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Abstract This investigation delves into the complex interaction at metal-semiconductor interfaces, highlighting the magnetic proximity effect in Ni/Si interfaces through systematic X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) studies at Ni and Si edges. We analyzed two Ni/Si heterostructures with differing semiconductor doping, uncovering a magnetic proximity effect manifesting as equilibrium magnetization in the semiconductor substrate induced by the adjacent Ni layer. Our results display distinct magnetization signs corresponding to the doping levels: low-doped samples show parallel alignment to the Ni layer, while high-doped samples align antiparallel, indicating a nuanced interplay of underlying magnetization mechanisms. These findings pinpoint the roles of electron tunneling and exchange splitting modification in the magnetization behavior. The study enriches the understanding of ferromagnetic-semiconductor interface behavior, setting a precedent for the design of advanced spintronic devices that leverage the nuanced magnetic properties of these hybrid systems.

The hippocampus is an allocortex structure involved in many complex processes, from memory formation to spatial navigation. It starts developing during prenatal life but acquires its adult functional properties around the peripubertal age, in both humans and mice. Such prolonged maturation is accompanied by structural changes in microcircuitry and functional changes involving biochemical and electrophysiological events. Moreover, hippocampus undergoes plasticity phenomena throughout life. In murine rodents, the most relevant maturation steps in Cornu Ammonis 1 (CA1) hippocampal subfield occur during the third-fourth weeks of life. During this period, also the expression and localization of cAMP-dependent protein kinases (PKA) refines: many regulatory (R1A) PKA clusters appear, bound to the cytoskeleton. Here the binding characteristics of R1A are determined in CA1 by using confocal microscopy. Apparently, two binding sites are present with no evidence of cooperativity. Equilibrium dissociation constant is estimated around 22.9 nM. This value is lower from that estimated for R1A in soluble form, suggesting a different binding site conformation or accessibility in the tissue. The method described here may be useful to track the developmental changes in binding activity, which affects cAMP availability at selected intracellular microzones. Possible relations with functional consequences are discussed.

We investigate the ultrafast response of crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 nanoparticles (NPs) below the phase transformation threshold fluence. The observed rapid change of the optical response and the presence of coherent optical phonons are consistent with the relaxation dynamics in bulk Ge2Sb2Te5 films and, more importantly, occur within the same ultrafast timescales. We conclude that the benefit of the lower energy consumption of memories based on Ge-Sb-Te (GST) NPs aggregates, demonstrated by Casarin et al. (2018), occurs with no disadvantage, as the read/write speed can be as fast as in bulk GSTs.

Chemosensory systems are deemed marginal in human pathology. In appraising their role, we aim at suggesting a paradigm shift based on the available clinical and experimental data that will be discussed. Taste and olfaction are polymodal sensory systems, providing inputs to many brain structures that regulate crucial visceral functions, including metabolism but also endocrine, cardiovascular, respiratory, and immune systems. Moreover, other visceral chemosensory systems monitor different essential chemical parameters of “milieu intérieur,” transmitting their data to the brain areas receiving taste and olfactory inputs; hence, they participate in regulating the same vital functions. These chemosensory cells share many molecular features with olfactory or taste receptor cells, thus they may be affected by the same pathological events. In most COVID-19 patients, taste and olfaction are disturbed. This may represent only a small portion of a broadly diffuse chemosensory incapacitation. Indeed, many COVID-19 peculiar symptoms may be explained by the impairment of visceral chemosensory systems, for example, silent hypoxia, diarrhea, and the “cytokine storm”. Dysregulation of chemosensory systems may underlie the much higher mortality rate of COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) compared to ARDSs of different origins. In chronic non-infectious diseases like hypertension, diabetes, or cancer, the impairment of taste and/or olfaction has been consistently reported. This may signal diffuse chemosensory failure, possibly worsening the prognosis of these patients. Incapacitation of one or few chemosensory systems has negligible effects on survival under ordinary life conditions but, under stress, like metabolic imbalance or COVID-19 pneumonia, the impairment of multiple chemosensory systems may lead to dire consequences during the course of the disease.

