Mid-infrared photoluminescence revealing internal quantum efficiency enhancement of type-I and type-II InAs core/shell nanowires.

Internal quantum efficiency (IQE) is an important figure of merit for photoelectric applications. While the InAs core/shell (c/s) nanowire (NW) is a promising solution for efficient quantum emission, the relationship between the IQE and shell coating remains unclear. This Letter reports mid-infrared PL measurements on InAs/InGaAs, InAs/AlSb, and InAs/GaSb c/s NWs, together with bare InAs NWs as a reference. Analyses show that the IQE is depressed by a shell coating at 9 K but gets improved by up to approximately 50% for the InGaAs shell coating at 40 -140 K and up to approximately 20% beyond 110 K for the AlSb shell. The effect is ascribed not only to the crystal quality but more importantly to the radial band alignment. The result indicates the high-temperature IQE improvement of the type-I and type-II c/s NWs and the appropriateness of the mid-infrared PL analyses for narrow-gap NW evaluation.

Vascular loop in the cerebellopontine angle: Clinical-radiological correlation.

BACKGROUND: The brainstem, situated in the posterior fossa, connects the brain to the spinal cord. Owing to its location, the nerves of the brainstem are closely related with vascular structures. OBJECTIVES: To correlate the finding of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle on imaging with symptoms indicative of vestibulocochlear involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study included all patients evaluated between 2011 and 2017 with findings suggestive of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle for whom the clinical history and imaging studies were available. RESULTS: A total of 102 patients (63 women and 39 men) had vestibulocochlear involvement. The most common clinical indication was dizziness (41.18%). A unilateral vascular loop was found in 43 patients (right: 21.57%, left: 20.59%) and bilateral loops were found in 59 (57.84%) patients. The most common type of vascular loop was type II (right: 69.14%; left: 58.75%). The most common origin of vascular loops was the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (right: 66.67%, left: 65.00%). No associations were observed between vascular loops and sensorineural hearing, nystagmus, or vertigo. There was an association with tinnitus. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of vascular loops is not associated with most auditory symptoms. Nevertheless, all findings on imaging studies must be reported. The interpretation of the findings of imaging studies must be correlated with the clinical symptoms after other more common causes that can explain the symptoms have been ruled out.

Correlación clínico-radiológica del asa vascular del ángulo pontocerebeloso / Vascular loop in the cerebellopontine angle: clinical-radiological correlation

Antecedentes: El tronco encefálico, situado en la fosa posterior, conecta el cerebro con la médula espinal. Debido a su ubicación, sus componentes nerviosos guardan una estrecha relación con estructuras vasculares. Objetivos: Describir una relación clínico-radiológica del asa vascular del ángulo pontocerebeloso en pacientes con síntomas indicativos de afectación vestibulococlear mediante evaluación por neuroimagen. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo y descriptivo. Se incluyeron todos los pacientes evaluados entre 2011 y 2017 con indicios de asa vascular del ángulo pontocerebeloso e historial clínico y estudios de diagnóstico por imagen disponibles. Resultados: 102 pacientes (63 mujeres y 39 hombres) presentaban afectación vestibulococlear. La indicación clínica más frecuente fue mareos (41,18%). Se halló asa vascular unilateral en 43 pacientes (derecho: 21,57%, izquierdo: 20,59%) y bilateral en 59 pacientes (57,84%). El tipo de asa vascular más frecuente fue el tipo II (derecho: 69,14%; izquierdo: 58,75%). El origen más frecuente fue la arteria cerebelosa anteroinferior (ACAI) (derecha: 66,67%, izquierda: 65,00%). No se observó ninguna asociación entre asas vasculares y pérdida de audición neurosensitiva, nistagmo o vértigo. Se halló una asociación con acúfenos. Conclusiones y significación: La presencia de asas vasculares no se asocia a la mayoría de los síntomas auditivos. No obstante, deben notificarse todos los hallazgos de los estudios por imagen. La interpretación de los hallazgos de los estudios por imagen debe correlacionarse con los síntomas clínicos después de excluir otras causas más frecuentes que puedan explicar la sintomatología.(AU)

