-01

Surface probes such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have detected complex electronic patterns at the nanoscale in many high temperature superconductors. In cuprates, the pattern formation is associated with the pseudogap phase, a precursor to the high temperature superconducting state. Rotational symmetry breaking of the host crystal (i.e. from C4 to C2) in the form of electronic nematicity has recently been proposed as a unifying theme of the pseudogap phase [Lawler Nature 2010]. However, the fundamental physics governing the nanoscale pattern formation has not yet been identified. Here we use universal cluster properties extracted from STM studies of cuprate superconductors to identify the funda- mental physics controlling the complex pattern formation. We find that due to a delicate balance between disorder, interactions, and material anisotropy, the rotational symmetry breaking is fractal in nature, and that the electronic liquid crystal extends throughout the bulk of the material.

The development of a wide field UV imager for planetary space missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molyneux, Philippa Mary

2012-03-01

This thesis describes experimental work carried out on bilayer manganites with the general composition R{2-2x}A{1+2x}Mn2O7, where R is a trivalent rare earth cation and A is a divalent alkaline-earth cation. Experiments have been carried out primarily using Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) and Spectroscopy (STS); bulk electrical transport, MPMS and LEED measurements have also been made. The primary results are obtained from single crystal samples of PrSr2Mn2O7. This compound provides a surface suitable for STM study when cleaved at low temperature in ultra-high vacuum: atomic resolution can be readily achieved. The expected square lattice is observed, together with a larger scale surface modulation which is not presently explained. In some areas of the PrSr2Mn2O7 surface a population of adatoms and surface vacancies is observed. STS data indicate that adatoms carry a negative charge compared to the rest of the surface, and vacancies a positive charge: the adatoms and vacancies are interpreted as oxygen adatoms and oxygen vacancies. A detailed study is made of the oxygen adatoms and vacancies: this is believed to be the firrst such study made on a manganite surface. Oxygen adatoms on the PrSr2Mn2O7 surface are found to be mobile: hopping and adatom-vacancy recombination are observed. Additional results are reported on the layered manganite compound La{2-2x}Sr{1+2x}Mn2O7 at a range of cation doping x. For the LaSr2Mn2O7 compound (x = 0.5) spectroscopic variation has been identified in a variable-temperature STS survey. This indicates the coexistence of two surface electronic phases, possibly the charge ordered and antiferromagnetic phases.

Design of temperature monitoring system based on CAN bus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Li

2017-10-01

The remote temperature monitoring system based on the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus is designed to collect the multi-node remote temperature. By using the STM32F103 as main controller and multiple DS18B20s as temperature sensors, the system achieves a master-slave node data acquisition and transmission based on the CAN bus protocol. And making use of the serial port communication technology to communicate with the host computer, the system achieves the function of remote temperature storage, historical data show and the temperature waveform display.

Dimer formation and surface alloying: a STM study of lead on Cu(211)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartels, L.; Zöphel, S.; Meyer, G.; Henze, E.; Rieder, K.-H.

1997-02-01

We present a STM investigation of Pb adsorption on the Cu(211) surface in the temperature range between 30 K and room temperature. We observe three different kinds of ordered 1D Pb and PbCu chains (nanowires) located at the intrinsic step edges of the Cu(211) surface. On room temperature prepared samples, Pb is found to be incorporated into the step edges of the (211) surface. The first ordered structure consists of CuPb chains at the step edges (p(2 × disorder)) and is followed with increasing coverage by a close packed row of Pb-atoms (p(4 × disorder)). Preparation at low temperature yields Pb-dimers, and the first ordered structure is a row of Pb-dimers at the step edge (p(3 × disorder)) followed with increased coverage by a structure as described above. By systematic manipulation with the tunneling tip, we could get additional insight into the structural elements of the PbCu layer on the atomic scale. Furthermore, by measuring the threshold resistance to detach atoms from different ad-sites, we can approximately determine the binding energy and gain some insight into the thermodynamical parameters involved.

Room Temperature Ferroelectricity in Ultrathin SnTe Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Kai; Liu, Junwei; Lin, Haicheng; Zhao, Kun; Zhong, Yong; Ji, Shuai-Hua; He, Ke; Wang, Lili; Ma, Xucun; Fu, Liang; Chen, Xi; Xue, Qi-Kun

2015-03-01

The ultrathin SnTe films with several unit cell thickness grown on graphitized SiC(0001) surface have been studied by the scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S). The domain structures, local lattice distortion and the electronic band bending at film edges induced by the in-plane spontaneous polarization along < 110 > have been revealed at atomic scale. The experiments at variant temperature show that the Curie temperature Tc of the one unit cell thick (two atomic layers) SnTe film is as high as 280K, much higher than that of the bulk counterpart (~100K) and the 2-4 unit cell thick films even indicate robust ferroelectricity at room temperature. This Tc enhancement is attributed to the stress-free interface, larger electronic band gap and greatly reduced Sn vacancy concentration in the ultrathin films. The lateral domain size varies from several tens to several hundreds of nanometers, and the spontaneous polarization direction could be modified by STM tip. Those properties of ultrathin SnTe films show the potential application on ferroelectric devices. The work was financially supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of China, National Science Foundation and Ministry of Education of China.

Attention supports verbal short-term memory via competition between dorsal and ventral attention networks.

PubMed

Majerus, Steve; Attout, Lucie; D'Argembeau, Arnaud; Degueldre, Christian; Fias, Wim; Maquet, Pierre; Martinez Perez, Trecy; Stawarczyk, David; Salmon, Eric; Van der Linden, Martial; Phillips, Christophe; Balteau, Evelyne

2012-05-01

Interactions between the neural correlates of short-term memory (STM) and attention have been actively studied in the visual STM domain but much less in the verbal STM domain. Here we show that the same attention mechanisms that have been shown to shape the neural networks of visual STM also shape those of verbal STM. Based on previous research in visual STM, we contrasted the involvement of a dorsal attention network centered on the intraparietal sulcus supporting task-related attention and a ventral attention network centered on the temporoparietal junction supporting stimulus-related attention. We observed that, with increasing STM load, the dorsal attention network was activated while the ventral attention network was deactivated, especially during early maintenance. Importantly, activation in the ventral attention network increased in response to task-irrelevant stimuli briefly presented during the maintenance phase of the STM trials but only during low-load STM conditions, which were associated with the lowest levels of activity in the dorsal attention network during encoding and early maintenance. By demonstrating a trade-off between task-related and stimulus-related attention networks during verbal STM, this study highlights the dynamics of attentional processes involved in verbal STM.

Quantum percolation in cuprate high-temperature superconductors

PubMed Central

Phillips, J. C.

2008-01-01

Although it is now generally acknowledged that electron–phonon interactions cause cuprate superconductivity with Tc values ≈100 K, the complexities of atomic arrangements in these marginally stable multilayer materials have frustrated both experimental analysis and theoretical modeling of the remarkably rich data obtained both by angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) and high-resolution, large-area scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Here, we analyze the theoretical background in terms of our original (1989) model of dopant-assisted quantum percolation (DAQP), as developed further in some two dozen articles, and apply these ideas to recent STM data. We conclude that despite all of the many difficulties, with improved data analysis it may yet be possible to identify quantum percolative paths. PMID:18626024

Relative permittivity and Hubbard U of pentacene extracted from scanning tunneling microscopy studies of p-doped films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Sieu D.; Qi, Yabing; Kahn, Antoine

2010-08-01

Temperature-dependent I- V measurements determine that pentacene is effectively p-doped by tetrafluoro-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F 4-TCNQ). It has been shown by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) that the donated hole is localized by the ionized dopant counter potential, and that the hole can be visualized [4]. Here, it is argued that the effect of the localized hole on STM images should depend on distance as 1/ ɛr, as per the Coulomb potential. By fitting line profiles of localized hole features to the Coulomb potential, it is shown that approximate values for the relative permittivity and Hubbard U of pentacene can be extracted.

Template growth of Au, Ni and Ni–Au nanoclusters on hexagonal boron nitride/Rh(111): a combined STM, TPD and AES study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Fanglue; Huang, Dali; Yue, Yuan

In this study, the template growth of Au, Ni, and Ni–Au bimetallic nanoclusters on hexagonal boron nitride/Rh(111), i.e. h-BN/Rh(111), was investigated via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), temperature programmed-desorption (TPD), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). STM study shows that template growth of Au clusters on h-BN/Rh(111) forms mainly well-dispersed monolayer clusters. In contrast, Ni forms large multilayer clusters showing a relatively high diffusivity on h-BN/Rh(111) substrate. Ni–Au bimetallic clusters are effectively formed first by Au deposition followed by Ni deposition, with the Au clusters functioning as nucleation sites for the subsequently deposited Ni. Further structural analysis was carried out via TPDmore » and AES. The resulting TPD and AES data show the surface composition and charge transfer between Au and Ni of the bimetallic clusters. These results suggest that the h-BN/Rh(111) substrate represents a unique candidate for supporting Ni–Au bimetallic clusters in further catalytic reactions.« less

Template growth of Au, Ni and Ni–Au nanoclusters on hexagonal boron nitride/Rh(111): a combined STM, TPD and AES study

DOE PAGES

Wu, Fanglue; Huang, Dali; Yue, Yuan; ...

2017-09-12

In this study, the template growth of Au, Ni, and Ni–Au bimetallic nanoclusters on hexagonal boron nitride/Rh(111), i.e. h-BN/Rh(111), was investigated via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), temperature programmed-desorption (TPD), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). STM study shows that template growth of Au clusters on h-BN/Rh(111) forms mainly well-dispersed monolayer clusters. In contrast, Ni forms large multilayer clusters showing a relatively high diffusivity on h-BN/Rh(111) substrate. Ni–Au bimetallic clusters are effectively formed first by Au deposition followed by Ni deposition, with the Au clusters functioning as nucleation sites for the subsequently deposited Ni. Further structural analysis was carried out via TPDmore » and AES. The resulting TPD and AES data show the surface composition and charge transfer between Au and Ni of the bimetallic clusters. These results suggest that the h-BN/Rh(111) substrate represents a unique candidate for supporting Ni–Au bimetallic clusters in further catalytic reactions.« less

An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 42 associated with the consumption of raw flour.

PubMed

McCallum, Lisa; Paine, Shevaun; Sexton, Kerry; Dufour, Muriel; Dyet, Kristin; Wilson, Maurice; Campbell, Donald; Bandaranayake, Don; Hope, Virginia

2013-02-01

A cluster of salmonellosis cases caused by Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 42 (STM42) emerged in New Zealand in October 2008. STM42 isolates from a wheat-based poultry feed raw material (broll; i.e., product containing wheat flour and particles of grain) had been identified in the 2 months prior to this cluster. Initial investigations indicated that eating uncooked baking mixture was associated with illness. A case-control study was conducted to test the hypothesis that there was an association between STM42 cases and consumption of raw flour or other baking ingredients. Salmonella isolates from human and non-human sources were compared using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Environmental investigations included testing flour and other baking ingredients from case homes, unopened bags of flour purchased from retail stores, and inspection of an implicated flour mill. A case-control study of 39 cases and 66 controls found cases had 4.5 times the odds of consuming uncooked baking mixture as controls (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-12.5, p-value 0.001). Examination of individual baking ingredients found that, after adjusting for eggs, flour had an odds ratio (OR) of 5.7 (95% CI 1.1-29.1, p-value 0.035). After adjusting for flour, eggs had an OR of 0.8 (95% CI 0.2-3.4, p-value 0.762). PFGE patterns were identical for all STM42 isolates tested; however, MLVA distinguished isolates that were epidemiologically linked to the cluster. STM42 was recovered from flour taken from four cases' homes, two unopened packs purchased from retail stores and packs from three batches of retrieved (recalled) product. This outbreak was associated with the consumption of uncooked baking mixture containing flour contaminated with STM42. The implicated flour mill initiated a voluntary withdrawal from sale of all batches of flour thought to be contaminated. Media releases informed the public about implicated flour brands and the risks of consuming uncooked baking mixture.

Geokinetic Environment Investigations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-31

geoceivers. Small DC solenoids had to be incorporated on each tiltmeter to overcome the Y tilt component stiction after geosensor azimuth slews... tiltmeter data during the sample period. Devel- opment of a LSI-11 executable multiple regression program was also initiated. Several runs of the ALS units...understanding of tilt and temperature data in- side the STM units, tilt and temperature data were collected at various locations on the tiltmeter and its

Importance of soil thermal regime in terrestrial ecosystem carbon dynamics in the circumpolar north

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yueyang; Zhuang, Qianlai; Sitch, Stephen; O'Donnell, Jonathan A.; Kicklighter, David; Sokolov, Andrei; Melillo, Jerry

2016-07-01

In the circumpolar north (45-90°N), permafrost plays an important role in vegetation and carbon (C) dynamics. Permafrost thawing has been accelerated by the warming climate and exerts a positive feedback to climate through increasing soil C release to the atmosphere. To evaluate the influence of permafrost on C dynamics, changes in soil temperature profiles should be considered in global C models. This study incorporates a sophisticated soil thermal model (STM) into a dynamic global vegetation model (LPJ-DGVM) to improve simulations of changes in soil temperature profiles from the ground surface to 3 m depth, and its impacts on C pools and fluxes during the 20th and 21st centuries. With cooler simulated soil temperatures during the summer, LPJ-STM estimates 0.4 Pg C yr- 1 lower present-day heterotrophic respiration but 0.5 Pg C yr- 1 higher net primary production than the original LPJ model resulting in an additional 0.8 to 1.0 Pg C yr- 1 being sequestered in circumpolar ecosystems. Under a suite of projected warming scenarios, we show that the increasing active layer thickness results in the mobilization of permafrost C, which contributes to a more rapid increase in heterotrophic respiration in LPJ-STM compared to the stand-alone LPJ model. Except under the extreme warming conditions, increases in plant production due to warming and rising CO2, overwhelm the e nhanced ecosystem respiration so that both boreal forest and arctic tundra ecosystems remain a net C sink over the 21st century. This study highlights the importance of considering changes in the soil thermal regime when quantifying the C budget in the circumpolar north.

Evaluation of protective ensemble thermal characteristics through sweating hot plate, sweating thermal manikin, and human tests.

PubMed

Kim, Jung-Hyun; Powell, Jeffery B; Roberge, Raymond J; Shepherd, Angie; Coca, Aitor

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive capability of fabric Total Heat Loss (THL) values on thermal stress that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ensemble wearers may encounter while performing work. A series of three tests, consisting of the Sweating Hot Plate (SHP) test on two sample fabrics and the Sweating Thermal Manikin (STM) and human performance tests on two single-layer encapsulating ensembles (fabric/ensemble A = low THL and B = high THL), was conducted to compare THL values between SHP and STM methods along with human thermophysiological responses to wearing the ensembles. In human testing, ten male subjects performed a treadmill exercise at 4.8 km and 3% incline for 60 min in two environmental conditions (mild = 22°C, 50% relative humidity (RH) and hot/humid = 35°C, 65% RH). The thermal and evaporative resistances were significantly higher on a fabric level as measured in the SHP test than on the ensemble level as measured in the STM test. Consequently the THL values were also significantly different for both fabric types (SHP vs. STM: 191.3 vs. 81.5 W/m(2) in fabric/ensemble A, and 909.3 vs. 149.9 W/m(2) in fabric/ensemble B (p < 0.001). Body temperature and heart rate response between ensembles A and B were consistently different in both environmental conditions (p < 0.001), which is attributed to significantly higher sweat evaporation in ensemble B than in A (p < 0.05), despite a greater sweat production in ensemble A (p < 0.001) in both environmental conditions. Further, elevation of microclimate temperature (p < 0.001) and humidity (p < 0.01) was significantly greater in ensemble A than in B. It was concluded that: (1) SHP test determined THL values are significantly different from the actual THL potential of the PPE ensemble tested on STM, (2) physiological benefits from wearing a more breathable PPE ensemble may not be feasible with incremental THL values (SHP test) less than approximately 150-200 W·m(2), and (3) the effects of thermal environments on a level of heat stress in PPE ensemble wearers are greater than ensemble thermal characteristics.

JOVE NASA-FIT program: Microgravity and aeronomy projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patterson, James D.; Mantovani, James G.; Rassoul, Hamid K.

1994-01-01

This semi-annual status report is divided into two sections: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Lab and Aeronomy Lab. The Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) research involves studying solar cell materials using the STM built at Florida Tech using a portion of our initial Jove equipment funding. One result of the participation in the FSEC project will be to design and build an STM system which is portable. This could serve as a prototype STM system which might be used on the Space Shuttle during a Spacelab mission, or onboard the proposed Space Station. The scanning tunneling microscope is only able to image the surface structure of electrically conductive crystals; by building an atomic force microscope (AFM) the surface structure of any sample, regardless of its conductivity, will be able to be imaged. With regards to the Aeronomy Lab, a total of four different mesospheric oxygen emission codes were created to calculate the intensity along the line of sight of the shuttle observations for 2972A, Herzberg I, Herzberg II, and Chamberlain bands. The thermosphere-ionosphere coupling project was completed with two major accomplishments: collection of 500 data points on modulation of neutral wind with geophysical variables, and establishment of constraints on behavior of the height of the ionosphere as a result of interaction between geophysical and geometrical factors. The magnetotail plasma project has been centered around familiarization with the subject in the form of a literature search and preprocessing of IMP-8 data.

Effects of working memory load on processing of sounds and meanings of words in aphasia

PubMed Central

Martin, Nadine; Kohen, Francine; Kalinyak-Fliszar, Michelene; Soveri, Anna; Laine, Matti

2011-01-01

Background Language performance in aphasia can vary depending on several variables such as stimulus characteristics and task demands. This study focuses on the degree of verbal working memory (WM) load inherent in the language task and how this variable affects language performance by individuals with aphasia. Aims The first aim was to identify the effects of increased verbal WM load on the performance of judgments of semantic similarity (synonymy) and phonological similarity (rhyming). The second aim was to determine if any of the following abilities could modulate the verbal WM load effect: semantic or phonological access, semantic or phonological short-term memory (STM) and any of the following executive processing abilities: inhibition, verbal WM updating, and set shifting. Method and Procedures Thirty-one individuals with aphasia and 11 controls participated in this study. They were administered a synonymy judgment task and a rhyming judgment task under high and low verbal WM load conditions that were compared to each other. In a second set of analyses, multiple regression was used to identify which factors (as noted above) modulated the verbal WM load effect. Outcome and Results For participants with aphasia, increased verbal WM load significantly reduced accuracy of performance on synonymy and rhyming judgments. Better performance in the low verbal WM load conditions was evident even after correcting for chance. The synonymy task included concrete and abstract word triplets. When these were examined separately, the verbal WM load effect was significant for the abstract words, but not the concrete words. The same pattern was observed in the performance of the control participants. Additionally, the second set of analyses revealed that semantic STM and one executive function, inhibition ability, emerged as the strongest predictors of the verbal WM load effect in these judgment tasks for individuals with aphasia. Conclusions The results of this study have important implications for diagnosis and treatment of aphasia. As the roles of verbal STM capacity, executive functions and verbal WM load in language processing are better understood, measurements of these variables can be incorporated into our diagnostic protocols. Moreover, if cognitive abilities such as STM and executive functions support language processing and their impairment adversely affects language function, treating them directly in the context of language tasks should translate into improved language function. PMID:22544993

The KNOXI Transcription Factor SHOOT MERISTEMLESS Regulates Floral Fate in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Roth, Ohad; Alvarez, John; Levy, Matan; Bowman, John L; Ori, Naomi; Shani, Eilon

2018-05-09

Plants have evolved a unique and conserved developmental program that enables the conversion of leaves into floral organs. Elegant genetic and molecular work has identified key regulators of flower meristem identity. However, further understanding of flower meristem specification has been hampered by redundancy and by pleiotropic effects. The KNOXI transcription factor SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) is a well-characterized regulator of shoot apical meristem maintenance. Arabidopsis thaliana stm loss-of-function mutants arrest shortly after germination, and therefore the knowledge on later roles of STM in later processes, including flower development, is limited. Here, we uncover a role for STM in the specification of flower meristem identity. Silencing STM in the APETALA1 (AP1) expression domain in the ap1-4 mutant background resulted in a leafy-flower phenotype, and an intermediate stm-2 allele enhanced the flower meristem identity phenotype of ap1-4. Transcriptional profiling of STM perturbation suggested that STM activity affects multiple floral fate genes, among them the F-Box protein-encoding gene UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS (UFO). In agreement with this notion, stm-2 enhanced the ufo-2 floral fate phenotype, and ectopic UFO expression rescued the leafy flowers in genetic backgrounds with compromised AP1 and STM activities. This work suggests a genetic mechanism that underlies the activity of STM in the specification of flower meristem identity. © 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

The case against specialized visual-spatial short-term memory.

PubMed

Morey, Candice C

2018-05-24

The dominant paradigm for understanding working memory, or the combination of the perceptual, attentional, and mnemonic processes needed for thinking, subdivides short-term memory (STM) according to whether memoranda are encoded in aural-verbal or visual formats. This traditional dissociation has been supported by examples of neuropsychological patients who seem to selectively lack STM for either aural-verbal, visual, or spatial memoranda, and by experimental research using dual-task methods. Though this evidence is the foundation of assumptions of modular STM systems, the case it makes for a specialized visual STM system is surprisingly weak. I identify the key evidence supporting a distinct verbal STM system-patients with apparent selective damage to verbal STM and the resilience of verbal short-term memories to general dual-task interference-and apply these benchmarks to neuropsychological and experimental investigations of visual-spatial STM. Contrary to the evidence on verbal STM, patients with apparent visual or spatial STM deficits tend to experience a wide range of additional deficits, making it difficult to conclude that a distinct short-term store was damaged. Consistently with this, a meta-analysis of dual-task visual-spatial STM research shows that robust dual-task costs are consistently observed regardless of the domain or sensory code of the secondary task. Together, this evidence suggests that positing a specialized visual STM system is not necessary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Type-specific proactive interference in patients with semantic and phonological STM deficits.

PubMed

Harris, Lara; Olson, Andrew; Humphreys, Glyn

2014-01-01

Prior neuropsychological evidence suggests that semantic and phonological components of short-term memory (STM) are functionally and neurologically distinct. The current paper examines proactive interference (PI) from semantic and phonological information in two STM-impaired patients, DS (semantic STM deficit) and AK (phonological STM deficit). In Experiment 1 probe recognition tasks with open and closed sets of stimuli were used. Phonological PI was assessed using nonword items, and semantic and phonological PI was assessed using words. In Experiment 2 phonological and semantic PI was elicited by an item recognition probe test with stimuli that bore phonological and semantic relations to the probes. The data suggested heightened phonological PI for the semantic STM patient, and exaggerated effects of semantic PI in the phonological STM case. The findings are consistent with an account of extremely rapid decay of activated type-specific representations in cases of severely impaired phonological and semantic STM.

Memory Span and General Intelligence: A Latent-Variable Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colom, Roberto; Abad, Francisco J.; Rebollo, Irene; Chun Shih, Pei

2005-01-01

There are several studies showing that working memory and intelligence are strongly related. However, working memory tasks require simultaneous processing and storage, so the causes of their relationship with intelligence are currently a matter of discussion. The present study examined the simultaneous relationships among short-term memory (STM),…

Low-temperature, ultrahigh-vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with molecular beam epitaxy for in situ two-dimensional materials' studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Shaoxiang; Li, Wenbin; Gou, Jian; Cheng, Peng; Chen, Lan; Wu, Kehui

2018-05-01

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), which combines scanning probe microscopy with the Raman spectroscopy, is capable to access the local structure and chemical information simultaneously. However, the application of ambient TERS is limited by the unstable and poorly controllable experimental conditions. Here, we designed a high performance TERS system based on a low-temperature ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (LT-UHV-STM) and combined with a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. It can be used for growing two-dimensional (2D) materials and for in situ STM and TERS characterization. Using a 2D silicene sheet on the Ag(111) surface as a model system, we achieved an unprecedented 109 Raman single enhancement factor in combination with a TERS spatial resolution down to 0.5 nm. The results show that TERS combined with a MBE system can be a powerful tool to study low dimensional materials and surface science.

Self-assembled growth of MnSi~1.7 nanowires with a single orientation and a large aspect ratio on Si(110) surfaces

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

MnSi~1.7 nanowires (NWs) with a single orientation and a large aspect ratio have been formed on a Si(110) surface with the molecular beam epitaxy method by a delicate control of growth parameters, such as temperature, deposition rate, and deposition time. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was employed to study the influence of these parameters on the growth of NWs. The supply of free Si atoms per unit time during the silicide reaction plays a critical role in the growth kinetics of the NWs. High growth temperature and low deposition rate are favorable for the formation of NWs with a large aspect ratio. The orientation relationship between the NWs and the reconstruction rows of the Si(110) surface suggests that the NWs grow along the 11¯0 direction of the silicon substrate. High-resolution STM and backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the NWs are composed of MnSi~1.7. PMID:23339353

Growth and Stability of Titanium Dioxide Nanoclusters on Graphene/Ru(0001)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frederick, Ryan T.; Novotny, Zbynek; Netzer, Falko P.

Titanium dioxide/graphene composites have recently been demonstrated to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 in visible light. To better understand the interactions of TiO2 with graphene we have investigated the growth of TiO2 nanoclusters on single-layer graphene/Ru(0001) using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Deposition of Ti in the O2 background at 300 K resulted in the formation of nanoclusters nucleating on intrinsic defects in the graphene (Gr) layer. The saturation nanocluster density decreased as the substrate temperature was increased from 300 to 650 K, while deposition at 700 K resulted in the significant etching of themore » Gr layer. We have also prepared nanoclusters with Ti2O3 stoichiometry using lower O2 pressures at 650 K. Thermal stability of the TiO2 nanoclusters prepared at 300 K was evaluated with AES and STM. No change in oxidation state for the TiO2 nanoclusters or etching of the Gr layer was observed up to ~900 K. Annealing studies characterized using STM revealed that cluster ripening proceeds via a Smoluchowski mechanism below 800 K and that Ostwald ripening dominates above 800 K. At even higher temperatures, the nanoclusters undergo reduction to TiOx (x ≈ 1 - 1.5) which is accompanied by oxidation and etching of the Gr. Our studies demonstrate that highly thermally stable TiOx nanoclusters of controlled composition and morphology can be prepared on Gr supports.« less

A scanning tunneling microscope with a scanning range from hundreds of micrometers down to nanometer resolution.

PubMed

Kalkan, Fatih; Zaum, Christopher; Morgenstern, Karina

2012-10-01

A beetle type stage and a flexure scanning stage are combined to form a two stages scanning tunneling microscope (STM). It operates at room temperature in ultrahigh vacuum and is capable of scanning areas up to 300 μm × 450 μm down to resolution on the nanometer scale. This multi-scale STM has been designed and constructed in order to investigate prestructured metallic or semiconducting micro- and nano-structures in real space from atomic-sized structures up to the large-scale environment. The principle of the instrument is demonstrated on two different systems. Gallium nitride based micropillars demonstrate scan areas up to hundreds of micrometers; a Au(111) surface demonstrates nanometer resolution.

Superconducting states of topological surface states in β-PdBi2 investigated by STM/STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwaya, Katsuya; Okawa, Kenjiro; Hanaguri, Tetsuo; Kohsaka, Yuhki; Machida, Tadashi; Sasagawa, Takao

We investigate superconducting (SC) states of topological surface states in β-PdBi2 using very low temperature STM. Characteristic quasiparticle interference patterns strongly support the existence of the spin-polarized surface states at the Fermi level in the normal state. A fully-opened SC gap well described by the conventional BCS model is observed, indicating the SC gap opening at the spin-polarized Fermi surfaces. Considering a possible mixing of odd- and even parity orbital functions in C4v group symmetry lowered from D4h near the surface, we suggest that the SC gap consists of the mixture of s- and p-wave SC gap functions in the two-dimensional state.

Explaining semantic short-term memory deficits: Evidence for the critical role of semantic control

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Paul; Jefferies, Elizabeth; Lambon Ralph, Matthew A.

2011-01-01

Patients with apparently selective short-term memory (STM) deficits for semantic information have played an important role in developing multi-store theories of STM and challenge the idea that verbal STM is supported by maintaining activation in the language system. We propose that semantic STM deficits are not as selective as previously thought and can occur as a result of mild disruption to semantic control processes, i.e., mechanisms that bias semantic processing towards task-relevant aspects of knowledge and away from irrelevant information. We tested three semantic STM patients with tasks that tapped four aspects of semantic control: (i) resolving ambiguity between word meanings, (ii) sensitivity to cues, (iii) ignoring irrelevant information and (iv) detecting weak semantic associations. All were impaired in conditions requiring more semantic control, irrespective of the STM demands of the task, suggesting a mild, but task-general, deficit in regulating semantic knowledge. This mild deficit has a disproportionate effect on STM tasks because they have high intrinsic control demands: in STM tasks, control is required to keep information active when it is no longer available in the environment and to manage competition between items held in memory simultaneously. By re-interpreting the core deficit in semantic STM patients in this way, we are able to explain their apparently selective impairment without the need for a specialised STM store. Instead, we argue that semantic STM patients occupy the mildest end of spectrum of semantic control disorders. PMID:21195105

Electrocrystallization and scanning probe microscopy of ceramic thin films and superlattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hung, Chen-Jen

This dissertation presents an investigation of the electrocrystallization and scanning probe microscopy of ceramic thin films and superlattices. All of the films were deposited from aqueous solution at room temperature with no subsequent heat treatment needed to effect crystallization. Thallium(III) oxide defect chemistry superlattices were electrodeposited by pulsing the applied overpotential during deposition. The defect chemistry of the oxide is dependent on the applied overpotential. High overpotentials favor oxygen vacancies, while low overpotentials favor cation interstitials. Nanometer-scale holes were formed in thin thallium(III) oxide films using the scanning tunneling microscope in humid ambient conditions. Both cathodic and anodic etching reactions were performed on this metal oxide surface. The hole formation was attributed to localized electrochemical etching reactions beneath the STM tip. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was also used to both induce local surface modifications and image cleaved Pb-Tl-O superlattices. A trench of 100 nm in width, 32 nm in depth, and over 1 μm in length was formed after sweeping a bias voltage of ±2.5 V for 1 minute using a fixed STM tip. It has been suggested that STM results obtained under ambient conditions must be evaluated with great care because of the possibility of localized electrochemcial reactions. A novel synthesis method for the production of Cu(II) oxide from an alkaline solution containing Cu(II) tartrate was developed. Rietveld refinement of the cupric oxide films reveals pure Cu(II) oxide with no Cu(I) oxide present in the film.

Adsorption and Structure of Chiral Epoxides on Pd(111): Propylene Oxide and Glycidol

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mahapatra, Mausumi; Tysoe, Wilfred T.

Here, the adsorption of enantiopure versus racemic propylene oxide (PO) on Pd(111) is studied by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) to explore possible differences in their saturation coverage. It is found that that the saturation coverage of enantiopure PO on Pd(111) is identical to that of racemic PO, in contrast to results on Pt(111) where significant coverage differences were found. The surface structures of enantiopure PO on Pd(111) were characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), which shows the formation of linear chains and hexagonal structures proposed to be due to freely rotating PO, in contrast to the relatively disordered PO overlayers foundmore » on Pt(111). STM experiments were carried out for enantiopure glycidol, which contains the same epoxy ring as PO, but where the methyl group of propylene oxide is replaced by a -CH 2OH group to provide a hydrogen-bonding sites. Glycidol STM images show the formation of completely different surface structures; at low coverages, glycidol forms pseudohexagonal structures which assemble from glycidol dimers, while at high coverages the surface shows extensive hydrogen-bonded networks. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to model the enantiopure PO linear chain and the glycidol dimers that are observed by STM. Similar calculations were carried out for racemic PO and glycidol structures. The calculated interaction energies for the enantiopure and the racemic pairs reveal that there is no difference for homochiral versus heterochiral structures for both PO and glycidol on Pd(111).« less

Adsorption and Structure of Chiral Epoxides on Pd(111): Propylene Oxide and Glycidol

DOE PAGES

Mahapatra, Mausumi; Tysoe, Wilfred T.

2018-01-03

Here, the adsorption of enantiopure versus racemic propylene oxide (PO) on Pd(111) is studied by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) to explore possible differences in their saturation coverage. It is found that that the saturation coverage of enantiopure PO on Pd(111) is identical to that of racemic PO, in contrast to results on Pt(111) where significant coverage differences were found. The surface structures of enantiopure PO on Pd(111) were characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), which shows the formation of linear chains and hexagonal structures proposed to be due to freely rotating PO, in contrast to the relatively disordered PO overlayers foundmore » on Pt(111). STM experiments were carried out for enantiopure glycidol, which contains the same epoxy ring as PO, but where the methyl group of propylene oxide is replaced by a -CH 2OH group to provide a hydrogen-bonding sites. Glycidol STM images show the formation of completely different surface structures; at low coverages, glycidol forms pseudohexagonal structures which assemble from glycidol dimers, while at high coverages the surface shows extensive hydrogen-bonded networks. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to model the enantiopure PO linear chain and the glycidol dimers that are observed by STM. Similar calculations were carried out for racemic PO and glycidol structures. The calculated interaction energies for the enantiopure and the racemic pairs reveal that there is no difference for homochiral versus heterochiral structures for both PO and glycidol on Pd(111).« less

Investigation of local modification and luminescence of a carbon nanotube by scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katano, Satoshi; Fujita, Hiroto; Uehara, Yoichi

2018-01-01

We have studied the nanoscale luminescence from a multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) adsorbed on Au(111) using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). STM images revealed that a number of isolated chains of CNTs can be deposited by dry contact transfer while keeping the surface clean. By injecting tunneling electrons from the STM tip to the CNT, we observed STM light emission (STM-LE) from the CNT in the visible-light range, showing electronic transitions between the bands associated with the van Hove singularity in the density of states of the CNT. The STM-LE spectrum was obviously changed after introducing the local defect created by the STM tip, indicating the controllability of the nanoscale luminescence within a single chain of a CNT.

Temperature-induced structural evolution of Sm nanoparticles on Al2O3 thin film: An in-situ investigation using SRPES, XPS and STM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Qian; Hu, Shanwei; Wang, Weijia; Wang, Yan; Ju, Huanxin; Zhu, Junfa

2018-02-01

The structural evolution of Sm nanoclusters on ultrathin film of Al2O3 epitaxially grown on Ni3Al(111) substrate at elevated temperatures was investigated in-situ using synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The vapor-deposited metallic Sm onto the Al2O3 thin film at 300 K is partially oxidized, leading to the appearance of both Sm2+ and Sm3+ states at low coverages, due to the charge transfer from Sm to oxide film. The complete oxidation of the Sm, i.e., all Sm2+ converted to Sm3+, occurs when the sample is annealed to 500 K. Further annealing results in the diffusion of Sm into the Al2O3 lattice. At ∼900 K, the formation of a SmAlO3 complex is observed. However, this complex starts to decompose and desorb from the surface at temperature higher than 1200 K. Interestingly, it is found that Sm can promote the oxidation of Ni3Al substrate and thicken the alumina film when Sm is deposited at room temperature onto the Al2O3/Ni3Al(111) substrate followed by annealing in oxygen environment at ∼800 K.

Plant growth and resistance promoted by Streptomyces spp. in tomato.

PubMed

Dias, Maila P; Bastos, Matheus S; Xavier, Vanessa B; Cassel, Eduardo; Astarita, Leandro V; Santarém, Eliane R

2017-09-01

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) represent an alternative to improve plant growth and yield as well as to act as agents of biocontrol. This study characterized isolates of Streptomyces spp. (Stm) as PGPR, determined the antagonism of these isolates against Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis (Pcb), evaluated the ability of Stm on promoting growth and modulating the defense-related metabolism of tomato plants, and the potential of Stm isolates on reducing soft rot disease in this species. The VOC profile of Stm was also verified. Promotion of plant growth was assessed indirectly through VOC emission and by direct interaction with Stm isolates in the roots. Evaluation of soft rot disease was performed in vitro on plants treated with Stm and challenged with Pcb. Enzymes related to plant defense were then analyzed in plants treated with three selected isolates of Stm, and PM1 was chosen for further Pcb-challenging experiment. Streptomyces spp. isolates displayed characteristics of PGPR. PM3 was the isolate with efficient antagonism against Pcb by dual-culture. Most of the isolates promoted growth of root and shoot of tomato plants by VOC, and PM5 was the isolate that most promoted growth by direct interaction with Stm. Soft rot disease and mortality of plants were significantly reduced when plants were treated with StmPM1. Modulation of secondary metabolism was observed with Stm treatment, and fast response of polyphenoloxidases was detected in plants pretreated with StmPM1 and challenged with Pcb. Peroxidase was significantly activated three days after infection with Pcb in plants pretreated with StmPM1. Results suggest that Streptomyces sp. PM1 and PM5 have the potential to act as PGPR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Mechanical stress contributes to the expression of the STM homeobox gene in Arabidopsis shoot meristems

PubMed Central

Landrein, Benoît; Kiss, Annamaria; Sassi, Massimiliano; Chauvet, Aurélie; Das, Pradeep; Cortizo, Millan; Laufs, Patrick; Takeda, Seiji; Aida, Mitsuhiro; Traas, Jan; Vernoux, Teva; Boudaoud, Arezki; Hamant, Olivier

2015-01-01

The role of mechanical signals in cell identity determination remains poorly explored in tissues. Furthermore, because mechanical stress is widespread, mechanical signals are difficult to uncouple from biochemical-based transduction pathways. Here we focus on the homeobox gene SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), a master regulator and marker of meristematic identity in Arabidopsis. We found that STM expression is quantitatively correlated to curvature in the saddle-shaped boundary domain of the shoot apical meristem. As tissue folding reflects the presence of mechanical stress, we test and demonstrate that STM expression is induced after micromechanical perturbations. We also show that STM expression in the boundary domain is required for organ separation. While STM expression correlates with auxin depletion in this domain, auxin distribution and STM expression can also be uncoupled. STM expression and boundary identity are thus strengthened through a synergy between auxin depletion and an auxin-independent mechanotransduction pathway at the shoot apical meristem. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07811.001 PMID:26623515

Theoretical Study of tip apex electronic structure in Scanning Tunneling Microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Heesung; Huang, Min; Randall, John; Cho, Kyeongjae

2011-03-01

Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) has been widely used to explore diverse surface properties with an atomic resolution, and STM tip has played a critical role in controlling surface structures. However, detailed information of atomic and electronic structure of STM tip and the fundamental understanding of STM images are still incomplete. Therefore, it is important to develop a comprehensive understanding of the electronic structure of STM tip. We have studied the atomic and electronic structures of STM tip with various transition metals (TMs) by DFT method. The d-electrons of TM tip apex atoms show different orbital states near the Fermi level. We will present comprehensive data of STM tips from our DFT calculation. Verified quantification of the tip electronic structures will lead to fundamental understanding of STM tip structure-property relationship. This work is supported by the DARPA TBN Program and the Texas ETF. DARPA Tip Based Nanofabrication Program and the Emerging Technology Fund of the State of Texas.

The Nature of Verbal Short-Term Impairment in Dyslexia: The Importance of Serial Order

PubMed Central

Majerus, Steve; Cowan, Nelson

2016-01-01

Verbal short-term memory (STM) impairment is one of the most consistent associated deficits observed in developmental reading disorders such as dyslexia. Few studies have addressed the nature of this STM impairment, especially as regards the ability to temporarily store serial order information. This question is important as studies in typically developing children have shown that serial order STM abilities are predictors of oral and written language development. Associated serial order STM deficits in dyslexia may therefore further increase the learning difficulties in these populations. In this mini review, we show that specific serial order STM impairment is frequently reported in both dyslexic children and adults with a history of dyslexia. Serial order STM impairment appears to occur for the retention of both verbal and visuo-spatial sequence information. Serial order STM impairment is, however, not a characteristic of every individual dyslexic subject and is not specific to dyslexia. Future studies need to determine whether serial order STM impairment is a risk factor which, in association with phonological processing deficits, can lead to dyslexia or whether serial order STM impairment reflects associated deficits causally unrelated to dyslexia. PMID:27752247

Formation and stability of dense arrays of Au nanoclusters on hexagonal boron nitride/Rh(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Matthew C.; Habenicht, Bradley F.; Kurtz, Richard L.; Liu, Li; Xu, Ye; Sprunger, Phillip T.

2014-05-01

We have studied the nucleation and growth of Au clusters at submonolayer and greater coverages on the h-BN nanomesh grown on Rh(111) by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT). STM reveals that submonolayer Au deposited at 115 K nucleates within the nanomesh pores and remains confined to the pores even after warming to room temperature. Whereas there is a propensity of monoatomic high islands at low temperature, upon annealing, bi- and multilayer Au clusters emerge. Deposition of higher coverages of Au similarly results in Au clusters primarily confined to the nanomesh pores at room temperature. XPS analysis of core-level electronic states in the deposited Au shows strong final-state effects induced by restricted particle size dominating for low Au coverage, with indications that larger Au clusters are negatively charged by interaction through the h-BN monolayer. DFT calculations suggest that the structure of the Au clusters transitions from monolayer to bilayer at a size between 30 and 37 atoms per cluster, in line with our experiment. Bader charge analysis supports the negative charge state of deposited Au.

Physical Modeling of Contact Processes on the Cutting Tools Surfaces of STM When Turning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belozerov, V. A.; Uteshev, M. H.

2016-08-01

This article describes how to create an optimization model of the process of fine turning of superalloys and steel tools from STM on CNC machines, flexible manufacturing units (GPM), machining centers. Creation of the optimization model allows you to link (unite) contact processes simultaneously on the front and back surfaces of the tool from STM to manage contact processes and the dynamic strength of the cutting tool at the top of the STM. Established optimization model of management of the dynamic strength of the incisors of the STM in the process of fine turning is based on a previously developed thermomechanical (physical, heat) model, which allows the system thermomechanical approach to choosing brands STM (domestic and foreign) for cutting tools from STM designed for fine turning of heat resistant alloys and steels.

Restructuring STM (Science, Technology, and Mathematics) Education for Entrepreneurship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ezeudu, F. O.; Ofoegbu, T. O.; Anyaegbunnam, N. J.

2013-01-01

This paper discussed the need to restructure STM (science, technology, and mathematics) education to reflect entrepreneurship. This is because the present STM education has not achieved its aim of making graduates self-reliant. Entrepreneurship education if introduced in the STM education will produce graduate who can effectively manage their…

Development of verbal short-term memory and working memory in children with epilepsy: Developmental delay and impact of time-related variables. A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

van Iterson, Loretta; de Jong, Peter F

2018-01-01

While short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) are understood as being crucial for learning, and children with epilepsy often experience learning difficulties, little is known about the age-related development of memory span tasks in children with epilepsy. Short-term memory and WM, operationalized as digit span forwards (DSF) or digit span backwards (DSB), respectively, were studied. Participants were 314 children with epilepsy and 327 typically developing children in ages between 5 and 15years and full scale intelligence quotient (FS-IQ)≥75. Cross-sectional analyses of the data were done with analyses of variance and analyses of covariance ((M)ANCOVAs) and generalized linear analyses. The analyses revealed that STM problems in epilepsy were mediated by age-related gains in WM as well as by differences in IQ. Working memory developed at a quick pace in the younger children, the pace slowed down to some extent in the later primary school years and resumed again later on. Working memory problems prevailed in epilepsy, independent of IQ and development of STM. Timing of the epilepsy in terms of age at onset and duration determined memory development. The youngest children with epilepsy showed age-appropriate development in STM but were the most vulnerable in terms of WM development. Later in the course of the epilepsy, the WM problems of the young children attenuated. In later onset epilepsy, WM problems were smaller but persisted over time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Room Temperature Ferromagnetic Mn:Ge(001).

PubMed

Lungu, George Adrian; Stoflea, Laura Elena; Tanase, Liviu Cristian; Bucur, Ioana Cristina; Răduţoiu, Nicoleta; Vasiliu, Florin; Mercioniu, Ionel; Kuncser, Victor; Teodorescu, Cristian-Mihail

2013-12-27

We report the synthesis of a room temperature ferromagnetic Mn-Ge system obtained by simple deposition of manganese on Ge(001), heated at relatively high temperature (starting with 250 °C). The samples were characterized by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). Samples deposited at relatively elevated temperature (350 °C) exhibited the formation of ~5-8 nm diameter Mn₅Ge₃ and Mn 11 Ge₈ agglomerates by HRTEM, while XPS identified at least two Mn-containing phases: the agglomerates, together with a Ge-rich MnGe ~2.5 phase, or manganese diluted into the Ge(001) crystal. LEED revealed the persistence of long range order after a relatively high amount of Mn (100 nm) deposited on the single crystal substrate. STM probed the existence of dimer rows on the surface, slightly elongated as compared with Ge-Ge dimers on Ge(001). The films exhibited a clear ferromagnetism at room temperature, opening the possibility of forming a magnetic phase behind a nearly ideally terminated Ge surface, which could find applications in integration of magnetic functionalities on semiconductor bases. SQUID probed the co-existence of a superparamagnetic phase, with one phase which may be attributed to a diluted magnetic semiconductor. The hypothesis that the room temperature ferromagnetic phase might be the one with manganese diluted into the Ge crystal is formulated and discussed.

Room Temperature Ferromagnetic Mn:Ge(001)

PubMed Central

Lungu, George Adrian; Stoflea, Laura Elena; Tanase, Liviu Cristian; Bucur, Ioana Cristina; Răduţoiu, Nicoleta; Vasiliu, Florin; Mercioniu, Ionel; Kuncser, Victor; Teodorescu, Cristian-Mihail

2014-01-01

We report the synthesis of a room temperature ferromagnetic Mn-Ge system obtained by simple deposition of manganese on Ge(001), heated at relatively high temperature (starting with 250 °C). The samples were characterized by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), and magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). Samples deposited at relatively elevated temperature (350 °C) exhibited the formation of ~5–8 nm diameter Mn5Ge3 and Mn11Ge8 agglomerates by HRTEM, while XPS identified at least two Mn-containing phases: the agglomerates, together with a Ge-rich MnGe~2.5 phase, or manganese diluted into the Ge(001) crystal. LEED revealed the persistence of long range order after a relatively high amount of Mn (100 nm) deposited on the single crystal substrate. STM probed the existence of dimer rows on the surface, slightly elongated as compared with Ge–Ge dimers on Ge(001). The films exhibited a clear ferromagnetism at room temperature, opening the possibility of forming a magnetic phase behind a nearly ideally terminated Ge surface, which could find applications in integration of magnetic functionalities on semiconductor bases. SQUID probed the co-existence of a superparamagnetic phase, with one phase which may be attributed to a diluted magnetic semiconductor. The hypothesis that the room temperature ferromagnetic phase might be the one with manganese diluted into the Ge crystal is formulated and discussed. PMID:28788444

Scanning tunneling microscope assembly, reactor, and system

DOEpatents

Tao, Feng; Salmeron, Miquel; Somorjai, Gabor A

2014-11-18

An embodiment of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) reactor includes a pressure vessel, an STM assembly, and three spring coupling objects. The pressure vessel includes a sealable port, an interior, and an exterior. An embodiment of an STM system includes a vacuum chamber, an STM reactor, and three springs. The three springs couple the STM reactor to the vacuum chamber and are operable to suspend the scanning tunneling microscope reactor within the interior of the vacuum chamber during operation of the STM reactor. An embodiment of an STM assembly includes a coarse displacement arrangement, a piezoelectric fine displacement scanning tube coupled to the coarse displacement arrangement, and a receiver. The piezoelectric fine displacement scanning tube is coupled to the coarse displacement arrangement. The receiver is coupled to the piezoelectric scanning tube and is operable to receive a tip holder, and the tip holder is operable to receive a tip.

Preparation of Chemically Etched Tips for Ambient Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaccardi, Margot J.; Winkelmann, Kurt; Olson, Joel A.

2010-01-01

A first-year laboratory experiment that utilizes concepts of electrochemical tip etching for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is described. This experiment can be used in conjunction with any STM experiment. Students electrochemically etch gold STM tips using a time-efficient method, which can then be used in an instructional grade STM that…

Short Term Memory, Working Memory, and Syntactic Comprehension in Aphasia

PubMed Central

Caplan, David; Michaud, Jennifer; Hufford, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Sixty one people with aphasia were tested on ten tests of short term memory (STM) and for the ability to use syntactic structure to determine the meanings of eleven types of sentences in three tasks – object manipulation, picture matching and picture matching with self-paced listening. Multilevel models showed relationships between measures of the ability to retain and manipulate item and order information in STM and accuracy and RT, and a greater relationship between these STM measures and accuracy and RT for several more complex sentence types in individual tasks. There were no effects of measures of STM that reflect the use of phonological codes or rehearsal on comprehension. There was only one effect of STM measures on self-paced listening times. There were double dissociations between performance on STM and individual comprehension tasks, indicating that normal STM is not necessary to perform normally on these tasks. The results are most easily related to the view that STM plays a facilitatory role in supporting the use of the products of the comprehension process to accomplish operations related to tasks. PMID:23865692

Adsorption configurations and scanning voltage determined STM images of small hydrogen clusters on bilayer graphene.

PubMed

Cao, Teng Fei; Huang, Liang Feng; Zheng, Xiao Hong; Zhou, Wang Huai; Zeng, Zhi

2013-11-21

By density functional theory calculations, the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of various hydrogen clusters adsorbed on bilayer-graphene are systematically simulated. The hydrogen configurations of the STM images observed in the experiments have been thoroughly figured out. In particular, two kinds of hydrogen dimers (ortho-dimer, para-dimer) and two kinds of tetramers (tetramer-A, -B) are determined to be the hydrogen configurations corresponding to the ellipsoidal-like STM images with different structures and sizes. One particular hexamer (hexamer-B) is the hydrogen configuration generating the star-like STM images. For each hydrogen cluster, the simulated STM images show unique voltage-dependent features, which provides a feasible way to determine hydrogen adsorption states on graphene or graphite surface in the experiments by varying-voltage measurements. Stability analysis proves that the above determined hydrogen configurations are quite stable on graphene, hence they are likely to be detected in the STM experiments. Consequently, through systematic analysis of the STM images and the stability of hydrogen clusters on bilayer graphene, many experimental observations have been consistently explained.

Surface morphology and structure of Ge layer on Si(111) after solid phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Ryoma; Tosaka, Aki; Shigeta, Yukichi

2018-05-01

The surface morphology change of a Ge layer on a Si(111) surface formed by solid phase epitaxy has been investigated with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The Ge film was deposited at room temperature and annealed at 400 °C or 600 °C. The STM images of the sample surface after annealing at 400 °C show a flat wetting layer (WL) with small three-dimensional islands on the WL. After annealing at 600 °C, the STM images show a surface roughening with large islands. From the relation between the average height of the roughness and the deposited layer thickness, it is confirmed that the diffusion of Ge atoms becomes very active at 600 °C. The Si crystal at the interface is reconstructed and the intermixing occurs over 600 °C. However, the intermixing is fairly restricted in the solid phase epitaxy growth at 400 °C. The surface morphology changes with the crystallization at 400 °C are discussed by the shape of the islands formed on the WL surface. It is shown that the diffusion of the Ge atoms in the amorphous phase is active even at 400 °C.

Direct observation of X-ray induced atomic motion using scanning tunneling microscope combined with synchrotron radiation.

PubMed

Saito, Akira; Tanaka, Takehiro; Takagi, Yasumasa; Hosokawa, Hiromasa; Notsu, Hiroshi; Ohzeki, Gozo; Tanaka, Yoshihito; Kohmura, Yoshiki; Akai-Kasaya, Megumi; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Kuwahara, Yuji; Kikuta, Seishi; Aono, Masakazu

2011-04-01

X-ray induced atomic motion on a Ge(111)-c(2 x 8) clean surface at room temperature was directly observed with atomic resolution using a synchrotron radiation (SR)-based scanning tunneling microscope (STM) system under ultra high vacuum condition. The atomic motion was visualized as a tracking image by developing a method to merge the STM images before and after X-ray irradiation. Using the tracking image, the atomic mobility was found to be strongly affected by defects on the surface, but was not dependent on the incident X-ray energy, although it was clearly dependent on the photon density. The atomic motion can be attributed to surface diffusion, which might not be due to core-excitation accompanied with electronic transition, but a thermal effect by X-ray irradiation. The crystal surface structure was possible to break even at a lower photon density than the conventionally known barrier. These results can alert X-ray studies in the near future about sample damage during measurements, while suggesting the possibility of new applications. Also the obtained results show a new availability of the in-situ SR-STM system.

Hydrogen Abstraction from Individual Thiophenol Molecules Adsorbed on Cu(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Bommisetty; Kwon, Ki-Young; Liu, Anwei; Zhang, Jin-Tao; Bartels, Ludwig

2004-03-01

Thiol compounds on metal surfaces have been studied intensively because of their ability to form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). However, the transition from the thiol to the surface thiolate is difficult to investigate in detail in the solution phase. Here we report on STM measurements that address the adsorption of a variety of substituted thiophenols on Cu(111) at 15K in vacuum. At this temperature, adsorption does not cause immediate scission of the S-H bond. We confirmed this by STM-based vibrational spectroscopy. Consequently, the sulfur atom of the thiol group adsorbs on-top of a substrate atom, which results in a sufficient separation of the aryl group from the substrate to allow its free rotation even at 15K. Asymmetrically substituted thiophenols result in STM images of pronounced helicity, which indicates that the molecules cannot tilt upright to exchange their adsorption side. Attachment of electrons from the tunneling current can cause hydrogen abstraction from the thiophenols, which locks them into the substrate. We investigated the dependence of the yield of the hydrogen abstraction on the thiophenol substituent identity and position. We find pronounced variations which may follow the Hammett Equation known from Standard Organic Chemistry.

