Strategies to control the spectral properties of Au-Ni thin films

Gold and nickel have quite different dielectric functions. Here we use a combination of calculation and sample manufacture to assess two strategies by which thin films of these elements can be produced with a controlled range of far-field optical properties. In the first approach, control can be achieved by manipulating the density of states of metastable solid solutions, which in turn controls the dielectric function. In the second approach the optical properties of the films are controlled by varying the geometry of stacks fabricated from the constituent elements. We show that the two approaches can produce equivalent results so both are viable options in practice. Modeling is used to reveal how the structure controls the optical properties and to map out the possible color gamut. Predictions are tested with thin film samples fabricated by magnetron sputtering. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

Education and Levels of Salivary Cortisol Over the Day in US Adults

Background - Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is hypothesized to be an important pathway linking socioeconomic position and chronic disease. Purpose - This paper tests the association between education and the diurnal rhythm of salivary control. Methods - Up to 8 measures of cortisol (mean of 5.38 per respondent) over two days were obtained from 311 respondents aged 18-70, drawn from 2001-2002 Chicago Community Adult Health Study. Multi-level models with linear splines were used to estimate waking level, rates of cortisol decline, and area-under-the-curve over the day, by categories of education. Results - Lower education (0-11 years) was associated with lower waking levels of cortisol, but not the rate of decline of cortisol, resulting in a higher area-under-the-curve for more educated respondents throughout the day. Conclusions - This study found evidence of lower cortisol exposure among individuals with less education and thus does not support the hypothesis that less education is associated with chronic over-exposure to cortisol

Education and Levels of Salivary Cortisol Over the Day in US Adults

Background - Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is hypothesized to be an important pathway linking socioeconomic position and chronic disease. Purpose - This paper tests the association between education and the diurnal rhythm of salivary control. Methods - Up to 8 measures of cortisol (mean of 5.38 per respondent) over two days were obtained from 311 respondents aged 18-70, drawn from 2001-2002 Chicago Community Adult Health Study. Multi-level models with linear splines were used to estimate waking level, rates of cortisol decline, and area-under-the-curve over the day, by categories of education. Results - Lower education (0-11 years) was associated with lower waking levels of cortisol, but not the rate of decline of cortisol, resulting in a higher area-under-the-curve for more educated respondents throughout the day. Conclusions - This study found evidence of lower cortisol exposure among individuals with less education and thus does not support the hypothesis that less education is associated with chronic over-exposure to cortisol

Production of tocotrienols in seeds of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) enhances oxidative stability and offers nutraceutical potential

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an economically important multi-purpose crop cultivated globally for fibre, seed oil and protein. Cottonseed oil also is naturally rich in vitamin E components (collectively known as tocochromanols), with a- and c-tocopherols comprising nearly all of the vitamin E components. By contrast, cottonseeds have little or no tocotrienols, tocochromanols with a wide range of health benefits. Here, we generated transgenic cotton lines expressing the barley (Hordeum vulgare) homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase coding sequence under the control of the Brassica napus seed-specific promoter, napin. Transgenic cottonseeds had ~twofold to threefold increases in the accumulation of total vitamin E (tocopherols + tocotrienols), with more than 60% c-tocotrienol. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry imaging showed that c-tocotrienol was localized throughout the transgenic embryos. In contrast, the native tocopherols were distributed unequally in both transgenic and non-transgenic embryos. a- Tocopherol was restricted mostly to cotyledon tissues and c-tocopherol was more enriched in the embryonic axis tissues. Production of tocotrienols in cotton embryos had no negative impact on plant performance or yield of other important seed constituents including fibre, oil and protein. Advanced generations of two transgenic events were field grown, and extracts of transgenic seeds showed increased antioxidant activity relative to extracts from non-transgenic seeds. Furthermore, refined cottonseed oil from the two transgenic events showed 30% improvement in oxidative stability relative to the non-transgenic cottonseed oil. Taken together, these materials may provide new opportunities for cottonseed co-products with enhanced vitamin E profile for improved shelf life and nutrition

Expanding the parameters of academia

This paper draws on qualitative data gathered from two studies funded by the UK Leadership Foundation for Higher Education to examine the expansion of academic identities in higher education. It builds on Whitchurch’s earlier work, which focused primarily on professional staff, to suggest that the emergence of broadly based projects such as widening participation, learning support and community partnership is also impacting on academic identities. Thus, academic as well as professional staff are increasingly likely to work in multi-professional teams across a variety of constituencies, as well as with external partners, and the binary distinction between ‘academic’ and ‘non-academic’ roles and activities is no longer clear-cut. Moreover, there is evidence from the studies of an intentionality about deviations from mainstream academic career routes among respondents who could have gone either way. Consideration is therefore given to factors that influence individuals to work in more project-oriented areas, as well as to variables that affect ways in which these roles and identities develop. Finally, three models of academically oriented project activity are identified, and the implications of an expansion of academic identities are reviewed

The synthesis of hydroxyapatite from artificially grown Red Sea hydrozoan coral for antimicrobacterial drug delivery system applications

The hydrozoan Millepora dichotoma (MD) is a typical Red Sea species containing a porous skeleton in the form of aragonite crystalline calcium carbonate. Due to environmental considerations, the artificial production of coralline species under controlled conditions is pertinent and underway. Artificially grown MD was used as a raw material for the production of calcium phosphate, mainly hydroxyapatite bioceramics, to be used in the drug delivery systems as a drug carrier or in the tissue engineering such as bone graft. DTA-TGA, XRD, FT-IR, Raman, and SEM analysis were carried out to analyze both unconverted and converted artificial corals. Hydrothermally converted coral fine powders were loaded with gentamicin (Gm) antibiotic, and the drug-loaded particles were analyzed by SEM. Unconverted coral was mainly aragonite, while hydrothermally treated coral was completely converted to hydroxyapatite. Hydrothermally treated coral was showing agglomerated nodules up to 1-μm size consisting of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite platelets in the size range of less than 100 nm. The general macropore size of the coral was found to be appropriate for osteoid growth, which is 100 to 600 μm range. These artificially grown corals can be easily produced and used for bone growth and repair and other biomedical applications

