Quantum to Classical Cavity Chemistry Electrodynamics

Polaritonic chemistry has ushered in new avenues for controlling molecular dynamics. However, two key questions remain: (i) Can classical light sources elicit the same effects as certain quantum light sources on molecular systems? (ii) Can semiclassical treatments of light-matter interaction capture nontrivial quantum effects observed in molecular dynamics? This work presents a quantum-classical approach addressing issues of realizing cavity chemistry effects without actual cavities. It also highlights the limitations of the standard semiclassical light-matter interaction. It is demonstrated that classical light sources can mimic quantum effects up to the second order of light-matter interaction, provided that the mean-field contribution, symmetrized two-time correlation function, and the linear response function are the same in both situations. Numerical simulations show that the quantum-classical method aligns more closely with exact quantum molecular-only dynamics for quantum light states such as Fock states, superpositions of Fock states, and vacuum squeezed states than the conventional semiclassical approach.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figure

Reproductive cycle of the razor clam Solen marginatus (Pulteney, 1799) in Eo ria (northwestern Spain)

The reproductive cycle of the razor clam Solen marginatus (Pulteney, 1799) was investigated by routine histology. A new approach oriented towards fast monitoring of the gametogenic cycle based on macroscopic observation of gonads is presented. The method, aimed at estimating oocytes size with the aid of a micrometer eyepiece, is reviewed. Phase 0 (sexual rest) occurs in July-August. Phase I (proliferation of gonias) occurs in August-October. Phase II (gametogenesis) develops in November-April. Phase III (reproduction) takes place in May-June. The evolution of the gametogenesis is independent of the size of the specimens.Se estudia el ciclo reproductivo de Solen marginatus (Pulteney, 1799) en la ría del Eo (noroeste de España) mediante histología rutinaria. Se añade un nuevo procedimiento de seguimiento rápido del ciclo gametogénico de la especie basado en la observación de la gónada a escala macroscópica y se revisa el método de estimación del tamaño de los ovocitos mediante ocular micrométrico. La fase 0 (reposo sexual) ocurre en julio-agosto. La fase I (multiplicación de las gonias) sucede en agosto-octubre. La fase II (gametogénesis) se desarrolla en noviembre-abril. La fase III (reproducción) tiene lugar en mayo-junio. La evolución de la gametogénesis es independiente del tamaño de los individuos.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

Density, biometry and sex ratio of the razor clam Solen marginatus (Pulteney, 1799) in Eo ria (northwestern Spain)

Data on the density, biometry and sex ratio of the razor clam Solen marginatus (Pulteney, 1799) are presented. Sampling was performed on the natural beds of Reme and La Reguerira, located in Eo ria, the largest inlet of Asturias region (northwest of Spain). The species was found to be widely distributed along both beds, with no significant differences in density among the different areas compared. The mean density of the species was 31 indiv m-2. Power regression: shell length vs. drained weight, was found to be the most suitable fit. Areas covered by the phanerogam Zostera marina were the most densely inhabited. S. marginatus is diecious, being distributed according to a sex ratio of 1:1. No hermaphrodite specimens were found.Se investiga la densidad, biometría y proporción de sexos de Solen marginatus (Pulteney, 1799) en los bancos naturales de Reme y La Regueira situados en la ría del Eo, el mayor estuario del Principado de Asturias (noroeste de España). La especie se encuentra ampliamente distribuida a lo largo de ambos bancos, sin existir diferencias significativas entre las distintas áreas comparadas. S. marginatus presenta una densidad media de 31 indiv m-2. El mejor ajuste biométrico de la relación longitud de valvas versus peso escurrido corresponde a la regresión potencial. Las áreas cubiertas por la fanerógama marina Zostera marina son las más densamente pobladas. S. marginatus es una especie dioica, distribuida según una proporción de sexos 1:1. No se encontraron individuos hermafroditas.Instituto Español de Oceanografí

Green Carbon: Making sustainable agriculture real

The concept of sustainable development has evolved from a mere movement for the protection of the environment, to other multidimensional approaches. Indeed, today it calls for a holistic approach, seeking to preserve and improve not only the environment, but also to achieve social equity and economic sustainability. In Europe, society demands quality and safe products, not only in the industrial sector but also in agriculture. According to FAO, sustainable agriculture development is a key element of the new global challenges to meet human food security needs at 2050. Unsustainable practices based on intensive soil tillage and agro-chemical applications have increased agri-environmental risks. Whereas world’s food needs are expected to increase by 70% by 2050, agricultural land in Europe will also have to face environmental, economic and social challenges related to sustainable agriculture. As a result, in the EU 2020 Strategy, it is expressed that the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is required to contribute to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, enhancing social well-being, providing ecosystem services, managing resources sustainably while avoiding environmental degradation. There is broad consensus within the scientific sector that human actions generate a large portion of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, causing global warming. Certainly, Kyoto Protocol states it. According to the European Environmental Agency (EEA), there has been a decrease of 17% in GHG emissions between 1990 and 2009. However, EEA also stressed the importance of the agricultural contribution to total emissions (10.3%). The fossil fuel used in agricultural field operations, along with increasing CO2 emissions from soil through tillage, are considered to be one of the main direct sources of GHG emissions from agriculture sector. Increased inputs required to sustain conventional agriculture also adds significantly to total GHG emissions. Therefore, intensification of production through tillage, agro-chemicals and heavy machinery, which characterizes conventional agriculture in Europe, strongly contributes to increased net GHG emissions instead of mitigating global warming. Sustainable agricultural soil management is crucial for mitigating climate change, especially for the restoration of lost soil organic carbon. In fact, "Agricultural soils management" is recognized as one of the 15 most promising technology options for reducing GHG emissions in the COM (2005) 35 final "Winning the battle against global climate change." The Green Carbon Conference aims to show sustainable management of agricultural soils can help to agriculture mitigate and adapt to climate change, being compatible with the objectives of environmental protection, enhancing biodiversity and supporting farmers’ welfare along with many other environmental, economic and social benefits. Over the last decade, Conservation Agriculture has become known as a set of interlinked agricultural practices, of no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance, maintenance of soil mulch cover, and diversified cropping system, capable of: (a) overcoming several of the severe sustainability limitations of conventional agriculture; and (b) raising productivity, enhancing resilience, reducing degradation and increasing the flow of ecosystem services. The discussion around both the Soil Thematic Strategy initiated in 2002, and the JRC SoCo (Soil Conservation) project clearly recognized the potential of Conservation Agriculture in mitigating and even reversing the problems of soil erosion, soil organic matter decline, soil compaction, loss of biodiversity, climate change vulnerability, among others. Whereas Conservation Agriculture is now practiced successfully on more than 125 million hectares worldwide, Europe has shown to be reluctant with regard to its adoption, despite many promising results confirming its suitability in Europe. Therefore, this European Conference on Green Carbon provides an opportunity to take a leap forward in terms of sharing farmers experiences on Conservation Agriculture across Europe, reviewing the recent progress made in knowledge generation regarding Conservation Agriculture, and to disseminate the outcomes of the currently running LIFE+ Agricarbon (LIFE08 ENV/E/000129). The slogan of ‘Green Carbon’ chosen for this Conference attempts to clarify and highlight the indivisible yet vital link between soil organic carbon and the role that soil health plays in the sustainability of agricultural production and in the flow of ecosystem services. Nevertheless, the topics addressed by the Green Carbon Conference are not only related to the importance of soil organic carbon for the overall soil quality and health, but also include other sustainability issues intimately related to the role of soil carbon such as landscape scale ecosystem functions and services, climate change mitigation and carbon offset, and economic aspects. This Conference also seeks to alert and inform EU policy stakeholders and technical officers of the urgent need to adopt sustainable soil and production practices of Conservation Agriculture to contribute to the objectives of Europe 2020, the EU's growth strategy for the coming decades

Analyzing the Improvements of Energy Management Systems for Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using a Systematic Literature Review: How Far Are These Controls from Rule-Based Controls Used in Commercial Vehicles?

Featured Application This work is useful for researchers interested in the study of energy management systems for hybrid electric vehicles. In addition, it is interesting for institutions related to the market of this type of vehicle. The hybridization of vehicles is a viable step toward overcoming the challenge of the reduction of emissions related to road transport all over the world. To take advantage of the emission reduction potential of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), the appropriate design of their energy management systems (EMSs) to control the power flow between the engine and the battery is essential. This work presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of the more recent works that developed EMSs for HEVs. The review is carried out subject to the following idea: although the development of novel EMSs that seek the optimum performance of HEVs is booming, in the real world, HEVs continue to rely on well-known rule-based (RB) strategies. The contribution of this work is to present a quantitative comparison of the works selected. Since several studies do not provide results of their models against commercial RB strategies, it is proposed, as another contribution, to complete their results using simulations. From these results, it is concluded that the improvement of the analyzed EMSs ranges roughly between 5% and 10% with regard to commercial RB EMSs; in comparison to the optimum, the analyzed EMSs are nearer to the optimum than commercial RB EMSs

Angiosarcoma del muslo: diagnóstico diferencial

Se presenta un caso de angiosarcoma de partes blandas en un paciente de 92 años localizado en extremidad inferior de seis meses de evolución. Estos tipos de tumores muestran probabilidades de ser confundidos con hematomas, incluso con estudios de Resonancia Nuclear. Se destaca la ayuda que ofrece para el diagnóstico la arteriografía, así como la agresividad de dichos tumores y los posibles abordajes terapéuticos actuales.A case of angiosarcoma is presented. The patient was 92 years old. The tumor was present 6 months before diagnosis. The tumor was diagnosed by MRN as haematoma of the muscle. Arteriography is a good diagnostic tool before the biopsy in that type of lesions. Alternative treatments of such letal neoplasms are discussed

Pea Protein‑Based Bioplastics Crosslinked with Genipin: Analysis of the Crosslinking Evolution

Replacing conventional plastics with other products obtained from biobased and biodegradable raw materials is an increasingly studied solution. In this line, the development of protein-based bioplastics is a promising alternative. However, for some applications, such as packaging it would be necessary to improve their properties by including an additional stage to crosslink the protein chains during the production of bioplastics. Therefore, pea protein-based bioplastics crosslinked with genipin, a natural non-toxic chemical crosslinking agent, are evaluated in this study. The bioplastics are obtained via injection moulding and genipin, is included in the initial formulation. Specifcally, the concentration of genipin and the efects on the protein blends with genipin over days are evaluated. The evolution of the reaction is followed by the colour change of the blend, together with thermal analyses and infrared spectroscopy. Results showed the evolution of the crosslinking in the blends resulted in conformational changes that resulted in the modifcation of the initial yellowish colour to a blueish system. Respect their bioplastics, more deformable systems with a lower water absorption capability are obtained by using genipin as crosslinking agents This work is a part of a I+D+i PID2021-124294OBC21 project which is sponsored by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and “ERDF A way of making Europe”. The authors thank their fnancial support. In addition, the authors would also acknowledge for the postdoctoral contract of Víctor M. Pérez Puyana from the “Contratación de Personal Investigador Doctor” supported by the European Social Fund and Junta de Andalucía (PAIDI DOCTOR – Convocatoria 2019-2020). Funding for open access publishing: Universidad de Sevilla/ CBUADepartamento de Ingeniería Química, Química Física y Ciencias de los Materiale