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At least 469 records · Page 26

Population Genomics of Pseudocercospora griseola Reveals New Groups in the Middle American Clade and the Presence of the Endophytic Bacterium Achromobacter xylosoxidans

Angular leaf spot (ALS), caused by Pseudocercospora griseola is an important disease of common beans. P. griseola, is highly variable and has co-evolved with its host. In this study, 48 isolates of P. griseola from Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Honduras and Tanzania were sequenced (3RADseq), resulting in the de novo assembly of 42,214 contigs. Phylogenomic, population genetic structure and principal component analyses using 1,260 SNPs divided these isolates into two populations, Andean and Middle American, while the Middle American population was further divided into three sub-populations. There were moderate to high levels of differentiation between P. griseola populations, with pairwise Fst values ranging from 0.11 to 0.95. The Andean population was composed of isolates from Tanzania, and was separated from the Middle American population (Fst = 0.95). The Middle American population was separated into 3 subpopulations including isolates from: 1. Guatemala and Honduras, 2. Tanzania, and 3. Puerto Rico. Pathogenicity testing of 27 isolates from Puerto Rico, using 12 common bean differential lines, identified ten races, but these races were not associated with SNPs found in virulence genes. DNA of an endophytic bacterium (Achromobacter xylosoxidans) was found in seven mildly virulent isolates suggesting a possible role of the bacterium in the observed virulence patterns. To understand the evolution and diversity of P. griseola, further study of the virulence genes and the interactions among the endophytic bacterium, the fungus, and the host plant is required. Such information is critical to inform breeding strategies for the development of resistant germplasm and cultivars.

Serrato-Diaz, Luz M. [U.S. Department of Agricultu↗

Chemical Bonding Governs Complex Magnetism in MnPt 5 P

Subtle changes in chemical bonds may result in dramatic revolutions in magnetic properties in solid-state materials. MnPt 5 P, a derivative of the rare-earth-free ferromagnetic MnPt 5 As, was discovered and is presented in this work. Specifically, MnPt 5 P was synthesized, and its crystal structure and chemical composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction as well as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Accordingly, MnPt 5 P crystallizes in the layered tetragonal structure with the space group P4/mmm (No. 123), in which the face-shared Mn@Pt 12 polyhedral layers are separated by P layers. In contrast to the ferromagnetism observed in MnPt 5 As, the magnetic properties measurements on MnPt 5 P show antiferromagnetic ordering occurs at ~188 K with a strong magnetic anisotropy in and out of the ab-plane. Moreover, a spin-flop transition appears when a high magnetic field is applied. An A-type antiferromagnetic structure was obtained from the analysis of powder neutron diffraction (PND) patterns collected at 150 and 9 K. Calculated electronic structures imply that hybridization of Mn-3d and Pt-5d orbitals is critical for both the structural stability and observed magnetic properties. Semiempirical molecular orbitals calculations on both MnPt 5 P and MnPt 5 As indicate that the lack of 4p character on the P atoms at the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in MnPt 5 P may cause the different magnetic behavior in MnPt 5 P compared to MnPt 5 As. The discovery of MnPt 5 P, along with our previously reported MnPt5As, parametrizes the end points of a tunable system to study the chemical bonding which tunes the magnetic ordering from ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism with the strong spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Revisiting Artifacts of Kohn–Sham Density Functionals for Biosimulation

