Electrochemical and bioelectrocatalytical properties of novel block-copolymers containing interacting ferrocenyl units

The electrochemical characterization of three different polystyrene-b-polybutadiene block copolymers functionalized with ferrocenyl units electronically communicated, PSm-PBn(HSiMeFc2)p where m=615, n=53, p=39 (1), m=375, n=92, p=76 (2) and m=455, n=204, p=170 (3), has been carried out both in solution and electrochemically deposited onto platinum electrodes. The bioelectrocatalytical properties of electrodes modified with the polymers in the nicotinamide dinucleotide (NADH) and glucose oxidase (GOx) oxidations have been investigated as a function of the constitution and structure of the polymers. The analytical properties of electrodes modified with these polymers as sensors of NADH and GOx are described. In addition, an amperometric biosensor for glucose, prepared by electrostatic immobilization of glucose oxidase onto a platinum electrode modified with one of the ferrocenyl block copolymers as an example, has been developed. The results confirm that electrodes modified with the examined copolymers act as efficient redox mediators for the electrocatalytic oxidation of both reduced nicotinamide dinucleotide cofactor and glucose oxidase. The reaction with NADH proceeds via formation of a charge-transfer intermediate before yielding the reaction products. This is a novel example of electrodes modified with ferrocene derivatives that can be applied to the determination of NADH without the use of diaphorase. The redox copolymers co-immobilized with glucose-oxidase have been successfully used as amperometric biosensors for glucose determinations. As expected these compounds allow using lower working potentials. The sensitivities and detection limits obtained are comparable or even better than those of other ferrocene-modified polymers mediator electrodes

Rossiter-McLaughlin Observations of 55 Cnc e

We present Rossiter-McLaughlin observations of the transiting super-Earth 55 Cnc e collected during six transit events between January 2012 and November 2013 with HARPS and HARPS-N. We detect no radial-velocity signal above 35 cm/s (3-sigma) and confine the stellar v sin i to 0.2 +/- 0.5 km/s. The star appears to be a very slow rotator, producing a very low amplitude Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. Given such a low amplitude, the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of 55 Cnc e is undetected in our data, and any spin-orbit angle of the system remains possible. We also performed Doppler tomography and reach a similar conclusion. Our results offer a glimpse of the capacity of future instrumentation to study low amplitude Rossiter-McLaughlin effects produced by super-Earths.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

A Study of the Near-Ultraviolet Spectrum of Vega

UV, optical, and near-IR spectra of Vega have been combined to test our understanding of stellar atmospheric opacities, and to examine the possibility of constraining chemical abundances from low-resolution UV fluxes. We have carried out a detailed analysis assuming Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) to identify the most important contributors to the UV continuous opacity: H, H$^{-}$, C I, and Si II. Our analysis also assumes that Vega is spherically symmetric and its atmosphere is well described with the plane parallel approximation. Comparing observations and computed fluxes we have been able to discriminate between two different flux scales that have been proposed, the IUE-INES and the HST scales, favoring the latter. The effective temperature and angular diameter derived from the analysis of observed optical and near-UV spectra are in very good agreement with previous determinations based on different techniques. The silicon abundance is poorly constrained by the UV observations of the continuum and strong lines, but the situation is more favorable for carbon and the abundances inferred from the UV continuum and optical absorption lines are in good agreement. Some spectral intervals in the UV spectrum of Vega that the calculations do not reproduce well are likely affected by deviations from LTE, but we conclude that our understanding of UV atmospheric opacities is fairly complete for early A-type stars.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Ap

Safety of the feed additive consisting of manganese chelates of lysine and glutamic acid for all animal species (Zinpro Animal Nutrition)

