140 research outputs found
Design strategies for shape-controlled magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
Ferrimagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (magnetite or maghemite) have been the subject of an intense research, not only for fundamental research but also for their potentiality in a widespread number of practical applications. Most of these studies were focused on nanoparticles with spherical morphology but recently there is an emerging interest on anisometric nanoparticles. This review is focused on the synthesis routes for the production of uniform anisometric magnetite/maghemite nanoparticles with different morphologies like cubes, rods, disks, flowers and many others, such as hollow spheres, worms, stars or tetrapods. We critically analyzed those procedures, detected the key parameters governing the production of these nanoparticles with particular emphasis in the role of the ligands in the final nanoparticle morphology. The main structural and magnetic features as well as the nanotoxicity as a function of the nanoparticle morphology are also described. Finally, the impact of each morphology on the different biomedical applications (hyperthermia, magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery) are analysed in detail. We would like to dedicate this work to Professor Carlos J. Serna, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, ICMM/CSIC, for his outstanding contribution in the field of monodispersed colloids and iron oxide nanoparticles. We would like to express our gratitude for all these years of support and inspiration on the occasion of his retirement
Hydric behaviour and gas exchange in different grapevine varieties (Vitis vinifera L.) from the Maule Valley (Chile)
In the near future, stomatal behaviour will be crucial to counteract conditions arising from climate change. Grapevine varieties are classified as either isohydric or anisohydric, depending on the sensitivity of stomatato water deficit and on their water potential homeostasis. However, the great variability observed in different studies indicates that a continuum exists in the range of stomatal sensitivity to water stress. Thus, more knowledge about the hydric behaviour and the gas exchange of isohydric and anisohydric grapevine varieties under different water conditions could lead to the development of irrigation strategies oriented at improving water-use efficiency, yield and berry composition. In this study, research was conducted in order to characterise the stomatal regulation of four different Vitis vinifera L. varieties, namely Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay and Merlot, according to soil water status. Measurements of leaf gas exchange, together with measurements of stem water potential (Ψs) and leaf water potential (Ψl), were taken during two seasons. Under conditions of water stress, Chardonnay and Merlot reached a minimum Ψs of -1.67 and -1.68 MPa respectively, and higher levels of water-use efficiency (AN/gs), of 62.3 and 69.7 μmol CO2/mol H2O respectively. In Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir, the minimum Ψs was -1.26 and -1.40 MParespectively, with lower levels of AN/gs (53.1 and 50.5 μmol CO2/mol H2O, respectively). Under conditions of water stress (Ψl < -0.9 MPa and Ψs < -0.6 MPa), all varieties had a significantly increased AN/gs1, despitea significant reduction in gas exchange. Therefore, the hydric behaviour and gas exchange observed in this study suggest that Chardonnay and Merlot could be characterised as anisohydric varieties, as they present less sensitive stomatal control, while Pinot noir can be classified as a near-anisohydric variety and Sauvignon blanc as an isohydric variety. New investigations should consider other characteristics of the varieties to classify them better
Anisotropy studies around the galactic centre at EeV energies with the Auger Observatory
Data from the Pierre Auger Observatory are analyzed to search for
anisotropies near the direction of the Galactic Centre at EeV energies. The
exposure of the surface array in this part of the sky is already significantly
larger than that of the fore-runner experiments. Our results do not support
previous findings of localized excesses in the AGASA and SUGAR data. We set an
upper bound on a point-like flux of cosmic rays arriving from the Galactic
Centre which excludes several scenarios predicting sources of EeV neutrons from
Sagittarius . Also the events detected simultaneously by the surface and
fluorescence detectors (the `hybrid' data set), which have better pointing
accuracy but are less numerous than those of the surface array alone, do not
show any significant localized excess from this direction.Comment: Matches published versio
Atmospheric effects on extensive air showers observed with the Surface Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
Atmospheric parameters, such as pressure (P), temperature (T) and density,
affect the development of extensive air showers initiated by energetic cosmic
rays. We have studied the impact of atmospheric variations on extensive air
showers by means of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The
rate of events shows a ~10% seasonal modulation and ~2% diurnal one. We find
that the observed behaviour is explained by a model including the effects
associated with the variations of pressure and density. The former affects the
longitudinal development of air showers while the latter influences the Moliere
radius and hence the lateral distribution of the shower particles. The model is
validated with full simulations of extensive air showers using atmospheric
profiles measured at the site of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physic
The Fluorescence Detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector for ultra-high energy
cosmic rays. It combines a surface array to measure secondary particles at
ground level together with a fluorescence detector to measure the development
of air showers in the atmosphere above the array. The fluorescence detector
comprises 24 large telescopes specialized for measuring the nitrogen
fluorescence caused by charged particles of cosmic ray air showers. In this
paper we describe the components of the fluorescence detector including its
optical system, the design of the camera, the electronics, and the systems for
relative and absolute calibration. We also discuss the operation and the
monitoring of the detector. Finally, we evaluate the detector performance and
precision of shower reconstructions.Comment: 53 pages. Submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics
Research Section
Climatic and soil factors explain the two-dimensional spectrum of global plant trait variation
Plant functional traits can predict community assembly and ecosystem functioning and are thus widely used in global models of vegetation dynamics and land–climate feedbacks. Still, we lack a global understanding of how land and climate affect plant traits. A previous global analysis of six traits observed two main axes of variation: (1) size variation at the organ and plant level and (2) leaf economics balancing leaf persistence against plant growth potential. The orthogonality of these two axes suggests they are differently influenced by environmental drivers. We find that these axes persist in a global dataset of 17 traits across more than 20,000 species. We find a dominant joint effect of climate and soil on trait variation. Additional independent climate effects are also observed across most traits, whereas independent soil effects are almost exclusively observed for economics traits. Variation in size traits correlates well with a latitudinal gradient related to water or energy limitation. In contrast, variation in economics traits is better explained by interactions of climate with soil fertility. These findings have the potential to improve our understanding of biodiversity patterns and our predictions of climate change impacts on biogeochemical cycles
The first Hubble diagram and cosmological constraints using superluminous supernovae
This paper has gone through internal review by the DES collaboration.
It has Fermilab preprint number 19-115-AE and DES
publication number 13387. We acknowledge support from EU/FP7-
ERC grant 615929. RCN would like to acknowledge support from
STFC grant ST/N000688/1 and the Faculty of Technology at the
University of Portsmouth. LG was funded by the European Union’s
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-
Curie grant agreement no. 839090. This work has been partially
supported by the Spanish grant PGC2018-095317-B-C21 within
the European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER). Funding
for the DES Projects has been provided by the U.S. Department
of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Ministry
of Science and Education of Spain, the Science and Technology
Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the Higher Education
Funding Council for England, the National Center for Supercomputing
Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
the Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of
Chicago, the Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics at
the Ohio State University, the Mitchell Institute for Fundamental
Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, Financiadora
de Estudos e Projetos, Fundac¸ ˜ao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo
`a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Conselho Nacional de
Desenvolvimento Cient´ıfico e Tecnol´ogico and the Minist´erio da
Ciˆencia, Tecnologia e Inovac¸ ˜ao, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft,
and the Collaborating Institutions in the Dark Energy Survey.
The Collaborating Institutions are Argonne National Laboratory, the
University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Cambridge,
Centro de Investigaciones Energ´eticas, Medioambientales y Tecnol
´ogicas-Madrid, the University of Chicago, University College
London, the DES-Brazil Consortium, the University of Edinburgh,
the Eidgen¨ossische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Z¨urich, Fermi
NationalAccelerator Laboratory, theUniversity of Illinois atUrbana-
Champaign, the Institut de Ci`encies de l’Espai (IEEC/CSIC), the
Institut de F´ısica d’Altes Energies, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, the Ludwig-Maximilians Universit¨at M¨unchen and the
associated Excellence Cluster Universe, the University of Michigan,
the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the University of
Nottingham, The Ohio State University, the University of Pennsylvania,
the University of Portsmouth, SLAC National Accelerator
Laboratory, Stanford University, the University of Sussex, Texas
A&M University, and the OzDES Membership Consortium. Based
in part on observations at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory,
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.
The DES data management system is supported by the
National Science Foundation under grant numbers AST-1138766
and AST-1536171. The DES participants from Spanish institutions
are partially supported by MINECO under grants AYA2015-
71825, ESP2015-66861, FPA2015-68048, SEV-2016-0588, SEV-
2016-0597, and MDM-2015-0509, some of which include ERDF
funds from the European Union. IFAE is partially funded by the
CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Research leading
to these results has received funding from the European Research
Council under the European Union Seventh Framework Programme
(FP7/2007-2013) including ERC grant agreements 240672, 291329,
and 306478.We acknowledge support from the Australian Research
Council Centre of Excellence for All-skyAstrophysics (CAASTRO),
through project number CE110001020, and the Brazilian Instituto
Nacional de Ciˆencia e Tecnologia (INCT) e-Universe (CNPq grant
465376/2014-2).
