Mangifera indica L. extract tablets supplementation in patients with knee osteoarthritis pain. A controlled pilot study.

Context: Several experimental results and clinical reports using Mangifera indica L extract (MSBE) suggest its potential utility in osteoarthritis (OA) mixed pain. Aims: To examine the possible therapeutic effects and safety of supplementation on osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Methods: Fifty patients with painful knee OA who had undergone a year of conventional treatment that included paracetamol and non-pharmacological therapies were randomly allocated to the experimental group (n = 21), which received a daily dose of 900 mg of extract supplementation or preceding usual treatment and placebo in the same form (n = 17) for a period of 120 days. The primary measure outcome was the change in the average daily pain diary score (ADPS) using the Likert scale. Also, a multidimensional measure of pain, stiffness and functional disability on The Western Ontario and Mc Master Universities (WOMAC) index for knee OA and ultrasonographic chronic signs of synovitis such as effusion and synovial thickness were evaluated. Results: Change from baseline in ADPS of the MSBE supplemented group showed a significant reduction after two weeks that lasted for 120 days with respect to the placebo group. Significant improvements in pain and functional disability WOMAC sub-scores, number of joints with synovial thickness and effusion after MSBE supplementation vs. placebo were observed. Non-adverse effects were reported in the experimental group. Conclusions: These results suggest that MSBE supplementation has a beneficial effect on OA pain and disability

Bulk dynamics for interfacial growth models

We study the influence of the bulk dynamics of a growing cluster of particles on the properties of its interface. First, we define a {\it general bulk growth model} by means of a continuum Master equation for the evolution of the bulk density field. This general model just considers arbitrary addition of particles (though it can be easily generalized to consider substraction) with no other physical restriction. The corresponding Langevin equation for this bulk density field is derived where the influence of the bulk dynamics is explicitly shown. Finally, when it is assumed a well-defined interface for the growing cluster, the Langevin equation for the height field of this interface for some particular bulk dynamics is written. In particular, we obtain the celebrated Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation. A Monte Carlo simulation illustrates the theoretical results.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

High spatial resolution optical imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkH{\alpha} 262/LkH{\alpha} 263

We report high spatial resolution i' band imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkH$\alpha$ 262/LkH$\alpha$ 263 obtained during the first commissioning period of the Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope, using its Lucky Imaging mode. AOLI images have provided photometry for each of the two components LkH$\alpha$ 263 A and B (0.41 arcsec separation) and marginal evidence for an unresolved binary or a disc in LkH$\alpha$ 262. The AOLI data combined with previously available and newly obtained optical and infrared imaging show that the three components of LkH$\alpha$ 263 are co-moving, that there is orbital motion in the AB pair, and, remarkably, that LkH$\alpha$ 262-263 is a common proper motion system with less than 1 mas/yr relative motion. We argue that this is a likely five-component gravitationally bounded system. According to BT-settl models the mass of each of the five components is close to 0.4 M$_{\odot}$ and the age is in the range 1-2 Myr. The presence of discs in some of the components offers an interesting opportunity to investigate the formation and evolution of discs in the early stages of multiple very low-mass systems. In particular, we provide tentative evidence that the disc in 263C could be coplanar with the orbit of 263AB.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Accepted 2016 May

Optical emission from Si O2 -embedded silicon nanocrystals: A high-pressure Raman and photoluminescence study

