Strain balanced quantum posts

Quantum posts are assembled by epitaxial growth of closely spaced quantum dot layers, modulating the composition of a semiconductor alloy, typically InGaAs. In contrast with most self-assembled nanostructures, the height of quantum posts can be controlled with nanometer precision, up to a maximum value limited by the accumulated stress due to the lattice mismatch. Here we present a strain compensation technique based on the controlled incorporation of phosphorous, which substantially increases the maximum attainable quantum post height. The luminescence from the resulting nanostructures presents giant linear polarization anisotropy.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letters (7th March 2011). 4 pages, 4 figure

The HADES RV Programme with HARPS-N@TNG IV. Time resolved analysis of the Ca ii H&K and H{\alpha} chromospheric emission of low-activity early-type M dwarfs

M dwarfs are prime targets for planet search programs, particularly of those focused on the detection and characterization of rocky planets in the habitable zone. Understanding their magnetic activity is important because it affects our ability to detect small planets, and it plays a key role in the characterization of the stellar environment. We analyze observations of the Ca II H&K and H{\alpha} lines as diagnostics of chromospheric activity for low-activity early-type M dwarfs. We analyze the time series of spectra of 71 early-type M dwarfs collected for the HADES project for planet search purposes. The HARPS-N spectra provide simultaneously the H&K doublet and the H{\alpha} line. We develop a reduction scheme able to correct the HARPS-N spectra for instrumental and atmospheric effects, and to provide flux-calibrated spectra in units of flux at the stellar surface. The H&K and H{\alpha} fluxes are compared with each other, and their variability is analyzed. We find that the H and K flux excesses are strongly correlated with each other, while the H{\alpha} flux excess is generally less correlated with the H&K doublet. We also find that H{\alpha} emission does not increase monotonically with the H&K line flux, showing some absorption before being filled in by chromospheric emission when H&K activity increases. Analyzing the time variability of the emission fluxes, we derive a tentative estimate of the rotation period (of the order of a few tens of days) for some of the program stars, and the typical lifetime of chromospheric active regions (a few stellar rotations). Our results are in good agreement with previous studies. In particular, we find evidence that the chromospheres of early-type M dwarfs could be characterized by different filaments coverage, affecting the formation mechanism of the H{\alpha} line. We also show that chromospheric structure is likely related to spectral type

Green Strategies of Powdery Mildew Control in Hop: From Organic Products to Nanoscale Carriers

[EN] Humulus lupulus L. is a long-lived, perennial, herbaceous, and dioecious climbing plant. The foremost producers in the European Union are Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain. The Spanish cultivated area is concentrated in the province of León. Powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera macularis, menaces hop production and quality in all hop growing regions located in the Northern hemisphere, colonizing leaves, petioles, inflorescences, and finally cones. In this work, powdery mildew control was monitored, comparing nine fungicide strategies: five organics, two integrated disease management (IDM)-based, with and without Nutragreen® nanoscale carrier, and two conventional treatments (CON) with and without Nutragreen® nanoscale carrier. The organic treatments were able to diminish P. macularis on leaves, but no effect was observed in cones. CON treatments reduced the infection on leaves and cones and increased the cone quantity and quality. Likewise, IDM-based treatments provided satisfactory results as they diminished powdery mildew on leaves and cones. Finally, dose reduction using a Nutragreen® nanoscale carrier showed beneficial effects in the control of powdery mildew compared to the commercial dose. Hence, the use of nanoscale carries permits a 30% reduction in pesticide dose, which optimizes yield and hop quality, reduces risks linked to pesticides, and aids in compliance with public and international policy demands.SIThe authors thank the hop field agricultural engineer, hop growers, field workers in charge of the hop farms, and laboratory technicians for their help and collaboration in the necessary tasks

Efecto de las gemas en la resistencia a flexión de piezas enterizas de madera

A theoretical analysis is conducted to determine the effect of wanes on the bearing capacity of timber in light of the reduction they entail in cross-sectional area compared to fully rectangular sections. The concomitant loss of bending strength is likewise evaluated. Parallel tests are run on 84 samples —51 with wanes— of large section, Scotch (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Corsican (Pinus pinaster Ait.) pine beams taken from old buildings. The bending strength, modulus of elasticity and density are found in accordance with European standard EN 408. The mechanical properties of the specimens with and without wanes are found to be very similar, and no statistically significant differences are recorded. The effect of the decline in section may be offset by greater continuity of surface fibers and the section shape effect. One practical consequence of this finding is that (within certain limits) wanes may be disregarded when grading large section timber beams in existing structures, where this flaw is very common; this in turn would reduce the high percentage of rejected beams imposed by the present visual grading standards.Se ha realizado un análisis teórico del efecto de las gemas en la capacidad resistente de vigas de madera debida a la disminución de la sección con respecto a la sección rectangular, evaluando la pérdida de resistencia a flexión equivalente. Por otro lado, se han ensayado 84 piezas de pino silvestre (Pinus sylvestris L.) y pino pinaster (Pinus pinaster Ait.) de gruesa escuadría procedente de edificios antiguos, de las que 51 presentaban el defecto de las gemas. Se ha obtenido la resistencia a flexión, el módulo de elasticidad a flexión y la densidad mediante ensayo según norma EN 408.Las propiedades mecánicas de las piezas con gemas y sin gemas resultan muy similares y no hay diferencias estadísticamente significativas. El efecto de pérdida de sección debida a la gema parece compensarse con la mayor continuidad de las fibras en la superficie de la pieza y con un efecto de forma de la sección. Una consecuencia práctica que se deriva de este hecho es que podrían despreciarse las gemas (hasta un límite) en la clasificación de piezas de madera de gruesa escuadría en estructuras existentes, donde es muy frecuente este defecto, evitando el elevado rechazo que implica la aplicación de las normas actuales de clasificación visual

