Raman scattering study of (Kx_xSr1−x_{1-x})Fe2_2As2_2 (xx = 0.0, 0.4)

Polarized Raman spectra of non-superconducting SrFe$_2$As$_2$ and superconducting K$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($T_c = 37$ K) are reported. All four phonon modes (A$_{1g}$ + B$_{1g}$ + 2E$_g$) allowed by symmetry, are found and identified. Shell model gives reasonable description of the spectra. No detectable anomalies are observed near the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transition in SrFe$_2$As$_2$ or the superconducting transition in K$_{0.4}$Sr$_{0.6}$Fe$_2$As$_2$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Breaking through the Mermin-Wagner limit in 2D van der Waals magnets

The Mermin-Wagner theorem states that long-range magnetic order does not exist in one- or two-dimensional (2D) isotropic magnets with short-ranged interactions. The theorem has been a milestone in magnetism and has been driving the research of recently discovered 2D van der Waals (vdW) magnetic materials from fundamentals up to potential applications. In such systems, the existence of magnetic ordering is typically attributed to the presence of a significant magnetic anisotropy, which is known to introduce a spin-wave gap and circumvent the core assumption of the theorem. Here we show that in finite-size 2D vdW magnets typically found in lab setups (e.g., within millimetres), short-range interactions can be large enough to allow the stabilisation of magnetic order at finite temperatures without any magnetic anisotropy for practical implementations. We demonstrate that magnetic ordering can be created in flakes of 2D materials independent of the lattice symmetry due to the intrinsic nature of the spin exchange interactions and finite-size effects in two-dimensions. Surprisingly we find that the crossover temperature, where the intrinsic magnetisation changes from superparamagnetic to a completely disordered paramagnetic regime, is weakly dependent on the system length, requiring giant sizes (e.g., of the order of the observable universe ~10$^{26}$ m) in order to observe the vanishing of the magnetic order at cryogenic temperatures as expected from the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Our findings indicate exchange interactions as the main driving force behind the stabilisation of short-range order in 2D magnetism and broaden the horizons of possibilities for exploration of compounds with low anisotropy at an atomically thin level

Acousto-optical Scanning-Based High-Speed 3D Two-Photon Imaging In Vivo.

Recording of the concerted activity of neuronal assemblies and the dendritic and axonal signal integration of downstream neurons pose different challenges, preferably a single recording system should perform both operations. We present a three-dimensional (3D), high-resolution, fast, acousto-optic two-photon microscope with random-access and continuous trajectory scanning modes reaching a cubic millimeter scan range (now over 950 × 950 × 3000 μm3) which can be adapted to imaging different spatial scales. The resolution of the system allows simultaneous functional measurements in many fine neuronal processes, even in dendritic spines within a central core (>290 × 290 × 200 μm3) of the total scanned volume. Furthermore, the PSF size remained sufficiently low (PSFx < 1.9 μm, PSFz < 7.9 μm) to target individual neuronal somata in the whole scanning volume for simultaneous measurement of activity from hundreds of cells. The system contains new design concepts: it allows the acoustic frequency chirps in the deflectors to be adjusted dynamically to compensate for astigmatism and optical errors; it physically separates the z-dimension focusing and lateral scanning functions to optimize the lateral AO scanning range; it involves a custom angular compensation unit to diminish off-axis angular dispersion introduced by the AO deflectors, and it uses a high-NA, wide-field objective and high-bandwidth custom AO deflectors with large apertures. We demonstrate the use of the microscope at different spatial scales by first showing 3D optical recordings of action potential back propagation and dendritic Ca2+ spike forward propagation in long dendritic segments in vitro, at near-microsecond temporal resolution. Second, using the same microscope we show volumetric random-access Ca2+ imaging of spontaneous and visual stimulation-evoked activity from hundreds of cortical neurons in the visual cortex in vivo. The selection of active neurons in a volume that respond to a given stimulus was aided by the real-time data analysis and the 3D interactive visualization accelerated selection of regions of interest

Care When It Counts: Establishing Trauma-Sensitive Care as a Preventative Approach for 0–3-Year-Old Children Suffering from Trauma and Chronic Stress

Adverse childhood experiences are an important societal concern. Children aged 0-3 are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable chronic stress due to the critical period for brain development and attachment. Trauma-sensitive care is a preventative approach to reduce the burden of stressful experiences by committing to positive relationships. Professional caregivers are ideally placed to offer trauma-sensitive care; however, earlier research reveals that the tools they need to consciously apply trauma-sensitive care principles are missing. The current study organized living labs (co-creative research method) to present trauma-sensitive care as a preventative approach aimed at children aged 0-3. Two living labs were organized in Belgium and Hungary, where professional caregivers collaborated to create a protocol that offers guidelines on how to implement trauma-sensitive care. The resulting protocol included a theoretical foundation on trauma as well as a translation of these guidelines into practical recommendations. The protocol was evaluated by incorporating it into a training intervention delivered to 100 professional caregivers from childcare organizations across four European countries. The protocol received positive feedback from participants, with results indicating a self-reported increase in knowledge, attitude and practice of trauma-sensitive care principles. We conclude that this trauma-sensitive care protocol is a promising answer to the needs of professional caregivers working with children aged 0-3

Data incongruence and the problem of avian louse phylogeny

Recent studies based on different types of data (i.e. morphological and molecular) have supported conflicting phylogenies for the genera of avian feather lice (Ischnocera: Phthiraptera). We analyse new and published data from morphology and from mitochondrial (12S rRNA and COI) and nuclear (EF1-) genes to explore the sources of this incongruence and explain these conflicts. Character convergence, multiple substitutions at high divergences, and ancient radiation over a short period of time have contributed to the problem of resolving louse phylogeny with the data currently available. We show that apparent incongruence between the molecular datasets is largely attributable to rate variation and nonstationarity of base composition. In contrast, highly significant character incongruence leads to topological incongruence between the molecular and morphological data. We consider ways in which biases in the sequence data could be misleading, using several maximum likelihood models and LogDet corrections. The hierarchical structure of the data is explored using likelihood mapping and SplitsTree methods. Ultimately, we concede there is strong discordance between the molecular and morphological data and apply the conditional combination approach in this case. We conclude that higher level phylogenetic relationships within avian Ischnocera remain extremely problematic. However, consensus between datasets is beginning to converge on a stable phylogeny for avian lice, at and below the familial rank

Bio-Ecology of the Louse, Upupicola upupae, Infesting the Common Hoopoe, Upupa epops

The population characteristics of the louse, Upupicola upupae (Shrank) (Mallophaga: Philopteridae: Ishnocera), infesting the Common Hoopae, Upupa epops L. (Aves: Upupiformes), were recorded during 2007–08 in District Rampur, Uttar Pradesh India. The pattern of frequency distribution of the louse conformed to the negative binomial model. The lice and its nits were reared in vitro at 35 ± 1° C, 75–82 % RH, on a feather diet. The data obtained was used to construct the life table and to determine the intrinsic rate of natural increase (0.035 female/day), the net reproductive rate was 3.67 female eggs/female, the generation time was 37 days, and the doubling time of the population was 19 days. The chaetotaxy of the three nymphal instars has also been noted to record their diagnostic characteristics. Information on egg morphology and antennal sensilla is also presented

Reakcija β-amino-α,γ-dicianokrotononitrila s acetofenonom: sinteza derivata piridina, piridazina i tiofena s antimikrobnim djelovanjem

Condensation of β-amino-α,γ-dicyanocrotononitrile (1) with acetophenone gave the 2-amino-4-phenylpenta-1,3-diene-1,1,3-tricarbonitrile (2). The latter product was used in a series of heterocyclization reactions when react with different reagents like diazonium salts, hydrazines, hydroxylamine and elemental sulfur to give pyridazine, pyrazole, isoxazole and thiophene derivatives, respectively. On the other hand, it gave pyridine derivatives with aromatic aldehydes followed by reaction with cyanomethylene reagents. The MIC values for the newly synthesized product were measured against E. coli, B. cereus, B. subtilis and C. albicansKondenzacijom β-amino-α,γ-dicijanokrotononitrila 1 s acetofenonom dobiven je 2-amino-4-fenilpenta-1,3-dien-1,1,3-trikarbonitril (2) koji je upotrebljen u reakcijama heterociklizacije s različitim reagensima poput diazonijevih soli, hidrazina, hidroksilamina i elementarnog sumpora pri čemu su nastali derivati piridazina, pirazola, izoksazola, odnosno tiofena. Spoj 2 je u reakciji s aromatskim aldehidima te naknadno sa cijanometilenima dao derivate piridina. Određene su MIC vrijednosti za novosintetizirane spojeve protiv E. coli, B. cereus, B. subtilis i C. albicans

The effects of electrical hippocampal kindling of seizures on amino acids and kynurenic acid concentrations in brain structures

Our study demonstrated that the development of seizures during the electrically induced kindling of seizures is associated with significant changes in the concentration of kynurenic acid (KYNA) and its precursor, tryptophan (TRP). The primary finding of our study was an increase in KYNA levels and the KYNA/TRP ratio (a theoretical index of activity of the kynurenine pathway) in the amygdala and hippocampus of kindled animals. We also found decreases in the concentration of tryptophan in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Changes in the concentration of KYNA and TRP in the amygdala were accompanied by a significant decrease in γ-Aminobutryic Acid (GABA) levels and an increase in the glutamate/GABA ratio. Moreover, we found a significant negative correlation between the local concentrations of KYNA and glutamate in the amygdala of kindled rats. However, there were no changes in the local concentrations of the following amino acids: glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, glycine, taurine and alanine. In conclusion, these new results suggest a modulatory influence of KYNA on the process of epileptogenesis, characterized by a negative relationship between the KYNA and glutamate systems in the amygdala

The potential risks and impact of the start of the 2015–2016 influenza season in the WHO European Region: a rapid risk assessment

Background: Countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region are reporting more severe influenza activity in the 2015–2016 season compared to previous seasons. Objectives: To conduct a rapid risk assessment to provide interim information on the severity of the current influenza season. Methods: Using the WHO manual for rapid risk assessment of acute public health events and surveillance data available from Flu News Europe, an assessment of the current influenza season from 28 September 2015 (week 40/2015) up to 31 January 2016 (week 04/2016) was made compared with the four previous seasons. Results: The current influenza season started around week 51/2015 with higher influenza activity reported in Eastern Europe compared to Western Europe. There is a strong predominance of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 compared to previous seasons, but the virus is antigenically similar to the strain included in the seasonal influenza vaccine. Compared to the 2014/2015 season, there was a rapid increase in the number of severe cases in Eastern European countries with the majority of such cases occurring among adults aged < 65 years. Conclusions: The current influenza season is characterized by an early start in Eastern European countries, with indications of a more severe season. Currently circulating influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses are antigenically similar to those included in the seasonal influenza vaccine, and the vaccine is expected to be effective. Authorities should provide information to the public and health providers about the current influenza season, recommendations for the treatment of severe disease and effective public health measures to prevent influenza transmission