DNA migration and separation on surfaces with a microscale dielectrophoretic trap array

We studied the surface migration of DNA chains driven by a dc electric field across localized dielectrophoretic traps. By adjusting the length scale of the trap array, separation of a selected band of DNA was accomplished with a scaling exponent between mobility and number of base pairs similar to that obtained in capillary electrophoresis. We then provided a model, which predicts the trapping and extension of DNA chains at a dielectrophoretic trap responsible for the surface mobility and separation.     

Humidity sensor and ultraviolet photodetector based on carrier trapping effect and negative photoconductivity in graphene quantum dots

We report on the experimental realization of a graphene quantum dots(GQD)-based humidity sensor and ultraviolet(UV)photodetector. We demonstrate that the conductance of the GQD increases linearly with increasing relative humidity(RH) of the surrounding environment due to the carrier trapping effect, which forms the basis of a humidity sensor. When the sensor is operated in the dark state, the sensitivity can reach as high as 0.48 nS RH~(-1). The GQD are also found to exhibit light intensity dependent negative photoconductivity under the UV irradiation, which can be exploited for UV detection. As a result of these carrier trapping and de-trapping processes, the performance of the photodetector can be significantly improved with the increasing RH, and the photoresponsivity can reach a high value of.418.1 μA W~(-1) in the high humid state of RH=90%.     

Theory of hopping and multiple-trapping transport in disordered systems

We present a general theory to describe equilibrium as well as nonequilibrium transport properties of systems in which the carriers perform an incoherent motion that can be described by means of a set of master equations. This includes hopping as well as trapping in the localized energy region of amorphous or perturbed crystalline semiconductors. Employing the mathematical analogy between the master equations and the tight binding problem we develop approximation schemes using methods of many-particle physics to derive expressions for the averaged propagator of the carriers and the conductivity tensor. The calculated conductivity and Hall conductivity of hopping systems compare extremely well to computer simulations over the whole range of frequency, density, and temperature. We are able to derive expressions for dispersive transport in hopping as well as trapping systems that contain the results of earlier theories of Scher, Montroll and Noolandi, Schmidlin as special cases and establish criteria for the occurrence of dispersive transport in such systems. We find that in principle hopping can lead to dispersive transport if the times and densities are very low, but actual experimental data are more easily explained in terms of multiple trapping.     

用荧光探针签别CYP2C9*3基因

用一种基激复合物荧光探针系统来签别碱基错配的CYP2C9*3基因,该系统选择两个分开的与靶点碱基相对应的12碱基荧光标记的寡核苷酸作为探针,分别对24碱基、47碱基、质粒(3165bp)的靶点CYP2C9基因和CYP2C9*3基因进行杂交配对,结果该基激复合物荧光探针系统能有效签别各种长度的CYP2C9基因和CYP2C9*3基因,背景干扰很低,灵敏度高,可尝试用于其他基因型的遗传多态性的签别。     

Physical manipulation of single-molecule DNA using microbead and its application to analysis of DNA-protein interaction

We carried out an individual DNA manipulation using an optical trapping for a microbead. This manipulation system is based on a fluorescent microscopy equipped with an IR laser. Both ends of linear DNA molecule were labeled with a biotin and a thiol group, respectively. Then the biotinylated end was attached to a microbead, and the other was immobilized on a thiol-linkable glass surface. We controlled the form of an individual DNA molecule by moving the focal point of IR laser, which trapped the microbead. In addition, we applied single-molecule approach to analyze DNA hydrolysis. We also used microchannel for single-molecule observation of DNA hydrolysis. The shortening of DNA in length caused by enzymatic hydrolysis was observed in real-time. The single-molecule DNA manipulation should contribute to elucidate detailed mechanisms of DNA-protein interactions.     

Thermally stimulated generation–recombination processes in zinc oxide single crystals and nanocrystals

We present an analysis of the theory of thermally stimulated generation×recombination processes occurring in semiconductors with participation of trapping and recombination centers, based on which we develop algorithms for a program for computer processing of experimental data and simulation of the thermally stimulated conductivity and thermally stimulated luminescence spectra. We determine the characteristic parameters of the trapping centers. We compare the results of computer simulation with experimentally observed thermally stimulated luminescence spectra of ZnO single crystals and nanocrystals.     

Upsilon production at Fermilab Tevatron and LHC energies

We update the theoretical predictions for direct Upsilon(nS) hadroproduction in the framework of nonrelativistic QCD. We show that the next-to-leading order corrections in alpha(S) to the color-singlet transition significantly raise the differential cross section at high p(T) and substantially affect the polarization of the Upsilon. Motivated by the remaining gap between the next-to-leading order yield and the cross-section measurements at the Fermilab Tevatron, we evaluate the leading part of the alpha(S)(5) contributions, namely, those coming from Upsilon(nS) associated with three light partons. The differential color-singlet cross section at alpha(S)(5) is in substantial agreement with the data, so that there is no evidence for the need of color-octet contributions. Furthermore, we find that the polarization of the Upsilon(nS) is longitudinal. We also present our predictions for Upsilon(nS) production at the LHC.     

Universal dephasing rate due to diluted Kondo impurities

We calculate the dephasing rate due to magnetic impurities in a weakly disordered metal as measured in a weak-localization experiment. If the density nS of magnetic impurities is sufficiently low, the dephasing rate 1/tauphi is a universal function, 1/tauphi=(nS/nu)f(T/TK), where TK is the Kondo temperature and nu is the density of states. We show that inelastic vertex corrections with a typical energy transfer DeltaE are suppressed by powers of 1/(tauphiDeltaE) proportional to nS. Therefore, the dephasing rate can be calculated from the inelastic cross section proportional to pinu ImT-/pinuT/2, where T is the T matrix which is evaluated numerically exactly using the numerical renormalization group.     

Single-beam trapping in front of reflective surfaces

We show that the optical trapping of dielectric particles by a single focused beam in front of a weakly reflective surface is considerably affected by interference of the incident and reflected beams, which creates a standing-wave component of the total field. We use the two-photon-excited fluorescence from a trapped dyed probe to detect changes in the distance between the trapped beam focus as the focus approaches the reflective surface. This procedure enables us to determine the relative strengths of the single-beam and the standing-wave trapping forces. We demonstrate that, even for reflection from a glass-water interface, standing-wave trapping dominates, as far as 5 mum from the surface.     

Localized and long-distance charge hopping in fresh and thermally aged conductive copolymers of polypyrrole and polyaniline studied by combined TSDC and dc conductivity

The charge trapping centers in fresh and thermally aged conductive polyaniline-polypyrrole copolymers (starting from pure polyaniline and ending in pure polypyrrole by steps of 10 wt%) were studied by thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) spectroscopy and dc conductivity measurements. One low temperature (115-135 K) relaxation mechanism appears in polyaniline-rich copolymers and disappears after thermal anneal. It is attributed to polaron trapping in the vicinity of chlorine anion dopants. Another relaxation mechanism operates close to room temperature and is related to conformational relaxation, which corresponds to the influence of the annihilation of the conformons on the conduction mechanism. The relaxation is sensitive to thermal aging as a result of the thermal annealing on the conductivity. The temperature derivative of the dc conductivity supports the latter assertion. The activation energy values were obtained as a function of composition for both fresh and heated samples. The TSDC spectroscopy is a sensitive tool which is an alternative to the standard conductivity studies for the characterization of polypyrrole-polyaniline conductive copolymers and the study of the thermal degradation.     

Trapping of DNA by thermophoretic depletion and convection

Thermophoresis depletes DNA from a heated spot. We quantify for the first time the thermal diffusion constant D(T)=0.4x10(-8) cm(2)/s K for DNA, using fluorescent dyes and laser heating. For 5 kB DNA we extrapolate a 1000-fold depletion from a temperature difference of 50 K. Surprisingly, convection generated by the same heating can turn the depletion into trapping of DNA. Trapped DNA can form point geometries 20 microm in diameter with more than 1000-fold enhanced concentrations. The accumulation is driven only by temperature gradients and offers a new approach to biological microfluidics and replicating systems in prebiotic evolution.     

Scanning tunneling spectrosopy study of DNA conductivity

We used STM to study the conductivity of 32 nucleotide long DNA molecules chemically attached to a gold surface. Two oligonucleotides containing all four base types namely G, A, C, T, one single stranded and one double helical, all showed conductance data significantly higher than DNA containing only T and A that were either single stranded d(T32) or double helical d(T32).d(A32) in confirmation. Within each sequence group, the conductivity of the double helical form was always higher than that of the single strand. We discuss the impact of structure, particular base stacking and affinity to the phase transition.      

