Nanostructures with Group IV nanocrystals obtained by LPCVD and thermal annealing of SiGeO layers

Nanocrystals embedded in an oxide matrix have been fabricated by annealing SiGeO films deposited by LPCVD. The composition of the oxide layers and its evolution after annealing as well as the presence and nature of nanocrystals in the films have been studied by several experimental techniques. The results are analyzed and discussed in terms of the main deposition parameters and the annealing temperature

Microbial Community Composition during a Bloom of Purple Bacteria in Intertidal Sediments in Vigo (Northwest Spain)

In summer 2019, a large, bright pink microbial mat was visible on top of macroalgal deposits in muddy sediments of an urban beach (Playa do Adro, Vigo). In order to characterize the dominant organisms in these colored mats, results from microscopic observations, photosynthetic pigments, and molecular analysis were gathered. Light microscopy examination revealed pinkish microbial aggregates with minor contributions of larger protists and cyanobacteria. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment analysis documented the dominance of bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids whose spectra were compatible with those described in photosynthetic purple bacteria. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing confirmed that the vast majority of reads belonged to Proteobacteria (73.5%), and among them, nearly 88% of those reads belonged to purple sulfur bacteria (Gammaproteobacteria). A single family, Chromatiaceae, constituted the bulk of this assemblage, including the genera Thiohalocapsa (32%), Marichromatium (12.5%), Phaeochromatium (5%), and Halocromatium (2%) as main contributors. Nonetheless, a considerable number of sequences could not be assigned to a particular genus, stressing the large biological diversity in these microbial mats and the potential presence of novel taxa of purple sulfur bacteria.En prens

Economic crises and tourism competitiveness: A Markov swtiching regression approach

Authors discuss the effects that economic crises generate on the global market shares of tourism destinations, through a series of potential transmission mechanisms based on the main economic competitiveness determinants identified in the previous literature using a non-linear approach. Specifically a Markov Switching Regression approach is used to estimate the effect of two basic transmission mechanisms: reductions of internal and external tourism demands and falling investment

Analytical circuit model for stacked slit gratings

This work presents a rigorous circuit model to compute the transmission/reflection properties of a finite number of stacked slit gratings printed on dielectric slabs of arbitrary thickness. A key aspect of the present approach is that the circuit model itself leads us to find fully analytical expressions for the finite stacked-grating structure. An analytical model to obtain the Brillouin diagram for the fully periodic structure (infinite number of identical unit cells) is also provided.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC20iO-16948, CSD2008-00066Junta de Andalucía P12-TIC-143

Innovative Tourism Clusters: Myth or Reality? Empirical Evidence from Benidorm

Paper submitted to TCVT3 Bozen/Bolzano, 10-12 April 2014, International workshop on Tourists as Consumers, Visitors, TravellersThis paper analyses the applicability of the cluster concept to tourist destinations, taking Benidorm as the reference for study: a destination on the Mediterranean coast of Spain which has attained a high degree of competitive success with the sun and sand product in which it has specialized. The main result obtained is that Benidorm's success is not derived from or favoured by the existence of a cluster in the destination, since important elements are present that prevent affirmation of its existence. This paper is the preliminary result of a research project that has been carried out within the framework of the project "Methodology, criteria and impementation of the cluster theory in consolidated tourism areas: innovation, competitiveness and territorial synergies" under the Spanish National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011 supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation.This research has been carried out within the framework of the project “Methodology, criteria and implementation of the cluster theory in consolidated tourism areas: innovation, competitiveness and territorial synergies” under the Spanish National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011 supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation

Robust dynamical invariants in sequential neural activity

By studying different sources of temporal variability in central pattern generator (CPG) circuits, we unveil fundamental aspects of the instantaneous balance between flexibility and robustness in sequential dynamics -a property that characterizes many systems that display neural rhythms. Our analysis of the triphasic rhythm of the pyloric CPG (Carcinus maenas) shows strong robustness of transient dynamics in keeping not only the activation sequences but also specific cycle-by-cycle temporal relationships in the form of strong linear correlations between pivotal time intervals, i.e. dynamical invariants. The level of variability and coordination was characterized using intrinsic time references and intervals in long recordings of both regular and irregular rhythms. Out of the many possible combinations of time intervals studied, only two cycle-by-cycle dynamical invariants were identified, existing even outside steady states. While executing a neural sequence, dynamical invariants reflect constraints to optimize functionality by shaping the actual intervals in which activity emerges to build the sequence. Our results indicate that such boundaries to the adaptability arise from the interaction between the rich dynamics of neurons and connections. We suggest that invariant temporal sequence relationships could be present in other networks, including those shaping sequences of functional brain rhythms, and underlie rhythm programming and functionalityThis work has been supported by Spanish grants MINECO DPI2015-65833-P, TIN2017-84452-R, PGC2018-095895-B-I00 (http:// www.mineco.gob.es/), and ONRG grant N62909-14-1-N279