© 2015 American Physical Society. We investigate the optical properties of high-quality Si nanocrystals (NCs)/SiO2 multilayers under high hydrostatic pressure with Raman scattering and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The aim of our study is to shed light on the origin of the optical emission of the Si NCs/SiO2. The Si NCs were produced by chemical-vapor deposition of Si-rich oxynitride (SRON)/SiO2 multilayers with 5- and 4-nm SRON layer thicknesses on fused silica substrates and subsequent annealing at 1150°C, which resulted in the precipitation of Si NCs with an average size of 4.1 and 3.3 nm, respectively. From the pressure dependence of the Raman spectra we extract a phonon pressure coefficient of 8.5±0.3cm-1/GPa in both samples, notably higher than that of bulk Si(5.1cm-1/GPa). This result is ascribed to a strong pressure amplification effect due to the larger compressibility of the SiO2 matrix. In turn, the PL spectra exhibit two markedly different contributions: a higher-energy band that redshifts with pressure, and a lower-energy band which barely depends on pressure and which can be attributed to defect-related emission. The pressure coefficients of the higher-energy contribution are (-27±6) and (-35±8)meV/GPa for the Si NCs with a size of 4.1 and 3.3 nm, respectively. These values are sizably higher than those of bulk Si(-14meV/GPa). When the pressure amplification effect observed by Raman scattering is incorporated into the analysis of the PL spectra, it can be concluded that the pressure behavior of the high-energy PL band is consistent with that of the indirect transition of Si and, therefore, with the quantum-confined model for the emission of the Si NCs.Work supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement No. 245977 (project NASCEnT). Financial support by the Spanish Government through projects LEOMIS (TEC2012-38540-C02-01) and MAT2012-38664-C02-02 is also acknowledgedPeer Reviewe

Growth of silicon- and carbon-doped GaAs by chemical beam epitaxy using H2-diluted DTBSi and CBr4 precursors

A wide range of n- and p-type doping levels in GaAs layers grown by chemical beam epitaxy is achieved by using H2-diluted DTBSi and CBr4 as gas precursors for Si and C, respectively. We show that the doping level can be varied by modifying either the concentration or the flux of the diluted precursor. Specifically, we demonstrate carrier concentrations of 7.8 × 1017 –1.4 × 1019 cm−3 for Si, and 1 × 1017 –3.8 × 1020 cm−3 for C, as determined by Hall effect measurements. The dependence of Si incorporation on the diluted-precursor flux is found to be linear. In contrast, we observe a superlinear behavior for C doping. The dependence of the electron and hole mobility values on the carrier concentration as well as the analysis of the layers by low-temperature (12 K) photoluminescence spectroscopy indicate that the use of H2 for diluting DTBSi or CBr4 has no effect on the electrical and optical properties of GaAsThis work was supported by the former Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades under Project No. TEC2016-78433-R and the current Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under Project No. PID2020-114280RB-I00. S. Fernández-Garrido and N. López acknowledge the final support received through the Spanish program Ramón y Cajal (co-financed by the European Social Fund) under Grants No. RYC2016-19509 and RYC-2016-20588, respectively, from the former Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. N. López also acknowledges the funding received through the European ERC Starting Grant No. 75888

Melatonin as a Coadjuvant in the Treatment of Patients with Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic widespread pain syndrome that is accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, and neurocognitive impairment. As the currently available drugs are not completely successful against these symptoms and frequently have several side effects, many scientists have taken on the task of looking for nonpharmacological remedies. Many of the FMS-related symptoms have been suggested to be associated with an altered pattern of endogenous melatonin. Melatonin is involved in the regulation of several physiological processes, including circadian rhythms, pain, mood, and oxidative as well as immunomodulatory balance. Preliminary clinical studies have propounded that the administration of different doses of melatonin to patients with FMS can reduce pain levels and ameliorate mood and sleep disturbances. Moreover, the total antioxidant capacity, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and urinary cortisol levels, and other biological parameters improve after the ingestion of melatonin. Recent investigations have proposed a pathophysiological relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and FMS by looking at certain proteins involved in mitochondrial homeostasis according to the etiopathogenesis of this syndrome. These improvements exert positive effects on the quality of life of FMS patients, suggesting that the use of melatonin as a coadjuvant may be a successful strategy for the management of this syndrome

