Quantum point contact switches

Switching behavior between electron tunneling and ballistic transport states was induced by repeatedly bringing a sharpened nickel wire into contact with a gold surface. The high-conductivity ballistic state had a quantized conductance of 0.977 +/- 0.015 (2e(2)/h). Switching was accomplished by moving the electrodes with a piezoelectric actuator over a distance of 2 angstroms. The two electrodes and the actuator form a three-terminal device that is demonstrated to be a reliable digital and analog switch; it shows good discrimination between high and low states and possesses the important property of power gain. The conductance channel is most likely only one atom wide and possibly consists of a single atom.     

Reproducible measurement of single-molecule conductivity

A reliable method has been developed for making through-bond electrical contacts to molecules. Current-voltage curves are quantized as integer multiples of one fundamental curve, an observation used to identify single-molecule contacts. The resistance of a single octanedithiol molecule was 900 +/- 50 megohms, based on measurements on more than 1000 single molecules. In contrast, nonbonded contacts to octanethiol monolayers were at least four orders of magnitude more resistive, less reproducible, and had a different voltage dependence, demonstrating that the measurement of intrinsic molecular properties requires chemically bonded contacts.     

Application of carbon isotope stratigraphy to late miocene shallow marine sediments, new zealand

A distinct (0.5 per mil) carbon-13/carbon-12 isotopic shift in the light direction has been identified in a shallow marine sedimentary sequence of Late Miocene age at Blind River, New Zealand, and correlated with a similar shift in Late Miocene Deep Sea Drilling Project sequences throughout the Indo-Pacific. A dated piston core provides an age for the shift of 6.2 +/- 0.1 million years. Correlations based on the carbon isotopic change require a revision of the previously established magnetostratigraphy at Blind River. The carbon shift at Blind River occurs between 6.2 and 6.3 +/- 0.1 million years before present. A new chronology provides an age for the evolutionary first appearance datum of Globorotalia conomiozea at 6.1 +/- 0.1 million years, the beginning of a distinct latest Miocene cooling event associated with the Kapitean stage at 6.2 +/- 0.1 million years, and the beginning of a distinct shallowing of water depths at 6.1 +/- 0.1 million years. The Miocene-Pliocene boundary as recognized in New Zealand is now dated at 5.3 +/- 0.1 million years. Extension of carbon isotope stratigraphy to other shallow Late Miocene sequences should provide an important datum for international correlation of Late Miocene shallow and deep marine sequences.     

Single-molecule vibrational spectroscopy and microscopy

Vibrational spectra for a single molecule adsorbed on a solid surface have been obtained with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Inelastic electron tunneling spectra for an isolated acetylene (C2H2) molecule adsorbed on the copper (100) surface showed an increase in the tunneling conductance at 358 millivolts, resulting from excitation of the C-H stretch mode. An isotopic shift to 266 millivolts was observed for deuterated acetylene (C2D2). Vibrational microscopy from spatial imaging of the inelastic tunneling channels yielded additional data to further distinguish and characterize the two isotopes. Single-molecule vibrational analysis should lead to better understanding and control of surface chemistry at the atomic level.     

Electron transport in molecular wire junctions

Molecular conductance junctions are structures in which single molecules or small groups of molecules conduct electrical current between two electrodes. In such junctions, the connection between the molecule and the electrodes greatly affects the current-voltage characteristics. Despite several experimental and theoretical advances, including the understanding of simple systems, there is still limited correspondence between experimental and theoretical studies of these systems.     