Coordination of meristem and boundary functions by transcription factors in the SHOOT MERISTEMLESS regulatory network.

PubMed

Scofield, Simon; Murison, Alexander; Jones, Angharad; Fozard, John; Aida, Mitsuhiro; Band, Leah R; Bennett, Malcolm; Murray, James A H

2018-04-30

The Arabidopsis homeodomain transcription factor SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) is crucial for shoot apical meristem (SAM) function, yet the components and structure of the STM gene regulatory network (GRN) are largely unknown. Here, we show that transcriptional regulators are overrepresented among STM-regulated genes and, using these as GRN components in Bayesian network analysis, we infer STM GRN associations and reveal regulatory relationships between STM and factors involved in multiple aspects of SAM function. These include hormone regulation, TCP-mediated control of cell differentiation, AIL/PLT-mediated regulation of pluripotency and phyllotaxis, and specification of meristem-organ boundary zones via CUC1. We demonstrate a direct positive transcriptional feedback loop between STM and CUC1, despite their distinct expression patterns in the meristem and organ boundary, respectively. Our further finding that STM activates expression of the CUC1-targeting microRNA miR164c combined with mathematical modelling provides a potential solution for this apparent contradiction, demonstrating that these proposed regulatory interactions coupled with STM mobility could be sufficient to provide a mechanism for CUC1 localisation at the meristem-organ boundary. Our findings highlight the central role for the STM GRN in coordinating SAM functions. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Overexpression of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi recA gene confers fluoroquinolone resistance in Escherichia coli DH5α.

PubMed

Yassien, M A M; Elfaky, M A

2015-11-01

A spontaneous fluoroquinolone-resistant mutant (STM1) was isolated from its parent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) clinical isolate. Unlike its parent isolate, this mutant has selective resistance to fluoroquinolones without any change in its sensitivity to various other antibiotics. DNA gyrase assays revealed that the fluoroquinolone resistance phenotype of the STM1 mutant did not result from alteration of the fluoroquinolone sensitivity of the DNA gyrase isolated from it. To study the mechanism of fluoroquinolone resistance, a genomic library from the STM1 mutant was constructed in Escherichia coli DH5α and two recombinant plasmids were obtained. Only one of these plasmids (STM1-A) conferred the selective fluoroquinolone resistance phenotype to E. coli DH5α. The chromosomal insert from STM1-A, digested with EcoRI and HindIII restriction endonucleases, produced two DNA fragments and these were cloned separately into pUC19 thereby generating two new plasmids, STM1-A1 and STM1-A2. Only STM1-A1 conferred the selective fluoroquinolone resistance phenotype to E. coli DH5α. Sequence and subcloning analyses of STM1-A1 showed the presence of an intact RecA open reading frame. Unlike that of the wild-type E. coli DH5α, protein analysis of a crude STM1-A1 extract showed overexpression of a 40 kDa protein. Western blotting confirmed the 40 kDa protein band to be RecA. When a RecA PCR product was cloned into pGEM-T and introduced into E. coli DH5α, the STM1-A11 subclone retained fluoroquinolone resistance. These results suggest that overexpression of RecA causes selective fluoroquinolone resistance in E. coli DH5α.

Plasma etching of superconducting Niobium tips for scanning tunneling microscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roychowdhury, A.; Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742; Dana, R.

We have developed a reproducible technique for the fabrication of sharp superconducting Nb tips for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Sections of Nb wire with 250 μm diameter are dry etched in an SF₆ plasma in a Reactive Ion Etcher. The gas pressure, etching time, and applied power are chosen to control the ratio of isotropic to anisotropic etch rates and produce the desired tip shape. The resulting tips are atomically sharp, with radii of less than 100 nm, mechanically stable, and superconducting. They generate good STM images and spectroscopy on single crystal samples of Au(111), Au(100),more » and Nb(100), as well as a doped topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ at temperatures ranging from 30 mK to 9 K.« less

Scanning tunnelling microscope for boron surface studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trenary, Michael

1990-10-01

The equipment purchased is to be used in an experimental study of the relationship between atomic structure and chemical reactivity for boron and carbon surfaces. This research is currently being supported by grant AFOSR-88-0111. A renewal proposal is currently pending with AFOSR to continue these studies. Carbon and boron are exceptionally stable, covalently bonded solids with highly unique crystal structures. The specific reactions to be studied are loosely related to the problems of oxidation and oxidation inhibition of carbon/carbon composites. The main experimental instrument to be used is a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) purchased under grant number AFSOR-89-0146. Other techniques to be used include Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM).

A 350 mK, 9 T scanning tunneling microscope for the study of superconducting thin films on insulating substrates and single crystals.

PubMed

Kamlapure, Anand; Saraswat, Garima; Ganguli, Somesh Chandra; Bagwe, Vivas; Raychaudhuri, Pratap; Pai, Subash P

2013-12-01

We report the construction and performance of a low temperature, high field scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operating down to 350 mK and in magnetic fields up to 9 T, with thin film deposition and in situ single crystal cleaving capabilities. The main focus lies on the simple design of STM head and a sample holder design that allows us to get spectroscopic data on superconducting thin films grown in situ on insulating substrates. Other design details on sample transport, sample preparation chamber, and vibration isolation schemes are also described. We demonstrate the capability of our instrument through the atomic resolution imaging and spectroscopy on NbSe2 single crystal and spectroscopic maps obtained on homogeneously disordered NbN thin film.

STM/STS Study of LixCoO2 Single Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwaya, Katsuya; Minato, Taketoshi; Miyoshi, Kiyotaka; Takeuchi, Jun; Kim, Yousoo; Hitosugi, Taro

2012-02-01

We have performed low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on LixCoO2 (x=0.66) single crystal surfaces. A (1x1) hexagonal lattice was clearly observed and found to be moved by changing bias-voltage polarity, indicating that this could be associated with Li ions on the surface. Under the (1x1) hexagonal lattice, we imaged almost randomly distributed bright dots that were strongly dependent on bias-voltage, with insulating spectroscopic features. Different area on the surface showed a (2x2) hexagonal lattice that could be related to an ordering of Co^3+ and Co^4+ ions. These results suggest the electronic structure of LixCoO2 surface is inhomogeneous possibly due to segregation of Li ions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Warschkow, O.; McKenzie, D. R.; Curson, N. J.

Using density functional theory and guided by extensive scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) image data, we formulate a detailed mechanism for the dissociation of phosphine (PH{sub 3}) molecules on the Si(001) surface at room temperature. We distinguish between a main sequence of dissociation that involves PH{sub 2}+H, PH+2H, and P+3H as observable intermediates, and a secondary sequence that gives rise to PH+H, P+2H, and isolated phosphorus adatoms. The latter sequence arises because PH{sub 2} fragments are surprisingly mobile on Si(001) and can diffuse away from the third hydrogen atom that makes up the PH{sub 3} stoichiometry. Our calculated activation energies describemore » the competition between diffusion and dissociation pathways and hence provide a comprehensive model for the numerous adsorbate species observed in STM experiments.« less

Explaining Semantic Short-Term Memory Deficits: Evidence for the Critical Role of Semantic Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, Paul; Jefferies, Elizabeth; Lambon Ralph, Matthew A.

2011-01-01

Patients with apparently selective short-term memory (STM) deficits for semantic information have played an important role in developing multi-store theories of STM and challenge the idea that verbal STM is supported by maintaining activation in the language system. We propose that semantic STM deficits are not as selective as previously thought…

SSE software test management STM capability: Using STM in the Ground Systems Development Environment (GSDE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Church, Victor E.; Long, D.; Hartenstein, Ray; Perez-Davila, Alfredo

1992-01-01

This report is one of a series discussing configuration management (CM) topics for Space Station ground systems software development. It provides a description of the Software Support Environment (SSE)-developed Software Test Management (STM) capability, and discusses the possible use of this capability for management of developed software during testing performed on target platforms. This is intended to supplement the formal documentation of STM provided by the SEE Project. How STM can be used to integrate contractor CM and formal CM for software before delivery to operations is described. STM provides a level of control that is flexible enough to support integration and debugging, but sufficiently rigorous to insure the integrity of the testing process.

Ultrathin TiO(x) films on Pt(111): a LEED, XPS, and STM investigation.

PubMed

Sedona, Francesco; Rizzi, Gian Andrea; Agnoli, Stefano; Llabrés i Xamena, Francesc X; Papageorgiou, Anthoula; Ostermann, Dieter; Sambi, Mauro; Finetti, Paola; Schierbaum, Klaus; Granozzi, Gaetano

2005-12-29

Ultrathin ordered titanium oxide films on Pt(111) surface are prepared by reactive evaporation of Ti in oxygen. By varying the Ti dose and the annealing conditions (i.e., temperature and oxygen pressure), six different long-range ordered phases are obtained. They are characterized by means of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). By careful optimization of the preparative parameters, we find conditions where predominantly single phases of TiO(x), revealing distinct LEED pattern and STM images, are produced. XPS binding energy and photoelectron diffraction (XPD) data indicate that all the phases, except one (the stoichiometric rect-TiO2), are one monolayer thick and composed of a Ti-O bilayer with interfacial Ti. Atomically resolved STM images confirm that these TiO(x) phases wet the Pt surface, in contrast to rect-TiO2. This indicates their interface stabilization. At a low Ti dose (0.4 monolayer equivalents, MLE), an incommensurate kagomé-like low-density phase (k-TiO(x) phase) is observed where hexagons are sharing their vertexes. At a higher Ti dose (0.8 MLE), two denser phases are found, both characterized by a zigzag motif (z- and z'-TiO(x) phases), but with distinct rectangular unit cells. Among them, z'-TiO(x), which is obtained by annealing in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), shows a larger unit cell. When the postannealing of the 0.8 MLE deposit is carried out at high temperatures and high oxygen partial pressures, the incommensurate nonwetting, fully oxidized rect-TiO2 is found The symmetry and lattice dimensions are almost identical with rect-VO2, observed in the system VO(x)/Pd(111). At a higher coverage (1.2 MLE), two commensurate hexagonal phases are formed, namely the w- [(square root(43) x square root(43)) R 7.6 degrees] and w'-TiO(x) phase [(7 x 7) R 21.8 degrees]. They show wagon-wheel-like structures and have slightly different lattice dimensions. Larger Ti deposits produce TiO2 nanoclusters on top of the different monolayer films, as supported both by XPS and STM data. Besides the formation of TiO(x) surfaces phases, wormlike features are found on the bare parts of the substrate by STM. We suggest that these structures, probably multilayer disordered TiO2, represent growth precursors of the ordered phases. Our results on the different nanostructures are compared with literature data on similar systems, e.g., VO(x)/Pd(111), VO(x)/Rh(111), TiO(x)/Pd(111), TiO(x)/Pt(111), and TiO(x)/Ru(0001). Similar and distinct features are observed in the TiO(x)/Pt(111) case, which may be related to the different chemical natures of the overlayer and of the substrate.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Hao, E-mail: hc000211@ohio.edu; Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Physics & Astronomy Department, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701; Cummings, Marvin

High-speed beam choppers are a crucial part of time-resolved x-ray studies as well as a necessary component to enable elemental contrast in synchrotron x-ray scanning tunneling microscopy (SX-STM). However, many chopper systems are not capable of operation in vacuum, which restricts their application to x-ray studies with high photon energies, where air absorption does not present a significant problem. To overcome this limitation, we present a fully ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatible chopper system capable of operating at variable chopping frequencies up to 4 kHz. The lightweight aluminum chopper disk is coated with Ti and Au films to provide the required beammore » attenuation for soft and hard x-rays with photon energies up to about 12 keV. The chopper is used for lock-in detection of x-ray enhanced signals in SX-STM.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Hao; Cummings, Marvin L.; Shirato, Nozomi

High-speed beam choppers are a crucial part of time-resolved x-ray studies as well as a necessary component to enable elemental contrast in synchrotron x-ray scanning tunneling microscopy (SX-STM). However, many chopper systems are not capable of operation in vacuum, which restricts their application to x-ray studies with high photon energies, where air absorption does not present a significant problem. To overcome this limitation, we present a fully ultra-high vacuum (UHV) compatible chopper system capable of operating at variable chopping frequencies up to 4 kHz. The lightweight aluminum chopper disk is coated with Ti and Au films to provide the requiredmore » beam attenuation for soft and hard x-rays with photon energies up to about 12 keV. The chopper is used for lock-in detection of x-ray enhanced signals in SX-STM.« less

Phase transition on the Si(001) clean surface prepared in UHV MBE chamber: a study by high-resolution STM and in situ RHEED

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The Si(001) surface deoxidized by short annealing at T ~ 925°C in the ultrahigh vacuum molecuar beam epitaxy chamber has been in situ investigated using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)and redegreesected high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED. RHEED patterns corresponding to (2 × 1) and (4 × 4) structures were observed during sample treatment. The (4 × 4) reconstruction arose at T ≲ 600°C after annealing. The reconstruction was observed to be reversible: the (4 × 4) structure turned into the (2 × 1) one at T ≳ 600°C, the (4 × 4) structure appeared again at recurring cooling. The c(8 × 8) reconstruction was revealed by STM at room temperature on the same samples. A fraction of the surface area covered by the c(8 × 8) structure decreased, as the sample cooling rate was reduced. The (2 × 1) structure was observed on the surface free of the c(8 × 8) one. The c(8 × 8) structure has been evidenced to manifest itself as the (4 × 4) one in the RHEED patterns. A model of the c(8 × 8) structure formation has been built on the basis of the STM data. Origin of the high-order structure on the Si(001) surface and its connection with the epinucleation phenomenon are discussed. PACS 68.35.B-·68.37.Ef·68.49.Jk·68.47.Fg PMID:21711733

High-quality draft genome sequence of Rhizobium mesoamericanum strain STM6155, a Mimosa pudica microsymbiont from New Caledonia

DOE PAGES

Klonowska, Agnieszka; López-López, Aline; Moulin, Lionel; ...

2017-01-17

Rhizobium mesoamericanum STM6155 (INSCD=ATYY01000000) is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that can exist as a soil saprophyte or as an effective nitrogen fixing microsymbiont of the legume Mimosa pudica L.. STM6155 was isolated in 2009 from a nodule of the trap host M. pudica grown in nickel-rich soil collected near Mont Dore, New Caledonia. R. mesoamericanum STM6155 was selected as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) genome sequencing project. Here we describe the symbiotic properties of R. mesoamericanum STM6155, together with its genome sequence information and annotation. Themore » 6,927,906bp high-quality draft genome is arranged into 147 scaffolds of 152 contigs containing 6855 protein-coding genes and 71 RNA-only encoding genes. Strain STM6155 forms an ANI clique (ID 2435) with the sequenced R. mesoamericanum strain STM3625, and the nodulation genes are highly conserved in these strains and the type strain of Rhizobium grahamii CCGE501 T . Within the STM6155 genome, we have identified a chr chromate efflux gene cluster of six genes arranged into two putative operons and we postulate that this cluster is important for the survival of STM6155 in ultramafic soils containing high concentrations of chromate.« less

Change of short-term memory effect in acute ischemic ventricular myocardium: a computational study.

PubMed

Mei, Xi; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Hong; Liu, Zhi-cheng; Zhang, Zhen-xi

2014-02-01

The ionic mechanism of change in short-term memory (STM) during acute myocardial ischemia has not been well understood. In this paper, an advanced guinea pig ventricular model developed by Luo and Rudy was used to investigate STM property of ischemic ventricular myocardium. STM response was calculated by testing the time to reach steady-state action potential duration (APD) after an abrupt shortening of basic cycling length (BCL) in the pacing protocol. Electrical restitution curves (RCs), which can simultaneously visualize multiple aspects of APD restitution and STM, were obtained from dynamic and local S1S2 restitution portrait (RP), which consist of a longer interval stimulus (S1) and a shorter interval stimulus (S2). The angle between dynamic RC and local S1S2 RC reflects the amount of STM. Our results indicated that compared with control (normal) condition, time constant of STM response in the ischemic condition decreased significantly. Meanwhile the angle which reflects STM amount is less in ischemic model than that in control model. By tracking the effect of ischemia on intracellular ion concentration and membrane currents, we declared that changes in membrane currents caused by ischemia exert subtle influences on STM; it is only the decline of intracellular calcium concentration that give rise to the most decrement of STM. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-quality draft genome sequence of Rhizobium mesoamericanum strain STM6155, a Mimosa pudica microsymbiont from New Caledonia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Klonowska, Agnieszka; López-López, Aline; Moulin, Lionel

Rhizobium mesoamericanum STM6155 (INSCD=ATYY01000000) is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that can exist as a soil saprophyte or as an effective nitrogen fixing microsymbiont of the legume Mimosa pudica L.. STM6155 was isolated in 2009 from a nodule of the trap host M. pudica grown in nickel-rich soil collected near Mont Dore, New Caledonia. R. mesoamericanum STM6155 was selected as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) genome sequencing project. Here we describe the symbiotic properties of R. mesoamericanum STM6155, together with its genome sequence information and annotation. Themore » 6,927,906bp high-quality draft genome is arranged into 147 scaffolds of 152 contigs containing 6855 protein-coding genes and 71 RNA-only encoding genes. Strain STM6155 forms an ANI clique (ID 2435) with the sequenced R. mesoamericanum strain STM3625, and the nodulation genes are highly conserved in these strains and the type strain of Rhizobium grahamii CCGE501 T . Within the STM6155 genome, we have identified a chr chromate efflux gene cluster of six genes arranged into two putative operons and we postulate that this cluster is important for the survival of STM6155 in ultramafic soils containing high concentrations of chromate.« less

Retrospective attention in short-term memory has a lasting effect on long-term memory across age.

PubMed

Strunk, Jonathan; Morgan, Lauren; Reaves, Sarah; Verhaeghen, Paul; Duarte, Audrey

2018-04-13

Declines in both short- and long-term memory are typical of healthy aging. Recent findings suggest that retrodictive attentional cues ("retro-cues") that indicate the location of to-be-probed items in short-term memory (STM) have a lasting impact on long-term memory (LTM) performance in young adults. Whether older adults can also use retro-cues to facilitate both STM and LTM is unknown. Young and older adults performed a visual STM task in which spatially informative retro-cues or non-informative neutral-cues were presented during STM maintenance of real-world objects. We tested participants' memory at both STM and LTM delays for objects that were previously cued with retrodictive or neutral cues during STM order to measure the lasting impact of retrospective attention on LTM. Older adults showed reduced STM and LTM capacity compared to young adults. However, they showed similar magnitude retro-cue memory benefits as young adults at both STM and LTM delays. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate whether retro-cues in STM facilitate the encoding of objects into LTM such that they are more likely to be subsequently retrieved by older adults. Our results support the idea that retrospective attention can be an effective means by which older adults can improve their short and long-term memory performance, even in the context of reduced memory capacity.

Fingerprints of single nuclear spin energy levels using STM - ENDOR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manassen, Yishay; Averbukh, Michael; Jbara, Moamen; Siebenhofer, Bernhard; Shnirman, Alexander; Horovitz, Baruch

2018-04-01

We performed STM-ENDOR experiments where the intensity of one of the hyperfine components detected in ESR-STM is recorded while an rf power is irradiated into the tunneling junction and its frequency is swept. When the latter frequency is near a nuclear transition a dip in ESR-STM signal is observed. This experiment was performed in three different systems: near surface SiC vacancies where the electron spin is coupled to a next nearest neighbor 29Si nucleus; Cu deposited on Si(111)7x7 surface, where the unpaired electron of the Cu atom is coupled to the Cu nucleus (63Cu, 65Cu) and on Tempo molecules adsorbed on Au(111), where the unpaired electron is coupled to a Nitrogen nucleus (14N). While some of the hyperfine values are unresolved in the ESR-STM data due to linewidth we find that they are accurately determined in the STM-ENDOR data including those from remote nuclei, which are not detected in the ESR-STM spectrum. Furthermore, STM-ENDOR can measure single nuclear Zeeman frequencies, distinguish between isotopes through their different nuclear magnetic moments and detect quadrupole spectra. We also develop and solve a Bloch type equation for the coupled electron-nuclear system that facilitates interpretation of the data. The improved spectral resolution of STM - ENDOR opens many possibilities for nanometric scale chemical analysis.

Fingerprints of single nuclear spin energy levels using STM - ENDOR.

PubMed

Manassen, Yishay; Averbukh, Michael; Jbara, Moamen; Siebenhofer, Bernhard; Shnirman, Alexander; Horovitz, Baruch

2018-04-01

We performed STM-ENDOR experiments where the intensity of one of the hyperfine components detected in ESR-STM is recorded while an rf power is irradiated into the tunneling junction and its frequency is swept. When the latter frequency is near a nuclear transition a dip in ESR-STM signal is observed. This experiment was performed in three different systems: near surface SiC vacancies where the electron spin is coupled to a next nearest neighbor 29 Si nucleus; Cu deposited on Si(111)7x7 surface, where the unpaired electron of the Cu atom is coupled to the Cu nucleus ( 63 Cu, 65 Cu) and on Tempo molecules adsorbed on Au(111), where the unpaired electron is coupled to a Nitrogen nucleus ( 14 N). While some of the hyperfine values are unresolved in the ESR-STM data due to linewidth we find that they are accurately determined in the STM-ENDOR data including those from remote nuclei, which are not detected in the ESR-STM spectrum. Furthermore, STM-ENDOR can measure single nuclear Zeeman frequencies, distinguish between isotopes through their different nuclear magnetic moments and detect quadrupole spectra. We also develop and solve a Bloch type equation for the coupled electron-nuclear system that facilitates interpretation of the data. The improved spectral resolution of STM - ENDOR opens many possibilities for nanometric scale chemical analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unpacking Direct and Indirect Relationships of Short-Term Memory to Word Reading: Evidence From Korean-Speaking Children.

PubMed

Kim, Young-Suk Grace; Cho, Jeung-Ryeul; Park, Soon-Gil

2017-08-01

We examined the relations of short-term memory (STM), metalinguistic awareness (phonological, morphological, and orthographic awareness), and rapid automatized naming (RAN) to word reading in Korean, a language with a relatively transparent orthography. STM, metalinguistic awareness, and RAN have been shown to be important to word reading, but the nature of the relations of STM, metalinguistic awareness, and RAN to word reading has rarely been investigated. Two alternative models were fitted. In the indirect relation model, STM was hypothesized to be indirectly related to word reading via metalinguistic awareness and RAN. In the direct and indirect relations model, STM was hypothesized to be directly and indirectly related to word reading. Results from 207 beginning readers in South Korea showed that STM was directly related to word reading as well as indirectly via metalinguistic awareness and RAN. Although the direct effect of STM was relatively small (.16), the total effect incorporating the indirect effect was substantial (.42). These results suggest that STM is an important, foundational cognitive capacity that underpins metalinguistic awareness and RAN as well as word reading, and further indicate the importance of considering both direct and indirect effects of language and cognitive skills on word reading.

Musical and verbal short-term memory: insights from neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders.

PubMed

Caclin, Anne; Tillmann, Barbara

2018-05-09

Auditory short-term memory (STM) is a fundamental ability to make sense of auditory information as it unfolds over time. Whether separate STM systems exist for different types of auditory information (music and speech, in particular) is a matter of debate. The present paper reviews studies that have investigated both musical and verbal STM in healthy individuals and in participants with neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. Overall, the results are in favor of only partly shared networks for musical and verbal STM. Evidence for a distinction in STM for the two materials stems from (1) behavioral studies in healthy participants, in particular from the comparison between nonmusicians and musicians; (2) behavioral studies in congenital amusia, where a selective pitch STM deficit is observed; and (3) studies in brain-damaged patients with cases of double dissociation. In this review we highlight the need for future studies comparing STM for the same perceptual dimension (e.g., pitch) in different materials (e.g., music and speech), as well as for studies aiming at a more insightful characterization of shared and distinct mechanisms for speech and music in the different components of STM, namely encoding, retention, and retrieval. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Dy uniform film morphologies on graphene studied with SPA-LEED and STM

DOE PAGES

McDougall, D.; Hattab, H.; Hershberger, M. T.; ...

2016-07-01

The use of graphene for microelectronics and spintronic applications requires strategies for metals to wet graphene and to grow layer-by-layer. This is especially important when metals will be used as electrical contacts or as spin filters. Extensive work in the literature so far has shown that this is very challenging, since practically all metals grow 3D, with multi-height islands forming easily. Reasons for the 3D morphology are the much weaker metal carbon bond when compared to the metal cohesive energy and the role of Coulomb repulsion of the poorly screened charges at the metal graphene interface. We employed the complementarymore » techniques of SPA-LEED and STM to study the growth of Dy on graphene. It was found that under kinetic limitations it is possible to fully cover graphene with a bilayer Dy film, by growing well below room temperature in stepwise deposition experiments. Lastly, the Dy film, however, is amorphous but ways to crystallize it within the 2D morphology are possible, since long range order improves at higher growth temperature.« less

Temperature-triggered chemical switching growth of in-plane and vertically stacked graphene-boron nitride heterostructures

PubMed Central

Gao, Teng; Song, Xiuju; Du, Huiwen; Nie, Yufeng; Chen, Yubin; Ji, Qingqing; Sun, Jingyu; Yang, Yanlian; Zhang, Yanfeng; Liu, Zhongfan

2015-01-01

In-plane and vertically stacked heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN-G and G/h-BN, respectively) are both recent focuses of graphene research. However, targeted synthesis of either heterostructure remains a challenge. Here, via chemical vapour deposition and using benzoic acid precursor, we have achieved the selective growth of h-BN-G and G/h-BN through a temperature-triggered switching reaction. The perfect in-plane h-BN-G is characterized by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), showing atomically patched graphene and h-BN with typical zigzag edges. In contrast, the vertical alignment of G/h-BN is confirmed by unique lattice-mismatch-induced moiré patterns in high-resolution STM images, and two sets of aligned selected area electron diffraction spots, both suggesting a van der Waals epitaxial mechanism. The present work demonstrates the chemical designability of growth process for controlled synthesis of graphene and h-BN heterostructures. With practical scalability, high uniformity and quality, our approach will promote the development of graphene-based electronics and optoelectronics. PMID:25869236

Design of a high-speed electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope.

PubMed

Yanson, Y I; Schenkel, F; Rost, M J

2013-02-01

In this paper, we present a bottom-up approach to designing and constructing a high-speed electrochemical scanning tunneling microscope (EC-STM). Using finite element analysis (FEA) calculations of the frequency response of the whole mechanical loop of the STM, we analyzed several geometries to find the most stable one that could facilitate fast scanning. To test the FEA results, we conducted measurements of the vibration amplitudes using a prototype STM setup. Based on the FEA analysis and the measurement results, we identified the potentially most disturbing vibration modes that could impair fast scanning. By modifying the design of some parts of the EC-STM, we reduced the amplitudes as well as increased the resonance frequencies of these modes. Additionally, we designed and constructed an electrochemical flow-cell that allows STM imaging in a flowing electrolyte, and built a bi-potentiostat to achieve electrochemical potential control during the measurements. Finally, we present STM images acquired during high-speed imaging in air as well as in an electrochemical environment using our newly-developed EC-STM.

From Kondo to local singlet state in graphene nanoribbons with magnetic impurities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diniz, G. S.; Luiz, G. I.; Latgé, A.; Vernek, E.

2018-03-01

A detailed analysis of the Kondo effect of a magnetic impurity in a zigzag graphene nanoribbon is addressed. An adatom is coupled to the graphene nanoribbon via a hybridization amplitude Γimp in a hollow- or top-site configuration. In addition, the adatom is also weakly coupled to a metallic scanning tunnel microscope (STM) tip by a hybridization function Γtip that provides a Kondo screening of its magnetic moment. The entire system is described by an Anderson-like Hamiltonian whose low-temperature physics is accessed by employing the numerical renormalization-group approach, which allows us to obtain the thermodynamic properties used to compute the Kondo temperature of the system. We find two screening regimes when the adatom is close to the edge of the zigzag graphene nanoribbon: (1) a weak-coupling regime (Γimp≪Γtip ), in which the edge states produce an enhancement of the Kondo temperature TK, and (2) a strong-coupling regime (Γimp≫Γtip ), in which a local singlet is formed, to the detriment of the Kondo screening by the STM tip. These two regimes can be clearly distinguished by the dependence of their characteristic temperature T* on the coupling between the adatom and the carbon sites of the graphene nanoribbon Vimp. We observe that in the weak-coupling regime T* increases exponentially with Vimp2. Differently, in the strong-coupling regime, T* increases linearly with Vimp2.

"Un-annealed and Annealed Pd Ultra-Thin Film on SiC Characterized by Scanning Probe Microscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, W. J.; Shi, D. T.; Elshot, K.; Bryant, E.; Lafate, K.; Chen, H.; Burger, A.; Collins, W. E.

1998-01-01

Pd/SiC has been used as a hydrogen and a hydrocarbon gas sensor operated at high temperature. UHV (Ultra High Vacuum)-Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were applied to study the relationship between the morphology and chemical compositions for Pd ultra-thin films on SiC (less than 30 angstroms) at different annealing temperatures. Pd ultra-thin film on 6H-SiC was prepared by the RF sputtering method. The morphology from UHV-STM and AFM shows that the Pd thin film was well deposited on SiC substrate, and the Pd was partially aggregated to round shaped participates at an annealing temperature of 300 C. At 400 C, the amount of surface participates decreases, and some strap shape participates appear. From XPS, Pd2Si was formed on the surface after annealing at 300 C, and all Pd reacted with SiC to form Pd2Si after annealing at 400 C. The intensity of the XPS Pd peak decreases enormously at 400 C. The Pd film diffused into SiC, and the Schottky barrier height has almost no changes. The work shows the Pd sicilides/SiC have the same electronic properties with Pd/SiC, and explains why the Pd/SiC sensor still responds to hydrogen at high operating temperatures.

Key Role of M.G. Nakhodkin’s Insight and Inspiration in Development of UHV STM-Related Techniques and Methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyubinetsky, Igor

2015-02-15

In this contribution I briefly describe my joint efforts and experiences with M.G. Nakhodkin in the field of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) including a construction of the home-built microscopes, application of this technique in various scientific endevours, as well as fruitfull and enlightening discusions. Our co-operation was focused on the novel aspects of STM probes preparation and conditioning, coupling the STM junction with laser irradiation, STM-based nanolithography, and also on collaboration at the international scale with M.G. Nakhodkin and members of his scientific group.

Spectrotemporal Modulation Detection and Speech Perception by Cochlear Implant Users

PubMed Central

Won, Jong Ho; Moon, Il Joon; Jin, Sunhwa; Park, Heesung; Woo, Jihwan; Cho, Yang-Sun; Chung, Won-Ho; Hong, Sung Hwa

2015-01-01

Spectrotemporal modulation (STM) detection performance was examined for cochlear implant (CI) users. The test involved discriminating between an unmodulated steady noise and a modulated stimulus. The modulated stimulus presents frequency modulation patterns that change in frequency over time. In order to examine STM detection performance for different modulation conditions, two different temporal modulation rates (5 and 10 Hz) and three different spectral modulation densities (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 cycles/octave) were employed, producing a total 6 different STM stimulus conditions. In order to explore how electric hearing constrains STM sensitivity for CI users differently from acoustic hearing, normal-hearing (NH) and hearing-impaired (HI) listeners were also tested on the same tasks. STM detection performance was best in NH subjects, followed by HI subjects. On average, CI subjects showed poorest performance, but some CI subjects showed high levels of STM detection performance that was comparable to acoustic hearing. Significant correlations were found between STM detection performance and speech identification performance in quiet and in noise. In order to understand the relative contribution of spectral and temporal modulation cues to speech perception abilities for CI users, spectral and temporal modulation detection was performed separately and related to STM detection and speech perception performance. The results suggest that that slow spectral modulation rather than slow temporal modulation may be important for determining speech perception capabilities for CI users. Lastly, test–retest reliability for STM detection was good with no learning. The present study demonstrates that STM detection may be a useful tool to evaluate the ability of CI sound processing strategies to deliver clinically pertinent acoustic modulation information. PMID:26485715

Interaction of phosphine with Si(100) from core-level photoemission and real-time scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Deng-Sung; Ku, Tsai-Shuan; Chen, Ru-Ping

2000-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the interaction of phosphine (PH3) on the Si(100)-2×1 surface at temperatures between 635 and 900 K. The hydrogen desorption, growth mode, surface morphology, and chemical composition and ordering of the surface layer are examined by synchrotron radiation core-level photoemission and real-time high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The P 2p core-level spectra indicate that decomposition of PHn is complete above ~550 K and the maximum P coverage is strongly influenced by the growth temperature, which governs the coverage of H-terminated sites. The scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images taken at real time during PH3 exposure indicate that a surface phosphorus atom readily and randomly displaces one Si atom from the substrate. The ejected Si diffuses, nucleates, and incorporates itself into islands or step edges, leading to similar growth behavior as that found in Si chemical vapor deposition. Line defects both perpendicular and parallel to the dimer rows are observed on the nearly P-saturated surface. Perpendicular line defects act as a strain relief mechanism. Parallel line defects result from growth kinetics. STM images also indicate that incorporating a small amount of phosphorus eliminates the line defects in the Si(100)-2×n surface.

Atomic-scale distortions and temperature-dependent large pseudogap in thin films of the parent iron-chalcogenide superconductor Fe1+y Te

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerbi, Andrea; Buzio, Renato; Kawale, Shrikant; Bellingeri, Emilio; Martinelli, Alberto; Bernini, Cristina; Tresca, Cesare; Capone, Massimo; Profeta, Gianni; Ferdeghini, Carlo

2017-12-01

We investigate with scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations the surface structures and the electronic properties of Fe1+y Te thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition. Contrary to the regular arrangement of antiferromagnetic nanostripes previously reported on cleaved single-crystal samples, the surface of Fe1+y Te thin films displays a peculiar distribution of spatially inhomogeneous nanostripes. Both STM and DFT calculations show the bias-dependent nature of such features and support the interpretation of spin-polarized tunneling between the FeTe surface and an unintentionally magnetized tip. In addition, the spatial inhomogeneity is interpreted as a purely electronic effect related to changes in hybridization and Fe-Fe bond length driven by local variations in the concentration of excess interstitial Fe cations. Unexpectedly, the surface density of states measured by STS strongly evolves with temperature in close proximity to the antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic first-order transition, and reveals a large pseudogap of 180-250 meV at about 50-65 K. We believe that in this temperature range a phase transition takes place, and the system orders and locks into particular combinations of orbitals and spins because of the interplay between excess interstitial magnetic Fe and strongly correlated d-electrons.

A shared, flexible neural map architecture reflects capacity limits in both visual short-term memory and enumeration.

PubMed

Knops, André; Piazza, Manuela; Sengupta, Rakesh; Eger, Evelyn; Melcher, David

2014-07-23

Human cognition is characterized by severe capacity limits: we can accurately track, enumerate, or hold in mind only a small number of items at a time. It remains debated whether capacity limitations across tasks are determined by a common system. Here we measure brain activation of adult subjects performing either a visual short-term memory (vSTM) task consisting of holding in mind precise information about the orientation and position of a variable number of items, or an enumeration task consisting of assessing the number of items in those sets. We show that task-specific capacity limits (three to four items in enumeration and two to three in vSTM) are neurally reflected in the activity of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC): an identical set of voxels in this region, commonly activated during the two tasks, changed its overall response profile reflecting task-specific capacity limitations. These results, replicated in a second experiment, were further supported by multivariate pattern analysis in which we could decode the number of items presented over a larger range during enumeration than during vSTM. Finally, we simulated our results with a computational model of PPC using a saliency map architecture in which the level of mutual inhibition between nodes gives rise to capacity limitations and reflects the task-dependent precision with which objects need to be encoded (high precision for vSTM, lower precision for enumeration). Together, our work supports the existence of a common, flexible system underlying capacity limits across tasks in PPC that may take the form of a saliency map. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/349857-10$15.00/0.

The Contributions of Memory and Vocabulary to Non-Verbal Ability Scores in Adolescents with Intellectual Disability

PubMed Central

Mungkhetklang, Chantanee; Bavin, Edith L.; Crewther, Sheila G.; Goharpey, Nahal; Parsons, Carl

2016-01-01

It is usually assumed that performance on non-verbal intelligence tests reflects visual cognitive processing and that aspects of working memory (WM) will be involved. However, the unique contribution of memory to non-verbal scores is not clear, nor is the unique contribution of vocabulary. Thus, we aimed to investigate these contributions. Non-verbal test scores for 17 individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and 39 children with typical development (TD) of similar mental age were compared to determine the unique contribution of visual and verbal short-term memory (STM) and WM and the additional variance contributed by vocabulary scores. No significant group differences were found in the non-verbal test scores or receptive vocabulary scores, but there was a significant difference in expressive vocabulary. Regression analyses indicate that for the TD group STM and WM (both visual and verbal) contributed similar variance to the non-verbal scores. For the ID group, visual STM and verbal WM contributed most of the variance to the non-verbal test scores. The addition of vocabulary scores to the model contributed greater variance for both groups. More unique variance was contributed by vocabulary than memory for the TD group, whereas for the ID group memory contributed more than vocabulary. Visual and auditory memory and vocabulary contributed significantly to solving visual non-verbal problems for both the TD group and the ID group. However, for each group, there were different weightings of these variables. Our findings indicate that for individuals with TD, vocabulary is the major factor in solving non-verbal problems, not memory, whereas for adolescents with ID, visual STM, and verbal WM are more influential than vocabulary, suggesting different pathways to achieve solutions to non-verbal problems. PMID:28082922

Dysprosium electrodeposition from a hexaalkylguanidinium-based ionic liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Claudia A.; Arkhipova, Maria; Maas, Gerhard; Jacob, Timo

2016-07-01

The rare-earth element dysprosium (Dy) is an important additive that increases the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of neodymium magnets and additionally prevents from demagnetizing at high temperatures. Therefore, it is one of the most important elements for high-tech industries and is mainly used in permanent magnetic applications, for example in electric vehicles, industrial motors and direct-drive wind turbines. In an effort to develop a more efficient electrochemical technique for depositing Dy on Nd-magnets in contrast to commonly used costly physical vapor deposition, we investigated the electrochemical behavior of dysprosium(iii) trifluoromethanesulfonate in a custom-made guanidinium-based room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL). We first examined the electrodeposition of Dy on an Au(111) model electrode. The investigation was carried out by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The initial stages of metal deposition were followed by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). CV measurements revealed a large cathodic reduction peak, which corresponds to the growth of monoatomic high islands, based on STM images taken during the initial stages of deposition. XPS identified these deposited islands as dysprosium. A similar reduction peak was also observed on an Nd-Fe-B substrate, and positively identified as deposited Dy using XPS. Finally, we varied the concentration of the Dy precursor, electrolyte flow and temperature during Dy deposition and demonstrated that each of these parameters could be used to increase the thickness of the Dy deposit, suggesting that these parameters could be tuned simultaneously in a temperature-controlled flow cell to enhance the thickness of the Dy layer.The rare-earth element dysprosium (Dy) is an important additive that increases the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of neodymium magnets and additionally prevents from demagnetizing at high temperatures. Therefore, it is one of the most important elements for high-tech industries and is mainly used in permanent magnetic applications, for example in electric vehicles, industrial motors and direct-drive wind turbines. In an effort to develop a more efficient electrochemical technique for depositing Dy on Nd-magnets in contrast to commonly used costly physical vapor deposition, we investigated the electrochemical behavior of dysprosium(iii) trifluoromethanesulfonate in a custom-made guanidinium-based room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL). We first examined the electrodeposition of Dy on an Au(111) model electrode. The investigation was carried out by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The initial stages of metal deposition were followed by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). CV measurements revealed a large cathodic reduction peak, which corresponds to the growth of monoatomic high islands, based on STM images taken during the initial stages of deposition. XPS identified these deposited islands as dysprosium. A similar reduction peak was also observed on an Nd-Fe-B substrate, and positively identified as deposited Dy using XPS. Finally, we varied the concentration of the Dy precursor, electrolyte flow and temperature during Dy deposition and demonstrated that each of these parameters could be used to increase the thickness of the Dy deposit, suggesting that these parameters could be tuned simultaneously in a temperature-controlled flow cell to enhance the thickness of the Dy layer. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/C6NR01351A

Real-space Wigner-Seitz Cells Imaging of Potassium on Graphite via Elastic Atomic Manipulation

PubMed Central

Yin, Feng; Koskinen, Pekka; Kulju, Sampo; Akola, Jaakko; Palmer, Richard E.

2015-01-01

Atomic manipulation in the scanning tunnelling microscopy, conventionally a tool to build nanostructures one atom at a time, is here employed to enable the atomic-scale imaging of a model low-dimensional system. Specifically, we use low-temperature STM to investigate an ultra thin film (4 atomic layers) of potassium created by epitaxial growth on a graphite substrate. The STM images display an unexpected honeycomb feature, which corresponds to a real-space visualization of the Wigner-Seitz cells of the close-packed surface K atoms. Density functional simulations indicate that this behaviour arises from the elastic, tip-induced vertical manipulation of potassium atoms during imaging, i.e. elastic atomic manipulation, and reflects the ultrasoft properties of the surface under strain. The method may be generally applicable to other soft e.g. molecular or biomolecular systems. PMID:25651973

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of the Structure and Interaction Between Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen on the Ru(0001) Surface

DOE PAGES

Lechner, Barbara A. J.; Feng, Xiaofeng; Feibelman, Peter J.; ...

2017-07-28

Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to investigate the spatial arrangement of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H) co-adsorbed on a model catalyst surface, Ru(0001). We find that at cryogenic temperatures CO forms small triangular islands of up to 21 molecules with hydrogen segregated outside of the islands. Furthermore, whereas for small island sizes (3-6 CO molecules) the molecules adsorb at hcp sites, a registry shift towards top sites occurs for larger islands (10-21 CO molecules). To characterize the CO structures better and to help interpret the data, we carried out density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structuremore » and simulations of the STM images, which reveal a delicate interplay between the repulsions of the different species.« less

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of the Structure and Interaction Between Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen on the Ru(0001) Surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lechner, Barbara A. J.; Feng, Xiaofeng; Feibelman, Peter J.

Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to investigate the spatial arrangement of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H) co-adsorbed on a model catalyst surface, Ru(0001). We find that at cryogenic temperatures CO forms small triangular islands of up to 21 molecules with hydrogen segregated outside of the islands. Furthermore, whereas for small island sizes (3-6 CO molecules) the molecules adsorb at hcp sites, a registry shift towards top sites occurs for larger islands (10-21 CO molecules). To characterize the CO structures better and to help interpret the data, we carried out density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structuremore » and simulations of the STM images, which reveal a delicate interplay between the repulsions of the different species.« less

Visualizing buried silicon atoms at the Cd-Si(111)-7 ×7 interface with localized electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Min-Long; Xiao, Hua-Fang; Sun, Kai; Tu, Yu-Bing; Yuan, Hong-Kuan; Xiong, Zu-Hong; Wang, Jun-Zhong; Xue, Qi-Kun

2017-09-01

We report the atomic-scale imaging of the buried Cd-Si(111)-7 ×7 interface with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The Cd(0001) films grown on Si(111)-7 ×7 reveal the electronic growth mode, and manifest a series of quantum-well states. In the low-bias STM images, not only the 7 ×7 reconstruction but also individual Si adatoms buried by thick Cd islands are clearly visible. The two successive layers of Cd islands exhibit the distinct contrasts due to the quantum size effect. Moreover, we found a small gap appeared at Fermi level owing to the Anderson localization induced by interface scattering. The perfect transparency of Cd films can be attributed to the anisotropic electron motion, i.e., lateral electron localization and transverse motion like free-electron.

Nanoscale Electronic Structure of Cuprate Superconductors Investigated with Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Tess Lawanna

Despite 25 years of intense research activity, high-temperature superconductors remain poorly understood, with the underlying pairing mechanism still unidentified. Efforts are complicated by the remarkably complex phase diagram, rich in energy-dependent charge and spin orders. In this thesis I describe the use of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) to study energy-dependent charge orders in Bi2-- yPbySr2CuO6+delta , a cuprate high-temperature superconductor. STM, a surface-sensitive probe used to map electronic structure with sub-meV energy resolution and sub-A spatial resolution, has contributed greatly to our current understanding of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. However, STM data is acquired with a constant-current normalization condition. The measured differential conductance, g(x, y, V), is often taken to be proportional to the density of states at energy eV (where V is the voltage applied between tip and sample). In fact, due to the normalization condition, the measured g(x, y, V) is actually the quotient of the density of states at energy eV and the integrated density of states from the Fermi energy to eV. This unavoidable quotient may fold electronic structure from its true energy range into other energies. I discuss a new method to correct STM differential conductance spectra to remove the constant-current normalization condition. Using local work function measurements and the constant-current topograph, I create a map which does not suffer from the setpoint effect and contains a mixture of topographic information and properly normalized spectroscopic information. I apply this method to the extraction of the incommensurate charge modulation at q⃗˜34 2pa0 . I also extend the study of electronic nematic order, an atomic-lattice-periodic C4 → C2 symmetry breaking, from highly underdoped Bi2 Sr2CaCu2O 8+delta [28] to overdoped Bi2--yPb ySr2CuO6+/-delta. I find that the electronic nematic order parameter is robust to change of scan angle. I define and contrast three different electronic nematic orders with different phases with respect to the crystal. I discuss the effect of the choice of normalization and possible alternate explanations for the source of the calculated nematic order. Finally, I discuss a drift-correction technique, which removes picometer scale drift that is introduced into a spectral map by experimental imperfections, and characterize the optimal algorithm and potential artifacts that drift-correction may introduce.

Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions: Path-integral evolution of short-term memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingber, Lester

1994-05-01

Previous papers in this series of statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions (SMNI) have detailed a development from the relatively microscopic scales of neurons up to the macroscopic scales as recorded by electroencephalography (EEG), requiring an intermediate mesocolumnar scale to be developed at the scale of minicolumns (~=102 neurons) and macrocolumns (~=105 neurons). Opportunity was taken to view SMNI as sets of statistical constraints, not necessarily describing specific synaptic or neuronal mechanisms, on neuronal interactions, on some aspects of short-term memory (STM), e.g., its capacity, stability, and duration. A recently developed c-language code, pathint, provides a non-Monte Carlo technique for calculating the dynamic evolution of arbitrary-dimension (subject to computer resources) nonlinear Lagrangians, such as derived for the two-variable SMNI problem. Here, pathint is used to explicitly detail the evolution of the SMNI constraints on STM.

Theory of high-resolution tunneling spin transport on a magnetic skyrmion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palotás, Krisztián; Rózsa, Levente; Szunyogh, László

2018-05-01

Tunneling spin transport characteristics of a magnetic skyrmion are described theoretically in magnetic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The spin-polarized charge current in STM (SP-STM) and tunneling spin transport vector quantities, the longitudinal spin current and the spin transfer torque, are calculated in high spatial resolution within the same theoretical framework. A connection between the conventional charge current SP-STM image contrasts and the magnitudes of the spin transport vectors is demonstrated that enables the estimation of tunneling spin transport properties based on experimentally measured SP-STM images. A considerable tunability of the spin transport vectors by the involved spin polarizations is also highlighted. These possibilities and the combined theory of tunneling charge and vector spin transport pave the way for gaining deep insight into electric-current-induced tunneling spin transport properties in SP-STM and to the related dynamics of complex magnetic textures at surfaces.

A new recipe for preparing oxidized TiO2(1 1 0) surfaces: An STM study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Jonas Ø.; Matthiesen, Jesper; Lira, Estephania; Lammich, Lutz; Wendt, Stefan

2017-12-01

Using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we have studied the oxidation of rutile TiO2(1 1 0)-(1 × 1) surfaces with Had species at room temperature. We followed the evolution of various stable species as function of the O2 exposure, and the nature of the ultimately dominating species in the Ti troughs is described. When O2 saturation was accomplished using a glass-capillary array doser, we found that on-top O (Oot) adatoms are the predominant surface species. In contrast, when O2 was supplied via backfilling of the chamber the predominant surface species are tentatively assigned to terminal OH groups. We argue that unintended reactions with the chamber walls have a strong influence on the formed surface species, explaining scattered results in the literature. On the basis of our STM data we propose an alternative, easy way of preparing oxidized TiO2(1 1 0) surfaces with Oot adatoms (o-TiO2). It is certain that o-TiO2(1 1 0) surfaces prepared according to this recipe do not have any residual surface O vacancies. This contradicts the situation when oxidizing reduced TiO2(1 1 0) surfaces with O vacancies, where some O vacancies persist.

Quasi-particle Interference of Heavy Fermions in Resonant X-ray Scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gyenis, Andras; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H.; Sutarto, Ronny

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and elementmore » selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce-M4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f-electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique.« less

The (2×2) reconstructions on the surface of cobalt silicides: Atomic configuration at the annealed Co/Si(111) interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotlyar, V. G.; Alekseev, A. A.; Olyanich, D. A.; Utas, T. V.; Zotov, A. V.; Saranin, A. A.

2017-08-01

We have used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and ab initio total-energy calculations to characterize surface and interfacial structure of Co-Si(111) system. It has been found experimentally that two different types of the (2×2) surface structures occur. The coexistence of two phases is demonstrated by the example of STM image of the surface formed at the early stages of cobalt silicide formation under moderate annealing temperatures (500 °C). The measured height difference between the adjacent (2×2) reconstructed patches equal to about 1.0 Å (as determined from the filled-state STM images). In addition, the shift of the atomic rows by half of the row spacing is observed. Two adatom models of the (2×2) surface structures are developed. According to our data, these structures are assigned to CaF2-type CoSi2 and CsCl-type CoSi with a (2×2) array of Si adatoms on their surfaces. If the latter is the case, it has а coherent double interface CoSi/CoSi2/Si(111) with a two-layer CoSi2. Both of these interfaces are characterized by the eightfold cobalt coordination and incorporate a grown-in stacking fault.

18/20 T high magnetic field scanning tunneling microscope with fully low voltage operability, high current resolution, and large scale searching ability.

PubMed

Li, Quanfeng; Wang, Qi; Hou, Yubin; Lu, Qingyou

2012-04-01

We present a home-built 18/20 T high magnetic field scanning tunneling microscope (STM) featuring fully low voltage (lower than ±15 V) operability in low temperatures, large scale searching ability, and 20 fA high current resolution (measured by using a 100 GOhm dummy resistor to replace the tip-sample junction) with a bandwidth of 3.03 kHz. To accomplish low voltage operation which is important in achieving high precision, low noise, and low interference with the strong magnetic field, the coarse approach is implemented with an inertial slider driven by the lateral bending of a piezoelectric scanner tube (PST) whose inner electrode is axially split into two for enhanced bending per volt. The PST can also drive the same sliding piece to inertial slide in the other bending direction (along the sample surface) of the PST, which realizes the large area searching ability. The STM head is housed in a three segment tubular chamber, which is detachable near the STM head for the convenience of sample and tip changes. Atomic resolution images of a graphite sample taken under 17.6 T and 18.0001 T are presented to show its performance. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Quasi-particle interference of heavy fermions in resonant x-ray scattering

PubMed Central

Gyenis, András; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H.; Sutarto, Ronny; Schierle, Enrico; He, Feizhou; Weschke, Eugen; Kavai, Mariam; Baumbach, Ryan E.; Thompson, Joe D.; Bauer, Eric D.; Fisk, Zachary; Damascelli, Andrea; Yazdani, Ali; Aynajian, Pegor

2016-01-01

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and element selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce-M4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f-electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique. PMID:27757422

Quasi-particle Interference of Heavy Fermions in Resonant X-ray Scattering

DOE PAGES

Gyenis, Andras; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H.; Sutarto, Ronny; ...

2016-10-14

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and elementmore » selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce-M4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f-electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique.« less

Quasi-particle interference of heavy fermions in resonant x-ray scattering.

PubMed

Gyenis, András; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H; Sutarto, Ronny; Schierle, Enrico; He, Feizhou; Weschke, Eugen; Kavai, Mariam; Baumbach, Ryan E; Thompson, Joe D; Bauer, Eric D; Fisk, Zachary; Damascelli, Andrea; Yazdani, Ali; Aynajian, Pegor

2016-10-01

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and element selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound Ce M In 5 ( M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce- M 4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f -electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique.

Scanning hall probe microscopy (SHPM) using quartz crystal AFM feedback.

PubMed

Dede, M; Urkmen, K; Girişen, O; Atabak, M; Oral, A; Farrer, I; Ritchie, D

2008-02-01

Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM) is a quantitative and non-invasive technique for imaging localized surface magnetic field fluctuations such as ferromagnetic domains with high spatial and magnetic field resolution of approximately 50 nm and 7 mG/Hz(1/2) at room temperature. In the SHPM technique, scanning tunneling microscope (STM) or atomic force microscope (AFM) feedback is used to keep the Hall sensor in close proximity of the sample surface. However, STM tracking SHPM requires conductive samples; therefore the insulating substrates have to be coated with a thin layer of gold. This constraint can be eliminated with the AFM feedback using sophisticated Hall probes that are integrated with AFM cantilevers. However it is very difficult to micro fabricate these sensors. In this work, we have eliminated the difficulty in the cantilever-Hall probe integration process, just by gluing a Hall Probe chip to a quartz crystal tuning fork force sensor. The Hall sensor chip is simply glued at the end of a 32.768 kHz or 100 kHz Quartz crystal, which is used as force sensor. An LT-SHPM system is used to scan the samples. The sensor assembly is dithered at the resonance frequency using a digital Phase Locked Loop circuit and frequency shifts are used for AFM tracking. SHPM electronics is modified to detect AFM topography and the frequency shift, along with the magnetic field image. Magnetic domains and topography of an Iron Garnet thin film crystal, NdFeB demagnetised magnet and hard disk samples are presented at room temperature. The performance is found to be comparable with the SHPM using STM feedback.

