Growth and optical properties of GaN/AlN quantum wells

We demonstrate the growth of GaN/AlN quantum well structures by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy by taking advantage of the surfactant effect of Ga. The GaN/AlN quantum wells show photoluminescence emission with photon energies in the range between 4.2 and 2.3 eV for well widths between 0.7 and 2.6 nm, respectively. An internal electric field strength of $9.2\pm 1.0$ MV/cm is deduced from the dependence of the emission energy on the well width.Comment: Submitted to AP

"Active surfaces" as Possible Functional Systems in Detection and Chemical (Bio) Reactivity

This article presents design strategies to demonstrate approaches to generate functionalized surfaces which have the potential for application in molecular systems; sensing and chemical reactivity applications are exemplified. Some applications are proven, while others are still under active investigation. Adaptation and extension of our strategies will lead to interfacing of different type of surfaces, specific interactions at a molecular level, and possible exchange of signals/cargoes between them. Optimization of the present approaches from each of five research groups within the NCCR will be directed towards expanding the types of functional surfaces and the properties that they exhibit

Rab27a and Rab27b control different steps of the exosome secretion pathway

Exosomes are secreted membrane vesicles that share structural and biochemical characteristics with intraluminal vesicles of multivesicular endosomes (MVEs). Exosomes could be involved in intercellular communication and in the pathogenesis of infectious and degenerative diseases. The molecular mechanisms of exosome biogenesis and secretion are, however, poorly understood. Using an RNA interference (RNAi) screen, we identified five Rab GTPases that promote exosome secretion in HeLa cells. Among these, Rab27a and Rab27b were found to function in MVE docking at the plasma membrane. The size of MVEs was strongly increased by Rab27a silencing, whereas MVEs were redistributed towards the perinuclear region upon Rab27b silencing. Thus, the two Rab27 isoforms have different roles in the exosomal pathway. In addition, silencing two known Rab27 effectors, Slp4 (also known as SYTL4, synaptotagmin-like 4) and Slac2b (also known as EXPH5, exophilin 5), inhibited exosome secretion and phenocopied silencing of Rab27a and Rab27b, respectively. Our results therefore strengthen the link between MVEs and exosomes, and introduce ways of manipulating exosome secretion in vivo

Holocene Hydrographic Variations From the Baltic‐North Sea Transitional Area (IODP Site M0059)

Deoxygenation affects many continental shelf seas across the world today and results in increasing areas of hypoxia (dissolved oxygen concentration ([O2]) <1.4 ml/L). The Baltic Sea is increasingly affected by deoxygenation. Deoxygenation correlates with other environmental variables such as changing water temperature and salinity and is directly linked to ongoing global climate change. To place the ongoing environmental changes into a larger context and to further understand the complex Baltic Sea history and its impact on North Atlantic climate, we investigated a high accumulation-rate brackish-marine sediment core from the Little Belt (Site M0059), Danish Straits, NW Europe, retrieved during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 347. We combined benthic foraminiferal geochemistry, faunal assemblages, and pore water stable isotopes to reconstruct seawater conditions (e.g., oxygenation, temperature, and salinity) over the past 7.7 thousand years (ka). Bottom water salinity in the Little Belt reconstructed from modeled pore water oxygen isotope data increased between 7.7 and 7.5 ka BP as a consequence of the transition from freshwater to brackish-marine conditions. Salinity decreased gradually (from 30 to 24) from 4.1 to ~2.5 ka BP. By using the trace elemental composition (Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, and Ba/Ca) and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of foraminiferal species Elphidium selseyensis and E. clavatum, we identified that generally warming and hypoxia occurred between about 7.5 and 3.3 ka BP, approximately coinciding in time with the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM). These changes of bottom water conditions were coupled to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and relative sea level change

An innovative cardiac rehabilitation based on the power-force-velocity profile to further improve cardiorespiratory capacities in coronary artery disease patients: CITIUS study.