We revisit the problem of unphysical charge density delocalization/fractionalization induced by the self-interaction error of common approximate Kohn–Sham (KS) density functional theory functionals on simulation of small to medium-sized proteins in a vacuum. Aside from producing unphysical electron densities and total energies, the vanishing of the HOMO–LUMO gap associated with the unphysical charge delocalization leads to an unphysical low-energy spectrum and catastrophic failure of most popular solvers for the KS self-consistent field (SCF) problem. We apply a robust quasi-Newton SCF solver to obtain solutions for some of these difficult cases. The anatomy of the charge delocalization is revealed by the natural deformation orbitals obtained from the density matrix difference between the Hartree–Fock and KS solutions; the charge delocalization not only can occur between charged fragments (such as in zwitterionic polypeptides) but also involves neutral fragments. The vanishing-gap phenomenon and troublesome SCF convergence are both attributed to the unphysical KS Fock operator eigenspectra of molecular fragments (e.g., amino acids or their side chains). Analysis of amino acid pairs suggests that the unphysical charge delocalization can be partially ameliorated by the use of some range-separated hybrid functionals but not by semilocal or standard hybrid functionals. Last, we demonstrate that solutions without the unphysical charge delocalization can be located even for semilocal KS functionals highly prone to such defects, but such solutions have non-Aufbau character and are unstable with respect to mixing of the non-overlapping “frontier” orbitals. Caution should be exercised when unexpectedly small (or vanishing) HOMO–LUMO gaps and atypical SCF convergence patterns (e.g., oscillatory) are observed in KS DFT simulations in any context (bio or otherwise).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Mechanistic Understanding of the Growth Kinetics and Dynamics of Nanoparticle Superlattices by Coupling Interparticle Forces from Real-Time Measurements

Superlattice structures formed by nanoparticle (NP) self-assembly have attracted increasing attention due to their potential as a novel class of nanomaterials with enhanced physicochemical properties tailored by the assembly structure. However, many key questions remain regarding the correlation between the dynamics of individual NPs and the emerging superlattice patterns. Here we investigated the self-assembly of gold NPs by employing in situ transmission electron microscopy equipped with direct detection camera capabilities, which enabled us to track the rapid motion of individual nanoparticles in real time. By calculating the contributions of Brownian, van der Waals, hydrodynamic, and steric hindrance forces, we obtained a quantitative evaluation of the competitive interactions that drive the assembly process. Such competition between forces over various separations is critical for the kinetics of cluster growth, as well as the superlattice formation. Brownian motion resulted in random particle motions to form small-sized clusters, whose growth dynamics was characterized as reaction-limited aggregation. Subsequently, at relative short-range particle separation, van der Waals force overrode the Brownian force and dominantly drove the assembly process. In the close proximity, a delicate balance between van der Waals and steric hindrance forces surprisingly led to a unique dynamic nature of the assembled superlattice. Our study provides a fundamental understanding of coupling energetics and dynamics of NPs involved in the assembly process, enabling the control and design of the structure of nanoparticle superlattices.

Lee, Jaewon↗

Microwave Heating-Induced Temperature Gradients in Liquid–Liquid Biphasic Systems

Microwaves (MWs) can enable the electrification and intensification of chemical manufacturing. They have been applied to various unit separations, such as drying, distillation, and extraction, entailing gas–liquid and solid–liquid systems. However, a limited quantitative understanding of MW-heated liquid–liquid biphasic systems related to extraction exists. This work measures the temporal and spatial temperature difference between an aqueous and an organic phase in batch and continuous microfluidic modes. We demonstrate permanent temperature differences between phases over 35 °C and spatiotemporal periodic and quasiperiodic oscillations modulated by the flow patterns. The temperature differences are primarily driven by the faster absorption rate of MW irradiation by the aqueous phase versus the slower heat transfer from the aqueous phase to the organic phase. These are amplified by low specific interfacial area and modifications of the electromagnetic field. We employ a multiphysics model to predict the temperature difference in a batch system. The model is in good agreement with the experiments. We demonstrate a strong effect of input power, dielectric properties of organic solvents, the volume of solvents, and the volume ratio between phases on the temperature difference. A simple analytical model describes the temperature difference and provides design principles. Furthermore, the combined approach offers new insights into the design and optimization of the MW-heated biphasic systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nanoscale View of Engineered Massive Dirac Quasiparticles in Lithographic Superstructures

Massive Dirac fermions are low-energy electronic excitations characterized by a hyperbolic band dispersion. They play a central role in several emerging physical phenomena such as topological phase transitions, anomalous Hall effects, and superconductivity. This work demonstrates that massive Dirac fermions can be controllably induced by lithographically patterning superstructures of nanoscale holes in a graphene device. Their band dispersion is systematically visualized using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with nanoscale spatial resolution. A linear scaling of effective mass with feature sizes is reported, underlining the Dirac nature of the superstructures. In situ electrostatic doping dramatically enhances the effective hole mass and leads to the direct observation of an electronic band gap that results in a peak-to-peak band separation of 0.64 ± 0.03 eV, which is shown via first-principles calculations to be strongly renormalized by carrier-induced screening. The methodology demonstrates band structure engineering guided by directly viewing structurally and electrically tunable massive Dirac quasiparticles in lithographic superstructures at the nanoscale.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Doping effects of Cr on the physical properties of BaFe 1.9 - x Ni 0.1 Cr x As 2

We present a systematic study on the heavily Cr doped iron pnictides BaFe1.9_xNi0.1CrxAs2 by using elastic neutron scattering, high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD), resistivity, and Hall transport measurements. When the Cr concentration increases from x = 0 to 0.8, neutron diffraction experiments suggest that the collinear antiferromagnetism persists in the whole doping range, where the Neel temperature T-n coincides with the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition temperature T-s, and both of them keeps around 35 K. The magnetic ordered moment, on the other hand, increases within increasing x until x = 0.5, and then decreases with further increasing x. Detailed refinement of the powder XRD patterns reveals that the Cr substitutions actually stretch the FeAs4 tetrahedron along the c axis and lift the arsenic height away from the Fe-Fe plane. Transport results indicate that the charge carriers become more localized upon Cr doping, then changes from electron type to hole type around x = 0.5. Our results suggest that the ordered moment and the ordered temperature of static magnetism in iron pnictides can be decoupled and tuned separately by chemical doping.

Gong, Dongliang↗

An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies

Substantial uncertainty surrounds our knowledge of tree stem growth, with some of the most basic questions, such as when stem radial growth occurs through the daily cycle, still unanswered. Here, we employed high-resolution point dendrometers, sap flow sensors, and developed theory and statistical approaches, to devise a novel method separating irreversible radial growth from elastic tension-driven and elastic osmotically driven changes in bark water content. We tested this method using data from five case study species. Experimental manipulations, namely a field irrigation experiment on Scots pine and a stem girdling experiment on red forest gum trees, were used to validate the theory. Time courses of stem radial growth following irrigation and stem girdling were consistent with a-priori predictions. Patterns of stem radial growth varied across case studies, with growth occurring during the day and/or night, consistent with the available literature. Importantly, our approach provides a valuable alternative to existing methods, as it can be approximated by a simple empirical interpolation routine that derives irreversible radial growth using standard regression techniques. In conclusion, our novel method provides an improved understanding of the relative source–sink carbon dynamics of tree stems at a sub-daily time scale.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Arctic shrub root traits, northern Alaska, summer 2017 (Version 2.0)

This data package contains root trait data collected from 170 plots of rapidly expanding shrub genera (Alnus, Betula, and Salix) and a widespread sedge (Eriophorum vaginatum) along a latitudinal and temperature gradient in northern Alaska. The trait data were collected in July 2017 and include root architecture (root diameter and branching patterns), mycorrhizal colonization (%), nitrogen concentration (%), delta 15N (per mil), and vertical root biomass. These raw data support a submitted manuscript that examines the distribution and interspecific variations of absorptive root traits of shrubs and graminoids across the graminoid-dominated nutrient-poor arctic tundra and reveals how deciduous shrub expansion affects plant nutrient acquisition strategies in tundra ecosystems. Data are presented by site (n=5) and patch (shrub or sedge plot) in separate csv files. The location data are provided in the “plot coordinates” file; all other files contain the data in the file title. Detailed methods are in Chen et al. (2020).2023/07/20 Update: The latest version of this dataset publication is version 2.0. The latest version of the data package was updated to include the alder nodule biomass dataset (alder nodule biomass.csv) and associated metadata (metadata_alder nodule biomass.csv). The name of the previous metadata file was updated (metadata_ root traits and biomass.csv ) to distinguish it from the new metadata file.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Perennial grass root system specializes for multiple resource acquisitions with differential elongation and branching patterns

