1,239 research outputs found
Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy of Suspended Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes
We have performed low-temperature STM measurements on single-wall carbon
nanotubes that are freely suspended over a trench. The nanotubes were grown by
CVD on a Pt substrate with predefined trenches etched into it. Atomic
resolution was obtained on the freestanding portions of the nanotubes.
Spatially resolved spectroscopy on the suspended portion of both metallic and
semiconducting nanotubes was also achieved, showing a Coulomb-staircase
behavior superimposed on the local density of states. The spacing of the
Coulomb blockade peaks changed with tip position reflecting a changing tip-tube
capacitance
Utilizing the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Particle Impact Electrochemistry:A Step toward Mediator-Free Digital Electrochemical Sensors
The current blockade particle impact method opens a route toward highly parallelized single-entity electrochemical assays. An important limitation is, however, that a redox mediator must be present in the sample, which can detrimentally interfere with molecular recognition processes. Dissolved O2 that is naturally present in aqueous solutions under ambient conditions can in principle serve as a suitable mediator via the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we demonstrate the validity of this concept by performing current blockade experiments to capture and detect individual microparticles at Pt microelectrodes using solely the ORR. The readout modality is independent of the absolute O2 concentration, allowing operation under varying conditions. We further determine how the trajectories of individual microparticles are influenced by the combination of electrophoresis and electroosmotic flows and how these can be utilized to provide continuous detection of cationic particles in water for environmental monitoring.</p
Comparative transcriptomics reveals key differences in the response to milk oligosaccharides of infant gut-associated bifidobacteria.
Breast milk enhances the predominance of Bifidobacterium species in the infant gut, probably due to its large concentration of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). Here we screened infant-gut isolates of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and Bifidobacterium bifidum using individual HMO, and compared the global transcriptomes of representative isolates on major HMO by RNA-seq. While B. infantis displayed homogeneous HMO-utilization patterns, B. bifidum were more diverse and some strains did not use fucosyllactose (FL) or sialyllactose (SL). Transcriptomes of B. bifidum SC555 and B. infantis ATCC 15697 showed that utilization of pooled HMO is similar to neutral HMO, while transcriptomes for growth on FL were more similar to lactose than HMO in B. bifidum. Genes linked to HMO-utilization were upregulated by neutral HMO and SL, but not by FL in both species. In contrast, FL induced the expression of alternative gene clusters in B. infantis. Results also suggest that B. bifidum SC555 does not utilize fucose or sialic acid from HMO. Surprisingly, expression of orthologous genes differed between both bifidobacteria even when grown on identical substrates. This study highlights two major strategies found in Bifidobacterium species to process HMO, and presents detailed information on the close relationship between HMO and infant-gut bifidobacteria
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Nutrient Estimation from 24-Hour Food Recalls Using Machine Learning and Database Mapping: A Case Study with Lactose.
The Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) is a free dietary recall system that outputs fewer nutrients than the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR). NDSR uses the Nutrition Coordinating Center (NCC) Food and Nutrient Database, both of which require a license. Manual lookup of ASA24 foods into NDSR is time-consuming but currently the only way to acquire NCC-exclusive nutrients. Using lactose as an example, we evaluated machine learning and database matching methods to estimate this NCC-exclusive nutrient from ASA24 reports. ASA24-reported foods were manually looked up into NDSR to obtain lactose estimates and split into training (n = 378) and test (n = 189) datasets. Nine machine learning models were developed to predict lactose from the nutrients common between ASA24 and the NCC database. Database matching algorithms were developed to match NCC foods to an ASA24 food using only nutrients ("Nutrient-Only") or the nutrient and food descriptions ("Nutrient + Text"). For both methods, the lactose values were compared to the manual curation. Among machine learning models, the XGB-Regressor model performed best on held-out test data (R2 = 0.33). For the database matching method, Nutrient + Text matching yielded the best lactose estimates (R2 = 0.76), a vast improvement over the status quo of no estimate. These results suggest that computational methods can successfully estimate an NCC-exclusive nutrient for foods reported in ASA24
Differential Bundles in Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry
In this paper, we explain how the abstract notion of a differential bundle in
a tangent category provides a new way to think about the category of modules
over a commutative ring and its opposite category. MacAdam previously showed
that differential bundles in the tangent category of smooth manifolds are
precisely smooth vector bundles. Here we provide characterizations of
differential bundles in the tangent categories of commutative rings and
(affine) schemes. For commutative rings, the category of differential bundles
over a commutative ring is equivalent to the category of modules over that
ring. For affine schemes, the category of differential bundles over the Spec of
a commutative ring is equivalent to the opposite category of modules over said
ring. Finally, for schemes, the category of differential bundles over a scheme
is equivalent to the opposite category of quasi-coherent sheaves of modules
over that scheme
Particle mass transport in impact electrochemistry
Impact electrochemistry is a set of methods in which individual micro- or nanoscale particles are detected and analyzed at a miniaturized electrode. Quantitative interpretation of the results, in particular the determination of ultralow concentrations, relies heavily on modeling the mass transport of the particles being analyzed. This is particularly subtle since, due to favorable scaling with increasing particle size, migration and convection play a disproportionate role in the transport of such particles compared to that of small molecules. Here we summarize the main governing principles in electrochemically-driven particle transport. We particularly emphasize the difference between particle electrophoresis and small-ion migration, which has led to inaccuracies in the recent literature.</p
Integrated Glass Microfluidics with Electrochemical Nanogap Electrodes
We present a framework for the fabrication of chip-based electrochemical nanogap sensors integrated with microfluidics. Instead of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), SU-8 aided adhesive bonding of silicon and glass wafers is used to implement parallel flow control. The fabrication process permits wafer-scale production with high throughput and reproducibility. Additionally, the monolithic structures allow simple electrical and fluidic connections, alleviating the need for specialized equipment. We demonstrate the utility of these flow-incorporated nanogap sensors by performing redox cycling measurements under laminar flow conditions.</p
Direct observation of charge inversion by multivalent ions as a universal electrostatic phenomenon
We have directly observed reversal of the polarity of charged surfaces in
water upon the addition of tri- and quadrivalent ions using atomic force
microscopy. The bulk concentration of multivalent ions at which charge
inversion reversibly occurs depends only very weakly on the chemical
composition, surface structure, size and lipophilicity of the ions, but is
dominated by their valence. These results support the theoretical proposal that
spatial correlations between ions are the driving mechanism behind charge
inversion.Comment: submitted to PRL, 26-04-2004 Changed the presentation of the theory
at the end of the paper. Changed small error in estimate of prefactor ("w" in
first version) of equation
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