Unusual Formation of Point-Defect Complexes in the Ultrawide-Band-Gap Semiconductor β-Ga2 O3

Understanding the unique properties of ultra-wide band gap semiconductors requires detailed information about the exact nature of point defects and their role in determining the properties. Here, we report the first direct microscopic observation of an unusual formation of point defect complexes within the atomic-scale structure of β-Ga2O3 using high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Each complex involves one cation interstitial atom paired with two cation vacancies. These divacancy-interstitial complexes correlate directly with structures obtained by density functional theory, which predicts them to be compensating acceptors in β-Ga2O3. This prediction is confirmed by a comparison between STEM data and deep level optical spectroscopy results, which reveals that these complexes correspond to a deep trap within the band gap, and that the development of the complexes is facilitated by Sn doping through increased vacancy concentration. These findings provide new insight on this emerging material's unique response to the incorporation of impurities that can critically influence their properties

God’s gifts: destiny, poverty, and temporality in the mines of Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, many artisanal miners share the view that every human act and every event is the realisation of an inscrutable divine plan. Even though notions of fate and destiny are part of the vocabulary of Krio, the country’s lingua franca, miners prefer to use expressions that evoke God and stress His immanent presence and influence in their everyday lives. In order to understand the religious vocabulary of contingency and the cosmology underlying the ways in which miners interpret, reproduce, and imaginatively prepare the conditions to change their lives, this article focuses on the ritual practices connected to artisanal diamond mining. It considers these rituals as attempts to resolve the ever-present temporal and moral tensions between actual conditions of suffering and poverty, and the realisation of the well-being that miners associate with their desired futures

Caracterizaci?n sociodemogr?fica y cl?nica de las intoxicaciones agudas por plaguicidas en el hospital Federico Lleras Acosta del municipio de Ibagu? desde 2013-2016

97 p. Recurso Electr?nicoEl presente trabajo, describe las caracter?sticas sociodemogr?ficas y cl?nicas de los pacientes diagnosticados con intoxicaciones agudas por plaguicidas que ingresaron al Hospital Federico Lleras Acosta del municipio de Ibagu? desde enero de 2013 a diciembre de 2016. El estudio fue de tipo observacional descriptivo, de corte transversal retrospectivo con historias cl?nicas seg?n los registros notificados tanto en el sistema de vigilancia en salud p?blica SIVIGILA como los registros Individuales de Prestaci?n de Servicios de Salud (RIPS) del Hospital, durante el periodo de tiempo mencionado. Se analizaron 137 casos, de los cuales se observ? que el 50% correspond?an a personas con una edad inferior a los 20 a?os; se observ? que el 81,5% presentaron alg?n nivel educativo hasta la secundaria; el 83% pertenec?a al r?gimen subsidiado, el 60% de los pacientes proced?an del municipio de Ibagu?; el 86,8% de las intoxicaciones se presentaron en el hogar. Principalmente, las intoxicaciones fueron con fines suicidas (79,6%) y de estos el 54,1% eran mujeres; la v?a oral fue la fama de exposici?n m?s frecuente (84%). Seg?n las variables cl?nicas, el 60,6% de los plaguicidas involucrados en las intoxicaciones pertenec?an a los inhibidores de la colinesterasa, cerca del 90% no presentaban antecedentes fisiol?gicos de enfermedades, lo cual es concordante con las edades j?venes registradas que no presentan enfermedades cr?nicas; se observ? adem?s que el 45% realiz? un intento de suicidio previo; el 30% de los pacientes requiri? atenci?n en alguna de las unidades de cuidado intensivo del hospital; el 3,6% de los pacientes fallecieron. Lo anterior evidencia la necesidad de cooperaci?n entre las autoridades competentes de la salud e instituciones p?blicas para implementar medidas efectivas que prevengan las intoxicaciones agudas con plaguicidas en particular la exposici?n voluntaria y dem?s estrategias empleadas para este fen?meno de crecimiento en el municipio. Palabras clave: caracter?sticas cl?nicas, datos de exposici?n, sociodemogr?ficas, suicidio, t?xico.The present study describes the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with acute pesticide poisonings who entered the Federico Lleras Acosta Hospital in the municipality of Ibagu? from January 2013 to december 2016. The study was descriptive, cut-type observational retrospective cross section with clinical histories according to the Individual Health Service Delivery Records (RIPS) of the Hospital, during the aforementioned period of time. 137 cases were used, of which 50% corresponded to people under the age of 20; that 81.5% undergo an educational level up to secondary school; 83% belonged to the subsidized regime, 60% of the patients came from the municipality of Ibagu?; 86.8% of poisonings occur in the home. Mainly, intoxications were with suicides (79.6%) and of these 54.1% were women; the oral route was the most frequent exposure fame (84%). According to the clinical variables, 60.6% of the pesticides involved in the intoxications belong to the cholinesterase inhibitors, about 90% did not present a physiological background of diseases, which is consistent with the young ages registered that do not present chronic diseases; it is also recorded that 45% made a suicide attempt; 30% of the patients required attention in the intensive care units of the hospital; 3.6% of patients died. This demonstrates the need to implement programs to prevent suicide in the municipality, as well as the competent authorities of health and public institutions cooperate to implement effective measures, in addition to highlighting the importance of HFLLA to attend the subsidized regime. Keywords: clinical characteristics, exposure data, sociodemographic, suicide, toxic

