Magnetic ordering and charge transport in electron-doped La₁-yCeyMnO₃ (0.1 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) films

Microstructure, magnetic and transport properties of the as-deposited La₁−yCeyMnO₃(0.1 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) films, prepared by a pulse laser deposition, have been investigated in wide region of temperature and magnetic field. The microstructure analysis reveals that all films have a high c-oriented texture, the orthorhombic crystal lattice and the negligible quantity of CeO₂ inclusions. The observed strip-domain phase with a periodic spacing of about 3c, the crystal lattice of which is the same to the basic film phase, reveals the magnetic behavior typical for the Griffiths phase. The regions of the double-period modulated phase was found at room temperature in the y = 0.1 film, which are treated as the Mn³⁺/Mn²⁺ ordering with the partial ferromagnetic → antiferromagnetic transition at TN ≤ 80 K. At the same time, the carried out investigation manifests that the magnetic and transport properties of the electron-doped La₁-yCeyMnO₃ films, driven by a cation doping, are similar to that for the hole-doped La/Ca manganites. Therefore, one can conclude, that does not exist of a principle difference between the mechanisms of spin-ordering and charge-transport in the hole- and the electron-doped manganites

CL100 expression is down-regulated in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer and its re-expression decreases its malignant potential

Although early stage ovarian cancer can be effectively treated with surgery and chemotherapy, the majority of cases present with advanced disease, which remains essentially incurable. Unfortunately, little is known about the genes important for the development and progression of this disease. In this study, the expression of 68 phosphatases was determined in immortalized ovarian epithelial cells (IOSE) and compared to ovarian cancer cell lines. CL100, a dual specificity phosphatase, displayed 10-25-fold higher expression in normal compared to malignant ovarian cell lines. Immunohistochemical staining of normal ovaries and 68 ovarian cancer specimens confirmed this differential expression. Re-expression of CL100 in ovarian cancer cells decreased adherent and non-adherent cell growth and induced phenotypic changes including loss of filopodia and lamellipodia with an associated decrease in cell motility. Induced expression of CL100 in ovarian cancer cells suppressed intraperitoneal tumor growth in nude mice. These results show for the first time that CL100 expression is altered in human ovarian cancer, that CL100 expression changes cell morphology and motility, and that it suppresses intraperitoneal growth of human ovarian epithelial cancer. These data suggest that down-regulation of CL100 may play a role in the progression of human ovarian cancer

Sulfonated Styrene-(ethylene-co-butylene)-styrene/Montmorillonite Clay Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Morphology, and Properties

Sulfonated styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene triblock copolymer (SSEBS) was synthesized by reaction of acetyl sulfate with SEBS. SSESB-clay nanocomposites were then prepared from hydrophilic Na-montmorillonite (MT) and organically (quaternary amine) modified hydrophobic nanoclay (OMT) at very low loading. SEBS did not show improvement in properties with MT-based nanocomposites. On sulfonation (3 and 6 weight%) of SEBS, hydrophilic MT clay-based nanocomposites exhibited better mechanical, dynamic mechanical, and thermal properties, and also controlled water–methanol mixture uptake and permeation and AC resistance. Microstructure determined by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy due to better dispersion of MT nanoclay particles and interaction of MT with SSEBS matrix was responsible for this effect. The resulting nanocomposites have potential as proton transfer membranes for Fuel Cell applications

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

The burden of cardiovascular disease in Asia from 2025 to 2050: a forecast analysis for East Asia, South Asia, South-East Asia, Central Asia, and high-income Asia Pacific regions

Background: Given the rapidly growing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Asia, this study forecasts the CVD burden and associated risk factors in Asia from 2025 to 2050. Methods: Data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study was used to construct regression models predicting prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to CVD and risk factors in Asia in the coming decades. Findings: Between 2025 and 2050, crude cardiovascular mortality is expected to rise 91.2% despite a 23.0% decrease in the age-standardised cardiovascular mortality rate (ASMR). Ischaemic heart disease (115 deaths per 100,000 population) and stroke (63 deaths per 100,000 population) will remain leading drivers of ASMR in 2050. Central Asia will have the highest ASMR (676 deaths per 100,000 population), more than three-fold that of Asia overall (186 deaths per 100,000 population), while high-income Asia sub-regions will incur an ASMR of 22 deaths per 100,000 in 2050. High systolic blood pressure will contribute the highest ASMR throughout Asia (105 deaths per 100,000 population), except in Central Asia where high fasting plasma glucose will dominate (546 deaths per 100,000 population). Interpretation:This forecast forewarns an almost doubling in crude cardiovascular mortality by 2050 in Asia, with marked heterogeneity across sub-regions. Atherosclerotic diseases will continue to dominate, while high systolic blood pressure will be the leading risk factor