Roots optimize the acquisition of limited soil resources, but relationships between root forms and functions have often been assumed rather than demonstrated. Furthermore, how root systems co-specialize for multiple resource acquisitions is unclear. Theory suggests that trade-offs exist for the acquisition of different resource types, such as water and certain nutrients. Measurements used to describe the acquisition of different resources should then account for differential root responses within a single system. To demonstrate this, we grew Panicum virgatum in split-root systems that vertically partitioned high water availability from nutrient availability so that root systems must absorb the resources separately to fully meet plant demands. We evaluated root elongation, surface area, and branching, and we characterized traits using an order-based classification scheme. Plants allocated approximately 3/4th of primary root length towards water acquisition, whereas lateral branches were progressively allocated towards nutrients. However, root elongation rates, specific root length, and mass fraction were similar. Our results support the existence of differential root functioning within perennial grasses. Similar responses have been recorded in many plant functional types suggesting a fundamental relationship. Root responses to resource availability can be incorporated into root growth models via maximum root length and branching interval parameters.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Adding new branches to the “Christmas tree” of the quasinormal spectrum of black branes

In holography, quasinormal spectra of black branes coincide with the poles of retarded finite-temperature correlation functions of a dual quantum field theory in the limit of infinite number of relevant degrees of freedom such as colours. For asymptotically antide Sitter backgrounds, the spectra form a characteristic pattern in the complex frequency plane, colloquially known as the “Christmas tree”. At infinite coupling, the tree has only one pair of branches. At large but finite coupling, the branches become more dense and lift up towards the real axis, consistent with the expectation of forming a branch cut in the limit of zero coupling. However, it is known that at zero coupling, the corresponding correlators generically have not one but multiple branch cuts separated by intervals proportional to the Matsubara frequency. This suggests the existence of multiple branches of the “Christmas tree” spectrum in dual gravity. In this note, we show numerically how these additional branches of the spectrum can emerge from the dual gravitational action with higher-derivative terms. This phenomenon appears to be robust, yet, reproducing the expected weak coupling behaviour of the correlators quantitatively implies the existence of certain constraints on the coefficients of the higher-derivative terms of the dual gravity theory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Flow Directions and Ages of Subsurface Water in a Salt Marsh System Constrained by Isotope Tracing

Salt marshes are dynamic hydrologic systems where terrestrial groundwater, terrestrial surface water, and seawater mix due to bi-directional flows and pressure gradients. Due to the counteracting terrestrial and marine forcings that control these environments, we do not comprehensively understand water fluxes in these complex coastal systems. To understand the water sources, flow directions, and velocities in salt marsh porewater, we employed a combination of geochemical tracers and analytical models across a hillslope-to-salt marsh continuum in a salt marsh experiencing daily inundation of estuarine surface water (SW) from tides and mixing of fresh seasonal groundwater. We used tritium ( 3 H) as a hydrologic tracer to assess porewater ages and stable water isotope ($\delta$ 2 H and $\delta$ 18 O) analyses to separate isotopically distinct estuarine and terrestrial groundwater across different depths and landscape positions in the study transect. We employed electrical conductivity to constrain the role of source mixing and evapotranspiration in salt marsh hydrology. Salinity and stable isotopes revealed that transpiration, rather than evaporation, increased subsurface water salinity to concentrations above estuarine SW during summer. Elevated salinity at depth indicated that salt marsh subsurface water is recharged during the dry growing season. Seasonal recharge patterns drive long-term deep subsurface water dynamics across the salt marsh, with 3 H ages of 3–7 years, and daily tidal cycles drive short-term shallow porewater dynamics with 3 H ages of 0 ± 3.6 years. Furthermore, our conceptual understanding of the spatiotemporal changes in SW-subsurface water interactions at the terrestrial-marine interface quantifies the hydrological constraints we are missing to improve our understanding of biogeochemical cycles within the salt marsh.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Correlative analysis of structure and chemistry of Li x FePO 4 platelets using 4D-STEM and X-ray ptychography

Lithium iron phosphate (Li x FePO 4 ), a cathode material used in rechargeable Li-ion batteries, phase separates upon de/lithiation under equilibrium. The interfacial structure and chemistry within these cathode materials affects Li-ion transport, and therefore battery performance. Here, correlative imaging of Li x FePO 4 was performed using four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM), scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), and X-ray ptychography in order to analyze the local structure and chemistry of the same particle set. Over 50,000 diffraction patterns from 10 particles provided measurements of both structure and chemistry at a nanoscale spatial resolution (16.6–49.5 nm) over wide (several micron) fields-of-view with statistical robustness. Li x FePO 4 particles at varying stages of delithiation were measured to examine the evolution of structure and chemistry as a function of delithiation. In lithiated and delithiated particles, local variations were observed in the degree of lithiation even while local lattice structures remained comparatively constant, and calculation of linear coefficients of chemical expansion suggest pinning of the lattice structures in these populations. Partially delithiated particles displayed broadly core–shell-like structures, however, with highly variable behavior both locally and per individual particle that exhibited distinctive intermediate regions at the interface between phases, and pockets within the lithiated core that correspond to FePO 4 in structure and chemistry. The results provide insight into the Li x FePO 4 system, subtleties in the scope and applicability of Vegard’s law (linear lattice parameter-composition behavior) under local versus global measurements, and demonstrate a powerful new combination of experimental and analytical modalities for bridging the crucial gap between local and statistical characterization.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Memory effect and magnetocrystalline anisotropy impact on the surface magnetic domains of magnetite(001)

The structure of magnetic domains, i.e. regions of uniform magnetization separated by domain walls, depends on the balance of competing interactions present in ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic) materials. When these interactions change then domain configurations also change as a result. Magnetite provides a good test bench to study these effects, as its magnetocrystalline anisotropy varies significantly with temperature. Using spin-polarized electron microscopy to map the micromagnetic domain structure in the (001) surface of a macroscopic magnetite crystal (~1 cm size) shows complex domain patterns with characteristic length-scales in the micrometer range and highly temperature dependent domain geometries. Although heating above the Curie temperature erases the domain patterns completely, cooling down reproduces domain patterns not only in terms of general characteristics: instead, complex microscopic domain geometries are reproduced in almost perfect fidelity between heating cycles. A possible explanation of the origin of the high-fidelity reproducibility is suggested to be a combination of the presence of hematite inclusions that lock bulk domains, together with the strong effect of the first order magnetocrystalline anisotropy which competes with the shape anisotropy to give rise to the observed complex patterns.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of the Number and Substitution Pattern of Carbazole Donors on the Singlet and Triplet State Energies in a Series of Carbazole-Oxadiazole Derivatives Exhibiting Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence

Substitution of a varying number of 9H-carbazole donors onto 2-(pentafluorophenyl)-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole yields a series of donor–acceptor compounds with similar electrochemical band gaps, but dissimilar optical properties. Each substitution of a carbazole onto the 2- and 4-positions results in a 150–200 meV stabilization of the first singlet excited state, evident in the fluorescent emission. Here, the first triplet excited state is less sensitive to these substitutions, leading to a reduced energy separation between the singlet and triplet states, ΔE ST , with increasing carbazole content. OLED devices made using the donor–acceptor compounds exhibiting the lowest ΔE ST were fabricated and exhibit sky blue emission with an external quantum efficiency of up to 24.4% at a luminance of 10 cd m –2 , and 9.2% at 1000 cd m –2 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Electron ptychography reveals a ferroelectricity dominated by anion displacements

