High Yield of GaAs Nanowire Arrays on Si Mediated by the Pinning and Contact Angle of Ga

GaAs nanowire arrays on Silicon offer great perspectives in the :optoeleetronics and solar cell industry. To fulfill this potential, gold-free growth in predetermined positions should be achieved. Ga-assisted growth of GaAs nano-wires in the form of array has been shown to be challenging and difficult to reproduce. In this work, we provide some of the key elements for obtaining a high yield of GaAs nanowires on patterned Si in a reproducible way: contact angle and pinning of the Ga droplet inside the apertures achieved by the modification of the surface properties of the nanoscale areas exposed to growth. As an example, an amorphous silicon layer between the crystalline substrate and the Oxide mask results in a contact angle around 90 degrees, leading to a high yield of vertical nanowires: Another example for tuning the Contact angle is anticipated, native oxide with controlled thickness. This work opens new perspectives for the rational and reproducible growth of GaAs nanowire arrays on silicon

Toxicity and morbility after isolated lower limb perfusion in 242 chemo-hyperthermal treatments for cutaneous melanoma: The experience of the Tuscan Reference Centre

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the results concerning the regional and systemic toxicity and complications in 242 chemo-hyperthermal treatments (HILPs) for lower limb melanoma.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>60 HILPs (G-A) were performed with mild HT plus L-PAM (10 mg/lt) ± D-actimomycin; 74 HILPs (G-B) with true HT (40–41.8°C) plus L-PAM (10 mg/lt) ± D-act; 108 HILPs (G-C) with true HT plus L-PAM (10 mg/lt) ± D-act plus L-PAM (5 mg/lt) additional bolus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Limb toxicity was very low in G-A and in G-B; increasing toxicity (grade III = 37%) in G-C; no grade IV statistical difference was registered in all three groups, with percentage values among 1.6% and 2.7%. Systemic toxicity showed itself only in the haemopoietic parameters. No differences were registered in G-B vs G-A group. In G-C vs G-B a significative increase of systemic toxicity was seen in grade 3 (p < 0.05). Postoperative complications were acceptable. Local and systemic side-effects were transient; no permanent neurological limb deficit was registered. The postoperative mortality was recorded in 3/182 HILPs (1.6%) of the G-B and G-C groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggested that the technical implementations reduced the occurrence and the severity of the side effects and complications. The essential requirement for HILP is the quality assurance of the procedures. Although higher regional and systemic toxicity were observed in the G-C group caused by L-PAM additional bolus, the safeness of the procedures under the true hyperthermal regimen and the time increase of the high L-PAM concentration have assured the treatment reliability along with the increased clinical efficacy expectations of the treatments.</p

The complex genetics of gait speed:Genome-wide meta-analysis approach

Emerging evidence suggests that the basis for variation in late-life mobility is attributable, in part, to genetic factors, which may become increasingly important with age. Our objective was to systematically assess the contribution of genetic variation to gait speed in older individuals. We conducted a meta-analysis of gait speed GWASs in 31,478 older adults from 17 cohorts of the CHARGE consortium, and validated our results in 2,588 older adults from 4 independent studies. We followed our initial discoveries with network and eQTL analysis of candidate signals in tissues. The meta-analysis resulted in a list of 536 suggestive genome wide significant SNPs in or near 69 genes. Further interrogation with Pathway Analysis placed gait speed as a polygenic complex trait in five major networks. Subsequent eQTL analysis revealed several SNPs significantly associated with the expression of PRSS16, WDSUB1 and PTPRT, which in addition to the meta-analysis and pathway suggested that genetic effects on gait speed may occur through synaptic function and neuronal development pathways. No genome-wide significant signals for gait speed were identified from this moderately large sample of older adults, suggesting that more refined physical function phenotypes will be needed to identify the genetic basis of gait speed in aging

Computational Insight into the Interaction of Cytochrome C with Wet and PVP-Coated Ag Surfaces

In this work, the adsorption of cytochrome C (CytC) on wet 100, 111, 110, and 120 silver surfaces has been investigated by computational simulations. The effect of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coating has also been studied. The main results obtained can be summarized as follow: (a) CytC strongly interacts with wet bare high index facets, while the adsorption over the 100 surface is disfavored due to the strong water structuring at the surface; (b) a nonselective protein adsorption mechanism is highlighted; (c) the native structure of CytC is well preserved during adsorption; (d) the heme group of CytC is never found to interact directly with the surface; (e) the interactions with the PVP-capped 100 surface is weak and specific. These results can be exploited to better control biological responses at engineered nanosurface, allowing the development of improved diagnostic tools

Ruderi, Baracche, Bambini. CEIS: riflessioni a pi\uf9 voci su un'architettura speciale.

Ai margini del centro storico di Rimini, sui resti di un anfiteatro romano, immerso nel verde, sorge il CEIS, il Centro Educativo Italo Svizzero: \u201cun villaggio fatto di casine di legno\u201d dove i bambini \uabsi arrampicano, corrono, non si perdono, vanno alla ricerca di gioghi, persone, animali, cose\ubb. Realizzato nel 1946 da Felix Schwarz, amico e collaboratore di Aldo van Eyck, e da Margherita Zoebeli, che lo guider\ue0 sino alla sua scomparsa, il \u201cvillaggio\u201d nasceva sulle macerie di una Rimini distrutta dai bombardamenti, prima come centro di primo aiuto alla popolazione poi come luogo di assistenza ed educazione per l\u2019infanzia. Il volume cerca di raccontare ci\uf2 che oggi \ue8 questa realt\ue0 dove si sono anticipati i principi della Nouvelle \uc9cole ed a cui tanti hanno guardato come modello di organizzazione di uno spazio che educa; ma al tempo stesso intende soffermarsi sul valore identitario di questo luogo che riteniamo debba la sua singolarit\ue0 proprio alla compresenza di ruderi baracche e bambini