In Situ RheoNMR Correlation of Polymer Segmental Mobility with Mechanical Properties during Hydrogel Synthesis.

Understanding polymer gelation over multiple length-scales is crucial to develop advanced materials. An experimental setup is developed that combines rheological measurements with simultaneous time-domain H NMR relaxometry (TD-NMR) techniques, which are used to study molecular motion (<10 nm) in soft matter. This so-called low-field RheoNMR setup is used to study the impact of varying degrees of crosslinking (DC) on the gelation kinetics of acrylic acid (AAc) and N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) free radical crosslinking copolymerization.

Quantum Harmonic Oscillator Spectrum Analyzers.

Characterization and suppression of noise are essential for the control of harmonic oscillators in the quantum regime. We measure the noise spectrum of a quantum harmonic oscillator from low frequency to near the oscillator resonance by sensing its response to amplitude modulated periodic drives with a qubit. Using the motion of a trapped ion, we experimentally demonstrate two different implementations with combined sensitivity to noise from 500 Hz to 600 kHz.

Safety, Effect and Feasibility of Percutaneous SI-Screw with and without Augmentation-A 15-Year Retrospective Analysis on over 640 Screws.

Background: Minimally invasive sacroiliac-screw (SI-screw) fixation of the pelvis is used in energy trauma (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) classified) and fragility fractures (Fragility Fracture of the Pelvis (FFP) classified). However, available clinical data are based on small case series and biomechanical data seem to be contradictory.

Methods: The present single center retrospective cohort study investigated percutaneous SI-screw fixation and augmentation over 15 years.

Quantum-enhanced sensing of a single-ion mechanical oscillator.

Special quantum states are used in metrology to achieve sensitivities below the limits established by classically behaving states. In bosonic interferometers, squeezed states, number states and 'Schrödinger cat' states have been implemented on various platforms and have demonstrated improved measurement precision over interferometers using coherent states. Another metrologically useful state is an equal superposition of two eigenstates with maximally different energies; this state ideally reaches the full interferometric sensitivity allowed by quantum mechanics.

Do wearable alcohol-based handrub dispensers increase hand hygiene compliance? - a mixed-methods study.

Background: Hand Hygiene (HH) compliance was shown to be poor in several studies. Improving the availability of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) is a cornerstone for increasing HH compliance.

Methods: In this study, we introduced wearable dispensers for ABHR in an Emergency Department (ED) well equipped with mounted ABHR dispensers and accompanied this single-modal intervention by a quasi-experimental mixed-method study.

Note: An avalanche transistor-based nanosecond pulse generator with 25 MHz repetition rate.

We have developed an avalanche transistor-based pulse generator for driving the photocathode of an image intensifier, which comprises a mainly capacitive load on the order of 100 pF. The circuit produces flat-top pulses with a rise time of 2 ns, a FWHM of 10 ns, and an amplitude of tens of V at a high repetition rate in the range of tens of MHz. The generator is built of identical avalanche transistor sections connected in parallel and triggered in a sequence, synchronized to a reference rf signal.