Bi-atrial characterization of the electrical substrate in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Little is known regarding the characterization of electrical substrate in both atria in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: Eight consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation (five paroxysmal, three persistent) underwent electrical substrate characterization during sinus rhythm. Mapping of the left (LA) and right atrium (RA) was performed with the use of the HD Grid catheter (Abbott).

Effect of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles on the magnetorheological properties of ferrofluids: a study using opto-magnetorheometer.

For many technological applications of ferrofluids, the magnetorheological properties require being precisely controlled. We study the effect of hydrophilic silica on the magnetorheology of an oil-based ferrofluid containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles of size ∼10 nm. We observe that the presence of silica nanoparticles lowers the yield stresses, viscoelastic moduli, and shear thinning behavior of the ferrofluid because of the weakening of dipolar interactions, which was evident from the observed lower yield stresses exponent (<2).

Magnetorheological properties of a magnetic nanofluid with dispersed carbon nanotubes.

We investigate the effect of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the magnetorheological properties of an oil based magnetic nanofluid (ferrofluid). The shear resistant plateau observed in a pure ferrofluid disappears when 0.5 wt% of MWCNT is incorporated.

Probing of field-induced structures and their dynamics in ferrofluids using oscillatory rheology.

We probe field-induced structures and their dynamics in ferrofluids using oscillatory rheology. The magnetic field dependence of the relaxation time and crossover modulus showed two distinct regions, indicating the different microstructures in those regions. The observed relaxation at various magnetic field strengths indicates that side chains are attached to the pinned single-sphere-width chains between the rheometer plates.

Probing of field-induced structures and tunable rheological properties of surfactant capped magnetically polarizable nanofluids.

Oil-based nanofluid containing surfactant-capped magnetite nanoparticles are synthesized by a simple coprecipitation approach, and their magnetorheological properties are studied for different magnetic field strengths and volume fractions. We observe a distinct "plateau-like region" in the shear thinning viscosity curve, under an external magnetic field, possibly due to a peculiar alignment of the chains with respect to the field direction where the structure is stable against fragmentation. The observed plateau regime is reminiscent to that of kinetically arrested gel networks.