Antiferromagnetic ordering in a 90 K copper oxide superconductor

Using elastic neutron scattering, we evidence a commensurate antiferromagnetic Cu(2) order (AF) in the superconducting (SC) high-$\rm T_c$ cuprate $\rm YBa_2(Cu_{1-y}Co_y)_3O_{7+\delta}$ (y=0.013, $\rm T_c$=93 K). As in the Co-free system, the spin excitation spectrum is dominated by a magnetic resonance peak at 41 meV but with a reduced spectral weight. The substitution of Co thus leads to a state where AF and SC cohabit showing that the CuO$_2$ plane is a highly antiferromagnetically polarizable medium even for a sample where T$_c$ remains optimum.Comment: 3 figure

Arnica montana : évaluation des ressources génétiques françaises en vue du développement de la culture en plaine et en montagne

Ce volume regroupe les textes issus du programme Casdar "Innovation et Partenariat" et "Recherche finalisée et innovation" de 2013. Le colloque de restitution s’est déroulé le 6 février 2019 sous l’égide du GIS Relance AgronomiqueArnica montana is a major medicinal specie, which is now mainly produced from wild harvesting,especially in mainland France. As the wild resource is decreasing, and in order to maintain or even Gourlin L. et al. 68 Innovations Agronomiques 71 (2019), 67-80 develop the French production, cultivation is a good option, that is still very limited, because of its difficulty. Finding the right plant material could help to enhance cultivation programs. This project aimed at growing 24 wild populations, which were collected in mainland France, and to compare them with 2 commercial varieties, ‘Arbo’ and ‘Arnimed’. This was set on 4 experimentation spots, chosen for their potential match for Arnica cultivation. The experiment lasted 3 years, and morphological andagronomical subjects were studied on the populations. Sesquiterpene lactones and flavonoidsanalyzed, and a new methodology of evaluation was developed. The results showed extreme variabilityof phenotypic and chemical expression of the different populations. An important death rate has beennoticed on wild populations, but the causes are still unknown. On the set of variables chosen,commercial varieties ‘Arbo’ and ‘Arnimed’ were particularly competitive, and two wild populations standout with promising results. One seems appropriate for starting selection works on a variety that would besuitable for loaw altitude, and the other one could be a local (French) alternative to the cultivation ofselected varieties (‘Arbo’ and ‘Arnimed’ are from Swiss and German selection work).L’arnica des montagnes est une espèce médicinale importante dont la production est principalementissue de la cueillette à l’état sauvage, notamment sur le territoire métropolitain. La ressource étant enrégression, le maintien, voire le développement de la production française passe donc par la mise enculture, actuellement anecdotique car difficile. Certains freins pourraient être levés par la mise enévidence de matériel végétal adapté à la production. L’objectif de ce projet était de mettre en culture 24populations d’origines sauvages (prospectées en France métropolitaine) et de les comparer à deuxvariétés commerciales témoins ‘Arbo’ et ‘Arnimed’, sur 4 sites d’expérimentation aux contextespédoclimatiques variés mais a priori adaptés à la culture de l’espèce. Durant les 3 années d’essai, unsuivi morphologique et agronomique des populations a été réalisé. Des analyses des sesquiterpèneslactones et flavonoïdes ont été effectuées, et une nouvelle méthodologie de dosage de ces composés aété développée. Les résultats mettent en exergue la forte variabilité de l’expression phénotypique etchimique des différentes souches testées. Une forte mortalité globale a pu être constatée surl’ensemble des populations sauvages étudiées sans que les causes aient pu en être identifiées. Surl’ensemble des variables suivies, les variétés commerciales ‘Arbo’ et ‘Arnimed’ sont particulièrementperformantes, et deux populations sauvages se démarquent par leurs résultats intéressants : l’uneparait pertinente pour démarrer des travaux de sélection d’une variété adaptée à la basse altitude,tandis que l’autre, originaire du Massif central, pourrait se proposer comme une alternative d’originelocale (française) à la culture de variétés commerciales sélectionnées (suisse et allemande)

Carbohydrate hydrogels with stabilized phage particles for bacterial biosensing: bacterium diffusion studies

