Fabrication, assembly, and characterization of molecular electronic components

One of the ultimate miniaturizations in nanotechnology is molecular electronics, where devices will consist of individual molecules. There are many complications associated with the use of molecules in electronic devices, such as the electronic perturbations in the molecule associated with being bonded to an electrode, how electrons traverse the metal-molecule junction, and the difficulty of macroscopically addressing single to very few molecules. Whether fabricating a test structure or a usable device, the use of self-assembly is fundamental to the fabrication of molecular electronic devices. We will discuss how to fabricate self-assembled monolayers into test assemblies and how to use intermolecular interactions to direct molecules into desired positions to create nanostructures and to connect functional molecules to the outside world. These assemblies serve as test structures for measurements on single or bundled molecules. The development of several experimental techniques, including various scanning probes, mercury drop junctions, break junctions, nanopores, crossed wires, and other techniques using nanoparticles have enabled the ability to test these structures and make reproducible measurements on single molecules. Many of these methods have been developed to test molecules with potential for integration into devices such as oligo (phenylene-ethynylene) molecules and other /spl pi/-conjugated molecules, in ensemble or single-molecule measurements.     

Direct and indirect assessment of skeletal muscle blood flow in patients with congestive heart failure

Techniques which are currently used to measure skeletal muscle blood flow (SMBF) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are neither convenient nor accurate. They have led to discrepant results in patients with congestive heart failure and are, in part, responsible for the ongoing debate regarding the factors which limit the rise in body oxygen consumption during exercise in these patients. However, direct measurement of SMBF may not be needed during exercise in patients with severe CHF. Their skeletal muscles maximally extract oxygen. Consequently, increase in oxygen consumption by the skeletal muscles is only mediated by a concomitant increase in SMBF. In patients with severe CHF, peak body oxygen consumption attained during maximal exercise closely depends on the rise in SMBF, and thus provides an indirect measurement of SMBF.     

HRTEM observation of the monoclinic-to-tetragonal m-t) phase transition in nanocrystalline ZrO2

The orientation relations m(100) || t(001), m[001] || t[110]; m(011) || t(100), m[100] || t[001]; m(100) || t(110), m[001] || t[001]; m(013) || t(116), m[001] || t[001] (indices for the primitive tetragonal cell) have been found between the tetragonal (t) and monoclinic (m) domains during the electron irradiation-induced m-t phase transition observed in-situ with HREM within isolated zirconia nanoparticles. Geometric models of the m-t interfaces are proposed.     

Representation of shift-invariant operators onL 2 byH ∞ transfer functions: An elementary proof,a generalization toL p,and a counterexample forL ∞

We give an elementary proof of the well-known fact that shift-invariant operators onL ²[0, ∞) are represented by transfer functions which are bounded and analytic on the right open half-plane. We prove a generalization to Banach space-valuedL ^p -functions, where 1≤p<∞. We show that the result no longer holds forp=∞. This research was supported partially by the Weizmann Fellowship, and partially by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under Contract F49620-86-C-0111.     

Low Temperature Acoustic Properties of Poly-Crystalline Aluminium

As in other structurally disordered solids, the low temperature acoustic properties of poly-crystalline aluminium are governed by atomic two-level tunneling systems. The particular temperature variation of sound velocity and internal friction depends on the dynamical behaviour of these tunneling systems, which is expected to be determined by interaction with thermal phonons and conduction electrons as in metallic glasses. In earlier measurements on aluminium-wires no significant difference was found whether the sample was superconducting or kept in the normal state by a sufficiently high magnetic field and the concluding claim was ‘absence of electron-assisted relaxation for tunneling systems in poly-crystalline metals’. In this report, vibrating reed measurements are presented of pure poly-crystalline Al with a special sample shape that reduces the influence of the clamping. We in fact find significant differences between the sample being normal conducting or superconducting. The overall behaviour indeed resembles very closely that of metallic glasses and clearly demonstrates that also in Al tunneling systems couple to conduction electrons as expected. As a quantitative result we may state that the density of states of tunneling systems in poly-crystalline Al is considerably smaller than in metallic glasses. PACS numbers: 61.43.-j, 62.65.+k, 63.50.+x     

Relationship between the genomic organization and the overlapping embryonic expression patterns of the zebrafish dlx genes

To understand the relationship between the expression and the genomic organization of the zebrafish dlx genes, we have determined the genomic structure of the dlx2 and dlx4 loci. This led to the identification of the zebrafish dlx1 and dlx6 genes, which are closely linked to dlx2 and dlx4, respectively. Therefore, the inverted convergent configuration of Dlx genes is conserved among vertebrates. Analysis of the expression patterns of dlx1 and dlx6 showed striking similarities to those of dlx2 and dlx4, respectively, the genes to which they are linked. Furthermore, the expression patterns of dlx3 and dlx7, which likely constitute a third pair of convergently transcribed genes, are indistinguishable. Thus, the overlapping expression patterns of linked Dlx genes during embryonic development suggest that they share cis-acting sequences that control their spatiotemporal expression. The evolutionary conservation of the genomic organization and combinatorial expression of Dlx genes in distantly related vertebrates suggest tight control mechanisms that are essential for their function during development.     

Decomposition of electromagnetic boundary conditions at planarinterfaces with applications to TE and TM field solutions

Electromagnetic fields in homogeneous source-free regions can be decomposed into fields that are TE and TM with respect to a particular reference direction (e.g., the z direction). If transverse sources exist, both TE and TM fields may be excited simultaneously. This paper considers the case of two infinite regions having a common planar interface and prescribed sources (surface currents) on the interface. The source currents are decomposed in a manner consistent with the decomposition of the fields. Accordingly, a procedure is established for describing the boundary conditions at the interface in terms of the longitudinal field components E_z, H_z and the surface currents J¯_s. The development is unique in that the continuity of the transverse field components at the boundary are not explicitly considered but interpreted in terms of z-directed fields. This boundary condition approach is shown to give results consistent with those obtained by matching the tangential fields at the interface using vector transforms. A simple example illustrating the procedure using a ring of current in free-space is presented     

Stereotactic radiosurgery of malignant and benign intracranial lesions utilizing a patient rotator

The objective of this survey was to demonstrate whether a primary care track internal medicine residency program emphasizing community-based health care of the urban sick poor trains physicians who will continue to practice in general internal medicine or similar fields. Thirty-five primary care residents (100% of graduates) who trained from 1976 through 1993 in the Adult Primary Care Track of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at St. Vincent's Hospital, New York were used as participants.