Edge phonons in black phosphorus

Exfoliated black phosphorus has recently emerged as a new two-dimensional crystal that, due to its peculiar and anisotropic crystalline and electronic band structures, may have potentially important applications in electronics, optoelectronics and photonics. Despite the fact that the edges of layered crystals host a range of singular properties whose characterization and exploitation are of utmost importance for device development, the edges of black phosphorus remain poorly characterized. In this work, the atomic structure and the behavior of phonons near different black phosphorus edges are experimentally and theoretically studied using Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Polarized Raman results show the appearance of new modes at the edges of the sample, and their spectra depend on the atomic structure of the edges (zigzag or armchair). Theoretical simulations confirm that the new modes are due to edge phonon states that are forbidden in the bulk, and originated from the lattice termination rearrangements.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

NORIT project: The incidence of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus L.) emergence activity rhythms on its population assessment

Sardà, Francisco ... et. al.-- Marine Technology Workshop (Martech05), 17-18 November 2005, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona.-- 1 pageThe Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus (L.) is a decapod crustacean inhabiting complex burrow systems in muddy continental shelves and slopes on the European waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. This species is object of an important multispecific fishery in the Mediterranean, showing signs of overexploitation. Animals of this species show marked behavioural rhythms of emergence in the field. Emergence is performed under an optimum light intensity whose timing varies at different depths depending upon light penetration into the water column and hence upon the sun position. Present data indicate that not all the individuals emerge from their burrows at a circadian basis. [...]Peer Reviewe

Decapod crustacean larval community structure of the submarine canyon off Blanes (NW Mediterranean Sea)

Decapod crustacean fisheries play a crucial role on the northwestern Mediterranean coast due to their high commercial value. Although knowledge of larval ecology and recruitment dynamics of these species is essential to establish a sustainable fisheries management, they are still poorly known. In this paper, we describe the composition, abundance and distribution of decapod crustacean larvae in the submarine canyon off Blanes (northwestern Mediterranean Sea) during summer thermal stratification conditions. Samples were collected in September 2011 with a multi-net system and a 60-cm bongo net at 22 stations with bottom depths of between 100 and 1800 m. A total of 635 larvae from 60 genera were identified. The most relevant taxa were Aristeus antennatus (7.93 individuals/1000 m3), the family Sergestidae (7.24) and Alpheus glaber (6.78). These three taxa were dominant (>20% of total decapod larvae) at more than half of the stations. Decapod larval communities were found to be richer and more diverse at the canyon head, a finding which could be explained by the higher retention rates when compared with the upstream and downstream walls and the canyon axis.Las pesquerías de crustáceos decápodos juegan un papel crucial en la costa del Mediterráneo noroccidental debido a su alto valor comercial. Aunque la información sobre la ecología larvaria y las dinámicas de reclutamiento de estas especies es esencial para establecer una gestión sostenible de estas pesquerías, estos aspectos son aún poco conocidos. En este estudio, se describe la composición, abundancia y distribución de las larvas de crustáceos decápodos en el cañón submarino de Blanes (Mediterráneo noroccidental) durante las condiciones de estratificación térmica estival. Las muestras fueron tomadas en septiembre de 2011 con un sistema multi-red y una red bongo de 60 cm de diámetro en 22 estaciones con fondos de entre 100 y 1800 m de profundidad. Un total de 635 larvas de 60 géneros fueron identificadas. Los taxones más relevantes fueron Aristeus antennatus (7.93 individuos/1000 m3), la familia Sergestidae (7.24) y Alpheus glaber (6.78). Estos tres taxones fueron dominantes (>20% del total de larvas de decápodos) en más de la mitad de las estaciones. Se encontró que las comunidades larvarias de decápodos son más ricas y diversas en la cabecera del cañón, lo cual podría explicarse por los altos índices de retención que presenta esta zona en comparación con las paredes del cañón y su eje.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparison between ROV video and Agassiz trawl methods for sampling deep water fauna of submarine canyons in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea with observations on behavioural reactions of target species

