Point defects on graphene on metals

Understanding the coupling of graphene with its local environment is critical to be able to integrate it in tomorrow's electronic devices. Here we show how the presence of a metallic substrate affects the properties of an atomically tailored graphene layer. We have deliberately introduced single carbon vacancies on a graphene monolayer grown on a Pt(111) surface and investigated its impact in the electronic, structural and magnetic properties of the graphene layer. Our low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy studies, complemented by density functional theory, show the existence of a broad electronic resonance above the Fermi energy associated with the vacancies. Vacancy sites become reactive leading to an increase of the coupling between the graphene layer and the metal substrate at these points; this gives rise to a rapid decay of the localized state and the quenching of the magnetic moment associated with carbon vacancies in free-standing graphene layers

Working Environment in Nursing: Needs Improvement?

Background: Knowing the quality of life of professionals is important because it is related to job performance, better results, and greater productivity, which results in better patient care. Objective: To know the Professional Quality of Life perceived by the nurses at the Geriatric Hospital of Toledo (Spain). Method: A descriptive cross-section study was employed to measure the Professional Quality of Life of all healthcare nurses (69 in total) at the Geriatric Hospital of Toledo. The questionnaire used as a measuring instrument was the Professional Quality of Life - 35. The data obtained was analyzed by means of: descriptive statistics, single-factor ANOVA variance analysis, T Student tests, and simple and multiple regression analysis. The study was approved by both the research commission and the ethics commission at the Hospital Complex of Toledo. Participation in the study on behalf of the nursing staff was voluntary. Results: In total, 45 responses were obtained (65.2%). The overall mean score measured the perceived Professional Quality of Life to be low. In relation to the three dimensions evaluated in the study, the highest average found was in “intrinsic motivation,” followed by “workload”, and then “management support.” In the multivariate analysis, “management support” was shown as the most influential factor in the Professional Quality of Life with a 23% influence (P<0.001), followed by workload with 9% (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The professionals at the participating center perceive their workplace as having an elevated degree of responsibility, a large quantity of work, a high occurrence of rushes and fatigue, and all this with little support on behalf of management. Promotions are scarce or the policies for receiving a promotion are inadequate. The perception of Professional Quality of Life in nursing is low. The obtained results indicate a need for an organizing cultural change based on participation, motivation, and increased management support

Granito de O Corqueizo, arido triturado para hormigones

[Resumen] Hoy el hormigón es un material imprescindible en la construcción de viviendas y obras públicas. Los áridos representan aproximadamente el 80% de su masa. Habrán de ser resistentes, estables y duraderos. No reaccionar con el agua intersticia saturada en iones calcio y fuertemente concentrada en iones potasio y sodio disuelto durante la hidratación del cemento y que permanece ocluida en los poros del hormigón. Resistir a la acción agresiva de los agentes externos (eventuales aguas con sulfatos y cloruros, heladas, oxidación y carbonatación). Por razones de economía conviene extraerlos en la proximidad del lugar en que se apliquen. D. Isidro Parga, ya en su "Mapa Petrográfico Estructural de Galicia", año 1.963, en las cercanías de Lugo -ocupando aproximadamente el 20% de las cuadrículas 73 y 98 (unos 200 Km2.)- describe una gran formación de roca granítica que clasifica como granitos de biotita. Siguiendo metodos establecidos por las normas españolas y ASTM, hemos estudiado los áridos obtenidos al triturar a escala industrial en la cantera de O Carqueixo, el granito de biotita de esta procedencia y determinamos sus principales propiedades. Describimos las operaciones de extracción y reducción de tamaño. Resumimos las realizaciones práctiyas en 17 años de aplicación. En la proximidad de Lucus Augusti, se dispone de material de calidad para realizar obras duraderas.[Résumé] Actuellement le béton est un matériel indispensable pour la construction de longements et pour les traveaux publiques. Les agrégats représententenviron le 80% de sa masse. lIs devront etre resistants,stIDles et durables; me pas réagir avec l'eau interstitielle saturée d'ions de calcium et fortement concentrée d'ions de potassium et solium disouts pendat l'hidratation du ciment et qui reste occluse dans les pores du béton. lIs devront etre résistants a l'action ~sive des agents extérieurs (éventuellement de l'eau contenant des sulfates et des chlorures, des gelées, l'oxydation et la carbonatation). Pour des raisons ~'économie, il convient de les extraire a proximité de l'endroit ou l'on veut les employer. En 1963, M. Isidro Parga décrivait déja dans sa "Carte Pétrographique Structurale de la Galice", une grande formations de roches granitiques, qu'il clasifie comme des granites a biotite, située a proximité de Lugo et cruvrant a peu prés le 20% des quadrillages 73 et 98 (quelques 200 Km2.). Employant des méthodes établies dans les normes espaynoles et ASTM, nous avons étudié les agrégats obtenus en triturant a échelle industrielle, dans les carieres du Carqueixo, le granite de biotite, dontnous venons de parler, et nous déterminons leurs prmciplles propriétés. Nous décrivons le processus d'extraction et de réduction de taille. Nous résumons les realisations pratiques de 17 ans d'application. Pas loin de Lucus Augusti on dispose du matériel de qualité nécessaire a la réalisation d'ouvrages durables

