Screen printed La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 thick films on alumina substrates

We report here on the preparation of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 magnetoresistive thick films on polycrystalline Al2O3 substrates by using the screen printing technique. It is shown that films can be obtained using high temperature sintering. While there is a reacted layer, this improves adhesion and is not too troublesome if the films are made thick enough. It is shown that PbO-B2O3-SiO2 glass additives allow sintering at lower temperatures and can be used to improve the mechanical stress of the films. However, it is found that glass concentrations large enough to significantly improve the film adherence result in a weak low field magnetoresistance probably because grains are coated with high resistivity material. Strategies to overcome these difficulties are discussed.

Designing and testing of a sensor based on a magnetoresistive manganese perovskite thick film

In this paper we report on the growth of thick films of magnetoresistive La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 by using spray and screen printing techniques on various substrates (Al2O3 and ZrO2). The growth conditions are explored in order to optimize the microstructure of the films. The films display a room-temperature magnetoresistance of 0.0012%/Oe in the 1 kOe field region. A magnetic sensor is described and tested.

GdBaCo2O5+x layered perovskite as an intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell cathode

GdBaCo2O5+x (GBCO) was evaluated as a cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. A porous layer of GBCO was deposited on an anode-supported fuel cell consisting of a 15m thick electrolyte of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) prepared by dense screen-printing anda Ni–YSZ cermet as an anode (Ni–YSZ/YSZ/GBCO). Values of power density of 150 mW cm−2 at 700◦C and ca. 250 mW cm−2 at 800◦C are reported for this standard configuration using 5% of H2 in nitrogen as fuel. An intermediate porous layer of YSZ was introduced between the electrolyte and the cathode improving the performance of the cell. Values for power density of 300 mW cm−2 at 700◦C and ca. 500 mW cm−2 at 800◦C in this configuration were achieved.

Estudi de viabilitat tecnològica de tags RFID sobre diferents substrats

En aquest projecte s’han dissenyat i simulat diferents models de tags RFID per a la banda UHF sobre diferents classes de substrats i tintes conductores amb l’objectiu d’estudiar la viabilitat de la tecnologia de Printed Electronics per a la seva d’implementació física. A partir de dues configuracions ja existents a la literatura, aquestes etiquetes RFID s’han modelat electromagnèticament mitjançant el software ADS i s’ha simulat la seva resposta freqüencial. En segon terme, a fi d’avaluar el seu rendiment, també s’ha representat el read range d’aquests tags RFID en funció d’aquestes tintes conductores i substrats. Posteriorment, s’han realitzat diferents proves de fabricació mitjançant un mètode basat en la serigrafia, així com d’obtenció experimental de la seva distància de lectura. Finalment, en base als resultats obtinguts s’ha pogut concloure que és viable realitzar tags RFID segons aquesta tècnica d’impressió, però a falta d’una verificació experimental únicament a nivell de simulació.

Eye tracking for on-screen reading

A medida que avanza la tecnolog a, cada vez son m as comunes los libros digitales. Por eso, existen varias formas de mejorar la experiencia de lectura del usuario, como mostrar la de nici on de una palabra que resulte dif cil, o resaltar lo importante del texto cuando se pasa la vista por encima. En este proyecto, se ha investigado la base de esto con la ayuda de un Eye Tracker. Se ha implementado una clasi caci on en palabras f aciles y dif ciles dependiendo de c omo una persona lee, y una forma de saber si se est a leyendo el texto o pasando la vista por encima.

Genome-wide screen of genes required for caffeine tolerance in fission yeast

Background: An excess of caffeine is cytotoxic to all eukaryotic cell types. We aim to study how cells become tolerant to atoxic dose of this drug, and the relationship between caffeine and oxidative stress pathways.Methodology/Principal Findings: We searched for Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutants with inhibited growth on caffeinecontainingplates. We screened a collection of 2,700 haploid mutant cells, of which 98 were sensitive to caffeine. The genes mutated in these sensitive clones were involved in a number of cellular roles including the H2O2-induced Pap1 and Sty1 stress pathways, the integrity and calcineurin pathways, cell morphology and chromatin remodeling. We have investigated the role of the oxidative stress pathways in sensing and promoting survival to caffeine. The Pap1 and the Sty1 pathways are both required for normal tolerance to caffeine, but only the Sty1 pathway is activated by the drug. Cells lacking Pap1 aresensitive to caffeine due to the decreased expression of the efflux pump Hba2. Indeed, ?hba2 cells are sensitive to caffeine, and constitutive activation of the Pap1 pathway enhances resistance to caffeine in an Hba2-dependent manner. Conclusions/Significance: With our caffeine-sensitive, genome-wide screen of an S. pombe deletion collection, we havedemonstrated the importance of some oxidative stress pathway components on wild-type tolerance to the drug.