Sodium niobate, a lead-free ferroic material, hosts delicately balanced, competing order parameters, including ferroelectric states that can be stabilized by epitaxial strain. Here we show that the resulting macroscopic ferroelectricity exhibits an unconventional microscopic structure using multislice electron ptychography. This technique overcomes multiple scattering artefacts limiting conventional electron microscopy, enabling both lateral spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit and recovery of three-dimensional structural information. These imaging capabilities allow us to separate the ferroelectric interior of the sample from the relaxed surface structure and identify the soft phonon mode and related structural distortions with picometre precision. Unlike conventional ferroelectric perovskites, we find that the polar distortion in this material involves minimal distortions of the cation sublattices and is instead dominated by anion displacements relative to the niobium sublattice. We establish limits on film thickness for interfacial octahedral rotation engineering and directly visualize a random octahedral rotation pattern, arising from the flat dispersion of the associated phonon mode.

ferroelectrics and multiferroics↗

Strong-field physics in three-dimensional topological insulators

We investigate theoretically the strong-field regime of light-matter interactions in the topological-insulator class of quantum materials. In particular, we focus on the process of nonperturbative high-order harmonic generation from the paradigmatic three-dimensional topological insulator bismuth selenide (Bi 2 Se 3 ) subjected to intense midinfrared laser fields. We analyze the contributions from the spin-orbit-coupled bulk states and the topological surface bands separately and reveal a major difference in how their harmonic yields depend on the ellipticity of the laser field. Furthermore, bulk harmonics show a monotonic decrease in their yield as the ellipticity increases, in a manner reminiscent of high harmonic generation in gaseous media. However, the surface contribution exhibits a highly nontrivial dependence, culminating with a maximum for circularly polarized fields. We attribute the observed anomalous behavior to (i) the enhanced amplitude and the circular pattern of the interband dipole and the Berry connections in the vicinity of the Dirac point and (ii) the influence of the higher-order, hexagonal warping terms in the Hamiltonian, which are responsible for the hexagonal deformation of the energy surface at higher momenta. The latter are associated directly with spin-orbit-coupling parameters. Our results thus establish the sensitivity of strong-field-driven high harmonic emission to the topology of the band structure as well as to the manifestations of spin-orbit interaction.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Lower-tropospheric CO 2 from near-infrared ACOS-GOSAT observations

We present two new products from near-infrared Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) observations: lowermost tropospheric (LMT, from 0 to 2.5 km) and upper tropospheric–stratospheric ( U , above 2.5 km) carbon dioxide partial column mixing ratios. We compare these new products to aircraft profiles and remote surface flask measurements and find that the seasonal and year-to-year variations in the new partial column mixing ratios significantly improve upon the Atmospheric CO 2 Observations from Space (ACOS) and GOSAT (ACOS-GOSAT) initial guess and/or a priori, with distinct patterns in the LMT and U seasonal cycles that match validation data. For land monthly averages, we find errors of 1.9, 0.7, and 0.8 ppm for retrieved GOSAT LMT, U , and X CO 2 ; for ocean monthly averages, we find errors of 0.7, 0.5, and 0.5 ppm for retrieved GOSAT LMT, U , and X CO 2 . In the southern hemispheric biomass burning season, the new partial columns show similar patterns to MODIS fire maps and MOPITT multispectral CO for both vertical levels, despite a flat ACOS-GOSAT prior, and a CO–CO 2 emission factor comparable to published values. The difference of LMT and U , useful for evaluation of model transport error, has also been validated with a monthly average error of 0.8 (1.4) ppm for ocean (land). LMT is more locally influenced than U , meaning that local fluxes can now be better separated from CO 2 transported from far away.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