Magnetic, thermal and transport properties of Cd doped CeIn3_3

We have investigated the effect of Cd substitution on the archetypal heavy fermion antiferromagnet CeIn$_3$ via magnetic susceptibility, specific heat and resistivity measurements. The suppression of the Neel temperature, T$_{N}$, with Cd doping is more pronounced than with Sn. Nevertheless, a doping induced quantum critical point does not appear to be achievable in this system. The magnetic entropy at $T_N$ and the temperature of the maximum in resistivity are also systematically suppressed with Cd, while the effective moment and the Curie-Weiss temperature in the paramagnetic state are not affected. These results suggest that Cd locally disrupts the AFM order on its neighboring Ce moments, without affecting the valence of Ce. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the specific heat below $T_N$ is not consistent with 3D magnons in pure as well as in Cd-doped CeIn$_3$, a point that has been missed in previous investigations of CeIn$_3$ and that has bearing on the type of quantum criticality in this system

Probing the localized to itinerant behavior of the 4f electron in CeIn3-xSnx by Gd3+ electron spin resonance

The CeIn3-xSnx cubic heavy fermion system presents an antiferromagnetic transition at T_N = 10 K, for x = 0, that decreases continuously down to 0 K upon Sn substitution at a critical concentration of x_c ~ 0.65. In the vicinity of T_N -> 0 the system shows non-Fermi liquid behavior due to antiferromagnetic critical fluctuations. For a high Sn content, x > 2.2, intermediate valence effects are present. In this work we show that Gd3+-doped electron spin resonance (ESR) probes a change in the character of the Ce 4f electron, as a function of Sn substitution. The Gd3+ ESR results indicate a transition of the Ce 4f spin behavior from localized to itinerant. Near the quantum critical point, on the antiferromagnetic side of the magnetic phase diagram, both localized and itinerant behaviors coexist.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Electron spin resonance study of the LaIn3-xSnx superconducting system

The LaIn3-xSnx alloy system is composed of superconducting Pauli paramagnets. For LaIn3 the superconducting critical temperature T_c is approximately 0.7 K and it shows an oscillatory dependence as a function of Sn substitution, presenting its highest value T_c ~ 6.4 K for the LaSn3 end member. The superconducting state of these materials was characterized as being of the conventional type. We report our results for Gd3+ electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements in the LaIn3-xSnx compounds as a function of x. We show that the effective exchange interaction parameter J_fs between the Gd3+ 4f local moment and the s-like conduction electrons is almost unchanged by Sn substitution and observe microscopically that LaSn3 is a conventional superconductor.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. Replaced with the published version and updated the bibliographic informatio

High pressure and high magnetic field studies of the electronic transport properties of the antiferromagnet Eu3ir4sn13

In this work we report the effects of hydrostatic pressure and magnetic field on the electronic transport properties of the antiferromagnetic compound Eu(3)Ir(4)Sni(3) (T-N similar to 10 K). Single crystals of Eu3Ir4Sn13 were synthesized using the Sn self-flux technique. DC electrical resistivity measurements as a function of temperature were performed by means of the four-probe technique. The high-temperature anomaly at T* similar to 57 K attributed to a structural distortion of the Sn1Sn2(12) cages in Eu3Ir4Sn13 is rapidly decreased to lower temperatures at a rate dT*/dP = 2 K/kbar, while the antiferromagnetic transition due to the Eu2+ ions is only weakly affected. Our data do not indicate any magnetoelastic effect associated with the structural instability at T*. Furthermore, the suppression of the lattice distortion by application of external pressure is not accompanied by the emergence of superconductivity, possibly due to strong magnetic correlations between the Eu2+ localized magnetic moments592International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES)2014-07FrançaUniversité Grenoble Alpe

Predictors of recurrence after surgical treatment of idiopathic progressive subglottic stenosis

Predittori di recidiva dopo trattamento chirurgico delle stenosi idiopatiche subglottiche progressive. RIASSUNTO: La stenosi idiopatica subglottica progressiva rappresenta una rara causa di restringimento della laringe. La resezione parziale con successiva anastomosi pu\uf2 potenzialmente essere curativa; nonostante ci\uf2 alcuni pazienti richiedono un numero elevato di ritrattamenti e possono sviluppare disfonia e disfagia in seguito all\u2019intervento. In questo studio abbiamo investigato i fattori di rischio per il ritrattamento e abbiamo valutato l\u2019impatto della resezione crico-tracheale sui parametri funzionali. \uc8 stata condotta un\u2019analisi multicentrica retrospettiva su 44 pazienti di sesso femminile (et\ue0 media 52,6 \ub1 13,1 anni), sottoposti a resezione crico-tracheale tra il 2002 e il 2016. Gli esiti funzionali sono stati valutati utilizzando la scala \u201cvie aeree-dispnea-voce-disfagia\u201d dove ognuno di questi parametri \ue8 stato valutato con un punteggio da 1 a 5, ove 1 esprime una funzione normale e 5 una funzione completamente compromessa. L\u2019esistenza di trattamenti pregressi, il grado di stenosi, il sito della stenosi, la presenza di comorbidit\ue0 delle vie aeree, l\u2019et\ue0 e la lunghezza del segmento resecato sono stati testati all\u2019analisi bivariata e multivariata come predittori di complicanze e di trattamenti aggiuntivi. Il trattamento ha permesso la decannulazione del paziente nel 97,3% dei casi. L\u2019indice di dispnea \ue8 migliorato (variazione media 1,4 \ub1 1,0; p < 0,001), mentre quelli relativi alla voce e alla deglutizione sono peggiorati (variazione media 1,6 \ub1 0,9 and 0,5 \ub1 0,7, rispettivamente; p < 0,001). I pazienti affetti da comorbidit\ue0 delle vie aeree hanno presentato un tasso pi\uf9 alto di complicanze (p < 0,05). La lunghezza del segmento resecato ha dimostrato una correlazione diretta con il numero dei ritrattamenti (R = 0,52; p < 0,01). All\u2019analisi multivariata, le complicazioni post-operatorie erano predette dall\u2019esistenza di comorbidit\ue0 e dallo stadio di malattia (p < 0,05); il numero dei ritrattamenti era associato alla lunghezza del tratto resecato (p < 0,05) e all\u2019applicazione di Mitomicina C (p < 0,001). La resezione crico-tracheale offre dei buoni risultati funzionali per la cura della stenosi idiopatica subglottica progressiva, in termini di perviet\ue0 delle vie aeree. I nostri dati suggeriscono che i pazienti affetti da comorbidit\ue0 possono presentare un\u2019incidenza pi\uf9 alta di complicazioni. Inoltre, resezioni chirurgiche pi\uf9 estese sembrano essere associate all\u2019incidenza e al numero dei ritrattamenti. Al contrario, l\u2019applicazione di sostanza anti-proliferativa non sembra essere utile nella prevenzione delle recidive.Idiopathic progressive subglottic stenosis is a rare cause of tracheal narrowing. Partial cricotracheal resection and anastomosis can cure idiopathic stenosis, even if some patients may require multiple interventions and experience voice and swallowing deterioration. We investigated risk factors for retreatment and assessed the impact of crico-tracheal resection on functional parameters. We conducted a retrospective multicentric study on 44 female patients (mean age 52.6 \ub1 13.1 years) affected by idiopathic stenosis and treated by crico-tracheal resection between 2002 and 2016. Functional outcomes after crico-tracheal resection were assessed by the airway-dyspnoea-voice-swallowing score (range 1-5, with "1" expressing normal and "5" completely altered function). Previous treatments, grade of stenosis, site, airway comorbidities, age and resection length were tested as predictors of postoperative complications and number of additional treatments, using bivariate and multivariate analysis. The overall decannulation rate was 97.3%. The dyspnoea score improved (mean variation 1.4 \ub1 1.0; p < 0.001), while voice and swallowing were negatively affected (mean variation 1.6 \ub1 0.9 and 0.5 \ub1 0.7, respectively; p < 0.001). Airway comorbidities were associated with a higher rate of complications (p < 0.05). Retreatments were more frequent in patients with postoperative complications (p < 0.05). The length of resection correlated with the number of subsequent treatments (R = 0.52; p < 0.01). At multivariate analysis, post-operative complications were predicted by comorbidities and disease stage (p < 0.05); number of retreatments was linked to the length of resection (p < 0.05) as well as with the application of mitomycin C (p < 0.001). Crico-tracheal resection for idiopathic progressive subglottic stenosis offers good functional results in terms of airway patency. These data suggest that a higher complication rate can be expected in patients affected by comorbidities. Moreover, more extensive surgical resection seems to be associated with the occurrence and number of subsequent retreatments. On the contrary, the local application of an anti-proliferative drug does not seem to be of use in preventing recurrences

Cd doping effects in the heavy-fermion compounds Ce2MIn8 (M = Rh and Ir)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Low-temperature magnetic properties of Cd-doped Ce2MIn8 (M = Rh and Ir) single crystals are investigated. Experiments of temperature-dependent magnetic-susceptibility, heat-capacity, and electrical-resistivity measurements revealed that Cd doping enhances the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering temperature from T-N = 2.8 K (x=0) to T-N=4.8 K (x=0.21) for Ce2RhIn8-xCdx and induces long-range AFM ordering with T-N = 3.8 K (x=0.21) for Ce2IrIn8-xCdx. Additionally, x-ray and neutron magnetic scattering studies showed that Cd-doped samples present below T-N a commensurate antiferromagnetic structure with a propagation vector (epsilon) over right arrow=(1/2, 1/2, 0). The resolved magnetic structures for both compounds indicate that the Cd doping tends to rotate the direction of the ordered magnetic moments toward the ab plane. This result suggests that the Cd doping affects the Ce3+ ground-state single-ion anisotropy modifying the crystalline electrical field (CEF) parameters at the Ce3+ site. Indications of CEF evolution induced by Cd doping were also found in the electrical-resistivity measurements. Comparisons between our results and the general effects of Cd doping on the related compounds CeMIn5 (M=Co, Rh, and Ir) confirms the claims that the Cd doping induced electronic tuning is the main effect favoring AFM ordering in these compounds.8124Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Identification of Mycobacteria in Routine Clinical Practice

