The thesis contains several pioneering results at the intersection of state-of-the-art materials characterization techniques and machine learning. The use of machine learning empowers the information extraction capability of neutron and photon spectroscopies. In particular, new knowledge and new physics insights to aid spectroscopic analysis may hold great promise for next-generation quantum technology. As a prominent example, the so-called proximity effect at topological material interfaces promises to enable spintronics without energy dissipation and quantum computing with fault tolerance, yet the characteristic spectral features to identify the proximity effect have long been elusive. The work presented within permits a fine resolution of its spectroscopic features and a determination of the proximity effect which could aid further experiments with improved interpretability. A few novel machine learning architectures are proposed in this thesis work which leverage the case when the data is scarce and utilize the internal symmetry of the system to improve the training quality. The work sheds light on future pathways to apply machine learning to augment experiments.

In this thesis, the author has developed a high-resolution spin-resolved photoemission spectrometer that achieves the world-best energy resolution of 8 meV. The author has designed a new, highly efficient mini Mott detector that has a large electron acceptance angle and an atomically flat gold target to enhance the efficiency of detecting scattered electrons.

The author measured the electron and spin structure of Bi thin film grown on a Si(111) surface to study the Rashba effect. Unlike the conventional Rashba splitting, an asymmetric in-plane spin polarization and a tremendous out-of-plane spin component were observed. Moreover, the author found that the spin polarization of Rashba surface states is reduced by decreasing the film thickness, which indicates the considerable interaction of Rashba spin-split states between the surface and Bi/Si interface.

The emerging field of lipidomics has been made possible because of advances in mass spectrometry, and in particular tandem mass spectrometry of lipid ions generated by electrospray ionization. The ability to carry out basic biochemical studies of lipids using electrospray ionization is predicated upon understanding the behaviour of lipid derived ions following collision induced decomposition and mechanisms of product ion formation. During the past 20 years, a wealth of information has been generated about lipid molecules that are now analysed by mass spectrometry, however there is no central source where one can obtain basic information about how these very diverse biomolecules behave following collisional activation. This book brings together, in one volume, this information so that investigators considering using tandem mass spectrometry to structurally characterize lipids or to quantitate their occurrence in a biological matrix, will have a convenient source to review mechanism of decomposition reactions related to the diversity of lipid structures. A separate chapter is devoted to each of seven major lipid classes including fatty acids, eicosanoids and bioactive lipid mediators, fatty acyl esters and amides, glycerol esters, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and steroids. Mechanistic details are provided for understanding the pathways of formation of major product ions and ions used for structural characterization. In most cases specific ancillary information has been critical to understand the pathways, including isotope labeling and high resolution analysis of precursor and product ions. For a few specific examples such data is missing and pathways are proposed as a means to initiate further mass spectral experiments to prove or disprove pathway hypotheses. While this work largely centres on the lipid biochemistry of animal (mammalian) systems, general principles can be taken from the specific examples and applied to lipid biochemistry found in plants, fungi, prokaryotes and archeal organisms.

This volume presents the recent progress and perspective in multi-photon processes and spectroscopy of atoms, ions, molecules and solids. The subjects in the series cover the experimental and theoretical investigations in the interdisciplinary research fields of natural science including chemistry, physics, bioscience and material science.

The series Topics in Current Chemistry presents critical reviews of the present and future trends in modern chemical research. The scope of coverage is all areas of chemical science including the interfaces with related disciplines such as biology, medicine and materials science. The goal of each thematic volume is to give the non-specialist reader, whether in academia or industry, a comprehensive insight into an area where new research is emerging which is of interest to a larger scientific audience. Each review within the volume critically surveys one aspect of that topic and places it within the context of the volume as a whole. The most significant developments of the last 5 to 10 years are presented using selected examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The coverage is not intended to be an exhaustive summary of the field or include large quantities of data, but should rather be conceptual, concentrating on the methodological thinking that will allow the non-specialist reader to understand the information presented. Contributions also offer an outlook on potential future developments in the field. Review articles for the individual volumes are invited by the volume editors. Readership: research chemists at universities or in industry, graduate students.

he application of fluorescence in drug discovery, high-throughout screenings in geonomics and proteomics is and will be evidently successful. The increased use of fluorescence techniques is greatly enhanced by the improved instrumentation pioneered by inventive scientists and now made available commercially by several high-tech companies. Moreover, the design and development of many new molecular probes with higher selectivity for specific microenvironmental properties has stimulated many new researchers to employ fluorescence techniques for solving their problems. Probably the most significant breakthrough in fluorescence is its use in detection of single molecules and even of their real-time dynamics. Also, probing inside living cells has become a hot topic in the life sciences. This topic book reflects the updates of scientific progress presented by frontline researchers.

