Reversible Graphene decoupling by NaCl photo-dissociation

We describe the reversible intercalation of Na under graphene on Ir(111) by photo-dissociation of a previously adsorbed NaCl overlayer. After room temperature evaporation, NaCl adsorbs on top of graphene forming a bilayer. With a combination of electron diffraction and photoemission techniques we demonstrate that the NaCl overlayer dissociates upon a short exposure to an X-ray beam. As a result, chlorine desorbs while sodium intercalates under the graphene, inducing an electronic decoupling from the underlying metal. Low energy electron diffraction shows the disappearance of the moir\'e pattern when Na intercalates between graphene and iridium. Analysis of the Na 2p core-level by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows a chemical change from NaCl to metallic buried Na at the graphene/Ir interface. The intercalation-decoupling process leads to a n-doped graphene due to the charge transfer from the Na, as revealed by constant energy angle resolved X-ray photoemission maps. Moreover, the process is reversible by a mild annealing of the samples without damaging the graphene

Evidence of random magnetic anisotropy in ferrihydrite nanoparticles based on analysis of statistical distributions

We show that the magnetic anisotropy energy of antiferromagnetic ferrihydrite depends on the square root of the nanoparticles volume, using a method based on the analysis of statistical distributions. The size distribution was obtained by transmission electron microscopy, and the anisotropy energy distributions were obtained from ac magnetic susceptibility and magnetic relaxation. The square root dependence corresponds to random local anisotropy, whose average is given by its variance, and can be understood in terms of the recently proposed single phase homogeneous structure of ferrihydrite.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

A toolbox of nanobodies developed and validated for use as intrabodies and nanoscale immunolabels in mammalian brain neurons.

Nanobodies (nAbs) are small, minimal antibodies that have distinct attributes that make them uniquely suited for certain biomedical research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Prominent uses include as intracellular antibodies or intrabodies to bind and deliver cargo to specific proteins and/or subcellular sites within cells, and as nanoscale immunolabels for enhanced tissue penetration and improved spatial imaging resolution. Here, we report the generation and validation of nAbs against a set of proteins prominently expressed at specific subcellular sites in mammalian brain neurons. We describe a novel hierarchical validation pipeline to systematically evaluate nAbs isolated by phage display for effective and specific use as intrabodies and immunolabels in mammalian cells including brain neurons. These nAbs form part of a robust toolbox for targeting proteins with distinct and highly spatially-restricted subcellular localization in mammalian brain neurons, allowing for visualization and/or modulation of structure and function at those sites

Demonstration experiments for solid state physics using a table top mechanical Stirling refrigerator

Liquid free cryogenic devices are acquiring importance in basic science and engineering. But they can also lead to improvements in teaching low temperature an solid state physics to graduate students and specialists. Most of the devices are relatively expensive, but small sized equipment is slowly becoming available. Here, we have designed several simple experiments which can be performed using a small Stirling refrigerator. We discuss the measurement of the critical current and temperature of a bulk YBa2Cu3O(7-d) (YBCO) sample, the observation of the levitation of a magnet over a YBCO disk when cooled below the critical temperature and the observation of a phase transition using ac calorimetry. The equipment can be easily handled by students, and also used to teach the principles of liquid free cooling

New Insights into the HII Region G18.88-0.49: Hub-Filament System and Accreting Filaments

