Elastocapillary folding using stop-programmable hinges fabricated by 3D micro-machining

We show elasto-capillary folding of silicon nitride objects with accurate folding angles between flaps of 70.6$\pm$0.1{\deg} and demonstrate the feasibility of such accurate micro-assembly with a final folding angle of 90{\deg}. The folding angle is defined by stop-programmable hinges that are fabricated starting from silicon molds employing accurate three-dimensional corner lithography. This nano-patterning method exploits the conformal deposition and the subsequent timed isotropic etching of a thin film in a 3D shaped silicon template. The technique leaves a residue of the thin film in sharp concave corners which can be used as an inversion mask in subsequent steps. Hinges designed to stop the folding at 70.6{\deg} were fabricated batchwise by machining the V-grooves obtained by KOH etching in (110) silicon wafers; 90{\deg} stop-programmable hinges were obtained starting from silicon molds obtained by dry etching on (100) wafers. The presented technique is applicable to any folding angle and opens a new route towards creating structures with increased complexity, which will ultimately lead to a novel method for device fabrication.Comment: Submitted to a peer reviewed journa

Capillary origami of micro-machined micro-objects: Bi-layer conductive hinges

Recently, we demonstrated controllable 3D self-folding by means of capillary forces of silicon-nitride micro-objects made of rigid plates connected to each other by flexible hinges [1]. In this paper, we introduce platinum electrodes running from the substrate to the plates over these bendable hinges. The fabrication yield is as high as (77 +/- 2) % for hinges with a length less than 75 {\mu}m. The yield reduces to (18 +/- 2) % when the length increases above 100 {\mu}m. Most of the failures in conductivity are due to degradation of the platinum/chromium layer stack during the final plasma cleaning step. The bi-layer hinges survive the capillary folding process, even for extremely small bending radii of 5 {\mu}m, nor does the bending have any impact on the conductivity. Stress in the different layers deforms the hinges, which does not affect the conductivity. Once assembled, the conductive hinges can withstand a current density of (1.6 +/- 0.4) $10^6$ A/cm$^2$ . This introduction of conductive electrodes to elastocapillary self-folded silicon-based micro-objects extends the range of their possible applications by allowing an electronic functionality of the folded parts.Comment: Currently on a peer review process. 13 page

Late Quaternary Distribution of the Cycladophora davisiana Radiolarian Species: Reflection of Possible Ventilation of the North Pacific Intermediate Water during the Last Glacial Maximum

A comparison of micropaleontological data on the distribution of the Cycladophora davisiana radiolarian species in the surface sediment layer and the Late Quaternary sediments from the Subarctic Pacific and Far East marginal seas allowed conclusions concerning the possible conditions and occurrence of intermediate waters during the last glacial maximum. We used the modern data on the C. davisiana species, which is a micropaleontological indicator of the cold oxygen-rich upper intermediate water mass, which is now forming only in the Sea of Okhotsk. The high amount of C. davisiana in sediments of the last glacial maximum may point to the possible formation and expansion of the ventilated intermediate water in the most part of the Subarctic paleo-Pacific: the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, within the NW Gyre, and in the Gulf of Alaska

Direct coupling of a free-flow isotachophoresis (FFITP) device with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)

We present the online coupling of a free-flow isotachophoresis (FFITP) device to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer (ESI-MS) for continuous analysis without extensive sample preparation. Free-flow-electrophoresis techniques are used for continuous electrophoretic separations using an electric field applied perpendicular to the buffer and sample flow, with FFITP using a discontinuous electrolyte system to concurrently focus a target analyte and remove interferences. The online coupling of FFITP to ESI-MS decouples the separation and detection timeframe because the electrophoretic separation takes place perpendicular to the flow direction, which can be beneficial for monitoring (bio)chemical changes and/or extensive MSn studies. We demonstrated the coupling of FFITP with ESI-MS for simultaneous concentration of target analytes and sample clean-up. Furthermore, we show hydrodynamic control of the fluidic fraction injected into the MS, allowing for fluidically controlled scanning of the ITP window. Future applications of this approach are expected in monitoring biochemical changes and proteomics151734953502FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2013/06625-2; 2011/02477-3Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC

History of oceanic front development in the New Zealand sector of the Southern Ocean during the Cenozoic--a synthesis

The New Zealand sector of the Southern Ocean (NZSSO) has opened about the Indian-Pacific spreading ridge throughout the Cenozoic. Today the NZSSO is characterised by broad zonal belts of antarctic (cold), subantarctic (cool), and subtropical (warm) surface-water masses separated by prominent oceanic fronts: the Subtropical Front (STF) c. 43deg.S, Subantarctic Front (SAF) c. 50deg.S, and Antarctic Polar Front (AAPF) c. 60deg.S. Despite a meagre database, the broad pattern of Cenozoic evolution of these fronts is reviewed from the results of Deep Sea Drilling Project-based studies of sediment facies, microfossil assemblages and diversity, and stable isotope records, as well as from evidence in onland New Zealand Cenozoic sequences. Results are depicted schematically on seven paleogeographic maps covering the NZSSO at 10 m.y. intervals through the Cenozoic. During the Paleocene and most of the Eocene (65-35 Ma), the entire NZSSO was under the influence of warm to cool subtropical waters, with no detectable oceanic fronts. In the latest Eocene (c. 35 Ma), a proto-STF is shown separating subantarctic and subtropical waters offshore from Antarctica, near 65deg.S paleolatitude. During the earliest Oligocene, this front was displaced northwards by development of an AAPF following major global cooling and biotic turnover associated with ice sheet expansion to sea level on East Antarctica. Early Oligocene full opening (c. 31 Ma) of the Tasmanian gateway initiated vigorous proto-circum-Antarctic flow of cold/cool waters, possibly through a West Antarctic seaway linking the southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, including detached northwards "jetting" onto the New Zealand plateau where condensation and unconformity development was widespread in cool-water carbonate facies. Since this time, a broad tripartite division of antarctic, subantarctic, and subtropical waters has existed in the NZSSO, including possible development of a proto-SAF within the subantarctic belt. In the Early-early Middle Miocene (25-15 Ma), warm subtropical waters expanded southwards into the northern NZSSO, possibly associated with reduced ice volume on East Antarctica but particularly with restriction of the Indonesian gateway and redirection of intensified warm surface flows southwards into the Tasman Sea, as well as complete opening of the Drake gateway by 23 Ma allowing more complete decoupling of cool circum-Antarctic flow from the subtropical waters. During the late Middle-Late Miocene (15-5 Ma), both the STF and SAF proper were established in their present relative positions across and about the Campbell Plateau, respectively, accompanying renewed ice buildup on East Antarctica and formation of a permanent ice sheet on West Antarctica, as well as generally more expansive and intensified circum-Antarctic flow. The ultimate control on the history of oceanic front development in the NZSSO has been plate tectonics through its influence on the paleogeographic changes of the Australian-New Zealand-Antarctic continents and their intervening oceanic basins, the timing of opening and closing of critical seaways, the potential for submarine ridges and plateaus to exert some bathymetric control on the location of fronts, and the evolving ice budget on the Antarctic continent. The broad trends of the Cenozoic climate curve for New Zealand deduced from fossil evidence in the uplifted marine sedimentary record correspond well to the principal paleoceanographic events controlling the evolution and migration of the oceanic fronts in the NZSSO

The Atlantic Ocean at the last glacial maximum: 1. Objective mapping of the GLAMAP sea-surface conditions

Recent efforts of the German paleoceanographic community have resulted in a unique data set of reconstructed sea-surface temperature for the Atlantic Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum, plus estimates for the extents of glacial sea ice. Unlike prior attempts, the contributing research groups based their data on a common definition of the Last Glacial Maximum chronozone and used the same modern reference data for calibrating the different transfer techniques. Furthermore, the number of processed sediment cores was vastly increased. Thus the new data is a significant advance not only with respect to quality, but also to quantity. We integrate these new data and provide monthly data sets of global sea-surface temperature and ice cover, objectively interpolated onto a regular 1°x1° grid, suitable for forcing or validating numerical ocean and atmosphere models. This set is compared to an existing subjective interpolation of the same base data, in part by employing an ocean circulation model. For the latter purpose, we reconstruct sea surface salinity from the new temperature data and the available oxygen isotope measurements

High-latitude forcing of diatom productivity in the southern Agulhas Plateauduring the past 350kyr

The hydrography of the Indian-Atlantic Ocean gateway has been connected to high-latitude climate dynamics by oceanic and atmospheric teleconnections on orbital and suborbital timescales. A wealth of sedimentary records aiming at reconstructing the late Pleistocene paleoceanography around the southern African continent has been devoted to understanding these linkages. Most of the records are, however, clustered close to the southern South African tip, with comparatively less attention devoted to areas under the direct influence of frontal zones of the Southern Ocean/South Atlantic. Here we present data of the composition and concentration of the diatom assemblage together with bulk biogenic content and the alkenone-based sea surface temperature (SST) variations for the past 350?kyr in the marine sediment core MD02-2588 (approximately 41°S, 26°E) recovered from the southern Agulhas Plateau. Variations in biosiliceous productivity show a varying degree of coupling with Southern Hemisphere paleoclimate records following a glacial-interglacial cyclicity. Ecologically well-constrained groups of diatoms record the glacial-interglacial changes in water masses dynamics, nutrient availability, and stratification of the upper ocean. The good match between the glacial maxima of total diatoms concentration, Chaetoceros spores abundance, and opal content with the maximum seasonal cover of Antarctic ice and the atmospheric dust records points to a dominant Southern Hemisphere forcing of diatom production. Suborbital variability of SST suggests rapid latitudinal migrations of the Subtropical Front and associated water masses over the southern Agulhas Plateau, following millennial contractions and expansions of the subtropical gyres. Warmings of the upper ocean over site MD02-2588 during terminations IV to I occurred earlier than that in the Antarctic Vostok, which is indicative of a Northern Hemisphere lead. Our multiparameter reconstruction highlights how high-latitude atmospheric and hydrographic processes modulated orbital highs and lows in primary production and SST as triggered by northward transport of Si, eolian dust input, and latitudinal migrations of frontal zones