This book focuses on the essential scientific ideas and breakthroughs in the last three decades for organic solar cells that have realized practical applications. The motivation for publishing this book is to explain how those essential ideas have arisen and to provide a foundation for future progress by target readers-students, novices in the field, and scientists with expertise. The main topics covered in the book include the fundamental principles and history of organic solar cells, blended junction, nanostructure control, photocurrent generation, photovoltage generation, doping, practical organic solar cells, and possible ideas for the future. The editors enthusiastically anticipate the vigorous development of the field of organic solar cells by young scientists of the next generation.

Mass Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics: A Practical Guide is a simple, step-by-step reference for profiling metabolites in a target organism. It discusses optimization of sample preparation for urine, serum, blood, tissue, food, and plant and animal cell samples. Encompassing three different technical fields-biology, analytical chemistry, and informatics- mass spectrometry-based metabolomics can be challenging for biologists without special training in quantitative mass spectrometry. This book is designed to overcome this limitation by providing researchers with the knowledge they need to use metabolomics technology in their respective disciplines. The book summarizes all steps in metabolomics research, from experimental design to sample preparation, analytical procedures, and data analysis. Case studies are presented for easy understanding of the metabolomics workflow and its practical applications in different research fields. The book includes an in-house library and built-in software so that those new to the field can begin to analyze real data samples. In addition to being an excellent introductory text, the book also contains the latest advancements in this emerging field and can thus be a useful reference for metabolomics specialists.

Oxygen-Ozone therapy is a complementary approach less known than homeopathy and acupuncture because it has come of age only three decades ago. This book clarifies that, in the often nebulous field of natural medicine, the biological bases of ozone therapy are totally in line with classical biochemistry, physiological and pharmacological knowledge. Ozone is an oxidizing molecule, a sort of super active oxygen, which, by reacting with blood components generates a number of chemical messengers responsible for activating crucial biological functions such as oxygen delivery, immune activation, release of hormones and induction of antioxidant enzymes, which is an exceptional property for correcting the chronic oxidative stress present in atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer. Moreover, by inducing nitric oxide synthase, ozone therapy may mobilize endogenous stem cells, which will promote regeneration of ischemic tissues. The description of these phenomena offers the first comprehensive picture for understanding how ozone works and why. When properly used as a real drug within therapeutic range, ozone therapy does not only does not procure adverse effects but yields a feeling of wellness. Half the book describes the value of ozone treatment in several diseases, particularly cutanious infection and vascular diseases where ozone really behaves as a "wonder drug." The book has been written for clinical researchers, physicians and ozone therapists, but also for the layman or the patient interested in this therapy.

This book examines Thomas Hardy's representations of the road and the ways the archaeological and historical record of roads inform his work. Through an analysis of the uneven and often competing road signs found within three of his major novels - The Return of the Native, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure - and by mapping the road travels of his protagonists, this book argues that the road as represented by Hardy provides a palimpsest that critiques the Victorian construction of social and sexual identities. Balancing modern exigencies with mythic possibilities, Hardy's fictive roads exist as contested spaces that channel desire for middle-class assimilation even as they provide the means both to reinforce and to resist conformity to hegemonic authority.

This book is the first standalone book that combines research into low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) with research into millimeter-wave circuits. In compiling this book, the authors have set two research objectives. The first is to bring together the research context behind millimeter-wave circuit operation and the theory of low-noise amplification. The second is to present new research in this multi-disciplinary field by dividing the common LNA configurations and typical specifications into subsystems, which are then optimized separately to suggest improvements in the current state-of-the-art designs. To achieve the second research objective, the state-of-the-art LNA configurations are discussed and the weaknesses of state-of the art configurations are considered, thus identifying research gaps. Such research gaps, among others, point towards optimization - at a systems and microelectronics level. Optimization topics include the influence of short wavelength, layout and crosstalk on LNA performance. Advanced fabrication technologies used to decrease the parasitics of passive and active devices are also explored, together with packaging technologies such as silicon-on-chip and silicon-on-package, which are proposed as alternatives to traditional IC implementation. This research outcome builds through innovation. Innovative ideas for LNA construction are explored, and alternative design methodologies are deployed, including LNA/antenna co-design or utilization of the electronic design automation in the research flow. The book also offers the authors' proposal for streamlined automated LNA design flow, which focuses on LNA as a collection of highly optimized subsystems.

This volume details protocols on mass spectrometry and associated techniques. Chapters guide readers through micro- and macronutrients analysis, mass spectrometry-related methodologies, direct insertion, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), gas chromatography (uni- and bi-dimensional), liquid chromatography, plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and analyses in food samples. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Mass Spectrometry for Food Analysis aims to provide comprehensive and updated state-of-art methodologies and models for food analysis.

This thesis provides the first comprehensive theoretical overview of the electronic and optical properties of two dimensional (2D) Indium Selenide: atomically thin films of InSe ranging from monolayers to few layers in thickness. The thesis shows how the electronic propertes of 2D InSe vary significantly with film thickness, changing from a weakly indirect semiconductor for the monolayer to a direct gap material in the bulk form, with a strong band gap variation with film thickness predicted and recently observed in optical experiments. The proposed theory is based on a specially designed hybrid k.p tight-binding model approach (HkpTB), which uses an intralayer k.p Hamiltonian to describe the InSe monolayer, and tight-binding-like interlayer hopping. Electronic and optical absorption spectra are determined, and a detailed description of subbands of electrons in few-layer films and the influence of spin-orbit coupling is provided. The author shows that the principal optical excitations of InSe films with the thickness from 1 to 15 layers broadly cover the visible spectrum, with the possibility of extending optical functionality into the infrared and THz range using intersubband transitions.

This volume presents recent progress and perspectives in multi-photon processes and spectroscopy of atoms, ions, molecules and solids. The subjects in the series cover the experimental and theoretical investigations in the interdisciplinary research fields of natural science including chemistry, physics, bioscience and material science.This volume is the latest volume in a series that is a pioneer in compiling review articles of nonlinear interactions of photons and matter. It has made an essential contribution to the development and promotion of the related research fields. In view of the rapid growth in multi-photon processes and multi-photon spectroscopy, care has been taken to ensure that the review articles contained in the series are readable not only by active researchers but also those who are not yet experts but intend to enter the field.

Impedance Spectroscopy is a powerful measurement method used in many application fields such as electrochemistry, material science, biology and medicine, semiconductor industry and sensors. Using the complex impedance at various frequencies increases the informational basis that can be gained during a measurement. It helps to separate different effects that contribute to a measurement and, together with advanced mathematical methods, non-accessible quantities can be calculated. This book is the fourth in the series Lecture Notes on Impedance Spectroscopy (LNIS). The series covers new advances in the field of impedance spectroscopy including fundamentals, methods and applications. It releases scientific contributions from the International Workshop on Impedance Spectroscopy (IWIS) as extended chapters including detailed information about recent scientific research results. This book is of interest to graduated students, engineers, researchers and specialists dealing with impedance spectroscopy. It includes fundamentals of impedance spectroscopy as well as specific theoretical and practical aspects from many applications in various fields.

All microbes, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, can be classified and identified by matching a few peptides known to be unique to each organism. Identifying Microbes by Mass Spectrometry Proteomics describes ways to identify microorganisms using powerful new techniques combining hardware and software and yielding highly accurate methods for detection, identification, and classification of microbes. This straightforward technology can be used to detect unknown and unsequenced microorganisms as well as microbes in complex environmental samples. This book reviews various mass analyzers used for detection and describes ionization methods frequently used for analysis of microbial constituents, a necessary step in the preparation of mass spectrometry (MS) samples. The text also discusses diverse processing methods, which are used to analyze MS files for matching mass spectral profiles, and examines protein and nucleic acid sequence-based methods capable of classification and identification of microbial agents. The book also covers sample collection methods and specific sample preparation techniques. The text addresses using computer software and bioinformatics approaches for data mining to discriminate microbes using mass spectrometry proteomics (MSP). It also discusses historical pattern recognition-based methods and other approaches such as analysis of pyrolysis products, chemical ionization (CI) of fatty acid methyl esters, and MALDI-MS. The text contains examples of the application of the MSP technique for microbe detection and includes a survey of suitable and commercially available MS-based platforms. Successful applications include the identification of unknown microbes in honey bees associated with colony collapse disorder and the analysis of virus strains from the 2009 influenza pandemic. The final chapter outlines future trends in these groundbreaking uses of MS techniques, which are fast, not limited by sample type, and show potential in answering complex environmental questions.

The X-ray standing wave (XSW) technique is an X-ray interferometric method combining diffraction with a multitude of spectroscopic techniques. It is extremely powerful for obtaining information about virtually all properties of surfaces and interfaces on the atomic scale. However, as with any other technique, it has strengths and limitations. The proper use and necessary understanding of this method requires knowledge in quite different fields of physics and technology. This volume presents comprehensively the theoretical background, technical requirements and distinguished experimental highlights of the technique. Containing contributions from the most prominent experts of the technique, such as Andre Authier, Boris Batterman, Michael J Bedzyk, Jene Golovchenko, Victor Kohn, Michail Kovalchuk, Gerhard Materlik and D Phil Woodruff, the book equips scientists with all the necessary information and knowledge to understand and use the XSW technique in practically all applications.

Presenting a detailed, hands-on approach to fluorescence spectroscopy, this book describes experiments that cover basic spectroscopy and advanced aspects of fluorescence spectroscopy. It emphasizes practical guidance, providing background on fundamental concepts as well as guidance on how to handle artifacts, avoid common errors, and interpret data. Nearly 150 experiments from biophysics, biochemistry, and the biomedical sciences demonstrate how methods are applied in practical applications. The result is a hands-on guide to the most important aspects of fluorescence spectroscopy, from steady-state fluorescence to advanced time-resolved fluorescence. Provides a complete overview of nearly 150 experiments using fluorescence spectroscopy, from basic to advanced applications Presents laboratory methods using a variety of instrumental setups with detailed discussion of data analysis and interpretations Covers steady-state phenomena, time-resolved phenomena, and advanced methods Spans biophysical, biochemical, and biomedical applications Describes related concepts, theory, and mathematical background as well as commercially available instruments used for measurements

This book details the application of advanced characterisation techniques and diagnostic tools to heritage science, including the evaluation of heritage assets' condition, their preservation and restoration. It examines the use of electrochemical techniques in conservation science, with a particular focus on how to solve problems in taking on-site measurements. Specifically, it introduces readers to a new gel polymer (GPE) electrochemical cell developed by the authors for the characterisation of metallic heritage objects. Other techniques used to characterise and monitor reinforced concrete objects in more modern buildings are also covered, including non-destructive electrochemical techniques that allow steel corrosion to be assessed in these structures, and in those that are used to protect and repair such buildings. The usefulness of the NMR-Mouse nuclear magnetic resonance sensor in the assessment and preservation of softer heritage materials, such as wood, parchment, bone, and painted walls, is covered, as well as Infrared reflectography for examining paintings and laser cleaning for restoring them. The book introduces ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (u-HPLC) with a diode-array (DAD) and mass-mass (MS-MS) quadruple time-of-flight spectroscopy (QTOF). This new technique can be applied to the analysis and identification of natural and synthetic organic pigments and its use is demonstrated in several case studies. This book provides a rigorous scientific grounding in the application of state-of-the-art techniques in heritage science and conservation, and offers a practical handbook for practitioners.

Digital photography, MP3, digital video, etc. make extensive use of NAND-based Flash cards as storage media. To realize how much NAND Flash memories pervade every aspect of our life, just imagine how our recent habits would change if the NAND memories suddenly disappeared. To take a picture it would be necessary to find a film (as well as a traditional camera...), disks or even magnetic tapes would be used to record a video or to listen a song, and a cellular phone would return to be a simple mean of communication rather than a multimedia console. The development of NAND Flash memories will not be set down on the mere evolution of personal entertainment systems since a new killer application can trigger a further success: the replacement of Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) with Solid State Drives (SSDs). SSD is made up by a microcontroller and several NANDs. As NAND is the technology driver for IC circuits, Flash designers and technologists have to deal with a lot of challenges. Therefore, SSD (system) developers must understand Flash technology in order to exploit its benefits and countermeasure its weaknesses. Inside NAND Flash Memories is a comprehensive guide of the NAND world: from circuits design (analog and digital) to Flash reliability (including radiation effects), from testing issues to high-performance (DDR) interface, from error correction codes to NAND applications like Flash cards and SSDs.

Quantum mechanical tunneling plays important roles in a wide range of natural sciences, from nuclear and solid-state physics to proton transfer and chemical reactions in chemistry and biology. Responding to the need for further understanding of multidimensional tunneling, the authors have recently developed practical methods that can be applied to multidimensional systems. Quantum Mechanical Tunneling in Chemical Physics presents basic theories, as well as original ones developed by the authors. It also provides methodologies and numerical applications to real molecular systems. The book offers information so readers can understand the basic concepts and dynamics of multidimensional tunneling phenomena and use the described methods for various molecular spectroscopy and chemical dynamics problems. The text focuses on three tunneling phenomena: (1) energy splitting, or tunneling splitting, in symmetric double well potential, (2) decay of metastable state through tunneling, and (3) tunneling effects in chemical reactions. Incorporating mathematics to explain basic theories, the text requires readers to have graduate-level math to grasp the concepts presented. The book reviews low-dimensional theories and clarifies their insufficiency conceptually and numerically. It also examines the phenomenon of nonadiabatic tunneling, which is common in molecular systems. The book describes applications to real polyatomic molecules, such as vinyl radicals and malonaldehyde, demonstrating the high efficiency and accuracy of the method. It discusses tunneling in chemical reactions, including theories for direct evaluation of reaction rate constants for both electronically adiabatic and nonadiabatic chemical reactions. In the final chapter, the authors touch on future perspectives.

Extensive studies of high-Tc cuprate superconductors have stimualted investigations into various transition-metal oxides. Mott transitions in particular provide fascinating problems and new concepts in condensed matter physics. This book is a collection of overviews by well-known, active researchers in this field. It deals with the latest developments, with particular emphasis on the theoretical, spectroscopic, and transport aspects.

This book offers a balanced and comprehensive guide to the core principles, fundamental properties, experimental approaches, and state-of-the-art applications of two major groups of emerging non-volatile memory technologies, i.e. spintronics-based devices as well as resistive switching devices, also known as Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM). The first section presents different types of spintronic-based devices, i.e. magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), domain wall, and skyrmion memory devices. This section describes how their developments have led to various promising applications, such as microwave oscillators, detectors, magnetic logic, and neuromorphic engineered systems. In the second half of the book, the underlying device physics supported by different experimental observations and modelling of RRAM devices are presented with memory array level implementation. An insight into RRAM desired properties as synaptic element in neuromorphic computing platforms from material and algorithms viewpoint is also discussed with specific example in automatic sound classification framework.

"Photophysics of Carbon Nanotubes Interfaced with Organic and Inorganic Materials "describes physical, optical and spectroscopic properties of the emerging class of nanocomposites formed from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) interfacing with organic and inorganic materials.

The three main chapters detail novel trends in photophysics related to the interaction of light with various carbon nanotube composites from relatively simple CNT/small molecule assemblies to complex hybrids such as CNT/Si and CNT/DNA nanostructures. The latest experimental results are followed up with detailed discussions and scientific and technological perspectives to provide a through coverage of major topics including:

-Light harvesting, energy conversion, photoinduced charge separation and transport in CNT based nanohybrids

-CNT/polymer composites exhibiting photoactuation; and

-Optical spectroscopy and structure of CNT/DNA complexes.

Including original data and a short review of recent research, "Photophysics of Carbon Nanotubes Interfaced with Organic and Inorganic Materials" makes this emerging field of photophysics and its applications available to academics and professionals working with carbon nanotube composites in fundamental and applied fields

This detailed volume covers conventional MS-based "shotgun lipidomics" by which samples are introduced by infusion or loop injection, as well as LC-MS-based lipidomics, which are becoming increasingly important due to the ever-increasing demand for a complete and precise lipid analysis of the complex and diversified lipids in nature. The volume features protocols applying chemical reactions, the on-line photochemical reactions combined with various MS methods for comprehensive characterization of various lipid classes, and quantification of specific and rare lipids. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Mass Spectrometry-Based Lipidomics: Methods and Protocols serves as an invaluable guide for biochemists and mass spectroscopists who are interested in lipid studies.