Interregional causal influences of brain metabolic activity reveal the spread of aging effects during normal aging.

During healthy brain aging, different brain regions show anatomical or functional declines at different rates, and some regions may show compensatory increases in functional activity. However, few studies have explored interregional influences of brain activity during the aging process. We proposed a causality analysis framework combining high dimensionality independent component analysis (ICA), Granger causality, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression on longitudinal brain metabolic activity data measured by Fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).

Tuned NV emission by in-plane Al-Schottky junctions on hydrogen terminated diamond.

The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre exhibits outstanding optical and spin properties and thus is very attractive for applications in quantum optics. Up to now an active control of the charge state of near-surface NV centres is difficult and the centres switch in an uncontrolled way between different charge states. In this work, we demonstrate an active control of the charge state of NV centres (implanted 7 nm below the surface) by using an in-plane Schottky diode geometry from aluminium on hydrogen terminated diamond in combination with confocal micro-photoluminescence measurements.

Diamond nanophotonics.

We demonstrate the coupling of single color centers in diamond to plasmonic and dielectric photonic structures to realize novel nanophotonic devices. Nanometer spatial control in the creation of single color centers in diamond is achieved by implantation of nitrogen atoms through high-aspect-ratio channels in a mica mask. Enhanced broadband single-photon emission is demonstrated by coupling nitrogen-vacancy centers to plasmonic resonators, such as metallic nanoantennas.

Piezoelectric actuated micro-resonators based on the growth of diamond on aluminum nitride thin films.

Unimorph heterostructures based on piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) and diamond thin films are highly desirable for applications in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. In this paper, we present a new approach to combine thin conductive boron-doped as well as insulating nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) with sputtered AlN films without the need for any buffer layers between AlN and NCD or polishing steps. The zeta potentials of differently treated nanodiamond (ND) particles in aqueous colloids are adjusted to the zeta potential of AlN in water.

Epidemiology and clinical features of gastroenteritis in hospitalised children: prospective survey during a 2-year period in a Parisian hospital, France.

Rotavirus is recognised as the most important agent of severe acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in young children. In a 2-year prospective survey, we investigated the epidemiology and clinical features of the viral and bacterial pathogens in children hospitalised for AGE. The study was performed in a Parisian teaching hospital from November 2001 to May 2004.