Native diversity buffers against severity of non-native tree invasions

Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species1,2. Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies3,4. Here, leveraging global tree databases5–7, we explore how the phylogenetic and functional diversity of native tree communities, human pressure and the environment influence the establishment of non-native tree species and the subsequent invasion severity. We find that anthropogenic factors are key to predicting whether a location is invaded, but that invasion severity is underpinned by native diversity, with higher diversity predicting lower invasion severity. Temperature and precipitation emerge as strong predictors of invasion strategy, with non-native species invading successfully when they are similar to the native community in cold or dry extremes. Yet, despite the influence of these ecological forces in determining invasion strategy, we find evidence that these patterns can be obscured by human activity, with lower ecological signal in areas with higher proximity to shipping ports. Our global perspective of non-native tree invasion highlights that human drivers influence non-native tree presence, and that native phylogenetic and functional diversity have a critical role in the establishment and spread of subsequent invasions

Configurable Controller for High-Resolution LED Display Systems

Light-emitting diode (LED) display systems are implemented in various resolutions and aspect ratios to satisfy various display requirements. The requisite resolution and aspect ratio can be obtained by combining the appropriate LED panels. However, using different types of LED panels require using different types of LED controllers to drive them, which constitutes a rather burdensome design constraint. In addition, a driving circuit inside an LED panel may be modified to improve the display quality by adopting a new driving scheme or new LED elements. Furthermore, it may sometimes be necessary to create a completely new LED panel. All of these situations require the design of new LED controllers. In this paper, we, therefore, propose a configurable LED controller that can be used with various types of LED panels without requiring hardware modification or redesign. The proposed LED controller consists of an application-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP) and custom hardware. The ASIP is software programmable, and the custom hardware is employed to obtain a high operating speed. Moreover, the function of the custom hardware can be configured through the ASIP software program for generating the necessary address sequence to read the image bit plane memory and, consequently, to accommodate the target LED panel. Therefore, the proposed LED controller provides the advantages of flexibility and high-speed operation. The proposed LED controller was implemented using Xilinx Virtex-5, and it successfully drove LED panels having 64 x 96, 96 x 80, and 128 x 64 pixels at refresh rates of 3125, 2232, and 1736 Hz, respectively. An analysis of the operational capability indicates that, at the same refresh rate, the field-programmable gate array prototype of the proposed controller drives 1.44 times more pixels per unit time than a state-of-the-art commercial controller.1100Nsciescopu

Ellipsometric evidence of CoSi₂ formation in Co/Si multilayer induced by thermal annealing

The work aim is to demonstrate the potential of the spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) approach to study the solid state reactions, both spontaneous and/or induced by thermal annealing, in (3.0 nm Co / 10.6 nm Si)₂₀ multilayered film (MLF). The regions with a stoichiometry close to Co₂Si are supposed to be formed spontaneously in the asdeposited Co/Si MLF. Sequential anneals of Co/Si MLF at 400, 600, and 700℃ do not produce any visible changes in their amorphous-like large-angle X-ray diffraction (HAXRD) spectra, while the SE indicates the formation of regions with a stoichiometry close to CoSi. Independently on the HAXRD results, the conclusion on the formation of CoSi₂ phase induced by annealing of Co/Si MLF at 800℃ can be confidently done on the basis of only optical study.Целью работы является демонстрация возможностей спектроскопической эллипсометрии (SE) при исследовании твердофазных реакций (как самопроизвольных, так и индуцированных) в многослойной пленке (MLF) (3,0 нм Co / 10,6 нм Si)₂₀. Предполагается, что в свежеосажденной области Co/Si MLF самопроизвольно образуются области со стехиометрией, близкой к Co₂Si. Последовательный отжиг Co/Si MLF при 400, 600 и 700℃ не вызывает видимых изменений в спектрах широкоугловой дифракции рентгеновских лучей (HAXRD), в то время как SE выявляет образование областей со стехиометрией, близкой к CoSi. Независимо от результатов HAXRD, на основании только оптических исследований можно сделать надежный вывод об образовании фазы CoSi₂ под влиянием отжига Co/Si MLF при 800℃.Метою роботи є демонстрацiя можливостей спектроскопiчної елiпсометрiї (SE) при дослiдженнi твердофазних реакцiй (як спонтанних, так i iндукованих) у багатошаровiй плiвцi (MLF) (3,0 нм СО/10,6 нм Si)₂₀. Припускається, що у свiжоосадженiй областi Co/Si MLF спонтанно утворюються областi зi стехiометрiєю, близькою до Co₂Si. Послiдовний вiдпал Co/Si MLF при 400, 600 i 700℃ не викликає видимих змiн у спектрах ширококутової дифракцiї рентгенiвських променiв (HAXRD), у той час як SE виявляє утворення областей зi стехiометрiєю, близькою до CoSi. Незалежно вiд результатiв HAXRD, на пiдставi тiльки оптичних дослiджень можна зробити надiйний висновок про утворення фази CoSi₂ пiд впливом вiдпалу Co/Si MLF при 800℃