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety for target animals of manganese chelates of lysine and glutamic acid (Manganese-LG) as a nutritional feed additive for all animal species. The European Commission request followed an opinion of the FEEDAP Panel published in 2020; in that opinion, the FEEDAP Panel could conclude on the safety of the additive for chickens for fattening, but not for the rest of the target animals. The applicant submitted additional information to allow the FEEDAP Panel to complete its assessment; these additional data, comprising two tolerance studies (one with chickens for fattening and one with laying hens), were the subject of this opinion. The tolerance study in laying hens was not considered for the assessment since the housing conditions of the animals were not appropriate according to the relevant EU provisions. The results of the tolerance study in chickens for fattening showed that Manganese-LG at the highest level tested – 800 mg Mn/kg feed – is safe for these target animals. The FEEDAP Panel also considered a previous tolerance study in chickens for fattening. Taking all the evidence together the Panel concluded that Manganese-LG is safe for chickens for fattening at 150 mg Mn/kg feed, with a margin of safety of 5.5. This conclusion can be extrapolated to all animal species and categories provided that the maximum authorised levels in the EU for total manganese in feed are not exceeded

Plasticity and dystonia: a hypothesis shrouded in variability.

Studying plasticity mechanisms with Professor John Rothwell was a shared highlight of our careers. In this article, we discuss non-invasive brain stimulation techniques which aim to induce and quantify plasticity, the mechanisms and nature of their inherent variability and use such observations to review the idea that excessive and abnormal plasticity is a pathophysiological substrate of dystonia. We have tried to define the tone of our review by a couple of Professor John Rothwell's many inspiring characteristics; his endless curiosity to refine knowledge and disease models by scientific exploration and his wise yet humble readiness to revise scientific doctrines when the evidence is supportive. We conclude that high variability of response to non-invasive brain stimulation plasticity protocols significantly clouds the interpretation of historical findings in dystonia research. There is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean of assumptions and armed with an informative literature in health, re-evaluate whether excessive plasticity has a causal role in the pathophysiology of dystonia

Safety and efficacy of copper chelates of lysine and glutamic acid as a feed additive for all animal species

Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of copper chelates of lysine and glutamic acid (Copper-LG) as a nutritional feed additive for all animal species. The EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) concludes that, owing to safety considerations, Copper-LG should not be used in water for drinking. Copper-LG is safe for chickens for fattening; this conclusion can be extrapolated to all animal species and categories provided that the maximum authorised levels in the EU for total copper in feed are not exceeded. No increases in the copper content of animal tissues/products are expected from the use of Copper-LG in animal nutrition. There is no indication that the toxicity of Copper-LG is essentially different from that of inorganic divalent copper. The use of Copper-LG in animal nutrition is of no concern for consumer safety provided that the maximum authorised total copper in feed is respected. Owing to the copper and nickel content of Copper-LG, the handling of the additive, poses a risk to users by inhalation. The additive is considered as a skin and respiratory sensitiser; it is corrosive to the eye while it is non-irritant to skin. The additive is intended to be a substitute for other authorised copper additives and will not further increase the environmental burden of copper; therefore, the FEEDAP Panel considers that the use of the additive in animal nutrition would not pose an additional risk for the environment. Copper-LG is a bioavailable source of copper, comparable to the standard inorganic copper source, and therefore, the additive is efficacious in meeting the birds copper requirements; this conclusion can be extrapolated to all animal species/categories. The FEEDAP Panel posed a recommendation concerning the description of the additive

Assessment of the application for renewal of authorisation of GalliPro ® (Bacillus subtilis DSM 17299) for chickens for fattening

GalliPro \uae is the trade name for a feed additive based on viable cells of a strain of Bacillus subtilis intended for use as a zootechnical additive (gut flora stabiliser) in feed for chickens for fattening. The product is currently authorised for use in chickens for fattening. This opinion concerns the renewal of this authorisation. Bacillus subtilis is considered by EFSA to be suitable for the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) approach to establish the safety for the target species, consumers and the environment. The identity of the strain present in the additive was established and evidence was provided on the lack of toxigenic potential as well as acquired antibiotic resistance determinants to antibiotics of human and veterinary importance. Accordingly, this strain is presumed safe for the target species, consumers of products derived from animals fed the additive and the environment. Since no concerns are expected from other components of the additive, GalliPro \uae is considered safe for the target species, consumers and the environment. The applicant has provided evidence that the additive currently in the market complies with the existing conditions of authorisation. The FEEDAP Panel confirms its previous conclusions that GalliPro \uae is safe for the target species; consumers of products from animals fed the additive and the environment. GalliPro \uae should be considered a potential respiratory sensitiser. In the absence of data, the FEEDAP Panel cannot conclude on the potential of GalliPro \uae for skin and eyes irritancy and dermal sensitisation

