In-Plane Chirality Control of a Charge Density Wave by Means of Shear Stress.

The transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS exhibits a Charge Density Wave (CDW) with in-plane chirality. Due to the rich phase diagram, the Ferro-Rotational Order (FRO) can be tuned by external stimuli. The FRO is studied by Angle-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy (ARPES), Raman spectroscopy, and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED).

Temperature Induced, Reversible Switching of Ferro-Rotational Order Coupled to Superlattice Commensuralibity.

High-quality 1T-TaS crystals are investigated by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction. The Ferro-Rotational Order (FRO) of the charge density wave switches configuration at the transition between the commensurate and the nearly commensurate phase. This process requires samples without built-in or externally induced strain.

Strong bottom currents in large, deep Lake Geneva generated by higher vertical-mode Poincaré waves.

Although internal seiches are ubiquitous in large, deep lakes, little is known about the effect of higher vertical-mode seiches on deepwater dynamics. Here, by combining entire summer season current and temperature observations and 3D numerical modeling, we demonstrate that previously undetected vertical mode-two and mode-three Poincaré waves in 309-meter deep Lake Geneva (Switzerland/France) generate bottom-boundary layer currents up to 4 cm s. Poincaré wave amphidromic patterns revealed three strong cells excited simultaneously.

Effects of induced arterial hypertension for vasospasm on unruptured and unsecured cerebral aneurysms (growth and rupture). A retrospective case-control study.

Objectives: Unruptured cerebral aneurysms (UCAs) often coexist with the ruptured one but are typically left unsecured during the weeks following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We compared the rate of UCAs rupture or volume growth (≥5 mm) between patients exposed to induced arterial hypertension (iHTN) for vasospasm and those not exposed (control group).

Materials And Methods: From 2013 to 2021, we retrospectively included consecutive adult patients with aSAH who had ≥1 UCA.

Angiopoietin-like 2 is essential to aortic valve development in mice.

Aortic valve (AoV) abnormalities during embryogenesis are a major risk for the development of aortic valve stenosis (AVS) and cardiac events later in life. Here, we identify an unexpected role for Angiopoietin-like 2 (ANGPTL2), a pro-inflammatory protein secreted by senescent cells, in valvulogenesis. At late embryonic stage, mice knocked-down for Angptl2 (Angptl2-KD) exhibit a premature thickening of AoV leaflets associated with a dysregulation of the fine balance between cell apoptosis, senescence and proliferation during AoV remodeling and a decrease in the crucial Notch signalling.

Photoactive CuI-Cross-Linked Polyurethane Materials.

Using multinuclear copper iodide complexes as cross-linking agents in a polyurethane matrix, original photoluminescent stimuli-responsive materials were synthesized. The intrinsic photoluminescence properties of the covalently incorporated copper iodide complexes are thus transferred to the materials while retaining the beneficial characteristics of the polymer host. The transparent materials exhibit room-temperature phosphorescence with emission switching properties by displaying luminescence thermochromism and solvatochromism.

Thermomechanical Behaviour and Interface of Overmoulded Soft Thermoplastic Vulcanizate Elastomers.

The influence of melt injection temperature on the thermomechanical behaviour of soft-soft overmoulded vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers (TPV) with different elastic properties was studied. Samples with two different overmoulding temperatures were tested under uniaxial loading conditions. The full deformation and temperature fields in each TPV were determined using digital image correlation technique and infrared thermography, respectively.

Kleptoplast distribution, photosynthetic efficiency and sequestration mechanisms in intertidal benthic foraminifera.

Foraminifera are ubiquitously distributed in marine habitats, playing a major role in marine sediment carbon sequestration and the nitrogen cycle. They exhibit a wide diversity of feeding and behavioural strategies (heterotrophy, autotrophy and mixotrophy), including species with the ability of sequestering intact functional chloroplasts from their microalgal food source (kleptoplastidy), resulting in a mixotrophic lifestyle. The mechanisms by which kleptoplasts are integrated and kept functional inside foraminiferal cytosol are poorly known.

Flat Bands and Giant Light-Matter Interaction in Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

Dispersionless energy bands in k space are a peculiar property gathering increasing attention for the emergence of novel electronic, magnetic, and photonic properties. Here, we explore the impact of electronic flat bands on the light-matter interaction. The van der Waals interaction between the atomic layers of hexagonal boron nitride induces flat bands along specific lines of the Brillouin zone.

Photosynthesis from stolen chloroplasts can support sea slug reproductive fitness.

Some sea slugs are able to steal functional chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) from their algal food sources, but the role and relevance of photosynthesis to the animal host remain controversial. While some researchers claim that kleptoplasts are slowly digestible 'snacks', others advocate that they enhance the overall fitness of sea slugs much more profoundly. Our analysis shows light-dependent incorporation of C and N in the albumen gland and gonadal follicles of the sea slug , representing translocation of photosynthates to kleptoplast-free reproductive organs.

Shaping Tin Nanocomposites through Transient Local Conversion Reactions.

Shape-preserving conversion offers a promising strategy to transform self-assembled structures into advanced functional components with customizable composition and shape. Specifically, the assembly of barium carbonate nanocrystals and amorphous silica nanocomposites (BaCO/SiO) offers a plethora of programmable three-dimensional (3D) microscopic geometries, and the nanocrystals can subsequently be converted into functional chemical compositions, while preserving the original 3D geometry. Despite this progress, the scope of these conversion reactions has been limited by the requirement to form carbonate salts.

Injectable silanized hyaluronic acid hydrogel/biphasic calcium phosphate granule composites with improved handling and biodegradability promote bone regeneration in rabbits.

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules are osteoconductive biomaterials used in clinics to favor bone reconstruction. Yet, poor cohesivity, injectability and mechanical properties restrain their use as bone fillers. In this study, we incorporated BCP granules into in situ forming silanized hyaluronic acid (Si-HA) and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (Si-HPMC) hydrogels.

QUAREP-LiMi: A community-driven initiative to establish guidelines for quality assessment and reproducibility for instruments and images in light microscopy.

A modern day light microscope has evolved from a tool devoted to making primarily empirical observations to what is now a sophisticated , quantitative device that is an integral part of both physical and life science research. Nowadays, microscopes are found in nearly every experimental laboratory. However, despite their prevalent use in capturing and quantifying scientific phenomena, neither a thorough understanding of the principles underlying quantitative imaging techniques nor appropriate knowledge of how to calibrate, operate and maintain microscopes can be taken for granted.

Highlights from the 2016-2020 NEUBIAS training schools for Bioimage Analysts: a success story and key asset for analysts and life scientists.

NEUBIAS, the European Network of Bioimage Analysts, was created in 2016 with the goal of improving the communication and the knowledge transfer among the various stakeholders involved in the acquisition, processing and analysis of biological image data, and to promote the establishment and recognition of the profession of Bioimage Analyst. One of the most successful initiatives of the NEUBIAS programme was its series of 15 training schools, which trained over 400 new Bioimage Analysts, coming from over 40 countries. Here we outline the rationale behind the innovative three-level program of the schools, the curriculum, the trainer recruitment and turnover strategy, the outcomes for the community and the career path of analysts, including some success stories.

The novel Mechanical Ventilator Milano for the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper presents the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel intensive therapy mechanical ventilator designed for rapid, large-scale, low-cost production for the COVID-19 pandemic. Free of moving mechanical parts and requiring only a source of compressed oxygen and medical air to operate, the MVM is designed to support the long-term invasive ventilation often required for COVID-19 patients and operates in pressure-regulated ventilation modes, which minimize the risk of furthering lung trauma. The MVM was extensively tested against ISO standards in the laboratory using a breathing simulator, with good agreement between input and measured breathing parameters and performing correctly in response to fault conditions and stability tests.

Strain wave pathway to semiconductor-to-metal transition revealed by time-resolved X-ray powder diffraction.

One of the main challenges in ultrafast material science is to trigger phase transitions with short pulses of light. Here we show how strain waves, launched by electronic and structural precursor phenomena, determine a coherent macroscopic transformation pathway for the semiconducting-to-metal transition in bistable TiO nanocrystals. Employing femtosecond powder X-ray diffraction, we measure the lattice deformation in the phase transition as a function of time.

Three-Dimensional Microwave Imaging: Fast and Accurate Computations with Block Resolution Algorithms.

This paper considers the microwave imaging reconstruction problem, based on additive penalization and gradient-based optimization. Each evaluation of the cost function and of its gradient requires the resolution of as many high-dimensional linear systems as the number of incident fields, which represents a large amount of computations. Since all such systems involve the same matrix, we propose a block inversion strategy, based on the block-biconjugate gradient stabilized (BiCGStab) algorithm, with efficient implementations specific to the microwave imaging context.

Combining Theory and Experiment to Get Insight into the Amorphous Phase of Luminescent Mechanochromic Copper Iodide Clusters.

In the field of stimuli-responsive luminescent materials, mechanochromic compounds exhibiting reversible emission color changes activated by mechanical stimulation present appealing perspectives in sensor applications. The mechanochromic luminescence properties of the molecular cubane copper iodide cluster [CuI[PPh(CH-CHOH)]] () are reported in this study. This compound can form upon melting an amorphous phase, giving an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the mechanochromism phenomenon.

Quenching of Light Hadron Spectra in p-A Collisions from Fully Coherent Energy Loss.

We single out the role of fully coherent induced gluon radiation on light hadron production in p-A collisions. The effect has an interesting color structure, as the induced radiation depends on the global color charge of the partonic subprocess final state. Baseline predictions for light hadron nuclear suppression in p-Pb collisions at the LHC are provided, taking into account only the effect of fully coherent energy loss, which proves of the same order of magnitude as gluon shadowing or saturation.

Functional kleptoplasts intermediate incorporation of carbon and nitrogen in cells of the Sacoglossa sea slug Elysia viridis.

Some sacoglossan sea slugs incorporate intracellular functional algal chloroplasts, a process termed kleptoplasty. "Stolen" chloroplasts (kleptoplasts) can remain photosynthetically active up to several months, contributing to animal nutrition. Whether this contribution occurs by means of translocation of photosynthesis-derived metabolites from functional kleptoplasts to the animal host or by simple digestion of such organelles remains controversial.

Modern quantum chemistry with [Open]Molcas.

MOLCAS/OpenMolcas is an ab initio electronic structure program providing a large set of computational methods from Hartree-Fock and density functional theory to various implementations of multiconfigurational theory. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the main features of the code, specifically reviewing the use of the code in previously reported chemical applications as well as more recent applications including the calculation of magnetic properties from optimized density matrix renormalization group wave functions.

Prediction of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm Evolution: The UCAN Project.

Background: Management of small (<7 mm) unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIA) remains controversial. Retrospective studies have suggested that post gadolinium arterial wall enhancement (AWE) of UIA on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may reflect aneurysm wall instability, and hence may highlight a higher risk of UIA growth. This trial aims at exploring wall imaging findings of UIAs with consecutive follow-up to substantiate these assumptions.