Trace-metaldynamics in response of increase CO₂ and iron availability in a coastal mesocosm experiment

A mesocosm experiment was performed in the Raunefjord (Norway) to study changes in dissolved Cu (dCu) and Fe (dFe), and in the elemental composition of particles during an Emiliania huxleyi dominated bloom. The CO2 treatments consisted of present (LC; 390 ppmV) and predicted levels (HC; 900 ppmV) and iron conditions were created with the addition of the siderophore desferoxamine B (DFB). Our results showed the DFB addition enhanced the solubility of Fe in this fjord environment. Initially, dFe was comparable among treatments but after the addition, the HC and/or +DFB treatments presented higher levels and finally, the only ones maintaining high dFe were the +DFB treatments. Unlike dCu presented indistinguishable levels in all mesocosms over time. Particulate metals were normalised to P and Al to evaluate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic sources. The Fe:P ratios decreased with time and compared to published phytoplankton ratios suggest Fe storage. On the other hand, Fe:Al ratios were relatively closer to the crustal ratios suggesting that the abiotic source was more important for this metal. Trends for other metals will be discussed.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Efficient metallic spintronic emitters of ultrabroadband terahertz radiation

Terahertz electromagnetic radiation is extremely useful for numerous applications such as imaging and spectroscopy. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have an efficient table-top emitter covering the 1-to-30-THz window whilst being driven by a low-cost, low-power femtosecond laser oscillator. So far, all solid-state emitters solely exploit physics related to the electron charge and deliver emission spectra with substantial gaps. Here, we take advantage of the electron spin to realize a conceptually new terahertz source which relies on tailored fundamental spintronic and photonic phenomena in magnetic metal multilayers: ultrafast photo-induced spin currents, the inverse spin-Hall effect and a broadband Fabry-P\'erot resonance. Guided by an analytical model, such spintronic route offers unique possibilities for systematic optimization. We find that a 5.8-nm-thick W/CoFeB/Pt trilayer generates ultrashort pulses fully covering the 1-to-30-THz range. Our novel source outperforms laser-oscillator-driven emitters such as ZnTe(110) crystals in terms of bandwidth, terahertz-field amplitude, flexibility, scalability and cost.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure

Surface Morphology and Electrical Resistivity in Polycrystalline Au/Cu/Si(100) System

This work describes the analysis of morphology and electrical resistivity (ρ) obtained in the Au/Cu/Si system. The Au/Cu bilayers were deposited by thermal evaporation technique with thicknesses from 50 to 250 nm on SiOx/Si(100) substrates. The Au : Cu concentration ratio of the samples was of 25 : 75 at%. The bilayers were annealed into a vacuum oven with argon atmosphere at 660 K for one hour. The crystalline structures of AuCu and CuSi alloys were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to study the morphology, final thickness, and the atomic concentration of the alloys formed, respectively. The four-point probe technique was used to measure the electrical resistivity (ρ) in the prepared alloys as a function of thickness. The ρ value was measured and it was numerically compared with the Fuchs–Sondheimer (FS) and the Mayadas–Shatzkes (MS) models of resistivity. Results show values of electrical resistivity between 0.9 and 1.9 μΩ-cm. These values are four times smaller than the values of the AuCu systems reported in literature

Using 67Cu to Study the Biogeochemical Cycling of Copper in the Northeast Subarctic Pacific Ocean

Microbial copper (Cu) nutrition and dissolved Cu speciation were surveyed along Line P, a coastal to open ocean transect that extends from the coast of British Columbia, Canada, to the high-nutrient-low-chlorophyll (HNLC) zone of the northeast subarctic Pacific Ocean. Steady-state size fractionated Cu uptake rates and Cu:C assimilation ratios were determined at in situ Cu concentrations and speciation using a 67Cu tracer method. The cellular Cu:C ratios that we measured (~30 µmol Cu mol C-1) are similar to recent estimates using synchrotron x-ray fluorescence (SXRF), suggesting that the 67Cu method can determine in situ metabolic Cu demands. We examined how environmental changes along the Line P transect influenced Cu metabolism in the sub-microplankton community. Cellular Cu:C assimilation ratios and uptake rates were compared with net primary productivity, bacterial abundance and productivity, total dissolved Cu, Cu speciation, and a suite of other chemical and biological parameters. Total dissolved Cu concentrations ([Cu]d) were within a narrow range (1.46 to 2.79 nM), and Cu was bound to a ~5-fold excess of strong ligands with conditional stability constants ( ) of ~1014. Free Cu2+ concentrations were low (pCu 14.4 to 15.1), and total and size fractionated net primary productivity (NPPV; µg C L-1 d-1) were negatively correlated with inorganic Cu concentrations ([Cu′]). We suggest this is due to greater Cu′ drawdown by faster growing phytoplankton populations. Using the relationship between [Cu′] drawdown and NPPV, we calculated a regional photosynthetic Cu:C drawdown export ratio between 1.5 and 15 µmol Cu mol C-1, and a mixed layer residence time (2.5 to 8 years) that is similar to other independent estimates (2-12 years). Total particulate Cu uptake rates were between 22 and 125 times faster than estimates of Cu export; this is possibly mediated by rapid cellular Cu uptake and efflux by phytoplankton and bacteria or the effects of grazers and bacterial remineralization on dissolved Cu. These results provide a more detailed understanding of the interactions between Cu speciation and microorganisms in seawater, and present evidence that marine phytoplankton modify Cu speciation in the open ocean

