The ANET project aims at developing 2D compact neutron collimators for neutron imaging applications. The results of the ANET collimator performances, presented in this communication, are based on data collected at the FISH beamline at TU-Delft. Two independent methods to evaluate the neutron radiography resolution are described and discussed, as well as a comparison of the beam divergence with or without the ANET collimator.

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Natural gas hydrates production tests over the last two decades has sown that production is not without risks. Indirect effects in the sedimentary rocks of phase changes are changes in porosity, permeability, and saturation. From a field production test site, porosity changes in the range of 15% to 19% and saturation from 5% to 60% were reported. Monitoring is in principle possible using an electromagnetic survey with a downhole vertical electric source and a horizontal electric field receiver on the seafloor. Computed model responses over a wide frequency range and for many depth locations of an electric current source show that both changes can be detected. Best detectability occurs when the current source is below the reservoir layer in case of changes differences can be detected above, inside and below the reservoir layer at frequencyies below 10 Hz. At a source operating frequency of 0.1 Hz maximum response difference between the two values in saturation occur when the source is 20 m above the top of the reservoir layer unil 100 m below the bottom. Only below the top of the reservoir there is almost no difference in the electric field amplitude between the two saturation levels below 10 Hz.

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Some infectious diseases, including COVID-19, can undergo airborne transmission. This may happen at close proximity, but as time indoors increases, infections can occur in shared room air despite distancing. We propose two indicators of infection risk for this situation, that is, relative risk parameter (Hr) and risk parameter (H). They combine the key factors that control airborne disease transmission indoors: virus-containing aerosol generation rate, breathing flow rate, masking and its quality, ventilation and aerosol-removal rates, number of occupants, and duration of exposure. COVID-19 outbreaks show a clear trend that is consistent with airborne infection and enable recommendations to minimize transmission risk. Transmission in typical prepandemic indoor spaces is highly sensitive to mitigation efforts. Previous outbreaks of measles, influenza, and tuberculosis were also assessed. Measles outbreaks occur at much lower risk parameter values than COVID-19, while tuberculosis outbreaks are observed at higher risk parameter values. Because both diseases are accepted as airborne, the fact that COVID-19 is less contagious than measles does not rule out airborne transmission. It is important that future outbreak reports include information on masking, ventilation and aerosol-removal rates, number of occupants, and duration of exposure, to investigate airborne transmission.@en

Quantum computer chip based on spin qubits in diamond uses modules that are entangled with on-chip optical links. This enables an increased connectivity and a negligible crosstalk and error-rate when the number of qubits increases on-chip. Here, 3D integration is the key enabling technology for a large-scale integration of the diamond spin qubits with photonic circuits and CMOS electronics for routing, control and readout of qubits. Several engineering challenges exist in order to integrate the large number of spins in diamond with the on-chip circuits operating at a cryogenic temperature. We will review trends, address challenges and discuss future outlook of the integration technology for realization of a scalable quantum computer based on diamond spin qubits.

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Additively manufactured (AM) biodegradable magnesium (Mg) scaffolds with precisely controlled and fully interconnected porous structures offer unprecedented potential as temporary bone substitutes and for bone regeneration in critical-sized bone defects. However, current attempts to apply AM techniques, mainly powder bed fusion AM, for the preparation of Mg scaffolds, have encountered some crucial difficulties related to safety in AM operations and severe oxidation during AM processes. To avoid these difficulties, extrusion-based 3D printing has been recently developed to prepare porous Mg scaffolds with highly interconnected structures. However, limited bioactivity and a too high rate of biodegradation remain the major challenges that need to be addressed. Here, we present a new generation of extrusion-based 3D printed porous Mg scaffolds that are coated with MgF2 and MgF2-CaP to improve their corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, thereby bringing the AM scaffolds closer to meeting the clinical requirements for bone substitutes. The mechanical properties, in vitro biodegradation behavior, electrochemical response, and biocompatibility of the 3D printed Mg scaffolds with a macroporosity of 55% and a strut density of 92% were evaluated. Furthermore, comparisons were made between the bare scaffolds and the scaffolds with coatings. The coating not only covered the struts but also infiltrated the struts through micropores, resulting in decreases in both macro- and micro-porosity. The bare Mg scaffolds exhibited poor corrosion resistance due to the highly interconnected porous structure, while the MgF2-CaP coatings remarkably improved the corrosion resistance, lowering the biodegradation rate of the scaffolds down to 0.2 mm y-1. The compressive mechanical properties of the bare and coated Mg scaffolds before and during in vitro immersion tests for up to 7 days were both in the range of the values reported for the trabecular bone. Moreover, direct culture of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts on the coated Mg scaffolds confirmed their good biocompatibility. Overall, this study clearly demonstrated the great potential of MgF2-CaP coated porous Mg prepared by extrusion-based 3D printing for further development as a bone substitute. This journal is

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