63 research outputs found
Tribological and electrical study of Fluorinated Diazonium Films as dry lubricants for electrical contacts
The need to operate in extreme environmental conditions (ultra high vacuum, high temperatures, aerospatial, etc.) and the miniaturisation toward microelectromechanical system is demanding new materials in the field of low-level electrical contacts lubrication. A dry and chemically immobilised layer avoiding the traditional wet lubricating fluids would have many advantages. We report here the first results on films obtained by the electrochemical reduction of different diazonium salts and their use as protective coatings able to lubricate the metallic surfaces of an electrical contact while preserving at the same time electrical conduction. The physicochemical properties of the films, elaborated from various diazonium salts, were studied by cyclic voltammetry and ATR FT-IR spectroscopy. Atomic force microscope was combined with a home-made wide-range current measurement system to investigate simultaneously the mechanical and electrical interactions between the doped diamond conductive tips and the evaporated gold surfaces coated with the diazonium films. The analysis of the simultaneous mechanical and electrical properties of the films in a nanocontact situation is shown to bring much insight into the electrical contact application
Nanolithography based on real-time electrically-controlled indentation with an atomic force microscope for nanocontacts elaboration
We report on the fabrication of nanocontacts by indentation of an ultrathin
insulating photoresist layer deposited on various types of conductive
structures. A modified atomic force microscope (AFM) designed for local
resistance measurements is used as a nanoindenter. The nanoindentation is
performed while measuring continuously the resistance between the conductive
tip of the AFM and the conductive layer, which is used as the trigger parameter
to stop the indentation. This allows an extremely accurate control of the
indentation process. The indented hole is subsequently filled by a metal to
create a contact on the underlying layer. We show that nanocontacts in the
range of 1 to 10 nm2 can be created with this technique
Selection of Plasmodium falciparum pfcrt and pfmdr1 polymorphisms after treatment with artesunateâamodiaquine fixed dose combination or artemetherâlumefantrine in Liberia
Mapping the Spatial Distribution of Charge Carriers in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterostructures
At the interface between complex insulating oxides, novel phases with
interesting properties may occur, such as the metallic state reported in the
LaAlO3/SrTiO3 system. While this state has been predicted and reported to be
confined at the interface, some works indicate a much broader spatial
extension, thereby questioning its origin. Here we provide for the first time a
direct determination of the carrier density profile of this system through
resistance profile mappings collected in cross-section LaAlO3/SrTiO3 samples
with a conducting-tip atomic force microscope (CT-AFM). We find that, depending
upon specific growth protocols, the spatial extension of the high-mobility
electron gas can be varied from hundreds of microns into SrTiO3 to a few
nanometers next to the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. Our results emphasize the
potential of CT-AFM as a novel tool to characterize complex oxide interfaces
and provide us with a definitive and conclusive way to reconcile the body of
experimental data in this system.Comment: This updated version contains new experimental dat
Conductive-probe atomic force microscopy characterization of silicon nanowire
The electrical conduction properties of lateral and vertical silicon nanowires (SiNWs) were investigated using a conductive-probe atomic force microscopy (AFM). Horizontal SiNWs, which were synthesized by the in-plane solid-liquid-solid technique, are randomly deployed into an undoped hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer. Local current mapping shows that the wires have internal microstructures. The local current-voltage measurements on these horizontal wires reveal a power law behavior indicating several transport regimes based on space-charge limited conduction which can be assisted by traps in the high-bias regime (> 1 V). Vertical phosphorus-doped SiNWs were grown by chemical vapor deposition using a gold catalyst-driving vapor-liquid-solid process on higly n-type silicon substrates. The effect of phosphorus doping on the local contact resistance between the AFM tip and the SiNW was put in evidence, and the SiNWs resistivity was estimated
Efficacy of artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine fixed-dose combinations for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria among children aged six to 59 months in Nimba County, Liberia: an open-label randomized non-inferiority trial.
