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Epitaxial strain modifies the physical properties of thin films deposited on single-crystal substrates. In a previous work, we demonstrated that in the case of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 thin films the strain induced by the substrate can produce the segregation of a non-ferromagnetic layer (NFL) at the top surface of ferromagnetic epitaxial La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 for a critical value of the tetragonality τ, defined as τ = |c − a|a, of τC ≈ 0.024. Although preliminary analysis suggested its antiferromagnetic nature, to date a complete characterization of the magnetic state of such an NFL has not been performed. Here, we present a comprehensive magnetic characterization of the strain-induced segregated NFL. The field-cooled magnetic hysteresis loops exhibit an exchange bias mechanism below T ≈ 80 K, which is well below the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 layer. The exchange bias and coercive fields decay exponentially with temperature, which is commonly accepted to describe spin-glass (SG) behavior. The signatures of slow dynamics were confirmed by slow spin relaxation over a wide temperature regime. Low-energy muon spectroscopy experiments directly evidence the slowing down of the magnetic moments below ~100 K in the NFL. The experimental results indicate the SG nature of the NFL. This SG state can be understood within the context of the competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions of similar energies.

Unconventional properties in heavy fermion compounds are thought to arise from competing interactions between conduction electrons and localized magnetic moments. Here, the authors build one-dimensional lattices of cobalt atoms on a metallic surface and observe the onset of heavy fermion behaviour.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous, debilitating condition with highly relevant impact on functional capacity, quality of life, and life-expectancy. Objectives: This study aims to provide long-term data on the Portuguese PH population, by characterising the clinical presentation, evolution, and outcomes of PH patients in a specialised referral centre. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a cohort of 101 patients with pre-capillary PH (pcPH) referenced to an expert tertiary care referral centre in northern Portugal from 2002 to 2013. Diagnosis was confirmed by right heart catheterisation (RHC). PH classification followed consensus criteria from the 5th World Symposium in Nice, 2013. Results: The most frequent causes of pcPH were Group 1 PH – pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (54.4%) and Group 4 PH – Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) (25.7%); importantly, 17.8% of patients presented PH associated with multiple aetiologies. Targeted therapy was used in 91.1% of patients (48.5% combination therapy). 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival was estimated at 86.6%, 76.7%, and 64.1%, respectively. Survival was significantly better for those ≤40 years old (10.5 vs. 6.4 years; P = 0.003) and for women with I/HPAH (9.3 vs. 4.5 years; P = 0.039). Conclusions: This study provides long-term, real-world data for the management of PAH and CTEPH in Portugal and demonstrates the importance of dedicated electronic medical records and well defined clinical management protocols for better patient outcomes. Patients presented mostly with intermediate or high risk of mortality, which suggests delayed diagnosis and highlights the need to increase awareness among clinicians. Keywords: Pulmonary hypertension, Pulmonary arterial hypertension, Survival, Portuguese population, Cohort, Real-world data

Spin-to-charge conversion is a central process in the emerging field of spintronics. One of its main applications is the electrical detection of spin currents, and for this, the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) has become one of the preferred methods. We studied the thickness dependence of the ISHE in iridium oxide (IrO2) thin films, producing spin currents by means of the spin Seebeck effect in γ−Fe2O3/IrO2 bilayers prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The observed ISHE charge current density, which features a maximum as a consequence of the spin diffusion length scale, follows the typical behaviour of spin-Hall-related phenomena. By fitting to the theory developed by Castel et al., we find that the spin Hall angle θSH scales proportionally to the thin film resistivity, θSH∝ρc, and obtains a value for the spin diffusion length λIrO2 of λIrO2=3.3(7) nm. In addition, we observe a negative θSH for every studied thickness and temperature, unlike previously reported works, which brings the possibility of tuning the desired functionality of high-resistance spin-Hall-based devices. We attribute this behaviour to the textured growth of the sample in the context of a highly anisotropic value of the spin Hall conductivity in this material.