Film-free laser forward printing of transparent and weakly absorbing liquids

A laser-based technique for printing transparent and weakly absorbing liquids is developed. Its principle of operation relies in the tight focusing of short laser pulses inside the liquid and close to its free surface, in such a way that the laser radiation is absorbed in a tiny volume around the beam waist, with practically no absorption in any other location along the beam path. If the absorbed energy overcomes the optical breakdown threshold, a cavitation bubble is generated, and its expansion results in the propulsion of a small fraction of liquid which can be collected on a substrate, leading to the printing of a microdroplet for each laser pulse. The technique does not require the preparation of the liquid in thin film form, and its forward mode of operation imposes no restriction concerning the optical properties of the substrate. These characteristics make it well suited for printing a wide variety of materials of interest in diverse applications. We demonstrate that the film-free laser forward printing technique is capable of printing microdroplets with good resolution, reproducibility and control, and analyze the influence of the main process parameter, laser pulse energy. The mechanisms of liquid printing are also investigated: time-resolved imaging provides a clear picture of the dynamics of liquid transfer which allows understanding the main features observed in the printed droplets.

Catalan beauty and the transnational beast: Barcelona on screen

This article explores the case of Barcelona as paradigmatic global city in such transnational productions as Vicky Cristina Barcelona by Woody Allen (2008) and Biutiful by Alejandro González Iñárritu (2010). Allen"s film shows the extreme dilution that national and linguistic identity undergoes under foreign eyes in its rendition of a"hip Barcelona" for tourists"invaded" by transnational subjects in search of bourgeois pleasures. Maybe in pursuit of a more"real" city, Iñárritu"s Biutiful moves to the Barcelona of the immigrants and the undocumented, a transnational and paradoxical location inhabited by those who need to cross borders in order to survive. Through reference to the work of Manuel Castells, Saskia Sassen, Neil Smith and Michel De Certeau among others, we argue that neither of these representations of the city is more real or unreal than the other. In their drastically divergent ways, both films contribute their external perspectives to the imaginary construction of Barcelona as a fascinating global city and can be seen as a dyptich of a transnational Barcelona. Further, they contribute to the ongoing debate about the polarization between the local and the global, the construction of urban boarders inside cities through gentrification, the transformation of the places we (would like to) inhabit, and the translation of all these into visual terms.

The use of COOP/WONCA charts as a screen for mental disorders in the immigrant community in primary care in primary care

Aim. To evaluate the usefulness of COOP/WONCA charts as a screening tool for mental disorders in primary care in the immigrant healthcare users in Salt. To measure self-rated health of Salt immigration population using the COOP / WONCA charts and to assess its associated factorsDesign. Descriptive and transversal studyParticipants. 370 non-EU immigrants seniors selected by consecutive sampling stratified by sexMain measures. Personal information will be collected (age, sex, country of origin, years of residency in Spain, number of people living in the household and associated comorbidities). Each participant will complete the COOP/WONCA charts. An analysis of the validity of the diagnostic test will be done: sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, ROC curve and area under the curve (AUC). All variables will be subjected to descriptive analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis between the variables collected (sex, years of residency in Spain... ) and the results of COOP / WONCA charts will be performedResults. Preliminary results are available on a pilot test with 30 patients. The mental disorder prevalence is around 30%. Sensibility (0,89), specificity (0,89), VPP (0,80), VPN (0,94) cutoff score (3.5) and AUC (0,941). Women, people with 10 or more years of residency in Spain and unemployed people have worse self-rated healthConclusions. Based on the preliminary results, is possible to conclude that COOP/WONCA charts could be an useful, valid and applicable screening test for mental disorders in primary care with immigrant population

Brief cognitive assessment instruments in schizophrenia and bipolar patients, and healthy control subjects: A comparison study between the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool for Schizophrenia (B-CATS) and the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP)

Cognitive impairment in schizophrenia and psychosis is ubiquitous and acknowledged as a core feature of clinical expression, pathophysiology, and prediction of functioning. However, assessment of cognitive functioning is excessively time-consuming in routine practice, and brief cognitive instruments specific to psychosis would be of value. Two screening tools have recently been created to address this issue, i.e., the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool for Schizophrenia (B-CATS) and the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). The aim of this research was to examine the comparative validity of these two brief instruments in relation to a global cognitive score. 161 patients with psychosis (96 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and 65 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder) and 76 healthy control subjects were tested with both instruments to examine their concurrent validity relative to a more comprehensive neuropsychological assessment battery. Scores from the B-CATS and the SCIP were highly correlated in the three diagnostic groups, and both scales showed good to excellent concurrent validity relative to a Global Cognitive Composite Score (GCCS) derived from the more comprehensive examination. The SCIP-S showed better predictive value of global cognitive impairment than the B-CATS. Partial and semi-partial correlations showed slightly higher percentages of both shared and unique variance between the SCIP-S and the GCCS than between the B-CATS and the GCCS. Brief instruments for assessing cognition in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, such as the SCIP-S and B-CATS, seem to be reliable and promising tools for use in routine clinical practice.

