On the Lengths, Colours and Ages of Bars

In an effort to obtain further observational evidences for secular evolution processes in galaxies, as well as observational constraints to current theoretical models of secular evolution, we have used BVRI and Ks images of a sample of 18 barred galaxies to measure the lengths and colours of bars, create colour maps and estimate global colour gradients. In addition, applying a method we developed in a previous article, we could distinguish for 7 galaxies in our sample those whose bars have been recently formed from the ones with already evolved bars. We estimated an average difference in the optical colours between young and evolved bars that may be translated to an age difference of the order of 10 Gyr, meaning that bars may be long standing structures. Moreover, our results show that, on average, evolved bars are longer than young bars. This seems to indicate that, during its evolution, a bar grows longer by capturing stars from the disk, in agreement with recent numerical and analytical results.Comment: To appear in Galaxy Evolution Across the Hubble Time, proceedings of the IAU Symp. 235, F. Combes and J. Palous (eds.); 1 page; the poster can be found at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~dimitri/iauga.pd

Tuning domain wall velocity with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

We have studied a series of Pt/Co/M epitaxial trilayers, in which Co is sandwiched between Pt and a non magnetic layer M (Pt, Ir, Cu, Al). Using polar magneto-optical Kerr microscopy, we show that the field- induced domain wall speeds are strongly dependent on the nature of the top layer, they increase going from M=Pt to lighter top metallic overlayers, and can reach several 100 m/s for Pt/Co/Al. The DW dynamics is consistent with the presence of chiral N\'eel walls stabilized by interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) whose strength increases going from Pt to Al top layers. This is explained by the presence of DMI with opposite sign at the Pt/Co and Co/M interfaces, the latter increasing in strength going towards heavier atoms, possibly due to the increasing spin-orbit interaction. This work shows that in non-centrosymmetric trilayers the domain wall dynamics can be finely tuned by engineering the DMI strength, in view of efficient devices for logic and spitronics applications.Comment: 5 pages, 4 Figure

Frequency-Dependent Current Noise through Quantum-Dot Spin Valves

We study frequency-dependent current noise through a single-level quantum dot connected to ferromagnetic leads with non-collinear magnetization. We propose to use the frequency-dependent Fano factor as a tool to detect single-spin dynamics in the quantum dot. Spin precession due to an external magnetic and/or a many-body exchange field affects the Fano factor of the system in two ways. First, the tendency towards spin-selective bunching of the transmitted electrons is suppressed, which gives rise to a reduction of the low-frequency noise. Second, the noise spectrum displays a resonance at the Larmor frequency, whose lineshape depends on the relative angle of the leads' magnetizations.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figure

Effect of the growth medium composition on nitrate accumulation in the novel protein crop Lemna minor

Duckweed is a potential alternative protein source for food and feed. However, little is known about the nitrate accumulation in this plant. A high nitrate level in vegetables can indirectly lead to an elevated intake of nitrites and N-nitroso compounds, increasing the risk of diseases for humans and animals. This research hypothesizes that the nitrate accumulation of Lemna minor differs between growing media. Additionally, it evaluates whether legal safety levels of nitrate for human and animal intake are exceeded. The duckweed was grown on (i) rainwater, and (ii) three synthetic media containing different nutrient levels. Furthermore, (iii) biological effluent of swine manure treatment and (iv) aquaculture effluent from pikeperch production were used, as these are potential media for closing nutrient loops in the agriculture sector. It was found that nitrate levels increased with the increasing availability of macronutrients in the water, and pH showed a particularly strong negative correlation with the nitrate levels in the plant. Nevertheless, nitrate content never exceeded 530 mg NO3 kg−1 fresh weight. To conclude, Lemna minor's nitrate content was below safety limits for human consumption in all tested growing media; however, a potential risk for ruminants was observed as these are more sensitive to nitrate conversions in their gastro-intestinal track

