Metallic Species In Ambient Air Particles. PM10

In the present work metallic species of particulate matter(PM10) present in an urban area of Gran Canaria Island were quantified. Experimental measurements were carried out from October 2004 to September 2005 with a total of 53 samples (4 or 5 per month). PM10 was collected in fiber filters using high volume samplers. The average concentration was 32,6 ± 19,6 μg/m3. PM10 was determined gravimetrically. Concentrations of metallic elements were analized by atomic emission spectrophotometry using an ICP-OES. Two categories of elements were found: “abundant” and “scarce”. The examined elements were characterized according to their origin from natural or anthropogenic emissions on the basis of enrichment factors. Factor analysis of elemental composition pattern was also used to identify possible pollution source-types

Metallic species in ambient air particles of Canary Islands. Soluble fraction in total suspended matter

En el presente trabajo se cuantifican las fracciones metalicas total y soluble de la materia en suspensión total (MST),en una zona urbana de Gran Canaria. Las medidas se realizaron entre octubre de 2004 y septiembre de 2005 sobre un total de 53 muestras (4 o 5 por mes). La materia en suspensión total se recogió en fíltros de fibra de vídrio usando muestreadores de alto volumen. La concentración media resulto ser 68,5 ・} 35,5 μg/m3 . La MST se determinó gravimétricamente. La materia soluble en agua se extrajo mediante sonicación. Las concentraciones de los elementos metálicos se determinaron por espectrometría de emisión atómica, usando un ICP-OES. Se encontraron dos categorias de elementos de acuerdo con sus niveles de concentración: “abundantes” y “escasos”. En la fracción soluble los “abundantes” fueron principalmente Na,Ca, K y Zn; entre los “escasos” predominan Cu y Ti. Se estableció la disponibilidad de todos los elementos solubles, encontrandose altos coeficientes para todos ellos y especialmente para el Mn(99,9%). A fin de identificar las fuentes para dichos elementos se uso el análisis factorial. Los resultados muestran que Al, Ca, Fe, Mg y K provienen de fuentes naturales, en tanto que Ni, Co, V, Mo, Pt, Zn, Cu, Sb y Cr son antropogénicos

El colapso de las hipotecas: cuando las calificadoras no califican… (y una digresión sobre la Crisis del Ecuador en 1999)

Enfatizo dos causas de la crisis, Por un lado, las decisiones regulatorias y tributarias que distorsionaron el mercado hipotecario, Por otro lado, el trabajo de las calificadoras de riesgo acusadas de colusión con los emisores de papeles, en un proceso de mala fe e ineficiencia de los mercados, Pero aquí se analiza el rol de la información y la manera cómo los agentes económicos la procesan y verifican, Se llega así a una conclusión más profunda: el efecto negativo de las calificaciones se debió a las limitaciones a la competencia entre calificadores, la pérdida de correlación calificación-riesgo, y la obligación oligopólica de incorporar estas calificaciones, Las alteraciones artificiales de la regulación estatal alteraron el mercado.Enfatizo dos causas de la crisis, Por un lado, las decisiones regulatorias y tributarias que distorsionaron el mercado hipotecario, Por otro lado, el trabajo de las calificadoras de riesgo acusadas de colusión con los emisores de papeles, en un proceso de mala fe e ineficiencia de los mercados, Pero aquí se analiza el rol de la información y la manera cómo los agentes económicos la procesan y verifican, Se llega así a una conclusión más profunda: el efecto negativo de las calificaciones se debió a las limitaciones a la competencia entre calificadores, la pérdida de correlación calificación-riesgo, y la obligación oligopólica de incorporar estas calificaciones, Las alteraciones artificiales de la regulación estatal alteraron el mercado

Inclusive Masculinity and Facebook Photographs Among Early Emerging Adults at a British University

