53 research outputs found
Magnetotransport properties depending on the nanostructure of Fe3O4 nanowires
We have studied the magnetic behaviour of Fe3O4 nanowires (NWs) with two different diameter ranges, above 150 nm and below 60 nm, made by electrodeposition techniques into a polymeric template. The nanowires were characterized using various techniques, in particular Mšossbauer and thermoelectrical power measurements. The stoichiometric distribution of Fe cations showed clearly the presence of the magnetite inverse spinel electronic structure. Structural analysis performed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed two kinds of nanowire morphologies depending on the size. For nanowires above 150 nm in diameter, a contiguous network of well-bound nanoparticles was obtained. Instead, with a diameter of 60 nm, a polycrystalline structure was observed. The largest nanowires presented a magnetoresistance (MR) greater than 10%, whereas the thinner nanowires had almost none
Radial elasticity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes
We report an experimental and a theoretical study of the radial elasticity of
multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a function of external radius. We use atomic
force microscopy and apply small indentation amplitudes in order to stay in the
linear elasticity regime. The number of layers for a given tube radius is
inferred from transmission electron microscopy, revealing constant ratios of
external to internal radii. This enables a comparison with molecular dynamics
results, which also shed some light onto the applicability of Hertz theory in
this context. Using this theory, we find a radial Young modulus strongly
decreasing with increasing radius and reaching an asymptotic value of 30 +/- 10
GPa.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Hindered rolling and friction anisotropy in supported carbon nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are well known for their exceptional thermal,
mechanical and electrical properties. For many CNT applications it is of the
foremost importance to know their frictional properties. However, very little
is known about the frictional forces between an individual nanotube and a
substrate or tip. Here, we present a combined theoretical and experimental
study of the frictional forces encountered by a nanosize tip sliding on top of
a supported multiwall CNT along a direction parallel or transverse to the CNT
axis. Surprisingly, we find a higher friction coefficient in the transverse
direction compared with the parallel direction. This behaviour is explained by
a simulation showing that transverse friction elicits a soft 'hindered rolling'
of the tube and a frictional dissipation that is absent, or partially absent
for chiral CNTs, when the tip slides parallel to the CNT axis. Our findings can
help in developing better strategies for large-scale CNT assembling and sorting
on a surface.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Ultrahard carbon film from epitaxial two-layer graphene
Atomically thin graphene exhibits fascinating mechanical properties, although
its hardness and transverse stiffness are inferior to those of diamond. To
date, there hasn't been any practical demonstration of the transformation of
multi-layer graphene into diamond-like ultra-hard structures. Here we show that
at room temperature and after nano-indentation, two-layer graphene on SiC(0001)
exhibits a transverse stiffness and hardness comparable to diamond, resisting
to perforation with a diamond indenter, and showing a reversible drop in
electrical conductivity upon indentation. Density functional theory
calculations suggest that upon compression, the two-layer graphene film
transforms into a diamond-like film, producing both elastic deformations and
sp2-to-sp3 chemical changes. Experiments and calculations show that this
reversible phase change is not observed for a single buffer layer on SiC or
graphene films thicker than 3 to 5 layers. Indeed, calculations show that
whereas in two-layer graphene layer-stacking configuration controls the
conformation of the diamond-like film, in a multilayer film it hinders the
phase transformation.Comment: Published online on Nature Nanotechnology on December 18, 201
Correlations of mutations in katG, oxyR-ahpC and inhA genes and in vitro susceptibility in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical strains segregated by spoligotype families from tuberculosis prevalent countries in South America
Background Mutations associated with resistance to rifampin or streptomycin have been reported for W/Beijing and Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) strain families of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A few studies with limited sample sizes have separately evaluated mutations in katG, ahpC and inhA genes that are associated with isoniazid (INH) resistance. Increasing prevalence of INH resistance, especially in high tuberculosis (TB) prevalent countries is worsening the burden of TB control programs, since similar transmission rates are noted for INH susceptible and resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Results We, therefore, conducted a comprehensive evaluation of INH resistant M. tuberculosis strains (n = 224) from three South American countries with high burden of drug resistant TB to characterize mutations in katG, ahpC and inhA gene loci and correlate with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) levels and spoligotype strain family. Mutations in katG were observed in 181 (80.8%) of the isolates of which 178 (98.3%) was contributed by the katG S315T mutation. Additional mutations seen included oxyR-ahpC; inhA regulatory region and inhA structural gene. The S315T katG mutation was significantly more likely to be associated with MIC for INH â„2 ÎŒg/mL. The S315T katG mutation was also more frequent in Haarlem family strains than LAM (n = 81) and T strain families. Conclusion Our data suggests that genetic screening for the S315T katG mutation may provide rapid information for anti-TB regimen selection, epidemiological monitoring of INH resistance and, possibly, to track transmission of INH resistant strains.Fil: Dalla Costa, Elis R. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Ribeiro, Marta O. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Silva, MĂĄrcia S. N. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Arnold, Liane S. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Rostirolla, Diana C. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Cafrune, Patricia I. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil.Fil: Espinoza, Roger C. Blufstein Clinic Laboratory; PerĂș.Fil: Palaci, Moises. Federal University of EspĂrito Santo; Brasil.Fil: Telles, Maria A. Adolfo Lutz Institute; Brasil.Fil: Ritacco, Viviana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.MalbrĂĄn. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Servicio de Micobacterias; Argentina.Fil: Suffys, Philip N. Oswaldo Cruz Institute; Brasil.Fil: Lopes, Maria L. Evandro Chagas Institute; Brasil.Fil: Campelo, Creuza L. LACEN CearĂĄ; BrasilFil: Miranda, Silvana S. Federal University of Minas Gerais; Brasil.Fil: Kremer, Kristin. National Institute for Public Healthand the Environment (RIVM). Mycobacteria Reference Unit (CIb-LIS); PaĂses Bajos.Fil: Almeida da Silva, Pedro E. Federal Foundation of Rio Grande; Brasil.Fil: de Souza Fonseca, Leila. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Tuberculosis Academic Program; Brasil.Fil: Ho, John L. Cornell University; Estados Unidos.Fil: Kritski, AfrĂąnio L. Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Tuberculosis Academic Program; Brasil.Fil: Rossetti, MarĂa L. R. State Foundation for Production and Research in Health (FEPPS); Brasil
Mechanical Properties of Silicon Nanowires
Nanowires have been taken much attention as a nanoscale building block, which can perform the excellent mechanical function as an electromechanical device. Here, we have performed atomic force microscope (AFM)-based nanoindentation experiments of silicon nanowires in order to investigate the mechanical properties of silicon nanowires. It is shown that stiffness of nanowires is well described by Hertz theory and that elastic modulus of silicon nanowires with various diameters from ~100 to ~600 nm is close to that of bulk silicon. This implies that the elastic modulus of silicon nanowires is independent of their diameters if the diameter is larger than 100 nm. This supports that finite size effect (due to surface effect) does not play a role on elastic behavior of silicon nanowires with diameter of >100 nm
The Impact of HIV Infection and CD4 Cell Count on the Performance of an Interferon Gamma Release Assay in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis
BACKGROUND:The performance of the tuberculosis specific Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) has not been sufficiently documented in tuberculosis- and HIV-endemic settings. This study evaluated the sensitivity of the QuantiFERON TB-Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) in patients with culture confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a TB- and HIV-endemic population and the effect of HIV-infection and CD4 cell count on test performance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:161 patients with sputum culture confirmed PTB were subjected to HIV- and QFT-IT testing and measurement of CD4 cell count. The QFT-IT was positive in 74% (119/161; 95% CI: 67-81%). Sensitivity was higher in HIV-negative (75/93) than in HIV-positive (44/68) patients (81% vs. 65%, p = 0.02) and increased with CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients (test for trend p = 0.03). 23 patients (14%) had an indeterminate result and this proportion decreased with increasing CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients (test for trend p = 0.03). Low CD4 cell count (<300 cells/microl) did not account for all QFT-IT indeterminate nor all negative results. Sensitivity when excluding indeterminate results was 86% (95% CI: 81-92%) and did not differ between HIV-negative and HIV-positive patients (88 vs. 83%, p = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Sensitivity of the QFT-IT for diagnosing active PTB infection was reasonable when excluding indeterminate results and in HIV-negative patients. However, since the test missed more than 10% of patients, its potential as a rule-out test for active TB disease is limited. Furthermore, test performance is impaired by low CD4 cell count in HIV-positive patients and possibly by other factors as well in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. This might limit the potential of the test in populations where HIV-infection is prevalent
Proton Transport through Robust CPO-27-type Metal Organic Frameworks
In this work we studied the robustness
of Ni-CPO-27 and Mg-CPO-27
metal organic frameworks (MOFs) upon cold uniaxial pressing and thermal
cycling in dry and wet Ar/H<sub>2</sub>. The preparation and operation
limits for each material are found to be 225 and 150 MPa and temperatures
of 250 and 150 °C for Ni-CPO-27 and Mg-CPO-27, respectively.
The electrochemical alternating current conductivity measurements
performed as high as 250 °C showed conductivity values ranging
from 10<sup>â6</sup> to 10<sup>â8</sup> S/cm, depending
on the material, temperature, and atmosphere. The protonic nature
of the electrochemical transport phenomena was unambiguously confirmed
via proton/deuteron isotopic and transient hydration studies. The
study reveals high reproducibility and stability of the electrochemical
measurements upon cycling in different atmospheres. Meanwhile, the
crystallinity of the sample was preserved after the conductivity study
and three weeks on stream, which demonstrates the midterm stability
and robustness of this MOF
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