Currents and pseudomagnetic fields in strained graphene rings

We study the effects of strain on the electronic properties and persistent current characteristics of a graphene ring using the Dirac representation. For a slightly deformed graphene ring flake, one obtains sizable pseudomagnetic (gauge) fields that may effectively reduce or enhance locally the applied magnetic flux through the ring. Flux-induced persistent currents in a flat ring have full rotational symmetry throughout the structure; in contrast, we show that currents in the presence of a circularly symmetric deformation are strongly inhomogeneous, due to the underlying symmetries of graphene. This result illustrates the inherent competition between the `real' magnetic field and the `pseudo' field arising from strains, and suggest an alternative way to probe the strength and symmetries of pseudomagnetic fields on graphene systems

Bioprocess optimization for the production of aromatic compounds with metabolically engineered hosts: recent developments and future challenges

The most common route to produce aromatic chemicals organic compounds containing at least one benzene ring in their structure is chemical synthesis. These processes, usually starting from an extracted fossil oil molecule such as benzene, toluene, or xylene, are highly environmentally unfriendly due to the use of non-renewable raw materials, high energy consumption and the usual production of toxic by-products. An alternative way to produce aromatic compounds is extraction from plants. These extractions typically have a low yield and a high purification cost. This motivates the search for alternative platforms to produce aromatic compounds through low-cost and environmentally friendly processes. Microorganisms are able to synthesize aromatic amino acids through the shikimate pathway. The construction of microbial cell factories able to produce the desired molecule from renewable feedstock becomes a promising alternative. This review article focuses on the recent advances in microbial production of aromatic products, with a special emphasis on metabolic engineering strategies, as well as bioprocess optimization. The recent combination of these two techniques has resulted in the development of several alternative processes to produce phenylpropanoids, aromatic alcohols, phenolic aldehydes, and others. Chemical species that were unavailable for human consumption due to the high cost and/or high environmental impact of their production, have now become accessible.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Calagem e gessagem para o tomateiro e o meloeiro irrigados no Semi-Árido nordestino.

Instalou-se um experimento no Submédio São Francisco com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito da calagem e gessagem na produtividade e qualidade do tomate e melão. O delineamento foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições e sete tratamentos: 1) testemunha; 2) 0,5 vezes a necessidade de calagem (N.C.) na forma de calcário (0,5 x N.C. -Ca); 3) 1 x N.C. - Ca; 4) 2 x N.C. -Ca; 5) 0,5 x N.C., na forma de 2/3 de calcário e 1/3 de gesso (0,5 x N.C. - CaGe); 6) 1 x N.C -CaGe ; 7) 2 x N.C. -CaGe. Não se verificou efeitos significativos sobre a produtividade do tomate e a qualidade do melão. Com aplicação de 2 t/ha de calcário (1 x N.C -Ca) obteve-se uma produtividade de melão de 22,52 t/ha, significativamente superior à da testemunha, 16,77 t/ha, e reduziu-se a podridão apical do tomate em 80,4% em relação à da testemunha.Suplemento 2

Causality and quantum interference in time-delayed laser-induced nonsequential double ionization

We perform a detailed analysis of the importance of causality within the strong-field approximation and the steepest-descent framework for the recollision-excitation with subsequent tunneling ionization (RESI) pathway in laser-induced nonsequential double ionization (NSDI). In this time-delayed pathway, an electron returns to its parent ion and, by recolliding with the core, gives part of its kinetic energy to excite a second electron at a time t′. The second electron then reaches the continuum at a later time t by tunneling ionization. We show that, if t′ and t are complex, the condition that recollision of the first electron occurs before tunnel ionization of the second electron translates into boundary conditions for the steepest-descent contours and thus puts constraints on the saddles to be taken when computing the RESI transition amplitudes. We also show that this generalized causality condition has a dramatic effect on the shapes of the RESI electron momentum distributions for few-cycle laser pulses. Physically, causality determines how the dominant sets of orbits of an electron returning to its parent ion can be combined with the dominant orbits of a second electron tunneling from an excited state. All features encountered are analyzed in terms of such orbits and their quantum interference