Academic literature on the topic 'Steady-state probe topography'

A method has been developed for routine, non-invasive monitoring of the topography of leaf photochemistry. The method uses video images of leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, taken during steady-state photosynthesis and during a transitory saturation of photochemistry, to construct, pixel by pixel, an image of the photochemical yield of photosystem II (PSII). The photochemical yield of PSII was estimated according to Genty et al. (1989) (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 990, 87-92). The effectiveness of the method was shown by mapping the heterogeneous distribution of photosynthetic activity after treatment with either a herbicide (DCMU), abscisic acid, or during the course of the induction of photosynthesis. Leaf CO2 assimilation was simultaneously monitored under non- photorespiratory conditions to estimate the average quantum yield of linear electron transport. A unique proportional relationship was found between the mean photochemical yield of PSII calculated from images of the photochemical yield of PSII, and the average quantum yield of linear electron transport in three plant species exposed to a wide range of treatments or conditions. This new ability to quantitatively visualise leaf photochemistry provides a powerful tool to probe the spatial distribution of leaf photosynthesis. Possible errors in estimating the photochemical yield of PSII from mean fluorescence measurements are discussed.

For the first time, an original compound belonging to the heptazine family has been deposited in the form of thin layers, both by thermal evaporation under vacuum and spin-coating techniques. In both cases, smooth and homogeneous layers have been obtained, and their properties evaluated for eventual applications in the field of organic electronics. The layers have been fully characterized by several concordant techniques, namely UV-visible spectroscopy, steady-state and transient fluorescence in the solid-state, as well as topographic and conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM) used in Kelvin probe force mode (KPFM). Consequently, the afferent energy levels, including Fermi level, have been determined, and show that these new heptazines are promising materials for tailoring the electronic properties of interfaces associated with printed electronic devices. A test experiment showing an improved electron transfer rate from a tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) photo-active layer in presence of a heptazine interlayer is finally presented.

Mountain rivers exhibit sediment transport rate fluctuations that often cover more than two orders of magnitude. Bedform migration is often cited as the key process that causes giant fluctuations in the sediment transport rate. To quantify the effect of bedform migration on transport rate, we ran laboratory experiments in a 19-m long 60-cm wide flume with well-sorted gravel bed. At the flume inlet, the water discharge and the particle flux were kept constant. Experiments were conducted over long times (typically > 500 h). Sediment transport rate was monitored at the flume outlet using accelerometers. Bed topography was scanned at high spatial resolution using a laser sheet. Water depth was measured using ultrasonic probes mounted on an automated rolling carriage. We observed that, under steady state experimental conditions, bed morphology played a key part in the generation of bedload transport fluctuations. The bars migrated downstream intermittently, producing the most important pulses. When the bar position was stable for a few hours, additional pulses resulted from sediment transfer from pool to pool, in the form of sediment waves (bedload sheets). Thus, in our experiments, alternate bars formed a two-entity system (bar + pool) with two distinctive functions: the bars contributed to fix and stabilize the bed whereas the pools were the preferential zones of short-term storage and transfer of sediment.

In this study, a nonlinear observer for high-speed estimation of the sample surface topography in a small duration of the probe transient motion utilizing a 2DOF model of TR-AFM is proposed. Since the time duration to reach the steady-state periodic motion of the oscillating probe in conventional imaging methods is relatively high, the proposed nonlinear observer in this research is able to address this limitation and estimate the surface topography throughout transient oscillation of the microcantilever. With this aim, topography estimation process utilizing a Thau observer without any linearization of the system dynamics is designed and coupled with the system dynamics to achieve sample topography. The stability of the proposed observer coupled with controller is verified by the Lyapunov stability theorem for the first time, and hence, linearization of the model is not required. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the presented approach to estimate different sample heights with high accuracy and a relatively high scanning speed. Additionally, the effects of measurement noise and horizontal nanoneedle tip displacement on the performance of proposed technique are investigated.

Trolling mode atomic force microscopy (TR-AFM) can considerably reduce the liquid-resonator interaction forces, and hence, has overcome many imaging problems in liquid environments. This mode increases the quality factor (QF) significantly compared with the conventional AFM operation in liquid; therefore, the duration to reach the steady-state periodic motion of the oscillating probe is relatively high. As a result, utilizing conventional imaging techniques, which are based on measuring the amplitude and phase, are significantly slower when compared to our proposed method. This research presents a high-speed scanning technique based on an estimation law to obtain the topography of various samples utilizing a two-degree-of-freedom model of TR-AFM. The effect of the nanoneedle tip horizontal displacement on the estimation process is investigated, and a solution to compensate for its undesirable effect is also presented.

Dopamine appears to play a critical role in regulating spatial working memory (SWM) in non-human primates, and SWM deficits are observed in patients with Parkinson�s disease and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, the current experimental literature in humans is marred by inconsistent behavioural findings, and there is a void in neuroimaging studies examining dopaminergic manipulation of SWM-related brain activity. The present thesis used a combination of behavioural neurocognitive testing and brain imaging to further examine dopaminergic manipulation of SWM in healthy humans, using two pharmacological challenges: 1) acute tyrosine depletion (TPD) (to acutely deplete tonic dopamine), and 2) D1/D2 receptor activation using the dopamine receptor agonist pergolide (to stimulate dopamine neurotransmission) under conditions of TPD. The effects of TPD on behavioural performance were examined using three SWM tasks: 1) a delayed-recognition task previously impaired by TPD (Experiment 1) and 2) two delayed-response tasks designed to vary only in response requirements (Experiment 2). The findings demonstrated an apparent failure of TPD to impair performance on any of the tasks. Further, the effects of TPD on SWM-related brain activity during a SWM n-back task were examined using regional Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF) measured by H2 150 Positron Emission Tomography (Experiment 2), and Steady State Visually Evoked Potentials (SSVEP) measured by Steady State Probe Topography (Experiment 4). TPD failed to produce discernable effects on either neural networks (task-related rCBF) or temporal electrophysiological activity (SSVEP) associated with the SWM n-back task. In contrast, D1/D2 receptor stimulation under dopamine depleted conditions impaired performance on both a SWM delayed-response task (Experiment 1) and SWM n-back task (Experiment 2), and resulted in task-related increases in fronto-temporal SSVEP latency (suggestive of increased inhibition) and decreases in parieto-occipital SSVEP amplitude (suggestive of increased activation) during the early delay period of the SWM n-back task (Experiment 4). These changes are consistent with the undisputed role of frontal and parietal regions in n-back task performance, and with previous evidence of dopaminergic modulation of these regions in animals and humans. In summary, TPD did not modulate SWM behavioural performance on four different SWM tasks with differing task demands, and failed to produce measurable changes to either SWM-related neural networks (task-related rCBF) or cortical electrophysiological activity (SSVEP) associated with the SWM n-back task. The implication of these findings, when taken together with previous studies, is that the degree of dopaminergic depletion achieved with TPD may be insufficient to consistently and robustly modulate SWM networks in healthy humans, questioning the utility of TPD as a probe of dopaminergic function. In addition, these findings demonstrate the complexity of stimulating D1/D2 receptors under dopamine depleted conditions, and highlight the critical importance of baseline dopamine levels in influencing the effects of acute dopamine challenge on SWM performance.