Eight-fold signal amplification of a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector using a multiple-avalanche architecture

Superconducting nanowire avalanche single-photon detectors (SNAPs) with n parallel nanowires are advantageous over single-nanowire detectors because their output signal amplitude scales linearly with n. However, the SNAP architecture has not been viably demonstrated for n > 4. To increase n for larger signal amplification, we designed a multi-stage, successive-avalanche architecture which used nanowires, connected via choke inductors in a binary-tree layout. We demonstrated an avalanche detector with n = 8 parallel nanowires and achieved eight-fold signal amplification, with a timing jitter of 54 ps

Control of Neural Stem Cell Survival by Electroactive Polymer Substrates

Stem cell function is regulated by intrinsic as well as microenvironmental factors, including chemical and mechanical signals. Conducting polymer-based cell culture substrates provide a powerful tool to control both chemical and physical stimuli sensed by stem cells. Here we show that polypyrrole (PPy), a commonly used conducting polymer, can be tailored to modulate survival and maintenance of rat fetal neural stem cells (NSCs). NSCs cultured on PPy substrates containing different counter ions, dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS), tosylate (TsO), perchlorate (ClO4) and chloride (Cl), showed a distinct correlation between PPy counter ion and cell viability. Specifically, NSC viability was high on PPy(DBS) but low on PPy containing TsO, ClO4 and Cl. On PPy(DBS), NSC proliferation and differentiation was comparable to standard NSC culture on tissue culture polystyrene. Electrical reduction of PPy(DBS) created a switch for neural stem cell viability, with widespread cell death upon polymer reduction. Coating the PPy(DBS) films with a gel layer composed of a basement membrane matrix efficiently prevented loss of cell viability upon polymer reduction. Here we have defined conditions for the biocompatibility of PPy substrates with NSC culture, critical for the development of devices based on conducting polymers interfacing with NSCs

Ornithine decarboxylase activity during development of the mouse inner ear in vivo and in vitro

Ornithine decarboxylase activity was determined during the development of the peripheral auditory system in the murine otocyst with the goal of understanding the role of this enzyme in the morphological and functional maturation of the inner ear. At gestational days 11 and 12 enzyme activity was more than 10-fold higher than adult levels. A sharp decline occured between day 12 and 13 after which activity rose to a peak around day 15. Activity then dropped continuously until near-adult levels were reached at birth. A lower specific activity of ODC but a similar time-course was seen in otocysts explanted at gestational day 13 and subsequently cultured for 6 days. For two stages of development, enzyme activity and binding of 3 H-α-difluoromethylornithine were compared. The four-fold difference in enzymatic activity on gestational days 15 and 17 was paralleled by a similar difference in binding. Ornithine decarboxylase activity during inner ear development therefore seems primarily regulated at the level of protein synthesis. Ornithine decarboxylase activity correlates with major inductive events in the morphogenesis of the cartilagenous otic capsule that serves as a template for the formation of the bony labyrinth. The pattern of activity may reflect the changes in the head mesenchyme that is recruited by the otocyst to aggregate and form its protective otic capsule.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47689/1/441_2004_Article_BF00340878.pd

Recommendations for the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is still the world's second most frequent cause of death due to infectious diseases after HIV infection, and this has aroused greater interest in identifying and managing exposed subjects, whether they are simply infected or have developed one of the clinical variants of the disease. Unfortunately, not even the latest laboratory techniques are always successful in identifying affected children because they are more likely to have negative cultures and tuberculin skin test results, equivocal chest X-ray findings, and atypical clinical manifestations than adults. Furthermore, they are at greater risk of progressing from infection to active disease, particularly if they are very young. Consequently, pediatricians have to use different diagnostic strategies that specifically address the needs of children. This document describes the recommendations of a group of scientific societies concerning the signs and symptoms suggesting pediatric TB, and the diagnostic approach towards children with suspected disease

Mouse models of neurodegenerative disease: preclinical imaging and neurovascular component.

Neurodegenerative diseases represent great challenges for basic science and clinical medicine because of their prevalence, pathologies, lack of mechanism-based treatments, and impacts on individuals. Translational research might contribute to the study of neurodegenerative diseases. The mouse has become a key model for studying disease mechanisms that might recapitulate in part some aspects of the corresponding human diseases. Neurode- generative disorders are very complicated and multifacto- rial. This has to be taken in account when testing drugs. Most of the drugs screening in mice are very di cult to be interpretated and often useless. Mouse models could be condiderated a ‘pathway models’, rather than as models for the whole complicated construct that makes a human disease. Non-invasive in vivo imaging in mice has gained increasing interest in preclinical research in the last years thanks to the availability of high-resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), high eld Magnetic resonance, Optical Imaging scanners and of highly speci c contrast agents. Behavioral test are useful tool to characterize di erent ani- mal models of neurodegenerative pathology. Furthermore, many authors have observed vascular pathological features associated to the di erent neurodegenerative disorders. Aim of this review is to focus on the di erent existing animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, describe behavioral tests and preclinical imaging techniques used for diagnose and describe the vascular pathological features associated to these diseases

Large-area microwire MoSi single-photon detectors at 1550 nm wavelength

© 2020 Author(s). We demonstrate saturated internal detection efficiency at 1550 nm wavelengths for meander-shaped superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors made of 3 nm thick MoSi films with widths of 1 and 3 μm and active areas up to 400 × 400 μm2. Despite hairpin turns and a large number of squares (up to 104) in the device, the dark count rate was measured to be ∼103 cps at 99% of the switching current. This value is about two orders of magnitude lower than the results reported recently for short MoSi devices with shunt resistors. We also found that 5 nm thick MoSi detectors with the same geometry were insensitive to single near-infrared photons, which may be associated with different levels of suppression of the superconducting order parameter. However, our results obtained on 3 nm thick MoSi devices are in good agreement with predictions in the frame of a kinetic-equation approach

Demonstration of Microwave Multiplexed Readout of DC-Biased Superconducting Nanowire Detectors

© 2002-2011 IEEE. Superconducting nanowires are widely used as sensitive single photon detectors with wide spectral coverage and high timing resolution. We describe a demonstration of an array of dc-biased superconducting nanowire single photon detectors read out with a microwave multiplexing circuit. In this design, each individual nanowire is part of a resonant LC circuit where the inductance is dominated by the kinetic inductance of the nanowire. The circuit also contains two parallel plate capacitors, one of them is in parallel with the inductor and the other is coupled to a microwave transmission line that carries the signals to a cryogenic low-noise amplifier. All of the nanowires are connected via resistors to a single dc bias line that enables the nanowires to be current biased close to their critical current. When a photon hits a nanowire, it creates a normal hotspot that produces a voltage pulse across the LC circuit. This pulse rings down at the resonant frequency of the LC circuit over a time period that is fixed by the quality factor. We present measurements of an array of these devices and an evaluation of their performance in terms of frequency and time response

Superconducting- nanowire single-photon-detector linear array

We designed, fabricated, and tested a one-dimensional array of superconducting-nanowire singlephoton detectors, integrated with on-chip inductors and resistors. The architecture is suitable for monolithic integration on a single chip operated in a cryogenic environment, and inherits the characteristics of individual superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors. We demonstrated a working array with four pixels showing position discrimination and a timing jitter of 124 ps. The electronic crosstalk between the pixels in the array was negligible