Translation Mechanisms in Socio-Technical Niches. A case study of Dutch river management

This paper makes three contributions to the field of transition research. First, it sheds light on how the concept of translation can contribute to a better understanding of agency in niche development. Second, it articulates how the local-global distinction in the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) approach relates to the levels in the Multi-Level Perspective. Third, the article is empirically novel by presenting a radical sustainable innovation in Dutch water management (‘New Rivers’).Sustainability transitions, translations, strategic niche management, river management

Strong coupling between single-electron tunneling and nano-mechanical motion

Nanoscale resonators that oscillate at high frequencies are useful in many measurement applications. We studied a high-quality mechanical resonator made from a suspended carbon nanotube driven into motion by applying a periodic radio frequency potential using a nearby antenna. Single-electron charge fluctuations created periodic modulations of the mechanical resonance frequency. A quality factor exceeding 10^5 allows the detection of a shift in resonance frequency caused by the addition of a single-electron charge on the nanotube. Additional evidence for the strong coupling of mechanical motion and electron tunneling is provided by an energy transfer to the electrons causing mechanical damping and unusual nonlinear behavior. We also discovered that a direct current through the nanotube spontaneously drives the mechanical resonator, exerting a force that is coherent with the high-frequency resonant mechanical motion.Comment: Main text 12 pages, 4 Figures, Supplement 13 pages, 6 Figure

The ethanolamide metabolite of DHA, docosahexaenoylethanolamine, shows immunomodulating effects in mouse peritoneal and RAW264.7 macrophages: evidence for a new link between fish oil and inflammation

Several mechanisms have been proposed for the positive health effects associated with dietary consumption of long-chain n-3 PUFA (n-3 LC-PUFA) including DHA (22 : 6n-3) and EPA (20 : 5n-3). After dietary intake, LC-PUFA are incorporated into membranes and can be converted to their corresponding N-acylethanolamines (NAE). However, little is known on the biological role of these metabolites. In the present study, we tested a series of unsaturated NAE on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Among the compounds tested, docosahexaenoylethanolamine (DHEA), the ethanolamide of DHA, was found to be the most potent inhibitor, inducing a dose-dependent inhibition of NO release. Immune-modulating properties of DHEA were further studied in the same cell line, demonstrating that DHEA significantly suppressed the production of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), a cytokine playing a pivotal role in chronic inflammation. In LPS-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages, DHEA also reduced MCP-1 and NO production. Furthermore, inhibition was also found to take place at a transcriptional level, as gene expression of MCP-1 and inducible NO synthase was inhibited by DHEA. To summarise, in the present study, we showed that DHEA, a DHA-derived NAE metabolite, modulates inflammation by reducing MCP-1 and NO production and expression. These results provide new leads in molecular mechanisms by which DHA can modulate inflammatory processes

Salt extraction versus ion exchange

Abstract onl

Zeeman energy and spin relaxation in a one-electron quantum dot

We have measured the relaxation time, T1, of the spin of a single electron confined in a semiconductor quantum dot (a proposed quantum bit). In a magnetic field, applied parallel to the two-dimensional electron gas in which the quantum dot is defined, Zeeman splitting of the orbital states is directly observed by measurements of electron transport through the dot. By applying short voltage pulses, we can populate the excited spin state with one electron and monitor relaxation of the spin. We find a lower bound on T1 of 50 microseconds at 7.5 T, only limited by our signal-to-noise ratio. A continuous measurement of the charge on the dot has no observable effect on the spin relaxation.Comment: Replaced with the version published in Phys. Rev. Let

Phase transitions on the surface of a carbon nanotube

A suspended carbon nanotube can act as a nanoscale resonator with remarkable electromechanical properties and the ability to detect adsorption on its surface at the level of single atoms. Understanding adsorption on nanotubes and other graphitic materials is key to many sensing and storage applications. Here we show that nanotube resonators offer a powerful new means of investigating fundamental aspects of adsorption on carbon, including the collective behaviour of adsorbed matter and its coupling to the substrate electrons. By monitoring the vibrational resonance frequency in the presence of noble gases, we observe the formation of monolayers on the cylindrical surface and phase transitions within these monolayers, and simultaneous modification of the electrical conductance. The monolayer observations also demonstrate the possibility of studying the fundamental behaviour of matter in cylindrical geometry.Comment: Unpublished; 7 pages with 4 figures plus 3 pages of supplementary materia

The association of socioeconomic status on treatment strategy in patients with stage I and II breast cancer in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) influences breast cancer therapy. However, these studies were performed in countries with unequal access to healthcare. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether SES also contributes to the likelihood of receiving a certain therapy in the Netherlands, a country with supposedly equal access to healthcare. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From the Netherlands Cancer Registry, 105,287 patients with newly diagnosed stage I or II breast cancer diagnosed between 2011 and 2018 were selected for analysis. SES was calculated from the average incomes of each postal code, which were divided into 10 deciles. Primary outcome was the effect of SES on the likelihood of undergoing surgery and secondary outcome was the effect of SES on the likelihood of the type of surgery. Both outcomes were corrected for patient, tumor, and hospital characteristics and were expressed as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: SES did not affect the likelihood of a breast cancer patient to undergo surgery (OR 1.00 per 10% stratum). In contrast, increased age and higher tumor stage were the most important factors determining whether patients underwent surgery. Patients with higher SES were less likely to undergo mastectomy (OR 0.98). Additionally, more recently diagnosed patients were less likely to undergo mastectomy (OR 0.93 per year) while patients with higher tumor stage were more likely to undergo mastectomy (OR 3.42). CONCLUSION: SES does not affect whether a patient undergoes surgery; however, higher SES increased the likelihood of BCT

Preface: natural deep eutectic solvents: A third liquid phase in living organisms? Discovery, theory, biology and applications

Plant science

Pumping of vibrational excitations in a Coulomb blockaded suspended carbon nanotube

Low-temperature transport spectroscopy measurements on a suspended few-hole carbon nanotube quantum dot are presented, showing a gate-dependent harmonic excitation spectrum which, strikingly, occurs in the Coulomb blockade regime. The quantized excitation energy corresponds to the scale expected for longitudinal vibrations of the nanotube. The electronic transport processes are identified as cotunnel-assisted sequential tunneling, resulting from non-equilibrium occupation of the mechanical mode. They appear only above a high-bias threshold at the scale of electronic nanotube excitations. We discuss models for the pumping process that explain the enhancement of the non-equilibrium occupation and show that it is connected to a subtle interplay between electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom

Selfoscillations of Suspended Carbon Nanotubes with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance under Voltage Bias

We theoretically investigate the electro-mechanics of a Suspended Carbon Nanotube with a Deflection Sensitive Resistance subjected to a homogeneous Magnetic Field and a constant Voltage Bias. We show that, (with the exception of a singular case), for a sufficiently high magnetic field the time-independent state of charge transport through the nanotube becomes unstable to selfexcitations of the mechanical vibration accompanied by oscialltions in the voltage drop and current across the nanotube.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur