Explore the vast range of titles available.

Refraction between isotropic media is characterized by light bending towards the normal to the boundary when passing from a low- to a high-refractive-index medium. However, refraction between anisotropic media is a more exotic phenomenon which remains barely investigated, particularly at the nanoscale. Here, we visualize and comprehensively study the general case of refraction of electromagnetic waves between two strongly anisotropic (hyperbolic) media, and we do it with the use of nanoscale-confined polaritons in a natural medium: α-MoO 3 . The refracted polaritons exhibit non-intuitive directions of propagation as they traverse planar nanoprisms, enabling to unveil an exotic optical effect: bending-free refraction. Furthermore, we develop an in-plane refractive hyperlens, yielding foci as small as λ p /6, being λ p the polariton wavelength (λ 0 /50 compared to the wavelength of free-space light). Our results set the grounds for planar nano-optics in strongly anisotropic media, with potential for effective control of the flow of energy at the nanoscale. Refraction between anisotropic media is still an unexplored phenomenon. Here, the authors investigate the propagation of hyperbolic phonon polaritons traversing α-MoO3 nanoprisms, showing a bending-free refraction effect and sub-diffractional focusing with foci size as small as 1/50 of the light wavelength in free space.

The techniques employed in this study provide a holistic and detailed characterization of the changing microbial composition in commercial champignon substrates. The knowledge generated will contribute to improve formulations through biotechnological interventions. Summary Microorganisms strongly influence and are required to generate the selective substrate that provides nutrients and support for fungal growth, and ultimately to induce mushroom fructification under controlled environmental conditions. In this work, the fungal and bacterial microbiota living in the different substrates employed in a commercial crop (compost phase I, II and III, flush 1 and 2, and casing material on day 1, 6 and 8 after compost casing and during flush 1 and 2) have been characterized along the different stages of cultivation by metataxonomic analysis (16S rRNA and ITS2), analysis of phospholipid fatty acid content (PLFAs) and RT‐qPCR. Additionally, laccase activity and the content of lignin and complex carbohydrates in compost and casing have been quantified. The bacterial diversity in compost and casing increased throughout the crop cycle boosted by the connection of both substrates. As reflected by the PLFAs, the total living bacterial biomass appears to be negatively correlated with the mycelium of the crop. Agaricus bisporus was the dominant fungal species in colonized substrates, displacing the pre‐eminent Ascomycota, accompanied by a sustained increase in laccase activity, which is considered to be a major product of protein synthesis during the mycelial growth of champignon. From phase II onwards, the metabolic machinery of the fungal crop degrades lignin and carbohydrates in compost, while these components are hardly degraded in casing, which reflects the minor role of the casing for nourishing the crop. The techniques employed in this study provide a holistic and detailed characterization of the changing microbial composition in commercial champignon substrates. The knowledge generated will contribute to improve compost formulations (selection of base materials) and accelerate compost production, for instance, through biotechnological interventions in the form of tailored biostimulants and to design environmentally sustainable bio‐based casing materials.

The vast repository of van der Waals (vdW) materials supporting polaritons offers numerous possibilities to tailor electromagnetic waves at the nanoscale. The development of twistoptics—the modulation of the optical properties by twisting stacks of vdW materials—enables directional propagation of phonon polaritons (PhPs) along a single spatial direction, known as canalization. Here we demonstrate a complementary type of directional propagation of polaritons by reporting the visualization of unidirectional ray polaritons (URPs). They arise naturally in twisted hyperbolic stacks with very different thicknesses of their constituents, demonstrated for homostructures of α -MoO 3 and heterostructures of α -MoO 3 and β -Ga 2 O 3 . Importantly, their ray-like propagation, characterized by large momenta and constant phase, is tunable by both the twist angle and the illumination frequency. Apart from their fundamental importance, our findings introduce twisted asymmetric stacks as efficient platforms for nanoscale directional polariton propagation, opening the door for applications in nanoimaging, (bio)-sensing, or polaritonic thermal management. The directional propagation of phonon polaritons has been demonstrated in various twisted van der Waals materials. Here, the authors report a complementary type of directional polariton propagation by visualizing unidirectional ray polaritons in twisted asymmetric stacks of α -MoO3 and/or β -Ga2O3.

A collection of 26 wheat genotypes widely grown in Spain during the 20th century was evaluated in eight contrasting environments in order to quantify breeding achievements in yield and associated traits. From 1930 to 2000, yield increased at a rate of 35·1 kg/ha/yr or 0·88%/yr, but estimations of relative genetic gain (RGG) were environment-dependent. RGG estimated for yield were positively associated with the average minimum daily temperatures from sowing to heading in the testing environments (R2 = 0·81; P < 0·01). The number of grains/spike and the number of spikes/m2 increased at a rate of 0·60%/yr and 0·30%/yr, respectively, while grain weight remained unchanged. The present study detected two main episodes of yield improvement during the century. The first one coincided with the introduction, during the 1950s, of the first improved cultivars derived from intra-specific crosses, which increased the yield of landraces by 30% due to an increase of c. 58% in the number of grains/spike, accompanied by a 16% reduction in grain weight. These initial cultivars (termed ‘old-bred’ in a previous study by Sanchez-Garcia et al. 2012) exhibited a higher harvest index (HI), increased from 0·25 to 0·40, but maintained the same aboveground biomass at maturity as the landraces (despite reducing both plant height and the number of tillers/plant) due to increases in the proportion of tillers bearing spikes. The second yield gain occurred after the introduction, in the early 1970s, of semi-dwarf germplasm from CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre) and some French cultivars. This new germplasm further reduced plant height, improved HI up to 0·45 and increased the number of tillers/plant while maintaining their rate of fertility, thus resulting in a yield gain of c. 37%. The cultivars released during the last decade of the century did not contribute to significant yield improvements.

Background/Objectives: Unexplained infertility is a worldwide problem affecting a significant proportion of couples of reproductive age. Recent studies suggest that alterations in the vaginal microbiota are related to female infertility, while supplementation with some probiotic strains has been shown to improve pregnancy rates in couples experiencing this problem. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of oral administration of Ligilactobacillus salivarius CECT5713 on pregnancy success rates in couples with unexplained infertility prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF). Methods: Seventy couples were randomized to receive either a placebo or a probiotic intervention (one capsule per day containing an excipient only or 3 × 109 viable cells of L. salivarius CECT5713 plus an excipient, respectively); 57 couples completed the study. Baseline data on demographics, health status (including gynecological and reproductive history), and lifestyle habits were collected. Vaginal swabs and semen samples were obtained from each couple before the intervention and immediately prior to IVF or upon confirmed pregnancy and were analyzed for microbiological (using both culture-dependent and -independent methods) and immunological profiles. Results: Oral administration of L. salivarius CECT5713 in couples with unexplained infertility scheduled for IVF resulted in a significantly higher pregnancy success rate (48.1%) compared to the placebo group (20.0%) (one-tailed Chi-square test; p < 0.024). The probiotic intervention improved both vaginal and semen immunological profiles, with no substantial changes observed in their microbial composition. Conclusions: These preliminary findings support the potential of L. salivarius CECT5713 supplementation to enhance fertility outcomes in couples with unexplained infertility.

The temporal trends of fungicides in surface and ground water in 90 samples, including both surface waters (12) and ground waters (78) from an extensive vineyard area located in La Rioja (Spain), were examined between September 2010 and September 2011. Fungicides are used in increasing amounts on vines in many countries, and they may reach the water resources. However, few data have been published on fungicides in waters, with herbicides being the most frequently monitored compounds. The presence, distribution and year-long evolution of 17 fungicides widely used in the region and a degradation product were evaluated in waters during four sampling campaigns. All the fungicides included in the study were detected at one or more of the points sampled during the four campaigns. Metalaxyl, its metabolite CGA-92370, penconazole and tebuconazole were the fungicides detected in the greatest number of samples, although myclobutanil, CGA-92370 and triadimenol were detected at the highest concentrations. The highest levels of individual fungicides were found in Rioja Alavesa, with concentrations of up to 25.52 μg L −1 , and more than 40 % of the samples recorded a total concentration of >0.5 μg L −1 . More than six fungicides were positively identified in a third of the ground and surface waters in all the sampling campaigns. There were no significant differences between the results obtained in the four sampling campaigns and corroborated a pattern of diffuse contamination from the use of fungicides. The results confirm that natural waters in the study area are extremely vulnerable to contamination by fungicides and highlight the need to implement strategies to prevent and control water contamination by these compounds.

Different strategies are now being optimized to prevent water from agricultural areas being contaminated by pesticides. The aim of this work was to optimize the adsorption of non-polar (tebuconazole, triadimenol) and polar (cymoxanil, pirimicarb) pesticides by soils after applying the biosorbent spent mushroom substrate (SMS) at different rates. The adsorption isotherms of pesticides by three soils and SMS-amended soils were obtained and the adsorption constants were calculated. The distribution coefficients ( K d ) increased 1.40–23.1 times (tebuconazole), 1.08–23.7 times (triadimenol), 1.31–42.1 times (cymoxanil), and 0.55–23.8 times (pirimicarb) for soils amended with biosorbent at rates between 2 and 75 %. Increasing the SMS rates led to a constant increase in adsorption efficiency for non-polar pesticides but not for polar pesticides, due to the increase in the organic carbon (OC) content of soils as indicated by K OC values. The OC content of SMS-amended soils accounted for more than 90 % of the adsorption variability of non-polar pesticides, but it accounted for only 56.3 % for polar pesticides. The estimated adsorption of SMS-amended soils determined from the individual adsorption of soils and SMS was more consistent with real experimental values for non-polar pesticides than for polar pesticides. The results revealed the use of SMS as a tool to optimize pesticide adsorption by soils in dealing with specific contamination problems involving these compounds.

