Effect of the growth temperature and the AlN mole fraction on In incorporation and properties of quaternary III-nitride layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Indium incorporation into wurtzite (0001)-oriented InxAlyGa1−x−yN layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was studied as a function of the growth temperature (565–635 °C) and the AlN mole fraction (0.01<y<0.27). The layer stoichiometry was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). RBS shows that indium incorporation decreased continuously with increasing growth temperature due to thermally enhanced dissociation of In–N bonds and for increasing AlN mole fractions. High resolution x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements did not show evidence of phase separation. The mosaicity of the quaternary layers was found to be mainly determined by the growth temperature and independent on alloy composition within the range studied. However, depending on the AlN mole fraction, nanometer-sized composition fluctuations were detected by TEM. Photoluminescence spectra showed a single broad emission at room temperature, with energy and bandwidth S- and W-shaped temperature dependences typical of exciton localization by alloy inhomogeneities. Cathodoluminescence measurements demonstrated that the alloy inhomogeneities, responsible of exciton localization, occur on a lateral length scale below 150 nm, which is corroborated by TE

On-Surface Thermal Stability of a Graphenic Structure Incorporating a Tropone Moiety

On-surface synthesis, complementary to wet chemistry, has been demonstrated to be a valid approach for the synthesis of tailored graphenic nanostructures with atomic precision. Among the different existing strategies used to tune the optoelectronic and magnetic properties of these nanostructures, the introduction of non-hexagonal rings inducing out-of-plane distortions is a promising pathway that has been scarcely explored on surfaces. Here, we demonstrate that non-hexagonal rings, in the form of tropone (cycloheptatrienone) moieties, are thermally transformed into phenyl or cyclopentadienone moieties upon an unprecedented surface-mediated retro–Buchner-type reaction involving a decarbonylation or an intramolecular rearrangement of the CO unit, respectivel

Effects of the 2015 heat wave on benthic invertebrates in the Tabarca Marine Protected Area (southeast Spain)

In the late summer of 2015, extensive mortality of scleratinian corals, gorgonians, and sponges was observed in the Marine Protected Area of Tabarca (southeast Spain). Quantitative data indicated that at 25 m depth the sea fan Eunicella singularis was the most affected species (50% of colonies affected by partial mortality); while in shallow waters more than 40% of the endemic scleractinian coral Cladocora caespitosa population showed tissue lesions that affected more than 10% of their surfaces. Other affected species were the scleractinian corals Oculina patagonica and Phyllangia mouchezii, the sea fan Leptogorgia sarmentosa and the sponge Sarcotragus fasciculatus. This mortality event coincided with an abnormal rise in seawater temperature in this region. Microbiological analysis showed a higher abundance of culturable Vibrio species in invertebrates exhibiting tissue lesions, which indicated that these opportunistic pathogens could be a key factor in the process

Evaluation of uncertainty sources in the determination of testosterone in urine by calibration-based and isotope dilution quantification using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Three quantification methodologies, namely calibration with internal standard (Cal-IS, non-weighted), weighted calibration with internal standard (wCal-IS) and isotope pattern deconvolution (IPD) have been used for the determination of testosterone in urine by LC-MS/MS. Uncertainty has been calculated and compared for the three methodologies through intra- and inter-laboratory reproducibility assays. IPD showed the best performance for the intra-laboratory reproducibility, with RSD and combined uncertainty values below 4% and 9% respectively. wCal-IS showed similar performance, while Cal-IS where not constant and clearly worse at the lowest concentration assayed (2 ng/mL) reaching RSD values up to 16%. The inter-laboratory assay indicated similar results although wCal-IS RSD (20%) was higher than IPD (10%) and Cal-IS get worse with RSD higher than 40% for the lowest concentration level. Uncertainty budgets calculated for the three procedures revealed that intercept and slope were the most important factors contributing to uncertainty for Cal-IS. The main factors for wCal-IS and IPD were the volumes of sample and/or standard measured.The authors acknowledge financial support from the Generalitat Valenciana (Research group of excellence Prometeo II 2014/023 and Collaborative Research on Environment and Food Safety ISIC/2012/016), as well as University Jaume I for project PB1-1B2013-55. Finally, the authors are grateful to the Serveis Centrals d'Instrumentació Científica (SCIC) of University Jaume I for using Acquity and TQD instruments

Using radioastronomy techniques and cold plasmas to study transient and stable molecular species of astrophysical interest: a proof of concept.