This paper has been authored by Fermi Research Alliance, LLC
under Contract No.DE-AC02-07CH11359 with theU.S.Department
of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics. The
United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting
the paper for publication, acknowledges that the United States
Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide
license to publish or reproduce the published form of this paper,
or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.We present the first Hubble diagram of superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) out to a redshift of two, together with constraints
on the matter density, M, and the dark energy equation-of-state parameter, w(≡p/ρ). We build a sample of 20 cosmologically
useful SLSNe I based on light curve and spectroscopy quality cuts. We confirm the robustness of the peak–decline SLSN I
standardization relation with a larger data set and improved fitting techniques than previous works. We then solve the SLSN
model based on the above standardization via minimization of the χ2 computed from a covariance matrix that includes statistical
and systematic uncertainties. For a spatially flat cold dark matter ( CDM) cosmological model, we find M = 0.38+0.24
−0.19,
with an rms of 0.27 mag for the residuals of the distance moduli. For a w0waCDM cosmological model, the addition of SLSNe I
to a ‘baseline’ measurement consisting of Planck temperature together with Type Ia supernovae, results in a small improvement
in the constraints of w0 and wa of 4 per cent.We present simulations of future surveys with 868 and 492 SLSNe I (depending on
the configuration used) and show that such a sample can deliver cosmological constraints in a flat CDM model with the same
precision (considering only statistical uncertainties) as current surveys that use Type Ia supernovae, while providing a factor of
2–3 improvement in the precision of the constraints on the time variation of dark energy, w0 and wa. This paper represents the
proof of concept for superluminous supernova cosmology, and demonstrates they can provide an independent test of cosmology
in the high-redshift (z > 1) universe.EU/FP7-ERC grant 615929STFC grant ST/N000688/1Faculty of Technology at the
University of PortsmouthEuropean Union’s
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-
Curie grant agreement no. 839090Spanish grant PGC2018-095317-B-C21 within
the European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER)U.S. Department
of EnergyU.S. National Science FoundationMinistry
of Science and Education of SpainScience and Technology
Facilities Council of the United KingdomHigher Education
Funding Council for EnglandNational Center for Supercomputing
Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of
ChicagoCenter for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics at
the Ohio State UniversityMitchell Institute for Fundamental
Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, Financiadora
de Estudos e Projetos, Fundacão Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo
`a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Conselho Nacional de
Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico and the Ministério da
Ciencia, Tecnologia e InovacãoDeutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftCollaborating Institutions in the Dark Energy Survey.National Science Foundation under grant numbers AST-1138766
and AST-1536171.T MINECO under grants AYA2015-
71825, ESP2015-66861, FPA2015-68048, SEV-2016-0588, SEV-
2016-0597, and MDM-2015-0509, some of which include ERDF
funds from the European Union.CERCA program of the Generalitat de Catalunya.European Research
Council under the European Union Seventh Framework Programme
(FP7/2007-2013) including ERC grant agreements 240672, 291329,
and 306478.Australian Research
Council Centre of Excellence for All-skyAstrophysics (CAASTRO),
through project number CE110001020Brazilian Instituto
Nacional de Ciˆencia e Tecnologia (INCT) e-Universe (CNPq grant
465376/2014-2)Fermi Research Alliance, LLC
under Contract No.DE-AC02-07CH11359 with theU.S.Department
of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physic
Evolution of the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Spain between March and November 2020: SEMI-COVID national registry
