Proximity effect, quasiparticle transport, and local magnetic moment in ferromagnet-d-wave superconductor junctions

The proximity effect, quasiparticle transport, and local magnetic moment in ferromagnet--d-wave superconductor junctions with {110}-oriented interface are studied by solving self-consistently the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations within an extended Hubbard model. It is found that the proximity induced order parameter oscillates in the ferromagnetic region. The modulation period is shortened with the increased exchange field while the oscillation amplitude is depressed by the interfacial scattering. With the determined superconducting energy gap, a transfer matrix method is proposed to compute the subgap conductance within a scattering approach. Many novel features including the zero-bias conductance dip and splitting are exhibited with appropriate values of the exchange field and interfacial scattering strength. The conductance spectrum can be influenced seriously by the spin-flip interfacial scattering. In addition, a sizable local magnetic moment near the {110}-oriented surface of the d-wave superconductor is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 16 ps-figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Physiological and cell ultrastructure disturbances in wheat seedlings generated by Chenopodium murale hairy root exudate.

Chenopodium murale L. is an invasive weed species significantly interfering with wheat crop. However, the complete nature of its allelopathic influence on crops is not yet fully understood. In the present study, the focus is made on establishing the relation between plant morphophysiological changes and oxidative stress, induced by allelopathic extract. Phytotoxic medium of C. murale hairy root clone R5 reduced the germination rate (24% less than control value) of wheat cv. Nataša seeds, as well as seedling growth, diminishing shoot and root length significantly, decreased total chlorophyll content, and induced abnormal root gravitropism. The R5 treatment caused cellular structural abnormalities, reflecting on the root and leaf cell shape and organization. These abnormalities mostly included the increased number of mitochondria and reorganization of the vacuolar compartment, changes in nucleus shape, and chloroplast organization and distribution. The most significant structural changes were observed in cell wall in the form of amoeboid protrusions and folds leading to its irregular shape. These structural alterations were accompanied by an oxidative stress in tissues of treated wheat seedlings, reflected as increased level of H2O2 and other ROS molecules, an increase of radical scavenging capacity and total phenolic content. Accordingly, the retardation of wheat seedling growth by C. murale allelochemicals may represent a consequence of complex activity involving both cell structure alteration and physiological processes.This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Protoplasma. The final authenticated version is available online at: [http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00709-018-1250-0

Applications of FTICR-MS in Oil Spill Studies

During the past decade, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) has been established as a technique of choice for the comprehensive chemical assessment of some of the most complex organic mixtures, such as petroleum, or dissolved organic matter. In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout, FTICR-MS demonstrated its applicability for the characterization of oil spill residues produced by abiotic weathering, such as photooxidation, and/or microbial processes and interactions, for example, marine oil snow aggregation. Such residues are abundant in high molecular weight, polar, and heteroatom-bearing chemical species, which cannot be analyzed by the typical oil spill forensics tools such as gas chromatography. Therefore, the expansion of the analytical window afforded by FTICR-MS is crucial for the monitoring and understanding of long-term oil spill fate. Furthermore, capability of FTICR-MS to characterize non-hydrocarbon petroleum fractions will be very important in the case of potential future spills of heavy, unconventional oils, such as bitumen

40 Years of Weathering of Coastal Oil Residues in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

The oil spill from the Ixtoc 1 well in 1979 in the southern Gulf of Mexico (sGoM) was in many aspects very similar to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout offshore Louisiana 30 years later (2010), most importantly because of the subsurface nature of the oil release, the amount of oil released, and the extensive environmental distribution of the spilled oil, including coastal impacts. Because of that, the Ixtoc 1 spill can serve as an excellent analog to study and model the long-term oil weathering processes in coastal environments. In 2016, a research expedition sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) visited many coastal sites in the sGoM, previously known to be impacted by the Ixtoc 1 spill, and collected oil residues. The residues were analyzed using targeted (GC-MS/MS) and non-targeted (FTICR-MS) approaches in order to assess their origin and the nature of weathering transformation products. The initial results suggest multi-decadal preservation potential of Ixtoc 1 spill residues in certain low-energy environments, such as coastal mangrove forests. These results provide valuable input for the modelling of long-term fate and impacts of the DWH spill

Long-Term Preservation of Oil Spill Events in Sediments: The Case for the \u3cem\u3eDeepwater Horizon\u3c/em\u3e Oil Spill in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Geochemical studies can provide a record of environmental changes and biogeochemical processes in sedimentary systems. Analytical methods are in need of high-throughput procedures targeting recalcitrant and multiple chemical species for delineating ecological patterns and ecosystem health. The goal of this chapter is to summarize the analytical methods, recalcitrant molecules and transformed organic material used in previous studies as chemical indicators of the impact and fate of Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil residues in sediments. Further monitoring of recalcitrant molecules and transformed material will help to elucidate the long-term fate of the DWH weathered oil in sedimentary environments of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM)