Abstract We present evidence on the effects of exogenous heating by water bath (WB) and magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) on a glial micro-tumor phantom. To this, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of 30–40 nm were designed to obtain particle sizes for maximum heating efficiency. The specific power absorption (SPA) values (f = 560 kHz, H = 23.9 kA/m) for as prepared colloids (533–605 W/g) dropped to 98–279 W/g in culture medium. The analysis of the intracellular MNPs distribution showed vesicle-trapped MNPs agglomerates spread along the cytoplasm, as well as large (~0.5–0.9 μm) clusters attached to the cell membrane. Immediately after WB and MHT (T = 46 °C for 30 min) the cell viability was ≈70% and, after 4.5 h, decreased to 20–25%, demonstrating that metabolic processes are involved in cell killing. The analysis of the cell structures after MHT revealed a significant damage of the cell membrane that is correlated to the location of MNPs clusters, while local cell damage were less noticeable after WB without MNPs. In spite of the similar thermal effects of WB and MHT on the cell viability, our results suggest that there is an additional mechanism of cell damage related to the presence of MNPs at the intracellular space.

The current carrying capability of type II superconductors under magnetic fields is determined to a large extent by the interaction of superconducting vortices with pinning centers. Vortices are arranged in lattices with varying degrees of disorder depending on the balance between the intervortex interactions and the pinning strength. We analyze here vortex arrangements in disordered vortex lattices of different superconducting systems, single crystals (Co-doped NbSe_{2}, LiFeAs, and CaKFe_{4}As_{4}), and amorphous W-based thin films (with critical temperatures T_{c} from 4 K to 35 K and critical fields from 3.4 T to more than 90 T). We calculate for each case the structure factor and number variance and compare to calculations on an interacting set of partially pinned particles. We find that random density fluctuations appear when pinning overcomes interactions and show that the suppression of density fluctuations is correlated to the presence of interactions. We discuss the results within the framework of hyperuniform distributions and find that all studied lattices follow a similar increase of the number variance with the defect density.

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Article 38 Paragraph (1) of Law No. 23 of 2014 concerning Local Government as amended by Law No. 9 of 2015 concerning the second Amendment to Law No. 23 of 2014 concerning Local Government is contrary to Article 20A Paragraph (1), Article 21 and Article 22D paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution. Where the proposal for regional expansion proposed by Governor is takeover of authority. In the 1945 Constitution has been regulated in a limitative manner the authority given to the DPR and DPD institutionally the power to form the law and give authority to the President to submit a draft law. Author examines legal analysis of the authority of the DPR and DPD in the process of regional expansion. Type of research is normative research and qualitative descriptive form. The authority of the DPR and DPD in the process of regional expansion as regulated has been constitutionally harmed, namely the right to submit a draft law related to regional expansion and participate together to discuss the draft law which results in the process of regional expansion cannot be submitted by the DPR and DPD which has a legislative function.

The clinical presentation, cytologic findings, radiographic findings, and postmortem assessment of a cat with primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma with multiple digital metastasis are described. An unusual shifting, waxing and waning pattern of lameness, suspected to be an early manifestation of digital metastasis before any gross lesions were visible, was documented. Initial cytologic finding of a lung nodule was equivocal for diagnosis of neoplasia despite being strongly suspicious. Palliative management was short-lived, with rapid progression culminating in widespread metastasis to multiple digits, muscles, and other organs. The diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma was confirmed via necropsy and histopathology. Key clinical message: This case report highlights that feline lung-digit syndrome is an important differential diagnosis for an acute, waxing and waning, shifting leg lameness in an older cat. This pattern of lameness should raise the index of suspicion for an underlying primary lung neoplasm, and thoracic imaging (radiographs) should be considered., (Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.)

