762 research outputs found
Energy-level quantization in YBa2Cu3O7-x phase-slip nanowires
Significant progress has been made in the development of superconducting
quantum circuits, however new quantum devices that have longer decoherence
times at higher temperatures are urgently required for quantum technologies.
Superconducting nanowires with quantum phase slips are promising candidates for
use in novel devices that operate on quantum principles. Here, we demonstrate
ultra-thin YBa2Cu3O7-x nanowires with phase-slip dynamics and study their
switching-current statistics at temperatures below 20 K. We apply theoretical
models that were developed for Josephson junctions and show that our results
provide strong evidence for energy-level quantization in the nanowires. The
crossover temperature to the quantum regime is 12-13 K, while the lifetime in
the excited state exceeds 20 ms at 5.4 K. Both values are at least one order of
magnitude higher than those in conventional Josephson junctions based on
low-temperature superconductors. We also show how the absorption of a single
photon changes the phase-slip and quantum state of a nanowire, which is
important for the development of single-photon detectors with high operating
temperature and superior temporal resolution. Our findings pave the way for a
new class of superconducting nanowire devices for quantum sensing and
computing
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High-Speed Curtain Recoating for Stereolithography
The University of Leuven uses a liquid curtain recoating system for resin deposition in
stereolithography. This system deposits new liquid layers of photo-polymer by means of a liquid
curtain travelling over the build vat. Experiments have been carried out to increase the speed of the
liquid curtain while depositing a layer. Speeds up to 1.2 m/s, and accelerations up to 1 g have been
tested successfully, meaning that it is possible to coat high-quality layers of 75 µm thickness with
this recoating technique. However, the curtain restores too slowly after acceleration. This paper
discusses possible reasons and tries to formulate adequate solutions. Possible solutions consist in
controlling small pressure differences in the curtain’s neighbourhood. A solution to this problem
is necessary, as to make the travelling length of the curtain, and so the machine length acceptable
with respect to the dimensions of the build vat.Mechanical Engineerin
Generation of aurachin derivatives by whole-cell biotransformation and evaluation of their antiprotozoal properties
The natural product aurachin D is a farnesylated quinolone alkaloid, which is known to possess activity against the causative agent of malaria, Plasmodium spp. In this study, we show that aurachin D inhibits other parasitic protozoa as well. While aurachin D had only a modest effect on Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, two other trypanosomatids, T. cruzi and Leishmania donovani, were killed at low micromolar and nanomolar concentrations, respectively, in an in vitro assay. The determined IC50 values of aurachin D were even lower than those of the reference drugs benznidazole and miltefosine. Due to these promising results, we set out to explore the impact of structural modifications on the bioactivity of this natural product. In order to generate aurachin D derivatives with varying substituents at the C-2, C-6 and C-7 position of the quinolone ring system, we resorted to whole-cell biotransformation using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain capable of aurachin-type prenylations. Quinolone precursor molecules featuring methyl, methoxy and halogen groups were fed to this E. coli strain, which converted the substrates into the desired analogs. None of the generated derivatives exhibited improved antiprotozoal properties in comparison to aurachin D. Obviously, the naturally occurring aurachin D features already a privileged structure, especially for the inhibition of the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis
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Design Enhancement of Biomedical Scaffolds Made By Selective Laser Melting
Selective laser melting (SLM) is increasingly used to fabricate biomedical scaffolds.
However, the intrinsic specifications of the process such as laser spot size, layer thickness,
and particle size limit the production accuracy, altering the geometrical characteristics and
mechanical properties of the scaffolds. This work attempts to assess and improve the
mechanical properties of TiAl6V4 biomedical scaffolds by eliminating/modifying the sharp
and thin nodes (as the main source of stress concentrations and lowering the mechanical
properties). This is carried out through a gradual increase of the beam (strut) thickness around
the nodes where corresponding struts meet. The compression performance of these scaffolds
was assessed and compared to common examples (unaltered struts) and to scaffolds designed
with thicker struts in the centre of the beams (demonstrating the largest contrast). The findings
prove that the thickening of the nodal points improves the strain distribution while maintains
the mechanical properties at an identical solid volume fraction. This can be used to improve
the scaffold design by a gradual strut thickness (in a comparable volume fraction) for an
improved bio-mechanical performance.Mechanical Engineerin
Metal-Insulator Transitions in Degenerate Hubbard Models and AC
Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transitions in -fold degenerate Hubbard
models are studied within the Gutzwiller approximation. For any rational
filling with (integer) electrons per site it is found that metal-insulator
transition occurs at a critical correlation energy
, where
is the band energy per particle for the uncorrelated Fermi-liquid state and
is a geometric factor which increases linearly with . We
propose that the alkali metal doped fullerides can be described by
a 3-fold degenerate Hubbard model. Using the current estimate of band width and
correlation energy this implies that most of , at integer ,
are Mott-Hubbard insulators and is a strongly correlated
metal.Comment: 10 pages, Revte
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Colonization in Veterinary Personnel
TOC Summary: Prevalence of colonization was 6.5%, and employment within a large-animal practice was a significant risk factor
Rheological behavior of β-Ti and NiTi powders produced by atomization for SLM production of open porous orthopedic implants
The growing interest for Selective Laser Melting (SLM) in orthopedic implant manufacturing is accompanied by
the introduction of novel Ti alloys, in particular β-Ti for their excellent corrosion resistance as well as favorable
combination of high mechanical strength, fatigue resistance and relatively low elastic modulus. As part of the
SLM process for producing quality β-Ti parts powder flowability is essential to achieve uniform thickness of powder
layers. In this work the flowability of different gas atomized β-Ti, including NiTi, powders has been studied. Their
rheological properties were compared to those of commercially available plasma-atomized Ti–6Al–4V powder
using a newly developed semi-automatic experimental set-up. Not only the particle size, shape and size distribution
of the powders display a large influence on the powder flowability but also particle surface properties such as
roughness, chemical composition and the presence of liquid on the surface of the particles. It was found that plasma
or gas atomization production techniques for SLM powder have a considerable effect on the particle topography.
Among the powders studied regarding SLM applicability only rheological properties of the fine size fraction
(25–45 μm) of Ti–45Nb didn't conform to SLM processing requirements. To improve flowability of the Ti–45Nb
powder itwas annealed both in air and argon atmosphere at 600 °C during 1 h, resulting in an improved rheological
behavior suitable for SLM processing
Evaluation of transduction efficiency in macrophage colony-stimulating factor differentiated human macrophages using HIV-1 based lentiviral vectors
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Monocyte-derived macrophages contribute to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Therefore, manipulating macrophage function could have significant therapeutic value. The objective of this study was to determine transduction efficiency of two HIV-based lentiviral vector configurations as delivery systems for the transduction of primary human blood monocyte-derived macrophages.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Human blood monocytes were transduced using two VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-1 based lentiviral vectors containing EGFP expression driven by either native HIV-LTR (VRX494) or EF1α promoters (VRX1090). Lentiviral vectors were added to cultured macrophages at different times and multiplicities of infection (MOI). Transduction efficiency was assessed using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Macrophages transduced between 2 and 120 hours after culturing showed the highest transduction efficiency at 2-hours transduction time. Subsequently, cells were transduced 2 hours after culturing at various vector concentrations (MOIs of 5, 10, 25 and 50) to determine the amount of lentiviral vector particles required to maximally transduce human monocyte-derived macrophages. On day 7, all transduced cultures showed EGFP-positive cells by microscopy. Flow cytometric analysis showed with all MOIs a peak shift corresponding to the presence of EGFP-positive cells. For VRX494, transduction efficiency was maximal at an MOI of 25 to 50 and ranged between 58 and 67%. For VRX1090, transduction efficiency was maximal at an MOI of 10 and ranged between 80 and 90%. Thus, transductions performed with VRX1090 showed a higher number of EGFP-positive cells than VRX494.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This report shows that VSV-G pseudotyped HIV-based lentiviral vectors can efficiently transduce human blood monocyte-derived macrophages early during differentiation using low particle numbers that do not interfere with differentiation of monocytes into macrophages.</p
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