Prospective efficacy monitoring of anti-malarial treatments is imperative for timely detection of resistance development. The in vivo efficacy of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) fixed-dose combination (FDC) was compared to that of artemether-lumefantrine (AL) among children aged six to 59 months in Nimba County, Liberia, where Plasmodium falciparum malaria is endemic and efficacy data are scarce
Sentinel network for monitoring in vitro susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs in Colombia: a proof of concept
Drug resistance is one of the principal obstacles blocking worldwide malaria control. In Colombia, malaria remains a major public health concern and drug-resistant parasites have been reported. In vitro drug susceptibility assays are a useful tool for monitoring the emergence and spread of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The present study was conducted as a proof of concept for an antimalarial drug resistance surveillance network based on in vitro susceptibility testing in Colombia. Sentinel laboratories were set up in three malaria endemic areas. The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay-histidine rich protein 2 and schizont maturation methods were used to assess the susceptibility of fresh P. falciparum isolates to six antimalarial drugs. This study demonstrates that an antimalarial drug resistance surveillance network based on in vitro methods is feasible in the field with the participation of a research institute, local health institutions and universities. It could also serve as a model for a regional surveillance network. Preliminary susceptibility results showed widespread chloroquine resistance, which was consistent with previous reports for the Pacific region. However, high susceptibility to dihydroartemisinin and lumefantrine compounds, currently used for treatment in the country, was also reported. The implementation process identified critical points and opportunities for the improvement of network sustainability strategies.PAHO [057-1-3144141]; COLCIENCIAS [ID 2229-405-20319]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Enhancement of the Electron Spin Resonance of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Oxygen Removal
We have observed a nearly fourfold increase in the electron spin resonance
(ESR) signal from an ensemble of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) due to
oxygen desorption. By performing temperature-dependent ESR spectroscopy both
before and after thermal annealing, we found that the ESR in SWCNTs can be
reversibly altered via the molecular oxygen content in the samples. Independent
of the presence of adsorbed oxygen, a Curie-law (spin susceptibility ) is seen from 4 K to 300 K, indicating that the probed spins are
finite-level species. For both the pre-annealed and post-annealed sample
conditions, the ESR linewidth decreased as the temperature was increased, a
phenomenon we identify as motional narrowing. From the temperature dependence
of the linewidth, we extracted an estimate of the intertube hopping frequency;
for both sample conditions, we found this hopping frequency to be 100
GHz. Since the spin hopping frequency changes only slightly when oxygen is
desorbed, we conclude that only the spin susceptibility, not spin transport, is
affected by the presence of physisorbed molecular oxygen in SWCNT ensembles.
Surprisingly, no linewidth change is observed when the amount of oxygen in the
SWCNT sample is altered, contrary to other carbonaceous systems and certain 1D
conducting polymers. We hypothesize that physisorbed molecular oxygen acts as
an acceptor (-type), compensating the donor-like (-type) defects that are
responsible for the ESR signal in bulk SWCNTs.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Absence of association between Plasmodium falciparum small sub-unit ribosomal RNA gene mutations and in vitro decreased susceptibility to doxycycline
BACKGROUND: Doxycycline is an antibiotic used in combination with quinine or artesunate for malaria treatment or alone for malaria chemoprophylaxis. Recently, one prophylactic failure has been reported, and several studies have highlighted in vitro doxycycline decreased susceptibility in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from different areas. The genetic markers that contribute to detecting and monitoring the susceptibility of P. falciparum to doxycycline, the pfmdt and pftetQ genes, have recently been identified. However, these markers are not sufficient to explain in vitro decreased susceptibility of P. falciparum to doxycycline. In this paper, the association between polymorphism of the small sub-unit ribosomal RNA apicoplastic gene pfssrRNA (PFC10_API0057) and in vitro susceptibilities of P. falciparum isolates to doxycycline were investigated.
METHODS: Doxycycline IC50 determinations using the hypoxanthine uptake inhibition assay were performed on 178 African and Thai P. falciparum isolates. The polymorphism of pfssrRNA was investigated in these samples by standard PCR followed by sequencing.
RESULTS: No point mutations were found in pfssrRNA in the Thai or African isolates, regardless of the determined IC50 values.
CONCLUSIONS: The pfssrRNA gene is not associated with in vitro decreased susceptibility of P. falciparum to doxycycline. Identifying new in vitro molecular markers associated with reduced susceptibility is needed, to survey the emergence of doxycycline resistance
A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)
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