Here, we report on the conceptual design, the hardware realization, and the first experimental results of a novel and compact x-ray polarimeter capable of a single-pulse linear polarization angle detection in the extreme ultraviolet photon energy range. The polarimeter is tested by performing time resolved pump–probe experiments on a Ni80Fe20 Permalloy film at the M2,3 Ni edge at an externally seeded free-electron laser source. Comparison with similar experiments reported in the literature shows the advantages of our approach also in view of future experiments.

Poor micturition control may cause profound distress, because proper voiding is mandatory for an active social life. Micturition results from the subtle interplay of central and peripheral components. It involves the coordination of autonomic and neuromuscular activity at the brainstem level, under the executive control of the prefrontal cortex. We tested the hypothesis that administration of molecules acting as reuptake inhibitors of serotonin, noradrenaline or both may exert a strong effect on the control of urine release, in a mouse model of overactive bladder. Mice were injected with cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg), to increase micturition acts. Mice were then given one of four molecules: the serotonin reuptake inhibitor imipramine, its metabolite desipramine that acts on noradrenaline reuptake, the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor duloxetine or its active metabolite 4-hydroxy-duloxetine. Cyclophosphamide increased urine release without inducing overt toxicity or inflammation, except for increase in urothelium thickness. All the antidepressants were able to decrease the cyclophosphamide effects, as apparent from longer latency to the first micturition act, decreased number of urine spots and volume of released urine. These results suggest that serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors exert a strong and effective modulatory effect on the control of urine release and prompt to additional studies on their central effects on brain areas involved in the social and behavioral control of micturition.

Psychiatric or depressed patients show alterations in both olfactory projection areas and mucosa. In rodents, ablation of olfactory bulbs causes a depression-like syndrome, useful to test antidepressant agents. We studied in mice the behavioral symptoms and neuroanatomical correlates after mucosal damage or ablation of the olfactory bulb. Our results are based on a battery of tests exploiting anxious, aggressive, and depressive behavior, on morphological and immunohistochemical analysis. We found similar results in both sensory-damaged and bulbectomized animals, with a behavioral dissociation concerning different forms of aggression. These findings do not support a simple downregulation of social interactions in damaged mice. The most prominent modifications in the brains of sensory damaged and bulbectomized mice are detected in the subventricular zone (SVZ), the source area of neural stem cells, and in the content of cAMP-dependent protein kinase within the amygdala, suggesting a central role of this structure in the functional modulation of behavior.

The universe of Brazilian popular music is full of passionate elements, but the genre that used the passion as style was the samba-canção (in English, literally "samba-song"). In this paper, based on semiotic notions, we analyse the passions in the discourse of this musical genre, trying to understand how the passionate sense effects in its composition are elaborated. In this regard, guided by A. J. Greimas renowed essay De la colère, we made an excerpt consisted by the songs As rosas não falam (1976), Volta (1978), Quern há de dizer (1972), Atiraste uma pedra (1958), Vingança (1972) e Castigo "(191%). When observing passional courses, they serve as strategy to perform a reading of that musical genre. In brief, we work with the passions, which determine the passional course of revenge, inserted in the cholera course, in order to reveal the treatment provided to them in samba-canção 's compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical signals modulate aggressive behavior in mice. For example, male urinary cues enhance aggression against other adults: a resident mouse attacks a male but not a castrated intruder, unless it is anointed with male urine. Our purpose was to understand whether molecules excreted with urine also act as aggression triggers in a different context. Therefore, the effect of urine, or molecules purified from urine, voided by different animals (males or females), was tested on the aggression of male mice against pups. Latency to the first attack, percentage of pups receiving the first attack, and percentage of attacked pups after 5 and 15 min were recorded. At variance with intermale aggression, male urinary chemosignals sprayed on pups reduced infanticide, while female urine did not. Male urine also delayed infanticide when compared to female urine. Pups anointed with low molecular weight dialyzed urine and with the high molecular weight protein fraction were attacked later than controls. Pups anointed with Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs) also were attacked later. The volatiles retained by MUPs act in the same way as adult male urine. MUPs and their ligands did not modify biting of food items. The results show that mice do not perceive male chemosignals as compulsory aggression triggers but rather can consistently and differentially shape their behavior in response to the same molecules according to different contextual events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]