The research and development in the field of magnetoresistive sensors has played an important role in the last few decades. Here, the authors give an introduction to the fundamentals of the anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) and the giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect as well as an overview of various types of sensors in industrial applications. In addition, the authors present their recent work in this field, ranging from sensor systems fabricated on traditional substrate materials like silicon (Si), over new fabrication techniques for magnetoresistive sensors on flexible substrates for special applications, e.g., a flexible write head for component integrated data storage, micro-stamping of sensors on arbitrary surfaces or three dimensional sensing under extreme conditions (restricted mounting space in motor air gap, high temperatures during geothermal drilling).
As a tool for screening large numbers of biological samples by means of amplification ͑e.g., Q or PCR͒ we have constructed a thermocycler that includes optionally a 96-channel or 960-channel glass fiber fluorimeter ͑combined with a cooled charge-coupled-device camera͒. We briefly describe the system integration of all components like liquid handling, thermostats, an x,y,z robot arm, and the glass fiber fluorimeter. The integrated glass fiber fluorimeter allows sensitive on-line measurements in 960 channels within 5 s. Two different screening procedures were carried out. In a first experiment PCR reactions were done in the presence of the known PCR inhibitor hematin and its suppressor transferrin. The system was used to titrate the suppressor with the inhibitor hematin in order to determine the maximum inhibitor concentration tolerated at a given suppressor concentration. We processed 96 PCR samples in parallel with 11 different concentration steps. In a second experiment the 960-channel glass fiber fluorimeter was used to monitor on line the amplification of the Q system in the presence or absence of an inhibitor ͑heparin͒. Since the doubling time of Q RNA variants is about 20 s, on-line detection is crucial for the experimental setup. The evolution of new RNA species adapted to high inhibitor concentrations could be proved by comparison of the fluorimetric signal and electrophoresis.
As shown in previous investigations, a correlation between a NiMn-based spin valve's thermal stability and its inherent exchange bias exists, even if the blocking temperature of the antiferromagnet is clearly above the heating temperature and the reason for thermal degradation is mainly diffusion and not the loss of exchange bias. Samples with high exchange bias are thermally more stable than samples with low exchange bias. Those structures promoting a high exchange bias are seemingly the same suppressing thermally induced diffusion processes (A. Wienecke and L. Rissing, “Relationship between thermal stability and layer-stack/structure of NiMn-based GMR systems,” in IEEE Transaction on Magnetic Conference (EMSA 2014)). Many investigations were carried out on the influence of the sputtering parameters as well as the layer thickness on the magnetoresistive effect. The influence of these parameters on the exchange bias and the sample's thermal stability, respectively, was hardly taken into account. The investigation described here concentrates on the last named issue. The focus lies on the influence of the sputtering parameters and layer thickness of the “starting layers” in the stack and the layers forming the (synthetic) antiferromagnet. This paper includes a guideline for the evaluated sputtering conditions and layer thicknesses to realize a high exchange bias and presumably good thermal stability for NiMn-based spin valves with a synthetic antiferromagnet.
The profibrotic mediator Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been associated with aldosterone-mediated vascular inflammation, fibrosis, and stiffness. We evaluated whether the Gal-3 levels and change in Gal-3 as associated with renal denervation can serve as prediction of therapeutic response to renal denervation. A total of 42 patients with resistant hypertension undergoing renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) were included. Blood pressure was evaluated by 24-h ambulatory measurement before RDN and 1, 3 and 6 months after RDN. Treatment response was defined as a drop in systolic ambulatory blood pressure of >5 mm Hg after 6 months. Blood samples were assessed for Gal-3 levels. For the entire group, a significant drop in mean systolic ambulatory blood pressure of 5.2 ± 18.6 mm Hg was observed (p = 0.032). The responder rate was 50% (n = 21). At baseline, Gal-3 levels were significantly higher in responders (14.5 ± 6.0 vs. 10.95 ± 4.6 ng/ml, p = 0.017). There were no significant changes of Gal-3 levels during the follow-up period. The profibrotic biomarker may help to identify patients suitable for RDN.
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