Ontology modelling for materials science experiments

Materials are either enabler or bottleneck for the vast majority of technological innovations. The digitization of materials and processes is mandatory to create live production environments which represent physical entities and their aggregations and thus allow to represent, share, and understand materials changes. However, a common standard formalization for materials knowledge in the form of taxonomies, ontologies, or knowledge graphs has not been achieved yet. This paper sketches the efforts in modelling an ontology prototype to describe Materials Science experiments. It describes what is expected from the ontology by introducing a use case where a process chain driven by the ontology enables the curation and understanding of experiments

Mechanical properties of nanoparticle chain aggregates by combined AFM and SEM: Isolated aggregates and networks

Mechanical properties of nanoparticle chain aggregates (NCA) including tensile strength and Young's modulus were measured using an instrument incorporating an AFM tip under SEM imaging. The NCA were studied individually and as network films. Carbon NCA were made by laser ablation of graphite, and SnO2 NCA were made by oxidation of a tin compound. The films were deformable and showed elastic behavior. NCA serve as reinforcing fillers in rubber and films of SnO2 NCA for trace gas detection

Evaluation of a Rapid Antigen Test To Detect SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Identify Potentially Infectious Individuals

The identification and isolation of highly infectious SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals is an important public health strategy. Rapid antigen detection tests (RADT) are promising tools for large-scale screenings due to timely results and feasibility for on-site testing. Nonetheless, the diagnostic performance of RADT in detecting infectious individuals is not yet fully determined. In this study, RT-qPCR and virus culture of RT-qPCR-positive samples were used to evaluate and compare the performance of the Standard Q COVID-19 Ag test in detecting SARS-CoV-2-infected and possibly infectious individuals. To this end, two combined oro- and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at a routine SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic center. A total of 2,028 samples were tested, and 118 virus cultures were inoculated. SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected in 210 samples by RT-qPCR, representing a positive rate of 1036%. The Standard Q COVID-19 Ag test yielded a positive result in 92 (4.54%) samples resulting in an overall sensitivity and specificity of 42.86 and 99.89%, respectively. For adjusted C-T values of <20 (n = 14), <25 (n = 57), and <30 (n = 88), the RADT reached sensitivities of 100, 9825, and 88.64%, respectively. All 29 culture-positive samples were detected by the RADT. Although the overall sensitivity was low, the Standard Q COVID-19 Ag test reliably detected patients with high RNA loads. In addition, negative RADT results fully corresponded with the lack of viral cultivability in Vero E6 cells. These results indicate that RADT can be a valuable tool for the detection of individuals with high RNA loads that are likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2