Epitaxial growth of "infinite layer” thin films and multilayers by rf magnetron sputtering

We report on the preparation and characterization of epitaxial ACuO2 (A = Sr, Ca, Ba) thin films and multilayers with the so- called infinite layer (IL) structure, by rf magnetron sputtering. Films and multilayers without Ba have a remarkable crystal quality, whereas those containing this large ion are often multiphased and unstable. In spite of the excellent crystalline quality of these samples, obtaining thin films having both IL structure and displaying superconducting properties has not succeeded; our pure IL samples display semiconducting behavior, and the different procedures tried in order to dope them—annealings, introduction of disorder or cation vacancies, artificial layering—have failed. These results support that the pure IL structure ACuO2 (A = alkaline earth) cannot superconduc

Novel Approaches towards Highly Selective Self-Powered Gas Sensors

The prevailing design approaches of semiconductor gas sensors struggle to overcome most of their current limitations such as poor selectivity, and high power consumption. Herein, a new sensing concept based on devices that are capable of detecting gases without the need of any external power sources required to activate interaction of gases with sensor or to generate the sensor read out signal. Based on the integration of complementary functionalities (namely; powering and sensing) in a singular nanostructure, self-sustained gas sensors will be demonstrated. Moreover, a rational methodology to design organic surface functionalization that provide high selectivity towards single gas species will also be discussed. Specifically, theoretical results, confirmed experimentally, indicate that precisely tuning of the sterical and electronic structure of sensor material/organic interfaces can lead to unprecedented selectivity values, comparable to those typical of bioselective processes. Finally, an integrated gas sensor that combine both the self-powering and selective detection strategies in one single device will also be presented. © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

El colesterol sigue alto. ¿Y ahora qué hacemos? Tratamiento de la hipercolesteremia no controlada a lo largo de un año

ObjetivoConocer la efectividad sobre el control lipídico del tratamiento hipolipemiante, basado en la práctica clínica habitual en atención primaria, en pacientes con hipercolesteremia manifiesta.DiseñoIntervención semiexperimental, antes-después.EmplazamientoCentro de salud urbano. Participantes: 187 pacientes dislipémicos conocidos, con colesterol total o colesterol LDL (cLDL) > 270 o 190 mg/dl, respectivamente.IntervenciónPráctica clínica habitual durante 12 meses en 9 consultas de atención primaria.Mediciones principalesSe registró el perfil lipídico y el tratamiento hipolipemiante al inicio del estudio y al cabo de 12 meses. El control lipídico (en función del cLDL) se evaluó como óptimo, aceptable y deficiente en función del riesgo cardiovascular según los criterios de la Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis (1994).ResultadosEn un 27% de casos no se registró ninguna visita relacionada con la hipercolesteremia por su médico. El número de pacientes tratados con hipolipemiantes creció de 50 a 98 (27 frente a 52%; p < 0,005), fundamentalmente a expensas del uso de estatinas. Tras 12 meses, se observaron descensos significativos en la concentración plasmática del cLDL (12%; IC del 95%, 9–15%) y del porcentaje de pacientes con control deficiente, que descendió del 91% inicial al 61% (p < 0,005), aunque sólo un 16% alcanzó un control óptimo.ConclusionesTras un año, con las condiciones de práctica clínica habitual, se observó un incremento en el uso de hipolipemiantes y una mejoría en el control lipídico, aunque algo más de la mitad de los pacientes (61%) con hipercolesteremia manifiesta permanecen con concentraciones tributarias de tratamiento.ObjectiveTo find the effectiveness of lipid-lowering treatment, based on normal clinical practice in primary care, on lipid control of patients with clear hypercholesterolaemia (HC).DesignSemi-experimental before-and-after intervention study.SettingUrban health centre. Participants: 187 patients known to have lipaemia, with total or LDL cCholesterol (cLDL) above 270 and 190 mg/dl, respectivelyInterventionNormal clinical practice for twelve months in nine primary care clinicsMain measurementsThe lipid profile and lipid-lowering treatment were recorded at the start of the study and after twelve months. Lipid control (as a function of cLDL) was evaluated as optimal, acceptable or deficient, as a function of the cardiovascular risk, following the criteria of the Spanish Arteriosclerosis Society (1994)ResultsIn 27% of cases, no visit relating to HC was recorded by the patient´s doctor. The number of patients treated with lipid-lowering drugs grew from 50 to 98 (27 vs 52%, p < 0,005), fundamentally at the expense of statin treatment. After twelve months, there were significant drops in the plasma concentration of cLDL (12%, 95%CI, 9 to 15%) and in the percentage of patients with deficient control, which fell from the initial 91% to 61% (p < 0.005), although only 16% reached optimal control.ConclusionsAfter a year, under conditions of normal clinical practice, there was an increase in the use of lipid-lowering drugs and improvement in lipid control, though a bit over half the patients (61%) with clear hypercholesterolaemia maintained concentrations requiring treatment