The use of COOP/WONCA charts as a screen for mental disorders in the immigrant community in primary care in primary care

Aim. To evaluate the usefulness of COOP/WONCA charts as a screening tool for mental disorders in primary care in the immigrant healthcare users in Salt. To measure self-rated health of Salt immigration population using the COOP / WONCA charts and to assess its associated factorsDesign. Descriptive and transversal study, Participants. 370 non-EU immigrants seniors selected by consecutive sampling stratified by sexMain measures. Personal information will be collected (age, sex, country of origin, years of residency in Spain, number of people living in the household and associated comorbidities). Each participant will complete the COOP/WONCA charts. An analysis of the validity of the diagnostic test will be done: sensibility, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, ROC curve and area under the curve (AUC). All variables will be subjected to descriptive analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis between the variables collected (sex, years of residency in Spain... ) and the results of COOP / WONCA charts will be performedResults. Preliminary results are available on a pilot test with 30 patients. The mental disorder prevalence is around 30%. Sensibility (0,89), specificity (0,89), VPP (0,80), VPN (0,94) cutoff score (3.5) and AUC (0,941). Women, people with 10 or more years of residency in Spain and unemployed people have worse self-rated healthConclusions. Based on the preliminary results, is possible to conclude that COOP/WONCA charts could be an useful, valid and applicable screening test for mental disorders in primary care with immigrant population

Clinical usefulness of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S) scale in patients with type I bipolar disorder

Background: The relevance of persistent cognitive deficits to the pathogenesis and prognosis of bipolar disorders (BD) is understudied, and its translation into clinical practice has been limited by the absence of brief methods assessing cognitive status in Psychiatry. This investigation assessed the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S) for the detection of cognitive impairment in BD. Methods: After short training, psychiatrists at 40 outpatient clinics administered the SCIP three times over two weeks to a total of 76 consecutive type I BD admissions. Experienced psychologists also administered a comprehensive battery of standard neuropsychological instruments to clinical sample and 45 healthy control subjects. Results: Feasibility was supported by a brief administration time (approximately 15 minutes) and minimal scoring errors. The reliability of the SCIP was confirmed by good equivalence of forms, acceptable stability (ICC range 0.59 to 0.87) and adequate internal consistency (Chronbach's alpha of 0.74). Construct validity was granted by extraction of a single factor (accounting 52% of the variance), acceptable correlations with conventional neuropsychological instruments, and a clear differentiation between bipolar I and normal samples. Efficiency was also provided by the adequate sensitivity and specificity. Limitations: The sample size is not very large. The SCIP and the neurocognitive battery do not cover all potentially relevant cognitive domains. Also, sensitivity to change remains unexplored. Conclusion: With minimal training, physicians obtained a reliable and valid estimate of cognitive impairment in approximately 15 minutes from an application of the SCIP to type I BD patients.

Clinical usefulness of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S) scale in patients with type I bipolar disorder

Background: The relevance of persistent cognitive deficits to the pathogenesis and prognosis of bipolar disorders (BD) is understudied, and its translation into clinical practice has been limited by the absence of brief methods assessing cognitive status in Psychiatry. This investigation assessed the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP-S) for the detection of cognitive impairment in BD. Methods: After short training, psychiatrists at 40 outpatient clinics administered the SCIP three times over two weeks to a total of 76 consecutive type I BD admissions. Experienced psychologists also administered a comprehensive battery of standard neuropsychological instruments to clinical sample and 45 healthy control subjects. Results: Feasibility was supported by a brief administration time (approximately 15 minutes) and minimal scoring errors. The reliability of the SCIP was confirmed by good equivalence of forms, acceptable stability (ICC range 0.59 to 0.87) and adequate internal consistency (Chronbach's alpha of 0.74). Construct validity was granted by extraction of a single factor (accounting 52% of the variance), acceptable correlations with conventional neuropsychological instruments, and a clear differentiation between bipolar I and normal samples. Efficiency was also provided by the adequate sensitivity and specificity. Limitations: The sample size is not very large. The SCIP and the neurocognitive battery do not cover all potentially relevant cognitive domains. Also, sensitivity to change remains unexplored. Conclusion: With minimal training, physicians obtained a reliable and valid estimate of cognitive impairment in approximately 15 minutes from an application of the SCIP to type I BD patients.

The factorial structure of the 41-item version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in a Spanish population of 8 to 12 years-old

On this instrumental study we intend to analyse the factorial structure of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in a Spanish sample using exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis. As a second objective we intend to develop a short form of it for rapid screening and, finally, to analyze the reliabilities of both questionnaires. The SCARED was administered to a community sample of 1,508 children aged between 8 and 12 years. The sample was randomly split using half for the exploratory analysis and the other half for the confirmatory study. Furthermore a reduced version of the SCARED was developed using the SchmidLeiman procedure. Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded a four factor structure comprised of Somatic/panic, Generalized anxiety, Separation anxiety and Social phobia factors This structure was confirmed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The four factors, the full scale and the short scale showed good reliabilities. The results obtained seem to indicate that the Spanish version of the SCARED has good internal consistency, and along with other recent results, has a structure of four related factors that replicates the dimensions proposed for anxiety disorders by the DSM-IV-TR