Increasing Exfoliation Yield in the Synthesis of MoS2 Quantum Dots for Optoelectronic and Other Applications through a Continuous Multicycle Acoustomicrofluidic Approach

We show that the synthesis yields of transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) quantum dots (QDs)-in particular, that of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-can be improved through a miniaturized continuous multicycle microfluidic process. The process exploits the unique piezoelectricity of two-dimensional (2D) TMDs by employing the strong electromechanical coupling inherent in a novel acoustomicrofluidic nebulization process to delaminate and laterally cleave the bulk TMD material into QDs. In particular, we show that by carrying out the process in a closed system the nebulized aerosols containing the exfoliated QDs recondense and are repeatedly renebulized. With each successive nebulization-condensation-renebulization cycle, the QDs are progressively thinned and become increasingly uniform in their lateral dimension. Over just four 10 min cycles, the yield of predominantly single-layer QDs with a mean lateral dimension of 8.25 ± 4 nm is 10.7 ± 2% with a single chipscale device, which is considerably higher than the typical 2-3% yields obtained with conventional synthesis methods. Given the simplicity, low cost, and miniaturizability of the technology, the process can be easily parallelized for high production throughput commensurate with industrial-scale synthesis for a wide range of applications across optoelectronics, photocatalysis, energy storage, photonics, and biosensing, among others

High Frequency Acoustic Nebulization for Pulmonary Delivery of Antibiotic Alternatives Against Staphylococcus aureus

The increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant bacteria has warranted the search for new antimicrobial agents as existing antibiotics lose their potency. Among these, bacteriophage therapy, as well as the administration of specific bacteriolysis agents, i.e., lytic enzymes, have emerged as attractive alternatives. Nebulizers offer the possibility for delivering these therapeutics directly to the lung, which is particularly advantageous as a non-invasive and direct route to treat bacterial lung infections. Nevertheless, nebulizers can often result in significant degradation of the bacteriophage or protein, both structurally and functionally, due to the large stresses the aerosolization process imposes on these entities. In this work, we assess the capability of a novel low-cost and portable hybrid surface and bulk acoustic wave platform (HYDRA) to nebulize a Myoviridae bacteriophage (phage K) and lytic enzyme (lysostaphin) that specifically targets Staphylococcus aureus. Besides its efficiency in producing phage or protein-laden aerosols within the 15 m respirable range for optimum delivery to the lower respiratory tract where lung infections commonly take place, we observe that the HYDRA platformowing to the efficiency of driving the aerosolization process at relatively low powers and high frequencies (approximately 10 MHz)does not result in appreciable denaturation of the phages or proteins, such that the loss of antimicrobial activity following nebulization is minimized. Specifically, a low (0.1 (pfu/ml)) titer loss was obtained with the phages, resulting in a high viable respirable fraction of approximately 90%. Similarly, minimal loss of antimicrobial activity was obtained with lysostaphin upon nebulization wherein its minimum inhibitory concentration (0.5 ug/ml) remained unaltered as compared with the non-nebulized control. These results therefore demonstrate the potential of the HYDRA nebulization platform as a promising strategy for pulmonary administr

Detection of charged pions and protons in the segmented electromagnetic calorimeter TAPS

We present the characteristics of the segmented BaF2 calorimeter TAPS for the measurement of charged pions and protons. The method of particle identification exploits the relation between the kinetic energy of a particle, its mass and the time-of-flight required to reach the detector. The detection efficiency is calculated using GEANT-GCALOR simulations. The analysis method is applied in the reaction Ar-40 + Ca-nat at 0.8A GeV. The simultaneous detection of charged pions and protons can be used to search for correlated pairs signalling the de-excitation of the Delta(1232) resonance. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Arab West Report 2008 Weeks 02-52: Major Challenges Regarding Arab-West Dialogue and Muslim-Christian Relations

This dataset contains the Arab-West Report special reports that were published in 2008. This dataset mainly contains the writings of Cornelis Hulsman, Drs., among other authors on topics related to Muslim- Christian relations, sectarian tensions, and incidents. Over the course of the year 2008, Egypt witnessed notable sectarian tensions. Several reports in this dataset concern the Abu Fana tensions, incidents which took place in the Upper Egyptian Minya governorate surrounding a dispute over the growth of Abu Fana Monastery. Arab West Report devoted a large portion of articles and reports covering the story and analysing its developments. Other reports contain published commentary from scholars and critiques of Egyptian and Western media coverage of the sectarian incident. Another major controversial issue addressed in this dataset is the notorious film Fitna which caused an uproar in the Islamic World. Other reports highlight the launching of ENAWU, the Electronic Network for Arab West Understanding. Papers submitted by the staff and interns of CAWU detail the Arab media coverage of the war on Iraq, and facts about the church building regulations and incidents in Egypt, in addition to interviews conducted by AWR and book reviews. Furthermore other reports narrated the experiences of interns when they visited monasteries and witnessed the monastic life. In addition to that some reports shed light on the field visits done by Arab West Report to Minya governorate to collect information and testimonies from residents and monks in relation to the Abu Fana Monastery dispute. Additionally, reports spanning that year on this dataset pointed out to the workshops and conferences that revolved around conflict resolution and dialogue. Furthermore, it contained commentary on published material from other sources (reviews/critique of articles)

Arab-West Report 2011, Weeks 01-52: The Egyptian Arab Spring, The 2011 Revolution, Political Development and Sectarian Strife

This dataset contains the Arab-West Report special reports that were published in 2011. This year was marked by major political and social developments in Egypt as it witnessed the outbreak of the January 25 revolution against the former President Muḥammad Ḥusnī Mubārak and the aftermath, which revolved around the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood influence in politics, Christian –Muslim incidents, and constitutional Amendments. The dataset contains primarily the writings of Cornelis Hulsman, Drs., among other authors on topics that took place in Egypt in 2011 in addition to commentary on published material from other sources (reviews/critique of articles)