Understanding the structural and magnetic properties in layered hybrid organic‐inorganic metal halide perovskites (HOIPs) is key for their design and integration in spin‐electronic devices. Here, a ...systematic study is conducted on ten compounds to understand the effect of the transition metal (Cu2+, Mn2+, Co2+), organic spacer (alkyl‐ and aryl‐ammonium), and perovskite phase (Ruddlesden‐Popper and Dion‐Jacobson) on the properties of these materials. Temperature‐dependent Raman measurements show that the crystals’ structural phase transitions are triggered by the motional freedom of the organic cations as well as by the flexibility of the inorganic metal‐halide lattice. In the case of Cu2+ HOIPs, an increase of the in‐plane anisotropy and a reduction of the octahedra interlayer distance is found to change the behavior of the HOIP from that of a 2D ferromagnet to that of a quasi‐3D antiferromagnet. Mn2+ HOIPs show inherent antiferromagnetic octahedra intralayer interactions and a phenomenologically rich magnetism, presenting spin‐canting, spin‐flop transitions, and metamagnetism controlled by the crystal anisotropy. Co2+ crystals with non‐linked tetrahedra show a dominant paramagnetic behavior irrespective of the organic spacer and the perovskite phase. This study demonstrates that the chemical flexibility of HOIPs can be exploited to develop novel layered magnetic materials with tailored magnetic properties.
A systematic study of layered hybrid organic‐inorganic metal halide compounds is presented, that investigates the relationship between chemical composition and magnetic properties. By varying the transition metal, organic spacer, and perovskite phase, the role of crystal anisotropy, interlayer distance, and intralayer network is unveiled in determining the perovskite's properties, providing a guide for the design of novel layered magnetic materials.
The key players of the chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorders (CKD-MBD) are calcium, phosphate, PTH, FGF23, and the vitamin D hormonal system. The progressive reduction of kidney function ...greatly modifies the tightly interrelated mechanisms that control these parameters. As a result, important changes occur in the bone and mineral hormonal axis, leading to changes in bone turnover with relevant consequences in clinical outcomes, such as decrease in bone mass with increased bone fragility and bone fractures and increased vascular and valvular calcification, also with great impact in the cardiovascular outcomes. So far, the knowledge of the mineral and bone disorders in CKD and the increased variety of efficacious therapies should lead to a better prevention and management of CKD-MBD.
Fibrosis is a process characterized by an excessive accumulation of the extracellular matrix as a response to different types of tissue injuries, which leads to organ dysfunction. The process can be ...initiated by multiple and different stimuli and pathogenic factors which trigger the cascade of reparation converging in molecular signals responsible of initiating and driving fibrosis. Though fibrosis can play a defensive role, in several circumstances at a certain stage, it can progressively become an uncontrolled irreversible and self-maintained process, named pathological fibrosis. Several systems, molecules and responses involved in the pathogenesis of the pathological fibrosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) will be discussed in this review, putting special attention on inflammation, renin-angiotensin system (RAS), parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), Klotho, microRNAs (miRs), and the vitamin D hormonal system. All of them are key factors of the core and regulatory pathways which drive fibrosis, having a great negative kidney and cardiac impact in CKD.
Chiral materials are an ideal playground for exploring the relation between symmetry, relativistic effects and electronic transport. For instance, chiral organic molecules have been intensively ...studied to electrically generate spin-polarized currents in the last decade, but their poor electronic conductivity limits their potential for applications. Conversely, chiral inorganic materials such as tellurium have excellent electrical conductivity, but their potential for enabling the electrical control of spin polarization in devices remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate the all-electrical generation, manipulation and detection of spin polarization in chiral single-crystalline tellurium nanowires. By recording a large (up to 7%) and chirality-dependent unidirectional magnetoresistance, we show that the orientation of the electrically generated spin polarization is determined by the nanowire handedness and uniquely follows the current direction, while its magnitude can be manipulated by an electrostatic gate. Our results pave the way for the development of magnet-free chirality-based spintronic devices.
Background
Individualising the provided care is mandatory in nursing and is essential in clinical practice. Therefore, there is a need to develop accurate instruments to evaluate the quality of care. ...Moreover, there is no validated instrument to assess nurses’ views of individualised care in Spanish‐speaking countries.