Thin films of PtAl2 and AuAl2 by solid-state reactive synthesis

The intermetallic compounds AuAl2 and PtAl2 are colored purple and yellow respectively. In the past they have been prepared by bulk melting techniques or by co-deposition in a magnetron sputterer. Here, however, we investigate films of AuAl2, PtAl2 and (Au,Pt)Al2 prepared by sequential physical vapor deposition of the elements, followed by in situ solid-state reaction. The microstructure, dielectric functions, optical properties and thermal stability of the resulting films are characterized and compared to those prepared by bulk melting or codeposition. The (Au,Pt)Al2 films show a color gamut that stretches from purple to brassy yellow depending on composition and microstructure. High temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments show that the (Au,Pt)Al2 phase is metastable, decomposing when heated above 420 °C. In contrast, the pure AuAl2 or PtAl2 phases are stable to about 580 °C before they oxidize or decompose. The alternative possibility of producing the purple-to-yellow color gamut by depositing optical stacks of very thin films of AuAl2 and PtAl2 is also assessed. Either scheme will provide a range of colors lying between those of the binary compound endpoints. Calculations predict that deposition of AuAl2 onto PtAl2 will produce more intense colors than vice versa, an unexpected finding that is worth further investigation.Royal Thai Scholarship. Part of this research was undertaken on the Powder Diffraction beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, Victoria, Australia.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/tsf2016-08-31hb201

Understanding the differential hygienic behavior towards drone brood in Apis mellifera colonies from Argentina

Brood diseases of Apis mellifera colonies constitute a main problem of beekeeping worldwide. Worker bees display a social health mechanism that consists in detecting, uncapping and removing dead or diseased brood from the hive: the hygienic behavior (CH). These activities are induced by olfactory cues and have been described as associated to hygiene of brood parasitized by Varroa destructor. This mite have preference for drone brood, but the efficiency of CH towards their cells is significantly lower compared with cells of worker brood, being left uninspected by workers. Some authors suggest that a possible cause of the CH differences is due to the cell wax cap of drone brood (thicker than worker cells) acting as a barrier to volatile compounds and obstructing disease detection. The aims of this research were to study the differential CH towards worker and drone brood belonging to highly hygienic colonies from Argentina, and to explore the importance of drone cell wax cap as an interfering factor in the transmission of chemical signals. To this end, removal percentages of pin-killed worker and drone brood were recorded and an innovative cell wax cap exchange was implemented in three different treatments: pin-killed worker pupa with a healthy drone cell wax cap; a healthy worker pupa with a pin-killed drone cell wax cap; and a healthy worker pupa covered with a healthy drone cell wax cap (control). Results showed a greater removal towards worker cells than drone cells. For the cell wax cap exchange experiment, we found that the removal of pin-killed worker pupae covered with healthy drone cell wax cap was significantly high, while the removal of healthy worker pupae covered with pin-killed drone opercula was low. These preliminary results confirms a differential behavior between both type of brood cells and suggests that the cell wax cap of drone brood is not interfering the detection of chemical compounds from the diseased brood by worker bees, regardless the thickness. This work contributes to a better understanding of the detection activity of different types of diseased brood and provides information useful to control strategies of varroosis and other brood diseases.Fil: Dowd, D. Duggan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Muntaabski, Irina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Russo, R. M.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Landi, L.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Lanzavecchia, S. B.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Cladera, J. L.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Palacio, M. A.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Bedascarrabure, E.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion de Agroindustria. Instituto de Ingeniería Rural.; ArgentinaFil: Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Liendo, María Clara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; Argentina46th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress: Beekeeping together within agricultureQuébecCanadáInternational Federation of Beekeepers' AssociationsCanadian Honey Counci

Hopelessness, Depression, and Early Markers of Endothelial Dysfunction in US Adults

To examine whether the psychological traits of hopelessness and depressive symptoms are related to endothelial dysfunction. Methods: Data are derived from a subsample of 434 respondents in the 2001 to 2003 Chicago Community Adult Health Study, a population-based survey designed to study the impact of psychological attributes, neighborhood environment, and socioeconomic circumstances on adults aged 18 years. Circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, including e-selectin, p-selectin, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (s-ICAM1) were obtained from serum samples. Hopelessness was measured by responses to two questions, and depressive symptoms were measured by an 11-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Multivariate regression models tested whether continuous levels of the biomarkers (natural log transformed) were associated with levels of hopelessness and depressive symptoms separately and concurrently. Results: In age- and sex-adjusted models, hopelessness showed significant positive linear associations with s-ICAM1. In contrast, there was no significant linear association between hopelessness and e-selectin and p-selectin. Adjustment for clinical risk factors, including systolic pressure, chronic health conditions, smoking, and body mass index, did not substantively alter these associations. Results from similar models for depressive symptoms did not reveal any association with the three biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction. The associations between hopelessness and e-selectin and s-ICAM1 were robust to the inclusion of adjustments for depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Negative psychosocial traits may influence cardiovascular outcomes partially through their impact on the early stages of atherosclerosis, and specific psychosocial traits, such as hopelessness, may play a more direct role in this process than overall depressive symptoms.NIHPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79036/1/Do_et_al..pd