AHAPS-functionalized silica nanoparticles do not modulate allergic contact dermatitis in mice

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a common skin disease in people and may become a potential site of exposure to nanoparticles (NP). Silica nanoparticles (SiO₂-NP) possess a promising potential for various medical and non-medical applications, including normal and diseased skin as target organs. However, it has been shown that negatively charged SiO₂-NP may act as proinflammatory adjuvant in allergic diseases. The effect of topical SiO₂-NP exposure on preexisting ACD has not been studied to date although this reflects a common in vivo situation. Of particular interest are the potential effects of positively charged N-(6-aminohexyl)-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AHAPS)-functionalized SiO₂-NP which are promising candidates for delivery systems, including gene delivery into the skin. Here, the effects of such AHAPS-functionalized SiO₂-NP (55 ± 6 nm in diameter) were studied in an oxazolone-induced ACD model in SKH1 mice and compared to ACD mice treated with vehicle only. The clinical course of the disease was assessed by monitoring of the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and the erythema. In histologic and morphometric analyses, the distribution of particles, the degree of inflammation, epidermal thickness, and the inflammatory infiltrate were characterized and quantified by standard and special histological stains as well as immunohistochemistry for CD3+ lymphocytes. To assess possible systemic effects, serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Following administration of AHAPS-SiO₂-NP for five consecutive days, no effects were observed in all clinical, histologic, morphometric, and molecular parameters investigated. In conclusion, positively charged AHAPS-SiO₂-NP seem not to affect the course of ACD during exposure for 5 days.     

Thermal issues in machine tools

This paper presents a review of the latest research activities and gives an overview of the state of the art in understanding changes in machine tool performance due to changes in thermal conditions (thermal errors of machine tools). The topics are focused on metal cutting machine tools, especially on turning and milling machines as well as machining centres. The topics of the paper thermal issues in machine tools include measurement of temperatures and displacements, especially displacements at the tool centre point, computations of thermal errors of machine tools, and reduction of thermal errors. Computing the thermal errors of machine tools include both, temperature distribution and displacements. Shortly addressed is also to avoid thermal errors with temperature control, the influence of fluids and a short link to energy efficiency of machine tools. The paper presents the summary of research work in the past and current. Research challenges in order to achieve a thermal stable machine tool are discussed. The paper apprehend itself as an update and not a substitution of two published keynote papers of Bryan et al. [28] in 1990 and Weck et al. [199] in 1995.     

Pulsed‐Magnetic Hot Joining ‐ New Solutions for Modern Lightweight Structures

To further significantly reduce the car weight, new and innovative production technologies are necessary which allow to join aluminium and – in the future – magnesium profiles. Then it will be possible to connect components made of aluminium or magnesium base alloy with steel parts to one group. Such a new technology is pulsed‐magnetic joining. In order to lower the process forces necessary for pulsed‐magnetic joining of high strength aluminium alloys and in order to establish a technologically useful forming of magnesium alloys, joining at increased temperatures appears to be a viable solution. As part of the research a tool for pulsed‐magnetic hot joining has been developed that combines the processes of heating by induction and pulsed‐magnetic joining. The applicability and the potentials of the tool have been demonstrated with hot joining of aluminium and magnesium profiles. The combination of the techniques allows for the first time to join magnesium profiles with forming by using pulsed‐magnetic forming at high temperatures. Regarding aluminium the combination of the techniques allows a significant reduction of the magnetic pressure that is necessary for the forming process; it thereby increases the operating life of the tools.     

Der Frequenzgang des Wirkungsgrades eisengesehlossener Transformatoren

Ohne ZusammenfassungAuszug aus einer Dissertation der Technischen Hochschule München: Studien an Transformatoren unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ihres Verhaltens bei verschiedenen Frequenzen, 1934.     

Small Pitch Transition-Edge Sensors with Broadband High Spectral Resolution for Solar Physics

We are developing small pitch transition-edge sensor (TES) X-ray detectors optimized for solar astronomy. These devices are fabricated on thick Si substrates with embedded Cu heat-sink layer. We use 35×35?μm² Mo/Au TESs with 4.5?μm thick Au absorbers. We have tested devices with different geometric absorber stem contact areas with the TES and surrounding substrate area. This allows us to investigate the loss of athermal phonons to the substrate. Results show a correlation between the stem contact area and a broadening in the spectral line shape indicative of athermal phonon loss. When the contact area is minimized we have obtained exceptional broadband spectral resolution of 1.28±0.03?eV at an energy of 1.5?keV, 1.58±0.07?eV at 5.9?keV and 1.96±0.08?eV at 8?keV. The linearity in the measured gain scale is understood in the context of the longitudinal proximity effect from the electrical bias leads resulting in transition characteristics that are strongly dependent upon TES size.     

Heat Transfer by Thermo-Capillary Convection Sounding Rocket COMPERE Experiment SOURCE

This paper describes the results of a sounding rocket experiment which was partly dedicated to study the heat transfer from a hot wall to a cold liquid with a free surface. Natural or buoyancy-driven convection does not occur in the compensated gravity environment of a ballistic phase. Thermo-capillary convection driven by a temperature gradient along the free surface always occurs if a non-condensable gas is present. This convection increases the heat transfer compared to a pure conductive case. Heat transfer correlations are needed to predict temperature distributions in the tanks of cryogenic upper stages. Future upper stages of the European Ariane V rocket have mission scenarios with multiple ballistic phases. The aims of this paper and of the COMPERE group (French–German research group on propellant behavior in rocket tanks) in general are to provide basic knowledge, correlations and computer models to predict the thermo-fluid behavior of cryogenic propellants for future mission scenarios. Temperature and surface location data from the flight have been compared with numerical calculations to get the heat flux from the wall to the liquid. Since the heat flux measurements along the walls of the transparent test cell were not possible, the analysis of the heat transfer coefficient relies therefore on the numerical modeling which was validated with the flight data. The coincidence between experiment and simulation is fairly good and allows presenting the data in form of a Nusselt number which depends on a characteristic Reynolds number and the Prandtl number. The results are useful for further benchmarking of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes such as FLOW-3D and FLUENT, and for the design of future upper stage propellant tanks.     

Degenerate Quantum Gases in Microgravity

Clouds of ultra-cold atoms and especially Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) provide a source for coherent matter-waves in numerous earth bound experiments. Analogous to optical interferometry, matter-wave interferometers can be used for precision measurements allowing for a sensitivity orders of magnitude above their optical counterparts. However, in some respects the presence of gravitational forces in the lab limits experimental possibilities. In this article, we report about a compact and robust experiment generating Bose–Einstein condensates in the drop tower facility in Bremen, Germany. We also present the progress of building the succeeding experiment in which a two species atom interferometer will be implemented to test the weak equivalence principle with quantum matter.