Desarrollo y evaluación de un sistema interactivo para personas con discapacidad visual

This document presents the experimentation, development and results of testing conducted on a computer application designed for visually impaired people. The interactive system aims to promote some places in the State of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and improve the memory of blind users. The purpose of this article is to describe the construction of the system and the testing conducted to measure the degree of interactivity with blind people. Creating interactivity-focused applications is important since it can improve the degree of technology usage (mobile devices) of people with disabilities. To assess the quality of this type of software, the specifications they should meet need to be established. They involve big screens, adapted keyboards and ergonomics [1] and depend on the type of disability being addressed. Therefore, they should be characterized to determine how to develop them and assess their quality with the degree of interaction obtained. The main contribution of this work is presenting the results of the degree of interactivity of the system when used by blind people and detailing part of the Team Software Process (TSP) defined by Watts Humphrey and adopted for developing the application [2].Lo que se presenta en este documento es una experimentación sobre el desarrollo y los resultados de las pruebas realizadas de una aplicación para computadora, enfocadas a personas con discapacidad visual. Los objetivos del sistema interactivo son: dar a conocer algunos lugares del estado de Aguascalientes, México; y fortalecer la memoria del usuario ciego. El propósito de este artículo es que mediante la construcción del sistema y las pruebas realizadas se da a conocer el grado de interactividad para personas ciegas. El construir aplicaciones con calidad enfocada a la interactividad es importante, ya que, para personas con discapacidad, puede mejorar el grado de uso de las tecnologías (dispositivos móviles). Para determinar la calidad es necesario conocer las características que debe de tener este tipo de aplicaciones, como lo son: pantalla grande, teclado adecuado, ergonomía, entre otras [1], dependiendo del tipo de discapacidad al que se esté refiriendo, es decir, se debe de caracterizar la aplicación para poder determinar cómo desarrollar la aplicación y la medición de la calidad mediante el grado de interacción obtenido. La principal aportación de este trabajo es mostrar los resultados obtenidos del grado de interactividad del sistema al ser utilizado por personas ciegas, así como mostrar parte del proceso de producción de software en el trabajo en equipos definido por Watts Humphrey utilizado para la construcción de la aplicación (TSP) [2]

The GAPS Programme with HARPS-N at TNG XV. A substellar companion around a K giant star identified with quasi-simultaneous HARPS-N and GIANO measurements

Context. Identification of planetary companions of giant stars is made difficult because of the astrophysical noise, that may produce radial velocity (RV) variations similar to those induced by a companion. On the other hand any stellar signal is wavelength dependent, while signals due to a companion are achromatic. Aims. Our goal is to determine the origin of the Doppler periodic variations observed in the thick disk K giant star TYC 4282-605-1 by HARPS-N at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) and verify if they can be due to the presence of a substellar companion. Methods. Several methods have been used to exclude the stellar origin of the observed signal including detailed analysis of activity indicators and bisector and the analysis of the photometric light curve. Finally we have conducted an observational campaign to monitor the near infrared (NIR) RV with GIANO at the TNG in order to verify whether the NIR amplitude variations are comparable with those observed in the visible. Results. Both optical and NIR RVs show consistent variations with a period at 101 days and similar amplitude, pointing to the presence of a companion orbiting the target. The main orbital properties obtained for our giant star with a derived mass of M=0.97+-0.03M_sun are M_Psini=10.78+-0.12MJ;P=101.54+-0.05days;e=0.28+-0.01 and a=0.422+-0.009AU. The chemical analysis shows a significant enrichment in the abundance of Nai, Mgi, Ali and S i while the rest of analyzed elements are consistent with the solar value demonstrating that the chemical composition corresponds with an old K giant (age = 10.1 Gyr) belonging to local thick disk. Conclusions. We conclude that the substellar companion hypothesis for this K giant is the best explanation for the observed periodic RV variation. This study also shows the high potential of multi-wavelength RV observations for the validation of planet candidates.Comment: Accepted in Journal reference A&A 14/06/201

Compositional mapping by Z-contrast imaging

This research was sponsored by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, U.S. Department of Energy (SJP, MV), by the Spanish MCI (projects CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010 CSD2009-00013 andTEC2008-06756-C03-02/TEC,) and the Junta de Andalucía (PAI research’s groups TEP-120 and TIC-145; project P08-TEP-03516).Peer Reviewe

Physical and psychological paths toward less severe fibromyalgia: A structural equation model

The authors gratefully acknowledge all the participants for their collaboration and enthusiasm. We thank the assistant researchers involved in this study and all the members of the Physical Activity for HEaLth Promotion (PA-HELP; CTS-1018) research group.Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2019.06.017.Objectives: Previous research suggested isolated associations of physical and psychological factors with fibromyalgia severity. Integration of physical and psychological, experienced and observed, modifiable factors associated with fibromyalgia severity in a single model will reveal therapeutic paths toward less severity of disease. We aimed to examine an encompassing model of determinants of fibromyalgia severity. Methods: This observational, population-based cross-sectional study included 569 people with fibromyalgia. An integrative model of fibromyalgia severity was tested by using structural equation modelling. This model included 8 factors: resilience, catastrophizing, active lifestyle, declarative memory, subjective fitness, objective fitness, psychological distress, and physical fatigue. Results: Two core paths were associated with reduced fibromyalgia severity: 1) a psychological path connecting high resilience and low catastrophizing with low distress and 2) a physical path, connecting a more active lifestyle (directly and via high objective and subjective physical fitness) with low fatigue. Additional interconnecting paths especially suggested a connection from the psychological to physical path. Our model explained 83% of the fibromyalgia severity. Conclusions: The present model integrated the complexity of mutually influencing factors of fibromyalgia severity, which may help to better understand the disease. It emphasised the importance of: 1) physical factors and psychological factors and their interconnections, 2) patients’ experiences and clinical measurements, and 3) positive and negative signs such as physical fitness and distress. Future longitudinal and experimental research should aim at testing the causal direction of the associations in the model as well as the clinical implications suggested by the model. For instance, to reduce fatigue, exercise should enhance not only objective fitness but also fitness-related perceptions. Reducing distress and fatigue seems crucial for lowering fibromyalgia severity.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [I+D+i DEP2010-15639, I+D+I DEP2013-40908, I+D+I PSI2015-65241-R, and BES-2014-067612] and the Spanish Ministry of Education [FPU15/00002]. This study was funded in part by the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), and the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades and European Regional Development Fund (ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR) and University of Jaén, Plan de Apoyo a la Investigación 2017-2019 [EI_SEJ07_2017]. The funders did not have any role in the study design, data collection and analyses, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

The GAPS programme at TNG XXII. The GIARPS view of the extended helium atmosphere of HD189733 b accounting for stellar activity

Exoplanets orbiting very close to their host star are strongly irradiated. This can lead the upper atmospheric layers to expand and evaporate into space. The metastable helium (HeI) triplet at 1083.3nm has recently been shown to be a powerful diagnostic to probe extended and escaping exoplanetary atmosphere. We perform high-resolution transmission spectroscopy of the transiting hot Jupiter HD189733b with the GIARPS (GIANO-B + HARPS-N) observing mode of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, taking advantage of the simultaneous optical+near infrared spectral coverage to detect HeI in the planet's extended atmosphere and to gauge the impact of stellar magnetic activity on the planetary absorption signal. Observations were performed during five transit events of HD189733b. By comparison of the in- and out-of-transit GIANO-B observations we compute high-resolution transmission spectra, on which we perform equivalent width measurements and light-curves analyses to gauge the excess in-transit absorption in the HeI triplet. We detect an absorption signal during all five transits. The mean in-transit absorption depth amounts to 0.75+/-0.03%. We detect night-to-night variations in the HeI absorption signal likely due to the transit events occurring in presence of stellar surface inhomogeneities. We evaluate the impact of stellar-activity pseudo-signals on the true planetary absorption using a comparative analysis of the HeI and the H$\alpha$ lines. We interpret the time-series of the HeI absorption lines in the three nights not affected by stellar contamination -exhibiting a mean in-transit absorption depth of 0.77+/-0.04%- using a 3-d atmospheric code. Our simulations suggest that the helium layers only fill part of the Roche lobe. Observations can be explained with a thermosphere heated to $\sim$12000 K, expanding up to $\sim$1.2 planetary radii, and losing $\sim$1 g/s of metastable helium.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Proctitis in patients with monkeypox infection: a single‑center analysis of 42 consecutive cases from a multidisciplinary observational study on monkeypox proctitis

Background: The current monkeypox (MP) virus outbreak was declared an international emergency in July 2022. The aim of this report is to describe our initial experience with patients with MP, focusing on proctitis. Methods: We conducted an observational study between 20 May and 31 July 2022, on patients with MP at a reference tertiary center in Madrid, Spain. A descriptive analysis on MP was performed, focusing on its characteristics, symptoms, diagnosis, and outcomes. Results: A total of 143 positive MP cases were diagnosed in our center; 42 of them [all male, median age 39 years (range: 22–57 years)] had proctitis (29.37%), and 3 patients (2.09%/MP total cases and 7.14%/MP proctitis) required surgical drainage of a perianal abscess. Conclusions: General and digestive surgeons must be aware of the presence of proctological impairment and complications due to MP viru