Temporal Evolution of Defects and Related Electric Properties in He-Irradiated YBaCuO Thin Films.

Thin films of the superconductor YBaCuO (YBCO) were modified by low-energy light-ion irradiation employing collimated or focused He beams, and the long-term stability of irradiation-induced defects was investigated. For films irradiated with collimated beams, the resistance was measured in situ during and after irradiation and analyzed using a phenomenological model. The formation and stability of irradiation-induced defects are highly influenced by temperature.

Ordered Bose Glass of Vortices in Superconducting YBaCuO Thin Films with a Periodic Pin Lattice Created by Focused Helium Ion Irradiation.

The defect-rich morphology of YBaCuO (YBCO) thin films leads to a glass-like arrangement of Abrikosov vortices which causes the resistance to disappear in vanishing current densities. This vortex glass consists of entangled vortex lines and is identified by a characteristic scaling of the voltage-current isotherms. Randomly distributed columnar defects stratify the vortex lines and lead to a Bose glass.

Anisotropy of the In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Resistivity and the Hall Effect in the Normal State of Vicinal-Grown YBaCuO Thin Films.

The resistivity and the Hall effect in the copper-oxide high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) are remarkably anisotropic. Using a thin film of YBCO grown on an off-axis cut SrTiO3 substrate allows one to investigate these anisotropic transport properties in a planar and well-defined sample geometry employing a homogeneous current density. In the normal state, the Hall voltage probed parallel to the copper-oxide layers is positive and strongly temperature dependent, whereas the out-of-plane Hall voltage is negative and almost temperature independent.

Evaluation of the Manchester triage system for patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: An early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is crucial for treatment and prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Manchester triage system (MTS) for patients with ACS, e.g.

Doping of metal-organic frameworks towards resistive sensing.

Coordination polymerization leads to various metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with unique physical properties and chemical functionalities. One of the challenges towards their applications as porous materials is to make MOFs optimally conductive to be used as electronic components. Here, it is demonstrated that Co-MOF-74, a honeycomb nano-framework with one-dimensionally arranged cobalt atoms, advances its physical properties by accommodating tetracyanochinodimethan (TCNQ), an acceptor molecule.

Nickel clusters embedded in carbon nanotubes as high performance magnets.

Ensembles of fcc nickel nanowires have been synthesized with defined mean sizes in the interior of single-wall carbon nanotubes. The method allows the intrinsic nature of single-domain magnets to emerge with large coercivity as their size becomes as small as the exchange length of nickel. By means of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism we probe electronic interactions at nickel-carbon interfaces where nickel exhibit no hysteresis and size-dependent spin magnetic moment.

Multicentre analysis of 178,992 type 2 diabetes patients revealed better metabolic control despite higher rates of hypertension, stroke, dementia and repeated inpatient care in patients with comorbid Parkinson's disease.

Background: Especially in older people, physicians are faced with the coexistence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Therefore, this research aimed to compare diabetes endpoints between T2DM with and without PD.

Methods: Based on the standardized, multicenter, prospective DPV database, 178,992 T2DM patients (≥40 years) were analyzed.

Does early administration of selenium improve neurological outcome after cardiac arrest?

Objective: Existing data indicate that selenium supplementation may be beneficial in critically ill patients and in those with ischemic stroke. The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the influence of early administration of selenium on neurological outcome after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methods: We examined 227 consecutive unconscious patients after CPR and excluded 1 individual.

Prediction of neurological outcome after cardiopulmonary resuscitation by serial determination of serum neuron-specific enolase.

Aims: Data on the diagnostic accuracy of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as marker of hypoxic brain damage are conflicting. The purpose of this prospective observational cohort study was to explore the prognostic value of serum NSE after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and to define the most sensitive cutoff value with a specificity of 100% for the prediction of persistent coma.

Methods And Results: Serum NSE concentrations were serially determined in 227 consecutive unconscious patients after CPR who were classified according to the best Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance categories (CPC, 1-4) achieved within 6 months follow-up.

Flecainide versus ibutilide for immediate cardioversion of atrial fibrillation of recent onset.

Aims: This study compared the efficacy and safety of intravenous flecainide and ibutilide for immediate cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: We conducted a prospective, randomised trial, including 207 patients with AF of recent onset (< or = 48 h). Flecainide was given over 20 min at a dose of 2 mg/kg body weight (maximum 200 mg), ibutilide was infused at a dose of 1 mg (or 0.