Surface characterization of InP trenches embedded in oxide using scanning probe microscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mannarino, Manuel, E-mail: manuel.mannarino@imec.be, E-mail: manuelmannarino@gmail.com; Chintala, Ravi; Vandervorst, Wilfried

2015-12-14

Metrology for structural and electrical analyses at device level has been identified as one of the major challenges to be resolved for the sub-14 nm technology nodes. In these advanced nodes, new high mobility semiconductors, such as III–V compounds, are grown in narrow trenches on a Si substrate. Probing the nature of the defects, the defect density, and the role of processing steps on the surface of such structures are prime metrology requirements. In order to enable defect analysis on a (III–V) surface, a proper sample preparation for oxide removal is of primary importance. In this work, the effectiveness of differentmore » chemical cleanings and thermal annealing procedures is investigated on both blanket InP and oxide embedded InP trenches by means of scanning probe microscopy techniques. It is found that the most effective approach is a combination of an HCl-based chemical cleaning combined with a low-temperature thermal annealing leading to an oxide free surface with atomically flat areas. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been the preferred method for such investigations on blanket films due to its intrinsic sub-nm spatial resolution. However, its application on oxide embedded structures is non-trivial. To perform STM on the trenches of interest (generally <20 nm wide), we propose a combination of non-contact atomic force microscopy and STM using the same conductive atomic force microscopy tip Our results prove that with these procedures, it is possible to perform STM in narrow InP trenches showing stacking faults and surface reconstruction. Significant differences in terms of roughness and terrace formation are also observed between the blanket and the oxide embedded InP.« less

Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction Study of Structure and Growth of Adsorbed Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Pengcheng

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction and scanning-tunneling -microscopy (STM) experiments reveal a new commensurate monolayer structure of 10CB (decylcyanobiphenyl) molecules adsorbed on the (0001) graphite surface. Our results are consistent with two generic structures for nCB monolayers on surfaces of hexagonal symmetry. The monolayer d spacing of the new phase inferred by STM is 10% layer than that obtained by x-ray diffraction on the same sample. We suggest that part of this discrepancy results from a systematic error introduced in calibration of the STM length scale against the graphite substrate. For multilayer nCB films, we find that a polycrystalline structure is formed and most of the adsorbed molecules are aligned with their long axis perpendicular to the graphite surface. Synchrotron x-ray scattering has been used to investigate the structure and growth of xenon physisorbed on the Ag(111) surface using a specially designed ultra -high vacuum (UHV) chamber. For growth under quasi-equilibrium conditions, the bulk Xe-Xe spacing is reached at monolayer completion and solid films of thickness >= 220 A are observed in which an 'ABC' stacking sequence predominates. Under kinetic growth conditions, intensity oscillations at the Xe anti-Bragg position of the specular rod are observed as a function of time, indicating layer -by-layer growth. Analysis of the specular reflectivity at different coverages yields the fractional layer occupancies and the spacing between the Ag(111) surface and first Xe layer. We have conducted a series of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) 'kinetic isotherm' experiments on both xenon and hexane rm(C_6H_{14 }) films adsorbed on the Ag(111) surface. Our preliminary results show that under the pressure and temperature range accessible to the experiments, all of the Xe kinetic isotherms fall on a universal curve which is concave upward. However, the hexane kinetic isotherms have a qualitatively different shape (S-like) at the higher temperatures while being similar to Xe at low temperatures. From these experiments, we determine that the growth of xenon from submonolayer to 0.9 monolayer is 'zero-order'. However, the growth of hexane is more complicated. It follows the 'first-order' at low temperatures, and changes to S-like shape at high temperatures which we do not yet understand.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nakayama, T.; Kubo, O.; Shingaya, Y.

the research of advanced materials based on nanoscience and nanotechnology, it is often desirable to measure nanoscale local electrical conductivity at a designated position of a given sample. For this purpose, multiple-probe scanning probe microscopes (MP-SPMs), in which two, three or four scanning tunneling microscope (STM) or atomic force microscope (AFM) probes are operated independently, have been developed. Each probe in an MP-SPM is used not only for observing high-resolution STM or AFM images but also for forming an electrical contact enabling nanoscale local electrical conductivity measurement. The world's first double-probe STM (DP-STM) developed by the authors, which was subsequentlymore » modified to a triple-probe STM (TP-STM), has been used to measure the conductivities of one-dimensional metal nanowires and carbon nanotubes and also two-dimensional molecular films. A quadruple-probe STM (QP-STM) has also been developed and used to measure the conductivity of two-dimensional molecular films without the ambiguity of contact resistance between the probe and sample. Moreover, a quadruple-probe AFM (QP-AFM) with four conductive tuning-fork-type self-detection force sensing probes has been developed to measure the conductivity of a nanostructure on an insulating substrate. A general-purpose computer software to control four probes at the same time has also been developed and used in the operation of the QP-AFM. These developments and applications of MP-SPMs are reviewed in this paper.« less

A comparison of serial order short-term memory effects across verbal and musical domains.

PubMed

Gorin, Simon; Mengal, Pierre; Majerus, Steve

2018-04-01

Recent studies suggest that the mechanisms involved in the short-term retention of serial order information may be shared across short-term memory (STM) domains such as verbal and visuospatial STM. Given the intrinsic sequential organization of musical material, the study of STM for musical information may be particularly informative about serial order retention processes and their domain-generality. The present experiment examined serial order STM for verbal and musical sequences in participants with no advanced musical expertise and experienced musicians. Serial order STM for verbal information was assessed via a serial order reconstruction task for digit sequences. In the musical domain, serial order STM was assessed using a novel melodic sequence reconstruction task maximizing the retention of tone order information. We observed that performance for the verbal and musical tasks was characterized by sequence length as well as primacy and recency effects. Serial order errors in both tasks were characterized by similar transposition gradients and ratios of fill-in:infill errors. These effects were observed for both participant groups, although the transposition gradients and ratios of fill-in:infill errors showed additional specificities for musician participants in the musical task. The data support domain-general serial order STM effects but also suggest the existence of additional domain-specific effects. Implications for models of serial order STM in verbal and musical domains are discussed.

Verbal short-term memory shows a specific association with receptive but not productive vocabulary measures in Down syndrome.

PubMed

Majerus, S; Barisnikov, K

2018-01-01

Verbal short-term memory (STM) capacity has been considered to support vocabulary learning in typical children and adults, but evidence for this link is inconsistent for studies in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The aim of this study was explore the role of processing demands on the association between verbal STM and vocabulary measures in DS, by comparing receptive vocabulary measures with high STM processing demands to productive vocabulary measures with low STM processing demands. Forty-seven adults with Down syndrome were administered receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary tasks, as well as measures of verbal STM abilities and intellectual efficiency. Bayesian regression analyses showed that verbal STM abilities were strongly and specifically associated with receptive vocabulary measures but not productive lexical abilities after controlling for intellectual efficiency, and this is despite the fact that vocabulary abilities as measured by receptive and productive vocabulary tasks were closely associated. In Down syndrome, verbal STM abilities may be predictive of specific task demands associated with receptive vocabulary tasks rather than of vocabulary development per se. © 2017 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Familiarity increases the number of remembered Pokémon in visual short-term memory.

PubMed

Xie, Weizhen; Zhang, Weiwei

2017-05-01

Long-term memory (LTM) can influence many aspects of short-term memory (STM), including increased STM span. However, it is unclear whether LTM enhances the quantitative or qualitative aspect of STM. That is, do we retain a larger number of representations or more precise representations in STM for familiar stimuli than unfamiliar stimuli? This study took advantage of participants' prior rich multimedia experience with Pokémon, without investing on laboratory training to examine how prior LTM influenced visual STM. In a Pokémon visual STM change detection task, participants remembered more first-generation Pokémon characters that they were more familiar with than recent-generation Pokémon characters that they were less familiar with. No significant difference in memory quality was found when quantitative and qualitative effects of LTM were isolated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Critically, these effects were absent in participants who were unfamiliar with first-generation Pokémon. Furthermore, several alternative interpretations were ruled out, including general video-gaming experience, subjective Pokémon preference, and verbal encoding. Together, these results demonstrated a strong link between prior stimulus familiarity in LTM and visual STM storage capacity.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Dyke, Natalya; Chanchorn, Ekkawit; Van Dyke, Michael W., E-mail: mvandyke@email.wcu.edu

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stm1p confers increased resistance to the macrolide starvation-mimic rapamycin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stm1p maintains 80S ribosome integrity during stationary phase-induced quiescence. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stm1p facilitates polysome formation following quiescence exit. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stm1p facilitates protein synthesis following quiescence exit. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Stm1p is a ribosome preservation factor under conditions of nutrient deprivation. -- Abstract: Once cells exhaust nutrients from their environment, they enter an alternative resting state known as quiescence, whereby proliferation ceases and essential nutrients are obtained through internal stores and through the catabolism of existing macromolecules and organelles. One example of this is ribophagy, the degradation of ribosomes through the processmore » of autophagy. However, some ribosomes need to be preserved for an anticipated recovery from nutrient deprivation. We found that the ribosome-associated protein Stm1p greatly increases the quantity of 80S ribosomes present in quiescent yeast cells and that these ribosomes facilitate increased protein synthesis rates once nutrients are restored. These findings suggest that Stm1p can act as a ribosome preservation factor under conditions of nutrient deprivation and restoration.« less

Electronic signatures of dimerization in IrTe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Jixia; Wu, Weida; Oh, Yoon Seok; Cheong, S.-W.; Yang, J. J.

2014-03-01

Recently, the mysterious phase transition around Tc ~ 260 K in IrTe2 has been intensively studied. A structural supermodulation with q =1/5 was identified below Tc. A variety of microscopic mechanisms have been proposed to account for this transition, including charge-density wave due to Fermi surface nesting, Te p-orbital driven structure instability, anionic depolymerization, ionic dimerization, and so on. However, there has not been an unified picture on the nature of this transition. To address this issue, we have performed low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) experiments on IrTe2 and IrTe2-xSex. Our STM data clearly shows a strong bias dependence in both topography and local density of states (STS) maps. High resolution spectroscopic data further confirms the stripe-like electronic states modulation, which provides insight to the ionic dimerization revealed by X-ray diffraction.

Charge density wave properties of the quasi two-dimensional purple molybdenum bronze KMo 6O 17

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaska, H.; Dumas, J.; Guyot, H.; Mallet, P.; Marcus, J.; Schlenker, C.; Veuillen, J. Y.; Vignolles, D.

2005-06-01

The purple molybdenum bronze KMo 6O 17 is a quasi-two-dimensional compound which shows a Peierls transition towards a commensurate metallic CDW state. Electron spectroscopy (ARUPS), Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) as well as high magnetic field studies are reported. ARUPS studies corroborate the model of the hidden nesting and provide a value of the CDW vector in good agreement with other measurements. STM studies visualize the triple- q CDW in real space. This is consistent with other measurements of the CDW vector. STS studies provide a value of several 10 meV for the average CDW gap. High magnetic field measurements performed in pulsed fields up to 55 T establish that first order transitions to smaller gap states take place at low temperature. These transitions are ascribed to Pauli type coupling. A phase diagram summarizing all observed anomalies and transitions is presented.

High Chemical Activity of a Perovskite Surface: Reaction of CO with Sr3Ru2O7

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stöger, Bernhard; Hieckel, Marcel; Mittendorfer, Florian; Wang, Zhiming; Fobes, David; Peng, Jin; Mao, Zhiqiang; Schmid, Michael; Redinger, Josef; Diebold, Ulrike

2014-09-01

Adsorption of CO at the Sr3Ru2O7(001) surface was studied with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory. In situ cleaved single crystals terminate in an almost perfect SrO surface. At 78 K, CO first populates impurities and then adsorbs above the apical surface O with a binding energy Eads=-0.7 eV. Above 100 K, this physisorbed CO replaces the surface O, forming a bent CO2 with the C end bound to the Ru underneath. The resulting metal carboxylate (Ru-COO) can be desorbed by STM manipulation. A low activation (0.2 eV) and high binding (-2.2 eV) energy confirm a strong reaction between CO and regular surface sites of Sr3Ru2O7; likely, this reaction causes the "UHV aging effect" reported for this and other perovskite oxides.

"I know your name, but not your number"--Patients with verbal short-term memory deficits are impaired in learning sequences of digits.

PubMed

Bormann, Tobias; Seyboth, Margret; Umarova, Roza; Weiller, Cornelius

2015-06-01

Studies on verbal learning in patients with impaired verbal short-term memory (vSTM) have revealed dissociations among types of verbal information. Patients with impaired vSTM are able to learn lists of known words but fail to acquire new word forms. This suggests that vSTM is involved in new word learning. The present study assessed both new word learning and the learning of digit sequences in two patients with impaired vSTM. In two experiments, participants were required to learn people's names, ages and professions, or their four digit 'phone numbers'. The STM patients were impaired on learning unknown family names and phone numbers, but managed to acquire other verbal information. In contrast, a patient with a severe verbal episodic memory impairment was impaired across information types. These results indicate verbal STM involvement in the learning of digit sequences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Phonological Short-Term Memory and Speech Perception on Spoken Sentence Comprehension in Children: Simulating Deficits in an Experimental Design.

PubMed

Higgins, Meaghan C; Penney, Sarah B; Robertson, Erin K

2017-10-01

The roles of phonological short-term memory (pSTM) and speech perception in spoken sentence comprehension were examined in an experimental design. Deficits in pSTM and speech perception were simulated through task demands while typically-developing children (N [Formula: see text] 71) completed a sentence-picture matching task. Children performed the control, simulated pSTM deficit, simulated speech perception deficit, or simulated double deficit condition. On long sentences, the double deficit group had lower scores than the control and speech perception deficit groups, and the pSTM deficit group had lower scores than the control group and marginally lower scores than the speech perception deficit group. The pSTM and speech perception groups performed similarly to groups with real deficits in these areas, who completed the control condition. Overall, scores were lowest on noncanonical long sentences. Results show pSTM has a greater effect than speech perception on sentence comprehension, at least in the tasks employed here.

First results for custom-built low-temperature (4.2 K) scanning tunneling microscope/molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser epitaxy system designed for spin-polarized measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foley, Andrew; Alam, Khan; Lin, Wenzhi; Wang, Kangkang; Chinchore, Abhijit; Corbett, Joseph; Savage, Alan; Chen, Tianjiao; Shi, Meng; Pak, Jeongihm; Smith, Arthur

2014-03-01

A custom low-temperature (4.2 K) scanning tunneling microscope system has been developed which is combined directly with a custom molecular beam epitaxy facility (and also including pulsed laser epitaxy) for the purpose of studying surface nanomagnetism of complex spintronic materials down to the atomic scale. For purposes of carrying out spin-polarized STM measurements, the microscope is built into a split-coil, 4.5 Tesla superconducting magnet system where the magnetic field can be applied normal to the sample surface; since, as a result, the microscope does not include eddy current damping, vibration isolation is achieved using a unique combination of two stages of pneumatic isolators along with an acoustical noise shield, in addition to the use of a highly stable as well as modular `Pan'-style STM design with a high Q factor. First 4.2 K results reveal, with clear atomic resolution, various reconstructions on wurtzite GaN c-plane surfaces grown by MBE, including the c(6x12) on N-polar GaN(0001). Details of the system design and functionality will be presented.

Design and performance of an ultra-high vacuum spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope operating at 30 mK and in a vector magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Allwörden, Henning; Eich, Andreas; Knol, Elze J.; Hermenau, Jan; Sonntag, Andreas; Gerritsen, Jan W.; Wegner, Daniel; Khajetoorians, Alexander A.

2018-03-01

We describe the design and performance of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) that operates at a base temperature of 30 mK in a vector magnetic field. The cryogenics is based on an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) top-loading wet dilution refrigerator that contains a vector magnet allowing for fields up to 9 T perpendicular and 4 T parallel to the sample. The STM is placed in a multi-chamber UHV system, which allows in situ preparation and exchange of samples and tips. The entire system rests on a 150-ton concrete block suspended by pneumatic isolators, which is housed in an acoustically isolated and electromagnetically shielded laboratory optimized for extremely low noise scanning probe measurements. We demonstrate the overall performance by illustrating atomic resolution and quasiparticle interference imaging and detail the vibrational noise of both the laboratory and microscope. We also determine the electron temperature via measurement of the superconducting gap of Re(0001) and illustrate magnetic field-dependent measurements of the spin excitations of individual Fe atoms on Pt(111). Finally, we demonstrate spin resolution by imaging the magnetic structure of the Fe double layer on W(110).

Design and performance of an ultra-high vacuum spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope operating at 30 mK and in a vector magnetic field.

PubMed

von Allwörden, Henning; Eich, Andreas; Knol, Elze J; Hermenau, Jan; Sonntag, Andreas; Gerritsen, Jan W; Wegner, Daniel; Khajetoorians, Alexander A

2018-03-01

We describe the design and performance of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) that operates at a base temperature of 30 mK in a vector magnetic field. The cryogenics is based on an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) top-loading wet dilution refrigerator that contains a vector magnet allowing for fields up to 9 T perpendicular and 4 T parallel to the sample. The STM is placed in a multi-chamber UHV system, which allows in situ preparation and exchange of samples and tips. The entire system rests on a 150-ton concrete block suspended by pneumatic isolators, which is housed in an acoustically isolated and electromagnetically shielded laboratory optimized for extremely low noise scanning probe measurements. We demonstrate the overall performance by illustrating atomic resolution and quasiparticle interference imaging and detail the vibrational noise of both the laboratory and microscope. We also determine the electron temperature via measurement of the superconducting gap of Re(0001) and illustrate magnetic field-dependent measurements of the spin excitations of individual Fe atoms on Pt(111). Finally, we demonstrate spin resolution by imaging the magnetic structure of the Fe double layer on W(110).

Formation, Migration, and Reactivity of Au CO Complexes on Gold Surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Jun; McEntee, Monica; Tang, Wenjie

2016-01-12

Here, we report experimental as well as theoretical evidence that suggests Au CO complex formation upon the exposure of CO to active sites (step edges and threading dislocations) on a Au(111) surface. Room-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission infrared spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations point to Au CO complex formation and migration. Room-temperature STM of the Au(111) surface at CO pressures in the range from 10^ 8 to 10^ 4 Torr (dosage up to 10^6 langmuir) indicates Au atom extraction from dislocation sites of the herringbone reconstruction, mobile Au CO complex formation and diffusion, and Aumore » adatom cluster formation on both elbows and step edges on the Au surface. The formation and mobility of the Au CO complex result from the reduced Au Au bonding at elbows and step edges leading to stronger Au CO bonding and to the formation of a more positively charged CO (CO +) on Au. These studies indicate that the mobile Au CO complex is involved in the Au nanoparticle formation and reactivity, and that the positive charge on CO increases due to the stronger adsorption of CO at Au sites with lower coordination numbers.« less

Bismuth-Indium-Sodium two-dimensional compounds on Si(111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisov, N. V.; Alekseev, A. A.; Utas, O. A.; Azatyan, S. G.; Zotov, A. V.; Saranin, A. A.

2017-12-01

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) observations, it has been found that room temperature (RT) deposition of Na onto the (Bi,In)/Si(111) surfaces, namely the 2 × 2 and √7 × √7, induces formation of a joint bismuth-indium-sodium structure without changing of the initial periodicity. For the 2 × 2-(Bi,In), Na atoms ;conceal; defects and domain boundaries, while the √7 × √7-(Bi,In) is reconstructed into the new Si(111)√7 × √7-(Bi,In,Na) structure. The first structure is temperature unstable, but the √7 × √7-(Bi,In,Na) is thermostable and can be formed by ordinary codeposition of the metals onto the Si(111)7 × 7 surface followed by annealing at 350-360 °C. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) has demonstrated that the √7 × √7-(Bi,In,Na) is semiconductor with a ∼0.5 eV energy gap. The structural model of the √7 × √7-(Bi,In,Na) has been proposed on the basis of DFT calculations and comparison of simulated and experimental STM images as well as density of states (DOS) and STS spectra.

Supramolecular organization and chiral resolution of p-terphenyl-m-dicarbonitrile on the Ag(111) surface.

PubMed

Marschall, Matthias; Reichert, Joachim; Seufert, Knud; Auwärter, Willi; Klappenberger, Florian; Weber-Bargioni, Alexander; Klyatskaya, Svetlana; Zoppellaro, Giorgio; Nefedov, Alexei; Strunskus, Thomas; Wöll, Christof; Ruben, Mario; Barth, Johannes V

2010-05-17

The supramolecular organization and layer formation of the non-linear, prochiral molecule [1, 1';4',1'']-terphenyl-3,3"-dicarbonitrile adsorbed on the Ag(111) surface is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). Upon two-dimensional confinement the molecules are deconvoluted in three stereoisomers, that is, two mirror-symmetric trans- and one cis-species. STM measurements reveal large and regular islands following room temperature deposition, whereby NEXAFS confirms a flat adsorption geometry with the electronic pi-system parallel to the surface plane. The ordering within the expressed supramolecular arrays reflects a substrate templating effect, steric constraints and the operation of weak lateral interactions mainly originating from the carbonitrile endgroups. High-resolution data at room temperature reveal enantiormorphic characteristics of the molecular packing schemes in different domains of the arrays, indicative of chiral resolution during the 2D molecular self-assembly process. At submonolayer coverage supramolecular islands coexist with a disordered fluid phase of highly mobile molecules. Following thermal quenching (down to 6 K) we find extended supramolecular ribbons stabilised again by attractive and directional noncovalent interactions, the formation of which reflects a chiral resolution of trans-species.

Task-evoked pupillometry provides a window into the development of short-term memory capacity.

PubMed

Johnson, Elizabeth L; Miller Singley, Alison T; Peckham, Andrew D; Johnson, Sheri L; Bunge, Silvia A

2014-01-01

The capacity to keep multiple items in short-term memory (STM) improves over childhood and provides the foundation for the development of multiple cognitive abilities. The goal of this study was to measure the extent to which age differences in STM capacity are related to differences in task engagement during encoding. Children (n = 69, mean age = 10.6 years) and adults (n = 54, mean age = 27.5 years) performed two STM tasks: the forward digit span test from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and a novel eyetracking digit span task designed to overload STM capacity. Building on prior research showing that task-evoked pupil dilation can be used as a real-time index of task engagement, we measured changes in pupil dilation while participants encoded long sequences of digits for subsequent recall. As expected, adults outperformed children on both STM tasks. We found similar patterns of pupil dilation while children and adults listened to the first six digits on our STM overload task, after which the adults' pupils continued to dilate and the children's began to constrict, suggesting that the children had reached their cognitive limits and that they had begun to disengage from the task. Indeed, the point at which pupil dilation peaked at encoding was a significant predictor of WISC forward span, and this relationship held even after partialing out recall performance on the STM overload task. These findings indicate that sustained task engagement at encoding is an important component of the development of STM.

Relations between Short-term Memory Deficits, Semantic Processing, and Executive Function

PubMed Central

Allen, Corinne M.; Martin, Randi C.; Martin, Nadine

2012-01-01

Background Previous research has suggested separable short-term memory (STM) buffers for the maintenance of phonological and lexical-semantic information, as some patients with aphasia show better ability to retain semantic than phonological information and others show the reverse. Recently, researchers have proposed that deficits to the maintenance of semantic information in STM are related to executive control abilities. Aims The present study investigated the relationship of executive function abilities with semantic and phonological short-term memory (STM) and semantic processing in such patients, as some previous research has suggested that semantic STM deficits and semantic processing abilities are critically related to specific or general executive function deficits. Method and Procedures 20 patients with aphasia and STM deficits were tested on measures of short-term retention, semantic processing, and both complex and simple executive function tasks. Outcome and Results In correlational analyses, we found no relation between semantic STM and performance on simple or complex executive function tasks. In contrast, phonological STM was related to executive function performance in tasks that had a verbal component, suggesting that performance in some executive function tasks depends on maintaining or rehearsing phonological codes. Although semantic STM was not related to executive function ability, performance on semantic processing tasks was related to executive function, perhaps due to similar executive task requirements in both semantic processing and executive function tasks. Conclusions Implications for treatment and interpretations of executive deficits are discussed. PMID:22736889

From Graphite to Graphene via Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Dejun

The primary objective of this dissertation is to study both graphene on graphite and pristine freestanding grapheme using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) simulation technique. In the experiment part, good quality tungsten metalic tips for experiment were fabricated using our newly developed tip making setup. Then a series of measurements using a technique called electrostatic-manipulation scanning tunneling microscopy (EM-STM) of our own development were performed on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface. The electrostatic interaction between the STM tip and the sample can be tuned to produce both reversible and irreversible large-scale movement of the graphite surface. Under this influence, atomic-resolution STM images reveal that a continuous electronic transition between two distinct patterns can be systematically controlled. DFT calculations reveal that this transition can be related to vertical displacements of the top layer of graphite relative to the bulk. Evidence for horizontal shifts in the top layer of graphite is also presented. Excellent agreement is found between experimental STM images and those simulated using DFT. In addition, the EM-STM technique was also used to controllably and reversibly pull freestanding graphene membranes up to 35 nm from their equilibrium height. Atomic-scale corrugation amplitudes 20 times larger than the STM electronic corrugation for graphene on a substrate were observed. The freestanding graphene membrane responds to a local attractive force created at the STM tip as a highly conductive yet flexible grounding plane with an elastic restoring force.

Imaging the effects of individual zinc impurity atoms on superconductivity in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta

PubMed

Pan; Hudson; Lang; Eisaki; Uchida; Davis

2000-02-17

Although the crystal structures of the copper oxide high-temperature superconductors are complex and diverse, they all contain some crystal planes consisting of only copper and oxygen atoms in a square lattice: superconductivity is believed to originate from strongly interacting electrons in these CuO2 planes. Substituting a single impurity atom for a copper atom strongly perturbs the surrounding electronic environment and can therefore be used to probe high-temperature superconductivity at the atomic scale. This has provided the motivation for several experimental and theoretical studies. Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) is an ideal technique for the study of such effects at the atomic scale, as it has been used very successfully to probe individual impurity atoms in several other systems. Here we use STM to investigate the effects of individual zinc impurity atoms in the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta. We find intense quasiparticle scattering resonances at the Zn sites, coincident with strong suppression of superconductivity within approximately 15 A of the scattering sites. Imaging of the spatial dependence of the quasiparticle density of states in the vicinity of the impurity atoms reveals the long-sought four-fold symmetric quasiparticle 'cloud' aligned with the nodes of the d-wave superconducting gap which is believed to characterize superconductivity in these materials.

Construction of single-crystalline supramolecular networks of perchlorinated hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene on Au(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yi; Zhang, Yanfang; Li, Geng; Lu, Jianchen; Lin, Xiao; Tan, Yuanzhi; Feng, Xinliang; Du, Shixuan; Müllen, Klaus; Gao, Hong-Jun

2015-03-01

The self-assembly of the perchlorinated hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (PCHBC) molecules on Au(111) has been studied by a low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) combining with density functional theory based first principle calculations. Highly ordered supramolecular networks with single domains limited by the terraces are formed on Au(111) substrate. High resolution images of the PCHBC molecules, confirmed by first principle simulations, are obtained. It reveals the close-packed arrangement of the PCHBC molecules on Au(111). The calculated charge distribution of PCHBC molecules shows the existence of attractive halogen-halogen interaction between neighboring molecules. Compared with the disordered adsorption of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene on Au(111), we conclude that the formation of attractive ClCl interactions between neighbors is the key factor to form the highly ordered, close-packed networks. Due to the steric hindrance resulted from the peripheral chlorine atoms, the PCHBC molecule is contorted and forms the doubly concave conformation, which is different from the hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene with a planar structure. By using this supramolecular network as a template, we deposited C60 molecules on it at room temperature with low coverage. The STM images taken at low temperature show that the C60 molecules are mono-dispersed on the networks and adsorb on top of the PCHBC molecules, forming a typical concave-convex host-guest system.

Atomic-scale imaging of the dissolution of NaCl islands by water at low temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Jinbo; Guo, Jing; Ma, Runze; Meng, Xiangzhi; Jiang, Ying

2017-03-01

The dissolution of sodium chloride (NaCl) in water is a frequently encountered process in our daily lives. While the NaCl dissolution process in liquid water has been extensively studied, whether and how the dissolution occurs below the freezing point is still not clear. Using a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM), here we were able to directly visualize the dissolution of Au-supported NaCl (0 0 1) bilayer islands by water at atomic level. We found that the single water molecule on the STM tip can assist the extraction of single Na+ from the NaCl surface even at 5 K, while leaving the Cl- intact. When covered with a full water monolayer, the NaCl islands started to dissolve from the step edges and also showed evidence of dissolution inside the terraces as the temperature was raised up to 145 K. At 155 K, the water molecules completely desorbed from the surface, which was accompanied with the decomposition and restructuring of the bilayer NaCl islands. Those results suggest that the dissolution of NaCl may occur well below the freezing point at the ice/NaCl interfaces and is mainly driven by the interaction between the water molecules and the Na+, which is in clear contrast with the NaCl dissolution in liquid water.

Spatial short-term memory is impaired in dependent betel quid chewers.

PubMed

Chiu, Meng-Chun; Shen, Bin; Li, Shuo-Heng; Ho, Ming-Chou

2016-08-01

Betel quid is regarded as a human carcinogen by the World Health Organization. It remains unknown whether chewing betel quid has a chronic effect on healthy betel quid chewers' memory. The present study aims to investigate whether chewing betel quid can affect short-term memory (STM). Three groups of participants (24 dependent chewers, 24 non-dependent chewers, and 24 non-chewers) were invited to carry out the matrix span task, the object span task, and the digit span task. All span tasks' results were adopted to assess spatial STM, visual STM, and verbal STM, respectively. Besides, there are three set sizes (small, medium, and large) in each span task. For the matrix span task, results showed that the dependent chewers had worse performances than the non-dependent chewers and the non-chewers at medium and large set sizes. For the object span task and digit span task, there were no differences in between groups. In each group, recognition performances were worse with the increasing set size and showing successful manipulation of memory load. The current study provided the first evidence that dependent betel quid chewing can selectively impair spatial STM rather than visual STM and verbal STM. Theoretical and practical implications of this result are discussed.

Multiple neural states of representation in short-term memory? It's a matter of attention.

PubMed

Larocque, Joshua J; Lewis-Peacock, Jarrod A; Postle, Bradley R

2014-01-01

Short-term memory (STM) refers to the capacity-limited retention of information over a brief period of time, and working memory (WM) refers to the manipulation and use of that information to guide behavior. In recent years it has become apparent that STM and WM interact and overlap with other cognitive processes, including attention (the selection of a subset of information for further processing) and long-term memory (LTM-the encoding and retention of an effectively unlimited amount of information for a much longer period of time). Broadly speaking, there have been two classes of memory models: systems models, which posit distinct stores for STM and LTM (Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968; Baddeley and Hitch, 1974); and state-based models, which posit a common store with different activation states corresponding to STM and LTM (Cowan, 1995; McElree, 1996; Oberauer, 2002). In this paper, we will focus on state-based accounts of STM. First, we will consider several theoretical models that postulate, based on considerable behavioral evidence, that information in STM can exist in multiple representational states. We will then consider how neural data from recent studies of STM can inform and constrain these theoretical models. In the process we will highlight the inferential advantage of multivariate, information-based analyses of neuroimaging data (fMRI and electroencephalography (EEG)) over conventional activation-based analysis approaches (Postle, in press). We will conclude by addressing lingering questions regarding the fractionation of STM, highlighting differences between the attention to information vs. the retention of information during brief memory delays.

Task-evoked pupillometry provides a window into the development of short-term memory capacity

PubMed Central

Johnson, Elizabeth L.; Miller Singley, Alison T.; Peckham, Andrew D.; Johnson, Sheri L.; Bunge, Silvia A.

2014-01-01

The capacity to keep multiple items in short-term memory (STM) improves over childhood and provides the foundation for the development of multiple cognitive abilities. The goal of this study was to measure the extent to which age differences in STM capacity are related to differences in task engagement during encoding. Children (n = 69, mean age = 10.6 years) and adults (n = 54, mean age = 27.5 years) performed two STM tasks: the forward digit span test from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and a novel eyetracking digit span task designed to overload STM capacity. Building on prior research showing that task-evoked pupil dilation can be used as a real-time index of task engagement, we measured changes in pupil dilation while participants encoded long sequences of digits for subsequent recall. As expected, adults outperformed children on both STM tasks. We found similar patterns of pupil dilation while children and adults listened to the first six digits on our STM overload task, after which the adults' pupils continued to dilate and the children's began to constrict, suggesting that the children had reached their cognitive limits and that they had begun to disengage from the task. Indeed, the point at which pupil dilation peaked at encoding was a significant predictor of WISC forward span, and this relationship held even after partialing out recall performance on the STM overload task. These findings indicate that sustained task engagement at encoding is an important component of the development of STM. PMID:24659980

What part of working memory is not working in ADHD? Short-term memory, the central executive and effects of reinforcement.

PubMed

Dovis, Sebastiaan; Van der Oord, Saskia; Wiers, Reinout W; Prins, Pier J M

2013-08-01

Deficits in Working Memory (WM) are related to symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In children with ADHD visuospatial WM is most impaired. WM is composed of Short-Term Memory (STM) and a Central Executive (CE). Therefore, deficits in either or both STM and the CE may account for WM impairments in children with ADHD. WM-component studies investigating this find deficits in both STM and the CE. However, recent studies show that not only cognitive deficits, but also motivational deficits give rise to the aberrant WM performance of children with ADHD. To date, the influence of these motivational deficits on the components of WM has not been investigated. This study examined the effects of a standard (feedback-only) and a high level of reinforcement (feedback + 10 euros) on the visuospatial WM-, visuospatial STM-, and the CE performance of 86 children with ADHD and 62 typically-developing controls. With standard reinforcement the STM, CE, and WM performance of children with ADHD was worse than that of controls. High reinforcement improved STM and WM performance more in children with ADHD than in controls, but was unable to normalize their performance. High reinforcement did not appear to improve the CE-related performance of children with ADHD and controls. Motivational deficits have a detrimental effect on both the visuospatial WM performance and the STM performance of children with ADHD. Aside from motivational deficits, both the visuospatial STM and the CE of children with ADHD are impaired, and give rise to their deficits in visuospatial WM.

Short-segment transverse myelitis lesions in a cohort of Latin American patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Carnero Contentti, Edgar; Daccach Marques, Vanessa; Soto de Castillo, Ibis; Tkachuk, Verónica; Antunes Barreira, Amilton; Armas, Elizabeth; Chiganer, Edson; de Aquino Cruz, Camila; Di Pace, José Luis; Hryb, Javier Pablo; Lavigne Moreira, Carolina; Lessa, Carmen; Molina, Omaira; Perassolo, Mónica; Soto, Arnoldo; Caride, Alejandro

2018-05-22

Multicenter retrospective study. The aim was to determine the frequency and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of short-segment transverse myelitis (STM) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) during a myelitis attack. Latin American diagnostic centres (Neuroimmunology Unit). A multicenter study from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela was performed. Seventy-six patients with NMOSD were included. We analyzed 346 attacks and reviewed spinal cord MRIs performed within 30 days from spinal attack onset. Sagittal and axial characteristics on cervical and thoracic MRI (1.5 tesla) were observed. Demographics, clinical, serological, and disability data were collected. Among the 76 patients with NMOSD, isolated STM was observed in 8% (n = 6), multisegmental lesions (longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) + STM) in 28% (n = 21; 13 had at least one STM), LETM in 42% (n = 32), and normal spinal MRI in 22% (n = 17). However, isolated STM was increased by 10% in patients with NMOSD with spinal lesions (6 out of 59) with mean attacks of 2.5 (±0.83) and last follow-up expanded disability status scale (EDSS) of 3.1 (±2.63). Positive aquaporin 4 antibodies (AQP4-ab) were found in 50%. Upper-cervical lesion was most frequently observed (5 out of 6). Myelitis was preceded by ON in all isolated patients with STM. Only one had a positive gadolinium lesion and none of these had asymptomatic spinal cord lesion. Isolated STM does not exclude NMOSD diagnosis. Therefore, APQ4-ab testing could be useful during a myelitis attack with STM.

STM study on the surface structures and defects of SnSe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jungdae; Duvjir, Ganbat; Ly, Trinh Thi; Min, Taewon; Kim, Taehoon; Kim, Sang Hwa; Duong, Anh-Tuan; Rhim, S. H.; Cho, Sunglae; Lee, Jaekwang

Tin selenide (SnSe) is a IV-VI semiconductor with a band gap of 1.0 eV, and also one of layered chalcogenide materials (LCMs) where each layer is coupled by weak van der Waals interactions. SnSe has been widely studied due to its many potential applications that take advantage of its excellent thermoelectric, photovoltaic, and optoelectronic properties. However, experimental investigations into the microscopic structure of SnSe remain largely unexplored. The atomic and electronic structures of SnSe surfaces are studied by a home-built low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The cleaved surface of SnSe is comprised of covalently bonded Se and Sn atoms in zigzag patterns. However, rectangular periodicity was observed in the atomic images of SnSe surfaces for filled and empty state probing. Detailed atomic structures are analyzed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, indicating that the bright extrusions of both filled and empty state images are mostly located at the positions of Sn atoms. We also report the origin of p-type behavior in SnSe by investigating three dominant intrinsic defects (Sn, Se, and Se-Sn-Se vacancies) using STM and DFT calculations. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2015R1D1A1A01057271, NRF-2009-0093818, and NRF-2014R1A4A1071686).

Tunneling spectroscopy of a phosphorus impurity atom on the Ge(111)-(2 × 1) surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Savinov, S. V.; Oreshkin, A. I., E-mail: oreshkin@spmlab.phys.msu.su, E-mail: oreshkin@spmlab.ru; Oreshkin, S. I.

2015-06-15

We numerically model the Ge(111)-(2 × 1) surface electronic properties in the vicinity of a P donor impurity atom located near the surface. We find a notable increase in the surface local density of states (LDOS) around the surface dopant near the bottom of the empty surface state band π*, which we call a split state due to its limited spatial extent and energetic position inside the band gap. We show that despite the well-established bulk donor impurity energy level position at the very bottom of the conduction band, a surface donor impurity on the Ge(111)-(2 × 1) surface mightmore » produce an energy level below the Fermi energy, depending on the impurity atom local environment. It is demonstrated that the impurity located in subsurface atomic layers is visible in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) experiment on the Ge(111)-(2 × 1) surface. The quasi-1D character of the impurity image, observed in STM experiments, is confirmed by our computer simulations with a note that a few π-bonded dimer rows may be affected by the presence of the impurity atom. We elaborate a model that allows classifying atoms on the experimental low-temperature STM image. We show the presence of spatial oscillations of the LDOS by the density-functional theory method.« less

Fully industrialised single photon avalanche diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellegrini, S.; Rae, B.

2017-05-01

Single Photon Avalanche diodes (SPADs) were first realized more than five decades ago[1][1], and have now been industrialized for mass production in the 130 nm CMOS technology node by STMicroelectronics (STM). In this paper we present the latest STM SPAD with an excellent NIR photon detection probability (>5% at 850nm), a dark count rate median of 100 cps at room temperature and a low breakdown voltage of 14.2V. The dead time of the SPAD is approximately 25 ns, leading to a maximum count rate of 40 Mcps. Thanks to the 130 nm gate length of the CMOS technology used and the associated high digital gate density, complex digital signal processing can be implemented allowing fully integrated systems to be realized. The low bias required by the SPAD makes it possible for voltage generation to be achieved on-chip (e.g. charge pumped). We introduce our first generation time-of-flight system (VL6180) based on the STM SPAD technology, which is capable of ranging up to 60 cm in 60 ms. Ranging capabilities and accuracy are measured using a set of moving targets with reflectance of 5%, 17% and 88% in a fully automated test bed. To the best of our knowledge this was the first high volume SPAD-based device. To our knowledge this is the first time details of SPAD performance over production volumes and lifetime have been presented.

The Sounds of Nanoscience: Acoustic STM Analogues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euler, Manfred

2013-01-01

A hands-on model of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) is presented. It uses near-field imaging with sound and computer assisted visualization to create acoustic mappings of resonator arrangements. Due to the (partial) analogy of matter and sound waves the images closely resemble STM scans of atoms. Moreover, the method can be extended to build…

University of Maryland MRSEC - Facilities: SEM/STM/AFM

Science.gov Websites

MRSEC Templates Opportunities Search Home » Facilities » SEM/STM/AFM Shared Experimental Facilities conducting and non conducting samples. The sample stage permits electronic device imaging under operational Specifications: Image Modes - STM, STS, MFM, EFM, SKPM, contact- and non-contact AFM Three Sample Contacts 0.1 nm

Out with the old? The role of selective attention in retaining targets in partial report.

PubMed

Lindsey, Dakota R B; Bundesen, Claus; Kyllingsbæk, Søren; Petersen, Anders; Logan, Gordon D

2017-01-01

In the partial-report task, subjects are asked to report only a portion of the items presented. Selective attention chooses which objects to represent in short-term memory (STM) on the basis of their relevance. Because STM is limited in capacity, one must sometimes choose which objects are removed from memory in light of new relevant information. We tested the hypothesis that the choices among newly presented information and old information in STM involve the same process-that both are acts of selective attention. We tested this hypothesis using a two-display partial-report procedure. In this procedure, subjects had to select and retain relevant letters (targets) from two sequentially presented displays. If selection in perception and retention in STM are the same process, then irrelevant letters (distractors) in the second display, which demanded attention because of their similarity to the targets, should have decreased target report from the first display. This effect was not obtained in any of four experiments. Thus, choosing objects to keep in STM is not the same process as choosing new objects to bring into STM.

The impact of aging and hearing status on verbal short-term memory.

PubMed

Verhaegen, Clémence; Collette, Fabienne; Majerus, Steve

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of hearing status on age-related decrease in verbal short-term memory (STM) performance. This was done by administering a battery of verbal STM tasks to elderly and young adult participants matched for hearing thresholds, as well as to young normal-hearing control participants. The matching procedure allowed us to assess the importance of hearing loss as an explanatory factor of age-related STM decline. We observed that elderly participants and hearing-matched young participants showed equal levels of performance in all verbal STM tasks, and performed overall lower than the normal-hearing young control participants. This study provides evidence for recent theoretical accounts considering reduced hearing level as an important explanatory factor of poor auditory-verbal STM performance in older adults.

Development of a glycoconjugate vaccine to prevent invasive Salmonella Typhimurium infections in sub-Saharan Africa

PubMed Central

Baliban, Scott M.; Yang, Mingjun; Ramachandran, Girish; Curtis, Brittany; Shridhar, Surekha; Laufer, Rachel S.; Wang, Jin Y.; Van Druff, John; Higginson, Ellen E.; Hegerle, Nicolas; Varney, Kristen M.; Galen, James E.; Tennant, Sharon M.; Lees, Andrew; MacKerell, Alexander D.; Levine, Myron M.; Simon, Raphael

2017-01-01

Invasive infections associated with non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars Enteritidis (SE), Typhimurium (STm) and monophasic variant 1,4,[5],12:i:- are a major health problem in infants and young children in sub-Saharan Africa, and currently, there are no approved human NTS vaccines. NTS O-polysaccharides and flagellin proteins are protective antigens in animal models of invasive NTS infection. Conjugates of SE core and O-polysaccharide (COPS) chemically linked to SE flagellin have enhanced the anti-COPS immune response and protected mice against fatal challenge with a Malian SE blood isolate. We report herein the development of a STm glycoconjugate vaccine comprised of STm COPS conjugated to the homologous serovar phase 1 flagellin protein (FliC) with assessment of the role of COPS O-acetyls for functional immunity. Sun-type COPS conjugates linked through the polysaccharide reducing end to FliC were more immunogenic and protective in mice challenged with a Malian STm blood isolate than multipoint lattice conjugates (>95% vaccine efficacy [VE] versus 30–43% VE). Immunization with de-O-acetylated STm-COPS conjugated to CRM197 provided significant but reduced protection against STm challenge compared to mice immunized with native STm-COPS:CRM197 (63–74% VE versus 100% VE). Although OPS O-acetyls were highly immunogenic, post-vaccination sera that contained various O-acetyl epitope-specific antibody profiles displayed similar in vitro bactericidal activity when equivalent titers of anti-COPS IgG were assayed. In-silico molecular modeling further indicated that STm OPS forms a single dominant conformation, irrespective of O-acetylation, in which O-acetyls extend outward and are highly solvent exposed. These preclinical results establish important quality attributes for an STm vaccine that could be co-formulated with an SE-COPS:FliC glycoconjugate as a bivalent NTS vaccine for use in sub-Saharan Africa. PMID:28388624

Development of a glycoconjugate vaccine to prevent invasive Salmonella Typhimurium infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Baliban, Scott M; Yang, Mingjun; Ramachandran, Girish; Curtis, Brittany; Shridhar, Surekha; Laufer, Rachel S; Wang, Jin Y; Van Druff, John; Higginson, Ellen E; Hegerle, Nicolas; Varney, Kristen M; Galen, James E; Tennant, Sharon M; Lees, Andrew; MacKerell, Alexander D; Levine, Myron M; Simon, Raphael

2017-04-01

Invasive infections associated with non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars Enteritidis (SE), Typhimurium (STm) and monophasic variant 1,4,[5],12:i:- are a major health problem in infants and young children in sub-Saharan Africa, and currently, there are no approved human NTS vaccines. NTS O-polysaccharides and flagellin proteins are protective antigens in animal models of invasive NTS infection. Conjugates of SE core and O-polysaccharide (COPS) chemically linked to SE flagellin have enhanced the anti-COPS immune response and protected mice against fatal challenge with a Malian SE blood isolate. We report herein the development of a STm glycoconjugate vaccine comprised of STm COPS conjugated to the homologous serovar phase 1 flagellin protein (FliC) with assessment of the role of COPS O-acetyls for functional immunity. Sun-type COPS conjugates linked through the polysaccharide reducing end to FliC were more immunogenic and protective in mice challenged with a Malian STm blood isolate than multipoint lattice conjugates (>95% vaccine efficacy [VE] versus 30-43% VE). Immunization with de-O-acetylated STm-COPS conjugated to CRM197 provided significant but reduced protection against STm challenge compared to mice immunized with native STm-COPS:CRM197 (63-74% VE versus 100% VE). Although OPS O-acetyls were highly immunogenic, post-vaccination sera that contained various O-acetyl epitope-specific antibody profiles displayed similar in vitro bactericidal activity when equivalent titers of anti-COPS IgG were assayed. In-silico molecular modeling further indicated that STm OPS forms a single dominant conformation, irrespective of O-acetylation, in which O-acetyls extend outward and are highly solvent exposed. These preclinical results establish important quality attributes for an STm vaccine that could be co-formulated with an SE-COPS:FliC glycoconjugate as a bivalent NTS vaccine for use in sub-Saharan Africa.

CCl 4 chemistry on the reduced selvedge of a α-Fe 2O 3(0 0 0 1) surface: a scanning tunneling microscopy study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rim, Kwang Taeg; Fitts, Jeffrey P.; Müller, Thomas; Adib, Kaveh; Camillone, Nicholas; Osgood, Richard M.; Joyce, S. A.; Flynn, George W.

2003-09-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) were used to study the degradation of CCl 4 on the reduced selvedge of a natural single crystal α-Fe 2O 3(0 0 0 1) surface in ultrahigh vacuum. Before exposure to CCl 4, STM images indicate that approximately 85% of the reduced surface exhibits a Fe 3O 4(1 1 1) 2 × 2 termination, while the remaining 15% is terminated by 1 × 1 and superstructure phases. Images obtained after room temperature dosing with CCl 4 and subsequent flashing to 600 K reveal that chlorine atoms are adsorbed only on surface regions with the Fe 3O 4(1 1 1) 2 × 2 termination, not on 1 × 1 and superstructure regions. Chlorine atoms from dissociative adsorption of CCl 4 are observed to occupy two distinct positions located atop lattice protrusions and in threefold oxygen vacancy sites. However, in companion chemical labeling experiments, chlorine atoms provided by room temperature, dissociative Cl 2 adsorption on this surface are found to occupy sites atop lattice protrusions exclusively. The clear dissimilarity in STM feature shape and brightness at the two distinct chlorine adsorption sites arising from CCl 4 dissociation as well as the results of the Cl 2 chemical labeling experiments are best explained via reactions on a Fe 3O 4(1 1 1) 2 × 2 selvedge terminated by a 1/4 monolayer of tetrahedrally coordinated iron atoms. On this surface, adsorption atop an iron atom occurs for both the CCl 4 and Cl 2 dissociative reactions. A second adsorption site, assigned as binding to second layer iron atoms left exposed following surface oxygen atom abstraction resulting in the formation of phosgene (COCl 2), only appears in the case of reaction with CCl 4. The reaction mechanism and active site requirements for CCl 4 degradation on iron oxide surfaces are discussed in light of this evidence and in the context of our previously reported results from Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), LEED, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies.

Discovery and Utilization of Nanoscale and Mesoscale Enabling Materials and Processes for Optoelectronics and Electronic Interconnects

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-12-01

Heating and Cooling Device 42 5.2.3 Multiple Tip STM ~ 43 5.2.3.1 Novel Nanomanipulator MM3 43 5.2.3.2 Four Tip STM Assembly 44 5.2.3.3 Vibration ...Analysis of Eddy Current Damping System of Multiple TIP STM " 44 5.2.3.4 Active Vibration Damping System 46 5.3 First Results 47 5.3.1 UHV-SEM...side: Actual device side and top view. 44 46. Setup for the vibration analysis experiment. 45 47. Relaxation of the STM unit, (a) without the eddy

Auditory short-term memory capacity correlates with gray matter density in the left posterior STS in cognitively normal and dyslexic adults.

PubMed

Richardson, Fiona M; Ramsden, Sue; Ellis, Caroline; Burnett, Stephanie; Megnin, Odette; Catmur, Caroline; Schofield, Tom M; Leff, Alex P; Price, Cathy J

2011-12-01

A central feature of auditory STM is its item-limited processing capacity. We investigated whether auditory STM capacity correlated with regional gray and white matter in the structural MRI images from 74 healthy adults, 40 of whom had a prior diagnosis of developmental dyslexia whereas 34 had no history of any cognitive impairment. Using whole-brain statistics, we identified a region in the left posterior STS where gray matter density was positively correlated with forward digit span, backward digit span, and performance on a "spoonerisms" task that required both auditory STM and phoneme manipulation. Across tasks and participant groups, the correlation was highly significant even when variance related to reading and auditory nonword repetition was factored out. Although the dyslexics had poorer phonological skills, the effect of auditory STM capacity in the left STS was the same as in the cognitively normal group. We also illustrate that the anatomical location of this effect is in proximity to a lesion site recently associated with reduced auditory STM capacity in patients with stroke damage. This result, therefore, indicates that gray matter density in the posterior STS predicts auditory STM capacity in the healthy and damaged brain. In conclusion, we suggest that our present findings are consistent with the view that there is an overlap between the mechanisms that support language processing and auditory STM.

The Contribution of Short-Term Memory for Serial Order to Early Reading Acquisition: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez, Trecy Martinez; Majerus, Steve; Poncelet, Martine

2012-01-01

Early reading acquisition skills have been linked to verbal short-term memory (STM) capacity. However, the nature of this relationship remains controversial because verbal STM, like reading acquisition, depends on the complexity of underlying phonological processing skills. This longitudinal study addressed the relation between STM and reading…

Techniques Use by Science, Technology and Mathematics (STM) Teachers for Controlling Undesirable Classroom Behaviours in Anambra State Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinelo, Okigbo Ebele; Nwanneka, Okoli Josephine

2016-01-01

This study investigated the techniques used by secondary school Science Technology and Mathematics (STM) teachers in controlling undesirable behaviours in their classrooms. It adopted descriptive survey design in which 178 Anambra State teachers teaching STM subjects in senior secondary were involved in the research. Two sections of questionnaire…

Near-Field Imaging with Sound: An Acoustic STM Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euler, Manfred

2012-01-01

The invention of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) 30 years ago opened up a visual window to the nano-world and sparked off a bunch of new methods for investigating and controlling matter and its transformations at the atomic and molecular level. However, an adequate theoretical understanding of the method is demanding; STM images can be…

Uniform height island growth on Pb/Si(111) at low temperatures and QSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tringides, Michael C.

2002-03-01

Highly uniform height Pb(111) islands (which can differ by bilayer height increments) of flat tops and steep edges can be grown on Pb/Si(111) at low temperatures 120K

Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O by laser ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedekar, M. M.; Safari, A.; Wilber, W.

1992-11-01

Superconducting thin films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O have been deposited by KrF excimer laser ablation. The best in situ films showed a Tc onset of 110 K and a Tc(0) of 76 K. A study of the laser plume revealed the presence of two distinct regimes. The forward directed component increased with fluence and the film composition was stoichiometric in this region. This is in agreement with the results on the 123 system by Venkatesan et al. [1]. The film properties were found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature and temperatures close to melting gave rise to 2212 and 2223 phases. At lower temperatures, 2201 and amorphous phases were obtained. The film morphology and superconducting properties were a function of the target to substrate distance and the oxygen pressure during deposition and cooling. An increase in the target to substrate distance led to a deterioration of the properties due to the energy consideration for the formation of 2212 and 2223 phases. The best films were obtained using cooling pressures of 700 Torr. The microwave surface resistance of the films measured at 35 GHz dropped below that of copper at 30 K. Film growth was studied using X-ray diffraction and STM/AFM. This work is a discussion of the role of the different variables on the film properties.

Analysis of simplified heat transfer models for thermal property determination of nano-film by TDTR method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xinwei; Chen, Zhe; Sun, Fangyuan; Zhang, Hang; Jiang, Yuyan; Tang, Dawei

2018-03-01

Heat transfer in nanostructures is of critical importance for a wide range of applications such as functional materials and thermal management of electronics. Time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) has been proved to be a reliable measurement technique for the thermal property determinations of nanoscale structures. However, it is difficult to determine more than three thermal properties at the same time. Heat transfer model simplifications can reduce the fitting variables and provide an alternative way for thermal property determination. In this paper, two simplified models are investigated and analyzed by the transform matrix method and simulations. TDTR measurements are performed on Al-SiO2-Si samples with different SiO2 thickness. Both theoretical and experimental results show that the simplified tri-layer model (STM) is reliable and suitable for thin film samples with a wide range of thickness. Furthermore, the STM can also extract the intrinsic thermal conductivity and interfacial thermal resistance from serial samples with different thickness.

The role of place-exchange, dislocations and substrate symmetry in nickel/gold(111) heteroepitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cullen, William Grady

1999-12-01

The epitaxial growth of Ni on Au(111) in ultrahigh vacuum was investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Films in the coverage range 0--2 monolayers were studied. The goals were to investigate the influence of the substrate reconstruction on the morphology of the growing film and also the possibility of intermixing between Ni and Au. Deposition of Ni at room temperature led to the growth of two-dimensional islands which nucleate at the point dislocations of the Au(111) herringbone reconstruction, as found in previous studies. Anisotropic growth features were identified and shown to result from basic symmetry properties of the Au(111) reconstruction. In addition, significant internal structure was observed within the islands, indicating that the islands are of mixed composition, and that the overlayer is not pseudomorphic. Two-dimensional island ripening was observed after deposition of Ni at room temperature, followed by moderate annealing. Results of STM and AES experiments indicate that the mass transport during ripening is due to mobile Au atoms which have detached from the original islands. Deposition at high temperature was shown to result in the formation of large epitaxial Au islands due to Ni-Au place exchange and subsequent collision-mediated nucleation of Au atoms. Island size distributions were analyzed for comparison with scaling theories, and data collapse onto a common curve was observed at different coverages and temperatures. Based on the scaling analysis, a critical nucleus of i = 2 was inferred. The annealing and high-temperature deposition experiments demonstrated that a Ni monolayer is metastable at the Au(111) surface, i.e. Au tends to segregate and cover the Ni.

Do serotonin(1-7) receptors modulate short and long-term memory?

PubMed

Meneses, A

2007-05-01

Evidence from invertebrates to human studies indicates that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) system modulates short- (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). This work is primarily focused on analyzing the contribution of 5-HT, cholinergic and glutamatergic receptors as well as protein synthesis to STM and LTM of an autoshaping learning task. It was observed that the inhibition of hippocampal protein synthesis or new mRNA did not produce a significant effect on autoshaping STM performance but it did impair LTM. Both non-contingent protein inhibition and 5-HT depletion showed no effects. It was basically the non-selective 5-HT receptor antagonist cyproheptadine, which facilitated STM. However, the blockade of glutamatergic and cholinergic transmission impaired STM. In contrast, the selective 5-HT(1B) receptor antagonist SB-224289 facilitated both STM and LTM. Selective receptor antagonists for the 5-HT(1A) (WAY100635), 5-HT(1D) (GR127935), 5-HT(2A) (MDL100907), 5-HT(2C/2B) (SB-200646), 5-HT(3) (ondansetron) or 5-HT(4) (GR125487), 5-HT(6) (Ro 04-6790, SB-399885 and SB-35713) or 5-HT(7) (SB-269970) did not impact STM. Nevertheless, WAY100635, MDL100907, SB-200646, GR125487, Ro 04-6790, SB-399885 or SB-357134 facilitated LTM. Notably, some of these changes shown to be independent of food-intake. Concomitantly, these data indicate that '5-HT tone via 5-HT(1B) receptors' might function in a serial manner from STM to LTM, whereas working in parallel using 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2B/2C), 5-HT(4), or 5-HT(6) receptors.

The Value of Continuous ST-Segment Monitoring in the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Bovino, Leonie Rose; Funk, Marjorie; Pelter, Michele M; Desai, Mayur M; Jefferson, Vanessa; Andrews, Laura Kierol; Forte, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Practice standards for electrocardiographic monitoring recommend continuous ST-segment monitoring (C-STM) in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with signs and/or symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but few studies have evaluated its use in the ED. We compared time to diagnosis and 30-day adverse events before and after implementation of C-STM. We also evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of C-STM in detecting ischemia and infarction. We prospectively studied 163 adults (preintervention: n = 78; intervention: n = 85) in a single ED and stratified them into low (n = 51), intermediate (n = 100), or high (n = 12) risk using History, ECG, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin (HEART) scores. The principal investigator monitored participants, activating C-STM on bedside monitors in the intervention phase. We used likelihood ratios (LRs) as the measure of diagnostic accuracy. Overall, 9% of participants were diagnosed with ACS. Median time to diagnosis did not differ before and after implementation of C-STM (5.55 vs. 5.98 hr; p = 0.43). In risk-stratified analyses, no significant pre-/postdifference in time to diagnosis was found in low-, intermediate-, or high-risk participants. There was no difference in the rate of 30-day adverse events before versus after C-STM implementation (11.5% vs. 10.6%; p = 0.85). The +LR and -LR of C-STM for ischemia were 24.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4, 412.0) and 0.3 (95% CI: 0.02, 2.9), respectively, and for infarction were 13.7 (95% CI: 1.7, 112.3) and 0.7 (95% CI: 0.3, 1.5), respectively. Use of C-STM did not provide added diagnostic benefit for patients with signs and/or symptoms of myocardial ischemia in the ED.

Proteomic Investigation of the Time Course Responses of RAW 264.7 Macrophages to Infection with Salmonella enterica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Liang; Chowdhury, Saiful M.; Smallwood, Heather S.

2009-08-01

Macrophages plan important roles in controlling Salmonella-mediated systemic infection. To investigate the responses of macrophages to Salmonella infection, we infected RAW 264.7 macrophages with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STM) and then performed a comparative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry [LC-MS(/MS)]-based proteomics analysis of the infected macrophages. A total of 1006 macrophage and 115 STM proteins were indentified from this study. Most of STM proteins were found at late stage of the time course of infection, consistent with the fact that STM proliferates inside RAW 264.7 macrophages. Majority of the identified macrophage proteins were house keeping-related, including cytoplasmic superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1),more » whose peptide abundances were relatively constant during the time course of infection. Compared to those in no infection control, the peptide abundances of 244 macrophage proteins (or 24% of total indentified macrophage proteins) changed considerably after STM infection. The functions of these STM infection-affected macrophage proteins were diverse and ranged from production of antibacterial nitric oxide (i.e., inducible nitric oxide synthase or iNOS) or production of prostaglandin H2 (i.e., prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2, also know as cyclooxygenase-2 or COX-2) to regulation of intracellular traffic (e.g., sorting nexin or SNX 5, 6 and 9), demonstrating a global impact of STM infection on macrophage proteome. Western-blot analysis not only confirmed the LC-MS(/MS) results of SOD1, COX-2 and iNOS, but also revealed that the protein abundances of mitochondrial SOD2 increased after STM infection, indicating an infection-induced oxidative stress in mitochondria.« less

How do subvocal rehearsal and general attentional resources contribute to verbal short-term memory span?

PubMed Central

Morra, Sergio

2015-01-01

Whether rehearsal has a causal role in verbal STM has been controversial in the literature. Recent theories of working memory emphasize a role of attentional resources, but leave unclear how they contribute to verbal STM. Two experiments (with 49 and 102 adult participants, respectively) followed up previous studies with children, aiming to clarify the contributions of attentional capacity and rehearsal to verbal STM. Word length and presentation modality were manipulated. Experiment 1 focused on order errors, Experiment 2 on predicting individual differences in span from attentional capacity and articulation rate. Structural equation modeling showed clearly a major role of attentional capacity as a predictor of verbal STM span; but was inconclusive on whether rehearsal efficiency is an additional cause or a consequence of verbal STM. The effects of word length and modality on STM were replicated; a significant interaction was also found, showing a larger modality effect for long than short words, which replicates a previous finding on children. Item errors occurred more often with long words and correlated negatively with articulation rate. This set of findings seems to point to a role of rehearsal in maintaining item information. The probability of order errors per position increased linearly with list length. A revised version of a neo-Piagetian model was fit to the data of Experiment 2. That model was based on two parameters: attentional capacity (independently measured) and a free parameter representing loss of partly-activated information. The model could partly account for the results, but underestimated STM performance of the participants with smaller attentional capacity. It is concluded that modeling of verbal STM should consider individual and developmental differences in attentional capacity, rehearsal rate, and (perhaps) order representation. PMID:25798114

How do subvocal rehearsal and general attentional resources contribute to verbal short-term memory span?

PubMed

Morra, Sergio

2015-01-01

Whether rehearsal has a causal role in verbal STM has been controversial in the literature. Recent theories of working memory emphasize a role of attentional resources, but leave unclear how they contribute to verbal STM. Two experiments (with 49 and 102 adult participants, respectively) followed up previous studies with children, aiming to clarify the contributions of attentional capacity and rehearsal to verbal STM. Word length and presentation modality were manipulated. Experiment 1 focused on order errors, Experiment 2 on predicting individual differences in span from attentional capacity and articulation rate. Structural equation modeling showed clearly a major role of attentional capacity as a predictor of verbal STM span; but was inconclusive on whether rehearsal efficiency is an additional cause or a consequence of verbal STM. The effects of word length and modality on STM were replicated; a significant interaction was also found, showing a larger modality effect for long than short words, which replicates a previous finding on children. Item errors occurred more often with long words and correlated negatively with articulation rate. This set of findings seems to point to a role of rehearsal in maintaining item information. The probability of order errors per position increased linearly with list length. A revised version of a neo-Piagetian model was fit to the data of Experiment 2. That model was based on two parameters: attentional capacity (independently measured) and a free parameter representing loss of partly-activated information. The model could partly account for the results, but underestimated STM performance of the participants with smaller attentional capacity. It is concluded that modeling of verbal STM should consider individual and developmental differences in attentional capacity, rehearsal rate, and (perhaps) order representation.

Discovery of Salmonella Virulence Factors Translocated via Outer Membrane Vesicles to Murine Macrophages.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoon, Hyunjin; Ansong, Charles; Adkins, Joshua N.

We have previously shown that the regulators SpvR, FruR, IHF, PhoP/PhoQ, SsrA/SsrB, SlyA, Hnr, RpoE, SmpB, CsrA, RpoS, Crp, OmpR/EnvZ, and Hfq are essential for Salmonella Typhimurium virulence in mice. Here we use quantitative LC-MS-based proteomics profiling of in-frame deletion mutants of these 14 regulators to identify proteins that are coordinately regulated by these virulence regulators and are thus presumably novel factors contributing to Salmonella pathogenesis. Putative candidate proteins from proteomics analysis were determined, which exhibited similar abundance profiles to those of Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-2 type III secretion system (TTSS) proteins. A subset of 5 proteins including STM0082, STM1548,more » PdgL, STM1633, and STM3595 was selected for further analysis. All 5 proteins were expressed inside macrophage cells and STM0082 (SrfN) was secreted into host cytoplasm. Furthermore, deletion of STM0082 attenuated virulence in mice when administered intraperitoneally as determined by competitive index. srfN transcription was positively regulated by SsrAB, however, secretion was independent of SPI-2 TTSS as well as SPI-1 TTSS and flagella. Proteins including PagK and STM2585A, which are positively regulated by PhoP/PhoQ, have sec signal peptides as predicted for SrfN and were secreted into macrophage cytoplasm regardless of SPI-2 TTSS. Isolation of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) revealed the presence of SrfN, PagK, and STM2585A inside vesicle compartments. This result is the first case showing delivery of virulence effectors via OMVs in S. Typhimurium. Moreover, Hfq regulation of SrfN translation suggests that small non-coding RNAs may be responsible for regulating effector protein expression.« less

Novel Two-Step Hierarchical Screening of Mutant Pools Reveals Mutants under Selection in Chicks

PubMed Central

Yang, Hee-Jeong; Bogomolnaya, Lydia M.; Elfenbein, Johanna R.; Endicott-Yazdani, Tiana; Reynolds, M. Megan; Porwollik, Steffen; Cheng, Pui; Xia, Xiao-Qin

2016-01-01

Contaminated chicken/egg products are major sources of human salmonellosis, yet the strategies used by Salmonella to colonize chickens are poorly understood. We applied a novel two-step hierarchical procedure to identify new genes important for colonization and persistence of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium in chickens. A library of 182 S. Typhimurium mutants each containing a targeted deletion of a group of contiguous genes (for a total of 2,069 genes deleted) was used to identify regions under selection at 1, 3, and 9 days postinfection in chicks. Mutants in 11 regions were under selection at all assayed times (colonization mutants), and mutants in 15 regions were under selection only at day 9 (persistence mutants). We assembled a pool of 92 mutants, each deleted for a single gene, representing nearly all genes in nine regions under selection. Twelve single gene deletion mutants were under selection in this assay, and we confirmed 6 of 9 of these candidate mutants via competitive infections and complementation analysis in chicks. STM0580, STM1295, STM1297, STM3612, STM3615, and STM3734 are needed for Salmonella to colonize and persist in chicks and were not previously associated with this ability. One of these key genes, STM1297 (selD), is required for anaerobic growth and supports the ability to utilize formate under these conditions, suggesting that metabolism of formate is important during infection. We report a hierarchical screening strategy to interrogate large portions of the genome during infection of animals using pools of mutants of low complexity. Using this strategy, we identified six genes not previously known to be needed during infection in chicks, and one of these (STM1297) suggests an important role for formate metabolism during infection. PMID:26857572

Visual processing in reading disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its contribution to basic reading ability

PubMed Central

Kibby, Michelle Y.; Dyer, Sarah M.; Vadnais, Sarah A.; Jagger, Audreyana C.; Casher, Gabriel A.; Stacy, Maria

2015-01-01

Whether visual processing deficits are common in reading disorders (RD), and related to reading ability in general, has been debated for decades. The type of visual processing affected also is debated, although visual discrimination and short-term memory (STM) may be more commonly related to reading ability. Reading disorders are frequently comorbid with ADHD, and children with ADHD often have subclinical reading problems. Hence, children with ADHD were used as a comparison group in this study. ADHD and RD may be dissociated in terms of visual processing. Whereas RD may be associated with deficits in visual discrimination and STM for order, ADHD is associated with deficits in visual-spatial processing. Thus, we hypothesized that children with RD would perform worse than controls and children with ADHD only on a measure of visual discrimination and a measure of visual STM that requires memory for order. We expected all groups would perform comparably on the measure of visual STM that does not require sequential processing. We found children with RD or ADHD were commensurate to controls on measures of visual discrimination and visual STM that do not require sequential processing. In contrast, both RD groups (RD, RD/ADHD) performed worse than controls on the measure of visual STM that requires memory for order, and children with comorbid RD/ADHD performed worse than those with ADHD. In addition, of the three visual measures, only sequential visual STM predicted reading ability. Hence, our findings suggest there is a deficit in visual sequential STM that is specific to RD and is related to basic reading ability. The source of this deficit is worthy of further research, but it may include both reduced memory for order and poorer verbal mediation. PMID:26579020

Visual processing in reading disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its contribution to basic reading ability.

PubMed

Kibby, Michelle Y; Dyer, Sarah M; Vadnais, Sarah A; Jagger, Audreyana C; Casher, Gabriel A; Stacy, Maria

2015-01-01

Whether visual processing deficits are common in reading disorders (RD), and related to reading ability in general, has been debated for decades. The type of visual processing affected also is debated, although visual discrimination and short-term memory (STM) may be more commonly related to reading ability. Reading disorders are frequently comorbid with ADHD, and children with ADHD often have subclinical reading problems. Hence, children with ADHD were used as a comparison group in this study. ADHD and RD may be dissociated in terms of visual processing. Whereas RD may be associated with deficits in visual discrimination and STM for order, ADHD is associated with deficits in visual-spatial processing. Thus, we hypothesized that children with RD would perform worse than controls and children with ADHD only on a measure of visual discrimination and a measure of visual STM that requires memory for order. We expected all groups would perform comparably on the measure of visual STM that does not require sequential processing. We found children with RD or ADHD were commensurate to controls on measures of visual discrimination and visual STM that do not require sequential processing. In contrast, both RD groups (RD, RD/ADHD) performed worse than controls on the measure of visual STM that requires memory for order, and children with comorbid RD/ADHD performed worse than those with ADHD. In addition, of the three visual measures, only sequential visual STM predicted reading ability. Hence, our findings suggest there is a deficit in visual sequential STM that is specific to RD and is related to basic reading ability. The source of this deficit is worthy of further research, but it may include both reduced memory for order and poorer verbal mediation.

Dysprosium electrodeposition from a hexaalkylguanidinium-based ionic liquid.

PubMed

Berger, Claudia A; Arkhipova, Maria; Maas, Gerhard; Jacob, Timo

2016-08-07

The rare-earth element dysprosium (Dy) is an important additive that increases the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of neodymium magnets and additionally prevents from demagnetizing at high temperatures. Therefore, it is one of the most important elements for high-tech industries and is mainly used in permanent magnetic applications, for example in electric vehicles, industrial motors and direct-drive wind turbines. In an effort to develop a more efficient electrochemical technique for depositing Dy on Nd-magnets in contrast to commonly used costly physical vapor deposition, we investigated the electrochemical behavior of dysprosium(iii) trifluoromethanesulfonate in a custom-made guanidinium-based room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL). We first examined the electrodeposition of Dy on an Au(111) model electrode. The investigation was carried out by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The initial stages of metal deposition were followed by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). CV measurements revealed a large cathodic reduction peak, which corresponds to the growth of monoatomic high islands, based on STM images taken during the initial stages of deposition. XPS identified these deposited islands as dysprosium. A similar reduction peak was also observed on an Nd-Fe-B substrate, and positively identified as deposited Dy using XPS. Finally, we varied the concentration of the Dy precursor, electrolyte flow and temperature during Dy deposition and demonstrated that each of these parameters could be used to increase the thickness of the Dy deposit, suggesting that these parameters could be tuned simultaneously in a temperature-controlled flow cell to enhance the thickness of the Dy layer.

Analysis of STM images with pure and CO-functionalized tips: A first-principles and experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustafsson, Alexander; Okabayashi, Norio; Peronio, Angelo; Giessibl, Franz J.; Paulsson, Magnus

2017-08-01

We describe a first-principles method to calculate scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images, and compare the results to well-characterized experiments combining STM with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The theory is based on density functional theory with a localized basis set, where the wave functions in the vacuum gap are computed by propagating the localized-basis wave functions into the gap using a real-space grid. Constant-height STM images are computed using Bardeen's approximation method, including averaging over the reciprocal space. We consider copper adatoms and single CO molecules adsorbed on Cu(111), scanned with a single-atom copper tip with and without CO functionalization. The calculated images agree with state-of-the-art experiments, where the atomic structure of the tip apex is determined by AFM. The comparison further allows for detailed interpretation of the STM images.

Short-term memory for spatial, sequential and duration information.

PubMed

Manohar, Sanjay G; Pertzov, Yoni; Husain, Masud

2017-10-01

Space and time appear to play key roles in the way that information is organized in short-term memory (STM). Some argue that they are crucial contexts within which other stored features are embedded, allowing binding of information that belongs together within STM. Here we review recent behavioral, neurophysiological and imaging studies that have sought to investigate the nature of spatial, sequential and duration representations in STM, and how these might break down in disease. Findings from these studies point to an important role of the hippocampus and other medial temporal lobe structures in aspects of STM, challenging conventional accounts of involvement of these regions in only long-term memory.

Probing the atomic structure of metallic nanoclusters with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope.

PubMed

Schouteden, Koen; Lauwaet, Koen; Janssens, Ewald; Barcaro, Giovanni; Fortunelli, Alessandro; Van Haesendonck, Chris; Lievens, Peter

2014-02-21

Preformed Co clusters with an average diameter of 2.5 nm are produced in the gas phase and are deposited under controlled ultra-high vacuum conditions onto a thin insulating NaCl film on Au(111). Relying on a combined experimental and theoretical investigation, we demonstrate visualization of the three-dimensional atomic structure of the Co clusters by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) using a Cl functionalized STM tip that can be obtained on the NaCl surface. More generally, use of a functionalized STM tip may allow for systematic atomic structure determination with STM of nanoparticles that are deposited on metal surfaces.

Dissociations of the number and precision of visual short-term memory representations in change detection.

PubMed

Xie, Weizhen; Zhang, Weiwei

2017-11-01

The present study dissociated the number (i.e., quantity) and precision (i.e., quality) of visual short-term memory (STM) representations in change detection using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and experimental manipulations. Across three experiments, participants performed both recognition and recall tests of visual STM using the change-detection task and the continuous color-wheel recall task, respectively. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the estimates of the number and precision of visual STM representations based on the ROC model of change-detection performance were robustly correlated with the corresponding estimates based on the mixture model of continuous-recall performance. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that the experimental manipulation of mnemonic precision using white-noise masking and the experimental manipulation of the number of encoded STM representations using consolidation masking produced selective effects on the corresponding measures of mnemonic precision and the number of encoded STM representations, respectively, in both change-detection and continuous-recall tasks. Altogether, using the individual-differences (Experiment 1) and experimental dissociation (Experiment 2 and 3) approaches, the present study demonstrated the some-or-none nature of visual STM representations across recall and recognition.

The relationship between semantic short-term memory and immediate serial recall of known and unknown words and nonwords: data from two Chinese individuals with aphasia.

PubMed

Wong, Winsy; Low, Sam-Po

2008-07-01

The present study investigated verbal recall of semantically preserved and degraded words and nonwords by taking into consideration the status of one's semantic short-term memory (STM). Two experiments were conducted on 2 Chinese individuals with aphasia. The first experiment showed that they had largely preserved phonological processing abilities accompanied by mild but comparable semantic processing deficits; however, their performance on STM tasks revealed a double dissociation. The second experiment found that the participant with more preserved semantic STM had better recall of known words and nonwords than of their unknown counterparts, whereas such effects were absent in the patient with severe semantic STM deficit. The results are compatible with models that assume separate phonological and semantic STM components, such as that of R. C. Martin, M. Lesch, and M. Bartha (1999). In addition, the distribution of error types was different from previous studies. This is discussed in terms of the methodology of the authors' experiments and current views regarding the nature of semantic STM and representations in the Chinese mental lexicon. (c) 2008 APA

Space simulation techniques and facilities for SAX STM test campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giordano, Pietro; Raimondo, Giacomo; Messidoro, Piero

1994-01-01

SAX is a satellite for X-Ray astronomy. It is a major element of the overall basic Science Program of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and is being developed with the contribution of the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programs (NIVR). The scientific objectives of SAX are to carry out systematic and comprehensive observations of celestial X-Ray sources over the 0.1 - 300 KeV energy range with special emphasis on spectral and timing measurements. The satellite will also monitor the X-Ray sky to investigate long-term source variability and to permit localization and study of X-Ray transients. Alenia Spazio is developing the satellite that is intended for launch in the second half of 1995 in a low, near-equatorial Earth orbit. At system level a Structural Thermal Model (STM) has been conceived to verify the environmental requirements by validating the mechanical and thermal analytical models and qualifying satellite structure and thermal control. In particular, the following tests have been carried out in Alenia Spazio, CEA/CESTA and ESTEC facilities: Modal Survey, Centrifuge, Acoustic, Sinusoidal/Random Vibration and Thermal Balance. The paper, after a short introduction of the SAX satellite, summarizes the environmental qualification program performed on the SAX STM. It presents test objectives, methodologies and relevant test configurations. Peculiar aspects of the test campaign are highlighted. Problems encountered and solutions adopted in performing the tests are described as well. Furthermore, test results are presented and assessed.

A previously uncharacterized gene stm0551 plays a repressive role in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae in Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium produces surface-associated fimbriae that facilitate adherence of the bacteria to a variety of cells and tissues. Type 1 fimbriae with binding specificity to mannose residues are the most commonly found fimbrial type. In vitro, static-broth culture favors the growth of S. Typhimurium with type 1 fimbriae, whereas non-type 1 fimbriate bacteria are obtained by culture on solid-agar media. Previous studies demonstrated that the phenotypic expression of type 1 fimbriae is the result of the interaction and cooperation of the regulatory genes fimZ, fimY, fimW, and fimU within the fim gene cluster. Genome sequencing revealed a novel gene, stm0551, located between fimY and fimW that encodes an 11.4-kDa putative phosphodiesterase specific for the bacterial second messenger cyclic-diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP). The role of stm0551 in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae in S. Typhimurium remains unclear. Results A stm0551-deleted stain constructed by allelic exchange constitutively produced type 1 fimbriae in both static-broth and solid-agar medium conditions. Quantative RT-PCR revealed that expression of the fimbrial major subunit gene, fimA, and one of the regulatory genes, fimZ, were comparably increased in the stm0551-deleted strain compared with those of the parental strain when grown on the solid-agar medium, a condition that normally inhibits expression of type 1 fimbriae. Following transformation with a plasmid possessing the coding sequence of stm0551, expression of fimA and fimZ decreased in the stm0551 mutant strain in both culture conditions, whereas transformation with the control vector pACYC184 relieved this repression. A purified STM0551 protein exhibited a phosphodiesterase activity in vitro while a point mutation in the putative EAL domain, substituting glutamic acid (E) with alanine (A), of STM0551 or a FimY protein abolished this activity. Conclusions The finding that the stm0551 gene plays a negative regulatory role in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae in S. Typhimurium has not been reported previously. The possibility that degradation of c-di-GMP is a key step in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae warrants further investigation. PMID:22716649

Mirror Buckling Transitions in Freestanding Graphene Membranes Induced through Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoelz, James K.

Graphene has the ability to provide for a technological revolution. First isolated and characterized in 2004, this material shows promise in the field of flexible electronics. The electronic properties of graphene can be tuned by controlling the shape of the membrane. Of particular interest in this endeavor are the thermal ripples in graphene membranes. Years of theoretical work by such luminaries as Lev Landau, Rudolf Peierls, David Mermin and Herbert Wagner have established that 2D crystals should not be thermodynamically stable. Experimental research on thin films has supported this finding. Yet graphene exists, and freestanding graphene films have been grown on large scales. It turns out that coupling between the bending and stretching phonons can stabilize the graphene in a flat, albeit rippled phase. These ripples have attracted much attention, and recent work has shown how to arrange these ripples in a variety of configurations. In this thesis, I will present work done using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to interact with freestanding graphene membranes. First I will present STM images of freestanding graphene and show how these images show signs of distortion under the electrostatic influence of the STM tip. This electrostatic attraction between the STM tip and the graphene sample can be used to pull on the graphene sample. At the same time, by employing Joule heating in order to heat graphene using the tunneling current, and exploiting the negative coefficient of thermal expansion, a repulsive thermal load can be generated. By repeatedly pulling on the graphene using the electrostatic potential, while sequentially increasing the setpoint current we can generate a thermal mirror buckling event. Slowly heating the graphene using the tunneling current, prepares a small convex region of graphene under the tip. By increasing thermal stress, as well as pulling using the out of plane electrostatic force, the graphene suddenly and irreversibly switches the sign of its curvature. This event is discovered using STM measurements and supplemented by molecular dynamics simulations. Finally, I will show how to characterize this transition using the famed Ising model. The ripples are modeled as individual Ising spins, which at low temperature exhibit antiferromagnetic coupling. By heating the graphene membrane, the strain increases, changing the antiferromagnetic coupling to ferromagnetic coupling, which characterizes the irreversible transition from a soft, flexible state to a rigid configuration.

EEG correlates of visual short-term memory in older age vary with adult lifespan cognitive development.

PubMed

Wiegand, Iris; Lauritzen, Martin J; Osler, Merete; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Rostrup, Egill; Rask, Lene; Richard, Nelly; Horwitz, Anna; Benedek, Krisztina; Vangkilde, Signe; Petersen, Anders

2018-02-01

Visual short-term memory (vSTM) is a cognitive resource that declines with age. This study investigated whether electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of vSTM vary with cognitive development over individuals' lifespan. We measured vSTM performance and EEG in a lateralized whole-report task in a healthy birth cohort, whose cognitive function (intelligence quotient) was assessed in youth and late-middle age. Higher vSTM capacity (K; measured by Bundesen's theory of visual attention) was associated with higher amplitudes of the contralateral delay activity (CDA) and the central positivity (CP). In addition, rightward hemifield asymmetry of vSTM (K λ ) was associated with lower CDA amplitudes. Furthermore, more severe cognitive decline from young adulthood to late-middle age predicted higher CDA amplitudes, and the relationship between K and the CDA was less reliable in individuals who show higher levels of cognitive decline compared to individuals with preserved abilities. By contrast, there was no significant effect of lifespan cognitive changes on the CP or the relationship between behavioral measures of vSTM and the CP. Neither the CDA, nor the CP, nor the relationships between K or K λ and the event-related potentials were predicted by individuals' current cognitive status. Together, our findings indicate complex age-related changes in processes underlying behavioral and EEG measures of vSTM and suggest that the K-CDA relationship might be a marker of cognitive lifespan trajectories. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relational and conjunctive binding functions dissociate in short-term memory.

PubMed

Parra, Mario A; Fabi, Katia; Luzzi, Simona; Cubelli, Roberto; Hernandez Valdez, Maria; Della Sala, Sergio

2015-02-01

Remembering complex events requires binding features within unified objects (conjunctions) and holding associations between objects (relations). Recent studies suggest that the two functions dissociate in long-term memory (LTM). Less is known about their functional organization in short-term memory (STM). The present study investigated this issue in patient AE affected by a stroke which caused damage to brain regions known to be relevant for relational functions both in LTM and in STM (i.e., the hippocampus). The assessment involved a battery of standard neuropsychological tasks and STM binding tasks. One STM binding task (Experiment 1) presented common objects and common colors forming either pairs (relations) or integrated objects (conjunctions). Free recall of relations or conjunctions was assessed. A second STM binding task used random polygons and non-primary colors instead (Experiment 2). Memory was assessed by selecting the features that made up the relations or the conjunctions from a set of single polygons and a set of single colors. The neuropsychological assessment revealed impaired delayed memory in AE. AE's pronounced relational STM binding deficits contrasted with his completely preserved conjunctive binding functions in both Experiments 1 and 2. Only 2.35% and 1.14% of the population were expected to have a discrepancy more extreme than that presented by AE in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Processing relations and conjunctions of very elementary nonspatial features in STM led to dissociating performances in AE. These findings may inform current theories of memory decline such as those linked to cognitive aging.

Bright new world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroó, Norbert; Rácz, Péter; Varró, Sándor

2016-02-01

Surface plasmons (SPOs) have been excited by intense femtosecond laser pulses on a gold film at room temperature and their near field has been analyzed by the intensity dependent response of an STM and by studying the spectra of multiplasmon emitted electrons. Around 80 GW/cm2 laser intensity, anomalies have been found in both cases, interpreted as the stepping in of electron pairing, transition to a diamagnetic state, and by anomalous Faraday rotation.

Growth of germanium on Au(111): formation of germanene or intermixing of Au and Ge atoms?

PubMed

Cantero, Esteban D; Solis, Lara M; Tong, Yongfeng; Fuhr, Javier D; Martiarena, María Luz; Grizzi, Oscar; Sánchez, Esteban A

2017-07-19

We studied the growth of Ge layers on Au(111) under ultra-high vacuum conditions from the submonolayer regime up to a few layers with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Direct Recoiling Spectroscopy (DRS) and Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED). Most STM images for the thicker layers are consistent with a commensurate 5 × 8 arrangement. The high surface sensitivity of TOF-DRS allows us to confirm the coexistence of Au and Ge atoms in the top layer for all stages of growth. An estimation of the Au to Ge ratio at the surface of the thick layer gives about 1 Au atom per 2 Ge ones. When the growth is carried out at sample temperatures higher than about 420 K, a fraction of the deposited Ge atoms migrate into the bulk of Au. This incorporation of Ge into the bulk reduces the growth rate of the Ge films, making it more difficult to obtain films thicker than a few layers. After sputtering the Ge/Au surface, the segregation of bulk Ge atoms to the surface occurs for temperatures ≥600 K. The surface obtained after segregation of Ge reaches a stable condition (saturation) with an n × n symmetry with n on the order of 14.

Direct observation and control of hydrogen-bond dynamics using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Takashi

2015-08-01

Hydrogen(H)-bond dynamics are involved in many elementary processes in chemistry and biology. Because of its fundamental importance, a variety of experimental and theoretical approaches have been employed to study the dynamics in gas, liquid, solid phases, and their interfaces. This review describes the recent progress of direct observation and control of H-bond dynamics in several model systems on a metal surface by using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). General aspects of H-bond dynamics and the experimental methods are briefly described in chapter 1 and 2. In the subsequent four chapters, I present direct observation of an H-bond exchange reaction within a single water dimer (chapter 3), a symmetric H bond (chapter 4) and H-atom relay reactions (chapter 5) within water-hydroxyl complexes, and an intramolecular H-atom transfer reaction (tautomerization) within a single porphycene molecule (chapter 6). These results provide novel microscopic insights into H-bond dynamics at the single-molecule level, and highlight significant impact on the process from quantum effects, namely tunneling and zero-point vibration, resulting from the small mass of H atom. Additionally, local environmental effect on H-bond dynamics is also examined by using atom/molecule manipulation with the STM.

Inverse polarity of the resistive switching effect and strong inhomogeneity in nanoscale YBCO-metal contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Truchly, M.; Plecenik, T.; Zhitlukhina, E.; Belogolovskii, M.; Dvoranova, M.; Kus, P.; Plecenik, A.

2016-11-01

We have studied a bipolar resistive switching phenomenon in c-axis oriented normal-state YBa2Cu3O7-c (YBCO) thin films at room temperature by scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) techniques. The most striking experimental finding has been the opposite (in contrast to the previous room and low-temperature data for planar metal counter-electrode-YBCO bilayers) voltage-bias polarity of the switching effect in all SSRM and a number of STM measurements. We have assumed that the hysteretic phenomena in current-voltage characteristics of YBCO-based contacts can be explained by migration of oxygen-vacancy defects and, as a result, by the formation or dissolution of more or less conductive regions near the metal-YBCO interface. To support our interpretation of the macroscopic resistive switching phenomenon, a minimalist model that describes radical modifications of the oxygen-vacancy effective charge in terms of a charge-wind effect was proposed. It was shown theoretically that due to the momentum exchange between current carriers (holes in the YBCO compound) and activated oxygen ions, the direction in which oxygen vacancies are moving is defined by the balance between the direct electrostatic force on them and that caused by the current-carrier flow.

Studies of Cu adatom island ripening on Cu(100) by LEEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bussmann, Ezra; Kellogg, Gary L.

2007-03-01

Simple metal surfaces are model systems for characterizing kinetic processes governing the growth and stability of nanoscale structures. It is generally presumed that diffusive transport of adatoms across terraces determines the rate of these processes. However, STM studies in the temperature range T˜330-420 K reveal that transport between step edges on the Cu(100) surface is limited by detachment barriers at the step edges, rather than by the adatom diffusion barrier.^1 This is because on the Cu(100) surface, mass transport is mediated primarily by vacancies, instead of adatoms. We have used low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) movies to characterize coarsening of Cu islands on the Cu(100) surface in the range T˜460-560 K. By measuring the temperature dependence of the island decay rate we find an activation barrier of 0.9±0.1 eV. This value is comparable to the 0.80±0.03 eV barrier found in STM studies.^1 However, we are not able to conclude that transport is entirely detachment limited at these elevated temperatures. This work serves as background to establish whether or not Pd alloying in the Cu(100) surface will slow Cu surface transport. ^2 1. C. Kl"unker, et al., PRB 58, R7556 (1998). 2. M. L. Grant, et al., PRL 86, 4588 (2001). Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. DOE NNSA, Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Multiple charge density wave states at the surface of TbT e 3

DOE PAGES

Fu, Ling; Kraft, Aaron M.; Sharma, Bishnu; ...

2016-11-01

We studied TbTe 3 using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in the temperature range of 298–355 K. Our measurements detect a unidirectional charge density wave (CDW) state in the surface Te layer with a wave vector consistent with that of the bulk q CDW = 0.30 ± 0.01c*. However, unlike previous STM measurements, and differing from measurements probing the bulk, we detect two perpendicular orientations for the unidirectional CDW with no directional preference for the in-plane crystal axes (a or c axis) and no noticeable difference in wave vector magnitude. In addition, we find regions in which the bidirectional CDW statesmore » coexist. We propose that observation of two unidirectional CDW states indicates a decoupling of the surface Te layer from the rare-earth block layer below, and that strain variations in the Te surface layer drive the local CDW direction to the specific unidirectional or, in rare occurrences, bidirectional CDW orders observed. This indicates that similar driving mechanisms for CDW formation in the bulk, where anisotropic lattice strain energy is important, are at play at the surface. Furthermore, the wave vectors for the bidirectional order we observe differ from those theoretically predicted for checkerboard order competing with stripe order in a Fermi-surface nesting scenario, suggesting that factors beyond Fermi-surface nesting drive CDW order in TbTe 3. As a result, our temperature-dependent measurements provide evidence for localized CDW formation above the bulk transition temperature T CDW.« less

Atomic resolution images of graphite in air

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grigg, D.A.; Shedd, G.M.; Griffis, D.

One sample used for proof of operation for atomic resolution in STM is highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). This sample has been imaged with many different STM`s obtaining similar results. Atomic resolution images of HOPG have now been obtained using an STM designed and built at the Precision Engineering Center. This paper discusses the theoretical predictions and experimental results obtained in imaging of HOPG.

FI-STM study of hydrogen adsorption on Si(100) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Lu; Xiang-dong, Wang; Motai, K.; Hashizume, T.; Sakurai, T.

1992-11-01

Chemisorption of atomic hydrogen on the Si(100)2 × 1 surface has been investigated in detail by using a field ion-scanning tunneling microscope (FI-STM). The results showed that the adsorption geometry changed from the 2 × 1 monohydride phase to the 1 × 1 dihydride phase with increasing exposure of hydrogen. The data of desorption of the hydrogen-saturated Si surface showed that on annealing at 670 K the surface becomes highly disordered: the 1 × 1 dihydride structure is eliminated and the 2 × 1 reconstructed monohydride is also hardly to identify. When the temperature rises to as high as 730 K, the surface is dominated by the 2 × 1 structure with missing dimer rows, and some adatom chains occur on the Si substrate terraces. We attribute the formation of these atomic chains to an epitaxial growth of Si atoms which are formed by the dissociation of SiHx (x = 1, 2, 3 or 4) compounds on the Si surface.

Heterogeneous nucleation of pits via step pinning during Si(100) homoepitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yitamben, E. N.; Butera, R. E.; Swartzentruber, B. S.; Simonson, R. J.; Misra, S.; Carroll, M. S.; Bussmann, E.

2017-11-01

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we investigate oxide-induced growth pits in Si thin films deposited by molecular beam epitaxy. In the transition temperature range from 2D adatom islanding to step-flow growth, systematic controlled air leaks into the growth chamber induce pits in the growth surface. We show that pits are also correlated with oxygen-contaminated flux from Si sublimation sources. From a thermodynamic standpoint, multilayer growth pits are unexpected in relaxed homoepitaxial growth, whereas oxidation is a known cause for step pinning, roughening, and faceting on elemental surfaces, both with and without growth flux. Not surprisingly, pits are thermodynamically metastable and heal by annealing to recover a smooth periodic step arrangement. STM reveals new details about the pits’ atomistic origins and growth dynamics. We give a model for heterogeneous nucleation of pits by preferential adsorption of Å-sized oxide nuclei at intrinsic growth antiphase boundaries, and subsequent step pinning and bunching around the nuclei.

Incorporating isolated molybdenum (Mo) atoms into Bilayer Epitaxial Graphene on 4H-SiC(0001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Han; Wan, Wen; Li, Hui; Wong, Swee Liang; Lv, Lu; Gao, Yongli; Wee, Andrew T. S.

2014-03-01

The atomic structures and electronic properties of isolated Mo atoms in bilayer epitaxial graphene (BLEG) on 4H-SiC(0001) are investigated by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM). LT-STM results reveal that isolated Mo dopants prefer to substitute C atoms at α-sites, and preferentially locate between the graphene bilayers. First-principles calculations confirm that the embedding of single Mo dopants within BLEG is energetically favorable as compared to monolayer graphene. The calculated bandstructures show that Mo-doped BLEG is n-doped, and each Mo atom introduces a local magnetic moment of 1.81 μB. Our findings demonstrate a simple and stable method to incorporate single transition metal dopants into the graphene lattice to tune its electronic and magnetic properties for possible use in graphene spin devices. NRF-CRP (Singapore) grants R-143-000-360-281and R-144-000-295-281. ``Shenghua Professorship'' startup funding from CSU and the support from the NSF of China (Grant No.11304398).

Anharmonicity in a double hydrogen transfer reaction studied in a single porphycene molecule on a Cu(110) surface.

PubMed

Liu, S; Baugh, D; Motobayashi, K; Zhao, X; Levchenko, S V; Gawinkowski, S; Waluk, J; Grill, L; Persson, M; Kumagai, T

2018-05-07

Anharmonicity plays a crucial role in hydrogen transfer reactions in hydrogen-bonding systems, which leads to a peculiar spectral line shape of the hydrogen stretching mode as well as highly complex intra/intermolecular vibrational energy relaxation. Single-molecule study with a well-defined model is necessary to elucidate a fundamental mechanism. Recent low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) experiments revealed that the cis↔cis tautomerization in a single porphycene molecule on Cu(110) at 5 K can be induced by vibrational excitation via an inelastic electron tunnelling process and the N-H(D) stretching mode couples with the tautomerization coordinate [Kumagai et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2013, 111, 246101]. Here we discuss a pronounced anharmonicity of the N-H stretching mode observed in the STM action spectra and the conductance spectra. Density functional theory calculations find a strong intermode coupling of the N-H stretching with an in-plane bending mode within porphycene on Cu(110).

Quantum nature of protons in water probed by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jing; Lü, Jing-Tao; Feng, Yexin; Chen, Ji; Peng, Jinbo; Lin, Zeren; Meng, Xiangzhi; Wang, Zhichang; Li, Xin-Zheng; Wang, En-Ge; Jiang, Ying; Jing-Tao Lü Team; Xin-Zheng Li Team

The complexity of hydrogen-bonding interaction largely arises from the quantum nature of light hydrogen nuclei, which has remained elusive for decades. Here we report the direct assessment of nuclear quantum effects on the strength of a single hydrogen bond formed at a water-salt interface, using tip-enhanced inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) based on a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The IETS signals are resonantly enhanced by gating the frontier orbitals of water via a chlorine-terminated STM tip, such that the hydrogen-bonding strength can be determined with unprecedentedly high accuracy from the redshift in the O-H stretching frequency of water. Isotopic substitution experiments combined with quantum simulations reveal that the anharmonic quantum fluctuations of hydrogen nuclei weaken the weak hydrogen bonds and strengthen the relatively strong ones. However, this trend can be completely reversed when the hydrogen bond is strongly coupled to the polar atomic sites of the surface.

First direct visualization of spillover species emitted from pt nanoparticles.

PubMed

Takakusagi, Satoru; Fukui, Ken-ichi; Tero, Ryugo; Asakura, Kiyotaka; Iwasawa, Yasuhiro

2010-11-02

We studied the methanol adsorption behavior of Pt nanoparticles that were vacuum-deposited on a TiO(2)(110) surface at room temperature by using an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM). A large number of bright spots were observed on fivefold-coordinated Ti (Ti(5c)) rows of the TiO(2)(110) surface after exposure of the Pt/TiO(2)(110) to methanol vapor. We assigned the bright spots to methoxy species. These were mobile and were found to hop along the Ti(5c) rows. In situ time-resolved STM observations of the formation and migration of the bright spots on the Pt/TiO(2)(110) were carried out in the presence of methanol. The bright spots were produced at the periphery of the Pt nanoparticles and migrated to the substrate Ti(5c) rows. We discuss the spillover process and behavior of the methoxy species on the Pt/TiO(2)(110).

Stirling engine external heat system design with heat pipe heater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Godett, Ted M.; Ziph, Benjamin

1986-01-01

This final report presents the conceptual design of a liquid fueled external heating system (EHS) and the preliminary design of a heat pipe heater for the STM-4120 Stirling cycle engine, to meet the Air Force mobile electric power (MEP) requirement for units in the range of 20 to 60 kW. The EHS design had the following constraints: (1) Packaging requirements limited the overall system dimensions to about 330 mm x 250 mm x 100 mm; (2) Heat flux to the sodium heat pipe evaporator was limited to an average of 100 kW/m and a maximum of 550 kW/m based on previous experience; and (3) The heat pipe operating temperature was specified to be 800 C based on heat input requirements of the STM4-120. An analysis code was developed to optimize the EHS performance parameters and an analytical development of the sodium heat pipe heater was performed; both are presented and discussed. In addition, construction techniques were evaluated and scale model heat pipe testing performed.

Visualizing the Role of Molecular Orbitals in Charge Transport through Individual Diarylethene Isomers

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Diarylethene molecules are prototype molecular switches with their two isomeric forms exhibiting strikingly different conductance, while maintaining similar length. We employed low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to resolve the energy and the spatial extend of the molecular orbitals of the open and closed isomers when lying on a Au(111) surface. We find an intriguing difference in the extension of the respective HOMOs and a peculiar energy splitting of the formerly degenerate LUMO of the open isomer. We then lift the two isomers with the tip of the STM and measure the current through the individual molecules. By a simple analytical model of the transport, we show that the previously determined orbital characteristics are essential ingredients for the complete understanding of the transport properties. We also succeeded in switching the suspended molecules by the current, while switching the ones which are in direct contact to the surface occurs nonlocally with the help of the electric field of the tip. PMID:27775886

Heterogeneous nucleation of pits via step pinning during Si(100) homoepitaxy

DOE PAGES

Yitamben, Esmeralda; Butera, Robert E.; Swartzentruber, Brian S.; ...

2017-10-16

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we investigate oxide-induced growth pits in Si thin films deposited by molecular beam epitaxy. In the transition temperature range from 2D adatom islanding to step-flow growth, systematic controlled air leaks into the growth chamber induce pits in the growth surface. We show that pits are also correlated with oxygen-contaminated flux from Si sublimation sources. From a thermodynamic standpoint, multilayer growth pits are unexpected in relaxed homoepitaxial growth, whereas oxidation is a known cause for step-pinning, roughening, and faceting on elemental surfaces, both with and without growth flux. Not surprisingly, pits are thermodynamically metastable and healmore » by annealing to recover a smooth periodic step arrangement. STM reveals new details about the pits' atomistic origins and growth dynamics. Here, we give a model for heterogeneous nucleation of pits by preferential adsorption of Å-sized oxide nuclei at intrinsic growth antiphase boundaries, and subsequent step pinning and bunching around the nuclei.« less

Conformational adaptation and manipulation of manganese tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin molecules on Cu(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xianwen; Lei, Shulai; Lotze, Christian; Czekelius, Constantin; Paulus, Beate; Franke, Katharina J.

2017-03-01

Porphyrins are highly flexible molecules and well known to adapt to their local environment via conformational changes. We studied the self-assembly of manganese meso-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin (Mn-TPyP) molecules on a Cu(111) surface by low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (ATM). We observe molecular chains along the ⟨1 1 ¯ 0 ⟩ direction of the substrate. Within these chains, we identify two molecular conformations, which differ by the orientation of the upward bending of the macrocycle. Using density functional theory, we show that this saddle shape is a consequence of the rotation and inclination of the pyridyl groups towards Cu adatoms, which stabilize the metal-organic chains. The molecular conformations obey a strict alternation, reflecting the mutual enforcement of conformational adaptation in densely packed structures. Tunneling electrons from the STM tip can induce changes in the orientation of the pyridyl endgroups. The switching behaviour varies with the different adsorption configurations.

Supramolecular clusters and chains of 2,6-dimethylpyridine on Cu(110): Observation of dynamic configuration change with real-space surface science techniques and DFT calculations

DOE PAGES

Lee, Junseok; Sorescu, Dan C.; Lee, Jae -Gook; ...

2016-02-02

Here, the adsorption of 2,6-dimethylpyridine (2,6-DMP) on Cu(110) has been studied using low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM), time-of-flight electron stimulated desorption ion angular distribution (TOF-ESDIAD), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At low temperatures (T < ~ 150 K), the 2,6-DMP adsorbs in a flat configuration on Cu(110) producing clusters and extended domains via weak hydrogen bonding (C—H···N) with the molecular symmetry axis aligned along the < 001 > surface direction.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dahal, Arjun; Dohnálek, Zdenek

Anatase TiO2 is indispensable material for energy-harvesting applications and catalysis. In this study, we employ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and study water adsorption on most stable TiO2(101) surface of anatase. We demonstrate that at very low temperatures (80 K), water has the transient mobility that allows it to move on the surface and form extended chains. In contrast with many other oxides, these water chains are only metastable in nature. Adsorption at higher temperatures, where sustained diffusion is observed (190 K) leads to isolated water monomers in accord with prior literature. We speculate that the observed low-temperature mobility is amore » result of adsorption in a long-lived precursor state with a low diffusion barrier.« less

A scanning tunneling microscopy study of PH 3 adsorption on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 surfaces, P-segregation and thermal desorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Jeong-Young; Shen, T.-C.

2007-04-01

PH 3 adsorption on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 was studied after various exposures between 0.3 and 60 L at room temperature by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). PH 3-, PH 2-, H-reacted, and unreacted adatoms can be identified by analyzing empty-state STM images at different sample biases. PH x-reacted rest-atoms can be observed in empty-state STM images if neighboring adatoms are hydrogen terminated. Most of the PH 3 adsorbs dissociatively on the surface, generating H- and PH 2-adsorbed rest-atom and adatom sites. Dangling-bonds at rest-atom sites are more reactive than adatom sites and the faulted half of the 7 × 7 unit cell is more reactive than the unfaulted half. Center adatoms are overwhelmingly preferred over corner adatoms for PH 2 adsorption. The saturation P coverage is ˜0.18 ML. Annealing of PH 3-reacted 7 × 7 surfaces at 900 K generates disordered, partially P-covered surfaces, but dosing PH 3 at 900 K forms P/Si(1 1 1)- 6√{3} surfaces. Si deposition at 510 K leaves disordered clusters on the surface, which cannot be reordered by annealing up to 800 K. However, annealing above 900 K recreates P/Si(1 1 1)- 6√{3} surfaces. Surface morphologies formed by sequential rapid thermal annealing are also presented.

Sticking with the Pointy End? Molecular Configuration of Chloro Boron-Subphthalocyanine on Cu(111)

DOE PAGES

Ilyas, Nahid; Harivyasi, Shashank S.; Zahl, Percy; ...

2016-03-10

For combined low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) study, we investigate self-assembly of the dipolar nonplanar organic semiconductor chloro boron-subphthalocyanine (ClB-SubPc) on Cu(111). We also observe multiple distinct adsorption configurations and demonstrate that these can only be understood by taking surface-catalyzed dechlorination into account. A detailed investigation of possible adsorption configurations and the comparison of experimental and computational STM images demonstrates that the configurations correspond to “Cl-up” molecules with the B–Cl moiety pointing toward the vacuum side of the interface, and dechlorinated molecules. In contrast to the standard interpretation of adsorption of nonplanar molecules in themore » phthalocyanine family, we find no evidence for “Cl-down” molecules where the B–Cl moiety would be pointing toward the Cu surface. We show computationally that such a configuration is unstable and thus is highly unlikely to occur for ClB-SubPc on Cu(111). Moreover, using these assignments, we discuss the different self-assembly motifs in the submonolayer coverage regime. The combination of DFT and STM is essential to gain a full atomistic understanding of the surface–molecule interactions, and our findings imply that phthalocyanines may undergo surface-catalyzed reactions hitherto not considered. Also, our results indicate that care has to be taken when analyzing possible adsorption configurations of polar members of the phthalocyanine family, especially when they are adsorbed on comparably reactive surfaces like Cu(111).« less

Characterization of point defects in monolayer arsenene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Xiongyi; Ng, Siu-Pang; Ding, Ning; Wu, Chi-Man Lawrence

2018-06-01

Topological defects that are inevitably found in 2D materials can dramatically affect their properties. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) method, the structural, thermodynamic, electronic and magnetic properties of six types of typical point defects in arsenene, i.e. the Stone-Wales defect, single and double vacancies and adatoms, were systemically studied. It was found that these defects were all more easily generated in arsenene with lower formation energies than those with graphene and silicene. Stone-Wales defects can be transformed from pristine arsenene by overcoming a barrier of 2.19 eV and single vacancy defects tend to coalesce into double vacancy defects by diffusion. However, a type of adatom defect does not exhibit kinetic stability at room temperature. In addition, SV defects and another type of adatom defect can remarkably affect the electronic and magnetic properties of arsenene, e.g. they can introduce localized states near the Fermi level, as well as a strongly local magnetic moment due to dangling bond and unpaired electron. Furthermore, the simulated scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Raman spectroscopy were computed and the types of point defects can be fully characterized by correlating the STM images and Raman spectra to the defective atomistic structures. The results provide significant insights to the effect of defects in arsenene for potential applications, as well as identifications of two helpful tools (STM and Raman spectroscopy) to distinguish the type of defects in arsenene for future experiments.

Neural dynamics underlying attentional orienting to auditory representations in short-term memory.

PubMed

Backer, Kristina C; Binns, Malcolm A; Alain, Claude

2015-01-21

Sounds are ephemeral. Thus, coherent auditory perception depends on "hearing" back in time: retrospectively attending that which was lost externally but preserved in short-term memory (STM). Current theories of auditory attention assume that sound features are integrated into a perceptual object, that multiple objects can coexist in STM, and that attention can be deployed to an object in STM. Recording electroencephalography from humans, we tested these assumptions, elucidating feature-general and feature-specific neural correlates of auditory attention to STM. Alpha/beta oscillations and frontal and posterior event-related potentials indexed feature-general top-down attentional control to one of several coexisting auditory representations in STM. Particularly, task performance during attentional orienting was correlated with alpha/low-beta desynchronization (i.e., power suppression). However, attention to one feature could occur without simultaneous processing of the second feature of the representation. Therefore, auditory attention to memory relies on both feature-specific and feature-general neural dynamics. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/351307-12$15.00/0.

About the Distinction between Working Memory and Short-Term Memory.

PubMed

Aben, Bart; Stapert, Sven; Blokland, Arjan

2012-01-01

The theoretical concepts short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) have been used to refer to the maintenance and the maintenance plus manipulation of information, respectively. Although they are conceptually different, the use of the terms STM and WM in literature is not always strict. STM and WM are different theoretical concepts that are assumed to reflect different cognitive functions. However, correlational studies have not been able to separate both constructs consistently and there is evidence for a large or even complete overlap. The emerging view from neurobiological studies is partly different, although there are conceptual problems troubling the interpretation of findings. In this regard, there is a crucial role for the tasks that are used to measure STM or WM (simple and complex span tasks, respectively) and for the cognitive load reflected by factors like attention and processing speed that may covary between and within these tasks. These conceptual issues are discussed based on several abstract models for the relation between STM and WM.

Attenuated mutant strain of Salmonella Typhimurium lacking the ZnuABC transporter contrasts tumor growth promoting anti-cancer immune response.

PubMed

Chirullo, Barbara; Ammendola, Serena; Leonardi, Leonardo; Falcini, Roberto; Petrucci, Paola; Pistoia, Claudia; Vendetti, Silvia; Battistoni, Andrea; Pasquali, Paolo

2015-07-10

Salmonella Typhimurium has been shown to be highly effective as antitumor agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the tumor targeting efficacy and the mechanism of action of a specific attenuated mutant strain of Salmonella Typhimurium (STM) devoid of the whole operon coding for the high-affinity zinc transporter ZnuABC, which is required for bacterial growth in environments poor in zinc and for conferring full virulence to different Gram-negative pathogens.We showed that STM is able to penetrate and replicate into tumor cells in in vitro and in vivo models. The subcutaneous administration of STM in mammary adenocarcinoma mouse model led to both reduction of tumor growth and increase in life expectancy of STM treated mice. Moreover, investigating the potential mechanism behind the favorable clinical outcomes, we provide evidence that STM stimulates a potent inflammatory response and a specific immune pattern, recruiting a large number of innate and adaptive immune cells capable to contrast the immunosuppressive environment generated by tumors.

Short-term memory capacity in networks via the restricted isometry property.

PubMed

Charles, Adam S; Yap, Han Lun; Rozell, Christopher J

2014-06-01

Cortical networks are hypothesized to rely on transient network activity to support short-term memory (STM). In this letter, we study the capacity of randomly connected recurrent linear networks for performing STM when the input signals are approximately sparse in some basis. We leverage results from compressed sensing to provide rigorous nonasymptotic recovery guarantees, quantifying the impact of the input sparsity level, the input sparsity basis, and the network characteristics on the system capacity. Our analysis demonstrates that network memory capacities can scale superlinearly with the number of nodes and in some situations can achieve STM capacities that are much larger than the network size. We provide perfect recovery guarantees for finite sequences and recovery bounds for infinite sequences. The latter analysis predicts that network STM systems may have an optimal recovery length that balances errors due to omission and recall mistakes. Furthermore, we show that the conditions yielding optimal STM capacity can be embodied in several network topologies, including networks with sparse or dense connectivities.

STM-electroluminescence from clustered C3N4 nanodomains synthesized via green chemistry process.

PubMed

Andrade, E P; Costa, B B A; Chaves, C R; de Paula, A M; Cury, L A; Malachias, A; Safar, G A M

2018-01-01

A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy (STM/STS) and synchrotron X-ray diffraction study on clustered C 3 N 4 nanoparticles (nanoflakes) is conducted on green-chemistry synthesized samples obtained from chitosan through high power sonication. Morphological aspects and the electronic characteristics are investigated. The observed bandgap of the nanoflakes reveals the presence of different phases in the material. Combining STM morphology, STS spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results one finds that the most abundant phase is graphitic C 3 N 4 . A high density of defects is inferred from the XRD measurements. Additionally, STM-electroluminescence (STMEL) is detected in C 3 N 4 nanoflakes deposited on a gold substrate. The tunneling current creates photons that are three times more energetic than the tunneling electrons of the STM sample. We ponder about the two most probable models to explain the observed photon emission energy: either a nonlinear optical phenomenon or a localized state emission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanism of Prism-Coupled Scanning Tunneling Microscope Light Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iida, Wataru; Ahamed, Jamal U.; Katano, Satoshi; Uehara, Yoichi

2011-09-01

We have investigated the mechanism of scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) in a prism-coupled configuration using finite difference time domain analysis. In this configuration, the sample is a metallic thin film evaporated on the bottom surface of a hemispherical glass prism. STM light emitted into the prism (prism-side emission) through the metallic film is measured. Since both localized surface plasmons (LSP) and surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) contribute to prism-side emission, this emission is stronger than that in conventional STM-LE measured from the sample surface side, which is radiated by LSP alone. We show that the spatial resolution of prism-side emission is determined not by the propagation length of SPP, but by the lateral size of LSP, similarly to conventional (i.e., tip side) STM-LE. Thus, we conclude that, by using the prism-coupled configuration, the signal level of STM-LE improves without the loss of spatial resolution attained in tip side emission.

Neural organization of linguistic short-term memory is sensory modality-dependent: evidence from signed and spoken language.

PubMed

Pa, Judy; Wilson, Stephen M; Pickell, Herbert; Bellugi, Ursula; Hickok, Gregory

2008-12-01

Despite decades of research, there is still disagreement regarding the nature of the information that is maintained in linguistic short-term memory (STM). Some authors argue for abstract phonological codes, whereas others argue for more general sensory traces. We assess these possibilities by investigating linguistic STM in two distinct sensory-motor modalities, spoken and signed language. Hearing bilingual participants (native in English and American Sign Language) performed equivalent STM tasks in both languages during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Distinct, sensory-specific activations were seen during the maintenance phase of the task for spoken versus signed language. These regions have been previously shown to respond to nonlinguistic sensory stimulation, suggesting that linguistic STM tasks recruit sensory-specific networks. However, maintenance-phase activations common to the two languages were also observed, implying some form of common process. We conclude that linguistic STM involves sensory-dependent neural networks, but suggest that sensory-independent neural networks may also exist.

A Disorder of Executive Function and Its Role in Language Processing

PubMed Central

Martin, Randi C.; Allen, Corinne M.

2014-01-01

R. Martin and colleagues have proposed separate stores for the maintenance of phonological and semantic information in short-term memory. Evidence from patients with aphasia has shown that damage to these separable buffers has specific consequences for language comprehension and production, suggesting an interdependence between language and memory systems. This article discusses recent research on aphasic patients with limited-capacity short-term memories (STMs) and reviews evidence suggesting that deficits in retaining semantic information in STM may be caused by a disorder in the executive control process of inhibition, specific to verbal representations. In contrast, a phonological STM deficit may be due to overly rapid decay. In semantic STM deficits, it is hypothesized that the inhibitory deficit produces difficulty inhibiting irrelevant verbal representations, which may lead to excessive interference. In turn, the excessive interference associated with semantic STM deficits has implications for single-word and sentence processing, and it may be the source of the reduced STM capacity shown by these patients. PMID:18720317

Short-Term Memory Depends on Dissociable Medial Temporal Lobe Regions in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

Das, Sandhitsu R.; Mancuso, Lauren; Olson, Ingrid R.; Arnold, Steven E.; Wolk, David A.

2016-01-01

Short-term memory (STM) has generally been thought to be independent of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in contrast to long-term memory (LTM). Prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a condition in which the MTL is a major early focus of pathology and LTM is thought disproportionately affected relative to STM. However, recent studies have suggested a role for the MTL in STM, particularly hippocampus, when binding of different elements is required. Other work has suggested involvement of extrahippocampal MTL structures, particularly in STM tasks that involve item-level memory. We examined STM for individual objects, locations, and object-location conjunctions in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often associated with prodromal AD. Relative to age-matched, cognitively normal controls, MCI patients not only displayed impairment on object-location conjunctions but were similarly impaired for non-bound objects and locations. Moreover, across all participants, these conditions displayed dissociable correlations of cortical thinning along the long axis of the MTL and associated cortical nodes of anterior and posterior MTL networks. These findings support the role of the MTL in visual STM tasks and the division of labor of MTL in support of different types of memory representations, overlapping with findings in LTM. PMID:25725042

Chemical contrast in STM imaging of transition metal aluminides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duguet, T.; Thiel, Patricia A.

2012-08-01

The present manuscript reviews recent scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) studies of transition metal (TM) aluminide surfaces. It provides a general perspective on the contrast between Al atoms and TM atoms in STM imaging. A general trend is the much stronger bias dependence of TM atoms, or TM-rich regions of the surface. This dependence can be attenuated by the local chemical arrangements and environments. Al atoms can show a stronger bias dependence when their chemical environment, such as their immediate subsurface, is populated with TM. All this is well explained in light of combined results of STM and both theoretical andmore » experimental electronic and crystallographic structure determinations. Since STM probes the Fermi surface, the electronic structure in the vicinity of the Fermi level (EF) is essential for understanding contrast and bias dependence. Hence, partial density of states provides information about the TM d band position and width, s–p–d hybridization or interactions, or charge transfer between constituent elements. In addition, recent developments in STM image simulations are very interesting for elucidating chemical contrast at Al–TM alloy surfaces, and allow direct atomic identification, when the surface does not show too much disorder. Overall, we show that chemically-specific imaging is often possible at these surfaces.« less

Nanoscale coupling of photons to vibrational excitation of Ag nanoparticle 2D array studied by scanning tunneling microscope light emission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Katano, Satoshi; Toma, Koji; Toma, Mana; Tamada, Kaoru; Uehara, Yoichi

2010-11-28

Scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) spectroscopy has been utilized to elucidate the luminescence phenomena of Ag nanoparticles capped with myristate (myristate-capped AgNP) and 2-methyl-1-propanethiolate (C(4)S-capped AgNP) on the dodecanethiol-precovered Au substrate. The STM imaging revealed that myristate-capped AgNPs form an ordered hexagonal array whereas C(4)S-capped AgNPs show imperfect ordering, indicating that a shorter alkyl chain of C(4)S-capped AgNP is not sufficient to form rigid interdigitation. It should be noted that such a nanoparticle ordering affects the luminescence properties of the Ag nanoparticle. We found that the STM-LE is only detected from the Ag nanoparticles forming the two-dimensional superlattice. This indicates that the STM-LE of the Ag nanoparticle is radiated via the collective excitation of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spread over the Ag nanoparticles. Note that the STM-LE spectra of the Ag nanoparticles exhibit spike-like peaks superimposed on the broad light emission peak. Using Raman spectroscopy, we concluded that the spike-like structure appearing in the STM-LE spectra is associated with the vibrational excitation of the molecule embedded between Ag nanoparticles.

Profiles of verbal working memory growth predict speech and language development in children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Kronenberger, William G; Pisoni, David B; Harris, Michael S; Hoen, Helena M; Xu, Huiping; Miyamoto, Richard T

2013-06-01

Verbal short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) skills predict speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants (CIs) even after conventional demographic, device, and medical factors are taken into account. However, prior research has focused on single end point outcomes as opposed to the longitudinal process of development of verbal STM/WM and speech-language skills. In this study, the authors investigated relations between profiles of verbal STM/WM development and speech-language development over time. Profiles of verbal STM/WM development were identified through the use of group-based trajectory analysis of repeated digit span measures over at least a 2-year time period in a sample of 66 children (ages 6-16 years) with CIs. Subjects also completed repeated assessments of speech and language skills during the same time period. Clusters representing different patterns of development of verbal STM (digit span forward scores) were related to the growth rate of vocabulary and language comprehension skills over time. Clusters representing different patterns of development of verbal WM (digit span backward scores) were related to the growth rate of vocabulary and spoken word recognition skills over time. Different patterns of development of verbal STM/WM capacity predict the dynamic process of development of speech and language skills in this clinical population.

Familiarity Speeds Up Visual Short-term Memory Consolidation: Electrophysiological Evidence from Contralateral Delay Activities.

PubMed

Xie, Weizhen; Zhang, Weiwei

2018-01-01

To test how preexisting long-term memory influences visual STM, this study takes advantage of individual differences in participants' prior familiarity with Pokémon characters and uses an ERP component, the contralateral delay activity (CDA), to assess whether observers' prior stimulus familiarity affects STM consolidation and storage capacity. In two change detection experiments, consolidation speed, as indexed by CDA fractional area latency and/or early-window (500-800 msec) amplitude, was significantly associated with individual differences in Pokémon familiarity. In contrast, the number of remembered Pokémon stimuli, as indexed by Cowan's K and late-window (1500-2000 msec) CDA amplitude, was significantly associated with individual differences in Pokémon familiarity when STM consolidation was incomplete because of a short presentation of Pokémon stimuli (500 msec, Experiment 2), but not when STM consolidation was allowed to complete given sufficient encoding time (1000 msec, Experiment 1). Similar findings were obtained in between-group analyses when participants were separated into high-familiarity and low-familiarity groups based on their Pokémon familiarity ratings. Together, these results suggest that stimulus familiarity, as a proxy for the strength of preexisting long-term memory, primarily speeds up STM consolidation, which may subsequently lead to an increase in the number of remembered stimuli if consolidation is incomplete. These findings thus highlight the importance of research assessing how effects on representations (e.g., STM capacity) are in general related to (or even caused by) effects on processes (e.g., STM consolidation) in cognition.

Medial temporal lobe contributions to short-term memory for faces

PubMed Central

Race, Elizabeth; LaRocque, Karen F.; Keane, Margaret M.; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-01-01

The role of the medial temporal lobes (MTL) in short-term memory (STM) remains a matter of debate. While imaging studies commonly show hippocampal activation during short-delay memory tasks, evidence from amnesic patients with MTL lesions is mixed. It has been argued that apparent STM impairments in amnesia may reflect long-term memory (LTM) contributions to performance. We challenge this conclusion by demonstrating that MTL amnesic patients show impaired delayed matching-to-sample (DMS) for faces in a task that meets both a traditional delay-based and a recently proposed distractor-based criterion for classification as a STM task. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that our face DMS task meets the proposed distractor-based criterion for STM classification, in that extensive processing of delay-period distractor stimuli disrupts performance of healthy individuals. In Experiment 2, MTL amnesic patients with lesions extending into anterior subhippocampal cortex, but not patients with lesions limited to the hippocampus, show impaired performance on this task without distraction at delays as short as 8s, within temporal range of delay-based STM classification, in the context of intact perceptual matching performance. Experiment 3 provides support for the hypothesis that STM for faces relies on configural processing by showing that the extent to which healthy participants’ performance is disrupted by interference depends on the configural demands of the distractor task. Together, these findings are consistent with the notion that the amnesic impairment in STM for faces reflects a deficit in configural processing associated with subhippocampal cortices and provide novel evidence that the MTL supports cognition beyond the LTM domain. PMID:23937185

Expression patterns of STM-like KNOX and Histone H4 genes in shoot development of the dissected-leaved basal eudicot plants Chelidonium majus and Eschscholzia californica (Papaveraceae).

PubMed

Groot, Edwin P; Sinha, Neelima; Gleissberg, Stefan

2005-06-01

Knotted-like homeobox (KNOX) genes encode important regulators of shoot development in flowering plants. In Arabidopsis, class I KNOX genes are part of a regulatory system that contributes to indeterminacy of shoot development, delimitation of leaf primordia and internode development. In other species, class I KNOX genes have also been recruited in the control of marginal blastozone fractionation during dissected leaf development. Here we report the isolation of class I KNOX genes from two species of the basal eudicot family Papaveraceae, Chelidonium majus and Eschscholzia californica. Sequence comparisons and expression patterns indicate that these genes are orthologs of SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM), a class I KNOX gene from Arabidopsis. Both genes are expressed in the center of vegetative and floral shoot apical meristems (SAM), but downregulated at leaf or floral organ initiating sites. While Eschscholzia californica STM (EcSTM) is again upregulated during acropetal pinna formation, in situ hybridization could not detect Chelidonium majus STM (CmSTM) transcripts at any stage of basipetal leaf development, indicating divergent evolution of STM gene function in leaves within Papaveraceae. Immunolocalization of KNOX proteins indicate that other gene family members may control leaf dissection in both species. The contrasting direction of pinna initiation in the two species was also investigated using Histone H4 expression. Leaves at early stages of development did not reveal notable differences in cell division activity of the elongating leaf axis, suggesting that differential meristematic growth may not play a role in determining the observed dissection patterns.

Design and Implementation of High Precision Temperature Measurement Unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Xianzhen; Yu, Weiyu; Zhang, Zhijian; Liu, Hancheng

2018-03-01

Large-scale neutrino detector requires calibration of photomultiplier tubes (PMT) and electronic system in the detector, performed by plotting the calibration source with a group of designated coordinates in the acrylic sphere. Where the calibration source positioning is based on the principle of ultrasonic ranging, the transmission speed of ultrasonic in liquid scintillator of acrylic sphere is related to temperature. This paper presents a temperature measurement unit based on STM32L031 and single-line bus digital temperature sensor TSic506. The measurement data of the temperature measurement unit can help the ultrasonic ranging to be more accurate. The test results show that the temperature measurement error is within ±0.1°C, which satisfies the requirement of calibration source positioning. Take energy-saving measures, with 3.7V/50mAH lithium battery-powered, the temperature measurement unit can work continuously more than 24 hours.

Memory integration in amnesia: prior knowledge supports verbal short-term memory.

PubMed

Race, Elizabeth; Palombo, Daniela J; Cadden, Margaret; Burke, Keely; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-04-01

Short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) have traditionally been considered cognitively distinct. However, it is known that STM can improve when to-be-remembered information appears in contexts that make contact with prior knowledge, suggesting a more interactive relationship between STM and LTM. The current study investigated whether the ability to leverage LTM in support of STM critically depends on the integrity of the hippocampus. Specifically, we investigated whether the hippocampus differentially supports between-domain versus within-domain STM-LTM integration given prior evidence that the representational domain of the elements being integrated in memory is a critical determinant of whether memory performance depends on the hippocampus. In Experiment 1, we investigated hippocampal contributions to within-domain STM-LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of words improves in MTL amnesic patients when words are presented in familiar verbal contexts (meaningful sentences) compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts (random word lists). Patients demonstrated a robust sentence superiority effect, whereby verbal STM performance improved in familiar compared to unfamiliar verbal contexts, and the magnitude of this effect did not differ from that in controls. In Experiment 2, we investigated hippocampal contributions to between-domain STM-LTM integration by testing whether immediate verbal recall of digits improves in MTL amnesic patients when digits are presented in a familiar visuospatial context (a typical keypad layout) compared to an unfamiliar visuospatial context (a random keypad layout). Immediate verbal recall improved in both patients and controls when digits were presented in the familiar compared to the unfamiliar keypad array, indicating a preserved ability to integrate activated verbal information with stored visuospatial knowledge. Together, these results demonstrate that immediate verbal recall in amnesia can benefit from two distinct types of semantic support, verbal and visuospatial, and that the hippocampus is not critical for leveraging stored semantic knowledge to improve memory performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impaired visual short-term memory capacity is distinctively associated with structural connectivity of the posterior thalamic radiation and the splenium of the corpus callosum in preterm-born adults.

PubMed

Menegaux, Aurore; Meng, Chun; Neitzel, Julia; Bäuml, Josef G; Müller, Hermann J; Bartmann, Peter; Wolke, Dieter; Wohlschläger, Afra M; Finke, Kathrin; Sorg, Christian

2017-04-15

Preterm birth is associated with an increased risk for lasting changes in both the cortico-thalamic system and attention; however, the link between cortico-thalamic and attention changes is as yet little understood. In preterm newborns, cortico-cortical and cortico-thalamic structural connectivity are distinctively altered, with increased local clustering for cortico-cortical and decreased integrity for cortico-thalamic connectivity. In preterm-born adults, among the various attention functions, visual short-term memory (vSTM) capacity is selectively impaired. We hypothesized distinct associations between vSTM capacity and the structural integrity of cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical connections, respectively, in preterm-born adults. A whole-report paradigm of briefly presented letter arrays based on the computationally formalized Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) was used to quantify parameter vSTM capacity in 26 preterm- and 21 full-term-born adults. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of posterior thalamic radiations and the splenium of the corpus callosum obtained by diffusion tensor imaging were analyzed by tract-based spatial statistics and used as proxies for cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical structural connectivity. The relationship between vSTM capacity and cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical connectivity, respectively, was significantly modified by prematurity. In full-term-born adults, the higher FA in the right posterior thalamic radiation the higher vSTM capacity; in preterm-born adults this FA-vSTM-relationship was inversed. In the splenium, higher FA was correlated with higher vSTM capacity in preterm-born adults, whereas no significant relationship was evident in full-term-born adults. These results indicate distinct associations between cortico-thalamic and cortico-cortical integrity and vSTM capacity in preterm-and full-term-born adults. Data suggest compensatory cortico-cortical fiber re-organization for attention deficits after preterm delivery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Surfaces, Thin Films, and Multilayers

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

investigations %as the cleaved ((00)I) face of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite ( HOPG ). This surface is inert in air and is easily imaged with the STM[83-86...Parkin IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, California, U.S.A. Herbert Hopster University of California -Irvine, Irvine, California, U.S.A. Jean...magnetic fields (typically 10 to 100 kOe). For polycrystalline samples and at normal temperatures more modest increases, typically of a factor of 2 to 10

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy | Materials Science | NREL

Science.gov Websites

of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Capabilities Two-dimensional STM image 2D STM image of Si(111) 7×7 clusters along a fault boundary Occupied-state STM image taken on a Si(111)7×7 surface, showing two 7×7 tip at each point, an image of the sample surface is generated (topographic image). For very flat

A convenient method for large-scale STM mapping of freestanding atomically thin conductive membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uder, B.; Hartmann, U.

2017-06-01

Two-dimensional atomically flat sheets with a high flexibility are very attractive as ultrathin membranes but are also inherently challenging for microscopic investigations. We report on a method using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) under ultra-high vacuum conditions for large-scale mapping of several-micrometer-sized freestanding single and multilayer graphene membranes. This is achieved by operating the STM at unusual parameters. We found that large-scale scanning on atomically thin membranes delivers valuable results using very high tip-scan speeds combined with high feedback-loop gain and low tunneling currents. The method ultimately relies on the particular behavior of the freestanding membrane in the STM which is much different from that of a solid substrate.

Structure of a zinc oxide ultra-thin film on Rh(100)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yuhara, J.; Kato, D.; Matsui, T.

The structural parameters of ultra-thin zinc oxide films on Rh(100) are investigated using low-energy electron diffraction intensity (LEED I–V) curves, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. From the analysis of LEED I–V curves and DFT calculations, two optimized models A and B are determined. Their structures are basically similar to the planer h-BN ZnO(0001) structure, although some oxygen atoms protrude from the surface, associated with an in-plane shift of Zn atoms. From a comparison of experimental STM images and simulated STM images, majority and minority structures observed in the STM images represent the two optimizedmore » models A and B, respectively.« less

Medial temporal lobe contributions to short-term memory for faces.

PubMed

Race, Elizabeth; LaRocque, Karen F; Keane, Margaret M; Verfaellie, Mieke

2013-11-01

The role of the medial temporal lobes (MTL) in short-term memory (STM) remains a matter of debate. Whereas imaging studies commonly show hippocampal activation during short-delay memory tasks, evidence from amnesic patients with MTL lesions is mixed. It has been argued that apparent STM impairments in amnesia may reflect long-term memory (LTM) contributions to performance. We challenge this conclusion by demonstrating that MTL amnesic patients show impaired delayed matching-to-sample (DMS) for faces in a task that meets both a traditional delay-based and a recently proposed distractor-based criterion for classification as an STM task. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that our face DMS task meets the proposed distractor-based criterion for STM classification, in that extensive processing of delay-period distractor stimuli disrupts performance of healthy individuals. In Experiment 2, MTL amnesic patients with lesions extending into anterior subhippocampal cortex, but not patients with lesions limited to the hippocampus, show impaired performance on this task without distraction at delays as short as 8 s, within temporal range of delay-based STM classification, in the context of intact perceptual matching performance. Experiment 3 provides support for the hypothesis that STM for faces relies on configural processing by showing that the extent to which healthy participants' performance is disrupted by interference depends on the configural demands of the distractor task. Together, these findings are consistent with the notion that the amnesic impairment in STM for faces reflects a deficit in configural processing associated with subhippocampal cortices and provide novel evidence that the MTL supports cognition beyond the LTM domain. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Altered seed oil and glucosinolate levels in transgenic plants overexpressing the Brassica napus SHOOTMERISTEMLESS gene.

PubMed

Elhiti, Mohamed; Yang, Cunchun; Chan, Ainsley; Durnin, Douglas C; Belmonte, Mark F; Ayele, Belay T; Tahir, Muhammad; Stasolla, Claudio

2012-07-01

SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) is a homeobox gene conserved among plant species which is required for the formation and maintenance of the shoot meristem by suppressing differentiation and maintaining an undetermined cell fate within the apical pole. To assess further the role of this gene during seed storage accumulation, transgenic Brassica napus (Bn) plants overexpressing or down-regulating BnSTM under the control of the 35S promoter were generated. Overexpression of BnSTM increased seed oil content without affecting the protein and sucrose level. These changes were accompanied by the induction of genes encoding several transcription factors promoting fatty acid (FA) synthesis: LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (BnLEC1), BnLEC2, and WRINKLE1 (BnWRI1). In addition, expression of key representative enzymes involved in sucrose metabolism, glycolysis, and FA biosynthesis was up-regulated in developing seeds ectopically expressing BnSTM. These distinctive expression patterns support the view of an increased carbon flux to the FA biosynthetic pathway in developing transformed seeds. The overexpression of BnSTM also resulted in a desirable reduction of seed glucosinolate (GLS) levels ascribed to a transcriptional repression of key enzymes participating in the GLS biosynthetic pathway, and possibly to the differential utilization of common precursors for GLS and indole-3-acetic acid synthesis. No changes in oil and GLS levels were observed in lines down-regulating BnSTM. Taken together, these findings provide evidence for a novel function for BnSTM in promoting desirable changes in seed oil and GLS levels when overexpressed in B. napus plants, and demonstrate that this gene can be used as a target for genetic improvement of oilseed species.

Thalamo-Cortical Disruption Contributes to Short-Term Memory Deficits in Patients with Medial Temporal Lobe Damage.

PubMed

Voets, Natalie L; Menke, Ricarda A L; Jbabdi, Saad; Husain, Masud; Stacey, Richard; Carpenter, Katherine; Adcock, Jane E

2015-11-01

Short-term (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) have largely been considered as separate brain systems reflecting fronto-parietal and medial temporal lobe (MTL) functions, respectively. This functional dichotomy has been called into question by evidence of deficits on aspects of working memory in patients with MTL damage, suggesting a potentially direct hippocampal contribution to STM. As the hippocampus has direct anatomical connections with the thalamus, we tested the hypothesis that damage to thalamic nuclei regulating cortico-cortical interactions may contribute to STM deficits in patients with hippocampal dysfunction. We used diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-based tractography to identify anatomical subdivisions in patients with MTL epilepsy. From these, we measured resting-state functional connectivity with detailed cortical divisions of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. Whereas thalamo-temporal functional connectivity reflected LTM performance, thalamo-prefrontal functional connectivity specifically predicted STM performance. Notably, patients with hippocampal volume loss showed thalamic volume loss, most prominent in the pulvinar region, not detected in patients with normal hippocampal volumes. Aberrant thalamo-cortical connectivity in the epileptic hemisphere was mirrored in a loss of behavioral association with STM performance specifically in patients with hippocampal atrophy. These findings identify thalamo-cortical disruption as a potential mechanism contributing to STM deficits in the context of MTL damage. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Short-Term Memory Depends on Dissociable Medial Temporal Lobe Regions in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Das, Sandhitsu R; Mancuso, Lauren; Olson, Ingrid R; Arnold, Steven E; Wolk, David A

2016-05-01

Short-term memory (STM) has generally been thought to be independent of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in contrast to long-term memory (LTM). Prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a condition in which the MTL is a major early focus of pathology and LTM is thought disproportionately affected relative to STM. However, recent studies have suggested a role for the MTL in STM, particularly hippocampus, when binding of different elements is required. Other work has suggested involvement of extrahippocampal MTL structures, particularly in STM tasks that involve item-level memory. We examined STM for individual objects, locations, and object-location conjunctions in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often associated with prodromal AD. Relative to age-matched, cognitively normal controls, MCI patients not only displayed impairment on object-location conjunctions but were similarly impaired for non-bound objects and locations. Moreover, across all participants, these conditions displayed dissociable correlations of cortical thinning along the long axis of the MTL and associated cortical nodes of anterior and posterior MTL networks. These findings support the role of the MTL in visual STM tasks and the division of labor of MTL in support of different types of memory representations, overlapping with findings in LTM. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Atomic-scale imaging of DNA using scanning tunnelling microscopy.

PubMed

Driscoll, R J; Youngquist, M G; Baldeschwieler, J D

1990-07-19

The scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) has been used to visualize DNA under water, under oil and in air. Images of single-stranded DNA have shown that submolecular resolution is possible. Here we describe atomic-resolution imaging of duplex DNA. Topographic STM images of uncoated duplex DNA on a graphite substrate obtained in ultra-high vacuum are presented that show double-helical structure, base pairs, and atomic-scale substructure. Experimental STM profiles show excellent correlation with atomic contours of the van der Waals surface of A-form DNA derived from X-ray crystallography. A comparison of variations in the barrier to quantum mechanical tunnelling (barrier-height) with atomic-scale topography shows correlation over the phosphate-sugar backbone but anticorrelation over the base pairs. This relationship may be due to the different chemical characteristics of parts of the molecule. Further investigation of this phenomenon should lead to a better understanding of the physics of imaging adsorbates with the STM and may prove useful in sequencing DNA. The improved resolution compared with previously published STM images of DNA may be attributable to ultra-high vacuum, high data-pixel density, slow scan rate, a fortuitously clean and sharp tip and/or a relatively dilute and extremely clean sample solution. This work demonstrates the potential of the STM for characterization of large biomolecular structures, but additional development will be required to make such high resolution imaging of DNA and other large molecules routine.

Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy with quantitative insights into magnetic probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phark, Soo-hyon; Sander, Dirk

2017-04-01

Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (spin-STM/S) have been successfully applied to magnetic characterizations of individual nanostructures. Spin-STM/S is often performed in magnetic fields of up to some Tesla, which may strongly influence the tip state. In spite of the pivotal role of the tip in spin-STM/S, the contribution of the tip to the differential conductance d I/d V signal in an external field has rarely been investigated in detail. In this review, an advanced analysis of spin-STM/S data measured on magnetic nanoislands, which relies on a quantitative magnetic characterization of tips, is discussed. Taking advantage of the uniaxial out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy of Co bilayer nanoisland on Cu(111), in-field spin-STM on this system has enabled a quantitative determination, and thereby, a categorization of the magnetic states of the tips. The resulting in-depth and conclusive analysis of magnetic characterization of the tip opens new venues for a clear-cut sub-nanometer scale spin ordering and spin-dependent electronic structure of the non-collinear magnetic state in bilayer high Fe nanoislands on Cu(111).

Temporal grouping effects in musical short-term memory.

PubMed

Gorin, Simon; Mengal, Pierre; Majerus, Steve

2018-07-01

Recent theoretical accounts of verbal and visuo-spatial short-term memory (STM) have proposed the existence of domain-general mechanisms for the maintenance of serial order information. These accounts are based on the observation of similar behavioural effects across several modalities, such as temporal grouping effects. Across two experiments, the present study aimed at extending these findings, by exploring a STM modality that has received little interest so far, STM for musical information. Given its inherent rhythmic, temporal and serial organisation, the musical domain is of interest for investigating serial order STM processes such as temporal grouping. In Experiment 1, the data did not allow to determine the presence or the absence of temporal grouping effects. In Experiment 2, we observed that temporal grouping of tone sequences during encoding improves short-term recognition for serially presented probe tones. Furthermore, the serial position curves included micro-primacy and micro-recency effects, which are the hallmark characteristic of temporal grouping. Our results suggest that the encoding of serial order information in musical STM may be supported by temporal positional coding mechanisms similar to those reported in the verbal domain.

Short-term memory for serial order supports vocabulary development: new evidence from a novel word learning paradigm.

PubMed

Majerus, Steve; Boukebza, Claire

2013-12-01

Although recent studies suggest a strong association between short-term memory (STM) for serial order and lexical development, the precise mechanisms linking the two domains remain to be determined. This study explored the nature of these mechanisms via a microanalysis of performance on serial order STM and novel word learning tasks. In the experiment, 6- and 7-year-old children were administered tasks maximizing STM for either item or serial order information as well as paired-associate learning tasks involving the learning of novel words, visual symbols, or familiar word pair associations. Learning abilities for novel words were specifically predicted by serial order STM abilities. A measure estimating the precision of serial order coding predicted the rate of correct repetitions and the rate of phoneme migration errors during the novel word learning process. In line with recent theoretical accounts, these results suggest that serial order STM supports vocabulary development via ordered and detailed reactivation of the novel phonological sequences that characterize new words. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis and Prediction of Ice Shedding for a Full-Scale Heated Tail Rotor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreeger, Richard E.; Work, Andrew; Douglass, Rebekah; Gazella, Matthew; Koster, Zakery; Turk, Jodi

2016-01-01

When helicopters are to fly in icing conditions, it is necessary to consider the possibility of ice shed from the rotor blades. In 2013, a series of tests were conducted on a heated tail rotor at NASA Glenn's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). The tests produced several shed events that were captured on camera. Three of these shed events were captured at a sufficiently high frame rate to obtain multiple images of the shed ice in flight that had a sufficiently long section of shed ice for analysis. Analysis of these shed events is presented and compared to an analytical Shedding Trajectory Model (STM). The STM is developed and assumes that the ice breaks off instantly as it reaches the end of the blade, while frictional and viscous forces are used as parameters to fit the STM. The trajectory of each shed is compared to that predicted by the STM, where the STM provides information of the shed group of ice as a whole. The limitations of the model's underlying assumptions are discussed in comparison to experimental shed events.

Interface morphology of a Cr(001)/Fe(001) superlattice determined by scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray diffraction: A comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, C. M.; Bürgler, D. E.; Schaller, D. M.; Meisinger, F.; Güntherodt, H.-J.; Temst, K.

2001-01-01

A Cr(001)/Fe(001) superlattice with ten bilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a Ag(001) substrate is studied by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and ex situ x-ray diffraction (XRD). Layer-resolved roughness parameters determined from STM images taken in various stages of the superlattice fabrication are compared with average values reported in the literature or obtained from the fits of our XRD data. Good agreement is found for the rms roughnesses describing vertical roughness and for the lateral correlation lengths characterizing correlated as well as uncorrelated interface roughness if peculiarities of STM and XRD are taken into account. We discuss in detail (i) the possible differences between the STM topography of a free surface and the morphology of a subsequently formed interface, (ii) contributions due to chemical intermixing at the interfaces, (iii) the comparison of XRD parameters averaged over all interfaces versus layer-resolved STM parameters, and (iv) the question of the coherent field of view for the determination of rms values.

Memory functioning in children with reading disabilities and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a clinical investigation of their working memory and long-term memory functioning.

PubMed

Kibby, Michelle Y; Cohen, Morris J

2008-11-01

We examined memory functioning in children with reading disabilities (RD), Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and RD/ADHD using a clinic sample with a clinical instrument: the Children's Memory Scale, enhancing its generalizability. Participants included 23 children with RD, 30 with ADHD, 30 with RD/ADHD, and 30 controls. Children with RD presented with reduced verbal short-term memory (STM) but intact visual STM, central executive (CE), and long-term memory (LTM) functioning. Their deficit in STM appeared specific to tasks requiring phonetic coding of material. Children with ADHD displayed intact CE and LTM functioning but reduced visual-spatial STM, especially when off stimulant medication. Children with RD/ADHD had deficits consistent with both disorders.

Positive affect improves working memory: implications for controlled cognitive processing.

PubMed

Yang, Hwajin; Yang, Sujin; Isen, Alice M

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of positive affect on working memory (WM) and short-term memory (STM). Given that WM involves both storage and controlled processing and that STM primarily involves storage processing, we hypothesised that if positive affect facilitates controlled processing, it should improve WM more than STM. The results demonstrated that positive affect, compared with neutral affect, significantly enhanced WM, as measured by the operation span task. The influence of positive affect on STM, however, was weaker. These results suggest that positive affect enhances WM, a task that involves controlled processing, not just storage processing. Additional analyses of recall and processing times and accuracy further suggest that improved WM under positive affect is not attributable to motivational differences, but results instead from improved controlled cognitive processing.

Interactive Mental Imagery and Short-Term Memory Search Rates for Words and Pictures. Report from the Project on Children's Learning and Development. Technical Report No. 317.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerst, Stephen Marshall

The purposes of this study were to determine if test stimulus was a member of the memory set and if items in an interactive image held in short term memory (STM) could be scanned simultaneously. In experiment one, 50 university subjects compared a test word with a set of one to three words held in STM. The rate of STM search was obtained by…

Robust procedure for creating and characterizing the atomic structure of scanning tunneling microscope tips.

PubMed

Tewari, Sumit; Bastiaans, Koen M; Allan, Milan P; van Ruitenbeek, Jan M

2017-01-01

Scanning tunneling microscopes (STM) are used extensively for studying and manipulating matter at the atomic scale. In spite of the critical role of the STM tip, procedures for controlling the atomic-scale shape of STM tips have not been rigorously justified. Here, we present a method for preparing tips in situ while ensuring the crystalline structure and a reproducibly prepared tip structure up to the second atomic layer. We demonstrate a controlled evolution of such tips starting from undefined tip shapes.

Apport de la microscopie a effet tunnel a la caracterisation d'interfaces molecule-metal a fort transfert de charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedwani, Stephane

To assess the importance of charge-transfer on the interface properties, we studied the interaction of the tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) molecule with various copper surfaces. TCNE, a highly electrophilic molecule, appears as an ideal candidate to study the influence of high charge-transfer on the electronic and structural properties of molecule-surface interfaces. Indeed, various TCNE-transition metal complexes exhibit magnetism at room temperature, which is in agreement with a very significant change of the residual charge on the TCNE molecule. The adsorption of TCNE molecules on Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and by density functional theory (DFT) calculations with a local density approximation (LDA). DFT-LDA calculations were performed to determine the geometric and electronic structure of the studied interfaces. Mulliken analysis was used to evaluate the partial net charge on the adsorbed species. The density of states (DOS) diagrams provided informations on the nature of the frontier orbitals involved in the charge-transfer at molecule-metal interfaces. To validate the theoretical observations, a comparative study was conducted between our simulated STM images and experimental STM images provided by our collaborators. The theoretical STM images were obtained with the SPAGS-STM software using the Landauer-Buttiker formalism with a semi-empirical Hamiltonian based on the extended Huckel theory (EHT) and parameterized using DFT calculations. During the development of the SPAGS-STM software, we have created a discretization module allowing rapid generation of STM images. This module is based on an adaptive Delaunay meshing scheme to minimize the amount of tunneling current to be computed. The general idea consists into refining the mesh, and therefore the calculations, near large contrast zones rather than over the entire image. The adapted mesh provides an STM image resolution equivalent to that obtained with a conventional Cartesian grid but with a significantly smaller number of calculated pixels. This module is independent of the solver used to compute the tunneling current and can be transposed to different imaging techniques. Our work on the adsorption of TCNE molecules on Cu(100) surfaces revealed that the molecules assemble into a 1D chain, thereby buckling excessively a few Cu atoms from the surface. The large deformations observed at the molecule-metal interface show that the Cu atoms close to the TCNE nitrile groups assist the molecular assembly and show a distinct behavior compared with other Cu atoms. A strong charge-transfer is observed at the interface leading to an almost complete occupation of the state ascribed to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of TCNE in gas phase. In addition, a back-donation of charge from the molecule to the metal via the states associated with the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) of TCNE in gas phase may be seen. The magnitude of the charge-transfer between a TCNE molecule and Cu atoms is of the same order on the Cu(111) surface but causes much less buckling than that on the Cu(100) surface. However, experimental STM images of single TCNE molecules adsorbed on Cu(111) surfaces reveal a surprising electronic multistability. In addition, scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) reveals that one of these states has a magnetic nature and shows a Kondo resonance. STM simulations identified the source of two non-magnetic states. DFT-LDA calculations were able to ascribe the magnetic state to the partial occupation of a state corresponding to the LUMO+2 of TCNE. Moreover, the calculations showed that additional molecular deformations to those of TCNE in adsorbed phase, such the elongation of the C=C central bond and the bend of nitrile groups toward the surface, favor this charge-transfer to the LUMO+2. This suggested the presence of a Kondo state through the vibrational excitation of the stretching mode of the C=C central bond. The main results of this thesis led to the conclusion that strong charge-transfer between adsorbed molecules on a metallic surface may induce significant buckling of the surface. This surface reconstruction mechanism that involves a bidirectional charge-transfer between the species results into a partial net charge over the molecule. This mechanism is involved in the supramolecular self-assembly process that appears similar to a coordination network. Moreover, the adsorbed molecule presents some important geometric distortions that alter its electronic structure. Additional distortions on the adsorbed molecule induced by some molecular vibration modes seem to explain a stable magnetic state that can be switch on or off by an electrical impulse. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Development of an electrically driven molecular motor.

PubMed

Murphy, Colin J; Sykes, E Charles H

2014-10-01

For molecules to be used as components in molecular machinery, methods are required that couple individual molecules to external energy sources in order to selectively excite motion in a given direction. While significant progress has been made in the construction of synthetic molecular motors powered by light and by chemical reactions, there are few experimental examples of electrically driven molecular motors. To this end, we pioneered the use of a new, stable and tunable molecular rotor system based on surface-bound thioethers to comprehensively study many aspects of molecular rotation. As biological molecular motors often operate at interfaces, our synthetic system is especially amenable to microscopic interrogation as compared to solution-based systems. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory, we studied the rotation of surface-bound thioethers, which can be induced either thermally or by electrons from the STM tip in a two-terminal setup. Moreover, the temperature and electron flux can be adjusted to allow each rotational event to be monitored at the molecular scale in real time. This work culminated in the first experimental demonstration of a single-molecule electric motor, where the electrically driven rotation of a butyl methyl sulfide molecule adsorbed on a copper surface could be directionally biased. The direction and rate of the rotation are related to the chirality of both the molecule and the STM tip (which serves as the electrode), illustrating the importance of the symmetry of the metal contacts in atomic-scale electrical devices. Copyright © 2014 The Chemical Society of Japan and Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

STM/STS Study of Surface Modification Effect on Bandgap Structure of Ti2C with -OH, -F, and -H

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Seong Jun; Lai, Shen; Jeong, Taehwan; Lee, Sungjoo; Song, Young Jae

In this presentation, we present Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Spectroscopy (STS) study of bandgap structures of surface-modified Ti2C with -OH, -F, and -O in atomic scale. Since the discovery of new two dimensional (2D) materials like graphene, various 2D materials including transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) have been intensively investigated. There are, however, still scientific issues to apply them to the device fabrications for controlling the appropriate bandgap structure with high field effect mobility. Recently another 2D materials of transition metal carbide (TMC), Ti2CTx with modifiable surface group Tx(-OH, -F, and -O) was suggested. [S. Lai et. al, Nanoscale (2015), DOI: 10.1039/C5NR06513E]. This 2D material shows that the mobility at room temperature is less sensitive to the measured transport bandgap, which can imply that Ti2CTx can be a strong candidate of 2D TMC for application to the future electronic devices. Surface modification on the electronic structure of Ti2C by -OH, -F, and -O is, therefore, investigated by STM and STS in atomic scale. More scientific results will be further discussed in the presentation. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Korean government (Grant Numbers: 2015R1A1A1A05027585, 2011­0030046, IBS- R011­D1, 2014M3C1A3053024 and 2015M3A7B4050455).

The nucleation and growth of uranium on the basal plane of graphite studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tench, R. J.

1992-11-01

For the first time, nanometer scale uranium clusters were created on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite by laser ablation under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The physical and chemical properties of these clusters were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) as well as standard surface science techniques. Auger electron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies found the uranium deposit to be free of contamination and showed that no carbide had formed with the underlying graphite. Clusters with sizes ranging from 42 to 630 sq A were observed upon initial room temperature deposition. Surface diffusion of uranium was observed after annealing the substrate above 800 K, as evidenced by the decreased number density and the increased size of the clusters. Preferential depletion of clusters on terraces near step edges as a result of annealing was observed. The activation energy for diffusion deduced from these measurements was found to be 15 Kcal/mole. Novel formation of ordered uranium thin films was observed for coverages greater than two monolayers after annealing above 900 K. These ordered films displayed islands with hexagonally faceted edges rising in uniform step heights characteristic of the unit cell of the P-phase of uranium. In addition, atomic resolution STM images of these ordered films indicated the formation of the (beta)-phase of uranium. The chemical properties of these surfaces were investigated and it was shown that these uranium films had a reduced oxidation rate in air as compared to bulk metal and that STM imaging in air induced a polarity-dependent enhancement of the oxidation rate.

High-Resolution Speleothem Records of the Indian Ocean Monsoon Variability of the Last 6 ka and 0,5 ka From Soqotra Island, Yemen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Geest, P.; Verheyden, S.; Cheng, H.; Edwards, L. R.; Keppens, E.

2004-12-01

Soqotra is an arid tropical island in the Indian Ocean, situated between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The inter-tropical convergence zone (ITCZ) passes there twice each year, resulting in a bi-annual rainy season. High-resolution \\delta18O and \\delta13C ratios of speleothems from two different caves are used to reconstruct changes in the Monsoon intensity and/or variability. Based on 10 TIMS 234U/230Th dating, two active speleothems from Hoq (S-STM1) and Kazekas Caves (S-STM5) have formed over a period of 6 ka BP and 0,5 ka BP, respectively. To obtain a detailed climate reconstruction more than 1000 \\delta13C and \\delta18O measurements were carried out, providing a time resolution between 2,5 and 10 years. In S-STM1 \\delta18O -values range between -4,5\\permil and -1,5\\permil and \\delta13C -values between -10,5\\permil and -5,5\\permil; while for S-STM5 these values range respectively between -4\\permil and -2\\permil and -7\\permil and -3\\permil (vs VPDB). Based on the comparison between \\delta18O excursions and historical meteorological data, the amount of precipitation is reflected in the \\delta18O signal. Different mechanisms for the \\delta13C are considered, such as a diminution of the C4-type vegetation during droughts, resulting in more positive \\delta13C -value or kinetic effects during the calcification process itself. Throughout the time series, co-variation occur between \\delta13C and \\delta18O -values (R2= 0,69) exhibiting long term (millennial) and short term (decadal) variations. In both stalagmites, layers of white porous calcite (WPC) (0,1-0,5mm) and dark dense calcite (DDC) (0,01-0,1mm) alternate, most probably due to seasonal variations. The WPC has more positive \\delta13C and \\delta18O -values, while the DDC shows more negative values, clearly demonstrated by high-resolution micro sampling up to a monthly to bi-weekly resolution. A positive correlation between the greyscale variations in the calcite fabric, the presumably annual growth banding and the inverse stable isotope ratios records support this hypothesis. During dry periods, less precipitation enters the cave-system, resulting in a whitish porous calcite deposition, thinner annual banding and more negative stable isotope ratios and vice versa. To better understand the climatic significance of these records, adapted Environmental Data Acquisition Systems (EDAS) are installed in and near Hoq Cave to obtain information on the actual transfer functions between climate and the proxy data in our speleothems.

Atom-by-atom assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hla, Saw Wai

2014-05-01

Atomic manipulation using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip enables the construction of quantum structures on an atom-by-atom basis, as well as the investigation of the electronic and dynamical properties of individual atoms on a one-atom-at-a-time basis. An STM is not only an instrument that is used to ‘see’ individual atoms by means of imaging, but is also a tool that is used to ‘touch’ and ‘take’ the atoms, or to ‘hear’ their movements. Therefore, the STM can be considered as the ‘eyes’, ‘hands’ and ‘ears’ of the scientists, connecting our macroscopic world to the exciting atomic world. In this article, various STM atom manipulation schemes and their example applications are described. The future directions of atomic level assembly on surfaces using scanning probe tips are also discussed.

Imaging of subunit complexes of thermophilic bacterium H(+)-ATPase with scanning tunneling microscopy.

PubMed

Masai, J; Shibata, T; Kagawa, Y; Kondo, S

1992-07-01

Using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we observed reconstructed subunit complexes of H(+)-ATPase of a thermophilic bacterium. The measurement was carried out in air without conductive coating on the samples deposited on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The F1 subunit complex of the H(+)-ATPase, and an H(+)-ATPase whose F0 portion was embedded into liposomes prepared from soybean lecithin were imaged. Overall structural images of the subunit complex F1 were obtained: the structural dimensions of the STM images are in agreement with those deduced from conventional methods such as an transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAX) experimentation. Regarding the STM imaging of these samples, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the STM over those of conventional methods such as a TEM and SAX.

Bayesian spatial transformation models with applications in neuroimaging data.

PubMed

Miranda, Michelle F; Zhu, Hongtu; Ibrahim, Joseph G

2013-12-01

The aim of this article is to develop a class of spatial transformation models (STM) to spatially model the varying association between imaging measures in a three-dimensional (3D) volume (or 2D surface) and a set of covariates. The proposed STM include a varying Box-Cox transformation model for dealing with the issue of non-Gaussian distributed imaging data and a Gaussian Markov random field model for incorporating spatial smoothness of the imaging data. Posterior computation proceeds via an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. Simulations and real data analysis demonstrate that the STM significantly outperforms the voxel-wise linear model with Gaussian noise in recovering meaningful geometric patterns. Our STM is able to reveal important brain regions with morphological changes in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. © 2013, The International Biometric Society.

Upgrade of the Surface Spectrometer at NEPOMUC for PAES, XPS and STM Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimnik, S.; Lippert, F.; Hugenschmidt, C.

2014-04-01

The characterization of the elemental composition of surfaces is of great importance for the understanding of many surface processes, such as surface segregation or oxidation. Positron-annihilation-induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy (PAES) is a powerful technique for gathering information about the elemental composition of only the topmost atomic layer of a sample. The upgraded surface spectrometer at NEPOMUC (NEtron induced POsitron source MUniCh) enables a comprehensive surface analysis with the complementary techniques STM, XPS and PAES. A new X-ray source for X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was installed to gather additional information on oxidation states. A new scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is used as a complementary method to investigate with atomic resolution the surface electron density. The combination of PAES, XPS and STM allows the characterization of both the elemental composition, and the surface topology.

Impaired semantic knowledge underlies the reduced verbal short-term storage capacity in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Peters, Frédéric; Majerus, Steve; De Baerdemaeker, Julie; Salmon, Eric; Collette, Fabienne

2009-12-01

A decrease in verbal short-term memory (STM) capacity is consistently observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although this impairment has been mainly attributed to attentional deficits during encoding and maintenance, the progressive deterioration of semantic knowledge in early stages of AD may also be an important determinant of poor STM performance. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of semantic knowledge on verbal short-term memory storage capacity in normal aging and in AD by exploring the impact of word imageability on STM performance. Sixteen patients suffering from mild AD, 16 healthy elderly subjects and 16 young subjects performed an immediate serial recall task using word lists containing high or low imageability words. All participant groups recalled more high imageability words than low imageability words, but the effect of word imageability on verbal STM was greater in AD patients than in both the young and the elderly control groups. More precisely, AD patients showed a marked decrease in STM performance when presented with lists of low imageability words, whereas recall of high imageability words was relatively well preserved. Furthermore, AD patients displayed an abnormal proportion of phonological errors in the low imageability condition. Overall, these results indicate that the support of semantic knowledge on STM performance was impaired for lists of low imageability words in AD patients. More generally, these findings suggest that the deterioration of semantic knowledge is partly responsible for the poor verbal short-term storage capacity observed in AD.