Caracterizaci?n sociodemogr?fica y cl?nica de las intoxicaciones agudas por plaguicidas en el hospital Defer?co Lleras Acosta del Municipio de Ibagu? desde 2013-2016

97 p. Recurso Electr?nicoEl presente trabajo, describe las caracter?sticas sociodemogr?ficas y cl?nicas de los pacientes diagnosticados con intoxicaciones agudas por plaguicidas que ingresaron al Hospital Federico Lleras Acosta del municipio de Ibagu? desde enero de 2013 a diciembre de 2016. El estudio fue de tipo observacional descriptivo, de corte transversal retrospectivo con historias cl?nicas seg?n los registros notificados tanto en el sistema de vigilancia en salud p?blica SIVIGILA como los registros Individuales de Prestaci?n de Servicios de Salud (RIPS) del Hospital, durante el periodo de tiempo mencionado. Se analizaron 137 casos, de los cuales se observ? que el 50% correspond?an a personas con una edad inferior a los 20 a?os; se observ? que el 81,5% presentaron alg?n nivel educativo hasta la secundaria; el 83% pertenec?a al r?gimen subsidiado, el 60% de los pacientes proced?an del municipio de Ibagu?; el 86,8% de las intoxicaciones se presentaron en el hogar. Principalmente, las intoxicaciones fueron con fines suicidas (79,6%) y de estos el 54,1% eran mujeres; la v?a oral fue la fama de exposici?n m?s frecuente (84%). Seg?n las variables cl?nicas, el 60,6% de los plaguicidas involucrados en las intoxicaciones pertenec?an a los inhibidores de la colinesterasa, cerca del 90% no presentaban antecedentes fisiol?gicos de enfermedades, lo cual es concordante con las edades j?venes registradas que no presentan enfermedades cr?nicas; se observ? adem?s que el 45% realiz? un intento de suicidio previo; el 30% de los pacientes requiri? atenci?n en alguna de las unidades de cuidado intensivo del hospital; el 3,6% de los pacientes fallecieron. Lo anterior evidencia la necesidad de cooperaci?n entre las autoridades competentes de la salud e instituciones p?blicas para implementar medidas efectivas que prevengan las intoxicaciones agudas con plaguicidas en particular la exposici?n voluntaria y dem?s estrategias empleadas para este fen?meno de crecimiento en el municipio. Palabras clave: caracter?sticasThe present study describes the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with acute pesticide poisonings who entered the Federico Lleras Acosta Hospital in the municipality of Ibagu? from January 2013 to december 2016. The study was descriptive, cut-type observational retrospective cross section with clinical histories according to the Individual Health Service Delivery Records (RIPS) of the Hospital, during the aforementioned period of time. 137 cases were used, of which 50% corresponded to people under the age of 20; that 81.5% undergo an educational level up to secondary school; 83% belonged to the subsidized regime, 60% of the patients came from the municipality of Ibagu?; 86.8% of poisonings occur in the home. Mainly, intoxications were with suicides (79.6%) and of these 54.1% were women; the oral route was the most frequent exposure fame (84%). According to the clinical variables, 60.6% of the pesticides involved in the intoxications belong to the cholinesterase inhibitors, about 90% did not present a physiological background of diseases, which is consistent with the young ages registered that do not present chronic diseases; it is also recorded that 45% made a suicide attempt; 30% of the patients required attention in the intensive care units of the hospital; 3.6% of patients died. This demonstrates the need to implement programs to prevent suicide in the municipality, as well as the competent authorities of health and public institutions cooperate to implement effective measures, in addition to highlighting the importance of HFLLA to attend the subsidized regime. Keywords: clinical characteristics, exposure data, sociodemographic, suicide, toxic

Physical, chemical and kinetic factors affecting prion infectivity

The mouse-adapted scrapie prion strain RML is one of the most widely used in prion research. The introduction of a cell culture-based assay of RML prions, the scrapie cell assay (SCA) allows more rapid and precise prion titration. A semi-automated version of this assay (ASCA) was applied to explore a range of conditions that might influence the infectivity and properties of RML prions. These include resistance to freeze-thaw procedures; stability to endogenous proteases in brain homogenate despite prolonged exposure to varying temperatures; distribution of infective material between pellet and supernatant after centrifugation, the effect of reducing agents and the influence of detergent additives on the efficiency of infection. Apparent infectivity is increased significantly by interaction with cationic detergents. Importantly, we have also elucidated the relationship between the duration of exposure of cells to RML prions and the transmission of infection. We established that the infection process following contact of cells with RML prions is rapid and followed an exponential time course, implying a single rate-limiting process

Antibacterial Composite Materials Based on the Combination of Polyhydroxyalkanoates With Selenium and Strontium Co-substituted Hydroxyapatite for Bone Regeneration.