Atmospheric Lifetime of CHF2Br, a Proposed Substitute for Halons

The rate coefficients, k(1), for the reaction of OH with CHF(2)Br have been measured using pulsed photolysis and discharge flow techniques at temperatures (T) between 233 and 432 K to be k(1), = (7.4 +/- 1.6) x 10(-13) exp[-(1300 +/- 100)/T] cubic centimeters per molecule per second. The ultraviolet absorption cross sections, sigma, of this molecule between 190 and 280 nanometers were measured at 296 K. The k(1), and sigma values were used in a one-dimensional model to obtain an atmospheric lifetime of approximately 7 years for CHF(2)Br. This lifetime is shorter by approximately factors of 10 and 2 than those for CF(3)Br and CF(2)ClBr, respectively. The ozone depletion potentials of the three compounds will reflect these lifetimes.     

Resonant tunneling in the quantum Hall regime: measurement of fractional charge

In experiments on resonant tunneling through a "quantum antidot" (a potential hill) in the quantum Hall (QH) regime, periodic conductance peaks were observed as a function of both magnetic field and back gate voltage. A combination of the two periods constitutes a measurement of the charge of the tunneling particles and implies that charge deficiency on the antidot is quantized in units of the charge of quasi-particles of the surrounding QH condensate. The experimentally determined value of the electron charge e is 1.57 x 10(-19) coulomb = (0.98 +/- 0.03) e for the states v = 1 and v = 2 of the integer QH effect, and the quasi-particle charge is 5.20 x 10(-20) coulomb = (0.325 +/- 0.01)e for the state v = (1/3) of the fractional QH effect.     

Melting of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 at the Core-Mantle Boundary of the Earth

The lower mantle of the Earth is believed to be largely composed of (Mg,Fe)O (magnesiowustite) and (Mg,Fe)SiO3 (perovskite). Radiative temperatures of single-crystal olivine [(Mg0.9,Fe0.1)2SiO4] decreased abruptly from 7040 +/- 315 to 4300 +/- 270 kelvin upon shock compression above 80 gigapascals. The data indicate that an upper bound to the solidus of the magnesiowustite and perovskite assemblage at 4300 +/- 270 kelvin is 130 +/- 3 gigapascals. These conditions correspond to those for partial melting at the base of the mantle, as has been suggested occurs within the ultralow-velocity zone beneath the central Pacific.     

Equilibrium sedimentation of uniform rods of tobacco mosaic virus

Equilibrium was achieved in centrifugal fields with tobacco mosaic virus by the Beams magnetically suspended ultracentrifuge. An attempt was made to account for the earth's gravitational component by using tilted cells in the rotor. The determinations of particle weight on highly uniform rods of tobacco mosaic virus in the apparent absence of nonideal behavior gave a value of (41.6 +/- 0.1) 10(6).     

玉米群体冠层内蒸腾速率与气孔导度的变化特性

为了探明玉米群体内光合特性的变化规律，用Li-1600型稳态气孔仪分别测定了3个不同株型的玉米品种（“四密25”、“农大3138”、“吉单159”）群体冠层内的蒸腾速率和气孔导度的日变化和冠层变化。结果表明：3个品种群体冠层内蒸腾速率的日变化为单峰型，中午12：00达最大值；气孔导率的日变化近似单峰型，在上午10：00达最大值。蒸腾速率和气孔导度的冠层变化均为：上层叶＞中层叶＞下层叶：蒸腾速率与气孔导度呈正相关。      

Venus: global surface radar reflectivity

Observations of the surface of Venus, carried out by the Pioneer Venus radar mapper at a wavelength of 17 centimeters, reveal a global mean reflectivity at normal incidence of 0.13 +/- 0.03. Over the surface, variations from a low of 0.03 +/- 0.01 to a high of 0.4 +/- 0.1 are found, with Theia Mons, previously identified as possibly volcanic, showing a value of 0.28 +/- 0.07. Regions of high reflectivity may consist of rocks with substantial inclusions of highly conductive sulfides.     

Erratum

In the Research News article "New test of variable gravitational constant" (23 Dec., p. 1316), in the third paragraph of column two on page 1317, a minus sign was left out of an exponent. The correct value for the drift of atomic clocks relative to gravitational clocks is (0.1 +/- 0.8) x 10(-11) per year.     

