Dynamics of a suspended nanowire driven by an ac Josephson current in an inhomogeneous magnetic field

We consider a voltage-biased nanoelectromechanical Josephson junction, where a suspended nanowire forms a superconducting weak-link, in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. We show that a nonlinear coupling between the Josephson current and the magnetic field generates a Laplace force that induces a whirling motion of the nanowire. By performing an analytical and a numerical analysis, we demonstrate that at resonance, the amplitude-phase dynamics of the whirling movement present different regimes depending on the degree of inhomogeneity of the magnetic field: time independent, periodic and chaotic. Transitions between these regimes are also discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Selfoscillations of Suspended Carbon Nanotubes with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance under Voltage Bias

We theoretically investigate the electro-mechanics of a Suspended Carbon Nanotube with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance subjected to a homogeneous Magnetic Field and a constant Voltage Bias. We show that, (with the exception of a singular case), for a sufficiently high magnetic field the time-independent state of charge transport through the nanotube becomes unstable to selfexcitations of the mechanical vibration accompanied by oscialltions in the voltage drop and current across the nanotube.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Slow crack growth in zirconia ceramics : from the single crystal to the composites

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Structural evolution of lamellar surfactant-silica hybrids upon calcination

A lamellar mesostructured silica was subjected to a progressive heat treatment in order to study its structural evolution and the characteristics of the resulting calcined powder. By combining informations from several physical methods, i.e. TG-DTA, XRD, TEM and nitrogen adsorption, it has been possible to evidence the formation of very small particles of silica at a temperature around 450 degreesC, exhibiting a very high value of aspect ratio, consequently to the template loss by combustion. By increasing the temperature above 530 degreesC, the dehydroxylation promotes a decrease in the surface area, followed by the sintering process at higher temperature, which nearly annihilate the surface area of the particles. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Micropatterned bioactive thin films for guided bone regeneration

Se ha demostrado que la modificación de la superficie de los biomateriales mejora la respuesta biológica a los implantes dentales . La capacidad de crear una microtextura controlada en el implante mediante técnicas de modificación de superficie aditiv

Micropatterned silica thin films with nanohydroxyapatite micro-aggregates for guided tissue regeneration

Surface modification of biomaterials has been shown to improve the biological response to dental implants. The ability to create a controlled micro-texture on the implant via additive surface modification techniques with bioactive nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA) may positively influence guided tissue regeneration. Objective: The main goal of this study was to produce micro-fabricated SiO 2 surfaces modified with nanohydroxyapatite particles and to characterize their influence on the biological response of Human Dental-Pulp Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hDP-MSCs) and Streptococcus mutans. Materials and methods: A combined methodology of sol-gel and soft-lithography was used to produce micropatterned SiO 2 thin films with different percentages of nanoHA micro-aggregates. The surfaces were characterized by SEM/EDS, FT-IR/ATR, AFM, XPS quantitative elemental percentage and contact angle measurements. Biological characterization was performed using hDP-MSCs cultures, while Streptococcus mutans was the selected microorganism to evaluate the bacterial adhesion on the thin films. Results: Micropatterned SiO 2 surfaces with 0%, 1% and 5% of nanoHA micro-aggregates were successfully produced using a combination of sol-gel and soft-lithography. These surfaces controlled the biological response, triggering alignment and oriented proliferation of hDP-MSCs and significant differences in the adhesion of S. mutans to the different surfaces. Significance: The micropatterned surfaces exhibited biocompatible behavior that induced an oriented adhesion and proliferation of hDP-MSCs while SiO 2 presented low bacterial adhesion. These results show that the combination of sol-gel with soft-lithography is a good approach to create micropatterned surfaces with bioactive nanoparticles for guided tissue regeneration. © 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights [email protected]

Micropatterned silica thin films with nanohydroxyapatite micro-aggregates for guided tissue regeneration

Surface modification of biomaterials has been shown to improve the biological response to dental implants. The ability to create a controlled micro-texture on the implant via additive surface modification techniques with bioactive nanohydroxyapatite (nanoHA) may positively influence guided tissue regeneration. Objective: The main goal of this study was to produce micro-fabricated SiO 2 surfaces modified with nanohydroxyapatite particles and to characterize their influence on the biological response of Human Dental-Pulp Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hDP-MSCs) and Streptococcus mutans. Materials and methods: A combined methodology of sol-gel and soft-lithography was used to produce micropatterned SiO 2 thin films with different percentages of nanoHA micro-aggregates. The surfaces were characterized by SEM/EDS, FT-IR/ATR, AFM, XPS quantitative elemental percentage and contact angle measurements. Biological characterization was performed using hDP-MSCs cultures, while Streptococcus mutans was the selected microorganism to evaluate the bacterial adhesion on the thin films. Results: Micropatterned SiO 2 surfaces with 0%, 1% and 5% of nanoHA micro-aggregates were successfully produced using a combination of sol-gel and soft-lithography. These surfaces controlled the biological response, triggering alignment and oriented proliferation of hDP-MSCs and significant differences in the adhesion of S. mutans to the different surfaces. Significance: The micropatterned surfaces exhibited biocompatible behavior that induced an oriented adhesion and proliferation of hDP-MSCs while SiO 2 presented low bacterial adhesion. These results show that the combination of sol-gel with soft-lithography is a good approach to create micropatterned surfaces with bioactive nanoparticles for guided tissue regeneration. © 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights [email protected]

Multidisciplinary characterization of the long-bone cortex growth patterns through sheep's ontogeny

Bone researches have studied extant and extinct taxa extensively trying to disclose a complete view of the complex structural and chemical transformations that model and remodel the macro and microstructure of bone during growth. However, to approach bone growth variations is not an easy task, and many aspects related with histological transformations during ontogeny remain unresolved. In the present study, we conduct a holistic approach using different techniques (polarized microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction) to examine the histomorphological and histochemical variations in the cortical bone of sheep specimens from intrauterine to adult stages, using environmentally controlled specimens from the same species. Our results suggest that during sheep bone development, the most important morphological (shape and size) and chemical transformations in the cortical bone occur during the first weeks of life; synchronized but dissimilar variations are established in the forelimb and hind limb cortical bone; and the patterns of bone tissue maturation in both extremities are differentiated in the adult stage. All of these results indicate that standardized histological models are useful not only for evaluating many aspects of normal bone growth but also to understand other important influences on the bones, such as pathologies that remain unknown. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Bioarchaeolog