45th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics. European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics. 2-6 July. Prague, Czech Republic(2018. --. https://eps2018.eli-beams.eu/en

Variation in Susceptibility to Downy Mildew Infection in Spanish Minority Vine Varieties

Downy mildew is one of the most destructive diseases affecting grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.). Caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola (Berk. and Curt.) Berl. and de Toni, it can appear anywhere where vines are cultivated. It is habitually controlled by the application of phytosanitary agents (copper-based or systemic) at different stages of the vine growth cycle. This, however, is costly, can lead to reduced yields, has a considerable environmental impact, and its overuse close to harvest can cause fermentation problems. All grapevines are susceptible to this disease, although the degree of susceptibility differs between varieties. Market demands and European legislation on viticulture and the use of phytosanitary agents (art. 14 of Directive 128/2009/EC) now make it important to know the sensitivity of all available varieties, including minority varieties. Such knowledge allows for a more appropriate use of phytosanitary agents, fosters the commercial use of these varieties and thus increases the offer of wines associated with different terroirs, and helps identify material for use in crop improvement programmes via crossing or genetic transformation, etc. Over 2020&ndash;2021, the susceptibility to P. viticola of 63 minority vine varieties from different regions of Spain was examined in the laboratory using the leaf disc technique. Some 87% of these varieties were highly susceptible and 11% moderately susceptible; just 2% showed low susceptibility. The least susceptible of all was the variety Morate (Madrid, IMIDRA). Those showing intermediate susceptibility included the varieties Sanguina (Castilla la Mancha, IVICAM), Planta Mula (Comunidad Valenciana, ITVE), Rayada Melonera (Madrid, IMIDRA), Zamarrica (Galicia, EVEGA), Cari&ntilde;ena Roja (Catalu&ntilde;a, INCAVI), Mandr&egrave;gue (Arag&oacute;n, DGA) and Bastardo Blanco (Extremadura, CICYTEX). The highly susceptible varieties could be differentiated into three subgroups depending on sporulation severity and density

Variation in Susceptibility to Downy Mildew Infection in Spanish Minority Vine Varieties

Downy mildew is one of the most destructive diseases affecting grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.). Caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola (Berk. and Curt.) Berl. and de Toni, it can appear anywhere where vines are cultivated. It is habitually controlled by the application of phytosanitary agents (copper-based or systemic) at different stages of the vine growth cycle. This, however, is costly, can lead to reduced yields, has a considerable environmental impact, and its overuse close to harvest can cause fermentation problems. All grapevines are susceptible to this disease, although the degree of susceptibility differs between varieties. Market demands and European legislation on viticulture and the use of phytosanitary agents (art. 14 of Directive 128/2009/EC) now make it important to know the sensitivity of all available varieties, including minority varieties. Such knowledge allows for a more appropriate use of phytosanitary agents, fosters the commercial use of these varieties and thus increases the offer of wines associated with different terroirs, and helps identify material for use in crop improvement programmes via crossing or genetic transformation, etc. Over 2020–2021, the susceptibility to P. viticola of 63 minority vine varieties from different regions of Spain was examined in the laboratory using the leaf disc technique. Some 87% of these varieties were highly susceptible and 11% moderately susceptible; just 2% showed low susceptibility. The least susceptible of all was the variety Morate (Madrid, IMIDRA). Those showing intermediate susceptibility included the varieties Sanguina (Castilla la Mancha, IVICAM), Planta Mula (Comunidad Valenciana, ITVE), Rayada Melonera (Madrid, IMIDRA), Zamarrica (Galicia, EVEGA), Cariñena Roja (Cataluña, INCAVI), Mandrègue (Aragón, DGA) and Bastardo Blanco (Extremadura, CICYTEX). The highly susceptible varieties could be differentiated into three subgroups depending on sporulation severity and density.This work, performed by the VIOR (Viticultura, Olivo y Rosa) group of the Misión Biológica de Galicia (CSIC), forms part of the project “Valorización de variedades minoritarias de vid por su potencial para la diversificación vitivinícola. Resiliencia a enfermedades fúngicas influenciadas por el cambio climático” (MINORVIN) (RTI 2018-101085-RC32), funded by MCIN/AEI/, 10.13039/501100011033 and the European Regional Development Fund.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Description of two cultivated and two uncultivated new Salinibacter species, one named following the rules of the bacteriological code: Salinibacter grassmerensis sp. nov.; and three named following the rules of the SeqCode: Salinibacter pepae sp. nov., Salinibacter abyssi sp. nov., and Salinibacter pampae sp. nov.

