507 research outputs found
Modelling and simulation of flow and agglomeration in deep veins valves using discrete multi physics
Effect of Palmitic Acid on the Electrical Conductivity of Carbon NanotubesâEpoxy Resin Composites
We found that the palmitic acid allows an efficient dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the epoxy matrix. We have set up an experimental protocol in order to enhance the CNTs dispersion in epoxy resin. Electrical conductivity is optimal using a 1:1 CNTs to palmitic acid weight ratio. The associated percolation threshold is found between 0.05 and 0.1 wt % CNTs, i.e., between 0.03 and 0.06 vol %. The SEM image shows essentially individual CNTs which is inagreement with conductivity measurements. In comparison with composites without palmitic acid, the use of palmitic acid improves the electrical properties of CNTs-epoxy resin composites
No interactions between heparin and atacicept, an antagonist of B cell survival cytokines.
The TNF family ligands, B cell activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF, also known as B lymphocyte stimulator, BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), share the transmembrane activator and calcium-modulator and cyclophilin ligand (CAML)-interactor (TACI) as one of their common receptors. Atacicept, a chimeric recombinant TACI/IgG1-Fc fusion protein, inhibits both ligands. TACI and APRIL also bind to proteoglycans and to heparin that is structurally related to proteoglycans. It is unknown whether the portion of TACI contained in atacicept can bind directly to proteoglycans, or indirectly via APRIL, and whether this could interfere with the anti-coagulant properties of heparin.
Binding of atacicept and APRIL to proteoglycan-positive cells was measured by FACS. Activities of heparin and atacicept were measured with activated factor Xa inhibition and cell-based assays. Effects of heparin on circulating atacicept was monitored in mice.
Atacicept did not bind to proteoglycan-positive cells, but when complexed to APRIL could do so indirectly via APRIL. Multimers of atacicept obtained after exposure to cysteine or BAFF 60-mer bound directly to proteoglycans. Atacicept alone, or in complex with APRIL, or in a multimeric form did not interfere with heparin activity in vitro. Conversely, heparin did not influence inhibition of BAFF and APRIL by atacicept and did not change circulating levels of atacicept.
Lack of detectable interference of APRIL-bound or free atacicept on heparin activity makes it unlikely that atacicept at therapeutic doses will interfere with the function of heparin in vivo
Synergistic toughening of composite fibres by self-alignment of reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes
The extraordinary properties of graphene and carbon nanotubes motivate the development of methods for their use in producing continuous, strong, tough fibres. Previous work has shown that the toughness of the carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer fibres exceeds that of previously known materials. Here we show that further increased toughness results from combining carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide flakes in solution-spun polymer fibres. The gravimetric toughness approaches 1,000 J gâ1, far exceeding spider dragline silk (165 J gâ1) and Kevlar (78 J gâ1). This toughness enhancement is consistent with the observed formation of an interconnected network of partially aligned reduced graphene oxide flakes and carbon nanotubes during solution spinning, which act to deflect cracks and allow energy-consuming polymer deformation. Toughness is sensitive to the volume ratio of the reduced graphene oxide flakes to the carbon nanotubes in the spinning solution and the degree of graphene oxidation. The hybrid fibres were sewable and weavable, and could be shaped into high-modulus helical springs
Constraining the magnitude of the Chiral Magnetic Effect with Event Shape Engineering in Pb-Pb collisions at = 2.76$ TeV
In ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, the event-by-event variation of
the elliptic flow reflects fluctuations in the shape of the initial state
of the system. This allows to select events with the same centrality but
different initial geometry. This selection technique, Event Shape Engineering,
has been used in the analysis of charge-dependent two- and three-particle
correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV. The
two-particle correlator ,
calculated for different combinations of charges and , is
almost independent of (for a given centrality), while the three-particle
correlator
scales almost linearly both with the event and charged-particle
pseudorapidity density. The charge dependence of the three-particle correlator
is often interpreted as evidence for the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME), a parity
violating effect of the strong interaction. However, its measured dependence on
points to a large non-CME contribution to the correlator. Comparing the
results with Monte Carlo calculations including a magnetic field due to the
spectators, the upper limit of the CME signal contribution to the
three-particle correlator in the 10-50% centrality interval is found to be
26-33% at 95% confidence level.Comment: 20 pages, 6 captioned figures, 1 tables, authors from page 15,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/382
First measurement of production in pp collisions at = 7 TeV
The production of the charm-strange baryon is measured for
the first time at the LHC via its semileptonic decay into e
in pp collisions at TeV with the ALICE detector. The transverse
momentum () differential cross section multiplied by the branching
ratio is presented in the interval 1 8 GeV/ at
mid-rapidity, 0.5. The transverse momentum dependence of the
baryon production relative to the D meson production is
compared to predictions of event generators with various tunes of the
hadronisation mechanism, which are found to underestimate the measured
cross-section ratio.Comment: 22 pages, 6 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 17,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/412
In-situ growth of nonstoichiometric CrO0.87 and Co3O4 hybrid system for the enhanced electrocatalytic water splitting in alkaline media
The development of electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting has received considerable attention in response to the growing demand for renewable energy sources and environmental concerns. In this study, a simple hydrothermal growth approach was developed for the in-situ growth of non-stoichiometric CrO0.87 and Co3O4 hybrid materials. It is apparent that the morphology of the prepared material shows a heterogeneous aggregate of irregularly shaped nanoparticles. Both CrO0.87 and Co3O4 have cubic crystal structures. Its chemical composition was governed by the presence of Co, Cr, and O as its main constituents. For understanding the role CrO0.87 plays in the half-cell oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline conditions, CrO0.87 was optimized into Co3O4 nanostructures. The hybrid material with the highest concentration of CrO0.87 was found to be highly efficient at driving OER reactions at 255 mV and 20 mA cmâ2. The optimized material demonstrated excellent durability for 45 h and a Tafel slope of 56 mV decâ1. Several factors may explain the outstanding performance of CrO0.87 and Co3O4 hybrid materials, including multiple metallic oxidation states, tailored surface properties, fast charge transport, and surface defects. An alternative method is proposed for the preparation of new generations of electrocatalysts for the conversion and storage of energy
Strong, Light, Multifunctional Fibers of Carbon Nanotubes with Ultrahigh Conductivity
Broader applications of carbon nanotubes to real-world problems have largely gone unfulfilled
because of difficult material synthesis and laborious processing. We report high-performance
multifunctional carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers that combine the specific strength, stiffness, and
thermal conductivity of carbon fibers with the specific electrical conductivity of metals. These
fibers consist of bulk-grown CNTs and are produced by high-throughput wet spinning, the same
process used to produce high-performance industrial fibers. These scalable CNT fibers are
positioned for high-value applications, such as aerospace electronics and field emission, and can
evolve into engineered materials with broad long-term impact, from consumer electronics to
long-range power transmission
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