YBa2Cu3O7-CeO2 superconducting epitaxial thin films: Growth and structural characterization

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2014, Tutor: Manuel VarelaYBa2Cu3O7 95%- CeO2 5% nanocomposite thin films on monocrystalline SrTiO3(001) and LaAlO3(001) substrates were obtained using Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. Their crystalline structure, morphology and electrical resistance versus temperature behavior were obtained and compared with conventional (single) YBa2Cu3O7 thin films. The nanocomposite samples are c-axis oriented and epitaxial as conventional films, and remarkably have a significatively lower roughness than conventional YBCO samples. YBa2Cu3O7-CeO2 nanocomposite films maintain the superconducting character with high Tc around 88K and they have a narrow transition width of 2K

“Flying off”. Programme for the protection of the Iberian Imperial Eagle

[Resumo] Co obxectivo de contribuír á recuperación da aguia imperial ibérica, unha das rapaces máis ameazadas de Europa, endémica da península Ibérica e “en perigo”, SEO/BirdLife desenvolve o Programa Alzando o Voo, estruturado en tres grandes liñas de actuación, xestión de hábitat, conservación e participación e sensibilización e difusión. Para levar a cabo estas liñas de traballo e alcanzar o obxectivo de contribuír á conservación da aguia imperial ibérica faise imprescindible o uso dos instrumentos sociais de comunicación, sensibilización, participación e educación[Abstract] With the objective of contributing to the recovery of the Iberian Imperial Eagle, one of the birds of prey which is most under threat in Europe, rife in the Iberian Peninsula and “In Danger”, the SEO Bird Life organization developed the campaign known as “Flying Off”, which is strucyured into three major lines of action, that is, management of the habitat, protection and participation, and informing the public opinion and providing information. In order to carry out these lines of action and to reach the objective of contributing to the protection of the Iberian Imperial Eagle, there exists a great need for the use of the social instruments of communication, informing the public opinion, participation and educatio

Electrochemical Stability of Rhodium-Platinum Core-Shell Nanoparticles : An Identical Location Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Study

Rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticles on a carbon support (Rh@Pt/C NPs) are promising candidates as anode catalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. However, their electrochemical stability needs to be further explored for successful application in commercial fuel cells. Here we employ identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy to track the morphological and compositional changes of Rh@Pt/C NPs during potential cycling (10 000 cycles, 0.06-0.8 V, 0.5 HSO) down to the atomic level, which are then used for understanding the current evolution occurring during the potential cycles. Our results reveal a high stability of the Rh@Pt/C system and point toward particle detachment from the carbon support as the main degradation mechanism

Naturalizar los movimientos en el parto con epidural

Parto; anestesia epidural, posturasPart; anestèsia epidural; posturesLabor, epidural anesthesia, posturesAcompanyament per part de les llevadores a les llevadores amb analgèsia peridural per simular els moviments que realitzaria en un part natural. Les posicions verticals, la deambulació i la llibertat de moviments disminueixen el temps de part, les taxes d'instrumentació i les seves conseqüències, proporcionant a la dona control i una major satisfacció sobre el seu procés de part. Les asimetries pèlviques aconseguides amb els canvis posturals freqüents en dones amb analgèsia epidural, que no es poden moure per si mateixes, afavoreixen l'evolució del treball de part, augmentant així la taxa de parts eutòcics. La llevadora és la figura ideal per donar suport durant el part i acompanyar les gestants en aquest procés.Acompañamiento por parte de las comadronas a las parteras con analgesia peridural para simular los movimientos que realizaría en un parto natural. Las posiciones verticales, la deambulación y la libertad de movimientos disminuyen el tiempo de parto, las tasas de instrumentación y sus consecuencias, proporcionando a la mujer control y una mayor satisfacción sobre su proceso de parto. Las asimetrías pélvicas conseguidas con los cambios posturales frecuentes en mujeres con analgesia epidural, que no pueden moverse por sí mismas, favorecen la evolución del trabajo de parto, aumentando así la tasa de partos eutócicos. La matrona es la figura ideal para dar soporte durante el parto y acompañar a las gestantes en este proceso.Accompaniment by the midwives to the women in labor with epidural analgesia to simulate the movements they would perform in a natural birth. The vertical positions, the ambulation and the freedom of movements decrease the time of delivery, the rates of instrumentation and its consequences, giving the woman control and greater satisfaction about her birth process. The pelvic asymmetries achieved with frequent postural changes in women with epidural analgesia, who can not move by themselves, favor the evolution of labor, thus increasing the rate of eutocic deliveries. The midwife is the ideal figure to support during childbirth and accompany pregnant women in this process

Solution-based synthesis and processing of Sn- and Bi-doped Cu3SbSe4 nanocrystals, nanomaterials and ring-shaped thermoelectric generators

Copper-based chalcogenides that comprise abundant, low-cost, and environmental friendly elements are excellent materials for a number of energy conversion applications, including photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and thermoelectrics (TE). In such applications, the use of solution-processed nanocrystal (NC) to produce thin films or bulk nanomaterials has associated several potential advantages, such as high material yield and throughput, and composition control with unmatched spatial resolution and cost. Here we report on the production of Cu3SbSe4 (CASe) NCs with tuned amounts of Sn and Bi dopants. After proper ligand removal, as monitored by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopies, these NCs were used to produce dense CASe bulk nanomaterials for solid state TE energy conversion. By adjusting the amount of extrinsic dopants, dimensionless TE figures of merit (ZT) up to 1.26 at 673 K were reached. Such high ZT values are related to an optimized carrier concentration by Sn doping, a minimized lattice thermal conductivity due to efficient phonon scattering at point defects and grain boundaries, and to an increase of the Seebeck coefficient obtained by a modification of the electronic band structure with the Bi doping. Nanomaterials were further employed to fabricate ring-shaped TE generators to be coupled to hot pipes and which provided 20 mV and 1 mW per TE element when exposed to a 160 °C temperature gradient. The simple design and good thermal contact associated with the ring geometry and the potential low cost of the material solution processing may allow the fabrication of TE generators with short payback times.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Chemoselective Reductive Heterocyclization by Controlling the Binomial Architecture of Metal Particles and Acid-Base Properties of the Support

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Catalysis, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see [insert ACS Articles on Request author-directed link to Published Work, see http://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.7b01841[EN] 2,¿1-¿Benzisoxazoles were produced by reductive heterocyclization of 2-¿nitroacylarenes using supported Pt nanoparticles. The reaction involves a cascade process in which the first step is the redn. of the nitro group into hydroxylamine which subsequently cycles to 2,¿1-¿benzisoxazole through the nucleophilic attack to the carbonyl group in 2-¿position. The reaction was performed on Pt¿/C, Pt¿/TiO2 and Pt¿/MgO using hydrogen as reducing agent under mild reaction conditions. Pt¿/MgO was the most active and selective catalyst. The study of the influence of the crystal size of the metal on the activity and selectivity, combined with the reaction mechanism by in situ FTIR spectroscopy of the adsorbed reactant, showed that max. activity and selectivity to the target compd. can be achieved by controlling the architecture of metal particles and acid-¿base properties of the support. The effect of the temp. on the selectivity, the stability of Pt¿/MgO catalyst, and the scope of the reaction were studied. Finally, the reductive cyclization using different metals (Pd and Au) supported on MgO was also performed.Spanish MICINN Project (CTQ-2015-67592-13), Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo Program), and Severo Ochoa Program are gratefully acknowledged.Martí Montaner, L.; Sánchez, L.; Climent Olmedo, MJ.; Corma Canós, A.; Iborra Chornet, S.; Romanelli, G.; Concepción Heydorn, P. (2017). Chemoselective Reductive Heterocyclization by Controlling the Binomial Architecture of Metal Particles and Acid-Base Properties of the Support. ACS Catalysis. 7(12):8255-8262. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.7b01841S8255826271

Overview of pneumococcal serotypes and genotypes causing diseases in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a Spanish hospital between 2013 and 2016

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed at showing the recent changes in the epidemiology of pneumococcal diseases in patients with COPD, especially after the introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Methods: From 2013 to 2016, strains causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), non-bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (non-BPP), and acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD) were prospectively included. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, serotyping, and genotyping were analyzed. Results: We collected 345 pneumococci from 286 COPD patients (57 IPD, 78 non-BPP, and 210 AE-COPD). The most frequent serotypes were serotypes 3 (14.0%), 8 (14.0%), and 12F (8.8%) in IPD; serotypes 3 (16.7%), 11A (9%), 9L/N (7.7%), and 23A (7.7%) in non-BPP; and serotypes 11A (11%), nontypeable (11%), and 6C (10%) in AE-COPD. Resistance rates were highest among AE-COPD strains. Penicillin resistance was associated with serotypes 11A (CC156) and 19A (CC320 and CC230). Compared with previous studies, fluoroquinolone resistance in AE-COPD increased (9.5%), PCV13 serotypes decreased (31.6%, 26.9%, and 16.7% for IPD, non-BPP, and AE-COPD, respectively), and serotype 11A-CC156 in AE-COPD and serotype 8 in IPD increased. Conclusion: The epidemiology of pneumococcal disease in COPD changed after the introduction of PCV13 in children. Increases in the highly invasive serotype 8 among patients with IPD and in serotype 11A-CC156 among patients with AE-COPD could compromise the ability of current PCVs to prevent diseases. Vaccines with a greater coverage could improve the benefits of adult vaccination

