From Strong to Weak Coupling Regime in a Single GaN Microwire up to Room Temperature

Large bandgap semiconductor microwires constitute a very advantageous alternative to planar microcavities in the context of room temperature strong coupling regime between exciton and light. In this work we demonstrate that in a GaN microwire, the strong coupling regime is achieved up to room temperature with a large Rabi splitting of 125 meV never achieved before in a Nitride-based photonic nanostructure. The demonstration relies on a method which doesn't require any knowledge \'a priori on the photonic eigenmodes energy in the microwire, i.e. the details of the microwire cross-section shape. Moreover, using a heavily doped segment within the same microwire, we confirm experimentally that free excitons provide the oscillator strength for this strong coupling regime. The measured Rabi splitting to linewidth ratio of 15 matches state of the art planar Nitride-based microcavities, in spite of a much simpler design and a less demanding fabrication process. These results show that GaN microwires constitute a simpler and promising system to achieve electrically pumped lasing in the strong coupling regime.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Burning season effects on the short-term post-fire vegetation dynamics of a Mediterranean heathland

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Validation of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) for Colombian population

The standardization of the Body Shape Questionnaire test was performed on a typical Colombian population, consisting of a group of 1939 pre-teenager and teenager girls, aged between 9 and 19. The average age was 14, with a standard deviation of 1.83 years .The sample was randomly chosen from 7 schools (4 public and 3 private institutions), located in the city of Popayán (Cauca, Colombia). The study group was selected with the use of a stratified sampling method by blocks, choosing the 10% of the public and private institutions from the entire population and taking the total available sample. The findings of the study show that the test is divided into two factors that have high theoretical coherence. This could be expected from a construct which refers not only to corporal dissatisfaction in general, but that is associated with corporal weight gain. In consequence, the test would not be searching for a generalized dysmorphic characteristic but for one that is associated with concern about being overweight or obese. The first factor was called Corporal Dissatisfaction and the second, Concern about Weight. The standardization method used was construct validation through factorial analysis with Varimax rotation, resulting in a high differentiation between the two above mentioned factors. A KMO (Kayser Meyer Olkin) of 0.98 with a variance of 52.3% was yielded. The internal consistency was calculated by means of Cronbach alpha with intraclass correlation coefficient, yielding a measured value of 0.95 for the whole instrument, 0.95 for the first factor and 0.92 for the second factor. The scores were typified in percentiles, setting 85 as the cutting point, which is equivalent to a direct score of 59 for the Corporal Dissatisfaction factor, 54 for the Concern about Weight factor, and 112 for the general score.Se realizó la estandarización de la prueba Body Shape Questionnaire en población normal colombiana, al elegir un grupo de 1939 niñas, preadolescentes y adolescentes escolarizadas en siete colegios (cuatro públicos y tres privados), con edades comprendidas entre los 9 y 19 años, elegidas de forma aleatoria en la ciudad de Popayán (Departamento del Cauca, Colombia). El promedio de edad fue de 14 años con una desviación estándar de 1.83 años. La elección se hizo por un muestreo estratificado por bloques, mediante el cual se seleccionó el 10% de las instituciones públicas y privadas de la población, y se tomó la muestra disponible en su totalidad. En este estudio se encontró que la prueba se divide en dos factores con una alta coherencia teórica que se podría esperar de un constructo en donde no sólo se habla de insatisfacción corporal en general, sino asociado la ganancia de peso corporal. No se estaría explorando, entonces, una característica dismórfica generalizada, sino aquélla asociada a la preocupación que causa el tener sobrepeso u obesidad. El primer factor se llamó Insatisfacción Corporal y el segundo Preocupación por el Peso. El método de estandarización usado fue el de validación de constructo a través del análisis factorial con rotación Varimax, que permitió obtener, altamente diferenciados, los dos factores mencionados anteriormente; es decir, se obtuvo un KMO (Kayser Meyer Olkin) de 0,98 y con una varianza de 52,3%. La consistencia interna se calculó por medio de un alfa de Cronbach, con coeficiente de correlación intraclase, con el que se obtuvo una medida de 0,95 para el instrumento en general, 0,95 para el primer factor y 0,92 para el segundo factor. Las puntuaciones se tipificaron en percentiles, estableciendo como punto de corte el percentil 85 que equivale a una puntuación directa de 59 para el factor de Insatisfacción Corporal, de 54 para el factor de Preocupación por el Peso y de 112 para la puntuación general

Ultrasound-assisted multicomponent synthesis of 4H-pyrans in water and DNA binding studies

A simple approach to synthesize new highly substituted 4H-pyran derivatives is described. Efficient Et3N acts as a readily accessible catalyst of this process performed in pure water and with only a 20 mol% of catalyst loading. The extremely simple operational methodology, short reaction times, clean procedure and excellent product yields render this new approach extremely appealing for the synthesis of 4H-pyrans, as potentially biological scaffolds. Additionally, DNA interaction analysis reveals that 4H-pyran derivatives behave preferably as minor groove binders over major groove or intercalators. Therefore, this is one of the scarce examples where pyrans have resulted to be interesting DNA binders with high binding constants (Kb ranges from 1.53 × 104 M-1 to 2.05 × 106 M-1)

Storm Gloria: sea state evolution based on in situ measurements and modeled data and its impact on extreme values