Expression of SHOOT MERISTEMLESS, WUSCHEL, and ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 Homologs in the Shoots of Podostemaceae: Implications for the Evolution of Novel Shoot Organogenesis[W

PubMed Central

Katayama, Natsu; Koi, Satoshi; Kato, Masahiro

2010-01-01

Podostemaceae (the river weeds) are ecologically and morphologically unusual angiosperms. The subfamily Tristichoideae has typical shoot apical meristems (SAMs) that produce leaves, but Podostemoideae is devoid of SAMs and new leaves arise below the base of older leaves. To reveal the genetic basis for the evolution of novel shoot organogenesis in Podostemaceae, we examined the expression patterns of key regulatory genes for shoot development (i.e., SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), WUSCHEL (WUS), and ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1/ROUGH SHEATH2/PHANTASTICA (ARP) orthologs) in Tristichoideae and Podostemoideae. In the SAM-mediated shoots of Tristichoideae, like in model plants, STM and WUS orthologs were expressed in the SAM. In the SAM-less shoots of Podostemoideae, STM and WUS orthologs were expressed in the initiating leaf/bract primordium. In older leaf/bract primordia, WUS expression disappeared and STM expression became restricted to the basal part, whereas ARP was expressed in the distal part in a complementary pattern to STM expression. In the reproductive shoots of Podostemoideae with a normal mode of flower development, STM and WUS were expressed in the floral meristem, but not in the floral organs, similar to the pattern in model plants. These results suggest that the leaf/bract of Podostemoideae is initiated as a SAM and differentiates into a single apical leaf/bract, resulting in the evolution of novel shoot-leaf mixed organs in Podostemaceae. PMID:20647344

Verbal short-term memory span in children: long-term modality dependent effects of intrauterine growth restriction.

PubMed

Geva, R; Eshel, R; Leitner, Y; Fattal-Valevski, A; Harel, S

2008-12-01

Recent reports showed that children born with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are at greater risk of experiencing verbal short-term memory span (STM) deficits that may impede their learning capacities at school. It is still unknown whether these deficits are modality dependent. This long-term, prospective design study examined modality-dependent verbal STM functions in children who were diagnosed at birth with IUGR (n = 138) and a control group (n = 64). Their STM skills were evaluated individually at 9 years of age with four conditions of the Visual-Aural Digit Span Test (VADS; Koppitz, 1981): auditory-oral, auditory-written, visuospatial-oral and visuospatial-written. Cognitive competence was evaluated with the short form of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children--revised (WISC-R95; Wechsler, 1998). We found IUGR-related specific auditory-oral STM deficits (p < .036) in conjunction with two double dissociations: an auditory-visuospatial (p < .014) and an input-output processing distinction (p < .014). Cognitive competence had a significant effect on all four conditions; however, the effect of IUGR on the auditory-oral condition was not overridden by the effect of intelligence quotient (IQ). Intrauterine growth restriction affects global competence and inter-modality processing, as well as distinct auditory input processing related to verbal STM functions. The findings support a long-term relationship between prenatal aberrant head growth and auditory verbal STM deficits by the end of the first decade of life. Empirical, clinical and educational implications are presented.

The design of multi temperature and humidity monitoring system for incubator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Junyu; Xu, Peng; Peng, Zitao; Qiang, Haonan; Shen, Xiaoyan

2017-01-01

Currently, there is only one monitor of the temperature and humidity in an incubator, which may cause inaccurate or unreliable data, and even endanger the life safety of the baby. In order to solve this problem,we designed a multi-point temperature and humidity monitoring system for incubators. The system uses the STC12C5A60S2 microcontrollers as the sender core chip which is connected to four AM2321 temperature and humidity sensors. We select STM32F103ZET6 core development board as the receiving end,cooperating with Zigbee wireless transmitting and receiving module to realize data acquisition and transmission. This design can realize remote real-time observation data on the computer by communicating with PC via Ethernet. Prototype tests show that the system can effectively collect and display the information of temperature and humidity of multiple incubators at the same time and there are four monitors in each incubator.

Metal Adatoms and Clusters on Ultrathin Zirconia Films

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Nucleation and growth of transition metals on zirconia has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Since STM requires electrical conductivity, ultrathin ZrO2 films grown by oxidation of Pt3Zr(0001) and Pd3Zr(0001) were used as model systems. DFT studies were performed for single metal adatoms on supported ZrO2 films as well as the (1̅11) surface of monoclinic ZrO2. STM shows decreasing cluster size, indicative of increasing metal–oxide interaction, in the sequence Ag < Pd ≈ Au < Ni ≈ Fe. Ag and Pd nucleate mostly at steps and domain boundaries of ZrO2/Pt3Zr(0001) and form three-dimensional clusters. Deposition of low coverages of Ni and Fe at room temperature leads to a high density of few-atom clusters on the oxide terraces. Weak bonding of Ag to the oxide is demonstrated by removing Ag clusters with the STM tip. DFT calculations for single adatoms show that the metal–oxide interaction strength increases in the sequence Ag < Au < Pd < Ni on monoclinic ZrO2, and Ag ≈ Au < Pd < Ni on the supported ultrathin ZrO2 film. With the exception of Au, metal nucleation and growth on ultrathin zirconia films follow the usual rules: More reactive (more electropositive) metals result in a higher cluster density and wet the surface more strongly than more noble metals. These bind mainly to the oxygen anions of the oxide. Au is an exception because it can bind strongly to the Zr cations. Au diffusion may be impeded by changing its charge state between −1 and +1. We discuss differences between the supported ultrathin zirconia films and the surfaces of bulk ZrO2, such as the possibility of charge transfer to the substrate of the films. Due to their large in-plane lattice constant and the variety of adsorption sites, ZrO2{111} surfaces are more reactive than many other oxygen-terminated oxide surfaces. PMID:27213024

STM Studies of Spin-­Orbit Coupled Phases in Real-­ and Momentum-­Space

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madhavan, Vidya

The recently discovered class of spin-orbit coupled materials with interesting topological character are fascinating both from fundamental as well as application point of view. Two striking examples are 3D topological insulators (TIs) and topological crystalline insulators (TCIs). These materials host linearly dispersing (Dirac like) surface states with an odd number of Dirac nodes and are predicted to carry a quantized half-integer value of the axion field. The non-trivial topological properties of TIs and TCIs arise from strong spin-orbit coupling leading to an inverted band structure; which also leads to the chiral spin texture in momentum space. In this project wemore » used low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) to study materials with topological phases in real- and momentum-space. We studied both single crystals and thin films of topological materials which are susceptible to being tuned by doping, strain or gating, allowing us to explore their physical properties in the most interesting regimes and set the stage for future technological applications. .« less

Imaging of single magnetic dopants in III-V semiconductor hosts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koenraad, Paul; Celebi, Cem; Silov, Andrei; Yakunin, Andrei; Tang, Jian-Ming; Flatte, Michael; Kaminska, Maria

2007-03-01

We present room-temperature cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) topographic measurements of the acceptor state wave function for Mn dopants in InP and compare with measurements for the nonmagnetic dopants Zn and Cd as well as with previous results for Mn in GaAs[1]. We find a strongly anisotropic ``bow-tie'' shape for the Mn acceptor state wave function in InP, similar to Mn in GaAs, which has a binding energy of 210 meV (compared to 113 meV for Mn in GaAs). The shape for Mn in InP is more symmetric with respect to the 001 plane than Mn in GaAs, which agrees with a general trend for the magnetic and nonmagnetic acceptor state symmetry as a function of acceptor binding energy. We present a new theoretical model based on the surface strain of GaAs (110) that explains why the 001-plane asymmetry of acceptor states seen in STM measurements is much larger than expected from bulk calculations. [1] A. M. Yakunin, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 216806 (2004).

Ab initio study of the mechanism of bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Zhongcan; Ma, Chuanxu; Zhang, Honghai; Liang, Liangbo; Huang, Jingsong; Lu, Wenchang; Hong, Kunlun; Li, An-Ping; Bernholc, Jerry

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) can be fabricated with atomic precision by using molecular precursors deposited on a metal substrate, and potentially form the basis for future molecular-scale electronics. The precursor molecules are first annealed to form a polymer, and further annealing at a higher temperature leads to the formation of a GNR. We systematically study the reaction pathways of this cyclodehydrogenation process, using density functional theory and the nudged elastic band method. We find that the Au substrate reduces the reaction barriers for key steps in the cyclodehydrogenation process: cyclization, hydrogen migration and desorption. Furthermore, our calculations explain recent experiments showing that an STM-tip can induce local polymer-to-GNR transition, which can be used to fabricate atomically precise heterojunctions: at a negative bias, the STM tip injects excess holes into the polymer HOMO state, lowering the energy barrier in agreement with Woodward-Hoffmann rules. At a positive bias, when excess electrons are injected into the LUMO state, the energy barrier is not significantly lowered and the transition is not observed.

NH3 adsorption on anatase-TiO2(101)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koust, Stig; Adamsen, Kræn C.; Kolsbjerg, Esben Leonhard; Li, Zheshen; Hammer, Bjørk; Wendt, Stefan; Lauritsen, Jeppe V.

2018-03-01

The adsorption of ammonia on anatase TiO2 is of fundamental importance for several catalytic applications of TiO2 and for probing acid-base interactions. Utilizing high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and density functional theory (DFT), we identify the adsorption mode and quantify the adsorption strength on the anatase TiO2(101) surface. It was found that ammonia adsorbs non-dissociatively as NH3 on regular five-fold coordinated titanium surface sites (5f-Ti) with an estimated exothermic adsorption energy of 1.2 eV for an isolated ammonia molecule. For higher adsorbate coverages, the adsorption energy progressively shifts to smaller values, due to repulsive intermolecular interactions. The repulsive adsorbate-adsorbate interactions are quantified using DFT and autocorrelation analysis of STM images, which both showed a repulsive energy of ˜50 meV for nearest neighbor sites and a lowering in binding energy for an ammonia molecule in a full monolayer of 0.28 eV, which is in agreement with TPD spectra.

Initial Adsorption of Fe on an Ethanol-Saturated Si(111)7 × 7 Surface: Statistical Analysis in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Haoyu; Hattori, Ken

2018-03-01

We studied the initial stage of iron deposition on an ethanol-saturated Si(111)7 × 7 surface at room temperature using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The statistical analysis of the Si adatom height at empty states for Si(111)-C2H5OH before and after the Fe deposition showed different types of adatoms: type B (before the deposition) and type B' (after the deposition) assigned to bare adatoms, type D and type D' to C2H5O-terminated adatoms, and type E' to adatoms with Fe. The analysis of the height distribution revealed the protection of the molecule termination for the Fe capture at the initial stage. The analysis also indicated the preferential capture of a single Fe atom to a bare center-adatom rather than a bare corner-adatom which remain after the C2H5OH saturation, but no selectivity was observed in faulted and unfaulted half unit-cells. This is the first STM-based report proving that a remaining bare adatom, but not a molecule-terminated adatom, captures a metal.

STM/STS study of the superconducting gap in SmFeAsO1-xFx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawashima, Yuki; Ichimura, Koichi; Katono, Kazuhiro; Kurosawa, Tohru; Oda, Migaku; Tanda, Satoshi; Kamihara, Yoichi; Hosono, Hideo

2015-02-01

We report an electron tunneling study of SmFeAsO1-xFx in the low doping region (x=0, 0.045, 0.046, 0.069) by low temperature UHV-STM/STS. Superconducting gaps are observed for each superconducting sample x=0.045 (Tc=12.9 K), x=0.046 (Tc=32.9 K) and x=0.069 (Tc=46.9 K). We obtained corresponding superconducting gap size of ΔSC = 9.5 ± 0.5 meV, 9.75±0.25 meV and 11±1 meV. While Tc increases, ΔSC is kept the same. This suggests that the effective attractive interaction is the same and that there is some mechanism that suppresses the superconductivity in the low doping region. On the other hand, similar gap structures were found in a non-superconducting sample with x=0 at 7.8 K. The obtained gap size was ΔN = 8.5 ± 1.5 meV, which is almost the same as the superconducting gap in the superconducting samples (x=0.045, 0.046, 0.069).

Direct Observation of Double Hydrogen Transfer via Quantum Tunneling in a Single Porphycene Molecule on a Ag(110) Surface.

PubMed

Koch, Matthias; Pagan, Mark; Persson, Mats; Gawinkowski, Sylwester; Waluk, Jacek; Kumagai, Takashi

2017-09-13

Quantum tunneling of hydrogen atoms (or protons) plays a crucial role in many chemical and biological reactions. Although tunneling of a single particle has been examined extensively in various one-dimensional potentials, many-particle tunneling in high-dimensional potential energy surfaces remains poorly understood. Here we present a direct observation of a double hydrogen atom transfer (tautomerization) within a single porphycene molecule on a Ag(110) surface using a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The tautomerization rates are temperature independent below ∼10 K, and a large kinetic isotope effect (KIE) is observed upon substituting the transferred hydrogen atoms by deuterium, indicating that the process is governed by tunneling. The observed KIE for three isotopologues and density functional theory calculations reveal that a stepwise transfer mechanism is dominant in the tautomerization. It is also found that the tautomerization rate is increased by vibrational excitation via an inelastic electron tunneling process. Moreover, the STM tip can be used to manipulate the tunneling dynamics through modification of the potential landscape.

Selective scanning tunnelling microscope electron-induced reactions of single biphenyl molecules on a Si(100) surface.

PubMed

Riedel, Damien; Bocquet, Marie-Laure; Lesnard, Hervé; Lastapis, Mathieu; Lorente, Nicolas; Sonnet, Philippe; Dujardin, Gérald

2009-06-03

Selective electron-induced reactions of individual biphenyl molecules adsorbed in their weakly chemisorbed configuration on a Si(100) surface are investigated by using the tip of a low-temperature (5 K) scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) as an atomic size source of electrons. Selected types of molecular reactions are produced, depending on the polarity of the surface voltage during STM excitation. At negative surface voltages, the biphenyl molecule diffuses across the surface in its weakly chemisorbed configuration. At positive surface voltages, different types of molecular reactions are activated, which involve the change of adsorption configuration from the weakly chemisorbed to the strongly chemisorbed bistable and quadristable configurations. Calculated reaction pathways of the molecular reactions on the silicon surface, using the nudge elastic band method, provide evidence that the observed selectivity as a function of the surface voltage polarity cannot be ascribed to different activation energies. These results, together with the measured threshold surface voltages and the calculated molecular electronic structures via density functional theory, suggest that the electron-induced molecular reactions are driven by selective electron detachment (oxidation) or attachment (reduction) processes.

Burkholderia phymatum is a highly effective nitrogen-fixing symbiont of Mimosa spp. and fixes nitrogen ex planta.

PubMed

Elliott, Geoffrey N; Chen, Wen-Ming; Chou, Jui-Hsing; Wang, Hui-Chun; Sheu, Shih-Yi; Perin, Liamara; Reis, Veronica M; Moulin, Lionel; Simon, Marcelo F; Bontemps, Cyril; Sutherland, Joan M; Bessi, Rosana; de Faria, Sergio M; Trinick, Michael J; Prescott, Alan R; Sprent, Janet I; James, Euan K

2007-01-01

* The ability of Burkholderia phymatum STM815 to effectively nodulate Mimosa spp., and to fix nitrogen ex planta, was compared with that of the known Mimosa symbiont Cupriavidus taiwanensis LMG19424. * Both strains were equally effective symbionts of M. pudica, but nodules formed by STM815 had greater nitrogenase activity. STM815 was shown to have a broader host range across the genus Mimosa than LMG19424, nodulating 30 out of 31 species, 21 of these effectively. LMG19424 effectively nodulated only nine species. GFP-marked variants were used to visualise symbiont presence within nodules. * STM815 gave significant acetylene reduction assay (ARA) activity in semisolid JMV medium ex planta, but no ARA activity was detected with LMG19424. 16S rDNA sequences of two isolates originally from Mimosa nodules in Papua New Guinea (NGR114 and NGR195A) identified them as Burkholderia phymatum also, with nodA, nodC and nifH genes of NGR195A identical to those of STM815. * B. phymatum is therefore an effective Mimosa symbiont with a broad host range, and is the first reported beta-rhizobial strain to fix nitrogen in free-living culture.

Selective Transfer Machine for Personalized Facial Action Unit Detection

PubMed Central

Chu, Wen-Sheng; De la Torre, Fernando; Cohn, Jeffery F.

2014-01-01

Automatic facial action unit (AFA) detection from video is a long-standing problem in facial expression analysis. Most approaches emphasize choices of features and classifiers. They neglect individual differences in target persons. People vary markedly in facial morphology (e.g., heavy versus delicate brows, smooth versus deeply etched wrinkles) and behavior. Individual differences can dramatically influence how well generic classifiers generalize to previously unseen persons. While a possible solution would be to train person-specific classifiers, that often is neither feasible nor theoretically compelling. The alternative that we propose is to personalize a generic classifier in an unsupervised manner (no additional labels for the test subjects are required). We introduce a transductive learning method, which we refer to Selective Transfer Machine (STM), to personalize a generic classifier by attenuating person-specific biases. STM achieves this effect by simultaneously learning a classifier and re-weighting the training samples that are most relevant to the test subject. To evaluate the effectiveness of STM, we compared STM to generic classifiers and to cross-domain learning methods in three major databases: CK+ [20], GEMEP-FERA [32] and RU-FACS [2]. STM outperformed generic classifiers in all. PMID:25242877

Strategies for alignment and e-beam contact to buried atomic-precision devices in Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyrick, Jonathan; Namboodiri, Pradeep; Wang, Xiqiao; Murray, Roy; Hagmann, Joseph; Li, Kai; Stewart, Michael; Richter, Curt; Silver, Richard

STM based hydrogen lithography has proven to be a viable route to fabrication of atomic-precision electronic devices. The strength of this technique is the ability to control the lateral placement of phosphorus atoms in a single atomic layer of Si with sub-nanometer resolution. However, because of limitations in the rate at which a scanning probe can pattern a device, as well as the ultimate size of contacts that can be fabricated (on the order of a micron in length), making electrical contact to STM fabricated devices encased in Si is nontrivial. One commonly implemented solution to this challenge is to choose the exact location on a Si surface where a device is to be patterned by STM and to design fiducials to aid in navigating the probe to that predetermined location. We present results from an alternate strategy for contacting buried devices based on performing the STM lithography fabrication first, and determination of the buried structure location after the fact using topographically identifiable STM fabricated fiducials. AFM, scanning capacitance, and peak force Kelvin microscopy as well as optical microscopy techniques are evaluated as a means for device relocation and to quantify the comparative accuracy of these techniques.

Developmental delays in phonological recoding among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Danielsson, Henrik; Henry, Lucy; Messer, David; Carney, Daniel P J; Rönnberg, Jerker

2016-08-01

This study examined the development of phonological recoding in short-term memory (STM) span tasks among two clinical groups with contrasting STM and language profiles: those with Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS). Phonological recoding was assessed by comparing: (1) performance on phonologically similar and dissimilar items (phonological similarity effects, PSE); and (2) items with short and long names (word length effects, WLE). Participant groups included children and adolescents with DS (n=29), WS (n=25) and typical development (n=51), all with average mental ages around 6 years. The group with WS, contrary to predictions based on their relatively strong verbal STM and language abilities, showed no evidence for phonological recoding. Those in the group with DS, with weaker verbal STM and language abilities, showed positive evidence for phonological recoding (PSE), but to a lesser degree than the typical group (who showed PSE and WLE). These findings provide new information about the memory systems of these groups of children and adolescents, and suggest that STM processes involving phonological recoding do not fit with the usual expectations of the abilities of children and adolescents with WS and DS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Studies of Diamond Films and Optoelectronic Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perez, Jose M.

1996-01-01

We present a summary of the research, citations of publications resulting from the research and abstracts of such publications. We have made no inventions in the performance of the work in this project. The main goals of the project were to set up a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond growth system attached to an UltraHigh Vacuum (UHV) atomic resolution Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) system and carry out experiments aimed at studying the properties and growth of diamond films using atomic resolution UHV STM. We successfully achieved these goals. We observed, for the first time, the atomic structure of the surface of CVD grown epitaxial diamond (100) films using UHV STM. We studied the effects of atomic hydrogen on the CVD diamond growth process. We studied the electronic properties of the diamond (100) (2x1) surface, and the effect of alkali metal adsorbates such as Cs on the work function of this surface using UHV STM spectroscopy techniques. We also studied, using STM, new electronic materials such as carbon nanotubes and gold nanostructures. This work resulted in four publications in refereed scientific journals and five publications in refereed conference proceedings.

STM images and STS for a rectangular quantum corral constructed with δ-function barriers and the effect of an adsorbed atom on STM images and STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitsuoka, Shigenori; Tamura, Akira

2012-04-01

Assuming that an electron confined by double δ-function barriers is in a quasi-stationary state, we derived eigenfunctions and eigenenergies of the electron. Applying this point of view to the electron confined in a rectangular quantum corral (QC), we obtained scanning tunneling microscopic (STM) images and scanning tunneling spectrum (STS). Our results are consistent with experimental ones, which confirms validity of the present model. Comparing with the treatment in which the corral potential is chosen to be of square-barrier type, the present treatment has an advantage that the eigenvalue equations are simple and the number of parameters that specify the potential barrier is only one except the bottom of the potential well. On the basis of a Dyson equation for the Green function we calculated STM images and STS of the QC having an adsorbed atom inside. Our results are consistent with experimental STM images and STS. In contrast to a previous viewpoint that the STS profile is reversed with that of the empty QC, we concluded the STS peaks of the adsorbed QC are shifted downward from those of the empty QC.

Theoretical study of carbon-based tips for scanning tunnelling microscopy.

PubMed

González, C; Abad, E; Dappe, Y J; Cuevas, J C

2016-03-11

Motivated by recent experiments, we present here a detailed theoretical analysis of the use of carbon-based conductive tips in scanning tunnelling microscopy. In particular, we employ ab initio methods based on density functional theory to explore a graphitic, an amorphous carbon and two diamond-like tips for imaging with a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), and we compare them with standard metallic tips made of gold and tungsten. We investigate the performance of these tips in terms of the corrugation of the STM images acquired when scanning a single graphene sheet. Moreover, we analyse the impact of the tip-sample distance and show that it plays a fundamental role in the resolution and symmetry of the STM images. We also explore in depth how the adsorption of single atoms and molecules in the tip apexes modifies the STM images and demonstrate that, in general, it leads to an improved image resolution. The ensemble of our results provides strong evidence that carbon-based tips can significantly improve the resolution of STM images, as compared to more standard metallic tips, which may open a new line of research in scanning tunnelling microscopy.

Atomic Manipulation on Metal Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ternes, Markus; Lutz, Christopher P.; Heinrich, Andreas J.

Half a century ago, Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman asked in a now-famous lecture what would happen if we could precisely position individual atoms at will [R.P. Feynman, Eng. Sci. 23, 22 (1960)]. This dream became a reality some 30 years later when Eigler and Schweizer were the first to position individual Xe atoms at will with the probe tip of a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) on a Ni surface [D.M. Eigler, E.K. Schweizer, Nature 344, 524 (1990)].

Competing Quantum Orderings in Cuprate Superconductors: A Minimal Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Ivar; Ortiz, Gerardo; Balatsky, A. V.; Bishop, A. R.

2001-03-01

We present a minimal model for cuprate superconductors. At the unrestricted mean-field level, the model produces homogeneous superconductivity at large doping, striped superconductivity in the underdoped regime and various antiferromagnetic phases at low doping and for high temperatures. On the underdoped side, the superconductor is intrinsically inhomogeneous and global phase coherence is achieved through Josephson-like coupling of the superconducting stripes. The model is applied to calculate experimentally measurable ARPES spectra, and local density of states measurable by STM.

Adsorption of O_{2} on Ag(111): Evidence of Local Oxide Formation.

PubMed

Andryushechkin, B V; Shevlyuga, V M; Pavlova, T V; Zhidomirov, G M; Eltsov, K N

2016-07-29

The atomic structure of the disordered phase formed by oxygen on Ag(111) at low coverage is determined by a combination of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory. We demonstrate that the previous assignment of the dark objects in STM to chemisorbed oxygen atoms is incorrect and incompatible with trefoil-like structures observed in atomic-resolution images in current work. In our model, each object is an oxidelike ring formed by six oxygen atoms around the vacancy in Ag(111).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shin, Heekeun; Schwarze, A; Diehl, R D

Earlier studies of C60 adsorption on Au(111) reported many interesting and complex features. We have performed coordinated low-energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and density functional theory studies to elucidate some of the details of the monolayer commensurate (2√3 × 2√3)R30° phase. We have identified the adsorption geometries of the two states that image as dim and bright in STM. These consist of a C60 molecule with a hexagon side down in a vacancy (hex-vac) and a C60 molecule with a carbon-carbon 6:6 bond down on a top site (6:6-top), respectively. We have studied the detailed geometries of thesemore » states and find that there is little distortion of the C60 molecules, but there is a rearrangement of the substrate near the C60 molecules. The two types of molecules differ in height, by about 0.7 Å, which accounts for most of the difference in their contrast in the STM images. The monolayer displays dynamical behavior, in which the molecules flip from bright to dim, and vice versa. We interpret this flipping as the result of the diffusion of vacancies in the surface layers of the substrate. Our measurements of the dynamics of this flipping from one state to the other indicate that the activation energy is 0.66 ± 0.03 eV for flips that involve nearest-neighbor C60 molecules, and 0.93 ± 0.03 for more distant flips. Based on calculated activation energies for vacancies diffusing in Au, we interpret these to be a result of surface vacancy diffusion and bulk vacancy diffusion. These results are compared to the similar system of Ag(111)-(2√3 × 2√3)R30°-C60. In both systems, the formation of the commensurate C60 monolayer produces a large number of vacancies in the top substrate layer that are highly mobile, effectively melting the interfacial metal layer at temperatures well below their normal melting temperatures.« less

X-ray STM: Nanoscale elemental analysis & Observation of atomic track.

PubMed

Saito, Akira; Furudate, Y; Kusui, Y; Saito, T; Akai-Kasaya, M; Tanaka, Y; Tamasaku, K; Kohmura, Y; Ishikawa, T; Kuwahara, Y; Aono, M

2014-11-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) combined with brilliant X-rays from synchrotron radiation (SR) can provide various possibilities of original and important applications, such as the elemental analysis on solid surfaces at an atomic scale. The principle of the elemental analysis is based on the inner-shell excitation of an element-specific energy level "under STM observation". A key to obtain an atomic locality is to extract the element-specific modulation of the local tunneling current (not emission that can damage the spatial resolution), which is derived from the inner-shell excitation [1]. On this purpose, we developed a special SR-STM system and smart tip. To surmount a tiny core-excitation efficiency by hard X-rays, we focused two-dimensionally an incident beam having the highest photon density at the SPring-8.After successes in the elemental analyses by SR-STM [1,2] on a semiconductor hetero-interface (Ge on Si) and metal-semiconductor interface (Cu on Ge), we succeeded in obtaining the elemental contrast between Co nano-islands and Au substrate. The results on the metallic substrate suggest the generality of the method and give some important implications on the principle of contrast. For all cases of three samples, the spatial resolution of the analysis was estimated to be ∼1 nm or less, and it is worth noting that the measured surface domains had a deposition thickness of less than one atomic layer (Fig. 1, left and center).jmicro;63/suppl_1/i14-a/DFU045F1F1DFU045F1Fig. 1.(left) Topographic image and (center) beam-induced tip current image of Ge(111)-Cu (-2V, 0.2 nA). (right) X-ray- induced atomic motion tracks on Ge(111) that were newly imaged by the Xray-STM. On the other hand, we found that the "X-ray induced atomic motion" can be observed directly with atomic scale using the SR-STM system effectively under the incident photon density of ∼2 x10(15) photon/sec/mm(2) [3]. SR-STM visualized successfully the track of the atomic motion (Fig. 1, right), which enabled the further analysis on the mechanism of the atomic motion. It is worth comparing our results with past conventional thermal STM observations on the same surface [4], where the atomic motion was found to occur in the 2-dimensional domain. However, our results show the atomic track having a local chain distribution [3].The above mentioned results will allow us to investigate the chemical analysis and control of the local reaction with the spatial resolution of STM, giving hope of wide applications. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Prototyping the HPDP Chip on STM 65 NM Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadas, C.; Dramitinos, G.; Syed, M.; Helfers, T.; Dedes, G.; Schoellkopf, J.-P.; Dugoujon, L.

2011-08-01

Currently Astrium GmbH is involved in the of the High Performance Data Processor (HPDP) development programme for telecommunication applications under a DLR contract. The HPDP project targets the implementation of the commercially available reconfigurable array processor IP (XPP from the company PACT XPP Technologies) in a radiation hardened technology.In the current complementary development phase funded under the Greek Industry Incentive scheme, it is planned to prototype the HPDP chip in commercial STM 65 nm technology. In addition it is also planned to utilise the preliminary radiation hardened components of this library wherever possible.This abstract gives an overview of the HPDP chip architecture, the basic details of the STM 65 nm process and the design flow foreseen for the prototyping. The paper will discuss the development and integration issues involved in using the STM 65 nm process (also including the available preliminary radiation hardened components) for designs targeted to be used in space applications.

Determining the phonon energy of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite by scanning tunneling microscope light emission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uehara, Yoichi; Michimata, Junichi; Watanabe, Shota; Katano, Satoshi; Inaoka, Takeshi

2018-03-01

We have investigated the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) light emission spectra of isolated single Ag nanoparticles lying on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The STM light emission spectra exhibited two types of spectral structures (step-like and periodic). Comparisons of the observed structures and theoretical predictions indicate that the phonon energy of the ZO mode of HOPG [M. Mohr et al., Phys. Rev. B 76, 035439 (2007)] can be determined from the energy difference between the cutoff of STM light emission and the step in the former structure, and from the period of the latter structure. Since the role of the Ag nanoparticles does not depend on the substrate materials, this method will enable the phonon energies of various materials to be measured by STM light emission spectroscopy. The spatial resolution is comparable to the lateral size of the individual Ag nanoparticles (that is, a few nm).

Nanoscale assembly of superconducting vortices with scanning tunnelling microscope tip

PubMed Central

Ge, Jun-Yi; Gladilin, Vladimir N.; Tempere, Jacques; Xue, Cun; Devreese, Jozef T.; Van de Vondel, Joris; Zhou, Youhe; Moshchalkov, Victor V.

2016-01-01

Vortices play a crucial role in determining the properties of superconductors as well as their applications. Therefore, characterization and manipulation of vortices, especially at the single-vortex level, is of great importance. Among many techniques to study single vortices, scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) stands out as a powerful tool, due to its ability to detect the local electronic states and high spatial resolution. However, local control of superconductivity as well as the manipulation of individual vortices with the STM tip is still lacking. Here we report a new function of the STM, namely to control the local pinning in a superconductor through the heating effect. Such effect allows us to quench the superconducting state at nanoscale, and leads to the growth of vortex clusters whose size can be controlled by the bias voltage. We also demonstrate the use of an STM tip to assemble single-quantum vortices into desired nanoscale configurations. PMID:27934960

Correlations between In Situ Conductivity and Uniform-Height Epitaxial Morphology in Pb / Si ( 1 1 1 ) ₋ ( 7 × 7 )

DOE PAGES

Jałochowski, M.; Zdyb, R.; Tringides, M. C.

2016-02-23

The growth of Pb on Si(111)-7x7 at temperatures from 72 K to 201 K has been investigated using in situ electrical resistivity measurements and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). For temperatures T>140 K the specific resistivity ρ(θ) vs coverage θ shows an unusual "hump", instead of the expected monotonic decrease with θ. This novel result correlates well with the formation of uniform height 8-layer Pb islands and the superdiffusive motion of the wetting layer, despite the low temperatures. A model of the film resistivity as two resistors in series, the amorphous wetting layer and the crystalline islands, explains quantitatively the resistivitymore » dependence on θ.« less

Superconductivity of lanthanum revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loeptien, Peter; Zhou, Lihui; Wiebe, Jens; Khajetoorians, Alexander Ako; Wiesendanger, Roland

2014-03-01

The thickness dependence of the superconductivity in clean hexagonal lanthanum films grown on tungsten (110) is studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS). Fitting of the measured spectra to BCS theory yields the superconducting energy gaps from which the critical temperatures are determined. For the case of thick, bulk-like films, the bulk energy gap and critical temperature of dhcp lanthanum turn out to be considerably higher as compared to values from the literature measured by other techniques. In thin films the superconductivity is quenched by the boundary condition for the superconducting wavefunction imposed by the substrate and surface, leading to a linear decrease of the superconducting transition temperature as a function of the inverse film thickness. This opens up the possibility to grow lanthanum films with defined superconducting properties.

Auditory short-term memory in the primate auditory cortex

PubMed Central

Scott, Brian H.; Mishkin, Mortimer

2015-01-01

Sounds are fleeting, and assembling the sequence of inputs at the ear into a coherent percept requires auditory memory across various time scales. Auditory short-term memory comprises at least two components: an active ‘working memory’ bolstered by rehearsal, and a sensory trace that may be passively retained. Working memory relies on representations recalled from long-term memory, and their rehearsal may require phonological mechanisms unique to humans. The sensory component, passive short-term memory (pSTM), is tractable to study in nonhuman primates, whose brain architecture and behavioral repertoire are comparable to our own. This review discusses recent advances in the behavioral and neurophysiological study of auditory memory with a focus on single-unit recordings from macaque monkeys performing delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) tasks. Monkeys appear to employ pSTM to solve these tasks, as evidenced by the impact of interfering stimuli on memory performance. In several regards, pSTM in monkeys resembles pitch memory in humans, and may engage similar neural mechanisms. Neural correlates of DMS performance have been observed throughout the auditory and prefrontal cortex, defining a network of areas supporting auditory STM with parallels to that supporting visual STM. These correlates include persistent neural firing, or a suppression of firing, during the delay period of the memory task, as well as suppression or (less commonly) enhancement of sensory responses when a sound is repeated as a ‘match’ stimulus. Auditory STM is supported by a distributed temporo-frontal network in which sensitivity to stimulus history is an intrinsic feature of auditory processing. PMID:26541581

STM investigations of Au(1 1 1) electrodes coated with vitamin B 12 derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szőcs, E.; Durrer, L.; Luginbühl, R.; Simic, N.; Viana, A. S.; Abrantes, L. M.; Keese, R.; Siegenthaler, H.

2006-01-01

Vitamin B 12 derivatives immobilized at flame-annealed Au(1 1 1) electrode surfaces have been investigated in close correlation with their structural properties and spatial arrangement at the electrode substrate by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in air and in aqueous 0.1 M NaClO 4 solution. The investigated compounds were symmetrical (B 12C 10S-SC 10B 12) and nonsymmetrical (B 12C 10S-SC 10) dialkyl disulfide derivatives of vitamin B 12, attached to the electrode surfaces by the S-Au bond. The ex situ and in situ STM experiments show the formation of a surface layer, whose packing density and structure is presumably controlled by the spatial arrangement of the large cobyrinate head groups. In presence of the symmetrical B 12 compound, a disordered surface layer is observed. Voltammetric investigations show that, in 0.1 M NaClO 4, this layer becomes unstable at potentials approximately ⩽ -1000 mV vs. MSE and is almost completely removed at more negative potentials. The STM imaging properties of the nonsymmetrical B 12 surface layer show a significant dependence on the tunneling distance. In particular, at small tunneling distances, a highly regular hexagonal surface pattern is observed that suggests strongly the presence of an ordered surface assembly. Modeling of the B 12 head group has been performed to provide information for a structure-related interpretation of the high-resolution STM images. The investigations are first STM results obtained at such B 12 modified electrodes.

Soluble thrombomodulin levels in plasma of multiple sclerosis patients and their implication.

PubMed

Festoff, Barry W; Li, Chaoyang; Woodhams, Barry; Lynch, Sharon

2012-12-15

Thrombomodulin (TM) on the cell-surface of cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CECs) is released into blood upon CEC damage. TM promotes activation of protein C (APC), an anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective molecule that protects CECs and impedes inflammatory cell migration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with CEC damage and BBB dysfunction. We evaluated soluble TM (sTM) levels as a biomarker of BBB integrity and whether glatiramer acetate (GA) influenced sTM levels in MS patients. sTM levels quantified by 2-site ELISA from sera of healthy controls and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (CEC-damage positive control) were compared with levels from patients with relapsing-remitting (RRMS) or secondary-progressive MS (SPMS), stratified as: RRMS/GA/no relapse, RRMS/GA/in relapse, RRMS no GA/no relapse, RRMS/no GA/in relapse; and SPMS/no GA. Additionally, soluble endothelial protein C receptor (sEPCR) levels were assessed in the non-stratified MS group, SLE patients, and controls. sTM levels were highest in RRMS patients taking GA with or without relapse, followed in decreasing order by SLE, RRMS/no GA/in relapse, SPMS, RRMS/no GA/no relapse, healthy controls. sEPCR levels were highest in MS patients, then SLE, then controls. sTM may be a useful biomarker of BBB integrity in RRMS patients. Further evaluation of sEPCR is needed. The finding that the highest sTM levels were in RRMS patients taking GA is interesting and warrants further investigation. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Whey protein isolate improves acid and bile tolerances of Streptococcus thermophilus ST-M5 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus LB-12.

PubMed

Vargas, Luis A; Olson, Douglas W; Aryana, Kayanush J

2015-04-01

Acid tolerance and bile tolerance are important probiotic characteristics. Whey proteins contain branched-chain amino acids, which play a role in muscle building and are popular among athletes. Increasing emphasis is being placed on diets containing less carbohydrate, less fat, and more protein. The effect of incremental additions of whey protein isolate (WPI) on probiotic characteristics of pure cultures is not known. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of added WPI on acid tolerance and bile tolerance of pure cultures of Streptococcus thermophilus ST-M5 and Lactobacillus bulgaricus LB-12. The WPI was used at 0 (control), 1, 2 and 3% (wt/vol). Assessment of acid tolerance was conducted on pure cultures at 30-min intervals for 2h of acid exposure and bile tolerance at 1-h intervals for 5h of bile exposure. Use of 1, 2, and 3% WPI improved acid tolerance of Strep. thermophilus ST-M5 and Lb. bulgaricus LB-12. The highest counts for acid tolerance of Strep. thermophilus ST-M5 and Lb. bulgaricus LB-12 were obtained when 3% WPI was used. Use of 2 and 3% WPI improved bile tolerance of Strep. thermophilus ST-M5 and Lb. bulgaricus LB-12 over 5h of bile exposure. The use of WPI is recommended to improve acid and bile tolerance of the yogurt culture bacteria Strep. thermophilus ST-M5 and Lb. bulgaricus LB-12. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The combinatorial effect of different Equex STM paste concentrations, cryoprotectants and the straw-freezing methods on the post-thaw boar semen quality.

PubMed

Wu, T-W; Cheng, F-P; Chen, I-H; Yang, C-H; Tsai, M-Y; Chang, M-H; Wang, J-H; Wu, J-T

2013-02-01

This study was to evaluate the combinatorial effect (14 treatments, A-N) of different Equex STM paste concentrations, cryoprotectants and the straw-freezing method on the post-thaw boar semen quality. Two ejaculates were collected from each of nine boars (three boars from each of three breeds). Semen was diluted in extenders with different concentrations of Equex STM paste and different cryoprotectants [glycerol or dimethylacetamide (DMA)] before cryopreserving via liquid nitrogen or dry ice. Motility, viability, percentage of spermatozoa with intense acrosomal staining and with normal morphology of post-thaw sperm were evaluated. The qualities of thawed semen were best preserved in treatment H (extender with 0.5% Equex STM paste and 5% glycerol and freezing by dry ice) and were worst in treatment B (extender with 0% Equex STM paste and 5% DMA and freezing by dry ice). Significant difference (p < 0.05) was present in post-thawed sperm motility (63% vs 27%), sperm viability (70% vs 33%) and sperm acrosomal integrity rate (68% vs 29%) between treatments H and B. However, sperm proportion with normal morphology showed no significant difference among treatments (66% vs 66%; p > 0.05). Moreover, statistical analysis suggests that no significant difference was present in semen quality among breed or individual donors (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that Equex STM paste improved the cryosurvival efficiency of boar sperm, and the favourable straw-freezing method changes between glycerol and DMA. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

A meta-analysis of working memory impairments in survivors of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Dunning, Darren L; Westgate, Briony; Adlam, Anna-Lynne R

2016-10-01

To establish the magnitude of deficits in working memory (WM) and short-term memory (STM) in those with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) relative to age-matched, healthy controls and to explore the moderating effects of time since injury and age at injury on these impairments. Twenty-one studies that compared the WM and/or STM abilities of individuals with at least a moderate TBI relative to healthy controls were included in a random effects meta-analysis. Measures used to examine memory performance were categorized by modality (visuospatial, verbal) and memory system (WM, STM). Individuals with TBI had significant deficits in verbal STM (Cohen's d = .41), visuospatial WM (Cohen's d = .69), and verbal WM (Cohen's d = .37) relative to controls. Greater decrements in verbal STM and verbal WM skills were associated with longer time postinjury. Larger deficits were observed in verbal WM abilities in individuals with older age at injury. Evidence for WM impairments following TBI is consistent with previous research. Larger verbal STM and verbal WM deficits were related to a longer time postinjury, suggesting that these aspects of memory do not "recover" over time and instead, individuals might show increased rates of cognitive decline. Age at injury was associated with the severity of verbal WM impairments, with larger deficits evident for injuries that occurred later in life. Further research needs to chart the long-term effects of TBI on WM and to compare the effects of injury on verbal relative to visuospatial memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

EDITORIAL: Three decades of scanning tunnelling microscopy that changed the course of surface science Three decades of scanning tunnelling microscopy that changed the course of surface science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandra Rao, M. S.; Margaritondo, Giorgio

2011-11-01

Three decades ago, with a tiny tip of platinum, the scientific world saw the real space imaging of single atoms with unprecedented spatial resolution. This signalled the birth of one of the most versatile surface probes, based on the physics of quantum mechanical tunnelling: the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). Invented in 1981 by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer of IBM, Zurich, it led to their award of the 1986 Nobel Prize. Atoms, once speculated to be abstract entities used by theoreticians for mere calculations, can be seen to exist for real with the nano-eye of an STM tip that also gives real-space images of molecules and adsorbed complexes on surfaces. From a very fundamental perspective, the STM changed the course of surface science and engineering. STM also emerged as a powerful tool to study various fundamental phenomena relevant to the properties of surfaces in technological applications such as tribology, medical implants, catalysis, sensors and biology—besides elucidating the importance of local bonding geometries and defects, non-periodic structures and the co-existence of nano-scale phases. Atom-level probing, once considered a dream, has seen the light with the evolution of STM. An important off-shoot of STM was the atomic force microscope (AFM) for surface mapping of insulating samples. Then followed the development of a flurry of techniques under the general name of scanning probe microscopy (SPM). These techniques (STM, AFM, MFM, PFM etc) designed for atomic-scale-resolution imaging and spectroscopy, have led to brand new developments in surface analysis. All of these novel methods enabled researchers in recent years to image and analyse complex surfaces on microscopic and nanoscopic scales. All of them utilize a small probe for sensing the surface. The invention of AFM by Gerd Binnig, Calvin Quate and Christopher Gerber opened up new opportunities for characterization of a variety of materials, and various industrial applications could be envisaged. AFM observations of thin-film surfaces give us a picture of surface topography and morphology and any visible defects. The growing importance of ultra-thin films for magnetic recording in hard disk drive systems requires an in-depth understanding of the fundamental mechanisms occurring during growth. This special issue of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics covers all of the different aspects of SPM that illustrate the achievements of this methodology: nanoscale imaging and mapping (Chiang, and Douillard and Charra), piezoresponse force microscopy (Soergel) and STM engineering (Okuyama and Hamada, and Huang et al). Chiang takes the reader on a journey along the STM imaging of atoms and molecules on surfaces. Jesse and Kalinin explore the band excitations that occur during the corresponding processes. Jia et al propose STM and molecular beam epitaxy as a winning experimental combination at the interface of science and technology. Douillard and Charra describe the high-resolution mapping of plasmonic modes using photoemission and scanning tunnelling microscopy. Cricenti et al demonstrate the importance of SPM in material science and biology. Wiebe et al have probed atomic scale magnetism, revealed by spin polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy. In addition, Simon et al present Fourier transform scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and the possibility to obtain constant energy maps and band dispersion using local measurements. Lackinger and Heckl give a perspective of the use of STM to study covalent intermolecular coupling reactions on surfaces. Okuyama and Hamada investigated hydrogen bond imaging and engineering with STM. Soergel describes the study of substrate-dependent self-assembled CuPc molecules using piezo force microscope (PFM). We are very grateful to the authors and reviewers for the papers in this special issue of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. Their contributions have provided a comprehensive picture of the evolution, status and potential of scanning probe microscopy, conveying to the readers the full excitement of this forefront domain of physics.

Adsorption and Photodesorption of CO from Charged Point Defects on TiO 2 (110)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mu, Rentao; Dahal, Arjun; Wang, Zhi-Tao

Adsorption and photodesorption of weakly-bound carbon monoxide, CO, from reduced and hydroxylated rutile TiO2(110) (r- and h- TiO2(110)) at sub-monolayer coverages is studied with atomically-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) along with ensemble-averaged temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and angle-resolved photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) at low temperatures ( 50 K). STM data weighted by the concentration of each kind of adsorption sites on r-TiO2(110) give an adsorption probability which is the highest for the bridging oxygen vacancies (VO) and very low for the Ti5c sites closest to VO. Occupancy of the remaining Ti5c sites with CO is significant, but smaller than for VO. Themore » probability distribution for the different adsorption sites corresponds to a very small difference in CO adsorption energies: < 0.02 eV. We also find that UV irradiation stimulates both diffusion and desorption of CO at low temperature. CO photodesorbs primarily from the vacancies with a bi-modal angular distribution. In addition to a major, normal to the surface component, there is a broader cosine component indicating scattering from the surface which likely also leads to photo-stimulated diffusion. Hydroxylation of VO’s does not significantly change the CO PSD yield and angular distribution, indicating that not atomic but rather electronic surface defects are involved in the site-specific PSD process. We suggest that photodesorption can be initiated by recombination of photo-generated holes with excess unpaired electrons localized near the surface point-defect (either VO or bridging hydroxyl), leading to the surface atoms rearrangement and ejection of the weakly-bound CO molecules.« less

Transfer of Information from Short- to Long-Term Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Modigliani, Vito; Seamon, John G.

1974-01-01

The present study examined current hypotheses concerning information transfer from short-term memory (STM) to long-term memory (LTM) using a Peterson STM task with word triplets presented over retention intervals of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 18 sec. (Editor)

Manipulating, Reacting, and Constructing Single Molecules with a Scanning Tunneling Microscope Tip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hla, S.-W.

The fascinating advances in atom and molecule manipulation with the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip allow scientists to fabricate artificial atomic scale structures, to study local quantum phenomena, or to probe physical and chemical properties of single atoms and molecules on surfaces. Recent achievements in individual synthesis of single molecules with the STM tip further open up an entirely new opportunities in nanoscience and technology. The STM manipulation techniques usef ul in the molecular construction are reviewed and prospects for future opportunities of single molecule chemical engineering and their possible implications to nano-scale science and technology are discussed.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Access: STM Publishing Today

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, Kathleen

Electronic publishing is changing the fundamentals of the entire printing/delivery/archive system that has served as the distribution mechanism for scientific research over the last century and a half. The merger-mania of the last 20 years, preprint pools, and publishers' licensing and journals-bundling plans are among the phenomena impacting the scientific information field. Science-Technology-Medical (STM) publishing is experiencing a period of intense consolidation and reorganization. This paper gives an overview of the economic factors fueling these trends, the major STM publishers, and the government regulatory bodies that referee this industry in Europe, Canada, and the USA.

pSTM6-275, a Conjugative IncHI2 Plasmid of Salmonella enterica That Confers Antibiotic and Heavy-Metal Resistance under Changing Physiological Conditions.

PubMed

Billman-Jacobe, Helen; Liu, Yuhong; Haites, Ruth; Weaver, Tom; Robinson, Lily; Marenda, Marc; Dyall-Smith, Mike

2018-05-01

Detailed annotation of an IncHI2 plasmid, pSTM6-275, from Salmonella enterica serotype 1,4,5,12:i:- strain TW-Stm6 revealed a composite structure, including antimicrobial resistance genes on mobile genetic elements. The plasmid was thermosensitive for transfer to Escherichia coli and conferred reduced susceptibility to antibiotics, copper sulfate, and silver nitrate. Metal ion susceptibility was dependent on physiological conditions, giving an insight into the environments where this trait might confer a fitness advantage. Copyright © 2018 Billman-Jacobe et al.

Marvels and Shadows: Science and Education at the University of Puerto Rico School of Tropical Medicine under the Auspices of Columbia University: An Introduction.

PubMed

Mayo-Santana, Raúl; Rabionet, Silvia E; Peña-Carro, Lucy; Serrano, Adelfa E

2016-06-01

This essay introduces a series of five historical articles on the scientific and educational contributions of the University of Puerto Rico School of Tropical Medicine (STM), under the auspices of Columbia University (1926-1949), to the fields of tropical medicine and public health. The articles will appear in several consecutive issues, and will address various themes as follows: 1) historical antecedents of the STM, particularly institutional precedents; 2) the educational legacy of the STM; 3) a history of the STM scientific journal ("The Puerto Rico Journal of Public Health and Tropical Medicine"); 4) the scientific practices and representations that prevailed at the institution; and, 5) a brief sociocultural history of malaria in Puerto Rico, mainly from the perspective of the STM's scientific and public health activities. The authors have systematically and comprehensively studied a wide variety of documents from different sources based on multiple archives in Puerto Rico, the United States and England. The authors treat the fluid meanings of the examined historical encounters from a research perspective that privilege complex reciprocal interactions, multiple adaptations and elaborate sociocultural constructs present in a collaborative exemplar of the modernity of medical science in a neocolonial tropical context.

Encoding, rehearsal, and recall in signers and speakers: shared network but differential engagement.

PubMed

Bavelier, D; Newman, A J; Mukherjee, M; Hauser, P; Kemeny, S; Braun, A; Boutla, M

2008-10-01

Short-term memory (STM), or the ability to hold verbal information in mind for a few seconds, is known to rely on the integrity of a frontoparietal network of areas. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to ask whether a similar network is engaged when verbal information is conveyed through a visuospatial language, American Sign Language, rather than speech. Deaf native signers and hearing native English speakers performed a verbal recall task, where they had to first encode a list of letters in memory, maintain it for a few seconds, and finally recall it in the order presented. The frontoparietal network described to mediate STM in speakers was also observed in signers, with its recruitment appearing independent of the modality of the language. This finding supports the view that signed and spoken STM rely on similar mechanisms. However, deaf signers and hearing speakers differentially engaged key structures of the frontoparietal network as the stages of STM unfold. In particular, deaf signers relied to a greater extent than hearing speakers on passive memory storage areas during encoding and maintenance, but on executive process areas during recall. This work opens new avenues for understanding similarities and differences in STM performance in signers and speakers.

Encoding, Rehearsal, and Recall in Signers and Speakers: Shared Network but Differential Engagement

PubMed Central

Newman, A. J.; Mukherjee, M.; Hauser, P.; Kemeny, S.; Braun, A.; Boutla, M.

2008-01-01

Short-term memory (STM), or the ability to hold verbal information in mind for a few seconds, is known to rely on the integrity of a frontoparietal network of areas. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to ask whether a similar network is engaged when verbal information is conveyed through a visuospatial language, American Sign Language, rather than speech. Deaf native signers and hearing native English speakers performed a verbal recall task, where they had to first encode a list of letters in memory, maintain it for a few seconds, and finally recall it in the order presented. The frontoparietal network described to mediate STM in speakers was also observed in signers, with its recruitment appearing independent of the modality of the language. This finding supports the view that signed and spoken STM rely on similar mechanisms. However, deaf signers and hearing speakers differentially engaged key structures of the frontoparietal network as the stages of STM unfold. In particular, deaf signers relied to a greater extent than hearing speakers on passive memory storage areas during encoding and maintenance, but on executive process areas during recall. This work opens new avenues for understanding similarities and differences in STM performance in signers and speakers. PMID:18245041

Reduced Short-Term Memory Span in Aphasia and Susceptibility to Interference: Contribution of Material-Specific Maintenance Deficits

PubMed Central

Barde, Laura H.F.; Schwartz, Myrna F.; Chrysikou, Evangelia G.; Thompson-Schill, Sharon L.

