1,675 research outputs found
Investigating the design space of smartwatches combining physical rotary inputs
Watches benefit from a long design history. Designers and engineers have successfully built devices using rotary physical inputs such as crowns, bezels, and wheels, separately or combined. Smart watch designers have explored the use of some of these inputs for interactions. However, a systematic exploration of their combinations has yet to be done. We investigate the design space of interactions with multiple rotary inputs through a three stages exploration. (1) We build upon observations of a collection of 113 traditional or electronic watches to propose a typology of physical rotary inputs for watches. (2) We conduct two focus groups to explore combination of physical rotary inputs. (3) We then build upon the output of these focus groups to design a low fidelity prototype, and further discuss the potential and challenges of rotary inputs combinations during a third focus group
High sensitivity variable-temperature infrared nanoscopy of conducting oxide interfaces
Probing the local transport properties of two-dimensional electron systems
(2DES) confined at buried interfaces requires a non-invasive technique with a
high spatial resolution operating in a broad temperature range. In this paper,
we investigate the scattering-type scanning near field optical microscopy as a
tool for studying the conducting LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface from room temperature
down to 6 K. We show that the near-field optical signal, in particular its
phase component, is highly sensitive to the transport properties of the
electron system present at the interface. Our modelling reveals that such
sensitivity originates from the interaction of the AFM tip with coupled
plasmon-phonon modes with a small penetration depth. The model allows us to
quantitatively correlate changes in the optical signal with the variation of
the 2DES transport properties induced by cooling and by electrostatic gating.
To probe the spatial resolution of the technique, we image conducting
nano-channels written in insulating heterostructures with a voltage-biased tip
of an atomic force microscope.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure
Anomalous T-dependence of phonon lifetimes in metallic VO2
We investigate phonon lifetimes in VO2 single crystals. We do so in the
metallic state above the metal-insulator transition (MIT), where strong
structural fluctuations are known to take place. By combining inelastic X-ray
scattering and Raman spectroscopy, we track the temperature dependence of
several acoustic and optical phonon modes up to 1000 K. Contrary to what is
commonly observed, we find that phonon lifetimes decrease with decreasing
temperature. Our results show that pre-transitional fluctuations in the
metallic state give rise to strong electron-phonon scattering that onsets
hundreds of degrees above the transition and increases as the MIT is
approached. Notably, this effect is not limited to specific points of
reciprocal space that could be associated with the structural transition
Thermal and electrostatic tuning of surface phonon-polaritons in LaAlO<sub>3</sub>/SrTiO<sub>3</sub> heterostructures
Phonon polaritons are promising for infrared applications due to a strong light-matter coupling and subwavelength energy confinement they offer. Yet, the spectral narrowness of the phonon bands and difficulty to tune the phonon polariton properties hinder further progress in this field. SrTiO3 – a prototype perovskite oxide - has recently attracted attention due to two prominent far-infrared phonon polaritons bands, albeit without any tuning reported so far. Here we show, using cryogenic infrared near-field microscopy, that long-propagating surface phonon polaritons are present both in bare SrTiO3 and in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures hosting a two-dimensional electron gas. The presence of the two-dimensional electron gas increases dramatically the thermal variation of the upper limit of the surface phonon polariton band due to temperature dependent polaronic screening of the surface charge carriers. Furthermore, we demonstrate a tunability of the upper surface phonon polariton frequency in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 via electrostatic gating. Our results suggest that oxide interfaces are a new platform bridging unconventional electronics and long-wavelength nanophotonics.</p
First isolation of two colistin-resistant emerging pathogens, Brevundimonas diminuta and Ochrobactrum anthropi, in a woman with cystic fibrosis: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Cystic fibrosis afflicted lungs support the growth of many bacteria rarely implicated in other cases of human infections.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the isolation and identification, by 16S rRNA amplification and sequencing, of two emerging pathogens resistant to colistin, <it>Brevundimonas diminuta </it>and <it>Ochrobactrum anthropi</it>, in a 17-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis and pneumonia. The patient eventually responded well to a 2-week regime of imipenem and tobramycin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results clearly re-emphasize the emergence of new colistin-resistant pathogens in patients with cystic fibrosis.</p
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