In this paper we present a comparison between Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and Agassiz trawling methods for sampling deep-water fauna in three submarine canyons of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea and describe the behavioural reactions of fishes and crustacean decapods to ROV approach. 10 ROV dives, where 3583 individuals were observed and identified to species level, and 8 Agassiz trawls were carried out in a depth range of 750-1500 m. As noticed in previous studies, abundances of fishes and decapod crustaceans were much higher in the ROV videos than in Agassiz trawl samples, as the latter are designed for the retrieval of benthic, less motile species in permanent contact with the bottom. In our observations fish abundance was one order of magnitude higher with ROV (4110.22 ind/km2) than with Agassiz trawl (350.88 ind/km2), whereas decapod crustaceans were six times more abundant in ROV videos (6362.40 ind/km2) than in Agassiz samples (1364.52 ind/km2). The behaviour of highly motile fishes was analysed in terms of stationary positioning over the seafloor and avoidance or attraction to ROV approach. The most frequently occurring fish species Coelorinchus mediterraneus, Nezumia aequalis, Bathypterois dubius, Lepidion lepidion, Trachyrincuss scabrus and Polyacanthonotus rissoanus did not react to the presence of the ROV in most cases (>50%). Only B. dubius (11%), Lepidion lepidion (14.8%), P. rissoanus (41%) and T. scabrus (14.3%) reacted to ROV approach. More than 60% of less motile species, such as crustacean decapods, did not respond to ROV presence either. Only 33.3% of Geryon longipes, 36.2% of Munida spp. and 29.79% of Pagurus spp. were observed avoiding or defensively reacting to the ROV. The comparison of results obtained with ROV and trawl sampling is of ecological relevance since ROV can report observations in areas where trawling is technically unfeasible. The lack of reaction by most fish and crustacean decapod specimens further confirms that ROV surveying is an efficient technique to assess abundance and species composition in deep-sea waters for these motile species and questions trawl-based estimations

Estructura de la comunidad larvaria de crustáceos decápodos del cañón submarino de Blanes (Mediterráneo noroccidental)

Decapod crustacean fisheries play a crucial role on the northwestern Mediterranean coast due to their high commercial value. Although knowledge of larval ecology and recruitment dynamics of these species is essential to establish a sustainable fisheries management, they are still poorly known. In this paper, we describe the composition, abundance and distribution of decapod crustacean larvae in the submarine canyon off Blanes (northwestern Mediterranean Sea) during summer thermal stratification conditions. Samples were collected in September 2011 with a multi-net system and a 60-cm bongo net at 22 stations with bottom depths of between 100 and 1800 m. A total of 635 larvae from 60 genera were identified. The most relevant taxa were Aristeus antennatus (7.93 individuals/1000 m3), the family Sergestidae (7.24) and Alpheus glaber (6.78). These three taxa were dominant ( > 20% of total decapod larvae) at more than half of the stations. Decapod larval communities were found to be richer and more diverse at the canyon head, a finding which could be explained by the higher retention rates when compared with the upstream and downstream walls and the canyon axis.Las pesquerías de crustáceos decápodos juegan un papel crucial en la costa del Mediterráneo noroccidental debido a su alto valor comercial. Aunque la información sobre la ecología larvaria y las dinámicas de reclutamiento de estas especies es esencial para establecer una gestión sostenible de estas pesquerías, estos aspectos son aún poco conocidos. En este estudio, se describe la composición, abundancia y distribución de las larvas de crustáceos decápodos en el cañón submarino de Blanes (Mediterráneo noroccidental) durante las condiciones de estratificación térmica estival. Las muestras fueron tomadas en septiembre de 2011 con un sistema multi-red y una red bongo de 60 cm de diámetro en 22 estaciones con fondos de entre 100 y 1800 m de profundidad. Un total de 635 larvas de 60 géneros fueron identificadas. Los taxones más relevantes fueron Aristeus antennatus (7.93 individuos/1000 m3), la familia Sergestidae (7.24) y Alpheus glaber (6.78). Estos tres taxones fueron dominantes ( > 20% del total de larvas de decápodos) en más de la mitad de las estaciones. Se encontró que las comunidades larvarias de decápodos son más ricas y diversas en la cabecera del cañón, lo cual podría explicarse por los altos índices de retención que presenta esta zona en comparación con las paredes del cañón y su eje

Visual faunistic exploration of geomorphological human-impacted deep-sea areas of the north-western Mediterranean Sea

This study reports the composition and distribution of demersal megafauna from various north-western Mediterranean submarine areas such as canyons, seamounts and landslides between 60-800 m depth, based on remotely operated vehicle (ROV) observations. From a total of 30 h of video, 4534 faunistic observations were made and analysed in relationship to environmental factors (i.e. topography, substrate type and depth). In addition, anthropogenic impact was quantified by grouping observations in four categories: fishing nets, longlines, trawl marks and other litter. The different targeted environments showed similarities in faunal composition according to substrate, depth and topography. Our results also indicated the presence of anthropogenic impact in all the sampled areas in which litter and trawl marks were the most observed artefacts

