1,929 research outputs found
Evidence for polarised boron in Co-B and Fe-B alloys
By exploiting the tunability of synchrotron radiation in measurements of spin-resolved photoemission it has proved possible to obtain information on the polarisation of the valence electrons of Co-B and Fe-B amorphous magnetic alloys, Both the spin-integrated and spin-resolved energy distribution curves show a marked dependence on photon energy indicating that the p states of boron hybridise with the d states of the transition metals giving rise to mixed states in the binding energy range 1 to 5 eV, The observed polarisation and spin-resolved densities of states imply that in the above restricted energy range there is a net negative polarisation of the boron states
Microfluidic technologies for the synthesis and manipulation of biomimetic membranous nano-assemblies.
Microfluidics has been proposed as an attractive alternative to conventional bulk methods used in the generation of self-assembled biomimetic structures, particularly where there is a desire for more scalable production. The approach also allows for greater control over the self-assembly process, and parameters such as particle architecture, size, and composition can be finely tuned. Microfluidic techniques used in the generation of microscale assemblies (giant vesicles and higher-order multi-compartment assemblies) are fairly well established. These tend to rely on microdroplet templation, and the resulting structures have found use as comparmentalised motifs in artificial cells. Challenges in generating sub-micron droplets have meant that reconfiguring this approach to form nano-scale structures is not straightforward. This is beginning to change however, and recent technological advances have instigated the manufacture and manipulation of an increasingly diverse repertoire of biomimetic nano-assemblies, including liposomes, polymersomes, hybrid particles, multi-lamellar structures, cubosomes, hexosomes, nanodiscs, and virus-like particles. The following review will discuss these higher-order self-assembled nanostructures, including their biochemical and industrial applications, and techniques used in their production and analysis. We suggest ways in which existing technologies could be repurposed for the enhanced design, manufacture, and exploitation of these structures and discuss potential challenges and future research directions. By compiling recent advances in this area, it is hoped we will inspire future efforts toward establishing scalable microfluidic platforms for the generation of biomimetic nanoparticles of enhanced architectural and functional complexity
Acceptability of orodispersible films for delivery of medicines to infants and preschool children
Orodispersible films (ODFs) possess potential to facilitate oral drug delivery to children; however, documentation
of their acceptability in this age group is lacking. This study is the first to explore the initial
perceptions, acceptability and ease of use of ODFs for infants and preschool children, and their caregivers
through observed administration of the type of dosage form. Placebo ODFs were administered
to children stratified into aged 6 to 12 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years and 5 years old and into
those with an acute illness or long-term stable condition in hospital setting. Acceptability of the dosage
form and end-user views were assessed by (a) direct observation of administration, (b) questionnaires
to caregivers and nurses, and (c) age-adapted questionnaires for children aged 3 years and over.
The majority of children (78%) aged 3 years and over gave the ODF a positive rating both on verbal
and non-verbal scales. Despite little prior experience, 78% of caregivers expressed positive opinion
about ODFs before administration. After the ODFs were taken, 79% of infant caregivers and 86% caregivers
of preschool children positively rated their child’s acceptance of the ODF. The intraclass correlation
coefficient value was 0.92 showing good agreement between ratings of caregivers and nurses.
ODFs showed a high degree of acceptability among young children and their caregivers. If drug loading
permits, pharmaceutical companies should consider developing pediatric medicines in this format.
The methodology described here is useful in assessing the acceptability of active ODF preparations
and other dosage forms to children
Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission studies of the electronic structure of Si(110)"16x2" surfaces
The electronic structure of Si(110)"16 x 2" double-domain, single-domain and
1 x 1 surfaces have been investigated using spin- and angle-resolved
photoemission at sample temperatures of 77 K and 300 K. Angle-resolved
photoemission was conducted using horizontally- and vertically-polarised 60 eV
and 80 eV photons. Band-dispersion maps revealed four surface states ( to
) which were assigned to silicon dangling bonds on the basis of measured
binding energies and photoemission intensity changes between horizontal and
vertical light polarisations. Three surface states (, and ),
observed in the Si(110)"16 x 2" reconstruction, were assigned to Si adatoms and
Si atoms present at the edges of the corrugated terrace structure. Only one of
the four surface states, , was observed in both the Si(110)"16 x 2" and 1
x 1 band maps and consequently attributed to the pervasive Si zigzag chains
that are components of both the Si(110)"16 x 2" and 1 x 1 surfaces. A state in
the bulk-band region was attributed to an in-plane bond. All data were
consistent with the adatom-buckling model of the Si(110)"16 x 2" surface.
Whilst room temperature measurements of and were statistically
compatible with zero, measurements of the enantiomorphic A-type and
B-type Si(110)"16 x 2" surfaces gave small average polarisations of around
1.5\% that were opposite in sign. Further measurements at 77 K on A-type
Si(110)"16 x 2" surface gave a smaller value of +0.3\%. An upper limit of
may thus be taken for the longitudinal polarisation.Comment: Main paper: 12 pages and 11 figures. Supplemental information: 5
pages and 2 figure
Tuberculous meningitis in children: reducing the burden of death and disability
Tuberculous meningitis disproportionately affects young children. As the most devastating form of tuberculosis, it is associated with unacceptably high rates of mortality and morbidity even if treated. Challenging to diagnose and treat, tuberculous meningitis commonly causes long-term neurodisability in those who do survive. There remains an urgent need for strengthened surveillance, improved rapid diagnostics technology, optimised anti-tuberculosis drug therapy, investigation of new host-directed therapy, and further research on long-term functional and neurodevelopmental outcomes to allow targeted intervention. This review focuses on the neglected field of paediatric tuberculous meningitis and bridges current clinical gaps with research questions to improve outcomes from this crippling disease
New type of microengine using internal combustion of hydrogen and oxygen
Microsystems become part of everyday life but their application is restricted
by lack of strong and fast motors (actuators) converting energy into motion.
For example, widespread internal combustion engines cannot be scaled down
because combustion reactions are quenched in a small space. Here we present an
actuator with the dimensions 100x100x5 um^3 that is using internal combustion
of hydrogen and oxygen as part of its working cycle. Water electrolysis driven
by short voltage pulses creates an extra pressure of 0.5-4 bar for a time of
100-400 us in a chamber closed by a flexible membrane. When the pulses are
switched off this pressure is released even faster allowing production of
mechanical work in short cycles. We provide arguments that this unexpectedly
fast pressure decrease is due to spontaneous combustion of the gases in the
chamber. This actuator is the first step to truly microscopic combustion
engines.Comment: Paper and Supplementary Information (to appear in Scientific Reports
A transparent 3D printed device for assembling droplet hydrogel bilayers (DHBs)
We report a new approach for assembling droplet hydrogel bilayers (DHBs) using a transparent 3D printed device. We characterise the transparency of our platform, confirm bilayer formation using electrical measurements and show that single-channel recordings can be obtained using our reusable rapid prototyped device. This method significantly reduces the cost and infrastructure required to develop devices for DHB assembly and downstream study
Optically assembled droplet interface bilayer (OptiDIB) networks from cell-sized microdroplets
We report a new platform technology to systematically assemble droplet interface bilayer (DIB) networks in user-defined 3D architectures from cell-sized droplets using optical tweezers. Our OptiDIB platform is the first demonstration of optical trapping to precisely construct 3D DIB networks, paving the way for the development of a new generation of modular bio-systems
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