We present an analysis of multiwavelength observations of an area of 0.°27 × 0.°27 around the Galactic H ii region G18.88-0.49, which is powered by an O-type star (age ∼ 105 yr). The Herschel column density map reveals a shell-like feature of extension ∼12 pc × 7 pc and mass ∼2.9 × 104 M o˙ around the H ii region; its existence is further confirmed by the distribution of molecular (12CO, 13CO, C18O, and NH3) gas at [60, 70] km s-1. Four subregions are studied toward this shell-like feature and show a mass range of ∼0.8-10.5 × 103 M o˙. These subregions associated with dense gas are dominated by nonthermal pressure and supersonic nonthermal motions. The shell-like feature is associated with the H ii region, Class I protostars, and a massive protostar candidate, illustrating the ongoing early phases of star formation (including massive stars). The massive protostar is found toward the position of the 6.7 GHz methanol maser, and is associated with outflow activity. Five parsec-scale filaments are identified in the column density and molecular maps and appear to be radially directed to the dense parts of the shell-like feature. This configuration is referred to as a "hub-filament"system. Significant velocity gradients (0.8-1.8 km s-1 pc-1) are observed along each filament, suggesting that the molecular gas flows toward the central hub along the filaments. Overall, our observational findings favor a global nonisotropic collapse scenario as discussed in Motte et al., which can explain the observed morphology and star formation in and around G18.88-0.49.Fil: Dewangan, L. K.. Physical Research Laboratory India; IndiaFil: Ojha, D. K.. International Centre Of Theoretical Science. Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research; EspañaFil: Sharma, Saurabh. Aryabhatta Research Institute Of Observational Sciences; IndiaFil: del Palacio, Santiago. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Bhadari, N. K.. Indian Institute Of Technology Gandhinagar; India. Physical Research Laboratory India; IndiaFil: Das, A.. University Of Hyderabad; Indi

Magnetism of (Dy0.5Er0.5)Al2 single crystal in ac and dc magnetic fields

The temperature (4.2–90 K), ac magnetic field (1.25–50 Oe), frequency (5–125 Hz), and bias dc magnetic field (0–10 kOe) dependencies of the real and imaginary components of the ac magnetic susceptibility, and the temperature (4.2–250 K) and dc magnetic field(0.1–50 kOe) dependencies of the dc magnetic susceptibility and magnetization of a(Dy0.5Er0.5)Al2 single crystal have been studied. Isothermal magnetization measurement in a dc magnetic field indicates that (Dy0.5Er0.5)Al2 orders ferromagnetically at 37 K. The ac and dc magnetic susceptibilities of (Dy0.5Er0.5)Al2 exhibit a similar behavior in the paramagnetic region but quite different behaviors in the ferromagnetic state. Both the real and imaginary components of the ac magnetic susceptibility are sensitive to the applied ac magnetic field, the crystallographic direction, and the bias magnetic field, showing that domain wall dynamics mainly account for the response to the ac magnetic field. The contributions to the magnetization process arise from the magnetically ordered Dy and Er sublattices and depend upon the single-ion anisotropy of the Dy and Er ions

ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF JAGUAR, PUMA AND THEIR POTENTIAL PREY IN SAN LUIS POTOSI, MEXICO

Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) are sympatric species in Mexico and have ecological similarities. The understanding of interespecific interactions between these species are important for effective conservation strategies. We studied activity patterns of jaguars, pumas and their potential prey species through camera-trapping photographs obtained by during four seasonsin the Abra-Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve , San Luis Potosí, Mexico. We described activity patterns of 12 terrestrial vertebrate species, the degree of overlap of jaguar and puma activity; and the prey – predator relationship. Both felids showed cathemeral activity and overlapping between their activities. Jaguar activity showed a significant correlation with eight prey species activity. Puma activity was no related with any prey species activity. Activity peaks of both felids suggest that temporal segregation is a strategy which minimizes interspecific encounters allowing the coexistence of several individuals in this small reserve.El jaguar (Panthera onca) y el puma (Puma concolor) en México son especies simpátricas y presentan similitud ecológica. El entendimiento de las interacciones interespecíficas entre estas especies es importante para la elaboración de estrategias efectivas de conservación. Se estudiaron los patrones de actividad del jaguar, el puma y sus presas potenciales, a través del análisis de las fotografías obtenidas en cuatro temporadas de foto-trampeo en la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Abra-Tanchipa (RBSAT), San Luis Potosí, México. Se describieron los patrones de actividad de 12 especies de fauna, el grado de sobreposición en la actividad del jaguar y el puma; y su relación con la actividad de sus presas. Ambos felinos presentaron actividad catemeral con traslape en sus patrones de actividad. La actividad del jaguar está relacionada significativamente con la actividad de ocho especies de presas; la actividad del puma no se relacionó con la actividad de ninguna presa. Los picos de actividad de ambos felinos sugieren que la separación temporal es una estrategia para minimizar los de encuentros interespecíficos que permite la coexistencia de varios individuos en reservas pequeñas

Patient specific modeling of palpation-based prostate cancer diagnosis: effects of pelvic cavity anatomy and intrabladder pressure.