Unbiased optical mapping of telomere-integrated endogenous human herpesvirus 6

Next-generation sequencing technologies allowed sequencing of thousands of genomes. However, there are genomic regions that remain difficult to characterize, including telomeres, centromeres, and other low-complexity regions, as well as transposable elements and endogenous viruses. Human herpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) are closely related viruses that infect most humans and can integrate their genomes into the telomeres of infected cells. Integration also occurs in germ cells, meaning that the virus can be inherited and result in individuals harboring the virus in every cell of their body. The integrated virus can reactivate and cause disease in humans. While it is well established that the virus resides in the telomere region, the integration locus is poorly defined due to the low sequence complexity (TTAGGG)n of telomeres that cannot be easily resolved through sequencing. We therefore employed genome imaging of the integrated HHV-6A and HHV-6B genomes using whole-genome optical site mapping technology. Using this technology, we identified which chromosome arm harbors the virus genome and obtained a high resolution map of the integration loci of multiple patients. Surprisingly, this revealed long telomere sequences at the virus-subtelomere junction that were previously missed using PCR-based approaches. Contrary to what was previously thought, our technique revealed that the telomere lengths of chromosomes harbor ing the integrated virus genome were comparable to the other chromosomes. Taken together, our data shed light on the genetic structure of the HHV-6A and HHV-6B integration locus, demonstrating the utility of optical mapping for the analysis of genomic regions that are difficult to sequence

Cox-2 Inhibition Enhances the Activity of Sunitinib in Human Renal Cell Carcinoma Xenografts

Background: Sunitinib (Su), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of VEGFR, is effective at producing tumour response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cRCC), but resistance to therapy is inevitable. As COX-2 is a known mediator of tumour growth, we explored the potential benefit of COX-2 inhibition in combination with VEGFR inhibition in attempts at delaying tumour progression on Su. Methods: COX-2 expression was compared with areas of hypoxia in tumours that progressed on Su vs untreated tumours. Mice bearing human cRCC xenografts were treated with Su and the COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, and the effects on tumour growth were assessed. Sequential vs concurrent regimens were compared. Results: COX-2 expression was increased in cRCC xenografts in areas of tumour hypoxia. The combination of Su and celecoxib achieved longer times to tumour progression compared to treatment with either agent alone or to untreated control animals in four models. This effect was seen with concurrent but not with sequential therapy. Conclusion: COX-2 inhibition can extend the effectiveness of VEGFR inhibition. This effect is dependent on the timing of therapy. Clinical trials combining Su and COX-2 inhibitors should be considered as a means delaying time to progression on sunitinib in patients with metastatic cRCC

Electrostatically confined Quantum Rings in bilayer Graphene

We propose a new system where electron and hole states are electrostatically confined into a quantum ring in bilayer graphene. These structures can be created by tuning the gap of the graphene bilayer using nanostructured gates or by position-dependent doping. The energy levels have a magnetic field ($B_{0}$) dependence that is strikingly distinct from that of usual semiconductor quantum rings. In particular, the eigenvalues are not invariant under a $B_0 \to -B_0$ transformation and, for a fixed total angular momentum index $m$, their field dependence is not parabolic, but displays two minima separated by a saddle point. The spectra also display several anti-crossings, which arise due to the overlap of gate-confined and magnetically-confined states.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Nano Letter

Screening of Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents for Physical CO2Absorption by Soft-SAFT Using Key Performance Indicators

RC2-2019-007 PID2019108014RB-C21 SFRH/BD/130965/2017 UID/QUI/50006/2019The efficient screening of solvents for CO2 capture requires a reliable and robust equation of state to characterize and compare their thermophysical behavior for the desired application. In this work, the potentiality of 14 ionic liquids (ILs) and 7 deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for CO2 capture was examined using soft-SAFT as a modeling tool for the screening of these solvents based on key process indicators, namely, cyclic working capacity, enthalpy of desorption, and CO2 diffusion coefficient. Once the models were assessed versus experimental data, soft-SAFT was used as a predictive tool to calculate the thermophysical properties needed for evaluating their performance. Results demonstrate that under the same operating conditions, ILs have a far superior performance than DESs primarily in terms of amount of CO2 captured, being at least two-folds more than that captured using DESs. The screening tool revealed that among all the examined solvents and conditions, [C4 py][NTf2] is the most promising solvent for physical CO2 capture. The collection of the acquired results confirms the reliability of the soft-SAFT EoS as an attractive and valuable screening tool for CO2 capture and process modeling.publishersversionpublishe