Background: The brainstem, situated in the posterior fossa, connects the brain to the spinal cord. Owing to its location, the nerves of the brainstem are closely related with vascular structures. Objectives: To correlate the finding of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle on imaging with symptoms indicative of vestibulocochlear involvement. Materials and methods: This retrospective descriptive study included all patients evaluated between 2011 and 2017 with findings suggestive of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle for whom the clinical history and imaging studies were available. Results: A total of 102 patients (63 women and 39 men) had vestibulocochlear involvement. The most common clinical indication was dizziness (41.18%). A unilateral vascular loop was found in 43 patients (right: 21.57%, left: 20.59%) and bilateral loops were found in 59 (57.84%) patients. The most common type of vascular loop was type II (right: 69.14%; left: 58.75%). The most common origin of vascular loops was the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (right: 66.67%, left: 65.00%). No associations were observed between vascular loops and sensorineural hearing, nystagmus, or vertigo. There was an association with tinnitus. Conclusions and significance: The presence of vascular loops is not associated with most auditory symptoms. Nevertheless, all findings on imaging studies must be reported. The interpretation of the findings of imaging studies must be correlated with the clinical symptoms after other more common causes that can explain the symptoms have been ruled out.(AU)

Mid-infrared photoluminescence revealing internal quantum efficiency enhancement of type-I and type-II InAs core/shell nanowires: publisher's note.

This publisher's note contains corrections to Opt. Lett.47, 5208 (2022)10.1364/OL.473154.

Real-space observation of ferroelectrically induced magnetic spin crystal in SrRuO3.

Unusual features in the Hall Resistivity of thin film systems are frequently associated with whirling spin textures such as Skyrmions. A host of recent investigations of Hall Hysteresis loops in SrRuO3 heterostructures have provided conflicting evidence for different causes for such features. We have constructed an SrRuO3-PbTiO3 (Ferromagnetic - Ferroelectric) bilayer that exhibits features in the Hall Hysteresis previously attributed to a Topological Hall Effect, and Skyrmions. Here we show field dependent Magnetic Force Microscopy measurements throughout the key fields where the 'THE' presents, revealing the emergence to two periodic, chiral spin textures. The zero-field cycloidal phase, which then transforms into a 'double-q' incommensurate spin crystal appears over the appearance of the 'Topological-like' Hall effect region, and develop into a ferromagnetic switching regime as the sample reaches saturation, and the 'Topological-like' response diminishes. Scanning Tunnelling Electron Microscopy and Density Functional Theory is used to observe and analyse surface inversion symmetry breaking and confirm the role of an interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction at the heart of the system.

Habitat fragmentation and population features differently affect fruit predation, fecundity and offspring performance in a non-specialist gypsum plant.

The effects of habitat fragmentation on plant populations are complex, as it might disrupt many ecological processes, including plant reproduction and plant-animal interactions. Gypsum specialist plants may be resilient to fragmentation due to their evolutionary history in fragmented landscapes, but the effects on non-specialist plants occurring in gypsum are unknown. We conducted a study focusing on different aspects of the reproductive cycle of Astragalus incanus subsp. incanus, a plant facultatively linked to gypsum soils. We focused on plant fecundity and pre-dispersal predation, obtained from field observations, and offspring performance, assessed in a common garden. Beyond fragment size and connectivity, we also considered habitat quality, population size and density and plant size as predictors. Fragment size and connectivity had no effect on plant fecundity, but jointly determined fruit predation, while fragment size was positively related to offspring growth. Population density, rather than population size, had a positive effect on predation but negatively affected plant fecundity and offspring performance. Habitat quality reduced both plant fecundity and predation incidence. In this non-specialist species, habitat fragmentation, population features and habitat quality affect different facets of plant performance. Predation was the only process clearly affected by fragmentation variables, fecundity mainly depended on population features and offspring performance and was better explained by mother plant identity. Our results show the need to consider habitat and population features together with fragment size and connectivity in order to assess the effects of fragmentation. Importantly, these effects can involve different aspects of plant reproduction, including plant-animal interactions.

In vivo and in vitro apoptosis induced by new acaricidal ethyl-carbamates in Rhipicephalus microplus.

The ability of ethyl-4-bromophenylcarbamate (LQM 919) and ethyl-4-chlorophenylcarbamate (LQM 996) to induce in vivo apoptosis of Rhipicephalus microplus ovarian cells and in vitro apoptosis of tick and mammalian cell culture was evaluated. The ovaries of engorged females treated with 1 mg mL-1 LQM 919 or LQM 996 presented more (p < 0.001) peroxidase-TUNEL-positive labeled cells (apoptotic cells) in situ than their respective control groups, and this increase was time-dependent (p < 0.001). The majority of apoptotic cells were observed in the epithelium and ovarian pedicel. HepG2, Vero and Rm-sus cells, as well as cells from primary cultures of R. microplus salivary glands, intestine and ovaries were exposed to different concentrations of the ethyl-carbamates. Both ethyl-carbamates induced a concentration-dependent reduction in the viability of all cell types (p < 0.001). Exposure to the ethyl-carbamates increased caspase 3 activity (p < 0.01) in primary cultures and cell lines, except in HepG2 cells. Fluorescent TUNEL-positive cells were observed in all cell types treated with 600 µM LQM 919 or LQM 996. These results indicate that both ethyl-carbamates induce apoptosis of the ovarian, intestinal and salivary glands cells in R. microplus and strongly suggest that this is their main mechanism of acaricidal action.

