Elastic Softness of Hybrid Lead Halide Perovskites.

Much recent attention has been devoted towards unraveling the microscopic optoelectronic properties of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites. Here we investigate by coherent inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy and Brillouin light scattering, low frequency acoustic phonons in four different hybrid perovskite single crystals: MAPbBr_{3}, FAPbBr_{3}, MAPbI_{3}, and α-FAPbI_{3} (MA: methylammonium, FA: formamidinium). We report a complete set of elastic constants characterized by a very soft shear modulus C_{44}. Further, a tendency towards an incipient ferroelastic transition is observed in FAPbBr_{3}. We observe a systematic lower sound group velocity in the technologically important iodide-based compounds compared to the bromide-based ones. The findings suggest that low thermal conductivity and hot phonon bottleneck phenomena are expected to be enhanced by low elastic stiffness, particularly in the case of the ultrasoft α-FAPbI_{3}.

Precision Measurement of the First Ionization Potential of Nobelium.

One of the most important atomic properties governing an element's chemical behavior is the energy required to remove its least-bound electron, referred to as the first ionization potential. For the heaviest elements, this fundamental quantity is strongly influenced by relativistic effects which lead to unique chemical properties. Laser spectroscopy on an atom-at-a-time scale was developed and applied to probe the optical spectrum of neutral nobelium near the ionization threshold. The first ionization potential of nobelium is determined here with a very high precision from the convergence of measured Rydberg series to be 6.626 21±0.000 05 eV. This work provides a stringent benchmark for state-of-the-art many-body atomic modeling that considers relativistic and quantum electrodynamic effects and paves the way for high-precision measurements of atomic properties of elements only available from heavy-ion accelerator facilities.

Probing Sizes and Shapes of Nobelium Isotopes by Laser Spectroscopy.

Until recently, ground-state nuclear moments of the heaviest nuclei could only be inferred from nuclear spectroscopy, where model assumptions are required. Laser spectroscopy in combination with modern atomic structure calculations is now able to probe these moments directly, in a comprehensive and nuclear-model-independent way. Here we report on unique access to the differential mean-square charge radii of ^{252,253,254}No, and therefore to changes in nuclear size and shape. State-of-the-art nuclear density functional calculations describe well the changes in nuclear charge radii in the region of the heavy actinides, indicating an appreciable central depression in the deformed proton density distribution in ^{252,254}No isotopes. Finally, the hyperfine splitting of ^{253}No was evaluated, enabling a complementary measure of its (quadrupole) deformation, as well as an insight into the neutron single-particle wave function via the nuclear spin and magnetic moment.

A close examination of the structure and dynamics of HC(NH2)2PbI3 by MD simulations and group theory.

The formamidinium lead iodide hybrid perovskite is studied using first principles molecular dynamics simulations and further analyzed using group theory. The simulations are performed on large supercells containing 768 atoms under isothermal and fully anisotropic isobaric conditions. Two trajectories, one at 300 K and another at 450 K, were extended for over 50 ps in order to perform a detailed assessment of the rotational dynamics of organic cations. The characteristic rotations of the cation are analyzed by defining two rotation axes. It is found that the formamidinium molecules rotate preferentially around the direction parallel to the line connecting the two nitrogen atoms. The rotational dynamics shows some characteristics already observed in methylammonium lead iodide, like the heterogeneous dynamics at room temperature that disappears at 450 K. The orientational probability of the molecules is explored in terms of an expansion in cubic harmonics up to the 12th order. It reveals a strong directionality at room temperature that relaxes when increasing the temperature. These findings are further rationalized using Landau and group theories suggesting a mixed displacive/order-disorder structural instability at lower temperatures.

New Short-Lived Isotope

Two short-lived isotopes ^{221}U and ^{222}U were produced as evaporation residues in the fusion reaction ^{50}Ti+^{176}Yb at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. An α decay with an energy of E_{α}=9.31(5) MeV and half-life T_{1/2}=4.7(7) µs was attributed to ^{222}U. The new isotope ^{221}U was identified in α-decay chains starting with E_{α}=9.71(5) MeV and T_{1/2}=0.66(14) µs leading to known daughters. Synthesis and detection of these unstable heavy nuclei and their descendants were achieved thanks to a fast data readout system. The evolution of the N=126 shell closure and its influence on the stability of uranium isotopes are discussed within the framework of α-decay reduced width.

Identification of SOCS2 and SOCS6 as biomarkers in human colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Over the past years, some members of the family of suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins have emerged as potential tumour suppressors. This study aimed at investigating the clinical significance of SOCS proteins in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). METHODS: We integrated publicly available microarray expression data on CRC in humans, analysed the expression pattern of SOCSs and assessed the predictive power of SOCS2 and SOCS6 for diagnostic purposes by generating receiver operating characteristic curves. Using laser microdissected patient material we assessed SOCS expression on RNA and protein levels as well as their methylation status in an independent CRC patient cohort. Finally, we investigated the prognostic value of SOCS2 and SOCS6. RESULTS: The meta-analysis as well as the independent patient cohort analysis reveal a stage-independent downregulation of SOCS2 and SOCS6 and identify both molecules as diagnostic biomarkers for CRC. We demonstrate a different methylation pattern within the SOCS2 promoter between tumour tissue and normal control tissue in 25% of CRC patients. Furthermore, early CRC stage patients with low expression of SOCS2 display significantly shorter disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our data offers evidence that SOCS2 and SOCS6 levels are reduced in CRC and may serve as diagnostic biomarkers for CRC patients.

48Ca+249Bk fusion reaction leading to element Z = 117: long-lived α-decaying 270Db and discovery of 266Lr.

The superheavy element with atomic number Z=117 was produced as an evaporation residue in the (48)Ca+(249)Bk fusion reaction at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at GSI Darmstadt, Germany. The radioactive decay of evaporation residues and their α-decay products was studied using a detection setup that allowed measuring decays of single atomic nuclei with half-lives between sub-µs and a few days. Two decay chains comprising seven α decays and a spontaneous fission each were identified and are assigned to the isotope (294)117 and its decay products. A hitherto unknown α-decay branch in (270)Db (Z = 105) was observed, which populated the new isotope (266)Lr (Z = 103). The identification of the long-lived (T(1/2) = 1.0(-0.4)(+1.9) h) α-emitter (270)Db marks an important step towards the observation of even more long-lived nuclei of superheavy elements located on an "island of stability."

Comment on "Density functional theory analysis of structural and electronic properties of orthorhombic perovskite CH3NH3PbI3" by Y. Wang et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2014, 16, 1424-1429.

Yun Wang et al. used density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the orthorhombic phase of CH3NH3PbI3, which has recently shown outstanding properties for photovoltaic applications. Whereas their analysis of ground state properties may represent a valuable contribution to understanding this class of materials, effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) cannot be overlooked as was shown in earlier studies. Moreover, their discussion on optical properties may be misleading for non-DFT-experts, and the nice agreement between experimental and calculated band gap is fortuitous, stemming from error cancellations between SOC and many-body effects. Lastly, Bader charges suggest potential problems during crystal structure optimization.

Spectroscopy of element 115 decay chains.

A high-resolution α, x-ray, and γ-ray coincidence spectroscopy experiment was conducted at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung. Thirty correlated α-decay chains were detected following the fusion-evaporation reaction 48Ca + 243Am. The observations are consistent with previous assignments of similar decay chains to originate from element Z=115. For the first time, precise spectroscopy allows the derivation of excitation schemes of isotopes along the decay chains starting with elements Z>112. Comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations accompany the data analysis. Nuclear structure models provide a first level interpretation.

Prevalence, risk factors and molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in residents of long-term care facilities in Luxembourg, 2010.

A prevalence survey of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was performed in 2010 in 19 long-term care facilities in Luxembourg. Of the 954 participating residents, 69 (7·2%) were colonized by MRSA. Previous history of MRSA [odds ratio (OR) 7·20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3·19-16·27], quinolone therapy in the previous year (OR 2·27, 95% CI 1·17-4·41) and ≥24 h care administered per week (OR 4·29, 95% CI 1·18-15·56) were independent risk factors for MRSA colonization. More than 75% of strains were of clonal complex (CC)5, mainly spa-type t003 or sequence type (ST)225 and ST710, which is a rapidly emerging lineage prevalent in central Europe. Five residents were colonized by livestock-associated genotypes belonging to CC398. Previously dominant CC8 strains have recently been replaced by more resistant CC5 strains in Luxembourg.

InGaAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy for light emission on Si substrates.

The aim of this study is to achieve homogeneous, high density and dislocation free InGaAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy for light emission on silicon substrates. This work is part of a project which aims at overcoming the severe limitation suffered by silicon regarding its optoelectronic applications, especially efficient light emission device. For this study, one of the key points is to overcome the expected type II InGaAs/Si interface by inserting the InGaAs quantum dots inside a thin silicon quantum well in SiO2 fabricated on a SOI substrate. Confinement effects of the Si/SiO2 quantum well are expected to heighten the indirect silicon bandgap and then give rise to a type I interface with the InGaAs quantum dots. Band structure and optical properties are modeled within the tight binding approximation: direct energy bandgap is demonstrated in SiO2/Si/InAs/Si/SiO2 heterostructures for very thin Si layers and absorption coefficient is calculated. Thinned SOI substrates are successfully prepared using successive etching process resulting in a 2 nm-thick Si layer on top of silica. Another key point to get light emission from InGaAs quantum dots is to avoid any dislocations or defects in the quantum dots. We investigate the quantum dot size distribution, density and structural quality at different V/III beam equivalent pressure ratios, different growth temperatures and as a function of the amount of deposited material. This study was performed for InGaAs quantum dots grown on Si(001) substrates. The capping of InGaAs quantum dots by a silicon epilayer is performed in order to get efficient photoluminescence emission from quantum dots. Scanning transmission electronic microscopy images are used to study the structural quality of the quantum dots. Dislocation free In50Ga50As QDs are successfully obtained on a (001) silicon substrate. The analysis of QDs capped with silicon by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry in a channeling geometry is also presented.

T cell response to Epstein-Barr virus transactivators in chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a multistep disorder associated with autoimmune features of yet unknown etiology. Implication of viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis has been suspected on the basis of several indirect observations, but thus far, a direct link between EBV and rheumatoid arthritis has not been provided. Here we show that a large fraction of T cells infiltrating affected joints from a patient with chronic rheumatoid arthritis recognizes two EBV transactivators (BZLF1 and BMLF1) in a major histocompatibility complex-restricted fashion. Responses to these EBV antigens by synovial lymphocytes from several other chronic rheumatoid arthritis patients were readily detectable. Thus these results suggest a direct contribution of EBV to chronic rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis. They also demonstrate for the first time the occurrence of T cell responses against EBV transactivating factors, which might be central in the control of virus reactivation.

Production and decay of element 114: high cross sections and the new nucleus 277Hs.

The fusion-evaporation reaction 244Pu(48Ca,3-4n){288,289}114 was studied at the new gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. Thirteen correlated decay chains were observed and assigned to the production and decay of {288,289}114. At a compound nucleus excitation energy of E{*}=39.8-43.9 MeV, the 4n evaporation channel cross section was 9.8{-3.1}{+3.9} pb. At E^{*}=36.1-39.5 MeV, that of the 3n evaporation channel was 8.0{-4.5}{+7.4} pb. In one of the 3n evaporation channel decay chains, a previously unobserved α branch in 281Ds was observed (probability to be of random origin from background: 0.1%). This α decay populated the new nucleus 277Hs, which decayed by spontaneous fission after a lifetime of 4.5 ms.

A direct estimate of the human alphabeta T cell receptor diversity.

Generation and maintenance of an effective repertoire of T cell antigen receptors are essential to the immune system, yet the number of distinct T cell receptors (TCRs) expressed by the estimated 10(12) T cells in the human body is not known. In this study, TCR gene amplification and sequencing showed that there are about 10(6) different beta chains in the blood, each pairing, on the average, with at least 25 different alpha chains. In the memory subset, the diversity decreased to 1 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(5) different beta chains, each pairing with only a single alpha chain. Thus, the naïve repertoire is highly diverse, whereas the memory compartment, here one-third of the T cell population, contributes less than 1 percent of the total diversity.

Mumps outbreak among the military in Luxembourg in 2008: epidemiology and evaluation of control measures.

In the last quarter of 2008, an outbreak of mumps occurred in Luxembourg affecting initially 10 young adults at a military centre. Following a mass vaccination campaign, no further clinical cases were observed. 90% of 136 vaccine recipients were IgG positive one month after vaccination compared to 54% before vaccination. Until 31 December 2008, 19 mumps cases were also reported from the community. The outbreak strain belonged to genogroup G.

Update of Clostridium difficile infection due to PCR ribotype 027 in Europe, 2008.

Outbreaks of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) with increased severity, high relapse rate and significant mortality have been related to the emergence of a new, hypervirulent C. difficile strain in North America and Europe. This emerging strain is referred to as PCR ribotype 027 (Type 027). Since 2005, individual countries have developed surveillance studies about the spread of type 027.C. difficile Type 027 has been reported in 16 European countries. It has been responsible for outbreaks in Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland). It has also been detected in Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Poland and Spain. Three countries experienced imported patients with CDI due to Type 027 who acquired the infection abroad.The antimicrobial resistance pattern is changing, and outbreaks due to clindamycin-resistant ermB positive Type 027 strains have occurred in three European countries. Ongoing epidemiological surveillance of cases of CDI, with periodic characterisation of the strains involved, is required to detect clustering of cases in time and space and to monitor the emergence of new, highly virulent clones.

Scaling law for excitons in 2D perovskite quantum wells.

Ruddlesden-Popper halide perovskites are 2D solution-processed quantum wells with a general formula A2A'n-1M n X3n+1, where optoelectronic properties can be tuned by varying the perovskite layer thickness (n-value), and have recently emerged as efficient semiconductors with technologically relevant stability. However, fundamental questions concerning the nature of optical resonances (excitons or free carriers) and the exciton reduced mass, and their scaling with quantum well thickness, which are critical for designing efficient optoelectronic devices, remain unresolved. Here, using optical spectroscopy and 60-Tesla magneto-absorption supported by modeling, we unambiguously demonstrate that the optical resonances arise from tightly bound excitons with both exciton reduced masses and binding energies decreasing, respectively, from 0.221 m0 to 0.186 m0 and from 470 meV to 125 meV with increasing thickness from n equals 1 to 5. Based on this study we propose a general scaling law to determine the binding energy of excitons in perovskite quantum wells of any layer thickness.

Acute graft versus host disease due to T lymphocytes recognizing a single HLA-DPB1*0501 mismatch.

Analysis of a large number of unrelated bone marrow transplantations (BMT) has shown that HLA-DP incompatibility did not detectably influence the risk for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). Accordingly, it was proposed that HLA-DP determinants did not function as transplantation antigens in the same way as HLA-A, -B, or -DR. We have previously shown that HLA-DP (as well as HLA-A, -B, -DQ, or -DR)-specific T cells could be isolated from skin biopsies of patients who developed an aGVHD after semiallogeneic BMT. Nevertheless, whether a single HLA-DP mismatched allele could induce a detectable allo-specific reaction in vivo after BMT remained to be established. To directly address this issue we studied one patient who presented aGVHD after receiving purified CD34+ bone marrow (BM) cells from an unrelated donor with a single HLA-DP mismatch in the GVHD direction. To characterize the immunological events associated with GVHD, we analyzed the peripheral T cell repertoire, the T cell receptor Vbeta diversity, and the specificity of T cells invading a skin biopsy at the onset of GVHD. Our results demonstrated that a large fraction of skin-infiltrating lymphocytes, which expressed diverse T cell receptors, were reactive against this single HLA-DPB1 *0501 mismatch and consequently that a single HLA-DP mismatch between BM donor and recipient can activate a strong T cell response in vivo.

Extremely efficient internal exciton dissociation through edge states in layered 2D perovskites.

Understanding and controlling charge and energy flow in state-of-the-art semiconductor quantum wells has enabled high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. Two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites are solution-processed quantum wells wherein the band gap can be tuned by varying the perovskite-layer thickness, which modulates the effective electron-hole confinement. We report that, counterintuitive to classical quantum-confined systems where photogenerated electrons and holes are strongly bound by Coulomb interactions or excitons, the photophysics of thin films made of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites with a thickness exceeding two perovskite-crystal units (>1.3 nanometers) is dominated by lower-energy states associated with the local intrinsic electronic structure of the edges of the perovskite layers. These states provide a direct pathway for dissociating excitons into longer-lived free carriers that substantially improve the performance of optoelectronic devices.

The infection of human dendritic cells with recombinant avipox vectors expressing a costimulatory molecule transgene (CD80) to enhance the activation of antigen-specific cytolytic T cells.

Human dendritic cells (DCs) express MHC class I and II molecules and several T-cell costimulatory molecules that contribute to their efficiency as antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Whereas most human DC populations uniformly express some costimulatory molecules such as B7-2 (CD86), previous studies have shown a wide variation in the expression of B7-1 (CD80) among different human DC preparations. In the studies reported here, we demonstrate that replication-defective avipox vectors expressing B7-1 can be used to rapidly and efficiently infect human DCs and can enhance the efficacy of human DCs to activate specific human T-cell populations. This has been demonstrated both in systems using peptide as a source of signal 1 and in systems using recombinant avipox vector to deliver signal 1. The antigen used in these studies was the tumor-associated human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). An immunodominant 9-mer CTL epitope for CEA (designated CAP-1) has been previously characterized (K. Y. Tsang et al., J. Natl. Cancer Inst. (Bethesda), 87: 982-990, 1995). The source of signal 1 used in these studies was (a) the CAP-1 peptide; (b) recombinant avipox-CEA; or (c) the dual transgene recombinant avipox-CEA/B7-1. These studies demonstrate that CEA-specific T cells are more efficiently activated using as APCs peptide-pulsed DCs infected with avipox-B7-1, as compared with peptide-pulsed DCs infected with wild-type vector, or with uninfected peptide-pulsed DCs. Greater activation of CEA-specific T cells was also obtained using as APCs DCs that were infected with avipox-CEA/B7-1 as compared with the use of DCs infected with avipox-CEA. A CEA tetramer was also used to isolate high- and low-tetramer-binding CEA-specific T-cell populations. Although both high- and low-tetramer-binding T cells had the ability to lyse CEA peptide-pulsed targets, only the high-tetramer-binding T cells had the ability to lyse colon carcinoma cells expressing CEA, which suggests the existence of tetramer-binding populations with different T-cell receptor (TCR) affinities. The demonstrated safety of recombinant avipox vectors in humans and the previously demonstrated ability to administer them multiple times without host immune response limitations indicate that these vectors expressing B7-1 have a potential use in enhancing the efficacy of human DC immunotherapy protocols using either peptide or recombinant vector to deliver signal 1.