Superconducting and structural properties of plasma sprayed YBaCuO layers deposited on metallic substrates

The properties of plasma sprayed Y-Ba-Cu-O coatings deposited on metallic substrates are studied. Stainless steel, nickel steels and pure nickel are used as substrate. Y-Ba-Cu-O deposited on stainless steel and nickel steel reacts with the substrate. This interaction can be suppressed by using an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YsZ) diffusion barrier. However, after heat treatment the Y-Ba-Cu-O layers on YsZ show cracks perpendicular to the surface. As a result the critical current density is very low. The best results are obtained for Y-Ba-Cu-O deposited on pure nickel; here no cracks perpendicular to the surface are observed. The critical current increases with the anneal temperature but annealing for longer than 10 h does not seem to improve the superconducting properties any further

L'Ecologisme en Allemagne et en France : deux modes différents de construction d'un nouvel acteur politique

SummaryThe N-terminally truncated variant of photoactive yellow protein (Δ25-PYP) undergoes a very similar photocycle as the corresponding wild-type protein (WT-PYP), although the lifetime of its light-illuminated (pB) state is much longer. This has allowed determination of the structure of both its dark- (pG) as well as its pB-state in solution by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The pG structure shows a well-defined fold, similar to WT-PYP and the X-ray structure of the pG state of Δ25-PYP. In the long-lived photocycle intermediate pB, the central β sheet is still intact, as well as a small part of one α helix. The remainder of pB is unfolded and highly flexible, as evidenced by results from proton-deuterium exchange and NMR relaxation studies. Thus, the partially unfolded nature of the presumed signaling state of PYP in solution, as suggested previously, has now been structurally demonstrated

Magnetar-like X-Ray Bursts from a Rotation-powered Pulsar, PSR J1119-6127

Two energetic hard X-ray bursts have recently triggered the Fermi and Swift space observatories from the rotation powered pulsar, PSR J1119-6127. We have performed in depth spectral and temporal analyses of these two events. Our extensive searches in both observatory data for lower luminosity bursts uncovered 10 additional events from the source. We report here on the timing and energetics of the 12 bursts from PSR J1119-6127 during its burst active phase of 2016 July 26 and 28. We also found a spectral softer X-ray flux enhancement in a post burst episode, which shows evidence of cooling. We discuss here the implications of these results on the nature of this unusual high-field radio pulsar, which firmly place it within the typical magnetar population.Comment: Revised version, accepted for publication in ApJL. An expanded version of Table 1, as well as the light curves of all Fermi/GBM detected bursts can be found at http://magnetars.sabanciuniv.edu/psrj1119.ph

Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns associated with sleep and mental health in children: a population-based study

Background: DNA methylation (DNAm) has been implicated in the biology of sleep. Yet, how DNAm patterns across the genome relate to different sleep outcomes, and whether these associations overlap with mental health is currently unknown. Here, we investigated associations of DNAm with sleep and mental health in a pediatric population. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 465 10-year-old children (51.3% female) from the Generation R Study. Genome-wide DNAm levels were measured using the Illumina 450K array (peripheral blood). Sleep problems were assessed from self-report and mental health outcomes from maternal questionnaires. Wrist actigraphy was used in 188 11-year-old children to calculate sleep duration and midpoint sleep. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to identify highly comethylated DNAm ‘modules’, which were tested for associations with sleep and mental health outcomes. Results: We identified 64 DNAm modules, one of which associated with sleep duration after covariate and multiple testing adjustment. This module included CpG sites spanning 9 genes on chromosome 17, including MAPT – a key regulator of Tau proteins in the brain involved in neuronal function – as well as genes previously implicated in sleep duration. Follow-up analyses suggested that DNAm variation in this region is under considerable genetic control and shows strong blood–brain concordance. DNAm modules associated with sleep did not overlap with those associated with mental health. Conclusions: We identified one DNAm region associated with sleep duration, including genes previously reported by recent GWAS studies. Further research is warranted to examine the functional role of this region and its longitudinal association with sleep

Systematic review of measurement properties of questionnaires measuring somatization in primary care patients

Objective The aim of this review is to critically appraise the evidence on measurement properties of self-report questionnaires measuring somatization in adult primary care patients and to provide recommendations about which questionnaires are most useful for this purpose. Methods We assessed the methodological quality of included studies using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. To draw overall conclusions about the quality of the questionnaires, we conducted an evidence synthesis using predefined criteria for judging the measurement properties. Results We found 24 articles on 9 questionnaires. Studies on the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) and the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ) somatization subscale prevailed and covered the broadest range of measurement properties. These questionnaires had the best internal consistency, test-retest reliability, structural validity, and construct validity. The PHQ-15 also had good criterion validity, whereas the 4DSQ somatization subscale was validated in several languages. The Bodily Distress Syndrome (BDS) checklist had good internal consistency and structural validity. Some evidence was found for good construct validity and criterion validity of the Physical Symptom Checklist (PSC-51) and good construct validity of the Symptom Check-List (SCL-90-R) somatization subscale. However, these three questionnaires were only studied in a small number of primary care studies. Conclusion Based on our findings, we recommend the use of either the PHQ-15 or 4DSQ somatization subscale for somatization in primary care. Other questionnaires, such as the BDS checklist, PSC-51 and the SCL-90-R somatization subscale show promising results but have not been studied extensively in primary care. © 2017 Elsevier Inc

Heritability estimates for 361 blood metabolites across 40 genome-wide association studies

Metabolomics examines the small molecules involved in cellular metabolism. Approximately 50% of total phenotypic differences in metabolite levels is due to genetic variance, but heritability estimates differ across metabolite classes. We perform a review of all genome-wide association and (exome-) sequencing studies published between November 2008 and October 2018, and identify >800 class-specific metabolite loci associated with metabolite levels. In a twin-family cohort (N = 5117), these metabolite loci are leveraged to simultaneously estimate total heritability (h2 total), and the proportion of heritability captured by known metabolite loci (h2 Metabolite-hits) for 309 lipids and

LOFAR 144-MHz follow-up observations of GW170817

This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 494, Issue 4, June 2020, Pages 5110–5117, ©: 2020 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.We present low-radio-frequency follow-up observations of AT 2017gfo, the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817, which was the first binary neutron star merger to be detected by Advanced LIGO-Virgo. These data, with a central frequency of 144 MHz, were obtained with LOFAR, the Low-Frequency Array. The maximum elevation of the target is just 13.7 degrees when observed with LOFAR, making our observations particularly challenging to calibrate and significantly limiting the achievable sensitivity. On time-scales of 130-138 and 371-374 days after the merger event, we obtain 3$\sigma$ upper limits for the afterglow component of 6.6 and 19.5 mJy beam$^{-1}$, respectively. Using our best upper limit and previously published, contemporaneous higher-frequency radio data, we place a limit on any potential steepening of the radio spectrum between 610 and 144 MHz: the two-point spectral index $\alpha^{610}_{144} \gtrsim -2.5$. We also show that LOFAR can detect the afterglows of future binary neutron star merger events occurring at more favourable elevations.Peer reviewe