Calpain restrains the stem cells compartment in breast cancer

CAPNS1 is essential for the stability and function of ubiquitous CAPN1 and CAPN2. Calpain modulates by proteolytic cleavage many cellular substrates and its activity is often deregulated in cancer cells, therefore calpain inhibition has been proposed as a therapeutical strategy for a number of malignancies. Here we show that CAPNS1 depletion is coupled to impairment of MCF7 and MCF10AT cell lines growth on plate and defective architecture of mammary acini derived from MCF10A cells. In soft agar CAPNS1 depletion leads to cell growth increase in MCF7, and decrease in MCF10AT cells. In both MCF7 and MCF10AT, CAPNS1 depletion leads to the enlargement of the stem cell compartment, as demonstrated by mammosphere formation assays and evaluation of stem cell markers by means of FACS and western blot analysis. Accordingly, activation of calpain by thapsigargin treatment leads to a decrease in the stem cell reservoir. The expansion of the cancer stem cell population in CAPNS1 depleted cells is coupled to a defective shift from symmetric to asymmetric division during mammosphere growth coupled to a decrease in NUMB protein level

Comparative Modelling of the Spectra of Cool Giants

Our ability to extract information from the spectra of stars depends on reliable models of stellar atmospheres and appropriate techniques for spectral synthesis. Various model codes and strategies for the analysis of stellar spectra are available today. We aim to compare the results of deriving stellar parameters using different atmosphere models and different analysis strategies. The focus is set on high-resolution spectroscopy of cool giant stars. Spectra representing four cool giant stars were made available to various groups and individuals working in the area of spectral synthesis, asking them to derive stellar parameters from the data provided. The results were discussed at a workshop in Vienna in 2010. Most of the major codes currently used in the astronomical community for analyses of stellar spectra were included in this experiment. We present the results from the different groups, as well as an additional experiment comparing the synthetic spectra produced by various codes for a given set of stellar parameters. Similarities and differences of the results are discussed. Several valid approaches to analyze a given spectrum of a star result in quite a wide range of solutions. The main causes for the differences in parameters derived by different groups seem to lie in the physical input data and in the details of the analysis method. This clearly shows how far from a definitive abundance analysis we still are.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A. This version includes also the online tables. Reference spectra will later be available via the CD

From laboratory manipulations to Earth system models: scaling calcification impacts of ocean acidification

The observed variation in the calcification responses of coccolithophores to changes in carbonate chemistry paints a highly incoherent picture, particularly for the most commonly cultured "species", <i>Emiliania huxleyi</i>. The disparity between magnitude and potentially even sign of the calcification change under simulated end-of-century ocean surface chemical changes (higher <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub>, lower pH and carbonate saturation), raises challenges to quantifying future carbon cycle impacts and feedbacks because it introduces significant uncertainty in parameterizations used for global models. Here we compile the results of coccolithophore carbonate chemistry manipulation experiments and review how ocean carbon cycle models have attempted to bridge the gap from experiments to global impacts. Although we can rule out methodological differences in how carbonate chemistry is altered as introducing an experimental bias, the absence of a consistent calcification response implies that model parameterizations based on small and differing subsets of experimental observations will lead to varying estimates for the global carbon cycle impacts of ocean acidification. We highlight two pertinent observations that might help: (1) the degree of coccolith calcification varies substantially, both between species and within species across different genotypes, and (2) the calcification response across mesocosm and shipboard incubations has so-far been found to be relatively consistent. By analogy to descriptions of plankton growth rate vs. temperature, such as the "Eppley curve", which seek to encapsulate the net community response via progressive assemblage change rather than the response of any single species, we posit that progressive future ocean acidification may drive a transition in dominance from more to less heavily calcified coccolithophores. Assemblage shift may be more important to integrated community calcification response than species-specific response, highlighting the importance of whole community manipulation experiments to models in the absence of a complete physiological understanding of the underlying calcification process. However, on a century time-scale, regardless of the parameterization adopted, the atmospheric <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> impact of ocean acidification is minor compared to other global carbon cycle feedbacks

Impact of Cell Phone Texting on the Amount of Time Spent Exercising at Different Intensities

Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title