Single-shot d-scan technique for ultrashort laser pulse characterization using transverse second-harmonic generation in random nonlinear crystals

We demonstrate a novel dispersion-scan (d-scan) scheme for single-shot temporal characterization of ultrashort laser pulses. The novelty of this method relies on the use of a highly dispersive crystal featuring antiparallel nonlinear domains with a random distribution and size. This crystal, capable of generating a transverse second-harmonic signal, acts simultaneously as the dispersive element and the nonlinear medium of the d-scan device. The resulting in-line architecture makes the technique very simple and robust, allowing the acquisition of single-shot d-scan traces in real time. The retrieved pulses are in very good agreement with independent frequency-resolved optical grating measurements. We also apply the new single-shot d-scan to a terawatt-class laser equipped with a programmable pulse shaper, obtaining an excellent agreement between the applied and the d-scan retrieved dispersions

The IR Luminosity Functions of Rich Clusters

We present MIPS observations of the cluster A3266. About 100 spectroscopic cluster members have been detected at 24 micron. The IR luminosity function in A3266 is very similar to that in the Coma cluster down to the detection limit L_IR~10^43 ergs/s, suggesting a universal form of the bright end IR LF for local rich clusters with M~10^15 M_sun. The shape of the bright end of the A3266-Coma composite IR LF is not significantly different from that of nearby field galaxies, but the fraction of IR-bright galaxies (SFR > 0.2M_sun/yr) in both clusters increases with cluster-centric radius. The decrease of the blue galaxy fraction toward the high density cores only accounts for part of the trend; the fraction of red galaxies with moderate SFRs (0.2 < SFR < 1 M_sun/yr) also decreases with increasing galaxy density. These results suggest that for the IR bright galaxies, nearby rich clusters are distinguished from the field by a lower star-forming galaxy fraction, but not by a change in L*_IR. The composite IR LF of Coma and A3266 shows strong evolution when compared with the composite IR LF of two z~0.8 clusters, MS 1054 and RX J0152, with L*_IR \propto (1+z)^{3.2+/-0.7},Phi*_IR \propto (1+z)^{1.7+/-1.0}. This L*_IR evolution is indistinguishable from that in the field, and the Phi*_IR evolution is stronger, but still consistent with that in the field. The similarity of the evolution of bright-end IR LF in very different cluster and field environments suggests either this evolution is driven by the mechanism that works in both environments, or clusters continually replenish their star-forming galaxies from the field, yielding an evolution in the IR LF that is similar to the field. The mass-normalized integrated star formation rates (SFRs) of clusters within 0.5R_200 also evolve strongly with redshift, as (1+z)^5.3.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted by Ap

Safety and efficacy of Biomin \uae DC-C as a zootechnical feed additive for weaned piglets

The additive (trade name Biomin \uae DC-C) is a blend of essential oils from oregano (Origanum&nbsp;vulgare L.) and from caraway seed (Carum&nbsp;carvi L.) and three individual compounds (carvacrol, methyl salicylate and l-menthol) encapsulated with a hydrogenated vegetable oil. The additive is intended for use in feed for weaned piglets at a minimum concentration of 75&nbsp;mg/kg complete feed and a recommended maximum level of 125&nbsp;mg/kg complete feed. A tolerance test in which piglets were exposed to feed containing up to an intended 1,250&nbsp;mg additive/kg complete feed showed that additive is safe for piglets at the maximum recommended level with at least a sixfold margin of safety. The active components of the additive are not genotoxic and from the available residue study, based on the detection of five marker compounds, no measurable exposure of the consumers is foreseen; consequently, the use of the additive is considered safe for consumers of animal products. The FEEDAP Panel&nbsp;considered that exposure to users by inhalation is unlikely; in the absence of data, the Panel&nbsp;cannot conclude on the effects of Biomin \uae DC-C on skin and eyes. The use of the additive in animal production is not expected to pose a risk for the terrestrial or aquatic environments. Based on the results of three efficacy studies in which positive benefits were seen, the additive has a potential to improve the growth performance of weaned piglets at a minimum application rate of 75&nbsp;mg/kg complete feed