Background: Female thyroid cancer survivors are more likely to have a higher risk of breast cancer compared to the general population, and the underlying causes are yet to be understood. The potential role of I-131 treatment on this association remains controversial., Methods: We pooled individual data of women who were treated for differentiated thyroid cancer from 1934 to 2005 in France, Italy and Sweden. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for breast cancer were estimated by comparison with age, sex and calendar-year expected values of the general population in each country. We estimated breast cancer risk in relation to I-131 treatment using time-dependent Poisson models., Results: Of 8475 women (mean age at diagnosis: 45 years, range 2-90 years), 335 were diagnosed with breast cancer [SIR = 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36-1.69] during a median follow-up time of 12.7 years since diagnosis. Overall, breast cancer risk did not differ between women treated or not with I-131 (relative risk=1.07, 95% CI 0.84-1.35). However, breast cancer risk increased with increasing cumulative I-131 activity, without significant departure from linearity (excess relative risk per 100 mCi=17%, 95% CI: 2% to 38%). The higher risk associated with a cumulative I-131 activity of ≥100 mCi and ≥400 mCi was translated into 4 (95% CI -4 to 13) and 42 (95% CI -8 to 93) excess breast cancer cases per 10,000 person-years, respectively., Conclusions: An elevated risk was observed for the highest cumulative administered activity (>=400 mCi), and a significant dose-dependent association was observed among thyroid cancer survivors who were treated with I-131. However, overall, I-131 treatment might only explain partly the increase in breast cancer risk among female thyroid cancer survivors., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Many studies have revealed the positive impact of mindfulness training on mental health and proposed equanimity as a general outcome in contemplative research. Despite recent interest, relatively few studies have empirically examined equanimity and measurement instruments are still lacking. The main goal of this study was to develop an Equanimity Scale (the EQUA-S) in a Western population with or without meditation experience, based on previous definitions of equanimity, in order to investigate its relations with the relevant psychological constructs and health outcomes., Methods: Adults from the general population ( N = 265; M age = 34.81) completed various measures: the EQUA-S, mindfulness, hyper-sensitivity, avoidance and fusion, impulsivity, personality, alexithymia, sensitivity to punishment and reward and frequency of problematic addictive behaviors. The dimensionality of the EQUA-S was examined using Factor Analyses. The convergent validity of this new scale was investigated using Pearson's Correlations., Results: The results of a factor analysis revealed two dimensions of equanimity: an even-minded state of mind (E-MSM) and a hedonic independence (HI) component. While the E-MSM was positively related to emotional stability, adaptive emotional regulation and several mindfulness-related abilities, HI was found to correlate negatively with addictive issues., Discussion: The relations with personality constructs and possible related cognitive processes are discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2020 Juneau et al.)

The Northern Biodiversity Paradox predicts that, despite its globally negative effects on biodiversity, climate change will increase biodiversity in northern regions where many species are limited by low temperatures. We assessed the potential impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of a northern network of 1,749 protected areas spread over >600,000 km 2 in Quebec, Canada. Using ecological niche modeling, we calculated potential changes in the probability of occurrence of 529 species to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on (1) species gain, loss, turnover, and richness in protected areas, (2) representativity of protected areas, and (3) extent of species ranges located in protected areas. We predict a major species turnover over time, with 49% of total protected land area potentially experiencing a species turnover >80%. We also predict increases in regional species richness, representativity of protected areas, and species protection provided by protected areas. Although we did not model the likelihood of species colonising habitats that become suitable as a result of climate change, northern protected areas should ultimately become important refuges for species tracking climate northward. This is the first study to examine in such details the potential effects of climate change on a northern protected area network.

Aging is associated with progressive cerebral volume and glucose metabolism decreases. Conditions such as stress and sleep difficulties exacerbate these changes and are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Meditation practice, aiming towards stress reduction and emotion regulation, can downregulate these adverse factors. In this pilot study, we explored the possibility that lifelong meditation practice might reduce age-related brain changes by comparing structural MRI and FDG-PET data in 6 elderly expert meditators versus 67 elderly controls. We found increased gray matter volume and/or FDG metabolism in elderly expert meditators compared to controls in the bilateral ventromedial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, insula, temporo-parietal junction, and posterior cingulate cortex /precuneus. Most of these regions were also those exhibiting the strongest effects of age when assessed in a cohort of 186 controls aged 20 to 87 years. Moreover, complementary analyses showed that these changes were still observed when adjusting for lifestyle factors or using a smaller group of controls matched for education. Pending replication in a larger cohort of elderly expert meditators and longitudinal studies, these findings suggest that meditation practice could reduce age-associated structural and functional brain changes.

