Understanding the swelling properties of hydrogels and how they affect the hydrogel's morphology is of fundamental importance in the development of hydrogel-based artificial muscles, bio-actuators, ...sensors and other devices. In this paper, the swelling behavior of PVA–PAA hydrogel films in saline water and in buffer solutions of different pH values was investigated. It was observed that the swelling factor of the hydrogel decreases when the ionic strength of the solvent solution increases. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed structures with different pore shapes and sizes depending on the type of solution used for hydration. In saline water, Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDS) analysis indicated the formation of NaCl crystals within the polymeric network. Finally, the PVA–PAA hydrogel was used as an actuator to strain a fiber Bragg grating sensor, thus providing an indirect measurement of the pH value of the surrounding solution.
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The use of cryogenic silicon as a detector medium for dark matter searches is gaining popularity. Many of these searches are highly dependent on the value of the photoelectric absorption cross ...section of silicon at low temperatures, particularly near the silicon bandgap energy, where the searches are most sensitive to low mass dark matter candidates. While such cross section data have been lacking from the literature, previous dark matter search experiments have attempted to estimate this parameter by extrapolating it from higher temperature data. However, discrepancies in the high temperature data have led to order-of-magnitude differences in the extrapolations. In this paper, we resolve these discrepancies by using a novel technique to make a direct, low temperature measurement of the photoelectric absorption cross section of silicon at energies near the bandgap (1.2 eV–2.8 eV).
In preparing this document the Authors aimed to pool current information on canine and feline mast cell disease. The information was gathered from international studies and a emphasis was placed on ...material and opinion with a strong evidence base. We intend it to form the basis of our understanding in this disease at the current time and we anticipate that it will be particularly useful for the general practitioner. It should be emphasized that the authors are presenting this work from a European perspective.
We report a high-statistics measurement of the L / K orbital electron capture ratio in 7 Be embedded in cryogenic Ta. The thin Ta film formed part of a high-resolution superconducting tunnel junction ...radiation detector that was used to identify the signals from different decay channels. The measured L / K capture ratio of 0.070(7) is significantly larger than the only previous measurement of this quantity and the theoretical predictions that include in-medium effects. This value is a uniquely sensitive probe of the 1s and 2s orbital overlaps with the nucleus and is of relevance to nuclear and atomic physics, as well as Li production in novae and other astrophysical scenarios. This is the first experiment that uses superconducting tunnel junctions for nuclear-recoil detection, opening a new experimental avenue for low-energy precision measurements with rare isotopes.
We have developed an X-ray detector system based on Ta superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) with an energy resolution below 10 eV under 1 keV. A principal advantage of STJs over other ...low-temperature detectors is their high count rate capability. In this work, we have optimized the operating conditions and digital pulse processing parameters for input count rates up to 25 kcps/pixel. Resolution below 10 eV is maintained up to 2.5 kcps/pixel, and at input rates of 25 kcps per pixel the resolution is 26 eV FWHM at 525 eV.
A regional geomorphological study is presented of the southern and eastern coast of Lake Fagnano, one of the most extensive glacial areas of Tierra del Fuego Island, at the southernmost tip of South ...America. A palaeoglacial reconstruction is made, based on the location of erosional and depositional glacial landforms. The outlet glacier flowing eastwards from the Darwin Cordillera (Fuegian Andes, Chile) had more than 50 tributary glaciers. An alpine-type landscape, including arêtes, cirques, truncated spurs and hanging valleys developed in the western region of the present lake, whereas a piedmont-type landscape including lateral moraines, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine terraces and an ice-disintegration landscape developed in the eastern region. The glacier spread over the low ranges and lowlands through three different lobes, and was drained by four main outwash basins, directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The ice-covered area is estimated at 4000 km
2; the maximum length of the main lobe at 132 km, and the general slope at 8°. Four terminal positions of the glacier were recognized and related to the Inútil Bay and Beagle Channel glacial areas, located to the north and south, respectively.
14C dates from basal peats show that most of the area, especially the easternmost part and the southern coast, were free of ice by 12,300 years B.P. Fossil peat contained in the lower basal till deposits yield
14C dates of 31,000–48,200 years B.P., indicating that a glacial advance occurred in the area prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (ca. 25,000–23,000 cal. years B.P.).
Sterile neutrinos are natural extensions to the standard model of particle physics and provide a possible portal to the dark sector. We report a new search for the existence of sub-MeV sterile ...neutrinos using the decay-momentum reconstruction technique in the decay of 7Be. The experiment measures the total energy of the 7Li daughter atom from the electron capture decay of 7Be implanted into sensitive superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) quantum sensors. This first experiment presents data from a single STJ operated at a low count rate for a net total of 28 days, and provides exclusion limits on sterile neutrinos in the mass range from 100 to 850 keV that improve upon previous work by up to an order of magnitude.
Our efforts are oriented to assess bovine Y-chromosome gene expression patterns. One set of genes that are of interest are the so-called X-degenerate Y-chromosome genes that are located in the ...male-specific region of the Y-chromosome (MSY). This region contains 95% of the DNA of the Y chromosome. These genes are single copy and have an X-chromosome homolog. Both, the Y-encoded and X-encoded homologs have ubiquitous expression profiles. However, some genes, like SRY that regulates male sex determination, have functions that are more specific. Identifying DNA sequence differences between these homologs will allow evaluation of their spatial and temporal expression patterns. Identification of the Y-encoded mRNAs and their isoforms will allow our understanding of tissue specific expression of isoforms in male tissues. The latter will facilitate our evaluation of gene function in male sex differentiation and fertility. Hence, we hypothesized that each of these X-degenerate gene homologs generate isoforms and that differential expression patterns exist between sexes and across tissues. To investigate the latter we used a new generation sequencing (NGS) technology that generates long sequencing reads with a range between 1000 to 10,000 base pairs in length. Single molecule real time (SMRT) isoform sequencing (IsoSeq) of several tissues (liver, lung, adipose, muscle, hypothalamus and testis) was carried out. Transcript sequences were used for bioinformatics analysis and isoform characterization. Given the focus of this manuscript the SMRT technology we are only presenting results obtained with the analysis of the bUTY and bUTX genes.
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