Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction oscillations during epitaxial growth of artificially layered films of (BaCuOx)m /(CaCuO2)n

Pulsed Laser Deposition in molecular-beam epitaxy environment (Laser-MBE) has been used to grow high quality BaCuOx/CaCuO2 superlattices. In situ Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) shows that the growth mechanism is 2-dimensional. Furthermore, weak but reproducible RHEED intensity oscillations have been monitored during the growth. Ex-situ x-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the growth rate deduced from RHEED oscillations. Such results demonstrate that RHEED oscillations can be used, even for (BaCuOx)2/(CaCuO2)2 superlattices, for phase locking of the growth.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. Corresponding author: Dr. A. Tebano: [email protected]

Effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in bone marrow edema syndrome of the hip

There is no gold standard for treatment of bone marrow edema syndrome of the hip (BMESH). Usually, treatment is conservative, owing to the favorable and self-limiting prognosis. In musculoskeletal disorders, the effectiveness of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been widely recognized and recent research supports its use in the treatment of the first stages of avascular osteonecrosis of the proximal femur and in other conditions where bone marrow edema is present. On this basis, we performed a prospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of ESWT in normalizing the symptoms and imaging features of BMESH. Twenty consecutive symptomatic patients underwent two treatments of high-energy ESWT and were followed-up at 2, 3 and 6 months, with a final clinical follow-up at mean 15.52 +/- A 1.91 months. Patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the hip and were evaluated according to the Harris hip score. The mean improvement in HHS over the course of the study was of 58.5 +/- A 14.9 points (p < 0.0001), and the mean edema area reduced from 981.9 +/- A 453.2 mm(2) pre-treatment to 107.8 +/- A 248.1 mm(2) at 6 months. ESWT seems to be a powerful, non-pharmacological tool that produces rapid pain relief and functional improvement and aids the normalization of the vascular and metabolic impairments which characterize BMESH

Superconducting properties of [BaCuO_x]_2/[CaCuO_2]_n artificial structures with ultrathick CaCuO_2 blocks

The electrical transport properties of [BaCuO_x]_2/[CaCuO_2]_n (CBCCO-2xn)underdoped high temperature superconducting superlattices grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition have been investigated. Starting from the optimally doped CBCCO-2x2 superlattice, having three CuO_2 planes and T_c around 80 K, we have systematically increased the number n up to 15 moving toward the underdoped region and hence decreasing T_c. For n>11 the artificial structures are no longer superconducting, as expected, for a uniformly distributed charge carriers density inside the conducting block layer. The sheet resistance of such artificial structures (n nearly equal to 11) turns out to be quite temperature independent and close to the 2D quantum resistance 26 kOhm. A further increase of the number of CuO_2 planes results in an insulator-type dependence of R(T) in the wide range of temperatures from room temperature to 1 K. The value of the sheet resistance separating the Superconducting and the Insulating regimes supports the fermionic scenario of the Superconductor-Insulator transition in these systems.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures. Corresponding author: [email protected]

Towards a New Paradigm of the Creative City or the Same Devil in Disguise?

Recent attempts have been made by scholars and policy makers to include culture in the sustainability discourse. However, there is a general lack of empirical studies that provide enough insights to understand why culture matters for sustainability. By taking the case of De Ceuvel—a planned workplace for creative and social enterprises in a heavy polluted area in Amsterdam, this chapter aims at answering the question why do cultural and creative entrepreneurs engage in sustainability and in particular in a circular economy model. KEYWORDS: Urban cultural policy, Sustainable development, Entrepreneurs, Amsterdam, Regeneratio

Rotterdam's Cultural Icons

The report at hand evolved around the idea that there is a need for reinventing the rules which determine relationships between the cultural organizations and their financiers. We argue that this is possible by mobilizing some of the most important cultural actors of a city to join forces in order to develop a strong “cultural brand”. We reason that iconic cultural organizations in Rotterdam with an already clear and strong brand can collaborate and create a “cultural brand” for the entire city of Rotterdam. In an era of fierce global competition among cities, this “cultural brand” can become one of the most important assets of Rotterdam to stand out. The explorative study has been carried out by CREARE – Centre for REseach in ARts and Economics in collaboration with the Erasmus School of History Culture and Communication (ESHCC) – Erasmus University Rotterdam on the invitation of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). We have worked on this report from May 2013 to March 2014. It has been a challenging and sometimes demanding research project. Nevertheless, we have worked on it with great pleasure and enthusiasm. The research team thanks Janneke Staarink and Peter Schuiten for all the inspiring conversations and support, Ieva Rozentale and Prijateya Kotipalli for their contributions to the initial phase of the project, and last but not least the persons and organizations that responded to our questions and requests for information: Raad for Kunst en Kultuur Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Kunsthal Rotterdam and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. It would not have been possible to complete the study in time without the