The residues of the herbicides aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium are phytotoxic to rotational crops. Their behaviour therefore needs to be studied under different agronomic practises and climatic conditions. The objective of this work was to use controlled laboratory conditions to study the effect of the following: (i) the application of green compost (GC) to agricultural soil, (ii) herbicide dose, (iii) soil moisture, and (iv) soil microbial activity on the degradation rate of aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium. Moreover, the formation of two iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium metabolites (metsulfuron-methyl and 2-amino-4-methyl-4-methoxy methyl-triazine) and the dissipation mechanism of labelled 14C-iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium under the same conditions were also studied. Aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl showed slower degradation and half-life values (DT50) that were up to 4.6 and 1.4 times higher, respectively, in soil amended with GC, as the higher organic carbon (OC) content of this soil increased herbicide adsorption. The DT50 values were up to 2.6 and 1.9 times higher for aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl sodium, respectively, in soils treated with the double herbicide dose compared to soils treated with the agronomic dose. The DT50 values for aminopyralid were up to 2.3 times higher in soils with moisture equal to 25% (H25%) of their water-holding capacity (WHC) than in soils with H50%. However, the DT50 values for iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium were slightly lower in soils with H25% than in soils with H50%, due to the formation of bound residues. A biodegradation process significantly contributes to the dissipation of both herbicides. Higher amounts of metabolite metsulfuron-methyl were formed in the GC-amended soil in all cases. The percentages of 14C extractable in soils treated with both doses of herbicide under H25% were slightly higher than in soils under higher soil moisture (H50%) over time, due to the slower degradation of 14C-(iodosulfuron-methyl+metabolites). The higher persistence of the herbicides and their metabolites when the doses were applied at a high rate in soil amended with GC and under low moisture content may have negative consequences for the rotational crop. In the case of adverse conditions leading to the persistence of herbicides in the soil during the primary crop, the intervals for crop rotation should be increased.

The effects of mulch on the dissipation of S-metolachlor-SMOC, foramsulfuron-FORAM, and thiencarbazone-methyl-TCM and the formation of their main degradation metabolites were studied here. The herbicides were jointly applied in preemergence of maize on two separate occasions to two agricultural soils under conventional tillage (CT) and non-tillage (NT) over two wheat-maize cycles. Herbicide concentrations were determined in topsoil samples at different times after both applications, and they were fitted to kinetic models. The half-life (DT50) values for SMOC were higher under CT management than under NT (mean values: 25.6 and 7.38 days, respectively) in both soils over the two years. The faster herbicide dissipation with mulch could be because it is partially intercepted and strongly adsorbed/retained through different potential pathways, especially biodegradation, which was supported by the detection of SMOC-ESA and SMOC-OA metabolites. The mean DT50 values for FORAM (6.15 and 6.07 days, respectively) were very close for both soils under NT and CT management over the two-year experiment. The mulch had a lesser impact than for SMOC due to the former’s higher water solubility and lower adsorption, with dissipation being controlled mainly by biodegradation and likely also by leaching. TCM recorded intermediate DT50 values (mean value 20.8 days) in both soils+CT in the two-year experiment compared to SMOC and FORAM. The mulch effect on TCM dissipation was observed only after the second application because the DT50 values were higher in soils+NT after the first application (mean value: 26.9 days) than after the second one (mean value: 5.9 days). The amount of soil surface covered by the mulch controlled the herbicide dissipation, and soil and herbicide properties determine their adsorption behaviour by both mulch and soils.

Objective To define the short- and mid-term outcomes of patients discharged after an episode of acute-decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and evaluate the differences between patients discharged directly from the emergency department (ED) and those discharged after hospitalization. Methods We performed a prospective, multicenter, cohort-designed study, including consecutive patients diagnosed with ADHF in 27 Spanish EDs. Thirty-four variables on epidemiology, comorbidity, baseline status, vital signs, signs of congestion, laboratory tests, and treatment were collected in every patient. The primary outcome was a combined endpoint of ED revisit (without hospitalization) or hospitalization due to ADHF, or all-cause death. Secondary outcomes were each of these three events individually. Outcomes were obtained by survival analysis at different timepoints in the entire cohort, and crude and adjusted comparisons were carried out between patients discharged directly from the ED and after hospitalization. Results Of the 3233 patients diagnosed with ADHF during a 2-month period, we analyzed 2986 patients discharged alive: 787 (26.4%) discharged from the ED and 2199 (73.6%) after hospitalization. The cumulative percentages of events for the whole cohort (at 7/30/180 days) for the combined endpoint were 7.8/24.7/57.8; for ED revisit 2.5/9.4/25.5; for hospitalization 4.6/15.3/40.7; and for death 0.9/4.3/16.8. After adjustment for patient profile and center, significant increases were found in the hazard ratios for ED- compared to hospital-discharged patients in the combined endpoint, ED revisit and hospitalization, being higher at short-term [at 7 days, 2.373 (1.678–3.355), 2.069 (1.188–3.602), and 3.071 (1.915–4.922), respectively] than at mid-term [at 180 days, 1.368 (1.160–1.614), 1.642 (1.265–2.132), and 1.302 (1.044–1.623), respectively]. No significant differences were found in death. Conclusions Patients with ADHF discharged from the ED have worse outcomes, especially at short term, than those discharged after hospitalization. The definition and implementation of effective strategies to improve patient selection for direct ED discharge are needed.