Lateral movements of membrane glycoproteins restricted by dynamic cytoplasmic barriers.

Cell membranes often are patchy, composed of lateral domains. These domains may be formed by barriers within or on either side of the membrane bilayer. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class 1 molecules that were either transmembrane- (H-2Db) or glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored (Qa2) were labeled with antibody-coated gold particles and moved across the cell surface with a laser optical tweezers until they encountered a barrier, the barrier-free path length (BFP). At room temperature, the BFPs of Qa2 and H-2Db were 1.7 +/- 0.2 and 0.6 +/- 0.1 (micrometers +/- SEM), respectively. Barriers persisted at 34 degrees C, although the BFP for both MHC molecules was fivefold greater at 34 degrees C than at 23 degrees C. This indicates that barriers to lateral movement are primarily on the cytoplasmic half of the membrane and are dynamic.     

马铃薯新品种桂农薯1号组培快繁研究

【目的】探索马铃薯新品种桂农薯1号组培快繁技术,为实现工厂化生产脱毒种薯提供技术支撑。【方法】采用茎尖培养脱毒法,以马铃薯顶芽为外植体,按不同灭菌时间进行单因子(3%NaClO和0.1%HgCl2)和双因子(75%酒精和0.1%HgCl2)消毒处理,再剥取0.3~0.7 mm茎尖接种到分别添加了不同浓度GA3、6-BA及6-BA和NAA的诱导培养基上诱导成苗。将诱导出的苗进行单腋芽切段快繁,并接种到添加有6-BA和PP333的单因子及双因子组合MS培养基中进行无菌苗继代增殖。【结果】75%酒精+0.1%HgCl2双因子灭菌较单因子3%NaClO和0.1%HgCl2效果好,污染率降至21.67%;茎尖诱导培养中,GA3和6-BA均能诱导茎尖萌芽,诱导趋势均先增后减,而以1.5 mg/L 6-BA和0.2 mg/L NAA配合,诱导率达53.67%;增殖壮苗阶段,0.1 mg/L PP333和2.5 mg/L 6-BA配合,增殖倍数达6.59倍,且苗长势好,茎粗壮、叶色正常。【结论】桂农薯1号外植体消毒最佳灭菌处理为:75%酒精2 min+0.1%HgCl211 min;最佳茎尖诱导配方为:MS+1.5 mg/L 6-BA+0.2 mg/L NAA;适合继代增殖壮苗培养基为:MS+2.5 mg/L 6-BA+0.1 mg/L PP333。     

Ultrafast flash thermal conductance of molecular chains

At the level of individual molecules, familiar concepts of heat transport no longer apply. When large amounts of heat are transported through a molecule, a crucial process in molecular electronic devices, energy is carried by discrete molecular vibrational excitations. We studied heat transport through self-assembled monolayers of long-chain hydrocarbon molecules anchored to a gold substrate by ultrafast heating of the gold with a femtosecond laser pulse. When the heat reached the methyl groups at the chain ends, a nonlinear coherent vibrational spectroscopy technique detected the resulting thermally induced disorder. The flow of heat into the chains was limited by the interface conductance. The leading edge of the heat burst traveled ballistically along the chains at a velocity of 1 kilometer per second. The molecular conductance per chain was 50 picowatts per kelvin.     

Pressure dependence of the radioactive decay constant of beryllium-7

Diamond anvil presses of a new design were used to compress samples of beryllium-7 oxide to 120, 210, and 270 kilobars. The decay constant for the conversion of beryllium-7 to lithium-7 by electron capture was measured for compressed and uncompressed samples. A least-squares fit of the equation (lambda(c)-lambda)/lambda = KpP to the experimental data, where lambda(C) and lambda are the decay constants of the compressed sample and an uncompressed sample, respectively, and P is pressure, yields a value of (2.2 +/- 0.1) x 10(-5) kbar(-1) for the constant K(p).     