Resistive switching and charge transport mechanisms in ITO/ZnO/p-Si devices

[EN] The resistive switching properties of ITO/ZnO/p-Si devices have been studied, which present well-defined resistance states with more than five orders of magnitude difference in current. Both the high resistance state (HRS) and the low resistance state (LRS) were induced by either sweeping or pulsing the voltage, observing some differences in the HRS. Finally, the charge transport mechanisms dominating the pristine, HRS, and LRS states have been analyzed in depth, and the obtained structural parameters suggest a partial re-oxidation of the conductive nanofilaments and a reduction of the effective conductive area.This work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project Nos. TEC2012-38540-C02-01 and TEC2016-76849-C2-1-R). O.B. also acknowledges the subprogram "Ayudas para Contratos Predoctorales para la Formacion de Doctores" of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for economical support. 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M., Panda, D., Tsai, T.-L., Lin, C.-A., Wei, K.-H., & Tseng, T.-Y. (2015). Enhancing the memory window of AZO/ZnO/ITO transparent resistive switching devices by modulating the oxygen vacancy concentration of the top electrode. Journal of Materials Science, 50(21), 6961-6969. doi:10.1007/s10853-015-9247-ySimanjuntak, F. M., Prasad, O. K., Panda, D., Lin, C.-A., Tsai, T.-L., Wei, K.-H., & Tseng, T.-Y. (2016). Impacts of Co doping on ZnO transparent switching memory device characteristics. Applied Physics Letters, 108(18), 183506. doi:10.1063/1.4948598Simanjuntak, F. M., Panda, D., Tsai, T.-L., Lin, C.-A., Wei, K.-H., & Tseng, T.-Y. (2015). Enhanced switching uniformity in AZO/ZnO1−x/ITO transparent resistive memory devices by bipolar double forming. Applied Physics Letters, 107(3), 033505. doi:10.1063/1.4927284Liu, Q., Guan, W., Long, S., Jia, R., Liu, M., & Chen, J. (2008). Resistive switching memory effect of ZrO[sub 2] films with Zr[sup +] implanted. 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Morphological characterization of contourite and mass-wasting recent processes at the Guadalquivir Bank Margin uplift, Gulf of Cádiz

The Gulf of Cadiz records the interplay of a variety of sedimentary processes related to the circulation of water masses. The most important one is the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) that exits the Mediterranean Sea, but other water masses also affect the seafloor, with complex variations along time and space. This work studies the interplay between oceanographic and gravitational sedimentary processes on the Guadalquivir Ridge, based on bathymetry and high-resolution seismic profiles. A series of morphological features including flat terraces, circular/elliptical depressions, semicircular scarps and valley-shaped features are analysed in order to better understand the interaction between water masses circulation and mass-wasting processes of the Gulf of Cadiz.Versión del edito

High contrast optical imaging of companions: the case of the brown dwarf binary HD-130948BC

High contrast imaging at optical wavelengths is limited by the modest correction of conventional near-IR optimized AO systems.We take advantage of new fast and low-readout-noise detectors to explore the potential of fast imaging coupled to post-processing techniques to detect faint companions to stars at small separations. We have focused on I-band direct imaging of the previously detected brown dwarf binary HD130948BC,attempting to spatially resolve the L2+L2 benchmark system. We used the Lucky-Imaging instrument FastCam at the 2.5-m Nordic Telescope to obtain quasi diffraction-limited images of HD130948 with ~0.1" resolution.In order to improve the detectability of the faint binary in the vicinity of a bright (I=5.19 \pm 0.03) solar-type star,we implemented a post-processing technique based on wavelet transform filtering of the image which allows us to strongly enhance the presence of point-like sources in regions where the primary halo dominates. We detect for the first time the BD binary HD130948BC in the optical band I with a SNR~9 at 2.561"\pm 0.007" (46.5 AU) from HD130948A and confirm in two independent dataset that the object is real,as opposed to time-varying residual speckles.We do not resolve the binary, which can be explained by astrometric results posterior to our observations that predict a separation below the NOT resolution.We reach at this distance a contrast of dI = 11.30 \pm 0.11, and estimate a combined magnitude for this binary to I = 16.49 \pm 0.11 and a I-J colour 3.29 \pm 0.13. At 1", we reach a detectability 10.5 mag fainter than the primary after image post-processing. We obtain on-sky validation of a technique based on speckle imaging and wavelet-transform processing,which improves the high contrast capabilities of speckle imaging.The I-J colour measured for the BD companion is slightly bluer, but still consistent with what typically found for L2 dwarfs(~3.4-3.6).Comment: accepted in A\&