A frequency-adjustable electromagnet for hyperthermia measurements on magnetic nanoparticles

We describe a low-cost and simple setup for hyperthermia measurements on colloidal solutions of magnetic nanoparticles (ferrofluids) with a frequency-adjustable magnetic field in the range 5-500 kHz produced by an electromagnet. By optimizing the general conception and each component (nature of the wires, design of the electromagnet), a highly efficient setup is obtained. For instance, in a useful gap of 1.1 cm, a magnetic field of 4.8 mT is generated at 100 kHz and 500 kHz with an output power of 3.4 W and 75 W, respectively. A maximum magnetic field of 30 mT is obtained at 100 kHz. The temperature of the colloidal solution is measured using optical fiber sensors. To remove contributions due to heating of the electromagnet, a differential measurement is used. In this configuration the sensitivity is better than 1.5 mW at 100 kHz and 19.3 mT. This setup allows one to measure weak heating powers on highly diluted colloidal solutions. The hyperthermia characteristics of a solution of Fe nanoparticles are described, where both the magnetic field and the frequency dependence of heating power have been measured

Magnetic moment of welded HTS samples: dependence on the current flowing through the welds

We present a method to calculate the magnetic moments of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) samples which consist of a few welded HTS parts. The approach is generalized for the samples of various geometrical shapes and an arbitrary number of welds. The obtained relations between the sample moment and the density of critical current, which flows through the welds, allow to use the magnetization loops for a quantitative characterization of the weld quality in a wide range of temperatures and/or magnetic fields.Comment: RevTeX4, 4 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to Supercond. Sci. Techno

Quality Assurance in Biobanking for Pre-Clinical Research

It is estimated that not less than USD 28 billion are spent each year in the USA alone on irreproducible pre-clinical research, which is not only a fundamental loss of investment and resources but also a strong inhibitor of efficiency for upstream processes regarding the translation towards clinical applications and therapies. The issues and cost of irreproducibility has mainly been published on pre-clinical research. In contrast to pre-clinical research, test material is often being transferred into humans in clinical research. To protect treated human subjects and guarantee a defined quality standard in the field of clinical research, the manufacturing and processing infrastructures have to strictly follow and adhere to certain (inter-)national quality standards. It is assumed and suggested by the authors that by an implementation of certain quality standards within the area of pre-clinical research, billions of USD might be saved and the translation phase of promising pre-clinical results towards clinical applications may substantially be improved. In this review, we discuss how an implementation of a quality assurance (QA) management system might positively improve sample quality and sustainability within pre-clinically focused biobank infrastructures. Biobanks are frequently positioned at the very beginning of the biomedical research value chain, and, since almost every research material has been stored in a biobank during the investigated life cycle, biobanking seems to be of substantial importance from this perspective. The role model of a QA-regulated biobank structure can be found in biobanks within the context of clinical research organizations such as in regenerative medicine clusters

A culture of greed: Bubble formation in experimental asset markets with greedy and non-greedy traders

This study investigates the relationship between the motive of greed and various asset market indicators, such as trading activity and bubble formation (i.e., mispricing, overpricing, and price amplitude). We ran experimental asset markets that allowed us to measure individuals’ greed in order to create markets populated with greedy individuals and markets with non-greedy individuals. Regarding trading activity, we found that greedier individuals had higher trading activity on the individual level but not on the market level. On the market level, high-greed markets exhibited less frequent and smaller price bubbles than markets with less greedy traders. If our findings translate to actual markets, greed itself might not contribute to asset market bubbles

Growth-related profiles of remanent flux in bulk melt-textured YBaCuO crystal magnetized by pulsed fields

We have studied the remanent magnetic flux distribution in bulk melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) crystals after their magnetization in quasi-static and pulsed magnetic fields up to 6T. It has been shown that, provided that the magnetic pulse is sharp enough and its amplitude much exceeds the twice penetration magnetic field, the pulse magnetization technique becomes extremely sensitive to the sample inhomogeneities. Using this method with appropriate parameters of the magnetic pulse, we have particularly demonstrated that the growth of YBCO crystals in the growth sectors (GSs) responds for a macroscopic arrangement of weaks links -- they mostly appear inside of GSs, but not along the GS boundaries.Comment: 8 pages in LaTeX2e, 5 figures. Revised version, submitted to Supercond. Sci. Techno