Effects of a high-fat-diet supplemented with probiotics and ω3-fatty acids on appetite regulatory neuropeptides and neurotransmitters in a pig model

The pig is a valuable animal model to study obesity in humans due to the physiological similarity between humans and pigs in terms of digestive and associated metabolic processes. The dietary use of vegetal protein, probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids is recommended to control weight gain and to fight obesity-associated metabolic disorders. Likewise, there are recent reports on their beneficial effects on brain functions. The hypothalamus is the central part of the brain that regulates food intake by means of the production of food intake-regulatory hypothalamic neuropeptides, as neuropeptide Y (NPY), orexin A and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), and neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. Other mesolimbic areas, such as the hippocampus, are also involved in the control of food intake. In this study, the effect of a high fat diet (HFD) alone or supplemented with these additives on brain neuropeptides and neurotransmitters was assessed in forty-three young pigs fed for 10 weeks with a control diet (T1), a high fat diet (HFD, T2), and HFD with vegetal protein supplemented with Bifidobacterium breve CECT8242 alone (T3) or in combination with omega-3 fatty acids (T4). A HFD provoked changes in regulatory neuropeptides and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the hypothalamus and alterations mostly in the dopaminergic system in the ventral hippocampus. Supplementation of the HFD with B. breve CECT8242, especially in combination with omega-3 fatty acids, was able to partially reverse the effects of HFD. Correlations between productive and neurochemical parameters supported these findings. These results confirm that pigs are an appropriate animal model alternative to rodents for the study of the effects of HFD on weight gain and obesity. Furthermore, they indicate the potential benefits of probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids on brain function.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Kinematic analysis of the Large Magellanic Cloud using Gaia DR3

Context: The high quality of the Gaia mission data is allowing to study the internal kinematics of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) in unprecedented detail, providing insights on the non-axisymmetric structure of its disc. Aims: To define and validate an improved selection strategy to distinguish the LMC stars from the Milky Way foreground. To check the possible biases that assumed parameters or sample contamination from the Milky Way can introduce in the analysis of the internal kinematics of the LMC using Gaia data. Methods: Our selection is based on a supervised Neural Network classifier using as much as of the Gaia DR3 data as possible. We select three samples of candidate LMC stars with different degrees of completeness and purity; we validate them using different test samples and we compare them with the Gaia Collaboration paper sample. We analyse the resulting velocity profiles and maps, and we check how these results change when using also the line-of-sight velocities, available for a subset of stars. Results: The contamination in the samples from Milky Way stars affects basically the results for the outskirts of the LMC, and the absence of line-of-sight velocities does not bias the results for the kinematics in the inner disc. For the first time, we perform a kinematic analysis of the LMC using samples with the full three dimensional velocity information from Gaia DR3. Conclusions: The dynamics in the inner disc is mainly bar dominated; the kinematics on the spiral arm over-density seem to be dominated by an inward motion and a rotation faster than that of the disc in the piece of the arm attached to the bar; contamination of MW stars seem to dominate the outer parts of the disc and mainly affects old evolutionary phases; uncertainties in the assumed disc morphological parameters and line-of-sight velocity of the LMC can in some cases have significant effects. [ABRIDGED

The effect of mixing entire male pigs prior to transport to slaughter on behaviour, welfare and carcass lesions

peer-reviewedData set for article is also provided.Research is needed to validate lesions recorded at meat inspection as indicators of pig welfare on farm. The aims were to determine the influence of mixing pigs on carcass lesions and to establish whether such lesions correlate with pig behaviour and lesions scored on farm. Aggressive and mounting behaviour of pigs in three single sex pens was recorded on Day −5, −2, and −1 relative to slaughter (Day 0). On Day 0 pigs were randomly allocated to 3 treatments (n = 20/group) over 5 replicates: males mixed with females (MF), males mixed with males (MM), and males unmixed (MUM). Aggressive and mounting behaviours were recorded on Day 0 at holding on farm and lairage. Skin/tail lesions were scored according to severity at the farm (Day −1), lairage, and on the carcass (Day 0). Effect of treatment and time on behaviour and lesions were analysed by mixed models. Spearman rank correlations between behaviour and lesion scores and between scores recorded at different stages were determined. In general, MM performed more aggressive behaviour (50.4 ± 10.72) than MUM (20.3 ± 9.55, P < 0.05) and more mounting (30.9 ± 9.99) than MF (11.4 ± 3.76) and MUM (9.8 ± 3.74, P < 0.05). Skin lesion scores increased between farm (Day −1) and lairage (P < 0.001), but this tended to be significant only for MF and MM (P = 0.08). There was no effect of treatment on carcass lesions and no associations were found with fighting/mounting. Mixing entire males prior to slaughter stimulated mounting and aggressive behaviour but did not influence carcass lesion scores. Carcass skin/tail lesions scores were correlated with scores recorded on farm (rskin = 0.21 and rtail = 0.18, P < 0.01) suggesting that information recorded at meat inspection could be used as indicators of pig welfare on farm.This study was part of the PIGWELFIND project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Ireland

Structures of T7 bacteriophage portal and tail suggest a viral DNA retention and ejection mechanism

Double-stranded DNA bacteriophages package their genome at high pressure inside a procapsid through the portal, an oligomeric ring protein located at a unique capsid vertex. Once the DNA has been packaged, the tail components assemble on the portal to render the mature infective virion. The tail tightly seals the ejection conduit until infection, when its interaction with the host membrane triggers the opening of the channel and the viral genome is delivered to the host cell. Using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, here we describe various structures of the T7 bacteriophage portal and fiber-less tail complex, which suggest a possible mechanism for DNA retention and ejection: a portal closed conformation temporarily retains the genome before the tail is assembled, whereas an open portal is found in the tail. Moreover, a fold including a seven-bladed β-propeller domain is described for the nozzle tail protein.This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain, grants BFU 2014-54181 (to J.L.C.), BFU 2014-53550-P and BFU2017-83720-P (to M.C.), and contracts SEV-2013-0347 (to A.C.) and RYC-2011-09071 (to C.M.). We acknowledge institutional funding through the Spanish Government Centres and Units of Excellence Severo Ochoa and Maria de Maeztu awards to IRB Barcelona (SEV-2015-0500) and IBMB Structural Biology Unit (MDM-2014-0435), respectively, and from the CERCA Programme of the Catalan Government to the IRB Barcelona. This work has also been supported by the European Commission, Horizon 2020 program through iNEXT project (grant number 653706)

Size and dimensionality effects in superconducting Mo thin films

Molybdenum is a low Tc, type I superconductor whose fundamental properties are poorly known. Its importance as an essential constituent of new high performance radiation detectors, the so-called transition edge sensors (TESs) calls for better characterization of this superconductor, especially in thin film form. Here we report on a study of the basic superconducting features of Mo thin films as a function of their thickness. The resistivity is found to rise and the critical temperature decreases on decreasing film thickness, as expected. More relevant, the critical fields along and perpendicular to the film plane are markedly different, thickness dependent and much larger than the thermodynamic critical field of Mo bulk. These results are consistent with a picture of type II 2D superconducting films, and allow estimates of the fundamental superconducting lengths of Mo. The role of morphology in determining the 2D and type II character of the otherwise type I molybdenum is discussed. The possible consequences of this behaviour on the performance of radiation detectors are also addresse

Proximity induced metal/insulator transition in YBa2Cu3O7/La2/3Ca1/3MnO3Y Ba_2 Cu_3 O_7 / La_{2/3} Ca_{1/3} Mn O_3 superlattices

The far-infrared dielectric response of superlattices (SL) composed of superconducting YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7}$ (YBCO) and ferromagnetic La$_{0.67}$% Ca$_{0.33}$MnO$_{3}$ (LCMO) has been investigated by ellipsometry. A drastic decrease of the free carrier response is observed which involves an unusually large length scale of d$^{crit}\approx$20 nm in YBCO and d$^{crit}\approx$10 nm in LCMO. A corresponding suppression of metallicity is not observed in SLs where LCMO is replaced by the paramagnetic metal LaNiO$_{3}$. Our data suggest that either a long range charge transfer from the YBCO to the LCMO layers or alternatively a strong coupling of the charge carriers to the different and competitive kind of magnetic correlations in the LCMO and YBCO layers are at the heart of the observed metal/insulator transition. The low free carrier response observed in the far-infrared dielectric response of the magnetic superconductor RuSr$_{2}$GdCu$_{2}$O$_{8}$ is possibly related to this effect