Bacteriophage particles have been reported as potentially useful in the development of diagnosis tools for pathogenic bacteria as they specifically recognize and lyse bacterial isolates thus confirming the presence of viable cells. One of the most representative microorganisms associated with health care services is the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which alone is responsible for nearly 15 % of all nosocomial infections. In this context, structural and functional stabilization of phage particles within biopolymeric hydrogels, aiming at producing cheap (chromogenic) bacterial biosensing devices, has been the goal of a previous research effort. For this, a detailed knowledge of the bacterial diffusion profile into the hydrogel core, where the phage particles lie, is of utmost importance. In the present research effort, the bacterial diffusion process into the biopolymeric hydrogel core was mathematically described and the theoretical simulations duly compared with experimental results, allowing determination of the effective diffusion coefficients of P. aeruginosa in the agar and calcium alginate hydrogels tested.Financial support to Victor M. Balcao, via an Invited Research Scientist fellowship (FAPESP Ref. No. 2011/51077-8) by Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP, Sao Paulo, Brazil), is hereby gratefully acknowledged

Fabrication and characterisation of large-grain YBa2Cu3O7 superconductors by seeded melt texturing

International audienc

Fabrication and characterisation of large-grain YBa2Cu3O7 superconductors by seeded melt texturing

International audienc

Influence of management and environmental factors on mating success of Africanized queen honey bees

Environmental factors and management techniques were evaluated in São Paulo, Brazil, for enhanced production of Africanized queen honey bees. Queens were reared by the Doolittle method; 12 breeder, 6 cell-builder, and 36 3-frame nucleus colonies were used. Nine groups of four virgin Africanized queen honey bees were subjected to the following treatments: queens were either 1-2, 3-4 or 5-6 days old and were released into mating nuclei containing either capped brood, uncapped brood or no brood. This was repeated sixteen times between August 1990 and August 1992. Seven repetitions occurred during nectar flow periods and nine repetitions occurred during nectar-dearth periods. Overall, 59% of 576 queens were successfully introduced and mated. The best results (93% success) were obtained during nectar flows, with 3- to 4-day-old queens released into nuclei containing capped brood. During nectar dearths the best mating success came from queens introduced into broodless nuclei (63%), the age of the queen did not influence mating success. Mating success decreased when wind velocity increased; this was the only significant meteorological effect found

Taxonomic assessment and enzymes production by yeasts isolated from marine and terrestrial Antarctic samples

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)The aim of the present study was to investigate the taxonomic identity of yeasts isolated from the Antarctic continent and to evaluate their ability to produce enzymes (lipase, protease and xylanase) at low and moderate temperatures. A total of 97 yeast strains were recovered from marine and terrestrial samples collected in the Antarctica. The highest amount of yeast strains was obtained from marine sediments, followed by lichens, ornithogenic soils, sea stars, Salpa sp., algae, sea urchin, sea squirt, stone with lichens, Nacella concinna, sea sponge, sea isopod and sea snail. Data from polyphasic taxonomy revealed the presence of 21 yeast species, distributed in the phylum Ascomycota (n = 8) and Basidiomycota (n = 13). Representatives of encapsulated yeasts, belonging to genera Rhodotorula and Cryptococcus were recovered from 7 different Antarctic samples. Moreover, Candida glaebosa, Cryptococcus victoriae, Meyerozyma (Pichia) guilliermondii, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and R. laryngis were the most abundant yeast species recovered. This is the first report of the occurrence of some species of yeasts recovered from Antarctic marine invertebrates. Additionally, results from enzymes production at low/moderate temperatures revealed that the Antarctic environment contains metabolically diverse cultivable yeasts, which could be considered as a target for biotechnological applications. Among the evaluated yeasts in the present study 46.39, 37.11 and 14.43 % were able to produce lipase (at 15 A degrees C), xylanase (at 15 A degrees C) and protease (at 25 A degrees C), respectively. The majority of lipolytic, proteolytic and xylanolytic strains were distributed in the phylum Basidiomycota and were mainly recovered from sea stars, lichens, sea urchin and marine sediments.17610231035Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)European CommunityCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPESP [2010/08352-5, 2010/17033-0

Essential oils as active ingredients of lipid nanocarriers for chemotherapeutic use

Essential oils have increased interest as promising ingredients for novel pharmaceutical dosage forms. These oils are reported to provide synergistic effects of their active ingredients, in parallel with their biodegradable properties. In addition, essential oils may also have therapeutic effects in diabetes, inflammation, cancer and to treat microbial infections. However, there are some physicochemical properties that may limit their use as active compounds in several formulations, such as high volatility, low-appealing organoleptic properties, low bioavailability and physicochemical instability, as result of exposure to light, oxygen and high temperatures. To overcome these limitations, lipid colloidal carriers (e. g. liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), self nanoemulsified drug delivery systems (SNEDDS)) have been pointed out as suitable carriers to improve bioavailability, low solubility, taste, flavor and long-term storage of sensitive compounds. This paper reviews the potential beneficial effects of formulating essential oils in pharmaceutical applications using colloidal carriers as delivery systems. Keywords: essential oils, colloidal system, encapsulation, biological effect, chemotherapy16436537