The structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of In-rich AlxIn1−xN (0 < x < 0.39) layers grown by reactive radio-frequency (RF) sputtering on sapphire are investigated as a ...function of the deposition parameters. The RF power applied to the aluminum target (0 W-150 W) and substrate temperature (300 °C-550 °C) are varied. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that all samples have a wurtzite crystallographic structure oriented with the c-axis along the growth direction. The aluminum composition is tuned by changing the power applied to the aluminum target while keeping the power applied to the indium target fixed at 40 W. When increasing the Al content from 0 to 0.39, the room-temperature optical band gap is observed to blue-shift from 1.76 eV to 2.0 eV, strongly influenced by the Burstein-Moss effect. Increasing the substrate temperature, results in an evolution of the morphology from closely-packed columnar to compact. For a substrate temperature of 500 °C and RF power for Al of 150 W, compact Al0.39In0.61N films with a smooth surface (root-mean-square surface roughness below 1 nm) are produced.
The growing demand of ultrafast mode-locked fiber lasers in the near infrared has boosted the research activity in this area. One of the most convenient ways to achieve passive mode locking consists ...of inserting a semiconductor saturable absorber in the laser cavity to modulate the losses. However, in such a configuration, the limited power range of operation is still an unsolved issue. Here we report the fabrication of an ultrafast, high-power, widely power-tunable and non-polarization-dependent mode-locked fiber laser operating at 1.55 µm, using an InN layer as saturable absorber. With post-amplification, this laser delivers 55-fs pulses with a repetition rate of 4.84 MHz and peak power in the range of 1 MW in an all-fiber arrangement.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), an autosomal dominant inherited disorder resulting in increased levels of circulating plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL), tendon xanthomas and premature coronary ...artery disease (CAD), is caused by defects in the LDL receptor gene (LDLR). Three widespread LDLR alterations not causing FH (c.1061-8T>C, c.2177C>T and c.829G>A) and one mutation (c.12G>A) with narrow geographical distribution and thought to cause disease were investigated. In an attempt to improve knowledge on their origin, spread and possible selective effects, estimations of the ages of these variants (t generations) and haplotype analysis were performed by genotyping 86 healthy individuals and 98 FH patients in Spain for five LDLR SNPs: c.81T>C, c.1413G>A, c.1725C>T, c.1959T>C, and c.2232G>A; most patients carried two of these LDLR variants simultaneously. It was found that both the c.1061-8T>C (t = 54) and c.2177C>T alterations (t = 62) arose at about the same time (54 and 62 generations ago, respectively) in the CGCTG haplotype, while the c.12G>A mutation (t = 70) appeared in a CGCCG haplotype carrying an earlier c.829G>A alteration (t = 83). The estimated ages of selectively neutral alterations could explain their distribution by migrations. The origin of the c.12G>A mutation could be in the Iberian Peninsula; despite its estimated age, a low selective pressure could explain its conservation in Spain from where it could have spread to China and Mexico, since the sixteenth century through the Spanish/Portuguese colonial expeditions.
DNA Vaccines: Experiences in the Swine Model Accensi, Francesc; Rodríguez, Fernando; Monteagudo, Paula L
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.),
2016, Letnik:
1349
Journal Article
DNA vaccination is one of the most fascinating vaccine-strategies currently in development. Two of the main advantages of DNA immunization rely on its simplicity and flexibility, being ideal to ...dissect both the immune mechanisms and the antigens involved in protection against a given pathogen. Here, we describe several strategies used to enhance the immune responses induced and the protection afforded by experimental DNA vaccines tested in swine and provide with very basic protocol describing the generation and in vivo application of a prototypic DNA vaccine. Only time will tell the last word regarding the definitive implementation of DNA vaccination in the field.
A systematic literature review was carried out to study patient security and possible harmful effects, immunity and interferences on medical devices, and effectiveness and transmission problems in ...healthcare and hospital environments due to electromagnetic interferences. The objective was to determine already-reported cases of patient security, immunity of medical devices, and transmission/reception failure in order to evaluate safety and security of patients. Literature published in the last 10 years has been reviewed by searching in bibliographic databases, journals, and proceedings of conferences. Search strategies developed in electronic databases identified a total of 820 references, with 50 finally being included. The study reveals the existence of numerous publications on interferences in medical devices due to radiofrequency fields. However, literature on effectiveness, transmission problems and measurements of electromagnetic fields is limited. From the studies collected, it can be concluded that several cases of serious interferences in medical instruments have been reported. Measures of electromagnetic fields in healthcare environments have been also reported, concluding that special protective measures should be taken against electromagnetic interferences by incoming radio waves.
A two-year-old roe deer was brought down in the course of a hunt in the north of Spain (Asturias). On physical examination the individual presented well-developed bared antlers, but surprisingly a ...female external genitalia. Several anatomical, histological and genetic analyses were performed in order to explain the observed phenotype. Necropsy evidenced ovary-like structures with follicles on the surface; histological analyses of testes evidenced positive immunolabel against testosterone in Leydig cells; genetic analyses showed that the sex of the individual was consistent with a female individual. PCR analysis failed to detect SRY sequences; no PIS deletion, which is responsible for XX sex-reversal in goats, was detected. On the basis of its presumptive normal female sexual karyotype (XX) and the presence of two functional abdominal bilateral testes and ovaries, the roe deer was finally diagnosed as possessing an XX hermaphroditism syndrome. However, as in many other cases, the specific reason for the occurrence of this case of hermaphroditism could not be determined.
The number of tree species on Earth Cazzolla Gatti, Roberto; Reich, Peter B; Gamarra, Javier G P ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
02/2022, Letnik:
119, Številka:
6
Journal Article, Web Resource
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
One of the most fundamental questions in ecology is how many species inhabit the Earth. However, due to massive logistical and financial challenges and taxonomic difficulties connected to the species ...concept definition, the global numbers of species, including those of important and well-studied life forms such as trees, still remain largely unknown. Here, based on global ground-sourced data, we estimate the total tree species richness at global, continental, and biome levels. Our results indicate that there are ∼73,000 tree species globally, among which ∼9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. Roughly 40% of undiscovered tree species are in South America. Moreover, almost one-third of all tree species to be discovered may be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution (likely in remote tropical lowlands and mountains). These findings highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes in land use and climate, which disproportionately threaten rare species and thus, global tree richness.
PURPOSE:Efficient ways are needed to implement the secondary prevention (SP) of coronary heart disease. Because few studies have investigated Web-based SP programs, our aim was to determine the ...usefulness of a new Web-based telemonitoring system, connecting patients provided with self-measurement devices and care managers via mobile phone text messages, as a tool for SP.
METHODS:A single-blind, randomized controlled, clinical trial of 203 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) survivors, was conducted at a hospital in Madrid, Spain. All patients received lifestyle counseling and usual-care treatment. Patients in the telemonitoring group (TMG) sent, through mobile phones, weight, heart rate, and blood pressure (BP) weekly, and capillary plasma lipid profile and glucose monthly. A cardiologist accessed these data through a Web interface and sent recommendations via short message service. Main outcome measures were BP, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).
RESULTS:At 12-month followup, TMG patients were more likely (RR = 1.4; 95% CI = 1.1−1.7) to experience improvement in cardiovascular risk factors profile than control patients (69.6% vs 50.5%, P = .010). More TMG patients achieved treatment goals for BP (62.1% vs 42.9%, P = .012) and HbA1c (86.4% vs 54.2%, P = .018), with no differences in smoking cessation or LDL-c. Body mass index was significantly lower in TMG (−0.77 kg/m vs +0.29 kg/m, P = .005).
CONCLUSIONS:A telemonitoring program, via mobile phone messages, appears to be useful for improving the risk profile in ACS survivors and can be an effective tool for secondary prevention, especially for overweight patients.
We present the structural and optical properties of (0001)-oriented nanocolumnar films of InN deposited on c-sapphire substrates by radio-frequency reactive sputtering. It is observed that the column ...density and dimensions are highly dependent on the growth parameters of the buffer layer. We investigate four buffer layers consisting of (i) 30nm of low-growth-rate InN, (ii) 30nm of AlN deposited on the unbiased substrate (us), (iii) 30nm of AlN deposited on the reverse-biased substrate (bs), and (iv) a 60-nm-thick bilayer consisting of 30-nm-thick bs-AlN deposited on top of 30-nm-thick us-AlN. Differences in the layer nucleation process due to the buffer layer induce variations of the column density in the range of (2.5–16)×109cm−2, and of the column diameter in the range of 87–176nm. Best results in terms of mosaicity are obtained using the bs-AlN buffer layer, which leads to a full width at half-maximum of the InN(0002) rocking curve of 1.2°. A residual compressive strain is still present in the nanocolumns. All samples exhibit room temperature photoluminescence emission at ~1.6eV, and an apparent optical band gap at ~1.7eV estimated from linear optical transmittance measurements.
•Highly c-axis oriented nanocolumnar InN films are grown on sapphire by sputtering.•Column density and dimensions strongly depend on the buffer layer.•Best InN structural quality is obtained when using the biased-AlN buffer layer.•Lowest rms surface roughness is achieved for InN films with double AlN buffer.
PDF
