Comment on "Mn Interstitial Diffusion in (Ga,Mn)As"

The magnetic and transport properties of (GaMn)As are known to be influenced by postgrowth annealing, and it is generally accepted that these modifications are due to outdiffusion of Mn interstitials. We show that the annealing-induced modifications are strongly accelerated if the treatment is carried out under As capping. This means that the modification rate is not limited by the diffusion process, but rather by the surface trapping of the diffusing species.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Inhomogeneous vortex-state-driven enhancement of superconductivity in nanoengineered ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructures

Thin film heterostructures provide a powerful means to study the antagonism between superconductivity (SC) and ferromagnetism (FM). One interesting issue in FM-SC hybrids which defies the notion of antagonistic orders is the observation of magnetic field induced superconductivity (FIS). Here we show that in systems where the FM domains/islands produce spatial inhomogeneities of the SC order parameter, the FIS can derive significant contribution from different mobilities of the magnetic flux identified by two distinct critical states in the inhomogeneous superconductor. Our experiments on nanoengineered bilayers of ferromagnetic CoPt and superconducting NbN where CoPt/NbN islands are separated by a granular NbN, lend support to this alternative explanation of FIS in certain class of FM-SC hybrids.Comment: 5 figure

Percepción de la calidad de la investigación enfermera en un hospital público

Antecedentes y objetivos Las enfermeras, como profesionales sanitarios, juegan un papel importante en la investigación, ya que sin ellas no se podría avanzar en el cuidado y en los tratamientos. Por ello nos planteamos como objetivos: primero, analizar la percepción de la enfermería sobre el actual sistema de investigación en el conjunto de su hospital y, segundo, estudiar cómo varía dicha percepción en función de su perfil investigador y de su nivel de satisfacción y compromiso con la organización en la que trabaja. Material y método Estudio descriptivo transversal, realizado en un centro hospitalario de tercer nivel. Se trabajó con una muestra de conveniencia formada por enfermeras con una experiencia superior a 6 meses. Se utilizó el cuestionario del Grupo de Expertos del III Foro de Ciencia de la Fundación Lilly, adaptándolo a las características de la población. La encuesta tenía por objeto recoger la percepción y valoración, real e ideal, sobre la investigación que tiene este colectivo. Se realizaron análisis univariados y bivariados mediante el estadístico t de Student. Resultados Para una muestra formada por 295 enfermeras, la percepción y valoración de la situación actual de la investigación en enfermería, el impacto de esta, su reconocimiento y su integración con la labor asistencial estuvieron muy por debajo de las puntuaciones que consideran ideales, obteniéndose diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p < 0,001). Resultaron significativos los valores que reconocen que se precisa mayor investigación por parte de la enfermería, el impacto y reconocimiento por la gerencia y la sinergia con la industria farmacéutica (p < 0,001). El nivel de satisfacción no influyó en la valoración, a diferencia del compromiso. No se observaron diferencias entre el personal de la UCI respecto del resto de servicios en cuanto a la percepción y valoración de la investigación de la enfermería. Conclusiones Las enfermeras asumen la investigación como parte de sus funciones y afirman que el estado de la investigación es muy mejorable. Según estas, es necesaria una infraestructura de apoyo que potencie la investigación en cuidados y el reconocimiento real por parte de las instituciones.Background and objectives Nurses, as health professionals, play an important role in research, as progress in care and treatment could not be made without it. The aim of this study is to analyse the perception by nurses of the current research system in the whole of their hospital and, second, study how this perception varies according to their research profile, as well as their level of satisfaction and commitment to the organisation in which work. Material and method A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in a third level hospital with a convenience sample of nurses with more than 6 months experience. The Group of Experts of the III Forum of Science of the Lilly Foundation questionnaire was used, adapting it to the characteristics of the population. The purpose of the questionnaire was to collect the perception and assessment, real and ideal, that nurses have on research. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed using the Student t-test. Results In the sample of 295 nurses, the perception and assessment of the current situation of nursing research, its impact, its recognition, and its integration with nursing work were well below the ideal scores, obtaining statistically differences (P < .001). There was a significance in the values that recognise that more research is needed by nursing staff, the impact and recognition by management, and synergy with the pharmaceutical industry (P < .001). The level of satisfaction did not affect the assessment, the commitment of the nurses if it influenced their assessment of the research. No differences were found between the ICU staff and the other departments as regards the perception and assessment of nursing research. Conclusions Nurses take the research as part of their functions and mention that the state of the research is very much improved. A support infrastructure is needed to strengthen research in care, as well as real recognition by institutions

Interface design considerations for an in-vehicle eco-driving assistance system

This high-fidelity driving simulator study used a paired comparison design to investigate the effectiveness of 12 potential eco-driving interfaces. Previous work has demonstrated fuel economy improvements through the provision of in-vehicle eco-driving guidance using a visual or haptic interface. This study uses an eco-driving assistance system that advises the driver of the most fuel efficient accelerator pedal angle, in real time. Assistance was provided to drivers through a visual dashboard display, a multimodal visual dashboard and auditory tone combination, or a haptic accelerator pedal. The style of advice delivery was varied within each modality. The effectiveness of the eco-driving guidance was assessed via subjective feedback, and objectively through the pedal angle error between system-requested and participant-selected accelerator pedal angle. Comparisons amongst the six haptic systems suggest that drivers are guided best by a force feedback system, where a driver experiences a step change in force applied against their foot when they accelerate inefficiently. Subjective impressions also identified this system as more effective than a stiffness feedback system involving a more gradual change in pedal feedback. For interfaces with a visual component, drivers produced smaller pedal errors with an in-vehicle visual display containing second order information on the required rate of change of pedal angle, in addition to current fuel economy information. This was supported by subjective feedback. The presence of complementary audio alerts improved eco-driving performance and reduced visual distraction from the roadway. The results of this study can inform the further development of an in-vehicle assistance system that supports ‘green’ driving

Oriented Au nanoplatelets on graphene promote Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with higher efficiency and different reactivity pattern than supported palladium

[EN] Facet 111 oriented Au nanoplatelets (20-40 nm wide, 3-4 nm height) grafted on graphene ((Au) over bar /fl-G) are about three orders of magnitude more efficient than Pd nanoparticles supported on graphene to promote Suzuki-Miyaura coupling. In contrast to Pd catalysis, it is shown here that the product yields in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling catalyzed by Au nanoparticles follow the order chlorobenzene > bromobenzene > iodobenzene. Kinetic studies show that this reactivity order is the result of the poisoning effect of halides for Au that is much higher for I- than Br- and much higher than for Cl-, due to adsorption. This strong iodide adsorption leading to Au catalyst deactivation was predicted by DFT calculations of Au clusters. (Au) over bar /fl-G are about one order of magnitude more efficient than small Au nanoparticles (4-6 nm) obtained by the polyol method supported on graphene. Our results can have impact in organic synthesis, showing the advantage of (Au) over bar /fl-G as catalyst for Suzuki-Miyaura couplings.ADM thanks University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi for the award of Assistant Professorship under its Faculty Recharge Programme. ADM also thanks Department of Science and Technology, India, for the financial support through Extra Mural Research funding (SB/FT/CS-166/2013) and the Generalidad Valenciana for financial aid supporting his stay at Valencia through the Prometeo programme. Financial support by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CTQ-2012-32315 and Severo Ochoa) and Generalidad Valenciana (Prometeo 2012-014) is gratefully acknowledged. The research leading to these results has received partial funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 228862.Candu, N.; Dhakshinamoorthy, A.; Apostol, N.; Teodorescu, C.; Corma Canós, A.; García Gómez, H.; Parvulescu, VI. (2017). Oriented Au nanoplatelets on graphene promote Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with higher efficiency and different reactivity pattern than supported palladium. Journal of Catalysis. 352:59-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcat.2017.04.034S596635

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Y-Like Retinal Ganglion Cells Innervate the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus in the Mongolian Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Background: The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) of the mesencephalon is a complex multi-functional and multi-transmitter nucleus involved in a wide range of behavioral and physiological processes. The DRN receives a direct input from the retina. However little is known regarding the type of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) that innervates the DRN. We examined morphological characteristics and physiological properties of these DRN projecting ganglion cells. Methodology/Principal Findings: The Mongolian gerbils are highly visual rodents with a diurnal/crepuscular activity rhythm. It has been widely used as experimental animals of various studies including seasonal affective disorders and depression. Young adult gerbils were used in the present study. DRN-projecting RGCs were identified following retrograde tracer injection into the DRN, characterized physiologically by extracellular recording and morphologically after intracellular filling. The result shows that DRN-projecting RGCs exhibit morphological characteristics typical of alpha RGCs and physiological response properties of Y-cells. Melanopsin was not detected in these RGCs and they show no evidence of intrinsic photosensitivity. Conclusions/Significance: These findings suggest that RGCs with alpha-like morphology and Y-like physiology appear to perform a non-imaging forming function and thus may participate in the modulation of DRN activity which includes regulation of sleep and mood

The activation of eco-driving mental models: can text messages prime drivers to use their existing knowledge and skills?

Eco-driving campaigns have traditionally assumed that drivers lack the necessary knowledge and skills and that this is something that needs rectifying. Therefore, many support systems have been designed to closely guide drivers and fine-tune their proficiency. However, research suggests that drivers already possess a substantial amount of the necessary knowledge and skills regarding eco-driving. In previous studies, participants used these effectively when they were explicitly asked to drive fuel-efficiently. In contrast, they used their safe driving skills when they were instructed to drive as they would normally. Hence, it is assumed that many drivers choose not to engage purposefully in eco-driving in their everyday lives. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of simple, periodic text messages (nine messages in 2 weeks) on drivers’ eco- and safe driving performance. It was hypothesised that provision of eco-driving primes and advice would encourage the activation of their eco-driving mental models and that comparable safety primes increase driving safety. For this purpose, a driving simulator experiment was conducted. All participants performed a pre-test drive and were then randomly divided into four groups, which received different interventions. For a period of 2 weeks, one group received text messages with eco-driving primes and another group received safety primes. A third group received advice messages on how to eco-drive. The fourth group were instructed by the experimenter to drive fuel-efficiently, immediately before driving, with no text message intervention. A post-test drive measured behavioural changes in scenarios deemed relevant to eco- and safe driving. The results suggest that the eco-driving prime and advice text messages did not have the desired effect. In comparison, asking drivers to drive fuel-efficiently led to eco-driving behaviours. These outcomes demonstrate the difficulty in changing ingrained habits. Future research is needed to strengthen such messages or activate existing knowledge and skills in other ways, so driver behaviour can be changed in cost-efficient ways