Nanostructured Europium Oxide thin films deposited by pulsed laser ablation of a metallic target in a He buffer atmosphere

Nanostrucured Europium oxide and hydroxide films were obtained by pulsed Nd:Yag (532 nm) laser ablation of an Europium metallic target, in the presence of a 1 mbar Helium buffer atmosphere. Both the produced film and the ambient plasma were characterized. The plasma was monitored by an electrostatic probe, for plume expansion in vacuum or in the presence of the buffer atmosphere. The time evolution of the ion saturation current was obtained for several probe to substrate distances. The results show the splitting of the plume into two velocity groups, being the lower velocity profile associated with metal cluster formation within the plume. The films were obtained in the presence of helium atmosphere, for several target to substrate distances. They were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy, for samples as-deposited and treated at 600 degrees C in air. The results show that the as-deposited samples are amorphous and have chemical composition compatible with Europium hydroxide. The thermally treated samples show X-Ray diffraction peaks of Eu_2O_3, with chemical composition showing excess oxygen. Film nanostructuring was shown to be strongly correlated to cluster formation, as shown by velocity splitting in probe current versus time plots.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures, 31 reference

Risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes newly treated with DPP-4 inhibitors or other oral glucose-lowering medications: A retrospective registry study on 127,555 patients from the Nationwide OsMed Health-DB Database

Aims Oral glucose-lowering medications are associated with excess risk of heart failure (HF). Given the absence of comparative data among drug classes, we performed a retrospective study in 32 Health Services of 16 Italian regions accounting for a population of 18 million individuals, to assess the association between HF risk and use of sulphonylureas, DPP-4i, and glitazones. Methods and results We extracted data on patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated treatment with DPP-4i, thiazolidinediones, or sulphonylureas alone or in combination with metformin during an accrual time of 2 years. The endpoint was hospitalization for HF (HHF) occurring after the first 6 months of therapy, and the observation was extended for up to 4 years. A total of 127 555 patients were included, of whom 14.3% were on DPP-4i, 72.5% on sulphonylurea, 13.2% on thiazolidinediones, with average 70.7% being on metformin as combination therapy. Patients in the three groups differed significantly for baseline characteristics: age, sex, Charlson index, concurrent medications, and previous cardiovascular events. During an average 2.6-year follow-up, after adjusting for measured confounders, use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF compared with sulphonylureas [hazard ratio (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62-0.97; P = 0.026]. After propensity matching, the analysis was restricted to 39 465 patients, and the use of DPP-4i was still associated with a lower risk of HHF (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.94; P = 0.018). Conclusion In a very large observational study, the use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF when compared with sulphonylureas

A Muon Collider Facility for Physics Discovery

Muon colliders provide a unique route to deliver high energy collisions thatenable discovery searches and precision measurements to extend ourunderstanding of the fundamental laws of physics. The muon collider design aimsto deliver physics reach at the highest energies with costs, power consumptionand on a time scale that may prove favorable relative to other proposedfacilities. In this context, a new international collaboration has formed tofurther extend the design concepts and performance studies of such a machine.This effort is focused on delivering the elements of a $\sim$10 TeV center ofmass (CM) energy design to explore the physics energy frontier. The path tosuch a machine may pass through lower energy options. Currently a 3 TeV CMstage is considered. Other energy stages could also be explored, e.g. ans-channel Higgs Factory operating at 125 GeV CM. We describe the status of theR&D and design effort towards such a machine and lay out a plan to bring theseconcepts to maturity as a tool for the high energy physics community.<br

Genome of Herbaspirillum seropedicae Strain SmR1, a Specialized Diazotrophic Endophyte of Tropical Grasses

The molecular mechanisms of plant recognition, colonization, and nutrient exchange between diazotrophic endophytes and plants are scarcely known. Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic bacterium capable of colonizing intercellular spaces of grasses such as rice and sugar cane. The genome of H. seropedicae strain SmR1 was sequenced and annotated by The Paraná State Genome Programme—GENOPAR. The genome is composed of a circular chromosome of 5,513,887 bp and contains a total of 4,804 genes. The genome sequence revealed that H. seropedicae is a highly versatile microorganism with capacity to metabolize a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources and with possession of four distinct terminal oxidases. The genome contains a multitude of protein secretion systems, including type I, type II, type III, type V, and type VI secretion systems, and type IV pili, suggesting a high potential to interact with host plants. H. seropedicae is able to synthesize indole acetic acid as reflected by the four IAA biosynthetic pathways present. A gene coding for ACC deaminase, which may be involved in modulating the associated plant ethylene-signaling pathway, is also present. Genes for hemagglutinins/hemolysins/adhesins were found and may play a role in plant cell surface adhesion. These features may endow H. seropedicae with the ability to establish an endophytic life-style in a large number of plant species