Computational modeling has become a successful tool for scientific advances including understanding the behavior of biological and biomedical systems as well as improving clinical practice. In most cases, only general models are used without taking into account patient-specific features. However, patient specificity has proven to be crucial in guiding clinical practice because of disastrous consequences that can arise should the model be inaccurate. This paper proposes a framework for the computational modeling applied to the example of the male pelvic cavity for the purpose of prostate cancer diagnostics using palpation. The effects of patient specific structural features on palpation response are studied in three selected patients with very different pathophysiological conditions whose pelvic cavities are reconstructed from MRI scans. In particular, the role of intrabladder pressure in the outcome of digital rectal examination is investigated with the objective of providing guidelines to practitioners to enhance the effectiveness of diagnosis. Furthermore, the presence of the pelvic bone in the model is assessed to determine the pathophysiological conditions in which it has to be modeled. The conclusions and suggestions of this work have potential use not only in clinical practice and also for biomechanical modeling where structural patient-specificity needs to be considered. © 2015 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Understanding the differential hygienic behavior towards drone brood in Apis mellifera colonies from Argentina

Brood diseases of Apis mellifera colonies constitute a main problem of beekeeping worldwide. Worker bees display a social health mechanism that consists in detecting, uncapping and removing dead or diseased brood from the hive: the hygienic behavior (CH). These activities are induced by olfactory cues and have been described as associated to hygiene of brood parasitized by Varroa destructor. This mite have preference for drone brood, but the efficiency of CH towards their cells is significantly lower compared with cells of worker brood, being left uninspected by workers. Some authors suggest that a possible cause of the CH differences is due to the cell wax cap of drone brood (thicker than worker cells) acting as a barrier to volatile compounds and obstructing disease detection. The aims of this research were to study the differential CH towards worker and drone brood belonging to highly hygienic colonies from Argentina, and to explore the importance of drone cell wax cap as an interfering factor in the transmission of chemical signals. To this end, removal percentages of pin-killed worker and drone brood were recorded and an innovative cell wax cap exchange was implemented in three different treatments: pin-killed worker pupa with a healthy drone cell wax cap; a healthy worker pupa with a pin-killed drone cell wax cap; and a healthy worker pupa covered with a healthy drone cell wax cap (control). Results showed a greater removal towards worker cells than drone cells. For the cell wax cap exchange experiment, we found that the removal of pin-killed worker pupae covered with healthy drone cell wax cap was significantly high, while the removal of healthy worker pupae covered with pin-killed drone opercula was low. These preliminary results confirms a differential behavior between both type of brood cells and suggests that the cell wax cap of drone brood is not interfering the detection of chemical compounds from the diseased brood by worker bees, regardless the thickness. This work contributes to a better understanding of the detection activity of different types of diseased brood and provides information useful to control strategies of varroosis and other brood diseases.Fil: Dowd, D. Duggan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Muntaabski, Irina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Russo, R. M.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Landi, L.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Lanzavecchia, S. B.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Cladera, J. L.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Genética; ArgentinaFil: Palacio, M. A.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; ArgentinaFil: Bedascarrabure, E.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion de Agroindustria. Instituto de Ingeniería Rural.; ArgentinaFil: Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; ArgentinaFil: Liendo, María Clara. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigacion En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo | Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Pque. Centenario. Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia y Biologia Molecular. Grupo Vinculado Instituto de Genetica "ewald A. Favret" Al Iabimo.; Argentina46th Apimondia International Apicultural Congress: Beekeeping together within agricultureQuébecCanadáInternational Federation of Beekeepers' AssociationsCanadian Honey Counci