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19 pags., 16 figs., 8 tabs., We present the design, prototype developments and test results of the new time-of-flight detector (ToFD) which is part of the R3B experimental setup at GSI and FAIR, Darmstadt, Germany. The ToFD detector is able to detect heavy-ion residues of all charges at relativistic energies with a relative energy precision σΔE/ ΔE of up to 1% and a time precision of up to 14 ps (sigma). Together with an elaborate particle-tracking system, the full identification of relativistic ions from hydrogen up to uranium in mass and nuclear charge is possible., This work received support from BMBF (05P19RFFN1, 05P15RDFN1, 05P19RDFN1) and HIC for FAIR. J.P. has been supported by the Institute for Basic Science (IBS-R031-D1). E.C. has been supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation in Spain (PGC2018-099746-B-C22). J.L.R.S. thanks the support from the Regional Government of Galicia under the program of postdoctoral fellowships ED481B-2017-002 and ED481D-2021-018. O.T. has been supported by AEI/FEDER, UE project No. PID2019-104390GB-I00. G.B., A.H., H.T.J., B.J. and T.N. have been supported by the Swedish Research Council under contract 2017-03839. This work was supported by the Royal Society and UK STFC awards ST/L005727/1, ST/P003885/1. more...

Network functions virtualization (NFV) is an important approach in the telecommunications industry. One of the main features of NFV is the execution of network functions in software rather than using specific hardware. These functions can run on virtualization platforms, which can increase service elasticity and reduce infrastructure costs. However, virtualization imposes performance penalties, which can severely impact NFV services. In this work, we analyze this performance impact when the virtualized network function is an HTTP proxy. We then compare two virtualization solutions, i.e., KVM and Docker, under different configurations. Our results show that Docker containers yield performance close to that of native Linux for HTTP proxies since Docker does not employ a hypervisor. We show that KVM incurs a severe performance penalty, which a paravirtualization approach can reduce. We also evaluate how much load balancing in Docker can improve the performance of virtual proxies. We show that, for our scenario, two parallel proxies significantly improve performance. However, we observe a negative impact when increasing the number of proxies since they interfere with each other. more...

We report the layer by layer approach to produce self-assembled films containing tiliroside molecules together with natural cashew gum (Anacardium occidentale L.) and polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH). The growth of the films was monitored by absorption measurements with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The thickness and morphology were determined by atomic force microscopy, where the optimal conditions to produce uniform tiliroside films were determined. Cyclic voltammetry demonstrated that the PAH/tiliroside bilayer displayed the best oxidation process with the highest anodic peak current density. Considering the successful formation of nanostructured films with tiliroside and their significant morphological and electrochemical properties, this study opens up possibilities for the use of this biological material in electrochemical sensor applications. more...

Doped and un-doped 0.5% Er3+ ferroelectric ceramics (1-x)[Pb(1-y)Lay(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]-xPbTiO3 (PLMN-PT) were prepared via solid-state reaction using the columbite method and densified by means of conventional sintering (CS), uniaxial hot pressing (HP), and spark plasma sintering (SPS). We review and discuss the influences of the densification process on the microstructural, structural, and dielectric properties of the ceramics. Samples with no porosity or grain size changes caused by the densification process were observed. A density of the ceramics close to the theoretical value (more than 99%) was reached with HP. The heat treatment process in ceramics through SPS eliminates the dark color and improves transparency. Furthermore, the influence of the densification process on the microstructural and structural properties of the ceramics was reviewed and discussed, finding that the electrical properties are favored by HP. more...

A putative new virus with sequence similarity to members of the genus Cavemovirus in the family Caulimoviridae was identified in wild chicory (Cichorium intybus) by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The putative new virus was tentatively named “chicory mosaic cavemovirus” (ChiMV), and its genome was determined to be 7,775 nucleotides (nt) long with the typical genome organization of cavemoviruses. ORF1 encodes a putative coat protein/movement polyprotein (1,278 aa), ORF2 encodes a putative replicase (650 aa), and ORF3 encodes a putative transactivator factor (384 aa). The first two putative proteins have 46.2% and 68.7% amino acid sequence identity to the CP/MP protein (YP_004347414) and replicase (YP_004347415), respectively, of sweet potato collusive virus (SPCV). ORF3 encodes a protein with 38.5% amino acid sequence identity to the putative transactivator factor (NP_056849) of cassava vein mosaic virus (CsVMV). The new putative viral genome and those of three cavemoviruses (epiphyllum virus 4 [EpV-4], SPCV, and CsVMV) differ by 24-27% in the nt sequence of the replicase gene, which exceeds the species demarcation cutoff (>20%) for the family. more...

Atmospheric water vapour residence time (WVRT) is an essential indicator of how atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics mediate hydrological cycle responses to climate change. WVRT is also important in estimating moisture sources and sinks, linking evaporation and precipitation across spatial scales. In this Review, we outline how WVRT is shaped by the interaction between evaporation and precipitation, and, thus, reflects anthropogenic changes in the hydrological cycle. Estimates of WVRT differ owing to contrasting definitions, but these differences can be reconciled by framing WVRT as a probability density function with a mean of 8-10 days and a median of 4-5 days. WVRT varies spatially and temporally in response to regional, seasonal and synoptic-scale differences in evaporation, precipitation, long-range moisture transport and atmospheric mixing. Theory predicts, and observations confirm, that in most (but not all) regions, anthropogenic warming is increasing atmospheric humidity faster than it is speeding up rates of evaporation and precipitation. Warming is, thus, projected to increase global WVRT by 3-6% K-1, lengthening the distance travelled between evaporation sources and precipitation sinks. Future efforts should focus on data integration, joint measurement initiatives and intercomparisons, and dynamic simulations to provide a formal resolution of WVRT from both Lagrangian and Eulerian perspectives. Universidad de Costa Rica/[805-B9-519]/UCR/Costa Rica Gobierno de España/[RTI2018-095772-B-I00]/LAGRIMA/España Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/[]//España European Regional Development Fund/[]/ERDF/España Xunta de Galicia/[ED481B 2018/069]//España Xunta de Galicia/[ED413C 2017/64]//España Fulbright Program/[]//Estados Unidos Centro Universitario de la Defensa/[]/CUD/España Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research/[016.Veni.181.015]/NWO/Países Bajos National Science Foundation/[1454089]/NSF/Estados Unidos Research Council of Norway/[262710]/RCN/Noruega European Research Council/[773245]/ERC/Bélgica UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigaciones Geofísicas (CIGEFI) UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Física more...

The relation between the nonlinear dielectric permittivity $$\varepsilon '(E)$$ and the macroscopic polarization P(E) is obtained for ferroelectrics considering a weak alternating electric field $$E_1\cos (\omega t)$$ superimposed to a dc bias field $$E_0$$ . Two different empirical models are reviewed. The first model uses the hyperbolic tangent function to represent the hysteretic behavior of the macroscopic polarization. In the second model is assumed that the dielectric permittivity is proportional to the reciprocal of a quadratic function of the local field, i.e., $$\varepsilon ' \propto {\{\alpha +\beta {\left[ E+\kappa P(E)\right] }^2 \}}^{-1}$$ . A combination of both models is used to fit the experimental curve $$\varepsilon '(E)$$ and to reproduce P(E). The parameters obtained from the fitting with this model can be used to get a better understanding of the correlation between the macroscopic response and the domain structure. more...

In this manuscript the multifunctional multiferroic 0.6BiFeO3-0.4PbTiO3 (BFPT) thin films are presented as an interesting alternative for multifunctional photovoltaic applications. The compound is chemically and structurally stable at high temperatures and consequently reliable to work under difficult operating conditions, such as sunlight radiation. Nanostructured single-phased BFPT thin films were processed and their electric, dielectric, structural, and optics properties were characterized in this work. The films were used as active layers in a heterostructured photovoltaic arrangement, which proves their photovoltaic behavior. Interesting physical properties, as intrinsic photovoltage production (~ 1 mV/cm2) with excitation power (300 W) were associated to the high dielectric constant (> 220 at 1 kHz and room temperature), the existence of long-range electrical conductivity processes, and the presence of two band gap energies (at 3.95 eV and 2.51 eV) in the BFPT compound that enhance the light absorption with consequent photovoltaic generation in the visible light region. more...

Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) infects many plant species, being the only potyvirus able to infect brassicas. TuMV isolates have been classified into 12 pathotypes according to symptoms induced in lines of Brassica napus, and molecularly clustered into six lineages (basal-B, basal-BR, Asian-BR, world-B, Iranian and OMs). Despite being considered one of the most important viruses infecting brassicas worldwide, there is little information on this virus in the Neotropical region. Aiming to fill in this gap and advance knowledge on occurrence, genetic variability, and biological aspects of TuMV in Brazil, 40 isolates were identified and characterised. Five of these isolates were selected to determine their host range, sequence their genomes, and for phylogenetic, recombination and diversity analyses. Mechanical inoculations performed on plant species from 10 families showed differences in symptom expression among isolates. Inoculations of 13 TuMV isolates in B. napus lines revealed occurrence only of the pathotype 1. According to phylogenetic analyses of the coat protein, TuMV Brazilian isolates clustered into the groups: world-B (subgroups world-B2 and world-B3) and basal-BR. In the latter, there was a formation of a subclade named Brazilian subgroup composed by 31 Brazilian TuMV isolates. Intralineage and interlineage recombination events of world-B, basal-B and basal-BR suggest that Brazilian TuMV isolates had a European origin. Our diversity analysis suggest that a strong negative selection is acting on polyprotein coding region. We confirmed that Brazilian TuMV isolates showed high variability, which together with their ability to infect wild brassicas and to circumvent resistance genes highlight their genetic and epidemiological potential in causing damages in cultivated species of brassicas and other crops in Brazil. more...

The passion fruit woodiness disease, caused by the cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), is the most important disease and represents a limiting factor for culture. Cultivars with resistance levels are being developed from backcrosses associated with a recurrent selection program. Studies showing how segregating populations respond to infection over time and describing resistance are necessary and make it possible to characterize the genotypes and select the most promising ones. Therefore, the present study aimed to describe the pathogenesis; evaluate resistance in the Passiflora sp. × CABMV pathosystem; and select the most resistant individuals for generation advance in the recurrent selection program in passion fruit. Five generations of crossbreeding were used, namely, interspecific hybrid, backcrosses BC1.1 and BC1.2 and parents P. edulis and P. setacea. The plants were inoculated in a greenhouse and evaluated for resistance to CABMV. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was calculated and variance components and genetic values were estimated for the populations under study. High genetic variability was observed between the individuals, ranging from asymptomatic plants to plants exhibiting the most severe symptoms of the disease. Four phenotypic groups were formed, allowing greater differentiation between the generations and their parents. The presence of CABMV was confirmed in plants of the BC1.1 generation and of P. edulis, with characteristic symptoms of the virus. In asymptomatic plants, 75% of the individuals were considered resistant by PTA-ELISA and RT-PCR. The majority of individuals selected for resistance to CABMV belonged to the BC1.2 generation, which might thus be included in the recurrent selection program. more...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders, affecting approximately 5-20% of women of reproductive age. PCOS is a multifactorial, complex, and heterogeneous disease, characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovaries, which may lead to impaired fertility. Besides the reproductive outcomes, multiple comorbidities, such as metabolic disturbances, insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are associated with PCOS. In addition to the clear genetic basis, epigenetic alterations may also play a central role in PCOS outcomes, as environmental and hormonal alterations directly affect clinical manifestations and PCOS development. Here, we highlighted the epigenetic modifications in the multiplicity of clinical manifestations, as well as environmental epigenetic disruptors, as intrauterine hormonal and metabolic alterations affecting embryo development and the adulthood lifestyle, which may contribute to PCOS development. Additionally, we also discussed the new approaches for future studies and potential epigenetic biomarkers for the treatment of associated comorbidities and improvement in quality of life of women with PCOS. more...

This work aimed to study the effect of modified cassava starches, and PVA grade on the properties of biodegradables sheets produce with starch/PVA blends by an extrusion-calendering process; using native starch, distarch phosphate, acetylated distarch phosphate, acetylated distarch adipate or oxidized starch; PVA with 88% and 98% hydrolysis degrees (HD), and glycerol as a plasticizer. The sheets had tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and elongation that ranged from 1.0 to 6.8 MPa; 3.2 to 16.2 MPa and 130 to 443%, respectively. Sheets produced with higher HD PVA had better mechanical properties, independent of starch type. Materials produced with all starch types presented similar response for the same PVA, except those with oxidized starch, that had the poorer mechanical properties. All the sheets were visually homogeneous and had good processability. Sheets produced with higher HD PVA (98%) had better mechanical properties and higher crystallinity than those produced with lower HD PVA (88%) because the higher the HD, the higher the number of hydroxyl groups, which leads to a better interaction with the starch. The biodegradable sheets can be produced on an industrial scale because they have adequate mechanical properties and use well-known industrial techniques. more...

The importance and applications of sensor networks have grown significantly in recent years. These networks are implemented in an ad-hoc manner, where messages pass through multiple intermediate nodes until they reach a central node (sink node). Depending on the type of application, the message loss rate can compromise its performance and even make its use unfeasible. The objective of this work is to obtain the probability of loss in the transmission of a message in a network of multiple hops through a simulator developed in the scope of this work as a tool of low computational cost and easy access, considering connectivity and displacement at high speed of the nodes. For the validation of the simulator, simple cases were used where the probability of loss obtained was compared with mathematical results deduced here. The results presented allow dimensioning the characteristics of coverage and number of nodes in a sensor network. more...

Narrowing the bandgap energy of perovskite ferroelectrics is a potential task for improving PV applications. This study examined the effect of Ni2+/Na+ co-substitution on the structural, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties of Ba1-x(Nix/2,Nax)TiO3 (BTNaNi-x) ceramics, where (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.08), prepared by solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction along with structure refinement verifies the existence of perovskite structure with a tetragonal phase in all samples. The morphological study reveals a non-uniform grain size distribution with a decrease in grain size with an increase in co-substitution concentration. XPS study gives direct evidence of oxygen vacancies in the investigated sample. The oxygen vacancies and octahedral distortion accompanying the Ni2+/Na+ co-substitution significantly reduce the optical bandgap of BaTiO3 ceramics from 3.14 to 2.688 eV. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant is measured in the range of 30–250 °C at the frequency of 1 kHz. The results reveal that the transition temperature gradually decreased with an increase in Ni2+ and Na+ concentrations. This phenomenon was interpreted based on reducing grain size and tetragonality with co-substitution. The ferroelectric and magnetic properties are determined by (P–E) and (M–H) hysteresis loops at room temperature. Magnetic properties are significantly enhanced with an increase in the Ni2+, Na+ contents in the system. The correlation between the ESR width parameter (ΔH) and asymmetry parameter (Pays) with concentrations (x) reveals that the sample with x = 0.08 has a strong magnetic nature compared to other samples. more...

The present work proposes a new electrochemical sulfite biosensor based on babassu mesocarp nanoparticles (BMNPs) immobilized on the surface of a pyrolytic graphite electrode (PGE). The synthesized nanoparticles had a size of 121.5 nm and a zeta potential of − 28.1 mV and were used as a support for the immobilization of chitosan (CHIT) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) obtained from sweet potatoes (Ipomea batatas (L.)). The electrochemical activity of the PGE/BMNPs/CHIT/GA/PPO biosensor was measured using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV), and the biosensor was shown to have a sensitivity of 2.18 μA/μmol L−1, a detection limit of 0.151 μmol L−1, and quantitation limit of 0.452 μmol L−1 for sulfite. The principle of analysis for the developed biosensor is based on the inhibitory effect of sulfite on the activity of the PPO enzyme. This biosensor was successfully employed for the analysis of industrial juice, without the need to pre-treat the sample. more...