No abstract

-The intradermal tuberculin (IDTB) test and the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay are used worldwide for detection of bovine tuberculosis in cattle, but little is known about the effect of co-infecting agents on the performance of these diagnostic tests. This report describes a field trial conducted in a cattle herd with dual infection (bovine tuberculosis and paratuberculosis) during 3.5 years. It has been based on a strategic approach encompassing serial parallel testing (comparative IDTB test, the IFN-γ assay and serology of paratuberculosis) that was repeated 8 times over the period, and segregation of animals into two herds. The IDTB test detected 65.2% and the IFN-γ test detected 69.6% of the Mycobacterium bovis culture-positive cattle. However, the IDTB test performed better during the first part of the trial, while the IFN-γ test was the only method that detected infected animals during the following three samplings. The number of false positive reactors with the IDTB and/or the IFN-γ tests was remarkably high compared to other reports, and could be caused by cross-reactivity with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Also, the M. bovis isolates from cattle and wildlife from the same property were characterised using molecular techniques to disclose an epidemiological link. The IDTB test may not be appropriate to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in herds with dual mycobacterial infections. This report highlights the need to use several diagnostic techniques for the accurate detection of M. bovis infected animals in these herds. tuberculosis / paratuberculosis / IDTB / IFN-γ / eradication

In this work, we present a sol–gel synthesis of ε-Fe2O3 nano and microparticles stabilized in silica thin films. Thanks to the relatively high size of the synthesized particles, we have been able to discriminate the Raman signal of the ε- and α-Fe2O3 phases, thus presenting the first Confocal Raman Microscopy study of isolated ε-Fe2O3 particles. The vibrational modes of each phase are identified at room temperature. The phase transition from ε- to α-Fe2O3 and the morphological modifications are analyzed as a function of the in situ output laser power. A complete study of the Raman spectra for ε-Fe2O3 particles has been performed for a wide range of temperatures (80–570 K). The phonon frequencies and line widths show a behavior in which the contributions from lattice thermal expansion and anharmonic interactions have to be considered. We have also identified a two-magnon mode in the ε-Fe2O3 phase. Its intensity increases close to the Néel transition (TN) and persists well above it. This observation could be one of the few experimental examples of a paramagnon, i.e., a magnetic excitation in a paramagnetic state.

We present a novel and easy synthetic path to prepare ε-Fe2O3 (∼90%) with a small portion of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles embedded in an amorphous silica matrix.

A plethora of technological applications justify why titanium dioxide is probably the most studied oxide, and an optimal exploitation of its properties quite frequently requires a controlled modification of the surface. Low-energy ion bombardment is one of the most extended techniques for this purpose and has been recently used in titanium oxides, among other applications, to favour resistive switching mechanisms or to form transparent conductive layers. Surfaces modified in this way are frequently described as reduced and defective, with a high density of oxygen vacancies. Here we show, at variance with this view, that high ion doses on rutile titanium dioxide (110) induce its transformation into a nanometric and single-crystalline titanium monoxide (001) thin film with rocksalt structure. The discovery of this ability may pave the way to new technical applications of ion bombardment not previously reported, which can be used to fabricate heterostructures and interfaces.