Effect of surface traps on relaxation of injected charge in dielectric films

The problem of relaxation of the charge injected into a dielectric film has been analytically solved taking into account its conductivity and carrier trapping by both bulk and surface deep traps with fast (almost instantaneous) charging and finite discharge rates. The charge behavior in one-zone and two-zone relaxation modes has been analyzed. In particular cases, general analytical expressions give previously published results. Numerical calculations and an analysis of experimental data for titanium dioxide films deposited on metal substrates confirm the applicability of the developed model.     

Field effect in CdSe single-crystal films

The surface conductivity and effective mobility were studied as functions of the surface potential on CdSe single-crystal films having a conductivity of 1–10^–5 .cm^–1. The surface potential was varied by a constant external field. The formation of a conducting channel at the film surface is governed primarily by the change in the trapping factor as volume traps near the surface are filled. Field-effect data are used to evaluate the parameters of the exponential distribution of volume traps with respect to energy, the effective concentration of small donors, and the absolute values of the surface potential.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, No. 3, pp.43–47, March, 1971.     

Accumulation of cold cesium molecules via photoassociation in a mixed atomic and molecular trap

We have realized a mixed atomic and molecular trap, constituted by a Cs vapor-cell magneto-optical trap and a quadrupolar magnetic C s(2) trap, using the same magnetic field gradient. We observed the trapping of 2x 10(5) molecules, formed and accumulated in the metastable a (3)Sigma(+ )(u) state at a temperature of 30+/-10 microK through a approximately 150 ms photoassociation process. The lifetime of the trapped molecular cloud limited by the Cs background gas pressure is on the order of 1 s.     

Model calculations of diffusion limited trapping dynamics in quantum well laser structures

We present a phenomenological theoretical model to treat the trapping of carriers into quantum wells of semiconductor laser structures. We consider explicitely the transport within the barrier layers by solving the continuity equation with the appropriate boundary conditions taking into account surface recombination, radiative and nonradiative recombination in the barrier layers and trapping of carriers into the quantum wells. The experimental findings for the trapping dynamics in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well structures can be consistently interpreted by the model calculations.     

Surface plasmon optical tweezers: tunable optical manipulation in the femtonewton range

We present a quantitative analysis of 2D surface plasmon based optical tweezers able to trap microcolloids at a patterned metal surface under low laser intensity. Photonic force microscopy is used to assess the properties of surface plasmon traps, such as confinement and stiffness, revealing stable trapping with forces in the range of a few tens of femtonewtons. We also investigate the specificities of surface plasmon tweezers with respect to conventional 3D tweezers responsible for their selectivity to the trapped specimen's size. The accurate engineering of the trapping properties through the adjustment of the illumination parameters opens new perspectives in the realization of future optically driven on-a-chip devices.     

Characterization of DNA chips on the molecular scale before and after hybridization with an atomic force microscope

Using two different 25-mer oligonucleotide probes covalently grafted on a silicon substrate, we demonstrate how efficient atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be for monitoring each step of DNA chip preparation: from probe immobilization to hybridization on the molecular scale. We observed the probe-molecule organization on the chip after immobilization, and the target molecules, which hybridized with probes could be individually identified. This article presents a method of straightforwardly identifying not only single and double DNA strands, but also, and more significantly, the hybridized part on them.     

Stereodynamics in dissociative adsorption of NO on Si(111)

We report results of our study on the surface-temperature dependence of the steric effect in the dissociative adsorption of NO on Si(111)-(7x7). Data presented here show that, at an incident energy of 58 meV, the reactive sticking probability for the N-end collision is larger than that for the O-end collision. Furthermore, this steric preference is quite sensitive to the surface temperature and the surface coverage. This study shows that the transient surface trapping into a shallow precursor well plays a key role in the stereodynamics of the dissociative adsorption at the low energy region.     

Absence of dc-conductivity in lambda-DNA

The electrical conductivity of biomaterials on a molecular scale is of fundamental interest in the life sciences. We perform first principles electronic structure calculations, which clearly indicate that lambda-DNA chains should present large resistance values. We also present two direct procedures to measure electrical currents through DNA molecules adsorbed on mica. The lower limit for the resistivity is 10(6) Omega . cm, in agreement with our calculations. We also show that low energy electron bombardment induces a rapid contamination and dramatically affects the measured conductivity, thus providing an explanation to recent reports of high DNA conductivity.