Decrease in pulmonary function and oxygenation after lung resection

Respiratory deficits are common following curative intent lung cancer surgery and may reduce the patient's ability to be physically active. We evaluated the influence of surgery on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength and physical performance after lung resection. Pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory/expiratory pressure) and 6-min walk test (6MWT) were assessed pre-operatively, 2 weeks post-operatively and 6 months post-operatively in 80 patients (age 68±9 years). Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed in 58% of cases. Two weeks post-operatively, we found a significant decline in pulmonary function (forced vital capacity −0.6±0.6 L and forced expiratory volume in 1 s −0.43±0.4 L; both p<0.0001), 6MWT (−37.6±74.8 m; p<0.0001) and oxygenation (−2.9±4.7 units; p<0.001), while maximal inspiratory and maximal expiratory pressure were unaffected. At 6 months post-operatively, pulmonary function and oxygenation remained significantly decreased (p<0.001), whereas 6MWT was recovered. We conclude that lung resection has a significant short- and long-term impact on pulmonary function and oxygenation, but not on respiratory muscle strength. Future research should focus on mechanisms negatively influencing post-operative pulmonary function other than impaired respiratory muscle strength

Lemna minor cultivation for treating swine manure and providing micronutrients for animal feed

The potential of Lemna minor to valorise agricultural wastewater into a protein-rich feed component to meet the growing demand for animal feed protein and reduce the excess of nutrients in certain European regions was investigated. Three pilot-scale systems were monitored for nine weeks under outdoor conditions in Flanders. The systems were fed with a mixture of the liquid fraction and the biological effluent of a swine manure treatment system diluted with rainwater in order that the weekly N and P addition was equal to the N and P removal by the system. The design tested the accumulation of elements in a continuous recirculation system. Potassium, Cl, S, Ca, and Mg were abundantly available in the swine manure wastewaters and tended to accumulate, being a possible cause of concern for long-operating recirculation systems. The harvested duckweed was characterised for its mineral composition and protein content. In animal husbandry, trace elements are specifically added to animal feed as micronutrients and, thus, feedstuffs biofortified with essential trace elements can provide added value. Duckweed grown on the tested mixture of swine manure waste streams could be considered as a source of Mn, Zn, and Fe for swine feed, while it is not a source of Cu for swine feed. Moreover, it was observed that As, Cd, and Pb content were below the limits of the feed Directive 2002/32/EC in the duckweed grown on the tested medium. Overall, these results demonstrate that duckweed can effectively remove nutrients from agriculture wastewaters in a recirculated system while producing a feed source with a protein content of 35% DM

High throughput sequencing for the detection and characterization of new virus found in arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza)

Arracacha is a root crop cultivated in several countries of South America. The commercial product, which is the storage root, has multiple nutritional properties: its fine starch makes it easily digestible, and it contains high levels of calcium and vitamin A. High throughput sequencing (HTS) technology has been applied successfully for virus discovery in different agricultural crops, and it has been proposed to apply it in routine pathogen detection. Using HTS, novel sequences related to crinivirus and vitivirus were identified in apparently symptomeless arracacha, which were assembled into contigs located in different positions of the genome. Based on those sequences’ primers were designed to amplify corresponding sequences from further arracacha accessions and potato plant samples collected from farmers’ fields in Colombia and Peru. It was possible to determine the near complete genomes of these viruses. In addition, sequences related to an enamovirus and ST9-like RNA were also identified in arracacha plants using HTS

Cancer-associated fibroblast phenotypes are associated with patient outcome in non-small cell lung cancer

Despite advances in treatment, lung cancer survival rates remain low. A better understanding of the cellular heterogeneity and interplay of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the tumor microenvironment will support the development of personalized therapies. We report a spatially resolved single-cell imaging mass cytometry (IMC) analysis of CAFs in a non-small cell lung cancer cohort of 1,070 patients. We identify four prognostic patient groups based on 11 CAF phenotypes with distinct spatial distributions and show that CAFs are independent prognostic factors for patient survival. The presence of tumor-like CAFs is strongly correlated with poor prognosis. In contrast, inflammatory CAFs and interferon-response CAFs are associated with inflamed tumor microenvironments and higher patient survival. High density of matrix CAFs is correlated with low immune infiltration and is negatively correlated with patient survival. In summary, our data identify phenotypic and spatial features of CAFs that are associated with patient outcome in NSCLC