2010-01-01

Semantic short-term memory (STM) deficits have been traditionally defined as an inability to maintain semantic representations over a delay (R. Martin, Shelton & Yaffee, 1994). Yet some patients with semantic STM deficits make numerous intrusions of items from previously presented lists, thus presenting an interesting paradox: Why should an inability to maintain semantic representations produce an increase in intrusions from earlier lists? In this study, we investigated the relationship between maintenance deficits and susceptibility to interference in a group of 20 aphasic patients characterized with weak semantic or weak phonological STM. Patients and matched control participants performed a modified item-recognition task designed to elicit semantic or phonological interference from list items located one, two, or three trials back (Hamilton & R. Martin, 2007). Controls demonstrated significant effects of interference in both versions of the task. Interference in patients was predicted by the type and severity of their STM deficit; that is, shorter semantic spans were associated with greater semantic interference and shorter phonological spans were associated with greater phonological interference. We interpret these results through a new perspective, the reactivation hypothesis, and we discuss their importance for accounts emphasizing the contribution of maintenance mechanisms for STM impairments in aphasia as well as susceptibility to interference. PMID:19925813

STM/BP-Like KNOXI Is Uncoupled from ARP in the Regulation of Compound Leaf Development in Medicago truncatula[C][W][OPEN

PubMed Central

Zhou, Chuanen; Han, Lu; Li, Guifen; Chai, Maofeng; Fu, Chunxiang; Cheng, Xiaofei; Wen, Jiangqi; Tang, Yuhong; Wang, Zeng-Yu

2014-01-01

Class I KNOTTED-like homeobox (KNOXI) genes are critical for the maintenance of the shoot apical meristem. The expression domain of KNOXI is regulated by ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1/ROUGHSHEATH2/PHANTASTICA (ARP) genes, which are associated with leaf morphology. In the inverted repeat-lacking clade (IRLC) of Fabaceae, the orthologs of LEAFY (LFY) function in place of KNOXI to regulate compound leaf development. Here, we characterized loss-of-function mutants of ARP (PHAN) and SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM)- and BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP)-like KNOXI in the model IRLC legume species Medicago truncatula. The function of ARP genes is species specific. The repression of STM/BP-like KNOXI genes in leaves is not mediated by PHAN, and no suppression of PHAN by STM/BP-like KNOXI genes was observed either, indicating that STM/BP-like KNOXI genes are uncoupled from PHAN in M. truncatula. Furthermore, comparative analyses of phenotypic output in response to ectopic expression of KNOXI and the M. truncatula LFY ortholog, SINGLE LEAFLET1 (SGL1), reveal that KNOXI and SGL1 regulate parallel pathways in leaf development. We propose that SGL1 probably functions in a stage-specific manner in the regulation of the indeterminate state of developing leaves in M. truncatula. PMID:24781113

Single-layer ZnS supported on Au(111): A combined XPS, LEED, STM and DFT study

DOE PAGES

Deng, Xingyi; Sorescu, Dan C.; Lee, Junseok

2016-12-31

Single-layer of ZnS, consisting of one atomic layer of ZnS(111) plane, has been grown on Au(111) and characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). While the LEED measurement indicates a coincidence structure of ZnS-(3×3)/Au(111)-(4×4), high resolution STM images reveal hexagonal unit cells of 6.7×6.7 Å 2 and 11.6×11.6 Å 2, corresponding to √3 and 3 times the unit cell of the ideal zincblende ZnS-(1×1), respectively, depending on the tunneling conditions. Calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) indicate a significantly reconstructed non-planar structure of ZnS single-layer on Au(111) with 2/3 ofmore » the S anions being located nearly in the plane of the Zn cations and the rest 1/3 of the S anions protruding above the Zn plane. In conclusion, the calculated STM image shows similar characteristics to those of the experimental STM image. Additionally, the DFT calculations reveal the different bonding nature of the S anions in ZnS single-layer supported on Au(111).« less

Refinement of Strut-and-Tie Model for Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams

PubMed Central

Panjehpour, Mohammad; Chai, Hwa Kian; Voo, Yen Lei

2015-01-01

Deep beams are commonly used in tall buildings, offshore structures, and foundations. According to many codes and standards, strut-and-tie model (STM) is recommended as a rational approach for deep beam analyses. This research focuses on the STM recommended by ACI 318-11 and AASHTO LRFD and uses experimental results to modify the strut effectiveness factor in STM for reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams. This study aims to refine STM through the strut effectiveness factor and increase result accuracy. Six RC deep beams with different shear span to effective-depth ratios (a/d) of 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, and 2.00 were experimentally tested under a four-point bending set-up. The ultimate shear strength of deep beams obtained from non-linear finite element modeling and STM recommended by ACI 318-11 as well as AASHTO LRFD (2012) were compared with the experimental results. An empirical equation was proposed to modify the principal tensile strain value in the bottle-shaped strut of deep beams. The equation of the strut effectiveness factor from AASHTTO LRFD was then modified through the aforementioned empirical equation. An investigation on the failure mode and crack propagation in RC deep beams subjected to load was also conducted. PMID:26110268

STM imaging ortho- and para-fluorothiophenol self-assembled monolayers on Au(111).

PubMed

Jiang, Peng; Deng, Ke; Fichou, Denis; Xie, Si-Shen; Nion, Aymeric; Wang, Chen

2009-05-05

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of para- and ortho-fluorothiophenol (p- and o-FTP) spontaneously formed on Au(111) substrate have been contrasted through investigation by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) at room temperature. High-resolution STM imaging reveals that p-FTP adopts a 6 x radical3R30 degrees molecule arrangement containing six molecules. Two different kinds of p-FTP molecule dimer line structures have been formed on Au(111) by intermolecular pi-pi stacking along 112 substrate directions, besides a single p-FTP molecule line. In contrast, o-FTP molecules self-assemble into a much looser wave-like SAM, which can be described as a 5 x 3 radical3R30 degrees structure containing two molecules. Periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the two systems suggest that these kinds of FTP molecules preferentially take the asymmetrical positions between 3-fold face-centered cubic (fcc) hollow and bridge sites on Au(111), tilting from the substrate surface. Theoretical simulation gives apparent average tilted angles of 58 degrees and 68 degrees for p-FTP and o-FTP with respect to the surface normal, respectively. This simulation shows that o-FTP is more inclined to lie down toward the Au(111) surface compared to p-FTP. The difference between p-FTP and o-FTP SAM structures can be qualitatively understood in terms of the variation of intermolecular dipole-dipole orientation. This suggests that, besides well-known Au-S and pi-pi interactions, electrostatic interactions including dipole-dipole, quadrupole-quadrupole, and dipole-quadrupole interactions might also play an important role in influencing the SAM structures formed by aromatic thiols with a permanent dipole moment.

Diffusion of hydrogen interstitials in the near-surface region of Pd(111) under the influence of surface coverage and external static electric fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blanco-Rey, M.; Donostia International Physics Center; Tremblay, J. C.

2015-04-21

Past scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments of H manipulation on Pd(111), at low temperature, have shown that it is possible to induce diffusion of surface species as well as of those deeply buried under the surface. Several questions remain open regarding the role of subsurface site occupancies. In the present work, the interaction potential of H atoms with Pd(111) under various H coverage conditions is determined by means of density functional theory calculations in order to provide an answer to two of these questions: (i) whether subsurface sites are the final locations for the H impurities that attempt to emergemore » from bulk regions, and (ii) whether penetration of the surface is a competing route of on-surface diffusion during depletion of surface H on densely covered Pd(111). We find that a high H coverage has the effect of blocking resurfacing of H atoms travelling from below, which would otherwise reach the surface fcc sites, but it hardly alters deeper diffusion energy barriers. Penetration is unlikely and restricted to high occupancies of hcp hollows. In agreement with experiments, the Pd lattice expands vertically as a consequence of H atoms being blocked at subsurface sites, and surface H enhances this expansion. STM tip effects are included in the calculations self-consistently as an external static electric field. The main contribution to the induced surface electric dipoles originates from the Pd substrate polarisability. We find that the electric field has a non-negligible effect on the H-Pd potential in the vicinity of the topmost Pd atomic layer, yet typical STM intensities of 1-2 VÅ{sup −1} are insufficient to invert the stabilities of the surface and subsurface equilibrium sites.« less

Prevalence and diagnostic validity of motivational impairments and deficits in visuospatial short-term memory and working memory in ADHD subtypes.

PubMed

Dovis, Sebastiaan; Van der Oord, Saskia; Huizenga, Hilde M; Wiers, Reinout W; Prins, Pier J M

2015-05-01

Deficits in working memory (WM) and reinforcement sensitivity are thought to give rise to symptoms in the combined (ADHD-C) and inattentive subtype (ADHD-I) of ADHD. Children with ADHD are especially impaired on visuospatial WM, which is composed of short-term memory (STM) and a central executive. Although deficits in visuospatial WM and reinforcement sensitivity appear characteristic of children with ADHD on a group-level, the prevalence and diagnostic validity of these impairments is still largely unknown. Moreover, studies investigating this did not control for the interaction between motivational impairments and cognitive performance in children with ADHD, and did not differentiate between ADHD subtypes. Visuospatial WM and STM tasks were administered in a standard (feedback-only) and a high-reinforcement (feedback + 10 euros) condition, to 86 children with ADHD-C, 27 children with ADHD-I (restrictive subtype), and 62 typically developing controls (aged 8-12). Reinforcement sensitivity was indexed as the difference in performance between the reinforcement conditions. WM and STM impairments were most prevalent in ADHD-C. In ADHD-I, only WM impairments, not STM impairments, were more prevalent than in controls. Motivational impairments were not common (22% impaired) and equally prevalent in both subtypes. Memory and motivation were found to represent independent neuropsychological domains. Impairment on WM, STM, and/or motivation was associated with more inattention symptoms, medication-use, and lower IQ scores. Similar results were found for analyses of diagnostic validity. The majority of children with ADHD-C is impaired on visuospatial WM. In ADHD-I, STM impairments are not more common than in controls. Within both ADHD subtypes only a minority has an abnormal sensitivity to reinforcement.

Surgeon-tailored polypropylene mesh as a needleless single-incision sling versus TVT-O for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence: a comparative study.

PubMed

ElSheemy, Mohammed S; Fathy, Hesham; Hussein, Hussein A; Hussein, Eman A; Hassan, Sarah Mohamed

2015-06-01

To compare safety and efficacy of surgeon-tailored polypropylene mesh through needleless single-incision technique (STM) versus tension-free vaginal tape-obturator (TVT-O) aiming to decrease cost of treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This is important in developing countries due to limited healthcare resources. A retrospective cohort study was done at Urology and Gynecology Departments (dual-center), Cairo University, from January 2011 to August 2013. STM was inserted in 72 females, while TVT-O was inserted in 48 females. Females evaluated by cough stress test, stress and urge incontinence quality of life questionnaire (SUIQQ), Q max and abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP) were included. Different factors were compared between both groups using paired t, Wilcoxon's signed rank, McNemar, Chi-square, Fisher's exact, independent t or Mann-Whitney tests. Age, parity, previous surgeries, ALPP, intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD), associated prolapse and associated prolapse repair were comparable in both groups. No significant difference was found between both groups in postoperative complications (except groin pain), cure, SUIQQ indices improvement and Q max decline. In total, 65 (90 %) cured, 6 (8 %) improved while failure was detected in one (1 %) patient in STM group, while 42 (87 %) cured, 4 (8 %) improved and failure was detected in two (4 %) patients in TVT-O group. Presence of ISD (p = 0.565), urgency (p = 0.496), UUI (p = 0.531), previous surgeries (p = 0.345), associated urogenital prolapse (p = 0.218) or associated prolapse repair (p = 0.592) did not lead to any significant difference in outcome between both groups. Cost of mesh decreased from US$500 (TVT-O) to US$10 (STM). Outcome of STM is comparable to TVT-O. Furthermore, STM is more economic.

Increase in short-term memory capacity induced by down-regulating individual theta frequency via transcranial alternating current stimulation.

PubMed

Vosskuhl, Johannes; Huster, René J; Herrmann, Christoph S

2015-01-01

Working memory (WM) and short-term memory (STM) supposedly rely on the phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) of neural oscillations in the theta and gamma frequency ranges. The ratio between the individually dominant gamma and theta frequencies is believed to determine an individual's memory capacity. The aim of this study was to establish a causal relationship between the gamma/theta ratio and WM/STM capacity by means of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). To achieve this, tACS was delivered at a frequency below the individual theta frequency. Thereby the individual ratio of gamma to theta frequencies was changed, resulting in an increase of STM capacity. Healthy human participants (N = 33) were allocated to two groups, one receiving verum tACS, the other underwent a sham control protocol. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was measured before stimulation and analyzed with regard to the properties of PAC between theta and gamma frequencies to determine individual stimulation frequencies. After stimulation, EEG was recorded again in order to find after-effects of tACS in the oscillatory features of the EEG. Measures of STM and WM were obtained before, during and after stimulation. Frequency spectra and behavioral data were compared between groups and different measurement phases. The tACS- but not the sham stimulated group showed an increase in STM capacity during stimulation. WM was not affected in either groups. An increase in task-related theta amplitude after stimulation was observed only for the tACS group. These augmented theta amplitudes indicated that the manipulation of individual theta frequencies was successful and caused the increase in STM capacity.

Longitudinal and concurrent links between memory span, anxiety symptoms, and subsequent executive functioning in young children

PubMed Central

Visu-Petra, Laura; Stanciu, Oana; Benga, Oana; Miclea, Mircea; Cheie, Lavinia

2014-01-01

It has been conjectured that basic individual differences in attentional control influence higher-level executive functioning and subsequent academic performance in children. The current study sets out to complement the limited body of research on early precursors of executive functions (EFs). It provides both a cross-sectional, as well as a longitudinal exploration of the relationship between EF and more basic attentional control mechanisms, assessed via children's performance on memory storage tasks, and influenced by individual differences in anxiety. Multiple measures of verbal and visuospatial short-term memory (STM) were administered to children between 3 and 6 years old, alongside a non-verbal measure of intelligence, and a parental report of anxiety symptoms. After 9 months, children were re-tested on the same STM measures, at which time we also administered multiple measures of executive functioning: verbal and visuospatial working memory (WM), inhibition, and shifting. A cross-sectional view of STM development indicated that between 3 and 6 years the trajectory of visuospatial STM and EF underwent a gradual linear improvement. However, between 5 and 6 years progress in verbal STM performance stagnated. Hierarchical regression models revealed that trait anxiety was negatively associated with WM and shifting, while non-verbal intelligence was positively related to WM span. When age, gender, non-verbal intelligence, and anxiety were controlled for, STM (measured at the first assessment) was a very good predictor of overall executive performance. The models were most successful in predicting WM, followed by shifting, yet poorly predicted inhibition measures. Further longitudinal research is needed to directly address the contribution of attentional control mechanisms to emerging executive functioning and to the development of problematic behavior during early development. PMID:24904462

Domain-Generality of Timing-Based Serial Order Processes in Short-Term Memory: New Insights from Musical and Verbal Domains

PubMed Central

Kowialiewski, Benjamin; Majerus, Steve

2016-01-01

Several models in the verbal domain of short-term memory (STM) consider a dissociation between item and order processing. This view is supported by data demonstrating that different types of time-based interference have a greater effect on memory for the order of to-be-remembered items than on memory for the items themselves. The present study investigated the domain-generality of the item versus serial order dissociation by comparing the differential effects of time-based interfering tasks, such as rhythmic interference and articulatory suppression, on item and order processing in verbal and musical STM domains. In Experiment 1, participants had to maintain sequences of verbal or musical information in STM, followed by a probe sequence, this under different conditions of interference (no-interference, rhythmic interference, articulatory suppression). They were required to decide whether all items of the probe list matched those of the memory list (item condition) or whether the order of the items in the probe sequence matched the order in the memory list (order condition). In Experiment 2, participants performed a serial order probe recognition task for verbal and musical sequences ensuring sequential maintenance processes, under no-interference or rhythmic interference conditions. For Experiment 1, serial order recognition was not significantly more impacted by interfering tasks than was item recognition, this for both verbal and musical domains. For Experiment 2, we observed selective interference of the rhythmic interference condition on both musical and verbal order STM tasks. Overall, the results suggest a similar and selective sensitivity to time-based interference for serial order STM in verbal and musical domains, but only when the STM tasks ensure sequential maintenance processes. PMID:27992565

Domain-Generality of Timing-Based Serial Order Processes in Short-Term Memory: New Insights from Musical and Verbal Domains.

PubMed

Gorin, Simon; Kowialiewski, Benjamin; Majerus, Steve

2016-01-01

Several models in the verbal domain of short-term memory (STM) consider a dissociation between item and order processing. This view is supported by data demonstrating that different types of time-based interference have a greater effect on memory for the order of to-be-remembered items than on memory for the items themselves. The present study investigated the domain-generality of the item versus serial order dissociation by comparing the differential effects of time-based interfering tasks, such as rhythmic interference and articulatory suppression, on item and order processing in verbal and musical STM domains. In Experiment 1, participants had to maintain sequences of verbal or musical information in STM, followed by a probe sequence, this under different conditions of interference (no-interference, rhythmic interference, articulatory suppression). They were required to decide whether all items of the probe list matched those of the memory list (item condition) or whether the order of the items in the probe sequence matched the order in the memory list (order condition). In Experiment 2, participants performed a serial order probe recognition task for verbal and musical sequences ensuring sequential maintenance processes, under no-interference or rhythmic interference conditions. For Experiment 1, serial order recognition was not significantly more impacted by interfering tasks than was item recognition, this for both verbal and musical domains. For Experiment 2, we observed selective interference of the rhythmic interference condition on both musical and verbal order STM tasks. Overall, the results suggest a similar and selective sensitivity to time-based interference for serial order STM in verbal and musical domains, but only when the STM tasks ensure sequential maintenance processes.

Scanning tunneling microscopy, orbital-mediated tunneling spectroscopy, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy of metal(II) tetraphenylporphyrins deposited from vapor.

PubMed

Scudiero, L; Barlow, D E; Mazur, U; Hipps, K W

2001-05-02

Thin films of vapor-deposited Ni(II) and Co(II) complexes of tetraphenylporphyrin (NiTPP and CoTPP) were studied supported on gold and embedded in Al-Al(2)O(3)-MTPP-Pb tunnel diodes, where M = Ni or Co. Thin films deposited onto polycrystalline gold were analyzed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) using He I radiation. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and orbital-mediated tunneling spectroscopy (STM-OMTS) were performed on submonolayer films of CoTPP and NiTPP supported on Au(111). Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) and OMTS were measured in conventional tunnel diode structures. The highest occupied pi molecular orbital of the porphyrin ring was seen in both STM-OMTS and UPS at about 6.4 eV below the vacuum level. The lowest unoccupied pi molecular orbital of the porphyrin ring was observed by STM-OMTS and by IETS-OMTS to be located near 3.4 eV below the vacuum level. The OMTS spectra of CoTPP had a band near 5.2 eV (below the vacuum level) that was attributed to transient oxidation of the central Co(II) ion. That is, it is due to electron OMT via the half-filled d(z)(2) orbital present in Co(II) of CoTPP. The NiTPP OMTS spectra show no such band, consistent with the known difficulty of oxidation of the Ni(II) ion. The STM-based OMTS allowed these two porphyrin complexes to be easily distinguished. The present work is the first report of the observation of STM-OMTS, tunnel junction OMTS, and UPS of the same compounds. Scanning tunneling microscope-based orbital-mediated tunneling provides more information than UPS or tunnel junction-based OMTS and does so with molecular-scale resolution.

Auditory short-term memory in the primate auditory cortex.

PubMed

Scott, Brian H; Mishkin, Mortimer

2016-06-01

Sounds are fleeting, and assembling the sequence of inputs at the ear into a coherent percept requires auditory memory across various time scales. Auditory short-term memory comprises at least two components: an active ׳working memory' bolstered by rehearsal, and a sensory trace that may be passively retained. Working memory relies on representations recalled from long-term memory, and their rehearsal may require phonological mechanisms unique to humans. The sensory component, passive short-term memory (pSTM), is tractable to study in nonhuman primates, whose brain architecture and behavioral repertoire are comparable to our own. This review discusses recent advances in the behavioral and neurophysiological study of auditory memory with a focus on single-unit recordings from macaque monkeys performing delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) tasks. Monkeys appear to employ pSTM to solve these tasks, as evidenced by the impact of interfering stimuli on memory performance. In several regards, pSTM in monkeys resembles pitch memory in humans, and may engage similar neural mechanisms. Neural correlates of DMS performance have been observed throughout the auditory and prefrontal cortex, defining a network of areas supporting auditory STM with parallels to that supporting visual STM. These correlates include persistent neural firing, or a suppression of firing, during the delay period of the memory task, as well as suppression or (less commonly) enhancement of sensory responses when a sound is repeated as a ׳match' stimulus. Auditory STM is supported by a distributed temporo-frontal network in which sensitivity to stimulus history is an intrinsic feature of auditory processing. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Auditory working memory. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Spectroscopic properties and STM images of carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubio, A.

We present a theoretical study of the role of the local environment in the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes: isolated single- and multi-wall nanotubes, nanotube ropes, tubes supported on gold and cut to finite length. Interaction with the substrate or with other tubes does not alter the scanning tunneling microscopy patterns (STM) observed for isolated tubes. A finite-length nanotube shows standing-wave patterns that can be completely characterized by a set of four different three-dimensional shapes. These patterns are understood in terms of a simple π-electron tight-binding (TB) model. STM-topographic images of topological defects ani (pentagon/heptagon pair) and tube caps have also been studied. In both cases the image obtained depends on the sign of the applied voltage and can be described in terms of the previous catalog of STM images (interference between electronic waves scattered by the defect). We have also computed the electronic density of states for isolated tubes with different chiralities and radii, confirming a correlation between the peak structure in the DOS and nanotube diameter. However, the metallic plateau in the DOS also depends on the nanotube chirality. Furthermore the conduction an valence band structures are not fully symmetrical to one another. This anisotropy shows up in the DOS and indicates the limitations of the π-TB model in describing spectroscopic data. In contrast to STM images, here the interaction with the substrate does modify the energy levels of the nanotube. We observe opening of small pseudogaps around the Fermi level and broadening of the sharp van Hove singularities of the isolated single-walled nanotubes that can be used to extract useful information about the tube structure and bonding. The combination of STM and spectroscopic studies provides a new way to address the electronic and structural properties of carbon and composite nanotubes.

Reading Comprehension in Boys with ADHD: The Mediating Roles of Working Memory and Orthographic Conversion.

PubMed

Friedman, Lauren M; Rapport, Mark D; Raiker, Joseph S; Orban, Sarah A; Eckrich, Samuel J

2017-02-01

Reading comprehension difficulties in children with ADHD are well established; however, limited information exists concerning the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to these difficulties and the extent to which they interact with one another. The current study examines two broad cognitive processes known to be involved in children's reading comprehension abilities-(a) working memory (i.e., central executive processes [CE], phonological short-term memory [PH STM], and visuospatial short-term memory [VS STM]) and (b) orthographic conversion (i.e., conversion of visually presented text to a phonological code)-to elucidate their unique and interactive contribution to ADHD-related reading comprehension differences. Thirty-one boys with ADHD-combined type and 30 typically developing (TD) boys aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.64, SD = 1.22) were administered multiple counterbalanced tasks assessing WM and orthographic conversion processes. Relative to TD boys, boys with ADHD exhibited significant deficits in PH STM (d = -0.70), VS STM (d = -0.92), CE (d = -1.58), and orthographic conversion (d = -0.93). Bias-corrected, bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed that CE and orthographic conversion processes modeled separately mediated ADHD-related reading comprehension differences partially, whereas PH STM and VS STM did not. CE and orthographic conversion modeled jointly mediated ADHD-related reading comprehension differences fully wherein orthographic conversion's large magnitude influence on reading comprehension occurred indirectly through CE's impact on the orthographic system. The findings suggest that adaptive cognitive interventions designed to improve reading-related outcomes in children with ADHD may benefit by including modules that train CE and orthographic conversion processes independently and interactively.

Solution-Synthesized Chevron Graphene Nanoribbons Exfoliated onto H:Si(100).

PubMed

Radocea, Adrian; Sun, Tao; Vo, Timothy H; Sinitskii, Alexander; Aluru, Narayana R; Lyding, Joseph W

2017-01-11

There has been tremendous progress in designing and synthesizing graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). The ability to control the width, edge structure, and dopant level with atomic precision has created a large class of accessible electronic landscapes for use in logic applications. One of the major limitations preventing the realization of GNR devices is the difficulty of transferring GNRs onto nonmetallic substrates. In this work, we developed a new approach for clean deposition of solution-synthesized atomically precise chevron GNRs onto H:Si(100) under ultrahigh vacuum. A clean transfer allowed ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to provide high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy and reveal details of the electronic structure of chevron nanoribbons that have not been previously reported. We also demonstrate STM nanomanipulation of GNRs, characterization of multilayer GNR cross-junctions, and STM nanolithography for local depassivation of H:Si(100), which allowed us to probe GNR-Si interactions and revealed a semiconducting-to-metallic transition. The results of STM measurements were shown to be in good agreement with first-principles computational modeling.

Short term memory and working memory in blind versus sighted children.

PubMed

Withagen, Ans; Kappers, Astrid M L; Vervloed, Mathijs P J; Knoors, Harry; Verhoeven, Ludo

2013-07-01

There is evidence that blind people may strengthen their memory skills to compensate for absence of vision. However, which aspects of memory are involved is open to debate and a developmental perspective is generally lacking. In the present study, we compared the short term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) of 10-year-old blind children and sighted children. STM was measured using digit span forward, name learning, and word span tasks; WM was measured using listening span and digit span backward tasks. The blind children outperformed their sighted peers on both STM and WM tasks. The enhanced capacity of the blind children on digit span and other STM tasks confirms the results of earlier research; the significantly better performance of the blind children relative to their sighted peers on verbal WM tasks is a new interesting finding. Task characteristics, including the verbal nature of the WM tasks and strategies used to perform these tasks, are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Localized electronic structures of graphene oxide studied using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy.

PubMed

Katano, Satoshi; Wei, Tao; Sasajima, Takumi; Kasama, Ryuhei; Uehara, Yoichi

2018-06-21

We have used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to elucidate the nanoscale electronic structures of graphene oxide (GO). The unreduced GO layer was imaged using STM without reduction processes when deposited on a Au(111) surface covered with an octanethiolate self-assembled monolayer (C8S-SAM). The STM image of the GO sheet exhibits a grainy structure having a thickness of about 1 nm, which is in good agreement with the previous results obtained using atomic force microscopy (AFM). We found that the C8S-SAM suppresses the adsorption of water remaining on the substrate, which would be important to accomplish the nanoscale imaging of the unreduced GO by STM. Furthermore, we successfully detected the π and π* states localized in the GO sheet using scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). The π-π* gap energy and the gap center are not uniform within the GO sheet, indicating the existence of various sizes of the sp2 domain and evidence for the local electronic doping by the substituents.

Slave systems in verbal short-term memory

PubMed Central

Caplan, David; Waters, Gloria; Howard, David

2013-01-01

Background The model of performance in short-term memory (STM) tasks that has been most influential in cognitive neuropsychological work on deficits of STM is the “working memory” model mainly associated with the work of Alan Baddeley and his colleagues. Aim This paper reviews the model. We examine the development of this theory in studies that account for STM performances in normal (non-brain-damaged) individuals, and then review the application of this theory to neuropsychological cases and specifications, modifications, and extensions of the theory that have been suggested on the basis of these cases. Our approach is to identify the major phenomena that have been discussed and to examine selected papers dealing with those phenomena in some detail. Main Contribution The main contribution is a review of the WM model that includes both normative and neuropsychological data. Conclusions We conclude that the WM model has many inconsistencies and empirical inadequacies, and that cognitive neuropsychologists might benefit from considering other models when they attempt to describe and explain patients’ performances on STM tasks. PMID:24347786

On the effect of local barrier height in scanning tunneling microscopy: Measurement methods and control implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajaddodianfar, Farid; Moheimani, S. O. Reza; Owen, James; Randall, John N.

2018-01-01

A common cause of tip-sample crashes in a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) operating in constant current mode is the poor performance of its feedback control system. We show that there is a direct link between the Local Barrier Height (LBH) and robustness of the feedback control loop. A method known as the "gap modulation method" was proposed in the early STM studies for estimating the LBH. We show that the obtained measurements are affected by controller parameters and propose an alternative method which we prove to produce LBH measurements independent of the controller dynamics. We use the obtained LBH estimation to continuously update the gains of a STM proportional-integral (PI) controller and show that while tuning the PI gains, the closed-loop system tolerates larger variations of LBH without experiencing instability. We report experimental results, conducted on two STM scanners, to establish the efficiency of the proposed PI tuning approach. Improved feedback stability is believed to help in avoiding the tip/sample crash in STMs.

Similar digit-based working memory in deaf signers and hearing non-signers despite digit span differences

PubMed Central

Andin, Josefine; Orfanidou, Eleni; Cardin, Velia; Holmer, Emil; Capek, Cheryl M.; Woll, Bencie; Rönnberg, Jerker; Rudner, Mary

2013-01-01

Similar working memory (WM) for lexical items has been demonstrated for signers and non-signers while short-term memory (STM) is regularly poorer in deaf than hearing individuals. In the present study, we investigated digit-based WM and STM in Swedish and British deaf signers and hearing non-signers. To maintain good experimental control we used printed stimuli throughout and held response mode constant across groups. We showed that deaf signers have similar digit-based WM performance, despite shorter digit spans, compared to well-matched hearing non-signers. We found no difference between signers and non-signers on STM span for letters chosen to minimize phonological similarity or in the effects of recall direction. This set of findings indicates that similar WM for signers and non-signers can be generalized from lexical items to digits and suggests that poorer STM in deaf signers compared to hearing non-signers may be due to differences in phonological similarity across the language modalities of sign and speech. PMID:24379797

Characterization of external potential for field emission resonances and its applications on nanometer-scale measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Shin-Ming; Chan, Wen-Yuan; Su, Wei-Bin; Pai, Woei Wu; Liu, Hsiang-Lin; Chang, Chia-Seng

2018-04-01

The form of the external potential (FEP) for generating field emission resonance (FER) in a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) junction is usually assumed to be triangular. We demonstrate that this assumption can be examined using a plot that can characterize FEP. The plot is FER energies versus the corresponding distances between the tip and sample. Through this energy–distance relationship, we discover that the FEP is nearly triangular for a blunt STM tip. However, the assumption of a triangular potential form is invalid for a sharp tip. The disparity becomes more severe as the tip is sharper. We demonstrate that the energy–distance plot can be exploited to determine the barrier width in field emission and estimate the effective sharpness of an STM tip. Because FERs were observed on Pb islands grown on the Cu(111) surface in this study, determination of the tip sharpness enabled the derivation of the subtle expansion deformation of Pb islands due to electrostatic force in the STM junction.

Theoretical characterisation of point defects on a MoS2 monolayer by scanning tunnelling microscopy.

PubMed

González, C; Biel, B; Dappe, Y J

2016-03-11

Different S and Mo vacancies as well as their corresponding antisite defects in a free-standing MoS2 monolayer are analysed by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) simulations. Our theoretical methodology, based on the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green function formalism within the density functional theory (DFT) approach, is applied to simulate STM images for different voltages and tip heights. Combining the geometrical and electronic effects, all features of the different STM images can be explained, providing a valuable guide for future experiments. Our results confirm previous reports on S atom imaging, but also reveal a strong dependence on the applied bias for vacancies and antisite defects that include extra S atoms. By contrast, when additional Mo atoms cover the S vacancies, the MoS2 gap vanishes and a bias-independent bright protrusion is obtained in the STM image. Finally, we show that the inclusion of these point defects promotes the emergence of reactive dangling bonds that may act as efficient adsorption sites for external adsorbates.

Effect of dissolved LiCl on the ionic liquid-Au(111) interface: an in situ STM study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisenko, Natalia; Atkin, Rob; Lahiri, Abhishek; Zein El Abedin, Sherif; Endres, Frank

2014-07-01

The structure of the electrolyte/electrode interface plays a significant role in electrochemical processes. To date, most studies are focusing on understanding the interfacial structure in pure ionic liquids. In this paper in situ scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) has been employed to elucidate the structure of the charged Au(111)-ionic liquid (1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, [Py1,4]FAP) interface in the presence of 0.1 M LiCl. The addition of the Li salt to the ionic liquid has a strong influence on the interfacial structure. In the first STM scan in situ measurements reveal that Au(111) undergoes the (22 \\times \\surd 3) ‘herringbone’ reconstruction in a certain potential regime, and there is strong evidence that the gold surface dissolves at negative electrode potentials in [Py1,4]FAP containing LiCl. Bulk deposition of Li is obtained at -2.9 V in the second STM scan.

Laser-assisted electron tunneling in a STM junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Shunhua Thomas

2000-10-01

Since its introduction in 1981, the Nobel prize-winning scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been developed into a powerful yet conceptually simple instrument, replacing traditional scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM/TEM) in many of the microscopic surface phenomenon studies. The strength of the STM stems from the sensitive tunneling current-potential barrier width relationship of the electron tunneling process, and has been used to re-examine the frequency-mixing and harmonic generation properties of an non-linear metal- oxide-metal (MOM) tunneling junction. In this research, electron-tunneling events under polarized laser radiation at 514.5-nm argon and 10.6-μm carbon dioxide laser wavelengths were investigated. The objective is to understand the underlying interactive mechanisms between the tunneling junction and the external laser excitation. A commercial scanning tunneling microscope head and controller were incorporated into the experimental setup. Operation characteristics and the electrical properties of the STM junction were determined. Tunneling current and distance responses with respect to different laser polarization, modulation frequency, incident power, and tunneling distance were also conducted. From the experimental results it is shown that thermal expansion effect was the dominant source of response for laser modulation frequency up to about 100 kHz, in quantitative agreement with theoretical calculations. Different laser polarizations as the experiments demonstrated did not contribute significantly to the STM response in the investigated frequency range. The electric field induced by the laser beam was calculated to be one to two order of magnitudes lower than the field required to initiate field emission where the tunneling junction I- V curve is most non-linear. Also, the electrical coupling of the incident laser at the STM junction was determined to be non-critical at visible laser wavelength, and the reflected laser energy from the sample re-entering the junction was shown to be weak and did not influence the ongoing electron tunneling process. In conclusion, the thermal expansion of the physical tunneling junction was found to be responsible to the tunneling current modulation in a laser - STM setup for laser modulation frequencies in the lower frequency range.

Association between arsenic exposure and soluble thrombomodulin: A cross sectional study in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Islam, Md. Shofikul; Rahman, Atiqur; Anjum, Adiba; Hossain, Faruk; Mohanto, Nayan Chandra; Karim, Md. Rezaul; Hoque, Md. Mominul; Saud, Zahangir Alam; Miyataka, Hideki; Himeno, Seiichiro; Hossain, Khaled

2017-01-01

Chronic exposure to arsenic is associated with increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, plausible biomarker for early prediction and the underlying mechanism of arsenic-related CVD have not yet been clearly understood. Endothelial dysfunction plays a central role in the development of CVD. We hypothesized that endothelial damage or dysfunction is an important aspect and may be an early event of arsenic-related CVD. Soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) in serum is thought to be a specific and stable marker for endothelial damage or dysfunction. This study was designed to evaluate the association between chronic exposure to arsenic and sTM among human subjects in arsenic-endemic and non-endemic rural areas in Bangladesh. A total of 321 study subjects (217 from arsenic-endemic areas and 104 from a non-endemic area) were recruited. Subjects’ arsenic exposure levels (i.e., drinking water, hair and nail arsenic concentrations) were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy. The subjects’ serum sTM levels were quantified by immunoassay kit. The average sTM levels of the subjects in arsenic-endemic and non-endemic areas were 4.58 ± 2.20 and 2.84 ± 1.29 (ng mL-1) respectively, and the difference was significant (p<0.001). Arsenic exposure levels showed a significant (water arsenic: rs = 0.339, p<0.001, hair arsenic: rs = 0.352, p<0.001 and nail arsenic: rs = 0.308, p<0.001) positive associations with sTM levels. Soluble TM levels were higher in the higher exposure gradients if we stratified the subjects into tertile groups (low, medium and high) based on the arsenic concentrations of the subjects’ drinking water, hair and nails. Finally, increased levels of sTM were negatively correlated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and positively correlated with intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Results of this study show that chronic exposure to arsenic has mild to moderate association with sTM levels. PMID:28399171

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy analysis of space-exposed polymer films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalil, Carol R.; Young, Philip R.

1993-01-01

The characterization of the surface of selected space-exposed polymer films by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) is reported. Principles of STM, an emerging new technique for materials analysis, are reviewed. The analysis of several films which received up to 5.8 years of low Earth orbital (LEO) exposure onboard the NASA Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) is discussed. Specimens included FEP Teflon thermal blanket material, Kapton film, and several experimental polymer films. Ultraviolet and atomic oxygen-induced crazing and erosion are described. The intent of this paper is to demonstrate how STM is enhancing the understanding of LEO space environmental effects on polymer films.

Doping of the step-edge Si chain: Ag on a Si(557)-Au surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawiec, M.; Jałochowski, M.

2010-11-01

Structural and electronic properties of monatomic Ag chains on the Au-induced, highly ordered Si(557) surface are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)/spectroscopy and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The STM topography data show that a small amount of Ag (0.25 ML) very weakly modifies the one-dimensional structure induced by Au atoms. However, the bias-dependent STM topography and spectroscopy point to the importance of the electronic effects in this system, which are further corroborated by the DFT calculations. The obtained results suggest that Ag atoms act as electron donors leaving the geometry of the surface almost unchanged.

Computational simulation of subatomic-resolution AFM and STM images for graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructures with intercalated defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Junsu; Kim, Minjung; Chelikowsky, James R.; Kim, Gunn

2016-07-01

Using ab initio density functional calculations, we predict subatomic-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of vertical heterostructures of graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with an intercalated metal atom (Li, K, Cr, Mn, Co, or Cu), and study the effects of the extrinsic metal defect on the interfacial coupling. We find that the structural deformation of the graphene/h-BN layer caused by the metal defect strongly affects the AFM images, whereas orbital hybridization between the metal defect and the graphene/h-BN layer characterizes the STM images.

Mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline NaCl islands on Cu(111).

PubMed

Bombis, Ch; Ample, F; Mielke, J; Mannsberger, M; Villagómez, C J; Roth, Ch; Joachim, C; Grill, L

2010-05-07

The mechanical response of ultrathin NaCl crystallites of nanometer dimensions upon manipulation with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is investigated, expanding STM manipulation to various nanostructuring modes of inorganic materials as cutting, moving, and cracking. In the light of theoretical calculations, our results reveal that atomic-scale NaCl islands can behave elastically and follow a classical Hooke's law. When the elastic limit of the nanocrystallites is reached, the STM tip induces atomic dislocations and consequently the regime of plastic deformation is entered. Our methodology is paving the way to understand the mechanical behavior and properties of other nanoscale materials.

S182 and STM2 gene missense mutations in sporadic alzheimer disease

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Higuchi, Susumu; Matsushita, Sachio; Hasegawa, Yoshio

1996-07-26

The linkage of genes S182 and STM2 to early-onset or late-onset sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD) was not found in a group of 97 clinically-diagnosed AD patients and 46 autopsy-confirmed AD cases, using PCR-RFLP methods. 7 refs.

Escaping the recent past: which stimulus dimensions influence proactive interference?

PubMed

Craig, Kimberly S; Berman, Marc G; Jonides, John; Lustig, Cindy

2013-07-01

Proactive interference occurs when information from the past disrupts current processing and is a major source of confusion and errors in short-term memory (STM; Wickens, Born, & Allen, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 2:440-445, 1963). The present investigation examines potential boundary conditions for interference, testing the hypothesis that potential competitors must be similar along task-relevant dimensions to influence proactive interference effects. We manipulated both the type of task being completed (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) and dimensions of similarity irrelevant to the current task (Experiments 4 and 5) to determine how the recent presentation of a probe item would affect the speed with which participants could reject that item. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 contrasted STM judgments, which require temporal information, with semantic and perceptual judgments, for which temporal information is irrelevant. In Experiments 4 and 5, task-irrelevant information (perceptual similarity) was manipulated within the recent probes task. We found that interference from past items affected STM task performance but did not affect performance in semantic or perceptual judgment tasks. Conversely, similarity along a nominally irrelevant perceptual dimension did not affect the magnitude of interference in STM tasks. Results are consistent with the view that items in STM are represented by noisy codes consisting of multiple dimensions and that interference occurs when items are similar to each other and, thus, compete along the dimensions relevant to target selection.

Tip induced mechanical deformation of epitaxial graphene grown on reconstructed 6H-SiC(0001) surface during scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy studies.

PubMed

Meza, José Antonio Morán; Lubin, Christophe; Thoyer, François; Cousty, Jacques

2015-01-26

The structural and mechanical properties of an epitaxial graphene (EG) monolayer thermally grown on top of a 6H-SiC(0001) surface were studied by combined dynamic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM). Experimental STM, dynamic STM and AFM images of EG on 6H-SiC(0001) show a lattice with a 1.9 nm period corresponding to the (6 × 6) quasi-cell of the SiC surface. The corrugation amplitude of this (6 × 6) quasi-cell, measured from AFM topographies, increases with the setpoint value of the frequency shift Δf (15-20 Hz, repulsive interaction). Excitation variations map obtained simultaneously with the AFM topography shows that larger dissipation values are measured in between the topographical bumps of the (6 × 6) quasi-cell. These results demonstrate that the AFM tip deforms the graphene monolayer. During recording in dynamic STM mode, a frequency shift (Δf) map is obtained in which Δf values range from 41 to 47 Hz (repulsive interaction). As a result, we deduced that the STM tip, also, provokes local mechanical distortions of the graphene monolayer. The origin of these tip-induced distortions is discussed in terms of electronic and mechanical properties of EG on 6H-SiC(0001).

Phonological short-term memory in logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia and mild Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Meyer, Aaron M; Snider, Sarah F; Campbell, Rachael E; Friedman, Rhonda B

2015-10-01

It has been argued that individuals with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) have an impairment of the phonological loop, which is a component of the short-term memory (STM) system. In contrast, this type of impairment is not thought to be present in mild typical Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, one would predict that people with lvPPA would score significantly lower than a matched AD group on tasks that require phonological STM. In the current study, an lvPPA group was compared with a mild AD group that was matched on age, education, and general cognitive functioning. For a subset of the tasks that involved pseudowords, the AD and lvPPA groups were compared to a healthy control group that was matched on age and education. The lvPPA group was more impaired than the AD group on all of the tasks that required phonological STM, including the pseudoword tasks, but there were no significant differences between these groups on tasks that required visuospatial STM. Compared to the healthy controls, the lvPPA group performed significantly worse on the repetition and reading of pseudowords, while the AD group did not differ significantly from the controls on these tasks. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that phonological STM is impaired in lvPPA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gold nanoparticle-based enzyme-linked antibody-aptamer sandwich assay for detection of Salmonella Typhimurium.

PubMed

Wu, Wenhe; Li, Jun; Pan, Dun; Li, Jiang; Song, Shiping; Rong, Mingge; Li, Zixi; Gao, Jimin; Lu, Jianxin

2014-10-08

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) provides a convenient means for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STM), which is important for rapid diagnosis of foodborne pathogens. However, conventional ELISA is limited by antibody-antigen immunoreactions and suffers from poor sensitivity and tedious sample pretreatment. Therefore, development of novel ELISA remains challenging. Herein, we designed a comprehensive strategy for rapid, sensitive, and quantitative detection of STM with high specificity by gold nanoparticle-based enzyme-linked antibody-aptamer sandwich (nano-ELAAS) method. STM was captured and preconcentrated from samples with aptamer-modified magnetic particles, followed by binding with detector antibodies. Then nanoprobes carrying a large amount of reporter antibodies and horseradish peroxidase molecules were used for colorimetric signal amplification. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the nano-ELAAS assay had a quantitative detection range from 1 × 10(3) to 1 × 10(8) CFU mL(-1), a limit of detection of 1 × 10(3) CFU mL(-1), and a selectivity of >10-fold for STM in samples containing other bacteria at higher concentration with an assay time less than 3 h. In addition, the developed nanoprobes were improved in terms of detection range and/or sensitivity when compared with two commercial enzyme-labeled antibody signal reporters. Finally, the nano-ELAAS method was demonstrated to work well in milk samples, a common source of STM contamination.

Neck and shoulder muscle activity and thorax movement in singing and speaking tasks with variation in vocal loudness and pitch.

PubMed

Pettersen, Viggo; Bjørkøy, Kåre; Torp, Hans; Westgaard, Rolf Harald

2005-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine respiratory phasing and loading levels of sternocleidomastoideus (STM), scalenus (SC), and upper trapezius (TR) muscles in vocalization tasks with variation in vocal loudness and pitch. Eight advanced singing students, aged 22 to 28 years, participated. Surface electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from STM, SC, and TR. Thorax movement was detected by two strain gauge sensors placed around the upper (upper TX) and lower (lower TX) thorax. A glissando and simplified singing and speaking tasks were performed. Sustained vowels /a:-i-ae-o:/ were sung in a glissando from lowest to highest pitch (mixed voice/falsetto) back to lowest pitch and in short singing sequences at comfortable, low, and high pitches. The same vowels were spoken softly and loudly for about the same length. The subjects inhaled between the vowels. It was concluded that the inspiratory phased STM and SC muscles produced a counterforce to compression of upper TX at high pitches in glissando. STM and SC were activated to higher levels during phonation than in inhalation. As breathing demands were reduced, STM and SC activity was lowered and the respiratory phasing of peak amplitude changed to inhalation. TR contributed to exhalation in demanding singing with long breathing cycles, but it was less active in singing tasks with short breathing cycles and was essentially inactive in simplified speaking tasks.

Feature Article: Fast scanning tunnelling microscopy as a tool to understand changes on metal surfaces: from nanostructures to single atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgenstern, Karina

2005-03-01

The Feature Article [1] describes how structural changes in metallic nanostructures can be followed with fast scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The title page shows the same spot of a Ag(111) surface at room temperature, imaged with STM approximately one hour apart. Intrinsic changes to prepared nano-structures are marked as Brownian motion of vacancy islands (rectangle), coalescence of two vacancy islands (hexagon), and decay of an adatom island (circle).Karina Morgenstern is now professor at the University of Hannover. Her research is placed within the field of nanoscience and is in particular devoted to thermally activated processes of metallic nanostructures, electronically activated reactions of molecules on metallic surfaces, and water-metal interactions.The present issue of physica status solidi (b) also contains the article Apperance of copper d9 defect centres in wide-gap CdSe nanoparticles: A high-fequency EPR study by N. R. J. Poolton et al. as Editor's Choice [2] as well as several papers on electrical and nonlinear optical properties from the European Conference on Organised Films (ECOF 2004) chaired by José Antonio de Saja, Valladolid.

Surface Structure of TiO2 Rutile (011) Exposed to Liquid Water

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The rutile TiO2(011) surface exhibits a (2 × 1) reconstruction when prepared by standard techniques in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). Here we report that a restructuring occurs upon exposing the surface to liquid water at room temperature. The experiment was performed in a dedicated UHV system, equipped for direct and clean transfer of samples between UHV and liquid environment. After exposure to liquid water, an overlayer with a (2 × 1) symmetry was observed containing two dissociated water molecules per unit cell. The two OH groups yield an apparent “c(2 × 1)” symmetry in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images. On the basis of STM analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, this overlayer is attributed to dissociated water on top of the unreconstructed (1 × 1) surface. Investigation of possible adsorption structures and analysis of the domain boundaries in this structure provide strong evidence that the original (2 × 1) reconstruction is lifted. Unlike the (2 × 1) reconstruction, the (1 × 1) surface has an appropriate density and symmetry of adsorption sites. The possibility of contaminant-induced restructuring was excluded based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low-energy He+ ion scattering (LEIS) measurements. PMID:29285204

Suppression of Superfluid Density and the Pseudogap State in the Cuprates by Impurities

DOE PAGES

Erdenemunkh, Unurbat; Koopman, Brian; Fu, Ling; ...

2016-12-16

Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study magnetic Fe impurities intentionally doped into the high-temperature superconductor Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ. Our spectroscopic measurements reveal that Fe impurities introduce low-lying resonances in the density of states at Ω 1 ≈ 4 meV and Ω 2 ≈ 15 meV , allowing us to determine that, despite having a large magnetic moment, potential scattering of quasiparticles by Fe impurities dominates magnetic scattering. In addition, using high-resolution spatial characterizations of the local density of states near and away from Fe impurities, we detail the spatial extent of impurity-affected regions as wellmore » as provide a local view of impurity-induced effects on the superconducting and pseudogap states. Lastly, our studies of Fe impurities, when combined with a reinterpretation of earlier STM work in the context of a two-gap scenario, allow us to present a unified view of the atomic-scale effects of elemental impurities on the pseudogap and superconducting states in hole-doped cuprates; this may help resolve a previously assumed dichotomy between the effects of magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities in these materials.« less

Real time dynamics of Si magic clusters mediating phase transformation: Si(111)-(1 × 1) to (7 × 7) reconstruction revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Wei Jie; Tok, Eng Soon

2012-07-01

Using Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), we show that the surface undergoes phase transformation from disordered "1 × 1" to (7 × 7) reconstruction which is mediated by the formation of Si magic clusters. Mono-disperse Si magic clusters of size ~ 13.5 ± 0.5 Å can be formed by heating the Si(111) surface to 1200 °C and quenching it to room temperature at cooling rates of at least 100 °C/min. The structure consists of 3 tetra-clusters of size ~ 4.5 Ǻ similar to the Si magic clusters that were formed from Si adatoms deposited by Si solid source on Si(111)-(7 × 7) [1]. Using real time STM scanning to probe the surface at ~ 400 °C, we show that Si magic clusters pop up from the (1 × 1) surface and form spontaneously during the phase transformation. This is attributed to the difference in atomic density between "disordered 1 × 1" and (7 × 7) surface structures which lead to the release of excess Si atoms onto the surface as magic clusters.

Surface science approach to Pt/carbon model catalysts: XPS, STM and microreactor studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motin, Abdul Md.; Haunold, Thomas; Bukhtiyarov, Andrey V.; Bera, Abhijit; Rameshan, Christoph; Rupprechter, Günther

2018-05-01

Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon are an important technological catalyst. A corresponding model catalyst was prepared by physical vapor deposition (PVD) of Pt on sputtered HOPG (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite). The carbon substrate before and after sputtering as well as the Pt/HOPG system before and after Pt deposition and annealing were examined by XPS and STM. This yielded information on the surface density of defects, which serve as nucleation centres for Pt, and on the size distribution (mean size/height) of the Pt nanoparticles. Two different model catalysts were prepared with mean sizes of 2.0 and 3.6 nm, both turned out to be stable upon UHV-annealing to 300 °C. After transfer into a UHV-compatible flow microreactor and subsequent cleaning in UHV and under mbar pressure, the catalytic activity of the Pt/HOPG model system for ethylene hydrogenation was examined under atmospheric pressure flow conditions. This enabled to determine temperature-dependent conversion rates, turnover frequencies (TOFs) and activation energies. The catalytic results obtained are in line with the characteristics of technological Pt/C, demonstrating the validity of the current surface science based model catalyst approach.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Detwiler, Michael D.; Majumdar, Paulami; Gu, Xiang-Kui

Changes in surface chemistry and morphology of Re–Pt surfaces synthesized by ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV-CVD) of Re on Pt(111) were studied by a combination of experiment and density functional theory (DFT) modeling. A Re oxide formed following exposure of the as-deposited Re to 1 × 10- 6 mbar oxygen at 600–673 K. Subsequent annealing at 973 K resulted in oxygen desorption and a decrease in Re coverage, as calculated by XPS and as observed by STM. This observation was explained by DFT calculations which showed that a clean Pt surface slab with subsurface Re is thermodynamically more favorablemore » than Pt(111) with Re on the surface. DFT calculations also predicted weaker O and CO binding on this surface compared to both monometallic Pt and Re, and HREELS and temperature desorption measurements suggested that O binds weakly to the Pt skin surface, with oxygen on the Pt skin desorbing from this surface following annealing at 373 K. Trends in adsorption energies were consistent with DFT calculated d-band centers of surface atoms for model Pt–Re structures. Comparison of HREELS data and STM images with DFT calculated vibrational frequencies have been used to understand the structure of rhenium oxide on Pt(111).« less

On atomic structure of Ge huts growing on the Ge/Si(001) wetting layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arapkina, Larisa V.; Yuryev, Vladimir A.

2013-09-01

Structural models of growing Ge hut clusters—pyramids and wedges—are proposed on the basis of data of recent STM investigations of nucleation and growth of Ge huts on the Si(001) surface in the process of molecular beam epitaxy. It is shown that extension of a hut base along ⟨110⟩ directions goes non-uniformly during the cluster growth regardless of its shape. Growing pyramids, starting from the second monolayer, pass through cyclic formation of slightly asymmetrical and symmetrical clusters, with symmetrical ones appearing after addition of every fourth monolayer. We suppose that pyramids of symmetrical configurations composed by 2, 6, 10, etc., monolayers over the wetting layer are more stable than asymmetrical ones. This might explain less stability of pyramids in comparison with wedges in dense arrays forming at low temperatures of Ge deposition. Possible nucleation processes of pyramids and wedges on wetting layer patches from identical embryos composed by 8 dimers through formation of 1 monolayer high 16-dimer nuclei different only in their symmetry is discussed. Schematics of these processes are presented. It is concluded from precise STM measurements that top layers of wetting layer patches are relaxed when huts nucleate on them.

Enhancement of atom transfer in different surface chemistry of hydrogenated vs. fluorinated tribromobenzene on Ag(111) and Cu(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cecily mary glory, D.; Sambathkumar, K.; Madivanane, R.; Rajkamal, N.; Venkatachalapathy, M.

2017-12-01

Systematic interactions of hydrogenated & fluorinated tribromobenzene on Ag and Cu surfaces. First bromine dehalogenation takes place right upon adsorption due to catalytic properties of Ag. Different adsorption geometries of monomers and dimmers of 1,3,5-tribromo-2,4,6-trifluoro-benzene(TBFB) and 1,3,5-tribromobenzene(TBB). DFT calculations of the Csbnd Br binding energy dependent on the amount of remaining bromine atoms for both TBFB and TBB were performed. The experiments were performed at low temperature of 80 K.STM measurements where performed for of TBFB and TBB. STM show adsorbed molecules in a loose arrangement of molecules. NBO analysis the stability of the molecule arising within hyper-conjugative interactions. The HOMO and LUMO energies and electronic charge transfer (ECT) confirms that electronic transition. High field indicates that this molecule exhibit considerable electrical conductivity in atomic charges. The ESP map is found to be positive within the molecule. The negative charges have a tendency to drift from left to right. The computed thermodynamic parameters like heat capacities (Cºp,m), entropies (Sºm) and enthalpies changes (Hºm) are used for various electrical field.

Observation of layered antiferromagnetism in self-assembled parallel NiSi nanowire arrays on Si(110) by spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectromicroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Ie-Hong; Hsu, Hsin-Zan

2018-03-01

The layered antiferromagnetism of parallel nanowire (NW) arrays self-assembled on Si(110) have been observed at room temperature by direct imaging of both the topographies and magnetic domains using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (SP-STM/STS). The topographic STM images reveal that the self-assembled unidirectional and parallel NiSi NWs grow into the Si(110) substrate along the [\\bar{1}10] direction (i.e. the endotaxial growth) and exhibit multiple-layer growth. The spatially-resolved SP-STS maps show that these parallel NiSi NWs of different heights produce two opposite magnetic domains, depending on the heights of either even or odd layers in the layer stack of the NiSi NWs. This layer-wise antiferromagnetic structure can be attributed to an antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling between the adjacent layers in the multiple-layer NiSi NW with a B2 (CsCl-type) crystal structure. Such an endotaxial heterostructure of parallel magnetic NiSi NW arrays with a layered antiferromagnetic ordering in Si(110) provides a new and important perspective for the development of novel Si-based spintronic nanodevices.

Characterizing the electronic ground states of single-layer NbSe2 via STM/STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yi; Ugeda, Miguel; Bradley, Aaron; Zhang, Yi; Onishi, Seita; Ruan, Wei; Ojeda-Aristizabal, Claudia; Ryu, Hyejin; Edmonds, Mark; Tsai, Hsin-Zon; Riss, Alexander; Mo, Sung-Kwan; Lee, Dunghai; Zettl, Alex; Hussain, Zahid; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Crommie, Michael

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are ideal systems for exploring collective electronic phases such as charge density wave (CDW) order and superconductivity. In bulk NbSe2 the CDW sets in at TCDW = 33K and superconductivity sets in at Tc = 7.2K. Below Tc these electronic states coexist but their microscopic formation mechanisms remain controversial. Here we present an electronic characterization study of a single 2D layer of NbSe2 by means of low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and electrical transport measurements. We demonstrate that the CDW order remains intact in 2D and exhibits a robust 3 x 3 superlattice. Superconductivity also still occurs but its onset is depressed to 1.6K. Our STS measurements at 5K reveal a CDW gap of Δ = 4 meV at the Fermi energy, which is accessible via STS due to the removal of bands crossing the Fermi surface in the 2D limit. Our observations are consistent with the predicted simplified (compared to bulk) electronic structure of single-layer NbSe2, thus providing new insight into CDW formation and superconductivity in this model strongly-correlated system.

Adsorption and oligomerization of 1,3-phenylene diisocyanide on Au(111)

DOE PAGES

Kestell, John; Walker, Joshua; Bai, Yun; ...

2016-04-18

The adsorption and self-assembly of 1,3-phenylene diisocyanide (1,3-PDI) are studied on Au(111) using reflection–adsorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) supplemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the results compared with the structures formed from 1,4-PDI where it assembled to form –(Au–PDI)– oligomer chains that incorporate gold adatoms. The infrared spectra display a single isocyanide feature consistent with the isocyanide binding to gold adatoms, while DFT calculations confirm that isocyanide binding to gold adatoms is more energetically favorable than binding to the surface. STM images show that 1,3-PDI forms zigzag chains containing hairpin bendsmore » that cause the chains to double back on each other, consistent with the 120° angle between the isocyanide groups. Hexagonal structural motifs are also observed that are proposed to be due to the self-assembly of three isocyanides as well as small structures that are assigned to 1,3-PDI dimers. Furthermore, the results suggest that the formation of gold-containing oligomers from isocyanide-containing molecules is a general phenomenon.« less

On atomic structure of Ge huts growing on the Ge/Si(001) wetting layer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arapkina, Larisa V.; Yuryev, Vladimir A.

Structural models of growing Ge hut clusters—pyramids and wedges—are proposed on the basis of data of recent STM investigations of nucleation and growth of Ge huts on the Si(001) surface in the process of molecular beam epitaxy. It is shown that extension of a hut base along <110> directions goes non-uniformly during the cluster growth regardless of its shape. Growing pyramids, starting from the second monolayer, pass through cyclic formation of slightly asymmetrical and symmetrical clusters, with symmetrical ones appearing after addition of every fourth monolayer. We suppose that pyramids of symmetrical configurations composed by 2, 6, 10, etc., monolayersmore » over the wetting layer are more stable than asymmetrical ones. This might explain less stability of pyramids in comparison with wedges in dense arrays forming at low temperatures of Ge deposition. Possible nucleation processes of pyramids and wedges on wetting layer patches from identical embryos composed by 8 dimers through formation of 1 monolayer high 16-dimer nuclei different only in their symmetry is discussed. Schematics of these processes are presented. It is concluded from precise STM measurements that top layers of wetting layer patches are relaxed when huts nucleate on them.« less

Design and characterization of a 20 Gbit/s clock recovery circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteiro, Paulo M.; Matos, J. N.; Gameiro, Atilio M. S.; da Rocha, Jose F.

1995-02-01

In this communication we report the design of a clock recovery circuit produced for the 20 Gbit/s demonstrator of the RACE 2011 project `TRAVEL' of the European Community. The clock recovery circuit is based on an open loop structure using a dielectric resonator narrow bandpass filter with a high quality factor. A detailed electrical characterization of the circuit and also its sensitivity to temperature and detuning variations are presented. The experimental results show that the circuit is a very attractive solution for the forthcoming STM-128 optical links.

Adsorption and thermal treatments of 1-dodecene on Si(100) investigated by STM

DOE PAGES

Liu, H. W.; Fujikawa, Y.; Sadowski, J. T.; ...

2015-03-01

We investigate the atomic behaviour of long-chain 1-dodecene adsorbed on Si(100) using a scanning tunnelling microscope with an exposure of 30 to 2.4 Langmuirs. Unlike previous reports on short-chain molecules, remarkable self-ordered assembly of molecules is not observed at room temperature, which is possibly attributed to the asymmetric molecular structure with long chains of 1-dodecene. After annealing at 500–580 °C, ordered patterns form with a c(4 × 4) structure, accompanied with thermal decomposition of molecules.

Attractive interaction between Mn atoms on the GaAs(110) surface observed by scanning tunneling microscopy.

PubMed

Taninaka, Atsushi; Yoshida, Shoji; Kanazawa, Ken; Hayaki, Eiko; Takeuchi, Osamu; Shigekawa, Hidemi

2016-06-16

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) was carried out to investigate the structures of Mn atoms deposited on a GaAs(110) surface at room temperature to directly observe the characteristics of interactions between Mn atoms in GaAs. Mn atoms were paired with a probability higher than the random distribution, indicating an attractive interaction between them. In fact, re-pairing of unpaired Mn atoms was observed during STS measurement. The pair initially had a new structure, which was transformed during STS measurement into one of those formed by atom manipulation at 4 K. Mn atoms in pairs and trimers were aligned in the <110> direction, which is theoretically predicted to produce a high Curie temperature.

Processes in the Development of Mathematics in Kindergarten Children from Title 1 Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Matthew E.; Anthony, Jason L.; Clements, Doug H.; Sarama, Julie H.

2015-01-01

This study examined how well nonverbal IQ (or fluid intelligence), vocabulary, phonological awareness (PA), rapid autonomized naming (RAN), and phonological short-term memory (STM) predicted mathematics outcomes. The 208 participating kindergartners were administered tests of fluid intelligence, vocabulary, PA, RAN, STM, and numeracy in the fall…

Catalytic reaction processes revealed by scanning probe microscopy. [corrected].

PubMed

Jiang, Peng; Bao, Xinhe; Salmeron, Miquel

2015-05-19

Heterogeneous catalysis is of great importance for modern society. About 80% of the chemicals are produced by catalytic reactions. Green energy production and utilization as well as environmental protection also need efficient catalysts. Understanding the reaction mechanisms is crucial to improve the existing catalysts and develop new ones with better activity, selectivity, and stability. Three components are involved in one catalytic reaction: reactant, product, and catalyst. The catalytic reaction process consists of a series of elementary steps: adsorption, diffusion, reaction, and desorption. During reaction, the catalyst surface can change at the atomic level, with roughening, sintering, and segregation processes occurring dynamically in response to the reaction conditions. Therefore, it is imperative to obtain atomic-scale information for understanding catalytic reactions. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a very appropriate tool for catalytic research at the atomic scale because of its unique atomic-resolution capability. A distinguishing feature of SPM, compared to other surface characterization techniques, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, is that there is no intrinsic limitation for SPM to work under realistic reaction conditions (usually high temperature and high pressure). Therefore, since it was introduced in 1981, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been widely used to investigate the adsorption, diffusion, reaction, and desorption processes on solid catalyst surfaces at the atomic level. STM can also monitor dynamic changes of catalyst surfaces during reactions. These invaluable microscopic insights have not only deepened the understanding of catalytic processes, but also provided important guidance for the development of new catalysts. This Account will focus on elementary reaction processes revealed by SPM. First, we will demonstrate the power of SPM to investigate the adsorption and diffusion process of reactants on catalyst surfaces at the atomic level. Then the dynamic processes, including surface reconstruction, roughening, sintering, and phase separation, studied by SPM will be discussed. Furthermore, SPM provides valuable insights toward identifying the active sites and understanding the reaction mechanisms. We also illustrate here how both ultrahigh vacuum STM and high pressure STM provide valuable information, expanding the understanding provided by traditional surface science. We conclude with highlighting remarkable recent progress in noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS), and their impact on single-chemical-bond level characterization for catalytic reaction processes in the future.

Gears Based on Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaffe, Richard; Han, Jie; Globus, Al; Deardorff, Glenn

2005-01-01

Gears based on carbon nanotubes (see figure) have been proposed as components of an emerging generation of molecular- scale machines and sensors. In comparison with previously proposed nanogears based on diamondoid and fullerene molecules, the nanotube-based gears would have simpler structures and are more likely to be realizable by practical fabrication processes. The impetus for the practical development of carbon-nanotube- based gears arises, in part, from rapid recent progress in the fabrication of carbon nanotubes with prescribed diameters, lengths, chiralities, and numbers of concentric shells. The shafts of the proposed gears would be made from multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The gear teeth would be rigid molecules (typically, benzyne molecules), bonded to the nanotube shafts at atomically precise positions. For fabrication, it may be possible to position the molecular teeth by use of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) or other related techniques. The capability to position individual organic molecules at room temperature by use of an STM tip has already been demonstrated. Routes to the chemical synthesis of carbon-nanotube-based gears are also under investigation. Chemical and physical aspects of the synthesis of molecular scale gears based on carbon nanotubes and related molecules, and dynamical properties of nanotube- based gears, have been investigated by computational simulations using established methods of quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics. Several particularly interesting and useful conclusions have been drawn from the dynamical simulations performed thus far: The forces acting on the gears would be more sensitive to local molecular motions than to gross mechanical motions of the overall gears. Although no breakage of teeth or of chemical bonds is expected at temperatures up to at least 3,000 K, the gears would not work well at temperatures above a critical range from about 600 to about 1,000 K. Gear temperature could probably be controlled by use of coolant gases. For a given application, the gears would work well at temperatures below the critical range, provided that the rotational energy was less than the energy required to tilt the teeth through an angle of 20 . The predominant mechanism of gear failure would be slippage caused by tilting of teeth. Gears would resume functioning if the slipping gears were decelerated sufficiently.

Contact and Length Dependent Effects in Single-Molecule Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hines, Thomas

Understanding charge transport in single molecules covalently bonded to electrodes is a fundamental goal in the field of molecular electronics. In the past decade, it has become possible to measure charge transport on the single-molecule level using the STM break junction method. Measurements on the single-molecule level shed light on charge transport phenomena which would otherwise be obfuscated by ensemble measurements of groups of molecules. This thesis will discuss three projects carried out using STM break junction. In the first project, the transition between two different charge transport mechanisms is reported in a set of molecular wires. The shortest wires show highly length dependent and temperature invariant conductance behavior, whereas the longer wires show weakly length dependent and temperature dependent behavior. This trend is consistent with a model whereby conduction occurs by coherent tunneling in the shortest wires and by incoherent hopping in the longer wires. Measurements are supported with calculations and the evolution of the molecular junction during the pulling process is investigated. The second project reports controlling the formation of single-molecule junctions by means of electrochemically reducing two axial-diazonium terminal groups on a molecule, thereby producing direct Au-C covalent bonds in-situ between the molecule and gold electrodes. Step length analysis shows that the molecular junction is significantly more stable, and can be pulled over a longer distance than a comparable junction created with amine anchoring bonds. The stability of the junction is explained by the calculated lower binding energy associated with the direct Au-C bond compared with the Au-N bond. Finally, the third project investigates the role that molecular conformation plays in the conductance of oligothiophene single-molecule junctions. Ethyl substituted oligothiophenes were measured and found to exhibit temperature dependent conductance and transition voltage for molecules with between two and six repeat units. While the molecule with only one repeat unit shows temperature invariant behavior. Density functional theory calculations show that at higher temperatures the oligomers with multiple repeat units assume a more planar conformation, which increases the conjugation length and decreases the effective energy barrier of the junction.

Excitation of propagating surface plasmons with a scanning tunnelling microscope.

PubMed

Wang, T; Boer-Duchemin, E; Zhang, Y; Comtet, G; Dujardin, G

2011-04-29

Inelastic electron tunnelling excitation of propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a thin gold film is demonstrated. This is done by combining a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) with an inverted optical microscope. Analysis of the leakage radiation in both the image and Fourier planes unambiguously shows that the majority (up to 99.5%) of the detected photons originate from propagating SPPs with propagation lengths of the order of 10  µm. The remaining photon emission is localized under the STM tip and is attributed to a tip-gold film coupled plasmon resonance as evidenced by the bimodal spectral distribution and enhanced emission intensity observed using a silver STM tip for excitation.

Fabrication of silver tips for scanning tunneling microscope induced luminescence.

PubMed

Zhang, C; Gao, B; Chen, L G; Meng, Q S; Yang, H; Zhang, R; Tao, X; Gao, H Y; Liao, Y; Dong, Z C

2011-08-01

We describe a reliable fabrication procedure of silver tips for scanning tunneling microscope (STM) induced luminescence experiments. The tip was first etched electrochemically to yield a sharp cone shape using selected electrolyte solutions and then sputter cleaned in ultrahigh vacuum to remove surface oxidation. The tip status, in particular the tip induced plasmon mode and its emission intensity, can be further tuned through field emission and voltage pulse. The quality of silver tips thus fabricated not only offers atomically resolved STM imaging, but more importantly, also allows us to perform challenging "color" photon mapping with emission spectra taken at each pixel simultaneously during the STM scan under relatively small tunnel currents and relatively short exposure time.

STM/STS Observation on Layered Nitride Superconductor α-(DDA)xTiNCl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugimoto, Akira; Ukita, Ryuichi; Ekino, Toshikazu; Zheng, Zhanfeng; Yamanaka, Shoji

2012-12-01

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on α-(DDA)xTiNCl (DDA=H2N-(CH2)10-NH2, Tc=16 K) have been carried out. The STM topography exhibits simple rectangular shaped atomic lattice with the periods of |a|=0.38 nm and |b| =0.33 nm. The averaged dI / dV spectrum shows the gap value of Δ ~ 9 meV, giving an unusual large gap ratio 2Δ/kBTc ≃ 13. The STS results show the bar-shaped domain structures along the b-axis direction in the bias range of V = +5 ~ +15 mV, demonstrating the possible existence of intercalated molecules.

Electronic structure and simulated STM images of non-honeycomb phosphorene allotropes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Sumandeep; Kumar, Ashok; Srivastava, Sunita; Tankeshwar, K.

2018-04-01

We have investigated the electronic structure and simulated STM images of various non-honeycomb allotropes of phosphorene namely ɛ - P, ζ - P, η - P and θ - P, within combined density functional theory and Tersoff-Hamman approach. All these allotropes are found to be energetically stable and electronically semiconductingwith bandgap ranging between 0.5-1.2 eV. Simulated STM images show distinctly different features in terms of the topography. Different maximas in the distance-height profile indicates the difference in buckling of atoms in these allotropes. Distinctly different images obtained in this study may be useful to differentiate various allotropes that can serve as fingerprints to identify various allotropes during the synthesis of phosphorene.

Adaptation of Acoustic Model Experiments of STM via Smartphones and Tablets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thees, Michael; Hochberg, Katrin; Kuhn, Jochen; Aeschlimann, Martin

2017-01-01

The importance of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) in today's research and industry leads to the question of how to include such a key technology in physics education. Manfred Euler has developed an acoustic model experiment to illustrate the fundamental measuring principles based on an analogy between quantum mechanics and acoustics. Based on…

Short-Term Memory Limitations in Children: Capacity or Processing Deficits?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chi, Michelene T. H.

1976-01-01

Evaluates the assertion that short-term memory (STM) capacity increases with age and concludes that the STM capacity limitation in children is due to the deficits in the processing strategies and speeds, which presumably improve with age through cumulative learning. (JM) Available from: Memory and Cognition, Psychonomic Society, 1018 West 34…

The Impact of Pointing on the Short-Term Memory (STM) of Heterophonic Homographs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaknin-Nusbaum, Vered; Miller, Paul

2014-01-01

This study entailed two short-term memory (STM) experiments investigating the importance of vowel diacritics for the temporary retention of three distinct Hebrew word list types: heterophonic homographs, non-homographs and homophonic homographs. Eighty university students participated in each experiment, with half of them tested with word lists…

Visuospatial and Verbal Short-Term Memory Correlates of Vocabulary Ability in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Stephanie F.; Klee, Thomas; Kornisch, Myriam; Furlong, Lisa

2017-01-01

Background: Recent studies indicate that school-age children's patterns of performance on measures of verbal and visuospatial short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) differ across types of neurodevelopmental disorders. Because these disorders are often characterized by early language delay, administering STM and WM tests to toddlers could…

Calibration of state and transition models with FVS

Treesearch

Melinda Moeur; Don Vandendriesche

2010-01-01

The Interagency Mapping and Assessment Project (IMAP), a partnership between federal and state agencies, is developing mid-scale vegetation data and state and transition models (STM) for comparing the likely outcomes of alternative management policies on forested landscapes across the Pacific Northwest Region. In an STM, acres within a forested ecosystem transition...

WUS and STM-based reporter genes for studying meristem development in poplar

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We describe the development of a reporter system for monitoring meristem initiation in poplar using promoters of poplar homologs to the meristem-active regulatory genes WUSCHEL (WUS) and SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM). When ~3 kb of the 5’ flanking regions of close homologs were used to drive expression o...

Augmentation Award for Surface Science Research Training.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-11-01

atomic force microscopy facility. In particular, he designed an anechoic chamber for minimizing acoustical noise in our air and electrochemistry imaging...well as our new air/electochemical STM/AFM. In addition to the UHV-STM, the 11/20/96 10:43 e773 702 5863 J.F.I. I•On7 new air- levitated vactium rhnrher

Automatic semantic encoding in verbal short-term memory: evidence from the concreteness effect.

PubMed

Campoy, Guillermo; Castellà, Judit; Provencio, Violeta; Hitch, Graham J; Baddeley, Alan D

2015-01-01

The concreteness effect in verbal short-term memory (STM) tasks is assumed to be a consequence of semantic encoding in STM, with immediate recall of concrete words benefiting from richer semantic representations. We used the concreteness effect to test the hypothesis that semantic encoding in standard verbal STM tasks is a consequence of controlled, attention-demanding mechanisms of strategic semantic retrieval and encoding. Experiment 1 analysed the effect of presentation rate, with slow presentations being assumed to benefit strategic, time-dependent semantic encoding. Experiments 2 and 3 provided a more direct test of the strategic hypothesis by introducing three different concurrent attention-demanding tasks. Although Experiment 1 showed a larger concreteness effect with slow presentations, the following two experiments yielded strong evidence against the strategic hypothesis. Limiting available attention resources by concurrent tasks reduced global memory performance, but the concreteness effect was equivalent to that found in control conditions. We conclude that semantic effects in STM result from automatic semantic encoding and provide tentative explanations for the interaction between the concreteness effect and the presentation rate.

Variation in Parasympathetic Dysregulation Moderates Short-term Memory Problems in Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Ward, Anthony R; Alarcón, Gabriela; Nigg, Joel T; Musser, Erica D

2015-11-01

Although attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with impairment in working memory and short-term memory, up to half of individual children with ADHD perform within a normative range. Heterogeneity in other ADHD-related mechanisms, which may compensate for or combine with cognitive weaknesses, is a likely explanation. One candidate is the robustness of parasympathetic regulation (as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA). Theory and data suggest that a common neural network is likely tied to both heart-rate regulation and certain cognitive functions (including aspects of working and short-term memory). Cardiac-derived indices of parasympathetic reactivity were collected during short-term memory (STM) storage and rehearsal tasks from 243 children (116 ADHD, 127 controls). ADHD was associated with lower STM performance, replicating previous work. In addition, RSA reactivity moderated the association between STM and ADHD - both as a category and a dimension - independent of comorbidity. Specifically, conditional effects revealed that high levels of withdrawal interacted with weakened STM but high levels of augmentation moderated a positive association predicting ADHD. Thus, variations in parasympathetic reactivity may help explain neuropsychological heterogeneity in ADHD.

Fabrication and characterization of CNT-based smart tips for synchrotron assisted STM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Hui; Cummings, Marvin; Camino, Fernando

Determination of chemical composition along with imaging at the atomic level provides critical information towards fundamental understanding of the surface of materials and, hence, yields the capability to design new materials by tailoring their ultimate functionalities. Synchrotron X-ray assisted scanning tunneling microscopy (SX-STM) is a promising new technique to achieve real space chemically specific atomic mapping. Chemical sensitivity of SX-STM relies on excitation of core electrons by incident X-rays when their energy is tuned to an absorption edge of a particular element. However, along with core-level electrons, photoelectrons are also excited, which yield additional current and interfere with the tunnelingmore » current. To reduce the background photoelectron current and to improve ultimate resolution of SX-STM, we have developed and fabricated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) based “smart tips” using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and focused ion beam milling. As a result, the newly developed CNT-based smart tips, characterized step by step by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) during the fabrication process, demonstrate good performance and provide opportunity for realizing atomic chemical mapping.« less

A shared representation of order between encoding and recognition in visual short-term memory.

PubMed

Kalm, Kristjan; Norris, Dennis

2017-07-15

Many complex tasks require people to bind individual events into a sequence that can be held in short term memory (STM). For this purpose information about the order of the individual events in the sequence needs to be maintained in an active and accessible form in STM over a period of few seconds. Here we investigated how the temporal order information is shared between the presentation and response phases of an STM task. We trained a classification algorithm on the fMRI activity patterns from the presentation phase of the STM task to predict the order of the items during the subsequent recognition phase. While voxels in a number of brain regions represented positional information during either presentation and recognition phases, only voxels in the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) represented position consistently across task phases. A shared positional code in the ATL might reflect verbal recoding of visual sequences to facilitate the maintenance of order information over several seconds. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The (lack of) effect of dynamic visual noise on the concreteness effect in short-term memory.

PubMed

Castellà, Judit; Campoy, Guillermo

2018-05-17

It has been suggested that the concreteness effect in short-term memory (STM) is a consequence of concrete words having more distinctive and richer semantic representations. The generation and storage of visual codes in STM could also play a crucial role on the effect because concrete words are more imaginable than abstract words. If this were the case, the introduction of a visual interference task would be expected to disrupt recall of concrete words. A Dynamic Visual Noise (DVN) display, which has been proven to eliminate the concreteness effect on long-term memory (LTM), was presented along encoding of concrete and abstract words in a STM serial recall task. Results showed a main effect of word type, with more item errors in abstract words, a main effect of DVN, which impaired global performance due to more order errors, but no interaction, suggesting that DVN did not have any impact on the concreteness effect. These findings are discussed in terms of LTM participation through redintegration processes and in terms of the language-based models of verbal STM.

Fabrication and characterization of CNT-based smart tips for synchrotron assisted STM

DOE PAGES

Yan, Hui; Cummings, Marvin; Camino, Fernando; ...

2015-08-05

Determination of chemical composition along with imaging at the atomic level provides critical information towards fundamental understanding of the surface of materials and, hence, yields the capability to design new materials by tailoring their ultimate functionalities. Synchrotron X-ray assisted scanning tunneling microscopy (SX-STM) is a promising new technique to achieve real space chemically specific atomic mapping. Chemical sensitivity of SX-STM relies on excitation of core electrons by incident X-rays when their energy is tuned to an absorption edge of a particular element. However, along with core-level electrons, photoelectrons are also excited, which yield additional current and interfere with the tunnelingmore » current. To reduce the background photoelectron current and to improve ultimate resolution of SX-STM, we have developed and fabricated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) based “smart tips” using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and focused ion beam milling. As a result, the newly developed CNT-based smart tips, characterized step by step by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) during the fabrication process, demonstrate good performance and provide opportunity for realizing atomic chemical mapping.« less

Oxygen adsorption on the Al₉Co₂(001) surface: first-principles and STM study.

PubMed

Villaseca, S Alarcón; Loli, L N Serkovic; Ledieu, J; Fournée, V; Gille, P; Dubois, J-M; Gaudry, E

2013-09-04

Atomic oxygen adsorption on a pure aluminum terminated Al9Co2(001) surface is studied by first-principle calculations coupled with STM measurements. Relative adsorption energies of oxygen atoms have been calculated on different surface sites along with the associated STM images. The local electronic structure of the most favourable adsorption site is described. The preferential adsorption site is identified as a 'bridge' type site between the cluster entities exposed at the (001) surface termination. The Al-O bonding between the adsorbate and the substrate presents a covalent character, with s-p hybridization occurring between the states of the adsorbed oxygen atom and the aluminum atoms of the surface. The simulated STM image of the preferential adsorption site is in agreement with experimental observations. This work shows that oxygen adsorption generates important atomic relaxations of the topmost surface layer and that sub-surface cobalt atoms strongly influence the values of the adsorption energies. The calculated Al-O distances are in agreement with those reported in Al2O and Al2O3 oxides and for oxygen adsorption on Al(111).

STM contrast of a CO dimer on a Cu(1 1 1) surface: a wave-function analysis.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Alexander; Paulsson, Magnus

2017-12-20

We present a method used to intuitively interpret the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) contrast by investigating individual wave functions originating from the substrate and tip side. We use localized basis orbital density functional theory, and propagate the wave functions into the vacuum region at a real-space grid, including averaging over the lateral reciprocal space. Optimization by means of the method of Lagrange multipliers is implemented to perform a unitary transformation of the wave functions in the middle of the vacuum region. The method enables (i) reduction of the number of contributing tip-substrate wave function combinations used in the corresponding transmission matrix, and (ii) to bundle up wave functions with similar symmetry in the lateral plane, so that (iii) an intuitive understanding of the STM contrast can be achieved. The theory is applied to a CO dimer adsorbed on a Cu(1 1 1) surface scanned by a single-atom Cu tip, whose STM image is discussed in detail by the outlined method.

STM contrast of a CO dimer on a Cu(1 1 1) surface: a wave-function analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustafsson, Alexander; Paulsson, Magnus

2017-12-01

We present a method used to intuitively interpret the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) contrast by investigating individual wave functions originating from the substrate and tip side. We use localized basis orbital density functional theory, and propagate the wave functions into the vacuum region at a real-space grid, including averaging over the lateral reciprocal space. Optimization by means of the method of Lagrange multipliers is implemented to perform a unitary transformation of the wave functions in the middle of the vacuum region. The method enables (i) reduction of the number of contributing tip-substrate wave function combinations used in the corresponding transmission matrix, and (ii) to bundle up wave functions with similar symmetry in the lateral plane, so that (iii) an intuitive understanding of the STM contrast can be achieved. The theory is applied to a CO dimer adsorbed on a Cu(1 1 1) surface scanned by a single-atom Cu tip, whose STM image is discussed in detail by the outlined method.

Processes in the development of mathematics in kindergarten children from Title 1 schools.

PubMed

Foster, Matthew E; Anthony, Jason L; Clements, Doug H; Sarama, Julie H

2015-12-01

This study examined how well nonverbal IQ (or fluid intelligence), vocabulary, phonological awareness (PA), rapid autonomized naming (RAN), and phonological short-term memory (STM) predicted mathematics outcomes. The 208 participating kindergartners were administered tests of fluid intelligence, vocabulary, PA, RAN, STM, and numeracy in the fall of kindergarten, whereas tests of numeracy and applied problems were administered in the spring of kindergarten. Fall numeracy scores accounted for substantial variation in spring outcomes (R(2) values = .49 and .32 for numeracy and applied problems, respectively), which underscores the importance of preschool math instruction and screening for mathematics learning difficulties on entry into kindergarten. Fluid intelligence and PA significantly predicted unique variation in spring numeracy scores (ΔR(2) = .05) after controlling for autoregressive effects and classroom nesting. Fluid intelligence, PA, and STM significantly predicted unique variation in spring applied problems scores (ΔR(2) = .14) after controlling for autoregressive effects and classroom nesting. Although the contributions of fluid intelligence, PA, and STM toward math outcomes were reliable and arguably important, they were small. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breathing mechanics during exercise with added dead space reflect mechanisms of ventilatory control.

PubMed

Wood, Helen E; Mitchell, Gordon S; Babb, Tony G

2009-09-30

Small increases in external dead space (V(D)) augment the exercise ventilatory response via a neural mechanism known as short-term modulation (STM). We hypothesized that breathing mechanics would differ during exercise, increased V(D) and STM. Men were studied at rest and during cycle exercise (10-50W) without (Control) and with added V(D) (200-600ml). With added V(D), V(T) increased via increased end-inspiratory lung volume (EILV), with no change in end-expiratory lung volume (EELV), indicating recruitment of inspiratory muscles only. With exercise, V(T) increased via both decreased EELV and increased EILV, indicating recruitment of both expiratory and inspiratory muscles. A significant interaction between the effects of exercise and V(D) on mean inspiratory flow indicated that the augmented exercise ventilatory response with added V(D) (i.e. STM) resulted from increased drive to the inspiratory muscles. These results reveal different patterns of respiratory muscle recruitment among experimental conditions. Hence, we conclude that fundamental differences exist in the neural control of ventilatory responses during exercise, increased V(D) and STM.

Scanning tunneling microscope study of GaAs(001) surfaces grown by migration enhanced epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, J.; Gallagher, M.C.; Willis, R.F.

We report an investigation of the morphology of p-type GaAs(001) surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The substrates were prepared using two methods: migration enhanced epitaxy (MEE) and standard molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). The STM measurements were performed ex situ using As decapping. Analysis indicates that the overall step density of the MEE samples decreases as the growth temperature is increased. Nominally flat samples grown at 300{degrees}C exhibited step densities of 10.5 steps/1000 {Angstrom} along [ 110] dropping to 2.5 steps at 580{degrees}C. MEE samples exhibited a lower step density than MBE samples. However as-grown surfaces exhibited a larger distribution ofmore » step heights. Annealing the samples reduced the step height distribution exposing fewer atomic layers. Samples grown by MEE at 580{degrees}C and annealed for 2 min displayed the lowest step density and the narrowest step height distribution. All samples displayed an anisotropic step density. We found a ratio of A-type to B-type steps of between 2 and 3 which directly reflects the difference in the incorporation energy at steps. The aspect ratio increased slightly with growth temperature. We found a similar aspect ratio on samples grown by MBE. This indicates that anisotropic growth during MEE, like MBE, is dominated by incorporation kinetics. MEE samples grown at 580{degrees}C and capped immediately following growth exhibited a number of {open_quotes}holes{close_quotes} in the surface. The holes could be eliminated by annealing the surface prior to quenching. 20 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less

Neuropeptide S overcomes short term memory deficit induced by sleep restriction by increasing prefrontal cortex activity.

PubMed

Thomasson, Julien; Canini, Frédéric; Poly-Thomasson, Betty; Trousselard, Marion; Granon, Sylvie; Chauveau, Frédéric

2017-12-01

Sleep restriction (SR) impairs short term memory (STM) that might be related to different processes. Neuropeptide S (NPS), an endogenous neuropeptide that improves short term memory, activates arousal and decreases anxiety is likely to counteract the SR-induced impairment of STM. The objective of the present study was to find common cerebral pathways in sleep restriction and NPS action in order to ultimately antagonize SR effect on memory. The STM was assessed using a spontaneous spatial alternation task in a T-maze. C57-Bl/6J male mice were distributed in 4 groups according to treatment (0.1nmol of NPS or vehicle intracerebroventricular injection) and to 20h-SR. Immediately after behavioural testing, regional c-fos immunohistochemistry was performed and used as a neural activation marker for spatial short term memory (prefrontal cortex, dorsal hippocampus) and emotional reactivity (basolateral amygdala and ventral hippocampus). Anxiety-like behaviour was assessed using elevated-plus maze task. Results showed that SR impaired short term memory performance and decreased neuronal activation in cingular cortex.NPS injection overcame SR-induced STM deficits and increased neuronal activation in infralimbic cortex. SR spared anxiety-like behavior in the elevated-plus maze. Neural activation in basolateral nucleus of amygdala and ventral hippocampus were not changed after SR.In conclusion, the present study shows that NPS overcomes SR-induced STM deficits by increasing prefrontal cortex activation independently of anxiety-like behaviour. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Complex regulatory network encompassing the Csr, c-di-GMP and motility systems of Salmonella Typhimurium.

PubMed

Jonas, Kristina; Edwards, Adrianne N; Ahmad, Irfan; Romeo, Tony; Römling, Ute; Melefors, Ojar

2010-02-01

Bacterial survival depends on the ability to switch between sessile and motile lifestyles in response to changing environmental conditions. In many species, this switch is governed by (3'-5')-cyclic-diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), a signalling molecule, which is metabolized by proteins containing GGDEF and/or EAL domains. Salmonella Typhimurium contains 20 such proteins. Here, we show that the RNA-binding protein CsrA regulates the expression of eight genes encoding GGDEF, GGDEF-EAL and EAL domain proteins. CsrA bound directly to the mRNA leaders of five of these genes, suggesting that it may regulate these genes post-transcriptionally. The c-di-GMP-specific phosphodiesterase STM3611, which reciprocally controls flagella function and production of biofilm matrix components, was regulated by CsrA binding to the mRNA, but was also indirectly regulated by CsrA through the FlhDC/FliA flagella cascade and STM1344. STM1344 is an unconventional (c-di-GMP-inactive) EAL domain protein, recently identified as a negative regulator of flagella gene expression. Here, we demonstrate that CsrA directly downregulates expression of STM1344, which in turn regulates STM3611 through fliA and thus reciprocally controls motility and biofilm factors. Altogether, our data reveal that the concerted and complex regulation of several genes encoding GGDEF/EAL domain proteins allows CsrA to control the motility-sessility switch in S. Typhimurium at multiple levels.

Surgical outcomes in patients with primary mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumours and elevated post-chemotherapy serum tumour markers.

PubMed

De Latour, Bertrand; Fadel, Elie; Mercier, Olaf; Mussot, Sacha; Fabre, Dominique; Fizazi, Karim; Dartevelle, Philippe

2012-07-01

Platinum-based chemotherapy followed by surgical resection of residual masses has become the standard treatment of patients with primary mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCTs). Persistent serum tumour marker (STM) elevation after chemotherapy usually indicates a poor prognosis. We retrospectively assessed surgical outcomes in patients with high STM levels after chemotherapy for primary mediastinal NSGCT. Between 1983 and 2010, residual tumour excision was performed in 21 patients, 20 men and one woman with a median age of 30 years (range: 19-49 years), with primary mediastinal NSGCTs and high STM levels after platinum-based chemotherapy, followed by second-line chemotherapy in 11 patients. Alpha-fetoprotein was elevated in all 21 patients and β-human chorionic gonadotropin in three patients. Permanent histology demonstrated viable germ cell tumour (n=13), teratoma (n=3) or necrosis (n=5). After surgery, the STM levels returned to normal in 11 patients. Eight patients are alive with a median follow-up of 98 months. The 5-year survival rate was 36% and was not significantly affected by the use of preoperative second-line chemotherapy. At univariate analysis, only postoperative STM elevation and residual viable tumour, indicating incomplete resection, were significantly associated with lower survival (P=0.018 and P=0.04, respectively). In patients with primary mediastinal NSGCTs and elevated post-chemotherapy STMs, surgery is warranted when complete resection is deemed feasible. In specialized oncology centres, this aggressive approach can provide a cure in some patients.

Tablet-Based Intervention for Reducing Children's Preoperative Anxiety: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Chow, Cheryl H T; Van Lieshout, Ryan J; Schmidt, Louis A; Buckley, Norman

To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of a novel tablet-based application, Story-Telling Medicine (STM), in reducing children's preoperative anxiety. Children (N = 100) aged 7 to 13 years who were undergoing outpatient surgery were recruited from a local children's hospital. This study comprised 3 waves: Waves 1 (n = 30) and 2 (n = 30) examined feasibility, and Wave 3 (n = 40) examined the acceptability of STM and compared its effect on preoperative anxiety to Usual Care (UC). In Wave 3, children were randomly allocated to receive STM+UC or UC. A change in preoperative anxiety was measured using the Children's Perioperative Multidimensional Anxiety Scale (CPMAS) 7 to 14 days before surgery (T1), on the day of surgery (T2), and 1 month postoperatively (T3). Wave 1 demonstrated the feasibility of participant recruitment and data collection procedures but identified challenges with attrition at T2 and T3. Wave 2 piloted a modified protocol that addressed attrition and increased the feasibility of follow-up. In Wave 3, children in the STM+UC demonstrated greater reductions in CPMAS compared with the UC group (ΔM = 119.90, SE = 46.36, t(27) = 2.59, p = .015; 95% confidence interval = 24.78-215.02). This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that STM is a feasible and acceptable intervention for reducing children's preoperative anxiety in a busy pediatric operative setting and supports the investigation of a full-scale randomized controlled trial.

Role of 5-HT1-7 receptors in short- and long-term memory for an autoshaping task: intrahippocampal manipulations.

PubMed

Liy-Salmeron, Gustavo; Meneses, Alfredo

2007-05-25

It was previously reported that brain areas containing serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors mediate memory consolidation as well as short (STM)- and long-term memory (LTM). Here the effects of systemic and intrahippocampal administration of 5-HT agonists and antagonists on an autoshaping learning task were explored, which requires hippocampal translation and transduction as well as 5-HT receptors expression. As previously reported ketamine (glutamatergic antagonist) and two well-known amnesic drugs, scopolamine (cholinergic antagonist) and dizocilpine (NMDA antagonist) impaired STM but not LTM; dizocilpine even improved the latter. Since ketamine produces hallucinations and impairs memory in humans, we address the question if well-known antipsychotic haloperidol and clozapine might affect STM deficit. Indeed, systemic administration of clozapine

New Flexible Channels for Room Temperature Tunneling Field Effect Transistors.

PubMed

Hao, Boyi; Asthana, Anjana; Hazaveh, Paniz Khanmohammadi; Bergstrom, Paul L; Banyai, Douglas; Savaikar, Madhusudan A; Jaszczak, John A; Yap, Yoke Khin

2016-02-05

Tunneling field effect transistors (TFETs) have been proposed to overcome the fundamental issues of Si based transistors, such as short channel effect, finite leakage current, and high contact resistance. Unfortunately, most if not all TFETs are operational only at cryogenic temperatures. Here we report that iron (Fe) quantum dots functionalized boron nitride nanotubes (QDs-BNNTs) can be used as the flexible tunneling channels of TFETs at room temperatures. The electrical insulating BNNTs are used as the one-dimensional (1D) substrates to confine the uniform formation of Fe QDs on their surface as the flexible tunneling channel. Consistent semiconductor-like transport behaviors under various bending conditions are detected by scanning tunneling spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscopy system (in-situ STM-TEM). As suggested by computer simulation, the uniform distribution of Fe QDs enable an averaging effect on the possible electron tunneling pathways, which is responsible for the consistent transport properties that are not sensitive to bending.

Surgeon-tailored polypropylene mesh as a tension-free vaginal tape-obturator versus original TVT-O for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence: a long-term comparative study.

PubMed

ElSheemy, Mohammed S; Fathy, Hesham; Hussein, Hussein A; Elsergany, Ragheb; Hussein, Eman A

2015-10-01

The objective of the study was to compare the safety and efficacy of surgeon-tailored polypropylene mesh (STM) through tension-free vaginal tape-obturator (TVT-O) versus original TVT-O in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) aiming to decrease the cost of treatment. This is important in developing countries due to limited health care resources. A retrospective cohort study was done at the Urology and Gynecology Departments (dual-center), Cairo University from May 2007 to June 2010. Women evaluated by cough stress test, Stress and Urge Incontinence and Quality of Life Questionnaire (SUIQQ), maximum flow rate (Qmax), and abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP) with follow-up for at least 48 months were included. Patients with post-void residual urine > 100 ml, bladder capacity < 300 ml, or impaired compliance were excluded. The effect of different factors on outcome was compared between both groups pre- and postoperatively using the paired t, Wilcoxon signed rank, McNemar, chi-square, Fisher's exact, independent t, or Mann-Whitney tests. STM and TVT-O were inserted in 79 and 66 women, respectively. Intrinsic sphincter deficiency, ALPP, previous surgeries, associated urgency, urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), and prolapse were comparable in both groups. Operative duration was longer in STM by 10 min. No significant difference was found between both groups in complications (p = 0.462), cure (p = 0.654), and different indices of SUIQQ. In STM, 74 (93 %) were cured and 3 (4 %) improved, while SUI persisted in 2 (2 %) patients. In TVT-O, 59 (89 %) were cured and 4 (6 %) improved, while failure was detected in 3 (4 %) patients. The 5-year outcome is comparable between STM and TVT-O. Furthermore, STM is more economical due to our resterilizable modified helical passers and the cheap polypropylene mesh.

Strut deformation in CFRP-strengthened reinforced concrete deep beams.

PubMed

Panjehpour, Mohammad; Chai, Hwa Kian; Voo, Yen Lei

2014-01-01

Strut-and-tie model (STM) method evolved as one of the most useful designs for shear critical structures and discontinuity regions (D-regions). It provides widespread applications in the design of deep beams as recommended by many codes. The estimation of bottle-shaped strut dimensions, as a main constituent of STM, is essential in design calculations. The application of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) as lightweight material with high tensile strength for strengthening D-regions is currently on the increase. However, the CFRP-strengthening of deep beam complicates the dimensions estimation of bottle-shaped strut. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the effect of CFRP-strengthening on the deformation of RC strut in the design of deep beams. Two groups of specimens comprising six unstrengthened and six CFRP-strengthened RC deep beams with the shear span to the effective depth ratios (a/d) of 0.75, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, and 2.00 were constructed in this research. These beams were tested under four-point bending configuration. The deformation of struts was experimentally evaluated using the values of strain along and perpendicular to the strut centreline. The evaluation was made by the comparisons between unstrengthened and CFRP-strengthened struts regarding the widening and shortening. The key variables were a/d ratio and applied load level.

Marginal bone-level alterations of loaded zirconia and titanium dental implants: an experimental study in the dog mandible.

PubMed

Thoma, Daniel S; Benic, Goran I; Muñoz, Fernando; Kohal, Ralf; Sanz Martin, Ignacio; Cantalapiedra, Antonio G; Hämmerle, Christoph H F; Jung, Ronald E

2016-04-01

The aim was to test whether or not the marginal bone-level alterations of loaded zirconia implants are similar to the bone-level alterations of a grade 4 titanium one-piece dental implant. In six dogs, all premolars and the first molars were extracted in the mandible. Four months later, three zirconia implants (BPI, VC, ZD) and a control titanium one-piece (STM) implant were randomly placed in each hemimandible and left for transmucosal healing (baseline). Six months later, CAD/CAM crowns were cemented. Sacrifice was scheduled at 6-month postloading. Digital X-rays were taken at implant placement, crowns insertion, and sacrifice. Marginal bone-level alterations were calculated, and intra- and intergroup comparisons performed adjusted by confounding factors. Implants were successfully placed. Until crown insertion, two implants were fractured (one VC, one ZD). At sacrifice, 5 more implants were (partly) fractured (one BPI, four ZD), and one lost osseointegration (VC). No decementation of crowns occurred. All implant systems demonstrated a statistically significant (except VC) loss of marginal bone between baseline and crown insertion ranging from 0.29 mm (VC; P = 0.116) to 0.80 mm (ZD; P = 0.013). The estimated marginal bone loss between baseline and 6 months of loading ranged between 0.19 mm (BPI) and 1.11 mm (VC), being statistically significant for STM and VC only (P < 0.05). The changes in marginal bone levels were statistically significantly different between zirconia implants and control implants (STM vs. BPI P = 0.007; vs. VC P = 0.001; vs. ZD P = 0.011). Zirconia implants were more prone to fracture prior to and after loading with implant-supported crowns compared to titanium implants. Individual differences and variability in the extent of the bone-level changes during the 12-month study period were found between the different implant types and materials. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Tracking Site-specific C-C Coupling of Formaldehyde Molecules on Rutile TiO2(110)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Ke; Xia, Yaobiao; Tang, Miru

2015-06-25

Direct imaging of site-specific reactions of individual mole-cules as a function of temperature is a long-sought goal in molecular science. Here, we report the direct visualization of molecular coupling of formaldehyde on reduced rutile TiO2(110) surfaces as we track the same set of molecules when the temperature is increased from 75 to 170 K using scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Our recent study showed that formaldehyde preferably adsorbs on bridging-bonded oxygen (Ob) vacancy (VO) defect site. Herein, images from the same area as the temperature is increased show that VO-bound formaldehyde couples with Ti-bound formaldehyde forming a diolate intermediate. Exposure ofmore » formaldehyde at room temperature leads to diolate as the majority species on the surface and no VO-bound formaldehyde is observed. The diolate species are the key reaction intermediates in the formation of ethylene reported in previous ensemble-averaged studies.« less

Synthesis and characterization of electrical conducting porous carbon structures based on resorcinol-formaldehyde

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najeh, I.; Ben Mansour, N.; Mbarki, M.; Houas, A.; Nogier, J. Ph.; El Mir, L.

2009-10-01

Electrical conducting carbon (ECC) porous structures were explored by changing the pyrolysis temperature of organic xerogel compounds prepared by sol-gel method from resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) mixtures in acetone using picric acid as catalyst. The effect of this preparation parameter on the structural and electrical properties of the obtained ECCs was studied. The analysis of the obtained results revealed that the polymeric insulating xerogel phase was transformed progressively with pyrolysis temperature into carbon conducting phase; this means the formation of long continuous conducting path for charge carriers to move inside the structure with thermal treatment and the samples exhibited tangible percolation behaviour where the percolation threshold can be determined by pyrolysis temperature. The temperature-dependent conductivity of the obtained ECC structures shows a semi-conducting behaviour and the I( V) characteristics present a negative differential resistance. The results obtained from STM micrographs revealed that the obtained ECC structures consist of porous electrical conducting carbon materials.

Unusual island formations of Ir on Ge (111) studied by STM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Zijll, M.; Huffman, E.; Lovinger, D. J.; Chiang, S.

2017-12-01

Island formation on the Ir/Ge(111) surface is studied using ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy. Ir was deposited at room temperature onto a Ge (111) substrate with coverages between 0.5 and 2.0 monolayers (ML). The samples were annealed to temperatures between 550 and 800 K, and then cooled prior to imaging. With 1.0 ML Ir coverage, at annealing temperatures 650-750 K, round islands form at locations where domain boundaries of the substrate reconstruction intersect. Both the substrate and the islands display a (√{ 3} x√{ 3}) R30∘ reconstruction. Additionally, a novel surface formation is observed where the Ir gathers along the antiphase domain boundaries between competing surface domains of the Ge surface reconstruction. This gives the appearance of the Ir in the domain boundaries forming pathways between different islands. The islands formed at higher annealing temperatures resulted in larger island sizes, which is evidence of Ostwald ripening. We present a model for the islands and the pathways which is consistent with our observations.

Identifying Early Links between Temperament, Short-Term and Working Memory in Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Visu-Petra, Laura; Cheie, Lavinia; Câmpan, Maria; Scutelnicu, Ioana; Benga, Oana

2018-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate early interrelationships between temperament, short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM), while also relating them to incipient anxious traits in a sample of 4-7-year-olds. Preschoolers were evaluated using verbal and visuospatial STM and WM tasks, while parental reports were used to assess children's…

Phonological and Sensory Short-Term Memory Are Correlates and Both Affected in Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laasonen, Marja; Virsu, Veijo; Oinonen, Suvi; Sandbacka, Mirja; Salakari, Anita; Service, Elisabet

2012-01-01

We investigated whether poor short-term memory (STM) in developmental dyslexia affects the processing of sensory stimulus sequences in addition to phonological material. STM for brief binary non-verbal stimuli (light flashes, tone bursts, finger touches, and their crossmodal combinations) was studied in 20 Finnish adults with dyslexia and 24…

Recoding between Two Types of STM Representation Revealed by the Dynamics of Memory Search

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leszczynski, Marcin; Myers, Nicholas E.; Akyurek, Elkan G.; Schubo, Anna

2012-01-01

Visual STM (VSTM) is thought to be related to visual attention in several ways. Attention controls access to VSTM during memory encoding and plays a role in the maintenance of stored information by strengthening memorized content. We investigated the involvement of visual attention in recall from VSTM. In two experiments, we measured…

20180312 - Profiling the ToxCast library with a pluripotent human (H9) embryonic stem cell assay (SOT)

EPA Science Inventory

The Stemina devTOX quickPredict platform (STM) is a human pluripotent H9 stem cell-based assay that predicts developmental toxicants. Using the STM model, we screened 1065 ToxCast chemicals and entered the data into the ToxCast data analysis pipeline. Model performance was 83.3% ...

Feature-based and object-based attention orientation during short-term memory maintenance.

PubMed

Ku, Yixuan

2015-12-01

Top-down attention biases the short-term memory (STM) processing at multiple stages. Orienting attention during the maintenance period of STM by a retrospective cue (retro-cue) strengthens the representation of the cued item and improves the subsequent STM performance. In a recent article, Backer et al. (Backer KC, Binns MA, Alain C. J Neurosci 35: 1307-1318, 2015) extended these findings from the visual to the auditory domain and combined electroencephalography to dissociate neural mechanisms underlying feature-based and object-based attention orientation. Both event-related potentials and neural oscillations explained the behavioral benefits of retro-cues and favored the theory that feature-based and object-based attention orientation were independent. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Deducing 2D crystal structure at the liquid/solid interface with atomic resolution: a combined STM and SFG study.

PubMed

McClelland, Arthur A; Ahn, Seokhoon; Matzger, Adam J; Chen, Zhan

2009-11-17

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG) has been applied to study two-dimensional (2D) crystals formed by an isophthalic acid diester on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, providing complementary measurements to scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and computational modeling. SFG results indicate that both aromatic and C=O groups in the 2D crystal tilt from the surface. This study demonstrates that a combination of SFG and STM techniques can be used to gain a more complete picture of 2D crystal structure, and it is necessary to consider solvent-2D crystal interactions and dynamics in the computer models to achieve an accurate representation of interfacial structure.

Development of micro-four-point probe in a scanning tunneling microscope for in situ electrical transport measurement.

PubMed

Ge, Jian-Feng; Liu, Zhi-Long; Gao, Chun-Lei; Qian, Dong; Liu, Canhua; Jia, Jin-Feng

2015-05-01

Electrons at surface may behave differently from those in bulk of a material. Multi-functional tools are essential in comprehensive studies on a crystal surface. Here, we developed an in situ microscopic four-point probe (4PP) transport measurement system on the basis of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). In particular, convenient replacement between STM tips and micro-4PPs enables systematic investigations of surface morphology, electronic structure, and electrical transport property of a same sample surface. Performances of the instrument are demonstrated with high-quality STM images, tunneling spectra, and low-noise electrical I-V characteristic curves of a single-layer FeSe film grown on a conductive SrTiO3 surface.

Scanning tunneling microscope with a rotary piezoelectric stepping motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakimov, V. N.

1996-02-01

A compact scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with a novel rotary piezoelectric stepping motor for coarse positioning has been developed. An inertial method for rotating of the rotor by the pair of piezoplates has been used in the piezomotor. Minimal angular step size was about several arcsec with the spindle working torque up to 1 N×cm. Design of the STM was noticeably simplified by utilization of the piezomotor with such small step size. A shaft eccentrically attached to the piezomotor spindle made it possible to push and pull back the cylindrical bush with the tubular piezoscanner. A linear step of coarse positioning was about 50 nm. STM resolution in vertical direction was better than 0.1 nm without an external vibration isolation.

Real-space visualization of conformation-independent oligothiophene electronic structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taber, Benjamen N.; Kislitsyn, Dmitry A.; Gervasi, Christian F.

2016-05-21

We present scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) investigations of the electronic structures of different alkyl-substituted oligothiophenes on the Au(111) surface. STM imaging showed that on Au(111), oligothiophenes adopted distinct straight and bent conformations. By combining STS maps with STM images, we visualize, in real space, particle-in-a-box-like oligothiophene molecular orbitals. We demonstrate that different planar conformers with significant geometrical distortions of oligothiophene backbones surprisingly exhibit very similar electronic structures, indicating a low degree of conformation-induced electronic disorder. The agreement of these results with gas-phase density functional theory calculations implies that the oligothiophene interaction with the Au(111) surface is generally insensitivemore » to molecular conformation.« less