On-chip wireless silicon photonics: From reconfigurable interconnects to lab-on-chip devices

[EN] Photonic integrated circuits are developing as key enabling components for high-performance computing and advanced network-on-chip, as well as other emerging technologies such as lab-on-chip sensors, with relevant applications in areas from medicine and biotechnology to aerospace. These demanding applications will require novel features, such as dynamically reconfigurable light pathways, obtained by properly harnessing on-chip optical radiation. In this paper, we introduce a broadband, high-directivity (>150), low-loss, and reconfigurable silicon photonics nanoantenna that fully enables on-chip radiation control. We propose the use of these nanoantennas as versatile building blocks to develop wireless (unguided) silicon photonic devices, which considerably enhance the range of achievable integrated photonic functionalities. As examples of applications, we demonstrate 160 Gbit·s-1 data transmission over mm-scale wireless interconnects, a compact low-crosstalk 12-port crossing, and electrically reconfigurable pathways via optical beam steering. Moreover, the realization of a flow micro-cytometer for particle characterization demonstrates the smart system integration potential of our approach as lab-on-chip devices.Funding from grant TEC2015-63838-C3-1-R OPTONANOSENS (MINECO/FEDER, UE) is acknowledged. This work was also supported by project TEC2015-73581-JIN (AEI/FEDER, UE), the EU-funded projects FP7-ICT PHOXTROT (No.318240) and H2020-, the EU-funded H2020-FET-HPC EXANEST (No.671553) and the Generalitat Valenciana's PROMETEO grant NANOMET PLUS (PROMETEO II/2014/34) CG-M acknowledges support from Generalitat Valenciana’s VALi+d postdoctoral program (exp. APOSTD/ 2014/044). We thank David Zurita for his help in the design of the data acquisition code for the sensing application.García Meca, C.; Lechago-Buendia, S.; Brimont, ACJ.; Griol Barres, A.; Mas Gómez, SM.; Sánchez Diana, LD.; Bellieres, LC.... (2017). On-chip wireless silicon photonics: From reconfigurable interconnects to lab-on-chip devices. Light: Science & Applications. 6:e17053-e17053. https://doi.org/10.1038/lsa.2017.53e17053e170536Kirchain R, Kimerling R . A roadmap for nanophotonics. Nat Photonics 2007; 1: 303–305.Fan XD, White IM . Optofluidic microsystems for chemical and biological analysis. Nat Photonics 2011; 5: 591–597.Zhuang LM, Roeloffzen CGH, Meijerink A, Burla M, Marpaung DAI et al. Novel ring resonator-based integrated photonic beamformer for broadband phased array receive antennas—part II: experimental prototype. J Lightw Technol 2010; 28: 19–31.Yu NF, Capasso F . Flat optics with designer metasurfaces. Nat Mater 2014; 13: 139–150.Condrat C, Kalla P, Blair S . 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IEEE J Select Top Quantum Electron 2006; 12: 1699–1705.Chan JN, Hendry G, Biberman A, Bergman K . Architectural exploration of chip-scale photonic interconnection network designs using physical-layer analysis. J Lightw Technol 2010; 28: 1305–1315.Vlasov Y, Green WMJ, Xia FN . High-throughput silicon nanophotonic wavelength-insensitive switch for on-chip optical networks. Nat Photonics 2008; 2: 242–246.Novotny L, van Hulst N . Antennas for light. Nat Photonics 2011; 5: 83–90.Fischer H, Martin OJF . Engineering the optical response of plasmonic nanoantennas. Opt Express 2008; 16: 9144–9154.Dregely D, Taubert R, Dorfmüller J, Vogelgesang R, Kern K et al. 3D optical Yagi-Uda nanoantenna array. Nat Commun 2011; 2: 267.Ni XJ, Emani NK, Kildishev AV, Boltasseva A, Shalaev VM . Broadband light bending with plasmonic nanoantennas. Science 2012; 335: 427.Koenderink AF, Alù A, Polman A . Nanophotonics: shrinking light-based technology. Science 2015; 348: 516–521.Polman A . Plasmonics applied. 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Nat Photonics 2010; 4: 312–315.Subbaraman H, Xu XC, Hosseini A, Zhang XY, Zhang Y et al. Recent advances in silicon-based passive and active optical interconnects. Opt Express 2015; 23: 2487–2511.Della Corte FG, Esposito Montefusco M, Moretti L, Rendina I, Cocorullo G . Temperature dependence analysis of the thermo-optic effect in silicon by single and double oscillator models. J Appl Phys 2000; 88: 7115–7119.Chu T, Yamada H, Ishida S, Arakawa Y . Compact 1 × N thermo-optic switches based on silicon photonic wire waveguides. Opt Express 2005; 13: 10109–10114.Wang WJ, Zhao Y, Zhou HF, Hao YL, Yang JY et al. CMOS-compatible 1 × 3 silicon electrooptic switch with low crosstalk. IEEE Photon Technol Lett 2011; 23: 751–753.Cui KY, Zhao Q, Feng X, Liu F, Huang YD et al Ultra-compact and broadband 1 × 4 thermo-optic switch based on W2 photonic crystal waveguides. 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Multimode interference devices for focusing in microfluidic channels. Opt Lett 2011; 36: 3067–3069