Studies of cracking behavior in melt-processed YBCO bulk superconductors

An important phenomenon in bulk superconductors fabricated by top-seeded-melt growth (TSMG) is the formation of cracks due to the inherent brittleness of the YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y-123) phase matrix. These form during the fabrication of the superconducting monolith and play an important role in the limitation of current flow. However, cracks may also form during cooling cycles of the sample to liquid nitrogen temperatures. In this investigation, macrocracks along the c-direction, in particular were analyzed microscopically before and after cooling. In addition we attempt to resolve the c-axis macrocrack formation pattern using the magnetoscan technique

Gold-reinforced silver nanoprisms on optical fiber tapers - A new base for high precision sensing

Due to their unique optical properties, metallic nanoparticles offer a great potential for important applications such as disease diagnostics, demanding highly integrated device solutions with large refractive index sensitivity. Here we introduce a new type of monolithic localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) waveguide sensor based on the combination of an adiabatic optical fiber taper and a high-density ensemble of immobilized gold-reinforced silver nanoprisms, showing sensitivities up to 900 nm/RIU. This result represents the highest value reported so far for a fiber optic sensor using the LSPR effect and exceeds the corresponding value of the bulk solution by a factor of two. The plasmonic resonance is efficiently excited via the evanescent field of the propagating taper mode, leading to pronounced transmission dips (−20 dB). The particle density is so high (approx. 210 particle/μm2) that neighboring particles are able to interact, boosting the sensitivity, as confirmed by qualitative infinite element simulations. We additionally introduce a qualitative model explaining the interaction of plasmon resonance and taper mode on the basis of light extinction, allowing extracting key parameters of the plasmonic taper (e.g., modal attenuation). Due to the monolithic design and the extremely high sensitivity we expect our finding to be relevant in fields such as biomedicine, disease diagnostics, and molecular sensing

3D-nanoprinted antiresonant hollow-core microgap waveguide: an on-chip platform for integrated photonic devices and sensors.

Due to their unique capabilities, hollow-core waveguides are playing an increasingly important role, especially in meeting the growing demand for integrated and low-cost photonic devices and sensors. Here, we present the antiresonant hollow-core microgap waveguide as a platform for the on-chip investigation of light-gas interaction over centimeter-long distances. The design consists of hollow-core segments separated by gaps that allow external access to the core region, while samples with lengths up to 5 cm were realized on silicon chips through 3D-nanoprinting using two-photon absorption based direct laser writing. The agreement of mathematical models, numerical simulations and experiments illustrates the importance of the antiresonance effect in that context. Our study shows the modal loss, the effect of gap size and the spectral tuning potential, with highlights including extremely broadband transmission windows (>200 nm), very high contrast resonance (>60 dB), exceptionally high structural openness factor (18%) and spectral control by nanoprinting (control over dimensions with step sizes (i.e., increments) of 60 nm). The application potential was demonstrated in the context of laser scanning absorption spectroscopy of ammonia, showing diffusion speeds comparable to bulk diffusion and a low detection limit. Due to these unique properties, application of this platform can be anticipated in a variety of spectroscopy-related fields, including bioanalytics, environmental sciences, and life sciences

Inter- and intragrain currents in bulk melt-grown YBaCuO rings

A simple contactless method suitable to discern between the intergrain (circular) current, which flows in the thin superconducting ring, and the intragrain current, which does not cross the weakest link, has been proposed. At first, we show that the intergrain current may directly be estimated from the magnetic flux density $B(\pm z_0)$ measured by the Hall sensor positioned in the special points $\pm z_0$ above/below the ring center. The experimental and the numerical techniques to determine the value $z_0$ are discussed. Being very promising for characterization of a current flowing across the joints in welded YBaCuO rings (its dependencies on the temperature and the external magnetic field as well as the time dissipation), the approach has been applied to study corresponding properties of the intra- and intergrain currents flowing across the $a$-twisted grain boundaries which are frequent in bulk melt-textured YBaCuO samples. We present experimental data related to the flux penetration inside a bore of MT YBaCuO rings both in the non-magnetized, virgin state and during the field reversal. The shielding properties and their dependence on external magnetic fields are also studied. Besides, we consider the flux creep effects and their influence on the current re-distribution during a dwell.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures (EPS), RevTeX4. In the revised version, corrections to perturbing effects near the weak links are introduced, one more figure is added. lin