Objectives: Since the results of the RECOVERY trial, WHO recommendations about the use of corticosteroids (CTs) in COVID-19 have changed. The aim of the study is to analyse the evolutive use of CTs in Spain during the pandemic to assess the potential influence of new recommendations. Material and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, and observational study was conducted on adults hospitalised due to COVID-19 in Spain who were included in the SEMI-COVID- 19 Registry from March to November 2020. Results: CTs were used in 6053 (36.21%) of the included patients. The patients were older (mean (SD)) (69.6 (14.6) vs. 66.0 (16.8) years; p < 0.001), with hypertension (57.0% vs. 47.7%; p < 0.001), obesity (26.4% vs. 19.3%; p < 0.0001), and multimorbidity prevalence (20.6% vs. 16.1%; p < 0.001). These patients had higher values (mean (95% CI)) of C-reactive protein (CRP) (86 (32.7-160) vs. 49.3 (16-109) mg/dL; p < 0.001), ferritin (791 (393-1534) vs. 470 (236- 996) µg/dL; p < 0.001), D dimer (750 (430-1400) vs. 617 (345-1180) µg/dL; p < 0.001), and lower Sp02/Fi02 (266 (91.1) vs. 301 (101); p < 0.001). Since June 2020, there was an increment in the use of CTs (March vs. September; p < 0.001). Overall, 20% did not receive steroids, and 40% received less than 200 mg accumulated prednisone equivalent dose (APED). Severe patients are treated with higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%. Conclusions: Patients with greater comorbidity, severity, and inflammatory markers were those treated with CTs. In severe patients, there is a trend towards the use of higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%
Fungal Planet description sheets: 1383–1435
Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Agaricus albofoetidus, Agaricus aureoelephanti and Agaricus parviumbrus on soil, Fusarium ramsdenii from stem cankers of Araucaria cunninghamii, Keissleriella sporoboli from stem of Sporobolus natalensis, Leptosphaerulina queenslandica and Pestalotiopsis chiaroscuro from leaves of Sporobolus natalensis, Serendipita petricolae as endophyte from roots of Eriochilus petricola, Stagonospora tauntonensis from stem of Sporobolus natalensis, Teratosphaeria carnegiei from leaves of Eucalyptus grandis × E. camaldulensis and Wongia ficherai from roots of Eragrostis curvula. Canada, Lulworthia fundyensis from intertidal wood and Newbrunswickomyces abietophilus (incl. Newbrunswickomyces gen. nov.)on buds of Abies balsamea. Czech Republic, Geosmithia funiculosa from a bark beetle gallery on Ulmus minor and Neoherpotrichiella juglandicola (incl. Neoherpotrichiella gen. nov.)from wood of Juglans regia. France, Aspergillus rouenensis and Neoacrodontium gallica (incl. Neoacrodontium gen. nov.)from bore dust of Xestobium rufovillosum feeding on Quercus wood, Endoradiciella communis (incl. Endoradiciella gen. nov.)endophyticin roots of Microthlaspi perfoliatum and Entoloma simulans on soil. India, Amanita konajensis on soil and Keithomyces indicus from soil. Israel, Microascus rothbergiorum from Stylophora pistillata. Italy, Calonarius ligusticus on soil. Netherlands , Appendopyricularia juncicola (incl. Appendopyricularia gen. nov.), Eriospora juncicola and Tetraploa juncicola on dead culms of Juncus effusus, Gonatophragmium physciae on Physcia caesia and Paracosmospora physciae (incl. Paracosmospora gen. nov.)on Physcia tenella, Myrmecridium phragmitigenum on dead culm of Phragmites australis, Neochalara lolae on stems of Pteridium aquilinum, Niesslia nieuwwulvenica on dead culm of undetermined Poaceae, Nothodevriesia narthecii (incl. Nothodevriesia gen. nov.) on dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum and Parastenospora pini (incl. Parastenospora gen. nov.)on dead twigs of Pinus sylvestris. Norway, Verticillium bjoernoeyanum from sand grains attached to a piece of driftwood on a sandy beach. Portugal, Collybiopsis cimrmanii on the base of living Quercus ilex and amongst dead leaves of Laurus and herbs. South Africa , Paraproliferophorum hyphaenes (incl. Paraproliferophorum gen. nov.) on living leaves of Hyphaene sp. and Saccothecium widdringtoniae on twigs of Widdringtonia wallichii. Spain, Cortinarius dryosalor on soil, Cyphellophora endoradicis endophytic in roots of Microthlaspi perfoliatum, Geoglossum laurisilvae on soil, Leptographium gemmatum from fluvial sediments, Physalacria auricularioides from a dead twig of Castanea sativa , Terfezia bertae and Tuber davidlopezii in soil. Sweden, Alpova larskersii, Inocybe alpestris and Inocybe boreogodeyi on soil. Thailand, Russula banwatchanensis, Russula purpureoviridis and Russula lilacina on soil. Ukraine, Nectriella adonidis on over wintered stems of Adonis vernalis. USA, Microcyclus jacquiniae from living leaves of Jacquinia keyensis and Penicillium neoherquei from a minute mushroom sporocarp. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes
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