The realization of an integrated Mach-Zehnder waveguide immunosensor in silicon technology

We describe the realization of a symmetric integrated channel waveguide Mach-Zehnder sensor which uses the evanescent field to detect small refractive-index changes (¿nmin ¿ 1 × 10¿4) near the guiding-layer surface. This guiding layer consists of ridge structures with a height of 3 nm and a width of 4 ¿m made in Si3N4. This layer has a thickness of 100 nm. The sensor device has been tested with glucose solutions of different bulk refractive indices. Results of a slab-model calculation are in good agreement with obtained experimental results. The feasibility of applying this sensor for immunosensing, detecting directly the binding of antigen to an antibody receptor surface, is shown with antibody-antigen binding experiments

Exploring the influence of consumer characteristics on veal credence and experience guarantee purchasing motivators

In Europe, in the last decades, public administration has encouraged extensive livestock farming systems, usually related to high quality meat and the preservation of endangered local breeds. Nevertheless, its continuity in the near future should be based on adapting it to the market requirements. This paper investigates consumers’ preferences heterogeneity towards veal attributes, as well as the linkage between a wide range of consumer traits and attributes that motivate purchasing of veal with unique characteristics. Main method of analysis included a choice experiment method. Findings showed that regional origin and health information play a stronger role than tenderness degree guarantee at the moment of choice. Moreover, regional origin is more relevant when it is linked to a local breed. Nevertheless, heterogeneous preferences have been detected. In contrast to the general trend, one-person households attach greater importance to the presence of a high degree of tenderness guarantee. Furthermore, younger consumers value more this guarantee, while expert consumers do not

Fluorescent Liquid Tetrazines

Tetrazines with branched alkoxy substituents are liquids at ambient temperature that despite the high chromophore density retain the bright orange fluorescence that is characteristic of this exceptional fluorophore. Here, we study the photophysical properties of a series of alkoxy-tetrazines in solution and as neat liquids. We also correlate the size of the alkoxy substituents with the viscosity of the liquids. We show using time-resolved spectroscopy that intersystem crossing is an important decay pathway competing with fluorescence, and that its rate is higher for 3,6-dialkoxy derivatives than for 3-chloro-6-alkoxytetrazines, explaining the higher fluorescence quantum yields for the latter. Quantum chemical calculations suggest that the difference in rate is due to the activation energy required to distort the tetrazine core such that the [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and the higher-lying [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] states cross, at which point the spin-orbit coupling exceeding 10 cm [Formula: see text] allows for efficient intersystem crossing to occur. Femtosecond time-resolved anisotropy studies in solution allow us to measure a positive relationship between the alkoxy chain lengths and their rotational correlation times, and studies in the neat liquids show a fast decay of the anisotropy consistent with fast exciton migration in the neat liquid films

Cold Model Investigations of a High Temperature Looping Process in a Dual Circulating Fluidized Bed System

The Calcium Looping process is a promising post-combustion CO2 capture technology. A 200 kWth Dual Circulating Fluidized Bed has been built at IFK, University of Stuttgart. Tests were carried out on a hydrodynamically scaled cold model. Operating parameters have been varied, while the suitability of the 200 kWth design has been prove

Experimental data in support of characterization of the CePO4 dispersion into transparent PMMA/PU IPNs by the sequential route

© 2018 This article is focused on the complementary data referring to the article “Dispersion of upconverting nanostructures of CePO4 using rod and semi-spherical morphologies into transparent PMMA/PU IPNs by the sequential route”. It contains the XPS data of CePO4 photographs and DSC thermograms of transparent PMMA/PU IPNs as well as with CePO4 dispersed in different wt.%, Confocal laser scanning micrographs, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), optical images of surface, and visual inspection (photographs) before and after aging of hybrid materials

Dispersion of upconverting nanostructures of CePO4 using rod and semi-spherical morphologies into transparent PMMA/PU IPNs by the sequential route

Upconverting luminescent poly (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA)/poly (urethane) (PU) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) nanohybrids were prepared using a sequential polymerisation incorporating different wt.% of cerium phosphate (CePO 4 ) nanoparticles. The effect of miscibility/compatibility of the different PMMA/PU ratios, the addition and dispersion of rod and semi-spherical nanostructures in as well as the performance of selected IPNs under accelerated aging were studied using morphological, emission, thermal and mechanical studies. Structural studies revealed that there were physical interactions between C[dbnd]O groups and CePO 4 in PMMA/PU IPNs. The addition of a higher wt.% of nanostructures was found to decrease the transparency of the IPNs. Resulting PMMA/PU/CePO 4 IPN nanohybrids are photoluminescent under UV-light, supporting the prolongate of lifetime while maintaining the mechanical properties after being subjected to accelerated weathering. The addition of semi-spherical particles resulted in a more stable materials after accelerated weathering than nanorods

Transverse depinning in strongly driven vortex lattices with disorder

Using numerical simulations we investigate the transverse depinning of moving vortex lattices interacting with random disorder. We observe a finite transverse depinning barrier for vortex lattices that are driven with high longitudinal drives, when the vortex lattice is defect free and moving in correlated 1D channels. The transverse barrier is reduced as the longitudinal drive is decreased and defects appear in the vortex lattice, and the barrier disappears in the plastic flow regime. At the transverse depinning transition, the vortex lattice moves in a staircase pattern with a clear transverse narrow-band voltage noise signature.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure