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Auteur correspondant: "philippe.rodriguez@cea.fr"; International audience; In this work, we studied the solid-state reaction between a Ni$_{0.9}$Co$_{0.1}$ film and a silicon substrate. NiCo silicide is considered to substitute Ni-and NiPt-based silicides in 3D integration in order to extend the bottom transistor thermal stability. Thanks to the combined analysis of sheet resistance data, X-ray reflectivity spectra modelling, X-ray diffraction and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence analyses on Ni$_{0.9}$Co$_{0.1}$ /Si samples annealed at various temperatures, we were able to describe the phase sequence of the NiCo silicide formation.

The surface area of electrodeposited thin films of Ni, Co, and NiCo was evaluated using electrochemical double-layer capacitance, electrochemical area measurements using the [Ru(NH$_3$)$_6$]$^{3+}$/[Ru(NH$_3$)$_6$]$^{2+}$ redox couple, and topographic atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging. These three methods were compared to each other for each composition separately and for the entire set of samples regardless of composition. Double-layer capacitance measurements were found to be positively correlated to the roughness factors determined by AFM topography. Electrochemical area measurements were found to be less correlated with measured roughness factors as well as applicable only to two of the three compositions studied. The results indicate that in situ double-layer capacitance measurements are a practical, versatile technique for estimating the accessible surface area of a metal sample., Comment: Accepted for publication in Nano Convergence, 6 figures

"Objetivo. Evaluar el Programa de Tratamiento Integral para la Cesación del Tabaquismo de la Facultad de Medicina de la UNAM. Material y métodos. Se revisaron los expedientes de los pacientes atendidos en el periodo 2001-2006. De to-dos ellos se obtuvieron las variables demográficas así como las relacionadas con el hábito tabáquico. Los tratamientos (grupal o individual) tuvieron una duración de 10 semanas. La abstinencia comunicada por el paciente se confirmó mediante la determinación de cotinina urinaria. Los resultados fueron analizados en la población total y por grupo (población uni-versitaria y externos), así como por género y tipo de terapia mediante análisis univariado y multivariado. Resultados. Se estudiaron 565 pacientes (314 mujeres y 251 hombres). La edad promedio fue de 45.5 ± 11.3 años. El éxito del trata-miento a las 10 semanas fue de 82.3% en el grupal y de 70.4% en el individual, p< 0.05. La tasa de abstinencia continua a uno y tres años fue de 69% y 43%. Por género, la tasa de cesación fue de 77.6% en mujeres y de 84.9% en hombres, p< 0.05. Conclusiones. El éxito del programa evaluado es alto, tanto al final del tratamiento (80.9%) como en el mantenimiento de la abstinencia después de 3 años (43%). Los resultados sugieren que los hombres tienen una mejor respuesta y que la modalidad de terapia grupal es la más eficaz. En tér-minos de salud, el impacto del programa evaluado es muy importante, ya que se enfoca a fumadores severos, quienes consecuentemente son los que conllevan el mayor riesgo de morbimortalidad asociada con el tabaquismo."

Background Jawbone cavitations (JC) are hollow dead spaces in jawbones with dying or dead bone marrow. These areas are defined as fatty degenerative osteonecrosis of the jawbone or neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis and may produce facial pain. These afflictions have been linked to the immune system and chronic illnesses. Surgical debridement of JC is reported to lead to an improvement in immunological complaints, such as rheumatic, allergic, and other inflammatory diseases (ID). Little is known about the underlying cause/effect relationship. Objectives JC bone samples were analyzed to assess the expression and quantification of immune modulators that can play a role in the pathogenesis of IDs. The study supports a potential mechanism where JC is a mediating link in IDs. Materials and methods Samples of fatty softened bone taken from JCs were extracted from 31 patients. The specimens were analyzed by bead-based multiplex technology and tested for seven immune messengers. Results Regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted (RANTES) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 were found at high levels in the JCs tested. Other cytokines could not be detected at excessive levels. Discussion The study confirms that JC is able to produce inflammatory messengers, primarily RANTES, and, secondarily, FGF-2. Both are implicated in many serious illnesses. The excessive levels of RANTES/FGF-2 in JC patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and breast cancer are compared to levels published in medical journals. Levels detected in JCs are higher than in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis patients and four-fold higher than in breast cancer tissue. Conclusion This study suggests that JC might serve as a fundamental cause of IDs, through RANTES/FGF-2 production. Thus, JC and implicated immune messengers represent an integrative aspect of IDs and serve as a possible cause. Removing JCs may be a key to reversing IDs. There is a need to raise awareness about JC throughout medicine and dentistry., Video abstract

In the Almadén region an important volcanic activity of Devonian age took place. It began in the Emsian in the central part of the syncline, and was developed in several consecutive episodes along the Frasnian. Intense postmagmatic deuteric or hydrothermal processes have generated a low-temperature mineralogical assemblage resembling the spilite-keratophyre association. Hence, the volcanism in the Almadén region is characterized, using minor and trace elements considered to be inmovile (Ti, Zr, Y, Nb and partly, P and Ga). We conc1ude the existence of a mildly alkaline primitive magma, place below an oceanic or transitional crust in a within-plate setting; later differentiation may have taken place by fractional crystallization.En el área de Almadén tiene lugar una importante actividad volcánica en el Devónico, que comienza en el Emsiense en la parte central del sinclinal, y se desarrolla en varios ciclos consecutivos durante todo el Frasniense. Este volcanismo ha sido afectado por intensos procesos de alteración post-magmática, de tipo deutérico e hidrotermal, que han originado una paragénesis de baja temperatura, asimilable a la asociación espilita-keratófido. Por esta razón, para su caracterización, se han utilizado los elementos menores y traza considerados como inmóviles (Ti, Zr, Y, Nb y en parte, P y Ga). De este estudio se deduce la existencia de un magma original moderadamente alcalino, situado bajo una corteza oceánica o transicional, en una región intraplaca, que evoluciona mediante un proceso probable de diferenciación por cristalización fraccionada.