669 research outputs found
Electromechanical Reliability Testing of Three-Axial Silicon Force Sensors
This paper reports on the systematic electromechanical characterization of a
new three-axial force sensor used in dimensional metrology of micro components.
The siliconbased sensor system consists of piezoresistive mechanicalstress
transducers integrated in thin membrane hinges supporting a suspended flexible
cross structure. The mechanical behavior of the fragile micromechanical
structure isanalyzed for both static and dynamic load cases. This work
demonstrates that the silicon microstructure withstands static forces of 1.16N
applied orthogonally to the front-side of the structure. A statistical Weibull
analysis of the measured data shows that these values are significantly reduced
if the normal force is applied to the back of the sensor. Improvements of the
sensor system design for future development cycles are derived from the
measurement results.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions
(http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions
Fibrous Monolithic Ceramics: III, Mechanical Properties and Oxidation Behavior of the Silicon Carbide/Boron Nitride System
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66176/1/j.1151-2916.1994.tb05399.x.pd
Identification of PKD1L1 Gene Variants in Children with the Biliary Atresia Splenic Malformation Syndrome
Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common cause of end‐stage liver disease in children and the primary indication for pediatric liver transplantation, yet underlying etiologies remain unknown. Approximately 10% of infants affected by BA exhibit various laterality defects (heterotaxy) including splenic abnormalities and complex cardiac malformations — a distinctive subgroup commonly referred to as the biliary atresia splenic malformation (BASM) syndrome. We hypothesized that genetic factors linking laterality features with the etiopathogenesis of BA in BASM patients could be identified through whole exome sequencing (WES) of an affected cohort. DNA specimens from 67 BASM subjects, including 58 patient‐parent trios, from the NIDDK‐supported Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) underwent WES. Candidate gene variants derived from a pre‐specified set of 2,016 genes associated with ciliary dysgenesis and/or dysfunction or cholestasis were prioritized according to pathogenicity, population frequency, and mode of inheritance. Five BASM subjects harbored rare and potentially deleterious bi‐allelic variants in polycystin 1‐like 1, PKD1L1, a gene associated with ciliary calcium signaling and embryonic laterality determination in fish, mice and humans. Heterozygous PKD1L1 variants were found in 3 additional subjects. Immunohistochemical analysis of liver from the one BASM subject available revealed decreased PKD1L1 expression in bile duct epithelium when compared to normal livers and livers affected by other non‐cholestatic diseases. Conclusion WES identified bi‐allelic and heterozygous PKD1L1 variants of interest in 8 BASM subjects from the ChiLDReN dataset. The dual roles for PKD1L1 in laterality determination and ciliary function suggest that PKD1L1 is a new, biologically plausible, cholangiocyte‐expressed candidate gene for the BASM syndrome
Action spectroscopy of gas-phase carboxylate anions by multiple photon IR electron detachment/attachment
We report on a form of gas-phase anion action spectroscopy based on infrared
multiple photon electron detachment and subsequent capture of the free
electrons by a neutral electron scavenger in a Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron
Resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer. This method allows one to obtain
background-free spectra of strongly bound anions, for which no dissociation
channels are observed. The first gas-phase spectra of acetate and propionate
are presented using SF6 as electron scavenger and a free electron laser as
source of intense and tunable infrared radiation. To validate the method, we
compare infrared spectra obtained through multiple photon electron
detachment/attachment and multiple photon dissociation for the benzoate anion.
In addition, different electron acceptors are used, comparing both associative
and dissociative electron capture. The relative energies of dissociation (by
CO2 loss) and electron detachment are investigated for all three anions by DFT
and CCSD(T) methods. DFT calculations are also employed to predict vibrational
frequencies, which provide a good fit to the infrared spectra observed. The
frequencies of the symmetric and antisymmetric carboxylate stretching modes for
the aliphatic carboxylates are compared to those previously observed in
condensed-phase IR spectra and to those reported for gas-phase benzoate,
showing a strong influence of the solution environment and a slight substituent
effect on the antisymmetric stretch.Comment: Revised version, Submitted to J Phys Chem
Lepton Number Violation from Colored States at the LHC
The possibility to search for lepton number violating signals at the Large
Hadron Collider (LHC) in the colored seesaw scenario is investigated. In this
context the fields that generate neutrino masses at the one-loop level are
scalar and Majorana fermionic color-octets of SU(3). Due to the QCD strong
interaction these states may be produced at the LHC with a favorable rate. We
study the production mechanisms and decays relevant to search for lepton number
violation signals in the channels with same-sign dileptons. In the simplest
case when the two fermionic color-octets are degenerate in mass, one could use
their decays to distinguish between the neutrino spectra. We find that for
fermionic octets with mass up to about 1 TeV the number of same-sign dilepton
events is larger than the standard model background indicating a promising
signal for new physics.Comment: minor corrections, added reference
Increased RPA1 gene dosage affects genomic stability potentially contributing to 17p13.3 duplication syndrome
