1,076 research outputs found
Porous Alumina Based Capacitive MEMS RH Sensor
The aim of a joint research and development project at the BME and HWU is to
produce a cheap, reliable, low-power and CMOS-MEMS process compatible
capacitive type relative humidity (RH) sensor that can be incorporated into a
state-of-the-art, wireless sensor network. In this paper we discuss the
preparation of our new capacitive structure based on post-CMOS MEMS processes
and the methods which were used to characterize the thin film porous alumina
sensing layer. The average sensitivity is approx. 15 pF/RH% which is more than
a magnitude higher than the values found in the literature. The sensor is
equipped with integrated resistive heating, which can be used for maintenance
to reduce drift, or for keeping the sensing layer at elevated temperature, as
an alternative method for temperature-dependence cancellation.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association
(http://irevues.inist.fr/handle/2042/16838
Impact of some herbicides on the growth and the yield of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.)
Received: January 23rd, 2023 ; Accepted: April 2nd, 2023 ; Published: April 27th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] production and use of common vetch has great potential, but the lack of approved
pesticides makes the success of cultivation difficult and unpredictable. The research was carried
out on sandy soil at the NyĂregyháza Research Institute of the University of Debrecen in Hungary
in April 2022. Five different herbicides, pendimethalin, metolachlor, flumioxazin, bentazon in
doses 5 L ha-1
, 1.4 L ha-1
, 0.06 kg ha-1
, 2 L ha-1
, respectively, and imazamox in four different
doses (0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2 L ha-1
) were applied with the consideration of the ranges specified in the
Hungarian legislation. The results showed that the highest NDVI (Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index) values were obtained with flumioxazin compared to the other treatments. The
maximum harvested seed yield (194.1 kg ha-1
) was obtained with the application of flumioxazin
compared to the control treatment (132.5 kg ha-1
). Flumioxazin was also the best as it had the
fewest weeds per plot and the lowest phytotoxicity score. Although pendimethalin approached
the cleaned and harvested average seed yield of the control plots with 121.3 kg ha-1
, it did not
feature prominently in the other indicators. With regard to plant trash after cleaning of vetch seed,
the highest plant trash (179.4 kg ha-1
) was obtained with bentazon. Pendimethalin had the highest
percentage ratio between seed yield ha-1 and plant trash ha-1 (61.8%), followed by flumioxazin
(60.7%). The results also showed that there was a positive correlation between NDVI values and
seed yield and a positive correlation between NDVI values and plant trash, while there was a
negative correlation at the 0.01 level between NDVI values and phytotoxicity
Dust evolution in protoplanetary disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars - The Spitzer view
In this paper we present mid-infrared spectra of a comprehensive set of
Herbig Ae/Be stars observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope. The
signal-to-noise ratio of these spectra is very high, ranging between about a
hundred and several hundreds. During the analysis of these data we tested the
validity of standard protoplanetary dust models and studied grain growth and
crystal formation. On the basis of the analyzed spectra, the major constituents
of protoplanetary dust around Herbig Ae/Be stars are amorphous silicates with
olivine and pyroxene stoichiometry, crystalline forsterite and enstatite and
silica. No other solid state features, indicating other abundant dust species,
are present in the Spitzer spectra. Deviations of the synthetic spectra from
the observations are most likely related to grain shape effects and
uncertainties in the iron content of the dust grains. Our analysis revealed
that larger grains are more abundant in the disk atmosphere of flatter disks
than in that of flared disks, indicating that grain growth and sedimentation
decrease the disk flaring. We did not find, however, correlations between the
value of crystallinity and any of the investigated system parameters. Our
analysis shows that enstatite is more concentrated toward the warm inner disk
than forsterite, in contrast to predictions of equilibrium condensation models.
None of the three crystal formation mechanisms proposed so far can alone
explain all our findings. It is very likely that all three play at least some
role in the formation of crystalline silicates.Comment: 56 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Radiative lifetime measurements of rubidium Rydberg states
We have measured the radiative lifetimes of ns, np and nd Rydberg states of
rubidium in the range 28 < n < 45. To enable long-lived states to be measured,
our experiment uses slow-moving Rb atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT). Two
experimental techniques have been adopted to reduce random and systematic
errors. First, a narrow-bandwidth pulsed laser is used to excite the target
Rydberg state, resulting in minimal shot-to-shot variation in the initial state
population. Second, we monitor the target state population as a function of
time delay from the laser pulse using a short-duration, millimetre-wave pulse
that is resonant with a one- or two-photon transition. We then selectively
field ionize the monitor state, and detect the resulting electrons with a
micro-channel plate. This signal is an accurate mirror of the target state
population, and is uncontaminated by contributions from other states which are
populated by black body radiation. Our results are generally consistent with
other recent experimental results obtained using a less sensitive method, and
are also in excellent agreement with theory.Comment: 27 pages,6 figure
Characterisation of Bioglass based foams developed via replication of natural marine sponges
A comparative characterisation of Bioglass based scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications developed via a replication technique of natural marine sponges as sacrificial template is presented, focusing on their architecture and mechanical properties. The use of these sponges presents several advantages, including the possibility of attaining higher mechanical properties than those scaffolds made by foam replica method (up to 4 MPa) due to a decrease in porosity (68-76%) without affecting the pore interconnectivity (higher than 99%). The obtained pore structure possesses not only pores with a diameter in the range 150-500 mm, necessary to induce bone ingrowth, but also pores in the range of 0-200 mm, which are requested for complete integration of the scaffold and for neovascularisation. In this way, it is possible to combine the main properties that a three-dimensional scaffold should have for bone regeneration: interconnected and high porosity, adequate mechanical properties and bioactivity
On the interplay between flaring and shadowing in disks around Herbig Ae/Be stars
Based on the SED, Herbig stars have been categorized into two observational
groups, reflecting their overall disk structure: group I members have disks
with a higher degree of flaring than their group II counterparts. We
investigate the 5-35 um Spitzer IRS spectra of a sample of 13 group I sources
and 20 group II sources. We focus on the continuum emission to study the
underlying disk geometry. We have determined the [30/13.5] and [13.5/7]
continuum flux ratios. The 7-um flux excess with respect to the stellar
photosphere is measured, as a marker for the strength of the near-IR emission
produced by the inner disk. We have compared our data to self-consistent
passive-disk model spectra, for which the same quantities were derived. We
confirm the literature result that the difference in continuum emission between
group I and II sources can largely be explained by a different amount of small
dust grains. However, we report a strong correlation between the [30/13.5] and
[13.5/7] flux ratios for Meeus group II sources. Moreover, the [30/13.5] flux
ratio decreases with increasing 7-um excess for all targets in the sample. To
explain these correlations with the models, we need to introduce an artificial
scaling factor for the inner disk height. In roughly 50% of the Herbig Ae/Be
stars in our sample, the inner disk must be inflated by a factor 2 to 3 beyond
what hydrostatic calculations predict. The total disk mass in small dust grains
determines the degree of flaring. We conclude, however, that for any given disk
mass in small dust grains, the shadowing of the outer (tens of AU) disk is
determined by the scale height of the inner disk (1 AU). The inner disk
partially obscures the outer disk, reducing the disk surface temperature. Here,
for the first time, we prove these effects observationally.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted by A&
Shadows cast on the transition disk of HD 135344B. Multiwavelength VLT/SPHERE polarimetric differential imaging
The protoplanetary disk around the F-type star HD 135344B (SAO 206462) is in
a transition stage and shows many intriguing structures both in scattered light
and thermal (sub-)millimeter emission which are possibly related to planet
formation processes. We study the morphology and surface brightness of the disk
in scattered light to gain insight into the innermost disk regions, the
formation of protoplanets, planet-disk interactions traced in the surface and
midplane layers, and the dust grain properties of the disk surface. We have
carried out high-contrast polarimetric differential imaging (PDI) observations
with VLT/SPHERE and obtained polarized scattered light images with ZIMPOL in R-
and I-band and with IRDIS in Y- and J-band. The scattered light images reveal
with unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity the spiral arms as well
as the 25 au cavity of the disk. Multiple shadow features are discovered on the
outer disk with one shadow only being present during the second observation
epoch. A positive surface brightness gradient is observed in the stellar
irradiation corrected images in southwest direction possibly due to an
azimuthally asymmetric perturbation of the temperature and/or surface density
by the passing spiral arms. The disk integrated polarized flux, normalized to
the stellar flux, shows a positive trend towards longer wavelengths which we
attribute to large aggregate dust grains in the disk surface. Part of the the
non-azimuthal polarization signal in the Uphi image of the J-band observation
could be the result of multiple scattering in the disk. The detected shadow
features and their possible variability have the potential to provide insight
into the structure of and processes occurring in the innermost disk regions.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 20 pages, 15 figure
Predicting the risk to develop preeclampsia in the first trimester combining promoter variant -98A/C of LGALS13 (placental protein 13), Black ethnicity, previous preeclampsia, obesity, and maternal age
BACKGROUND: We studied LGALS13 [Placental Protein 13 (PP13)] promoter DNA polymorphisms in preeclampsia (PE) prediction, given PP13’s effects on hypotension, angiogenesis and immunotolerance.
METHODS: We retrieved 67 PE (49 term, 18 preterm) cases and 196 matched controls from first trimester plasma samples prospectively collected at King's College Hospital, London. Cell-free DNA was extracted and the four LGALS13 exons were sequenced after PCR amplification. Expression of LGALS13 promoter reporter constructs were determined in BeWo trophoblast-like cells with luciferase assays.
RESULTS: A/C genotype in –98 position was the lowest in term PE compared to controls (p<0.032), similar to a South African cohort. Control but not all PE allele frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p=0.036). The Odds ratio for term PE calculated from prior risk, the A/A genotype and black ethnicity was 14 (p<0.001). In luciferase assays, the LGALS13 promoter “-98A" variant had 13% (p=0.04) and 26% (p<0.001) lower expression than the "-98C" variant in non-differentiated and differentiated BeWo cells, respectively. After 48-hour differentiation, there was 4.55- fold increase in expression of "-98C" variant versus 3.85-fold of "-98A" variant (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Lower LGALS13 (PP13) expression by the "-98A/A" genotype appears to impose higher risk to develop PE and could aid in PE prediction
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