The Fabrication of Gold Nanostructures as SERS Substrates for the Detection of Contaminants in Water.

Gold nanostructures (AuNSs) were used to fabricate surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. These AuNSs were produced using the solid-state dewetting method from thin films. The fragmentation process was studied at 300 °C, with durations of thermal treatment of 1, 3, 6, and 12 h.

Thermal, viscoelastic, and electrical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane films reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt% has been studied. The effect of MWCNTs on thermal, viscoelastic, and electric properties in the TPU matrix was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and by impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the thermal, electrical, and viscoelastic properties, such as the glass transition temperature, shifted towards high temperatures.

Scientific and technological analysis of exchange-spring magnets: Applications and trends.

In this work, a bibliometric study was carried out to perform a scientific and technological analysis of exchange-spring magnets, an alternative permanent magnet synthesized by reducing or eliminating the use of critical raw materials, such as rare earths. The bibliometric analysis utilized the Scopus database, Orbit-Intellixir, VOSviewer, Orbit-Intelligence and Loglet Lab 4 software for maturity analysis, keyword network representations, charts and graphs for scientific articles and/or patents. A special analysis was performed on nanocomposite and thin-films systems based on Nd-Fe-B, SmCo and Mn-Al-C alloys, either mixed or layered with a soft magnetic phase, where relevant information on their magnetic parameters was compilated in tables, highlighting the nanostructured systems that have been exhibited the best permanent magnet properties.

Sleep Disturbances in At-Risk Mental States and First Episode of Psychosis: A Narrative Review on Interventions.

Sleep disturbances are a common yet often overlooked symptom of psychosis that can drastically affect the quality of life and well-being of those living with the condition. Sleep disorders are common in people diagnosed with schizophrenia and have significant negative effects on the clinical course of the illness and the functional outcomes and quality of life of patients. There is a limited number of studies addressing this question in first-episode psychosis (FEP).

Morphological Electrical and Hardness Characterization of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Nanocomposite Plates.

The impacts on the morphological, electrical and hardness properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) plates using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcing fillers have been investigated, using MWCNT loadings between 1 and 7 wt%. Plates of the TPU/MWCNT nanocomposites were fabricated by compression molding from extruded pellets. An X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the incorporation of MWCNTs into the TPU polymer matrix increases the ordered range of the soft and hard segments.

Effect of Ethylene Glycol: Citric Acid Molar Ratio and pH on the Morphology, Vibrational, Optical and Electronic Properties of TiO and CuO Powders Synthesized by Pechini Method.

High-purity TiO and CuO powders were synthesized by the Pechini method, an inexpensive and easy-to-implement procedure to synthetize metal oxides. The variables of synthesis were the ethylene glycol:citric acid molar ratio and the pH. High reproducibility of the anatase and tenorite phase was obtained for all synthesis routes.

Association between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, and C-reactive protein levels and metabolic status in patients with a bipolar disorder.

Objectives: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) are markers of inflammation that are elevated in bipolar disorder (BD) and are also related to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study aimed at investigating for the first time the association between NLR, PLR, and CRP and the metabolic status in BD.

Methods: We assessed the association between biomarkers and the metabolic status: number of metabolic risk factors, presence of MetS, insulin sensitivity (Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index, QUICKI) and insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance, HOMA-IR index), in a sample of 219 outpatients with BD.

Observation of unexpected uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in LaSrMnO films by a BaTiO overlayer in an artificial multiferroic bilayer.

We studied in detail the in-plane magnetic properties of heterostructures based on a ferroelectric BaTiO overlayer deposited on a ferromagnetic LaSrMnO film grown epitaxially on pseudocubic (001)-oriented SrTiO, (LaAlO)(SrTaAlO) and LaAlO substrates. In this configuration, the combination of both functional perovskites constitutes an artificial multiferroic system with potential applications in spintronic devices based on the magnetoelectric effect. LaSrMnO single layers and BaTiO/LaSrMnO bilayers using the pulsed-laser deposition technique.

Punch grafting for pain reduction in hard-to-heal ulcers.

Objective: Punch-grafting is a traditional technique to enhance wound healing, which has been associated with significant pain reduction. There are few studies measuring pain reduction after punch grafting, our study was designed to measure this outcome.

Method: Patients with hard-to-heal wounds treated with punch grafting were included in a single centre prospective study.

Controlled Growth and Grafting of High-Density Au Nanoparticles on Zinc Oxide Thin Films by Photo-Deposition.

The integration of high-purity nano-objects on substrates remains a great challenge for addressing scaling-up issues in nanotechnology. For instance, grafting gold nanoparticles (NPs) on zinc oxide films, a major step process for catalysis or photovoltaic applications, still remains difficult to master. We report a modified photodeposition (P-D) approach that achieves tight control of the NPs size (7.

Performance Enhancement via Incorporation of ZnO Nanolayers in Energetic Al/CuO Multilayers.

Al/CuO energetic structure are attractive materials due to their high thermal output and propensity to produce gas. They are widely used to bond components or as next generation of MEMS igniters. In such systems, the reaction process is largely dominated by the outward migration of oxygen atoms from the CuO matrix toward the aluminum layers, and many recent studies have already demonstrated that the interfacial nanolayer between the two reactive layers plays a major role in the material properties.

Self-Organized Al2Cu Nanocrystals at the Interface of Aluminum-Based Reactive Nanolaminates to Lower Reaction Onset Temperature.

Nanoenergetic materials are beginning to play an important role in part because they are being considered as energetic components for materials, chemical, and biochemical communities (e.g., microthermal sources, microactuators, in situ welding and soldering, local enhancement of chemical reactions, nanosterilization, and controlled cell apoptosis) and because their fabrication/synthesis raises fundamental challenges that are pushing the engineering and scientific frontiers.

Enhancing the Reactivity of Al/CuO Nanolaminates by Cu Incorporation at the Interfaces.

In situ deposition of a thin (∼5 nm) layer of copper between Al and CuO layers is shown to increase the overall nanolaminate material reactivity. A combination of transmission electron microscopy imaging, in situ infrared spectroscopy, low energy ion scattering measurements, and first-principles calculations reveals that copper spontaneously diffuses into aluminum layers (substantially less in CuO layers). The formation of an interfacial Al:Cu alloy with melting temperature lower than pure Al metal is responsible for the enhanced reactivity, opening a route to controlling the stochiometry of the aluminum layer and increasing the reactivity of the nanoenergetic multilayer systems in general.

Observation of the strain induced magnetic phase segregation in manganite thin films.

Epitaxial strain alters the physical properties of thin films grown on single crystal substrates. Thin film oxides are particularly apt for strain engineering new functionalities in ferroic materials. In the case of La(2/3)Ca(1/3)MnO(3) (LCMO) thin films, here we show the first experimental images obtained by electron holography demonstrating that epitaxial strain induces the segregation of a flat and uniform nonferromagnetic layer with antiferromagnetic (AFM) character at the top surface of a ferromagnetic (FM) layer, the whole film being chemical and structurally homogeneous at room temperature.

Enhanced magnetotransport in nanopatterned manganite nanowires.

We have combined optical and focused ion beam lithographies to produce large aspect-ratio (length-to-width >300) single-crystal nanowires of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 that preserve their functional properties. Remarkably, an enhanced magnetoresistance value of 34% in an applied magnetic field of 0.1 T in the narrowest 150 nm nanowire is obtained.

Oxidative burst assessment and neutrophil-platelet complexes in unlysed whole blood.

Background: Methods currently employed for measuring reactive oxygen species production can lead to both cellular depletion and in artifactual activation. The objective of this study was to design a methodology allowing the measurement of oxidative burst (OB) with minimal sample manipulation.

Methods: To that purpose a flow cytometry technique developed in our laboratory, based on nucleic acid staining to discriminate erythrocytes and debris, was employed.