Due to the threat posed by the rapid growth in the resistance of microbial species to antibiotics, there is an urgent need to develop novel materials for biomedical applications capable of providing antibacterial properties without the use of such drugs. Bone healing represents one of the applications with the highest risk of postoperative infections, with potential serious complications in case of bacterial contaminations. Therefore, tissue engineering approaches aiming at the regeneration of bone tissue should be based on the use of materials possessing antibacterial properties alongside with biological and functional characteristics. In this study, we investigated the combination of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) with a novel antimicrobial hydroxyapatite (HA) containing selenium and strontium. Strontium was chosen for its well-known osteoinductive properties, while selenium is an emerging element investigated for its multi-functional activity as an antimicrobial and anticancer agent. Successful incorporation of such ions in the HA structure was obtained. Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus 6538P and Escherichia coli 8739 was confirmed for co-substituted HA in the powder form. Polymer-matrix composites based on two types of PHAs, P(3HB) and P(3HO-co-3HD-co-3HDD), were prepared by the incorporation of the developed antibacterial HA. An in-depth characterization of the composite materials was conducted to evaluate the effect of the filler on the physicochemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the films. In vitro antibacterial testing showed that the composite samples induce a high reduction of the number of S. aureus 6538P and E. coli 8739 bacterial cells cultured on the surface of the materials. The films are also capable of releasing active ions which inhibited the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria

Bioavailability and kidney responses to Diclofenac in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Diclofenac is one of the most widely prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs worldwide. It is frequently detected in surface waters; however, whether this pharmaceutical poses a risk to aquatic organisms is debated. Here we quantified the uptake of diclofenac by the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) following aqueous exposure (0.2-25.0 μg L(-1)) for 21 days, and evaluated the tissue and biomolecular responses in the kidney. Diclofenac accumulated in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in the plasma of exposed fish. The highest plasma concentration observed (for fish exposed to 25 μg L(-1) diclofenac) was within the therapeutic range for humans. There was a strong positive correlation between exposure concentration and the number of developing nephrons observed in the posterior kidney. Diclofenac was not found to modulate the expression of genes in the kidney associated with its primary mode of action in mammals (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases) but modulated genes associated with kidney repair and regeneration. There were no significant adverse effects following 21 days exposure to concentrations typical of surface waters. The combination of diclofenac's uptake potential, effects on kidney nephrons and relatively small safety margin for some surface waters may warrant a longer term chronic health effects analysis for diclofenac in fish.This work was funded by Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP): Use of ‘omic’ technologies in the environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals (KTP007650) and AstraZeneca’s Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Research Programme. We thank Lina Gunnarsson, Matt Winter and James Cresswell (Exeter University), and former members of the Brixham Environmental Laboratory for their advice and assistance. Authors declare no competing financial interest

Support induced charge transfer effects on electrochemical characteristics of Pt nanoparticle electrocatalysts

The electrokinetic properties of Pt nanoparticles supported on Carbon (Pt/C) and Boron Carbide-Graphite composite (Pt/BC) are compared over a wide potential range. The influence of the support on the electronic state of Pt was investigated via in-situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. Pt d-band filling, determined from XANES white line analysis, was lower and nearly constant between 0.4 and 0.95V vs. RHE for Pt/BC, indicating more positively charged particles in the double layer region and a delay in the onset of oxide formation by about 0.2V compared to the Pt/C catalyst, which showed a marked increase in d-band vacancies above 0.8V vs. RHE. Moreover, δμ analysis of the XANES data indicated a lack of sub-surface oxygen for the Pt/BC catalyst compared to the Pt/C catalyst above 0.9V vs. RHE. Additional anion adsorption on the Pt/BC in the double layer region, detected by CO displacement, was also confirmed by XANES analysis of the d-band occupancy. The H 2 oxidation activities of electrodes with low catalyst loadings were assessed under high mass transport conditions using the floating electrode methodology. The metal-support interaction between the Pt and BC support improved the maximum hydrogen oxidation current density by 1.4 times when compared to Pt/C

The effects of childbirth on the pelvic-floor

Basically, vaginal delivery is associated with the risk of pelvic floor damage. The pelvic floor sequelae of childbirth includes anal incontinence, urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Pathophysiology, incidence and risk factors for the development of the respective problems are reviewed. Where possible, recommendations for reducing the risk of pelvic floor damage are given

On the Energy Transfer Performance of Mechanical Nanoresonators Coupled with Electromagnetic Fields

We study the energy transfer performance in electrically and magnetically coupled mechanical nanoresonators. Using the resonant scattering theory, we show that magnetically coupled resonators can achieve the same energy transfer performance as for their electrically coupled counterparts, or even outperform them within the scale of interest. Magnetic and electric coupling are compared in the Nanotube Radio, a realistic example of a nano-scale mechanical resonator. The energy transfer performance is also discussed for a newly proposed bio-nanoresonator composed of a magnetosomes coated with a net of protein fibers.Comment: 9 Pages, 3 Figure