Fairness violations elicit powerful behavioral and affective responses. Indeed, people are willing to incur costs to sanction unfair behavior. Here we study the possible impact of long-term mental training in socio-affective capacities such as compassion on altruistic punishment and compensatory behavior in economic games. To this end we recruited a group of long-term meditation practitioners (LTPs) who had engaged in an average of 40 K h of mental training exercises including compassion-related meditation, along with a group of meditation-naïve controls. Participants played several adaptations of the dictator game in which they had the opportunity to punish the dictator both when they were the recipients of the dictator's offer and when they were third-party witnesses to the dictator's treatment of an anonymous second player. Compared to controls, LTPs were less likely to punish when they were the victims of fairness violations. However, both groups punished equivalently when they witnessed others receiving unfair treatment. In post-task questionnaires, controls reported significantly more anger in response to unfair offers than LTPs, although fairness judgments did not differ between groups. These data suggest that because the LTPs were less angered by unfair treatment of themselves, they punished that behavior less. However, when they witnessed the unfair treatment of others, they engaged in norm-reinforcing punishment. Finally, when participants played an additional game which included the opportunity to recompense victims, LTPs were more likely to do so. Together these data point to differential approaches to justice whereby LTPs engaged less in vengeful, retributive justice and focused more on norm reinforcement and the restoration of equity. These differences suggest that social preferences are plastic and that altruistic responses to unfairness may be shaped by the prolonged cultivation of prosocial motivation, altruism, and compassion.

Although empathy is crucial for successful social interactions, excessive sharing of others' negative emotions may be maladaptive and constitute a source of burnout. To investigate functional neural plasticity underlying the augmentation of empathy and to test the counteracting potential of compassion, one group of participants was first trained in empathic resonance and subsequently in compassion. In response to videos depicting human suffering, empathy training, but not memory training (control group), increased negative affect and brain activations in anterior insula and anterior midcingulate cortex-brain regions previously associated with empathy for pain. In contrast, subsequent compassion training could reverse the increase in negative effect and, in contrast, augment self-reports of positive affect. In addition, compassion training increased activations in a non-overlapping brain network spanning ventral striatum, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex and medial orbitofrontal cortex. We conclude that training compassion may reflect a new coping strategy to overcome empathic distress and strengthen resilience., (© The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

On the basis of the theoretical distinction between self-centeredness and selflessness (Dambrun and Ricard, 2011), the main goal of this research was to develop two new scales assessing distinct dimensions of happiness. By trying to maximize pleasures and to avoid displeasures, we propose that a self-centered functioning induces a fluctuating happiness in which phases of pleasure and displeasure alternate repeatedly (i.e., Fluctuating Happiness). In contrast, a selfless psychological functioning postulates the existence of a state of durable plenitude that is less dependent upon circumstances but rather is related to a person's inner resources and abilities to deal with whatever comes his way in life (i.e., Authentic-Durable Happiness). Using various samples (n = 735), we developed a 10-item Scale measuring Subjective Fluctuating Happiness (SFHS) and a 13-item scale assessing Subjective Authentic-Durable Happiness (SA-DHS). Results indicated high internal consistencies, satisfactory test-retest validities, and adequate convergent and discriminant validities with various constructs including a biological marker of stress (salivary cortisol). Consistent with our theoretical framework, while self-enhancement values were related only to fluctuating happiness, self-transcendence values were related only to authentic-durable happiness. Support for the distinction between contentment and inner-peace, two related markers of authentic happiness, also was found.

Unlabelled: (131)I treatment in thyroid cancer patients may induce side effects, including extrathyroidal cancer and leukemia. There are still some uncertainties concerning parameters that may influence the effective half-life of (131)I and the absorbed doses by extrathyroidal organs., Methods: Whole-body retention of radioiodine was measured in 254 patients, and repeated quantitative whole-body scans and measurements of the urinary excretion of (131)I were performed on 30 of these patients., Results: The mean effective half-life (10.5 h) was shorter by 31%, with little difference between patients, in the 36 patients who received recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone than in the 218 patients who underwent thyroid hormone withdrawal (15.7 h). The residence times in the stomach and in the rest of the body were significantly shorter in patients who received recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone than in patients who underwent withdrawal, but the residence times were similar in the colon and bladder., Conclusion: In patients who undergo thyroid hormone withdrawal, the longer mean effective half-life is mainly due to delayed renal excretion of (131)I and results in dose estimates higher than the data in report 53 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, which were obtained from healthy, euthyroid subjects.

Unlabelled: Radiation is known to be mutagenic. The present study updates a 10-y-old study regarding pregnancy outcome and the health of offspring of women previously exposed to radioiodine ((131)I) during thyroid carcinoma treatment, by doubling the number of pregnancies that occurred after exposure., Methods: Data on 2,673 pregnancies were obtained by interviewing female patients who were treated for thyroid carcinoma but had not received significant external radiation to the ovaries., Results: The incidence of miscarriages was 10% before any treatment for thyroid cancer; this percentage increased after surgery for thyroid cancer, both before (20%) and after (19%) (131)I treatment, with no variation according to the cumulative dose. In contrast to previously reported data, miscarriages were not significantly more frequent in women treated with radioiodine during the year before conception, not even in women who had received more than 370 MBq during that year. The incidences of stillbirths, preterm births, low birth weight, congenital malformations, and death during the first year of life were not significantly different before and after (131)I therapy. The incidences of thyroid and nonthyroid cancers were similar in children born either before or after the mother's exposure to radioiodine., Conclusion: There is no evidence that exposure to radioiodine affects the outcomes of subsequent pregnancies and offspring. The question as to whether the incidences of malformations and thyroid and nonthyroid cancers are related to gonadal irradiation remains to be established. The doubling dose is still being heatedly debated, and the value of 1 Gy as the doubling dose in humans should be reevaluated.

Background: Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is the marker of differentiated thyroid cancer after initial treatment and TSH stimulation increases its sensitivity for the diagnosis of recurrent disease., Aim: The goal of the study is to compare the diagnostic values of seven methods for serum Tg measurement for detecting recurrent disease both during L-T4 treatment and after TSH stimulation., Methods: Thyroid cancer patients who had no evidence of persistent disease after initial treatment (total thyroidectomy and radioiodine ablation) were studied at 3 months on L-T4 treatment (Tg1) and then at 9-12 months after withdrawal or recombinant human TSH stimulation (Tg2). Sera with anti-Tg antibodies or with an abnormal recovery test result were excluded from Tg analysis with the corresponding assay. The results of serum Tg determination were compared to the clinical status of the patient at the end of follow-up., Results: Thirty recurrences were detected among 944 patients. A control 131I total body scan had a low sensitivity, a low specificity, and a low clinical impact. Assuming a common cutoff for all Tg assays at 0.9 ng/ml, sensitivity ranged from 19-40% and 68-76% and specificity ranged from 92-97% and 81-91% for Tg 1 and Tg2, respectively. Using assays with a functional sensitivity at 0.2-0.3 ng/ml, sensitivity was 54-63% and specificity was 89% for Tg1. Using the two methods with a lowest functional sensitivity at 0.02 and 0.11 ng/ml resulted in a higher sensitivity for Tg1 (81% and 78%), but at the expense of a loss of specificity (42% and 63%); finally, for these two methods, using an optimized functional sensitivity according to receiver operating characteristic curves at 0.22 and 0.27 ng/ml resulted in a sensitivity at 65% and specificity at 85-87% for Tg1., Conclusion: Using an assay with a lower functional sensitivity may give an earlier indication of the presence of Tg in the serum on L-T4 treatment and may be used to study the trend in serum Tg without performing any TSH stimulation. Serum Tg determination obtained after TSH stimulation still permits a more reliable assessment of cure and patient's reassurance.

Tumor radioresponsiveness depends on endothelial cell death, which leads in turn to tumor hypoxia. Radiation-induced hypoxia was recently shown to trigger tumor radioresistance by activating angiogenesis through hypoxia-inducible factor 1-regulated (HIF-1-regulated) cytokines. We show here that combining targeted radioiodide therapy with angiogenic inhibitors, such as canstatin, enhances direct tumor cell apoptosis, thereby overcoming radio-induced HIF-1-dependent tumor survival pathways in vitro and in vivo. We found that following dual therapy, HIF-1alpha increases the activity of the canstatin-induced alpha(v)beta(5) signaling tumor apoptotic pathway and concomitantly abrogates mitotic checkpoint and tetraploidy triggered by radiation. Apoptosis in conjunction with mitotic catastrophe leads to lethal tumor damage. We discovered that HIF-1 displays a radiosensitizing activity that is highly dependent on treatment modalities by regulating key apoptotic molecular pathways. Our findings therefore support a crucial role for angiogenesis inhibitors in shifting the fate of radiation-induced HIF-1alpha activity from hypoxia-induced tumor radioresistance to hypoxia-induced tumor apoptosis. This study provides a basis for developing new biology-based clinically relevant strategies to improve the efficacy of radiation oncology, using HIF-1 as an ally for cancer therapy.