Current -omics methods allow the collection of a large amount of information that helps in describing the microbial diversity in nature. Here, and as a result of a culturomic approach that rendered the collection of thousands of isolates from 5 different hypersaline sites (in Spain, USA and New Zealand), we obtained 21 strains that represent two new Salinibacter species. For these species we propose the names Salinibacter pepae sp. nov. and Salinibacter grassmerensis sp. nov. (showing average nucleotide identity (ANI) values < 95.09% and 87.08% with Sal. ruber M31T, respectively). Metabolomics revealed species-specific discriminative profiles. Sal. ruber strains were distinguished by a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids and specific N-functionalized fatty acids; and Sal. altiplanensis was distinguished by an increased number of glycosylated molecules. Based on sequence characteristics and inferred phenotype of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), we describe two new members of the genus Salinibacter. These species dominated in different sites and always coexisted with Sal. ruber and Sal. pepae. Based on the MAGs from three Argentinian lakes in the Pampa region of Argentina and the MAG of the Romanian lake Fără Fund, we describe the species Salinibacter pampae sp. nov. and Salinibacter abyssi sp. nov. respectively (showing ANI values 90.94% and 91.48% with Sal. ruber M31T, respectively). Sal. grassmerensis sp. nov. name was formed according to the rules of the International Code for Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP), and Sal. pepae, Sal. pampae sp. nov. and Sal. abyssi sp. nov. are proposed following the rules of the newly published Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes Described from Sequence Data (SeqCode). This work constitutes an example on how classification under ICNP and SeqCode can coexist, and how the official naming a cultivated organism for which the deposit in public repositories is difficult finds an intermediate solution.This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities projects PGC2018-096956-B-C41, RTC-2017-6405-1 and PID2021-126114NB-C42, which were also supported by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). RRM acknowledges the financial support of the sabbatical stay at Georgia Tech and HelmholzZentrum München by the grants PRX18/00048 and PRX21/00043 respectively also from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. This research was carried out within the framework of the activities of the Spanish Government through the “Maria de Maeztu Centre of Excellence” accreditation to IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB) (CEX2021-001198). KTK’s research was supported, in part, by the U.S. National Science Foundation (Award No. 1831582 and No. 2129823). IMG. AC and HLB were financially supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS/CCCDI – UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-1559, within PNCDI III. HLB acknowledges Ocna Sibiului City Hall (Sibiu County, Romania) for granting the access to Fără Fund Lake and A. Baricz and D.F. Bogdan for technical support during sampling and sample preparation. MBS thanks Dominion Salt for their assistance in sample Lake Grassmere. MELL acknowledges the financial support of the Argentinian National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Grant CONICET-NSFC 2017 N° IF-2018-10102222-APN-GDCT-CONICET) and the National Geographic Society (Grant # NGS 357R-18). BPH was supported by NASA (award 80NSSC18M0027). TV acknowledges the “Margarita Salas” postdoctoral grant, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities, within the framework of Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU), with the participation of the University of Balearic Islands (UIB)