The Sedimentary Record of MOSSFA Events in the Gulf of Mexico: A Comparison of the \u3cem\u3eDeepwater Horizon\u3c/em\u3e (2010) and Ixtoc 1 (1979) Oil Spills

Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) refers to the process of formation, sinking, and seafloor deposition of oil-contaminated marine snow and oil-mineral aggregates. MOSSFA was well documented in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon(DWH 2010) and likely occurred in the southern GoM during Ixtoc 1 (1979–1980). This chapter introduces Part IV: Oil Spill Records in Deep Sea Sediments and addresses a series of questions regarding MOSSFA in the sedimentary record: What were the characteristics of MOSSFA sedimentary inputs? What was the extent of MOSSFA on the seafloor? What postdepositional processes took place as a result of MOSSFA? Can MOSSFA be preserved in the sedimentary record? MOSSFA sedimentary inputs were comprised of three main components (biogenic, lithogenic, and petrogenic), many of which were surface derived. MOSSFA resulted in a four- to ten fold increase in bulk sediment accumulation rates, a two- to three fold increase in oil-derived hydrocarbon concentrations, a two- to three-order of magnitude increase in Corexit 9500A dispersant concentration, and two- to three fold increases in surface-derived biotic material (e.g., planktic foraminifera, diatoms). Estimates of the total spatial extent of MOSSFA on the seafloor of the northern GoM range from 1030 to 35,425 km2, accounting for between 3.7% and 14.4% of the total petroleum released during DWH. Increased microbial respiration of organic carbon caused depleted surface sediment oxygen, intensifying reducing conditions up to 3 years following DWH. Multiple proxies provided evidence of multi-year preservation of both oil residue in the sediments associated with DWH, MOSSFA, and the sedimentary event in the geologic record. Despite confounding factors in the southern GoM including regional events (e.g., volcanoes, hurricanes) and complex hydrocarbon backgrounds (e.g., natural seeps, oil, and gas infrastructure), multiple sedimentary proxies have provided evidence of degraded Ixtoc 1 oil-residue input and the MOSSFA sedimentary event preserved in the geologic record greater than 35 years after Ixtoc 1. Federal and international policies can be benefitted by incorporating MOSSFA with regard to response strategies, weighing the ecological trade-off between oiled coastlines and offshore benthic environments

Economics of Digital Transformation

The papers published in this monograph present best papers presented at the first conference of the Faculty of Economics and Bussiness of University of Rijeka organized on the topic of “Economics of digital transformation” from 2nd to 4th of May, 2018 in Opatija, Croatia (www.edt- conference.com). During the three days of the conference more than 50 researchers from European region contributed with their presentations. We are particularly proud on the results of our doctoral workshop where nine young researchers presented their research while five papers were published in the monograph. In this way we are building our future research capacities and expose young researchers to rigorous scientific challenge

Economics of Digital Transformation

The papers published in this monograph present best papers presented at the first conference of the Faculty of Economics and Bussiness of University of Rijeka organized on the topic of “Economics of digital transformation” from 2nd to 4th of May, 2018 in Opatija, Croatia (www.edt- conference.com). During the three days of the conference more than 50 researchers from European region contributed with their presentations. We are particularly proud on the results of our doctoral workshop where nine young researchers presented their research while five papers were published in the monograph. In this way we are building our future research capacities and expose young researchers to rigorous scientific challenge

Ibuprofen and diclofenac: Effect on freshwater and marine aquatic organisms-Are they at risk?

Pharmaceuticals are included in the group of emergent pollutants due to their characteristics and potential negative effects. They remain mostly unregulated or are undergoing currently some sort of regularization process. Diclofenac, for instance, has been included in a watch list of substances for European Union-wide monitoring and the priority list of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Union. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a varied and chemically heterogeneous group of mainly anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic drugs, reducing symptoms of inflammation, pain, and fever, respectively. They are widely employed and have been detected in freshwater, seawater, and sediment. Nevertheless, they are found as mixture instead of single compounds. In this chapter, we have tried to summarize how to assess the risk due to the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems. We have focused on the mixture of diclofenac and ibuprofen using acute and sublethal toxicity data for different aquatic species. It has been presented new strategies as adverse outcome pathway to improve the understanding of the toxicity of these compounds. Although gaps of the information are pointed out, the risk levels associated with the occurrence of these compounds in aquatic ecosystems will range between no risk or high risk, depending on concentrations and environmental conditions.We would like to thank the projects CTM2016-75908-R and CTM2015-70731-R and the Junta de Andalucía PAIDI Excellence Research Group RNM306 for their support. MH is supported by the Spanish Ramón y Cajal funding scheme (contract reference RYC-2012-12217) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO)