An atomic hydrogen etching sensor for H2 plasma diagnostics.

A simple and selective new technique for atomic hydrogen flux measurements in a hydrogen plasma environment is introduced and demonstrated in this work. This technique works by measuring the etching rate of an amorphous carbon film and translating this to an incoming hydrogen radical flux through a well-defined carbon etch yield per radical. Ions present in the plasma environment have a much higher etch yield than radicals do. For that reason, suppression of the ion flux toward the carbon film is crucial to ensure that the observed carbon etch rate is dominated by atomic hydrogen etching. It is demonstrated that this can be achieved using a simple cylindrical pipe (hereinafter "chimney") in which a bend is introduced to enforce ion-wall collisions, neutralizing the ions. The chimney is made out of Macor, a material with low catalytic surface activity, to preserve the incoming atomic hydrogen flux while effectively suppressing ions. Ultimately, the etching sensor is deployed in a radio frequency inductively coupled hydrogen plasma operated at low pressure (1-10 Pa). Atomic hydrogen fluxes are measured and compared with heat flux sensor and vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy measurements in the same setup. All sensors agreed within a factor 4 in the atomic hydrogen flux range 1019 to 1021 m-2 s-1.

Three-terminal electric transport measurements on gold nano-particles combined with ex situ TEM inspection.

We have fabricated nanometer-spaced electrodes on electron-transparent silicon nitride membranes. A thin Cr/Au layer is evaporated on the backside of the membrane which serves as a gate electrode. Using these devices, we have performed three-terminal electron transport measurements on gold nano-particles at liquid helium temperature. Coulomb Blockade features have been observed and the capacitance to the gate has been extracted. After transport measurements, the Cr/Au back gate is removed and the devices are inspected with a transmission-electron microscope (TEM). TEM inspection reveals the presence of a few nano-particles in the nanogap, which is in agreement with the transport measurements. In addition, the nano-particle size as observed by TEM coincides with the one estimated from the gate capacitance value.

Single-molecule transport in three-terminal devices.

Transport through single molecules has been studied using different test beds. In this paper we focus on three-terminal devices in which a molecule bridges the gap between two gold electrodes and a third electrode-the gate-is able to modulate the conduction properties of the junction. Depending on the electronic coupling, Γ, between the molecule and the gold electrodes, different transport regimes can be distinguished. We show measurements on junctions incorporating different single-molecule systems which demonstrate the distinction between these regimes, as well as the experimental limitations in controlling the exact value of Γ.

Primary infection, latency, and reactivation of bovine herpesvirus type 5 in the bovine nervous system.

Bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BHV-5) infection in calves causes meningoencephalitis, a fatal disease highly prevalent in South America. To study the pathogenesis of BHV-5 infection in cattle, 12 calves (group 1: acute infection) and 11 calves (group 2: latent infection) were intranasally inoculated with an Argentinean BHV-5 isolate at 10(8) and 10(4.7) tissue culture infective doses, respectively; six calves (control group) were mock infected. At 3 months postinoculation, all of the calves in group 2 and three calves in group 3 were given dexamethasone to reactivate the virus. The animals were euthanatized between days 6 and 17 postinoculation (group 1) and between days 6 and 16 postreactivation (group 2). Seventy-five percent and 91% of animals in groups 1 and 2, respectively, excreted BHV-5 in nasal and ocular discharges. Following dexamethasone administration, 45% of calves shed virus in both types of secretions. Spontaneous virus reactivation and shedding was observed in one calf. Neurologic signs consisting of circling, teeth grinding, ptyalism, jaw chomping, tongue protrusion, and apathy were observed in two animals in group 1 and, during the reactivation period, in four animals in group 2. Macroscopic findings consisted of softening of the cerebral tissue, meningeal hemorrhages and swelling, and edema and hemorrhages of prescapular, retropharyngeal and submandibular lymph nodes. Histologic lesions consisted of meningitis, mononuclear perivascular cuffing, neuronophagia, satellitosis, gliosis, hemorrhage, and necrosis and edema. Lesions in anterior cerebral cortex, medulla, and pons were consistently seen in all the animals of group 1. In the acutely infected animals, lesions in the diencephalon appeared at day 10 postinoculation, whereas in the latently infected calves these lesions were observed as early as at day 6 postreactivation. Latently infected animals developed lesions simultaneously in anterior cortex, medulla, pons, and diencephalon, showing a remarkable difference from the acutely infected group. Trigeminal ganglionitis appeared relatively early in animals of both groups (day 7 postinoculation in group 1 and day 8 postreactivation in group 2).