Background: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria recovered from respiratory tract specimens are emerging confounder organisms for the laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis worldwide. There is an urgent need for new techniques to rapidly identify mycobacteria isolated in clinical practice. Matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has previously been proven to effectively identify mycobacteria grown in high-concentration inocula from collections. However, a thorough evaluation of its use in routine laboratory practice has not been performed. Methodology: We set up an original protocol for the MALDI-TOF MS identification of heat-inactivated mycobacteria after dissociation in Tween-20, mechanical breaking of the cell wall and protein extraction with formic acid and acetonitrile. By applying this protocol to as few as 10 5 colony-forming units of reference isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium, and 20 other Mycobacterium species, we obtained species-specific mass spectra for the creation of a local database. Using this database, our protocol enabled the identification by MALDI-TOF MS of 87 M. tuberculosis, 25M. avium and 12 non-tuberculosis clinical isolates with identification scores $2 within 2.5 hours. Conclusions: Our data indicate that MALDI-TOF MS can be used as a first-line method for the routine identification of heatinactivated mycobacteria. MALDI-TOF MS is an attractive method for implementation in clinical microbiology laboratories i

CPT-based axial capacity design method for driven piles in clay

There are clear advantages in the establishment of reliable, direct cone penetration test (CPT) based methods for assessment of the axial capacity of driven piles. These advantages motivated the formation of a joint industry project (JIP) under the management of the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), which initially led to the creation of a unified database of high-quality pile load tests in sand and clay. The unified database has the consensus approval of representatives of the profession and personnel in multiple companies from the offshore energy sector. This paper presents a component of the research from the second phase of the JIP, which had the objective of developing a new CPT-based method for driven piles in clay to unify several CPT-based methods that are in use today. First, a rational basis for the CPT-based formulation is described, using trends from instrumented pile tests; the description facilitates an understanding of the approach and illustrates its empirical nature and limitations. The unified database was used to calibrate the formulation and it led to good predictions for an independent database of pile load tests and for measured distributions of shaft friction

Magnetic field dependence and bottlenecklike behavior of the ESR spectra in YbRh2Si2

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments at different fields or frequencies (4.1 <=nu <= 34.4 GHz) in the Kondo lattice (T-K similar or equal to 25 K) YbRh2Si2 single-crystal compounds confirmed the observation of a single anisotropic Dysonian resonance with g(perpendicular to c)congruent to 3.55 and no hyperfine components for 4.2 less than or similar to T less than or similar to 20 K. However, our studies differently reveal that (i) the ESR spectra for H-perpendicular to c show strong-field-dependent spin-lattice relaxation, (ii) a weak-field and temperature-dependent effective g value, (iii) a dramatic suppression of the ESR intensity beyond 15% of Lu doping, and (iv) a strong sample and Lu-doping (<= 15%) dependence of the ESR data. These results suggest a different scenario where the ESR signal may be associated to a coupled Yb3+-conduction electron resonant collective mode with a strong bottleneck and dynamiclike behavior.793Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)NSF (USA)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Repertoire of Intensive Care Unit Pneumonia Microbiota

Despite the considerable number of studies reported to date, the causative agents of pneumonia are not completely identified. We comprehensively applied modern and traditional laboratory diagnostic techniques to identify microbiota in patients who were admitted to or developed pneumonia in intensive care units (ICUs). During a three-year period, we tested the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia, community-acquired pneumonia, non-ventilator ICU pneumonia and aspiration pneumonia, and compared the results with those from patients without pneumonia (controls). Samples were tested by amplification of 16S rDNA, 18S rDNA genes followed by cloning and sequencing and by PCR to target specific pathogens. We also included culture, amoeba co-culture, detection of antibodies to selected agents and urinary antigen tests. Based on molecular testing, we identified a wide repertoire of 160 bacterial species of which 73 have not been previously reported in pneumonia. Moreover, we found 37 putative new bacterial phylotypes with a 16S rDNA gene divergence ≥98% from known phylotypes. We also identified 24 fungal species of which 6 have not been previously reported in pneumonia and 7 viruses. Patients can present up to 16 different microorganisms in a single BAL (mean ± SD; 3.77±2.93). Some pathogens considered to be typical for ICU pneumonia such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus species can be detected as commonly in controls as in pneumonia patients which strikingly highlights the existence of a core pulmonary microbiota. Differences in the microbiota of different forms of pneumonia were documented