Molecular Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Susceptibility, and Clinical Features of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections over 30 Years in Barcelona, Spain (1990–2019)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (MRSA-BSI) are a significant cause of mortality. We analysed the evolution of the molecular and clinical epidemiology of MRSA-BSI (n = 784) in adult patients (Barcelona, 1990-2019). Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and genotyped (PFGE), and a selection was sequenced (WGS) to characterise the pangenome and mechanisms underlying antimicrobial resistance. Increases in patient age (60 to 71 years), comorbidities (Charlson's index > 2, 10% to 94%), community-onset healthcare-associated acquisition (9% to 60%), and 30-day mortality (28% to 36%) were observed during the 1990-1995 and 2014-2019 periods. The proportion of catheter-related BSIs fell from 57% to 20%. Current MRSA-BSIs are caused by CC5-IV and an upward trend of CC8-IV and CC22-IV clones. CC5 and CC8 had the lowest core genome proportions. Antimicrobial resistance rates fell, and only ciprofloxacin, tobramycin, and erythromycin remained high (>50%) due to GyrA/GrlA changes, the presence of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AAC(6 ')-Ie-APH(2 '')-Ia and ANT(4 ')-Ia), and mph(C)/msr(A) or erm (C) genes. Two CC22-IV strains showed daptomycin resistance (MprF substitutions). MRSA-BSI has become healthcare-associated, affecting elderly patients with comorbidities and causing high mortality rates. Clonal replacement with CC5-IV and CC8-IV clones resulted in lower antimicrobial resistance rates. The increased frequency of the successful CC22-IV, associated with daptomycin resistance, should be monitored

Genome-wide analysis of urogenital and respiratory multidrug-resistant Haemophilus parainfluenzae

Objectives: To characterize the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and the prevalence of the polysaccharide capsule among urogenital and respiratory Haemophilus parainfluenzae isolates. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by microdilution. Fifty-five MDR strains were subjected to WGS and were phylogenetically compared with all the available H. parainfluenzae genomes from the NCBI database. The identification of the capsular bexA gene was performed by PCR in 266 non-MDR strains. Results: In 31 of the 42 ampicillin-resistant strains, blaTEM-1 located within Tn3 was identified. β-Lactamase-negative cefuroxime-resistant strains (n=12) presented PBP3 substitutions. The catS gene (n=14), the tet(M)-MEGA element (n=18) and FolA substitutions (I95L and F154V/S) (n=41) were associated with resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline plus macrolides, and co-trimoxazole, respectively. Thirty-seven isolates had a Tn10 harbouring tet(B)/(C)/(D)/(R) genes with (n=15) or without (n=22) catA2. Putative transposons (Tn7076-Tn7079), including aminoglycoside and co-trimoxazole resistance genes, were identified in 10 strains (18.2%). These transposons were integrated into three new integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs), which also included the resistance-associated transposons Tn3 and Tn10. The capsular operon was found only in the urogenital isolates (18/154, 11.7%), but no phylogenetic clustering was observed. The capsular operons identified were similar to those of Haemophilus influenzae serotype c and Haemophilus sputorum type 2. Conclusions: The identification of ICEs with up to three resistance-associated transposons suggests that these transferable elements play an important role in the acquisition of multidrug resistance in H. parainfluenzae. Moreover, the presence of polysaccharide capsules in some of these urogenital isolates is a cause for concern.This study was funded by the Fundación Española del Pulmón SEPAR (418/2017); the Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the Projects from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (PI16/00977); CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES—CB06/06/0037; CB06/06/1102), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund (ERDF/ESF, ‘Investing in your future’) and CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support; and the RTI2018-096369-B-100 grant. Bioinformatic analysis was supported by an Amazon Web Services (AWS) research grant to S.M.A.C. was supported by an FPU grant (Formación de Profesorado Universitario, FPU16/02202) from the Ministerio de Educación and S.M. was supported by a ‘Miguel Servet’ contract (CP19/00096) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III