A novel microduplication syndrome involving various-sized contiguous duplications in 17p13.3 has recently been described, suggesting that increased copy number of genes in 17p13.3, particularly PAFAH1B1, is associated with clinical features including facial dysmorphism, developmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder. We have previously shown that patient-derived cell lines from individuals with haploinsufficiency of RPA1, a gene within 17p13.3, exhibit an impaired ATR-dependent DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we show that cell lines from patients with duplications specifically incorporating RPA1 exhibit a different although characteristic spectrum of DDR defects including abnormal S phase distribution, attenuated DNA double strand break (DSB)-induced RAD51 chromatin retention, elevated genomic instability, and increased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. Using controlled conditional over-expression of RPA1 in a human model cell system, we also see attenuated DSB-induced RAD51 chromatin retention. Furthermore, we find that transient over-expression of RPA1 can impact on homologous recombination (HR) pathways following DSB formation, favouring engagement in aberrant forms of recombination and repair. Our data identifies unanticipated defects in the DDR associated with duplications in 17p13.3 in humans involving modest RPA1 over-expression
Presence and Persistence of Ebola or Marburg Virus in Patients and Survivors: A Rapid Systematic Review
Background: The 2013-15 Ebola outbreak was unprecedented due to sustainedtransmission within urban environments and thousands of survivors. In 2014 the World Health Organization stated that there was insufficient evidence to give definitive guidance about which body fluids are infectious and when they pose a risk to humans. We report a rapid systematic review of published evidence on the presence of filoviruses in body fluids of infected people and survivors. Methods: Scientific articles were screened for information about filovirus in human body fluids. The aim was to find primary data that suggested high likelihood of actively infectious filovirus in human body fluids (viral RNA). Eligible infections were from Marburg virus (MARV or RAVV) and Zaire, Sudan, Taï Forest and Bundibugyo species of Ebola. [1] Cause of infection had to be laboratory confirmed (in practice either tissue culture or RT-PCR tests), or evidenced by compatible clinical history with subsequent positivity for filovirus antibodies or inflammatory factors. Data were extracted and summarized narratively. Results: 6831 unique articles were found, and after screening, 33 studies were eligible. For most body fluid types there were insufficient patients to draw strong conclusions, and prevalence of positivity was highly variable. Body fluids taken >16 days after onset were usually negative. In the six studies that used both assay methods RT-PCR tests for filovirus RNA gave positive results about 4 times more often than tissue culture. Conclusions: Filovirus was reported in most types of body fluid, but not in every sample from every otherwise confirmed patient. Apart from semen, most non-blood, RT-PCR positive samples are likely to be culture negative and so possibly of low infectious risk. Nevertheless, it is not apparent how relatively infectious many body fluids are during or after illness, even when culture-positive, not least because most test results come from more severe cases. Contact with blood and blood-stained body fluids remains the major risk for disease transmission because of the known high viral loads in blood
The next detectors for gravitational wave astronomy
This paper focuses on the next detectors for gravitational wave astronomy
which will be required after the current ground based detectors have completed
their initial observations, and probably achieved the first direct detection of
gravitational waves. The next detectors will need to have greater sensitivity,
while also enabling the world array of detectors to have improved angular
resolution to allow localisation of signal sources. Sect. 1 of this paper
begins by reviewing proposals for the next ground based detectors, and presents
an analysis of the sensitivity of an 8 km armlength detector, which is proposed
as a safe and cost-effective means to attain a 4-fold improvement in
sensitivity. The scientific benefits of creating a pair of such detectors in
China and Australia is emphasised. Sect. 2 of this paper discusses the high
performance suspension systems for test masses that will be an essential
component for future detectors, while sect. 3 discusses solutions to the
problem of Newtonian noise which arise from fluctuations in gravity gradient
forces acting on test masses. Such gravitational perturbations cannot be
shielded, and set limits to low frequency sensitivity unless measured and
suppressed. Sects. 4 and 5 address critical operational technologies that will
be ongoing issues in future detectors. Sect. 4 addresses the design of thermal
compensation systems needed in all high optical power interferometers operating
at room temperature. Parametric instability control is addressed in sect. 5.
Only recently proven to occur in Advanced LIGO, parametric instability
phenomenon brings both risks and opportunities for future detectors. The path
to future enhancements of detectors will come from quantum measurement
technologies. Sect. 6 focuses on the use of optomechanical devices for
obtaining enhanced sensitivity, while sect. 7 reviews a range of quantum
measurement options
Considering Intra-individual Genetic Heterogeneity to Understand Biodiversity
In this chapter, I am concerned with the concept of Intra-individual Genetic Hetereogeneity (IGH) and its potential influence on biodiversity estimates. Definitions of biological individuality are often indirectly dependent on genetic sampling -and vice versa. Genetic sampling typically focuses on a particular locus or set of loci, found in the the mitochondrial, chloroplast or nuclear genome. If ecological function or evolutionary individuality can be defined on the level of multiple divergent genomes, as I shall argue is the case in IGH, our current genetic sampling strategies and analytic approaches may miss out on relevant biodiversity. Now that more and more examples of IGH are available, it is becoming possible to investigate the positive and negative effects of IGH on the functioning and evolution of multicellular individuals more systematically. I consider some examples and argue that studying diversity through the lens of IGH facilitates thinking not in terms of units, but in terms of interactions between biological entities. This, in turn, enables a fresh take on the ecological and evolutionary significance of biological diversity
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