Calizas de Triacastela, materia prima para la fabricación de cemento

[Resumen] Los niveles de producción y consumo actual de cemento; las exportaciones, en las que España en los últimos años ha adquirido el primer puesto, exigen un tamaño mínimo necesario de las factorias para lograr un nivel de costo razonable. El calcio ha sido el principal componente del cemento y, por consideraciones científicas, podernos estar seguros que mañana también lo será. En Galicia aparece en pocos lugares, en cantidades muy limitadas y en ocasiones con carbonato magnésico. Don Isidro Parga ha tenido el mérito de aportar una solución; la cantera de Triacastela. En este trabajo se describe su importante volumen (más de 100 millones de toneladas), su idónea composición química, las posibilidades de lograr unos costos de extracción muy favorables y los resultados experimentales logrados en los dos primeros años de explotación[Résumé] Le niveau de production et de consomation actuel de ciment, de même que les exportations, ou l'Espagne a atteint la premiere place ces dernieres années, exigent un volume minimun nécessaire des usines a ciment pour parvenir a un niveau de frais raisonnable. Le calcium a été le compossant principal du ciment et, par des considerations scientifiques, nous pouvons affirmer qu'il continuera a l'otre. En Galice il n'apparalt que rarement et dans des can tités tres limitées, meme parfois contenant du carbonate de magnesium. Mr. Isidro Parga a eu le mérite d'apporter une solution; la carriere de Triacastela. Dans cet étude on y voit décrit sa grande Quantité (plus de 100 Millions de Tm.), son adéquate composition chimique, la possibilité de réussir des frais d'extraction tres favorables et les resultats expérimentaux atteints durant les deux premieres années d'exploitatio

Charge control in laterally coupled double quantum dots

We investigate the electronic and optical properties of InAs double quantum dots grown on GaAs (001) and laterally aligned along the [110] crystal direction. The emission spectrum has been investigated as a function of a lateral electric field applied along the quantum dot pair mutual axis. The number of confined electrons can be controlled with the external bias leading to sharp energy shifts which we use to identify the emission from neutral and charged exciton complexes. Quantum tunnelling of these electrons is proposed to explain the reversed ordering of the trion emission lines as compared to that of excitons in our system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures submitted to PRB Rapid Com

Loop level constraints on Seesaw neutrino mixing

Journal of High Energy Physics 2015.10 (2015): 130 reproduced by permission of Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA)We perform a detailed study of the importance of loop corrections when deriving bounds on heavy-active neutrino mixing in the context of general Seesaw mechanisms with extra heavy right-handed neutrinos. We find that, for low-scale Seesaws with an approximate B − L symmetry characterized by electroweak scale Majorana masses and large Yukawas, loop corrections could indeed become relevant in a small part of the parameter space. Previous results in the literature showed that a partial cancellation between these important loop corrections and the tree level contributions could relax some constraints and lead to qualitatively different results upon their inclusion. However, we find that this cancellation can only take place in presence of large violations of the B −L symmetry, that lead to acceptably large contributions to the light neutrino masses at loop level. Thus, when we restrict our analysis of the key observables to an approximate B − L symmetry so as to recover the correct values for neutrino masses, we always find loop corrections to be negligible in the regions of the parameter space preferred by dataWe are happy to acknowledge very illuminating discussions with Mattias Blennow, Belen Gavela, Stefano Rigolin and Alfredo Urbano. We also acknowledge financial support by the European Union through the ITN INVISIBLES (PITN-GA-2011-289442). EFM and JHG also acknowledge support from the EU through the FP7 Marie Curie Actions CIG NeuProbes (PCIG11-GA-2012-321582) and the Spanish MINECO through the “Ramon y Cajal” programme (RYC2011-07710), the project FPA2009-09017 and through the Centro de excelencia Severo Ochoa Program under grant SEV-2012-0249. This work was finalized during the stay of EFM at the Aspen Center for Physics, which is supported by the National Science Foundation grant PHY-1066293. This stay was also supported by a grant from the Simons Foundation. ML thanks the IFT UAM/CSIC for the kind hospitality during the early stages of this work. JLP also acknowledges support from the INFN program on Theoretical Astroparticle Physics (TASP) and the grant 2012CPPYP7 (Theoretical Astroparticle Physics) under the program PRIN 2012 funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR

Genetic characterization of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars from Castilla La Mancha (Spain) using microsatellite markers

A total of 73 accessions of Vitis vinifera L., corresponding to local grape cultivars from Castilla La Mancha (Spain) mostly collected in the districts around the Serranía de Cuenca, were analyzed with 12 microsatellite markers in order to ascertain identity and to detect synonymy and homonymy. The allelic pattern of the 73 accessions belonged to 39 different cultivars: 23 coincided with those of known grape cultivars and 16 were different such as 'Flamenca', 'Churriago', 'Pintailla', and 'Gallera Negra'. Homonymous designations were also detected like 'Coloraillo', 'Moravia Dulce' and 'Botón de Gallo' and synonymous names such as 'Garnacha' and 'Tinto Basto', 'Machina', 'Tortosi' and 'Rojal' as well as 'Moravio' and 'Bobal'.

Physiology\u27s influence on the thermal comfort of the occupants: A study in Ensenada, Baja California

INTRODUCTION: Thermal environment\u27s adverse conditions can significantly affect the performance, comfort and well-being of people, so this study aims to estimate the thermal comfort range from the cold period in Ensenada city, Baja California: February month, from different levels of metabolic activity: passive, moderate and intense. PURPOSE: This study seeks to identify the relationship between the people thermal perception, their metabolic activity and the physical or psychological sensations involved in the process of adaptation indoors. Thermal sensations are caused by several factors: 1) Physical stimuli of the thermal environment, 2) Activity metabolic, as well as the intensity with which it is performed, 3) Clothing, 4) Experience and 5) Human expectation. METHODS: Data collection was based on the application of questionnaires, which considered physiological, perceptual and environmental characteristics measurements. The study case is located in Ensenada city (temperate-dry bioclimate); with a target population that is within the range of 15-19 years old and 20-24 years old. It was decided to apply the assessments to university students of the Autonomous University of Baja California, who represent 60 % of the statewide student community. RESULTS: Estimated thermal comfort during the cold period resulted from 16.9 °C to 23.9 °C for occupants that exercising passive activity (0.8 met to 1.2 met), from 16.6 °C to 23.9 °C for moderate activity (1.2 met to 1.6 met); and 17.1 °C to 23.2 °C for those who exercised intense activity (2.0 met to 2.4 met). CONCLUSION: According to the aforementioned, it is possible to inform that occupants metabolic activity and, thereby the production of generated internal heat, exerts an influence in the thermal sensation that they perceive from immediate environment

Dynamic wavelet correlation analysis for multivariate climate time series

The wavelet local multiple correlation (WLMC) is introduced for the first time in the study of climate dynamics inferred from multivariate climate time series. To exemplify the use of WLMC with real climate data, we analyse Last Millennium (LM) relationships among several large‑scale reconstructed climate variables characterizing North Atlantic: i.e. sea surface temperatures (SST) from the tropical cyclone main developmental region (MDR), the El Niño‑Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and tropical cyclone counts (TC). We examine the former three large‑scale variables because they are known to influence North Atlantic tropical cyclone activity and because their underlying drivers are still under investigation. WLMC results obtained for these multivariate climate time series suggest that: (1) MDRSST and AMO show the highest correlation with each other and with respect to the TC record over the last millennium, and: (2) MDRSST is the dominant climate variable that explains TC temporal variability. WLMC results confirm that this method is able to capture the most fundamental information contained in multivariate climate time series and is suitable to investigate correlation among climate time series in a multivariate contextJ.M.P.M was funded by the PIC 444/18 – EU Interreg project MOSES (EAPA 224/2016), FEDER funds and the SEPE (Spanish Public Service of Employment). J.F.M. acknowledges research funding received from UPV/EHU Econometrics Research Group (Basque Government Dpt. of Education grant IT-1359-19) and Spanish Ministry of Economy and Business (grant MTM2016-74931-P)