Aim
To assess the construct validity and internal consistency of the Spanish version of the Individualised Care Scale‐Nurse.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study including 108 nursing professionals (40.84 ± 9.51 years old, 86.1% female) was used to validate the Spanish Individualised Care Scale‐Nurse version. A forward‐back translation method with an expert panel and a cross‐sectional study was used for transcultural adaptation and psychometric validation purposes. Psychometric properties of feasibility, reliability and validity were assessed. Construct validity was examined through a confirmatory factor analysis and fit indices of the overall model were computed. Internal consistency was explored through McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients among other correlation measures.
Results
The back‐translation concluded both Spanish and English Individualised Care Scale‐Nurse versions to be equivalent. The original structure of the Individualised Care Scale‐Nurse was verified in the Spanish version through the confirmatory factor analysis (factor loadings >0.3; acceptable fit indices: SRMR ≈ 0.08, CFI ≈ 0.9, RMSEA ≈ 0.09 after posteriori modifications). McDonald's omega exceeded 0.7 for both subscales and complete scales revealing an adequate internal consistency.
Conclusions
The Spanish version of the Individualised Care Scale‐Nurse has exhibited good properties of homogeneity and construct validity for its use in practice and research in health care systems.
Layered hybrid organic–inorganic metal‐halide perovskites (HOIPs) can acquire chirality from molecules incorporated into their structure showing exciting possibilities in optoelectronics and ...spintronics. However, researchers have focused their attention on the study of bulk compounds, namely unstable and toxic Pb HOIPs. Herein, the chiroptical properties of R‐ and S‐β‐methylphenethylammonium Mn chloride HOIPs are reported in both the bulk and the few‐layer limit as exfoliated flakes. Red photoluminescence (PL) emission originating from the octahedrally coordinated Mn2+ is observed, with a PL shift to longer wavelengths when passing from bulk to flakes. Circular dichroism and circularly polarized PL mirrored‐signals for enantiomers are found in bulk samples, while in flakes, a degree of circularly polarized emission (P) of up to 17% at 80 K is achieved, comparable to Pb‐based HOIPs. Moreover, angle‐resolved PL measurements on flakes show that the PL emission and P are isotropic. These findings highlight the potential of these HOIPs from bulk to flakes for spin‐optoelectronic applications.
Chiroptical properties of layered hybrid organic–inorganic manganese chloride perovskites are shown through their synthesis using R‐ and S‐β‐methylphenethylamine enantiomers. By studying the materials from bulk to flakes, dimensionality effects in their photoluminescence emission are observed. Angle‐resolved photoluminescence measurements on flakes demonstrate isotropic behavior for both the emission and the circular polarization degree, being the latter competitive with Pb‐perovskite flakes’ values.
Caring for people with COVID-19 on the front line has psychological impacts for healthcare professionals. Despite the important psychological impacts of the pandemic on nurses, the qualitative ...evidence on this topic has not been synthesized. Our objective: To analyze and synthesize qualitative studies that investigate the perceptions of nurses about the psychological impacts of treating hospitalized people with COVID-19 on the front line. A systematic review of qualitative studies published in English or Spanish up to March 2021 was carried out in the following databases: The Cochrane Library, Medline (Pubmed), PsycINFO, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, and CINHAL. The PRISMA statement and the Cochrane recommendations for qualitative evidence synthesis were followed. Results: The main psychological impacts of caring for people with COVID-19 perceived by nurses working on the front line were fear, anxiety, stress, social isolation, depressive symptoms, uncertainty, and frustration. The fear of infecting family members or being infected was the main repercussion perceived by the nurses. Other negative impacts that this review added and that nurses suffer as the COVID-19 pandemic progress were anger, obsessive thoughts, compulsivity, introversion, apprehension, impotence, alteration of space-time perception, somatization, and feeling of betrayal. Resilience was a coping tool used by nurses. Conclusions: Front line care for people with COVID-19 causes fear, anxiety, stress, social isolation, depressive symptoms, uncertainty, frustration, anger, obsessive thoughts, compulsivity, introversion, apprehension, impotence, alteration of space-time perception, somatization, and feeling of betrayal in nurses. It is necessary to provide front line nurses with the necessary support to reduce the psychological impact derived from caring for people with COVID-19, improve training programs for future pandemics, and analyze the long-term impacts.
Shortly after the discovery of Klotho, interest grew in its potential role in chronic kidney disease (CKD). There are three isoforms of the Klotho protein: αKlotho, βKlotho and γKlotho. This review ...will focus on αKlotho due to its relevance as a biomarker in CKD. αKlotho is synthesized mainly in the kidneys, but it can be released into the bloodstream and urine as soluble Klotho (sKlotho), which undertakes systemic actions, independently or in combination with FGF23. It is usually accepted that sKlotho levels are reduced early in CKD and that lower levels of sKlotho might be associated with the main chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorders (CKD-MBDs): cardiovascular and bone disease. However, as results are inconsistent, the applicability of sKlotho as a CKD-MBD biomarker is still a matter of controversy. Much of the inconsistency can be explained due to low sample numbers, the low quality of clinical studies, the lack of standardized assays to assess sKlotho and a lack of consensus on sample processing, especially in urine. In recent decades, because of our longer life expectancies, the prevalence of accelerated-ageing diseases, such as CKD, has increased. Exercise, social interaction and caloric restriction are considered key factors for healthy ageing. While exercise and social interaction seem to be related to higher serum sKlotho levels, it is not clear whether serum sKlotho might be influenced by caloric restriction. This review focuses on the possible role of sKlotho as a biomarker in CKD-MBD, highlighting the difference between solid knowledge and areas requiring further research, including the role of sKlotho in healthy ageing.
Collision with electric power lines is a conservation problem for many bird species. Although the implementation of flight diverters is rapidly increasing, few well-designed studies supporting the ...effectiveness of this costly conservation measure have been published.
We provide information on the largest worldwide marking experiment to date, including carcass searches at 35 (15 experimental, 20 control) power lines totalling 72.5 km, at both transmission (220 kV) and distribution (15 kV-45 kV) lines. We found carcasses of 45 species, 19 of conservation concern. Numbers of carcasses found were corrected to account for carcass losses due to removal by scavengers or being overlooked by researchers, resulting in an estimated collision rate of 8.2 collisions per km per month. We observed a small (9.6%) but significant decrease in the number of casualties after line marking compared to before line marking in experimental lines. This was not observed in control lines. We found no influence of either marker size (large vs. small spirals, sample of distribution lines only) or power line type (transmission vs. distribution, sample of large spirals only) on the collision rate when we analyzed all species together. However, great bustard mortality was slightly lower when lines were marked with large spirals and in transmission lines after marking.
Our results confirm the overall effectiveness of wire marking as a way to reduce, but not eliminate, bird collisions with power lines. If raw field data are not corrected by carcass losses due to scavengers and missed observations, findings may be biased. The high cost of this conservation measure suggests a need for more studies to improve its application, including wire marking with non-visual devices. Our findings suggest that different species may respond differently to marking, implying that species-specific patterns should be explored, at least for species of conservation concern.
Vascular calcification has a global health impact that is closely linked to bone loss. The Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) system, ...fundamental for bone metabolism, also plays an important role in vascular calcification. The Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 4 (LGR4), a novel receptor for RANKL, regulates bone remodeling, and it appears to be involved in vascular calcification. Besides RANKL, LGR4 interacts with R-spondins (RSPOs), which are known for their roles in bone but are less understood in vascular calcification. Studies were conducted in rats with chronic renal failure fed normal or high phosphorus diets for 18 weeks, with and without control of circulating parathormone (PTH) levels, resulting in different degrees of aortic calcification. Additionally, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were cultured under non-calcifying (1 mM phosphate) and calcifying (3 mM phosphate) media with different concentrations of PTH. To explore the role of RANKL in VSMC calcification, increasing concentrations of soluble RANKL were added to non-calcifying and calcifying media. The effects mediated by RANKL binding to its receptor LGR4 were investigated by silencing the LGR4 receptor in VSMCs. Furthermore, the gene expression of the RANK/RANKL/OPG system and the ligands of LGR4 was assessed in human epigastric arteries obtained from kidney transplant recipients with calcification scores (Kauppila Index). Increased aortic calcium in rats coincided with elevated systolic blood pressure, upregulated Lgr4 and Rankl gene expression, downregulated Opg gene expression, and higher serum RANKL/OPG ratio without changes in Rspos gene expression. Elevated phosphate in vitro increased calcium content and expression of Rankl and Lgr4 while reducing Opg. Elevated PTH in the presence of high phosphate exacerbated the increase in calcium content. No changes in Rspos were observed under the conditions employed. The addition of soluble RANKL to VSMCs induced genotypic differentiation and calcification, partly prevented by LGR4 silencing. In the epigastric arteries of individuals presenting vascular calcification, the gene expression of RANKL was higher. While RSPOs show minimal impact on VSMC calcification, RANKL, interacting with LGR4, drives osteogenic differentiation in VSMCs, unveiling a novel mechanism beyond RANKL-RANK binding.
PDF