刺槐家系耐盐性状的变异、相关分析及选择

①根据对不同盐浓度处理下刺槐家系苗高、地径及它们的绝对和相对生长量的调查分析,得出短期盐胁迫下苗高绝对生长量及其相对生长量能灵敏反映出苗木受盐害的程度,其它指标用于评价苗期耐盐性的效果较差.②根据对盐胁迫下40个刺槐家系各生长性状的调查分析,研究了它们的遗传变异,并用指数选择法对刺槐家系进行了选择.结果表明:刺槐家系的各耐盐性状受较大程度的遗传控制,环境效应影响较小,通过选择可望取得明显遗传进展;指数选择在刺槐家系多性状综合选择时有较好效果,对各约束性状的控制也可达到预期目的.③根据对盐胁迫下6个刺槐家系盆栽苗的苗高、苗高绝对生长量、苗高相对生长量、水势、电导率和叶部钾钠比的调查分析,研究了它们的遗传变异、各性状间的相关关系和它们对苗高的通径分析.结果表明:苗高和苗高绝对生长量之间相关性非常紧密(r=0.700),与苗高相对生长量之间相关性一般(r=0.451),苗高绝对生长量与苗高相对生长量遗传相关略高(r=0.635),苗木水势和质外体电导率与苗高的表型和遗传相关均表现适度的负相关;苗高生长主要受苗高绝对生长量的直接效应的影响,直接通径系数次序为苗高绝对生长量、钾钠比、水势、电导率和苗高相对生长量,苗高相对生长量、钾钠比、水势和电导率通过对苗高绝对生长量间接效应来影响苗高的生长.     

Large longitude libration of Mercury reveals a molten core

Observations of radar speckle patterns tied to the rotation of Mercury establish that the planet occupies a Cassini state with obliquity of 2.11 +/- 0.1 arc minutes. The measurements show that the planet exhibits librations in longitude that are forced at the 88-day orbital period, as predicted by theory. The large amplitude of the oscillations, 35.8 +/- 2 arc seconds, together with the Mariner 10 determination of the gravitational harmonic coefficient C22, indicates that the mantle of Mercury is decoupled from a core that is at least partially molten.     

40Ar/39Ar Age of Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Tektites from Haiti

(40)Ar/(39)Ar dating of tektites discovered recently in Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary marine sedimentary rocks on Haiti indicates that the K-T boundary and impact event are coeval at 64.5 +/- 0.1 million years ago. Sanidine from a bentonite that lies directly above the K-T boundary in continental, coal-bearing, sedimentary rocks of Montana was also dated and has a (40)Ar/(39)Ar age of 64.6 +/- 0.2 million years ago, which is indistinguishable statistically from the age of the tektites.     

低磷胁迫对山核桃幼苗根系形态和生理特征的影响

通过水培实验比较了山核桃Carya cathayensis幼苗在正常供磷（0.10 mmol·L^－1）和低磷胁迫（0.02 mmol·L^－1）条件下的根系形态、磷营养特点、叶片光合作用以及叶片和根系分泌酸性磷酸酶活性的差异。结果表明,低磷处理显著降低山核桃植株干质量、磷质量分数和磷积累量（P＜0.05）;与正常供磷相比,低磷处理条件下山核桃根长、根表面积和根体积显著降低（P＜0.05）;低磷处理显著降低山核桃叶片光合速率和气孔导度（P＜0.05）,但对叶片胞间二氧化碳摩尔分数无显著影响,这表明低磷胁迫对山核桃叶片光合速率的抑制作用主要是由于非气孔因素引起的。低磷胁迫使山核桃叶片酸性磷酸酶活性和根系分泌酸性磷酸酶活性显著增加（P＜0.05）,分别为正常供磷处理下的135%和159%,这表明磷缺乏诱导酸性磷酸酶活性的增加可能是山核桃适应低磷胁迫的机制之一。图4表1参28