Two-dimensional superconductivity at the (111)LaAlO3_3/SrTiO3_3 interface

We report on the discovery and transport study of the superconducting ground state present at the (111)LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interface. The superconducting transition is consistent with a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and its 2D nature is further corroborated by the anisotropy of the critical magnetic field, as calculated by Tinkham. The estimated superconducting layer thickness and coherence length are 10 nm and 60 nm, respectively. The results of this work provide a new platform to clarify the microscopic details of superconductivity at LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ interfaces, in particular in what concerns the link with orbital symmetry.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Mapping cells and sub-cellular organelles on 2-D gels: ‘new tricks for an old horse’

AbstractNowadays, investigators in all fields are faced with the identification of unknown, up- or down-regulated, modified proteins that they are trying to identify. Two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis, with its ability to resolve several thousand proteins, is an extremely powerful technique. The current resolution and reproducibility of 2-D gel technology and the establishment of computer assisted 2-D gel protein databases have paved new ways for the identification of proteins

The role of early life factors in the development of ethnic differences in growth and overweight in preschool children: A prospective birth cohort

Background: Ethnic differences in childhood and adulthood are known, but ethnic differences in preschool overweight and associated factors are less studied. We assessed ethnic differences in pre-school age overweight, and studied the mediating role of early life factors in this association. Furthermore, we assessed body mass index (BMI) z-score development from birth to age 4 years to study ethnic-specific differences in BMI z-score trajectory. Methods. We used data on 4581 children participating in a birth cohort who were born between 2002 and 2006 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Child's ethnicity was defined according to country of birth of the parents. Weight and length/height was repeatedly measured between 1 and 45 months of age. Overweight at age 4 years was defined according to cut-off points for BMI from the international obesity task force. We performed logistic regression to obtain independent estimates of the association between ethnicity and preschool-age overweight, and to assess the mediating role of early

The use of typing methods and infection prevention measures to control a bullous impetigo outbreak on a neonatal ward

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We describe an outbreak of Bullous Impetigo (BI), caused by a (methicillin susceptible, fusidic acid resistant) <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it> (SA) strain, <it>spa-</it>type t408, at the neonatal and gynaecology ward of the Jeroen Bosch hospital in the Netherlands, from March-November 2011.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed an outbreak investigation with revision of the hygienic protocols, MSSA colonization surveillance and environmental sampling for MSSA including detailed typing of <it>SA</it> isolates. <it>Spa</it> typing was performed to discriminate between the SA isolates. In addition, Raman-typing was performed on all t408 isolates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nineteen cases of BI were confirmed by SA positive cultures. A cluster of nine neonates and three health care workers (HCW) with <it>SA</it> t408 was detected. These strains were MecA^-, PVL^-, Exfoliative Toxin (ET)A^-, ETB⁺, ETAD^-, fusidic acid-resistant and methicillin susceptible. Eight out of nine neonates and two out of three HCW t408 strains yielded a similar Raman type. Positive t408 HCW were treated and infection control procedures were reinforced. These measures stopped the outbreak.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that treatment of patients and HCW carrying a predominant SA t408, and re-implementing and emphasising hygienic measures were effective to control the outbreak of SA t408 among neonates.</p

Insight into contraction dynamics of microwave plasmas for CO2 conversion from plasma chemistry modelling

This work addresses plasma chemistry in the core of a vortex-stabilized microwave discharge for CO2 conversion numerically, focusing on the pressure-dependent contraction dynamics of this plasma. A zero-dimensional model is presented for experimental conditions in a pressure range between 60 and 300 mbar and a temperature range between 3000 and 6500 K. Monte Carlo Flux simulations, which describe electron kinetics, are self-consistently coupled to the plasma chemistry model. The simulation results show that an increase in pressure is accompanied by a transition in neutral composition in the plasma core: from a significant amount of CO2 and O2 at low pressures to a O/CO/C mixture at high pressures, the composition being determined mostly by thermal equilibrium and by transport processes. The change of temperature and composition with pressure lead to higher ionisation coefficient and more atomic ion composition in the plasma core. These changes result in an increase in ionisation degree in the plasma core from 10-5 to 10-4. These factors are shown to be fundamental to drive contraction in the CO2 microwave discharge.</p

Socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors associated with asthma related outcomes in early childhood: The generation R study

Rationale: Few studies have analyzed the association of socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors with asthma related outcomes in early childhood, including Fraction of exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) and airway resistance (Rint). We examined the association of socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors with wheezing, asthma, FeNO and Rint at age 6 years. Additionally, the role of potential mediating factors was studied. Methods: The study included 6717 children participating in The Generation R Study, a prospective population-based cohort study. Data on socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors, wheezing and asthma were obtained by questionnaires. FeNO and Rint were measured at the research center. Statistical analyses were performed using logistic and linear regression models. Results: At age 6 years, 9% (456/5084) of the children had wheezing symptoms and 7% (328/4953) had asthma. Children from parents with financial difficulties had an increased risk of wheezing (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 1.63, 95% Confidence Interval (CI):1.18-2.24). Parental low education, paternal unemployment and child's male sex were associated with asthma, independent of other socioeconomic or sociodemographic factors (aOR = 1.63, 95% CI:1.24-2.15, aOR = 1.85, 95% CI:1.11-3.09, aOR = 1.58, 95% CI:1.24-2.01, respectively). No socioeconomic or gender differences in FeNO were found. The risks of wheezing, asthma, FeNO and Rint measurements differed between ethnic groups (p<0.05). Associations between paternal unemployment, child's sex, ethnicity and asthma related outcomes remained largely unexplained. Conclusions: This study showed differences between the socioeconomic and sociodemographic correlates of wheezing and asthma compared to the correlates of FeNO and Rint at age 6

A Comprehensive Analysis of Ontogeny of Renal Drug Transporters: mRNA Analyses, Quantitative Proteomics, and Localization

Contains fulltext : 209000.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Human renal membrane transporters play key roles in the disposition of renally cleared drugs and endogenous substrates, but their ontogeny is largely unknown. Using 184 human postmortem frozen renal cortical tissues (preterm newborns to adults) and a subset of 62 tissue samples, we measured the mRNA levels of 11 renal transporters and the transcription factor pregnane X receptor (PXR) with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and protein abundance of nine transporters using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry selective reaction monitoring, respectively. Expression levels of p-glycoprotein, urate transporter 1, organic anion transporter 1, organic anion transporter 3, and organic cation transporter 2 increased with age. Protein levels of multidrug and toxin extrusion transporter 2-K and breast cancer resistance protein showed no difference from newborns to adults, despite age-related changes in mRNA expression. Multidrug and toxin extrusion transporter 1, glucose transporter 2, multidrug resistance-associated protein 2, multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4), and PXR expression levels were stable. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that MRP4 localization in pediatric samples was similar to that in adult samples. Collectively, our study revealed that renal drug transporters exhibited different rates and patterns of maturation, suggesting that renal handling of substrates may change with age