277 research outputs found
Dissipation in ultra-thin current-carrying superconducting bridges; evidence for quantum tunneling of Pearl vortices
We have made current-voltage (IV) measurements of artificially layered
high- thin-film bridges. Scanning SQUID microscopy of these films provides
values for the Pearl lengths that exceed the bridge width, and shows
that the current distributions are uniform across the bridges. At high
temperatures and high currents the voltages follow the power law , with , and at high temperatures and
low-currents the resistance is exponential in temperature, in good agreement
with the predictions for thermally activated vortex motion. At low
temperatures, the IV's are better fit by linear in . This is
expected if the low temperature dissipation is dominated by quantum tunneling
of Pearl vortices.Comment: 5 pages, 7 fig
Self-supporting hydrogels based on fmoc-derivatized cationic hexapeptides for potential biomedical applications
Peptide-based hydrogels (PHGs) are biocompatible materials suitable for biological, biomedical, and biotechnological applications, such as drug delivery and diagnostic tools for imaging. Recently, a novel class of synthetic hydrogel-forming amphiphilic cationic peptides (referred to as series K), containing an aliphatic region and a Lys residue, was proposed as a scaffold for bioprinting applications. Here, we report the synthesis of six analogues of the series K, in which the acetyl group at the N-terminus is replaced by aromatic portions, such as the Fmoc protecting group or the Fmoc-FF hydrogelator. The tendency of all peptides to self-assemble and to gel in aqueous solution was investigated using a set of biophysical techniques. The structural characterization pointed out that only the Fmoc-derivatives of series K keep their capability to gel. Among them, Fmoc-K3 hydrogel, which is the more rigid one (G’ = 2526 Pa), acts as potential material for tissue engineering, fully supporting cell adhesion, survival, and duplication. These results describe a gelification process, allowed only by the correct balancing among aggregation forces within the peptide sequences (e.g., van der Waals, hydrogen bonding, and π–π stacking)
High critical-current density and scaling of phase-slip processes in YBaCuO nanowires
YBaCuO nanowires were reproducibly fabricated down to widths of 50 nm. A
Au/Ti cap layer on YBCO yielded high electrical performance up to temperatures
above 80 K in single nanowires. Critical current density of tens of MA/cm2 at T
= 4.2 K and of 10 MA/cm2 at 77 K were achieved that survive in high magnetic
fields. Phase-slip processes were tuned by choosing the size of the
nanochannels and the intensity of the applied external magnetic field. Data
indicate that YBCO nanowires are rather attractive system for the fabrication
of efficient sensors, supporting the notion of futuristic THz devices.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Superconductor
Science and Technolog
Origin of interface magnetism in BiMnO3/SrTiO3 and LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures
Possible ferromagnetism induced in otherwise non-magnetic materials has been
motivating intense research in complex oxide heterostructures. Here we show
that a confined magnetism is realized at the interface between SrTiO3 and two
insulating polar oxides, BiMnO3 and LaAlO3. By using polarization dependent
x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we find that in both cases the magnetic order is
stabilized by a negative exchange interaction between the electrons transferred
to the interface and local magnetic moments. These local magnetic moments are
associated to Ti3+ ions at the interface itself for LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and to Mn3+
ions in the overlayer for BiMnO3/SrTiO3. In LaAlO3/SrTiO3 the induced magnetic
moments are quenched by annealing in oxygen, suggesting a decisive role of
oxygen vacancies in the stabilization of interfacial magnetism.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Quantized conductance in a one-dimensional ballistic oxide nanodevice
Electric-field effect control of two-dimensional electron gases (2-DEG) has
enabled the exploration of nanoscale electron quantum transport in
semiconductors. Beyond these classical materials, transition metal-oxide-based
structures have d-electronic states favoring the emergence of novel quantum
orders absent in conventional semiconductors. In this context, the
LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface that combines gate-tunable superconductivity and
sizeable spin-orbit coupling is emerging as a promising platform to realize
topological superconductivity. However, the fabrication of nanodevices in which
the electronic properties of this oxide interface can be controlled at the
nanoscale by field-effect remains a scientific and technological challenge.
Here, we demonstrate the quantization of conductance in a ballistic quantum
point contact (QPC), formed by electrostatic confinement of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3
2-DEG with a split-gate. Through finite source-drain voltage, we perform a
comprehensive spectroscopic investigation of the 3d energy levels inside the
QPC, which can be regarded as a spectrometer able to probe Majorana states in
an oxide 2-DEG
Genotoxicity assessment of three nutraceuticals containing natural antioxidants extracted from agri-food waste biomasses
Grapes and apples are the most cultivated fruits in the Mediterranean basin and their agricultural processing is responsible for the production of a large amount of bio-waste. The reuse of this food biomass would increase the volume of recyclable/renewable biomaterial and lower the environmental impact due to the increasing demand for these biological products. To this purpose, agri-food waste from grape and apple processing have become an important source of phytochemicals, and many pharmaceutical industries are using it as starting material to produce dietary supplements, functional foods, and food additives for human consumption. In virtue of the chemical diversity and complexity of agri-food biowaste, developers and producers of nutraceuticals are advised to assess the safety of their final nutraceutical products, in compliance with European Food Safety Authority regulation. Here, we use the Ames test to assess the mutagenicity of three nutraceuticals obtained from agri-food waste biomasses: Taurisolo® from grape pomace of Vitis vinifera L. cv 'Aglianico', AnnurComplex® from Malus pumila M. cv 'Annurca' and Limoncella Apple Extract from Malus domestica B. cv 'Limoncella'. The results showed that all three nutraceuticals were non-mutagenic
May Polyphenols Have a Role Against Coronavirus Infection? An Overview of in vitro Evidence
The coronavirus infection is constantly diffusing worldwide and the incidence of death is dramatically increasing, representing one of the greatest disasters in human history. Nowadays, no effective therapeutic approaches have been licensed, despite the rising interest of the scientific research in this specific field, and the daily growing number of publications, while the need to find novel strategies is urgent. Evidence in the literature reported the antiviral activity of polyphenols, the largest class of bioactive compounds in nature. Interestingly, a limited number of studies investigated the efficacy of polyphenols from different raw materials, directly against coronaviruses. The present manuscript aimed to report this evidence and provide a viewpoint on the possibility to use it as a start point for the development of novel natural approaches against this viral infection, eventually designing further appropriate researches
Monitoring cyanobacterial blooms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Campania, Italy: The case of lake avernus
Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic microorganisms considered as important contributors to the formation of Earth’s atmosphere and to the process of nitrogen fixation. However, they are also frequently associated with toxic blooms, named cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs). This paper reports on an unusual out-of-season cyanoHAB and its dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lake Avernus, South Italy. Fast detection strategy (FDS) was used to assess this phenomenon, through the integration of satellite imagery and biomolecular investigation of the environmental samples. Data obtained unveiled a widespread Microcystis sp. bloom in February 2020 (i.e., winter season in Italy), which completely disappeared at the end of the following COVID-19 lockdown, when almost all urban activities were suspended. Due to potential harmfulness of cyanoHABs, crude extracts from the “winter bloom” were evaluated for their cytotoxicity in two different human cell lines, namely normal dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) and breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). The chloroform extract was shown to exert the highest cytotoxic activity, which has been correlated to the presence of cyanotoxins, i.e., microcystins, micropeptins, anabaenopeptins, and aeruginopeptins, detected by molecular networking analysis of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data
Observation of mesoscopic conductance fluctuations in YBaCuO grain boundary Josephson Junctions
Magneto-fluctuations of the normal resistance R_N have been reproducibly
observed in high critical temp erature superconductor (HTS) grain boundary
junctions, at low temperatures. We attribute them to mesoscopic transport in
narrow channels across the grain boundary line. The Thouless energy appears to
be the relevant energy scale. Our findings have significant implications on
quasiparticle relaxation and coherent transport in HTS grain boundaries.Comment: Revised version, minor changes. 4 pages, 4 figure
Nanopatterning of oxide 2-dimensional electron systems using low-temperature ion milling
We present a \u27top-down\u27 patterning technique based on ion milling performed at low-temperature, for the realization of oxide two-dimensional electron system devices with dimensions down to 160 nm. Using electrical transport and scanning Superconducting QUantum Interference Device measurements we demonstrate that the low-temperature ion milling process does not damage the 2DES properties nor creates oxygen vacancies-related conducting paths in the STO substrate. As opposed to other procedures used to realize oxide 2DES devices, the one we propose gives lateral access to the 2DES along the in-plane directions, finally opening the way to coupling with other materials, including superconductors
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