Storm Gloria, generated on January 17th, 2020 in the Eastern North Atlantic, crossed the Iberian Peninsula and impacted the Western Mediterranean during the following days. The event produced relevant damages on the coast and the infrastructures at the Catalan-Balearic Sea, due to extraordinary wind and wave fields, concomitant with anomalously intense rain and ocean currents. Puertos del Estado (the Spanish holding of harbors) has developed and operates a complex monitoring and forecasting system (PORTUS System), in collaboration with the Spanish Met Office (AEMET). The present work shows how Gloria was correctly forecasted by this system, alerts were properly issued (with special focus to the ports), and the buoys were able to monitor the sea state conditions during the event, measuring several new records of significant wave height and exceptional high mean wave periods. The paper describes, in detail, the dynamic evolution of the atmospheric conditions, and the sea state during the storm. It is by means of the study of both in situ and modeled PORTUS data, in combination with the AEMET weather forecast system results. The analysis also serves to place this storm in a historical context, showing the exceptional nature of the event, and to identify the specific reasons why its impact was particularly severe. The work also demonstrates the relevance of the PORTUS System to warn, in advance, the main Spanish Ports. It prevents accidents that could result in fatal casualties. To do so, the wave forecast warning performance is analyzed, making special focus on the skill score for the different horizons. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how a storm of this nature results in the need of changes on the extreme wave analysis for the area. It impacts all sorts of design activities at the coastline. The paper studies both how this storm fits into existing extreme analysis and how these should be modified in the light of this particular single event. This work is the first of a series of papers to be published on this issue. They analyze, in detail, other aspects of the event, including evolution of sea level and description of coastal damages

The Role of Pediatricians in Providing Greater-Quality Care for Children: An Ongoing Debate

Child healthcare frequently is regarded as a secondary objective in the development of public health policies and not as a central issue. Cost-containment policies instead of quality of healthcare frequently have inspired strategic decisions in public health investments for pediatric structures and workforce. The negative implications of this decisional approach have been shown by the substantial unpreparedness of virtually all European health systems during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,5 particularly in the area of primary care. The debate on the negative effects of cost-containment policies in the area of primary care in not new. In recent years, the role of pediatricians within the several European healthcare systems was variously reformed by governments, with an eye more to the budget than to the quality of care and its structural components, including staffing adequacy, training, and consistency as well as facility environment and size.1 As a result, the number of general pediatricians in Europe has decreased during the past 20 years.Data from the World Health Organization show that the average number of general pediatricians per 100 000 population in Europe declined 30.1% from 26.5% in 1998 to 18.5% in 2013.A further reduction in the pediatric workforce was reported in 2018 by the European Paediatric Association, the Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations (EPA-UNEPSA). During the past 20 years, due to different factors, including socioeconomic and political reasons, several European countries decided to reform their public health systems and the responsibility of pediatric healthcare delivery was moved from pediatricians to general and family practitioners. The aim of this commentary by the Spanish Primary Care Pediatrics Association (AEPap), in collaboration with the European Confederation of Primary Care Pediatricians and EPA-UNEPSA, is to discuss data supporting the essential role played in Europe by well-trained pediatricians vs other providers in delivering quality healthcare for children

Correction: Porous monoliths synthesized via polymerization of styrene and divinyl benzene in nonaqueous deep-eutectic solvent-based HIPEs (RSC Advances (2015) 5 (23255-23260) DOI: 10.1039/C5RA02374B)

© 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry. The authors regret that there was an error in the results and discussion section of the original article. On page 23257, the text read, The surfactant employed here was sorbitan monooleate . This should have read, The surfactant employed here was sorbitan stearate . The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers

Will there be cold-related mortality in Spain over the 2021–2050 and 2051–2100 time horizons despite the increase in temperatures as a consequence of climate change?

Global warming is resulting in an increase in temperatures which is set to become more marked by the end of the century and depends on the accelerating pace of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Yet even in this scenario, so-called “cold waves” will continue to be generated and have an impact on health. Objectives: This study sought to analyse the impact of cold waves on daily mortality at a provincial level in Spain over the 2021–2050 and 2051–2100 time horizons under RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5 emission scenarios, on the basis of two hypotheses: (1) that the cold-wave definition temperature (T threshold) would not vary over time; and, (2) that there would be a variation in T threshold

MoS2-Carbon Nanodots as a New Electrochemiluminescence Platform for Breast Cancer Biomarker Detection

In this work, we present the combination of two different types of nanomaterials, 2D molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (MoS2-NS) and zero-dimensional carbon nanodots (CDs), for the development of a new electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform for the early detection and quantification of the biomarker human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), whose overexpression is associated with breast cancer. MoS2-NS are used as an immobilization platform for the thiolated aptamer, which can recognize the HER2 epitope peptide with high affinity, and CDs act as coreactants of the anodic oxidation of the luminophore [Ru(bpy)3]2+. The HER2 biomarker is detected by changes in the ECL signal of the [Ru(bpy)3]2+/CD system, with a low detection limit of 1.84 fg/mL and a wide linear range. The proposed method has been successfully applied to detect the HER2 biomarker in human serum samplesThis work has been financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PID2020-116728RB-I00, PID2020-116661RB-I00, CTQ2015-71955-REDT (ELECTROBIONET)), Community of Madrid (TRANSNANOAVANSENS, S2018/NMT-4349, and FotoArt (P2018/NMT4367), project S2018/NMT-4291 TEC2SPACE), MINECO (project CSIC13-4E-1794) and EU (FEDER, FSE). IMDEA Nanociencia receives support from the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, Grant CEX2020-001039-S)