Vascular loop in the cerebellopontine angle: clinical-radiological correlation. / Correlación clínico-radiológica del asa vascular del ángulo pontocerebeloso.

BACKGROUND: The brainstem, situated in the posterior fossa, connects the brain to the spinal cord. Owing to its location, the nerves of the brainstem are closely related with vascular structures. OBJECTIVES: To correlate the finding of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle on imaging with symptoms indicative of vestibulocochlear involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective descriptive study included all patients evaluated between 2011 and 2017 with findings suggestive of vascular loops in the cerebellopontine angle for whom the clinical history and imaging studies were available. RESULTS: A total of 102 patients (63 women and 39 men) had vestibulocochlear involvement. The most common clinical indication was dizziness (41.18%). A unilateral vascular loop was found in 43 patients (right: 21.57%, left: 20.59%) and bilateral loops were found in 59 (57.84%) patients. The most common type of vascular loop was type II (right: 69.14%; left: 58.75%). The most common origin of vascular loops was the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (right: 66.67%, left: 65.00%). No associations were observed between vascular loops and sensorineural hearing, nystagmus, or vertigo. There was an association with tinnitus. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The presence of vascular loops is not associated with most auditory symptoms. Nevertheless, all findings on imaging studies must be reported. The interpretation of the findings of imaging studies must be correlated with the clinical symptoms after other more common causes that can explain the symptoms have been ruled out.

Installing oncofertility programs for common cancers in limited resource settings (Repro-Can-OPEN Study): An extrapolation during the global crisis of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

PURPOSE: The state of limited resource settings that Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created globally should be taken seriously into account especially in healthcare sector. In oncofertility, patients should receive their fertility preservation treatments urgently even in limited resource settings before initiation of anticancer therapy. Therefore, it is very crucial to learn more about oncofertility practice in limited resource settings such as in developing countries that suffer often from shortage of healthcare services provided to young patients with cancer. METHODS: As an extrapolation during the global crisis of COVID-19 pandemic, we surveyed oncofertility centers from 14 developing countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, Nigeria, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and India). Survey questionnaire included questions on the availability and degree of utilization of fertility preservation options in case of childhood cancer, breast cancer, and blood cancer. RESULTS: All surveyed centers responded to all questions. Responses and their calculated oncofertility scores showed different domestic standards for oncofertility practice in case of childhood cancer, breast cancer, and blood cancer in the developing countries under limited resource settings. CONCLUSIONS: Medical practice in limited resource settings has become a critical topic especially after the global crisis of COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the resources necessary to provide oncofertility treatments is important until the current COVID-19 pandemic resolves. Lessons learned will be valuable to future potential worldwide disruptions due to infectious diseases or other global crises.

[Familial MECP2 duplication syndrome]. / Síndrome de duplicación MECP2 familiar.

TITLE: Síndrome de duplicación MECP2 familiar.

Analysis of the pattern of functional activation of the cerebellum and its topographical correlation. / Análisis del patrón de activación funcional del cerebelo y su correlación topográfica.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the normal patterns of cerebellar activation in specific cerebral functions (motor, language, memory) and their topographical correlations in the cerebellar cortex on functional magnetic resonance imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 25 healthy subjects (8 women and 17 men; 23 right-handed and 2 left-handed; age range, 16-64 years), who did language, memory, and motor tasks while undergoing 1.5T functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: We assessed functional activity of the cerebellum associated with motor, language, and memory components, describing their relations with topographical regions of the cerebellum and their functional relations with areas in the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the normal patterns of morphological characteristics and functional behavior in the cerebellum as well as their relations with the brain is important for radiologists and clinicians evaluating the cerebellum and possible pathological conditions that affect it.

Differentiation of Trichuris species using a morphometric approach.

Trichuris trichiura is a nematode considered as the whipworm present in humans and primates. The systematics of the genus Trichuris is complex. Morphological studies of Trichuris isolated from primates and humans conclude that the species infecting these hosts is the same. Furthermore, numerous molecular studies have been carried out so far to discriminate parasite species from humans and Non-Human Primates using molecular techniques, but these studies were not performed in combination with a parallel morphological study. The hypothesised existence of more species of Trichuris in primates opens the possibility to revise the zoonotic potential and host specificity of T. trichiura and other putative new species of whipworms. In the present work, a study of Trichuris Roederer, 1761 (Nematoda:Trichuridae) parasitizing C. g. kikuyensis, P. ursinus, Macaca sylvanus, Pan troglodytes, and Sus scrofa domestica has been carried out using modern morphometric techniques in order to differentiate populations of Trichuris isolated from four species of captive NHP from different geographical regions, and swine, respectively. The results obtained revealed strong support for geometrical morphometrics as a useful tool to differentiate male Trichuris populations. Therefore, morphometrics in combination with other techniques, such as molecular biology analyses, ought to be applied to further the differentiation of male populations. On the other hand, morphometrics applied to female Trichuris species does not seem to contribute new information as all the measurements combinations of obtained from females always showed similar results.

Origin, evolution, phylogeny and taxonomy of Pulex irritans.

The human flea Pulex irritans Linnaeus, 1758 (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) is one of the most studied species together with the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis Bouché, 1835, because they have a cosmopolitan distribution and are closely related to humans. The present study aimed to carry out a comparative morphometric and molecular study of two different populations of P. irritans (Spain and Argentina). Accordingly, internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 and ITS2 of rDNA and the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and cytochrome b (cytb) mtDNA genes of these taxa were sequenced. Furthermore, the taxonomy, origin, evolution and phylogeny of P. irritans was assessed. The morphometric data obtained did not show significant differences between P. irritans specimens from Spain and Argentina, even when these two populations were collected from different hosts; however, there was a considerable degree of molecular divergence between both populations based on nuclear and mitochondrial markers. Thus, it is proposed that P. irritans, in contrast with other generalist fleas, maintains a certain degree of morphological similarity, at least between Western Palearctic and Neotropical areas. Furthermore, two well defined geographical genetic lineages within the P. irritans species are indicated, suggesting the existence of two cryptic species that could be discriminated by a polymerase chain reaction-linked restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Hippocampal sclerosis: volumetric evaluation of the substructures of the hippocampus by magnetic resonance imaging. / Esclerosis hipocampal: evaluación volumétrica de las subestructuras del hipocampo utilizando resonancia magnética.

OBJECTIVE: The pathological classification of hippocampal sclerosis is based on the loss of neurons in the substructures of the hippocampus. This study aimed to evaluate these substructures in patients with hippocampal sclerosis by magnetic resonance imaging and to compare the usefulness of this morphological analysis compared to that of volumetric analysis of the entire hippocampus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 25 controls and 25 patients with hippocampal sclerosis whose diagnosis was extracted from the institutional epilepsy board. We used FreeSurfer to process the studies and obtain the volumetric data. We evaluated overall volume and volume by substructure: fimbria, subiculum, presubiculum, hippocampal sulcus, CA1, CA2-CA3, CA4, and dentate gyrus (DG). We considered p < 0.05 statistically significant. RESULTS: We observed statistically significant decreases in the volume of the hippocampus ipsilateral to the epileptogenic focus in 19 (76.0%) of the 25 cases. With the exception of the hippocampal sulcus, we observed a decrease in all ipsilateral hippocampal substructures in patients with right hippocampal sclerosis (CA1, p=0.0223; CA2-CA3, p=0.0066; CA4-GD, p=0.0066; fimbria, p=0.0046; presubiculum, p=0.0087; subiculum, p=0.0017) and in those with left hippocampal sclerosis (CA1, p<0.0001; CA2-CA3, p<0. 0001; CA4-GD, p<0. 0001; fimbria, p=0.0183; presubiculum, p<0. 0001; subiculum, p<0. 0001). In four patients with left hippocampal sclerosis, none of the substructures had statistically significant alterations, although a trend toward atrophy was observed, mainly in CA2-CA3 and CA4-GD. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that it can be useful to assess the substructures of the hippocampus to improve the performance of diagnostic imaging in patients with hippocampal sclerosis.

Stable Defects in Semiconductor Nanowires.

Semiconductor nanowires are commonly described as being defect-free due to their ability to expel mobile defects with long-range strain fields. Here, we describe previously undiscovered topologically protected line defects with null Burgers vector that, unlike dislocations, are stable in nanoscale crystals. We analyze the defects present in semiconductor nanowires in regions of imperfect crystal growth, i.e., at the nanowire tip formed during consumption of the droplet in self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid growth and subsequent vapor-solid shell growth. We use a form of the Burgers circuit method that can be applied to multiply twinned material without difficulty. Our observations show that the nanowire microstructure is very different from bulk material, with line defects either (a) trapped by locks or other defects, (b) arranged as dipoles or groups with a zero total Burgers vector, or (c) have a zero Burgers vector. We find two new line defects with a null Burgers vector, formed from the combination of partial dislocations in twinned material. The most common defect is the three-monolayer high twin facet with a zero Burgers vector. Studies of individual nanowires using cathodoluminescence show that optical emission is quenched in defective regions, showing that they act as strong nonradiative recombination centers.

Landscape effects on pollination networks in Mediterranean gypsum islands.

Habitat fragmentation is a major driver of global change that has operated historically on Mediterranean ecosystems. However, more needs to be understood about how fragmentation influences ecological interactions, particularly pollination. Gypsum outcrops are historically fragmented Mediterranean habitats and settings for the evolution of many endangered soil-specialist plants with narrow ranges. In this study, we aimed to determine how fragmentation (area and connectivity) affects: (i) pollinator community composition and (ii) structural properties of pollination networks; and whether there are differences in the effects of fragmentation on: (iii) the number of interactions and visits among pollinator functional groups; and (iv) the number of interactions and specialisation degree between soil-specialist and soil-generalist plants. We characterised the degree of fragmentation and the pollination network structures in 12 gypsum habitat fragments embedded in a cropland matrix during two consecutive years. We found significant relationships between fragmentation and network structure. The effects of fragmentation differed among pollinator functional groups, but not between soil-specialist and soil-generalist plants, in terms of number of interactions. However, the relatively higher pollinator specialisation of soil-specialist plants suggested greater dependence on pollinators. Inter-annual variations in the network structures demonstrated the importance of temporal replication. The observed patterns related to the landscape structure and pollination at both the network and species levels provide insights into the key ecological processes in gypsum islands. These findings may help to identify the potential drivers of species persistence, especially for endangered soil-specialist plants with narrow ranges in a changing scenario with exacerbated habitat fragmentation.

Technovigilance and risk management as tools to improve patient safety in colombian health care institutions / La tecnovigilancia y la gestión de riesgos como herramientas para mejorar la seguridad de los pacientes en las instituciones de salud colombianas / A tecnovigilância e a gestão de riscos como ferramentas para melhorar a segurança dos pacientes nas instituições de saúde colombianas

This paper presents the results of a survey about technovigilance carried out in 21 clinical institutions from the southwest of Colombia. It also provides an analysis of how these programs take into account different risk management methodologies in order to create awareness of the importance of patient safety in all members of the staff and improve the quality of the health services provided.

Este trabajo presenta los resultados de una encuesta acerca de la vigilancia tecnológica llevada a cabo en 21 instituciones de salud del suroeste de Colombia. Adicionalmente proporciona un análisis de cómo estos programas consideran diferentes metodologías de manejo de riesgos para crear conciencia en todos los empleados de la importancia de la seguridad de los pacientes y así mejorar la calidad de los servicios de salud prestados.

Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa a respeito da vigilância tecnológica levada a cabo em 21 instituições de saúde do sudoeste da Colômbia. Adicionalmente proporciona uma análise de como estes programas consideram diferentes metodologias do controle de riscos para criar consciência em todos os empregados da importância da segurança dos pacientes e assim melhorar a qualidade dos serviços de saúde emprestados.

Sperm whale long-range echolocation sounds revealed by ANTARES, a deep-sea neutrino telescope.

Despite dedicated research has been carried out to adequately map the distribution of the sperm whale in the Mediterranean Sea, unlike other regions of the world, the species population status is still presently uncertain. The analysis of two years of continuous acoustic data provided by the ANTARES neutrino telescope revealed the year-round presence of sperm whales in the Ligurian Sea, probably associated with the availability of cephalopods in the region. The presence of the Ligurian Sea sperm whales was demonstrated through the real-time analysis of audio data streamed from a cabled-to-shore deep-sea observatory that allowed the hourly tracking of their long-range echolocation behaviour on the Internet. Interestingly, the same acoustic analysis indicated that the occurrence of surface shipping noise would apparently not condition the foraging behaviour of the sperm whale in the area, since shipping noise was almost always present when sperm whales were acoustically detected. The continuous presence of the sperm whale in the region confirms the ecological value of the Ligurian sea and the importance of ANTARES to help monitoring its ecosystems.