Individually optimizing the training programme of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) remains a major concern among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. The power-force-velocity profile (PFVP) for a given task is usually assessed to improve performance in athletes through individualized training. Therefore, assessing PFVP on stationary cycle ergometer may allow better personalization of CR programme. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a new CR customized based on patient's PFVP vs. a traditional CR in CAD patients on cardiorespiratory, biological, and muscular systems. A total of 86 patients participated in this study. The 3-week intervention consisted of physical training sessions (4/week) and therapeutic education workshops (1/week). Experimental group patients followed a specific cycle ergometer training programme focusing on their less developed PFVP quality. Control patients attended a conventional CR programme. Cardiopulmonary exercise test (VO &lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; at the first ventilatory threshold, VT &lt;sub&gt;1&lt;/sub&gt; , and the peak), blood tests [LDL and HDL cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C)], and handgrip and quadriceps force were assessed at baseline and after CR. The mean age was 60.8 ± 9.6 years, and 15% were women. A significantly greater benefit in VO &lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; &lt;sub&gt;peak&lt;/sub&gt; (experimental: +21.5 ± 19.2% vs. control: +10.5 ± 15.8%, P &lt; 0.001), VO &lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; at VT &lt;sub&gt;1&lt;/sub&gt; (experimental: +35.5 ± 33.6% vs. control: +8.4 ± 31.2%, P &lt; 0.001), and LDL-C (P = 0.001) were observed in the experimental group. Both groups significantly increased HDL-C and muscle parameters. The novel CR, based on initial individual PFVP performed on stationary cycle ergometer, showed greater benefits on cardiorespiratory capacities and lipid profile than a conventional, non-individualized CR. Therefore, PFVP could be used in CR to adapt specifically the content of training sessions

Cdc42 controls the dilation of the exocytotic fusion pore by regulating membrane tension.

Membrane fusion underlies multiple processes, including exocytosis of hormones and neurotransmitters. Membrane fusion starts with the formation of a narrow fusion pore. Radial expansion of this pore completes the process and allows fast release of secretory compounds, but this step remains poorly understood. Here we show that inhibiting the expression of the small GTPase Cdc42 or preventing its activation with a dominant negative Cdc42 construct in human neuroendocrine cells impaired the release process by compromising fusion pore enlargement. Consequently the mode of vesicle exocytosis was shifted from full-collapse fusion to kiss-and-run. Remarkably, Cdc42-knockdown cells showed reduced membrane tension, and the artificial increase of membrane tension restored fusion pore enlargement. Moreover, inhibiting the motor protein myosin II by blebbistatin decreased membrane tension, as well as fusion pore dilation. We conclude that membrane tension is the driving force for fusion pore dilation and that Cdc42 is a key regulator of this force.journal articleresearch support, non-u.s. gov't2014 Oct 152014 08 20importe

IODP expedition 347: Baltic Sea basin paleoenvironment and biosphere

The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition 347 cored sediments from different settings of the Baltic Sea covering the last glacial-interglacial cycle. The main aim was to study the geological development of the Baltic Sea in relation to the extreme climate variability of the region with changing ice cover and major shifts in temperature, salinity, and biological communities. Using the Greatship Manisha as a European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) mission-specific platform, we recovered 1.6 km of core from nine sites of which four were additionally cored for microbiology. The sites covered the gateway to the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, several sub-basins in the southern Baltic Sea, a deep basin in the central Baltic Sea, and a river estuary in the north. The waxing and waning of the Scandinavian ice sheet has profoundly affected the Baltic Sea sediments. During theWeichselian, progressing glaciers reshaped the submarine landscape and displaced sedimentary deposits from earlier Quaternary time. As the glaciers retreated they left a complex pattern of till, sand, and lacustrine clay, which in the basins has since been covered by a thick deposit of Holocene, organic-rich clay. Due to the stratified water column of the brackish Baltic Sea and the recurrent and widespread anoxia, the deeper basins harbor laminated sediments that provide a unique opportunity for high-resolution chronological studies. The Baltic Sea is a eutrophic intra-continental sea that is strongly impacted by terrestrial runoff and nutrient fluxes. The Holocene deposits are recorded today to be up to 50m deep and geochemically affected by diagenetic alterations driven by organic matter degradation. Many of the cored sequences were highly supersaturated with respect to methane, which caused strong degassing upon core recovery. The depth distributions of conservative sea water ions still reflected the transition at the end of the last glaciation from fresh-water clays to Holocene brackish mud. High-resolution sampling and analyses of interstitial water chemistry revealed the intensive mineralization and zonation of the predominant biogeochemical processes. Quantification of microbial cells in the sediments yielded some of the highest cell densities yet recorded by scientific drilling

Fundamentos de fisiología del esfuerzo: adaptaciones cardíacas, vasculares y respiratorias

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