Central to debates about the construction of masculinity in sociology is the influence of culture and what constitutes acceptable displays of masculinity. This article adopts a novel approach in examining this question. It adopts a summative content analysis, combined with a semiotic analysis, of 1,100 Facebook photographs, in order to explore the underlying meanings within the photos and the performances of masculinity. Facebook photographs from 44, straight, White, male, early emerging adults attending the same university are used as a representation of an individual’s ideal self. These are then analyzed in order to determine the behaviors endorsed by peer culture. It was found that the sample overwhelmingly adopted inclusive behaviors (including homosocial tactility, dancing, and kissing each other), and inclusive masculinity theory was utilized to contextualize participants’ constructions of masculinity. Thus, this research shows that emerging adult males at this university construct their masculine identities away from previous orthodox archetypes. It is argued that the reducing importance of gendered behavior patterns may represent an adoption of what are perceived as wider cultural norms and act as a symbol of adulthood to these early emerging adults

Self-assembled fibrillar networks of a multifaceted chiral squaramide: supramolecular multistimuli-responsive alcogels

Chiral N,N'-disubstituted squaramide 1 has been found to undergo self-assembly in a variety of alcoholic solvents at low concentrations leading to the formation of novel nanostructured supramolecular alcogels. The gels responded to thermal, mechanical, optical and chemical stimuli. Solubility studies, gelation ability tests and computer modeling of a series of structurally related squaramides proved the existence of a unique combination of non-covalent molecular interactions and favorable hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance in 1 that drive the anisotropic growth of alcogel networks. The results have also revealed a remarkable effect of ultrasound on both the gelation kinetics and the properties of the alcogels

At the beginnings of the funerary Megalithism in Iberia at Campo de Hockey necropolis

The excavations undertaken at the Campo de Hockey site in 2008 led to the identification of a major Neolithic necropolis in the former Island of San Fernando (Bay of Cádiz). This work presents the results of the latest studies, which indicate that the site stands as one of the oldest megalithic necropolises in the Iberian Peninsula. The main aim of this work is to present with precision the chronology of this necropolis through a Bayesian statistical model that confirms that the necropolis was in use from c. 4300 to 3800 cal BC. The presence of prestige grave goods in the earliest and most monumental graves suggest that the Megalithism phenomenon emerged in relation to maritime routes linked to the distribution of exotic products. We also aim to examine funerary practices in these early megalithic communities, and especially their way of life and the social reproduction system. As such, in addition to the chronological information and the Bayesian statistics, we provide the results of a comprehensive interdisciplinary study, including anthropological, archaeometric and genetic data.State Research Agency (SRA)European Commission HAR2017-87324-P 2014-2020 ERDF Operational ProgrammeDepartment of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Regional Government of Andalusia FEDER-UCA18-106917 CEIMAR CEIJ-015European Social Fund (ESF) D1113102E3Junta de Andaluci

Morphometric and microstructural characteristics of hippocampal subfields in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and their correlates with mnemonic discrimination.

Pattern separation (PS) is a fundamental aspect of memory creation that defines the ability to transform similar memory representations into distinct ones, so they do not overlap when storing and retrieving them. Experimental evidence in animal models and the study of other human pathologies have demonstrated the role of the hippocampus in PS, in particular of the dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3. Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HE) commonly report mnemonic deficits that have been associated with failures in PS. However, the link between these impairments and the integrity of the hippocampal subfields in these patients has not yet been determined. The aim of this work is to explore the association between the ability to perform mnemonic functions and the integrity of hippocampal CA1, CA3, and DG in patients with unilateral MTLE-HE. To reach this goal we evaluated the memory of patients with an improved object mnemonic similarity test. We then analyzed the hippocampal complex structural and microstructural integrity using diffusion weighted imaging. Our results indicate that patients with unilateral MTLE-HE present alterations in both volume and microstructural properties at the level of the hippocampal subfields DG, CA1, CA3, and the subiculum, that sometimes depend on the lateralization of their epileptic focus. However, none of the specific changes was found to be directly related to the performance of the patients in a pattern separation task, which might indicate a contribution of various alterations to the mnemonic deficits or the key contribution of other structures to the function. we established for the first time the alterations in both the volume and the microstructure at the level of the hippocampal subfields in a group of unilateral MTLE patients. We observed that these changes are greater in the DG and CA1 at the macrostructural level, and in CA3 and CA1 in the microstructural level. None of these changes had a direct relation to the performance of the patients in a pattern separation task, which suggests a contribution of various alterations to the loss of function

CLASP Constraints on the Magnetization and Geometrical Complexity of the Chromosphere-Corona Transition Region

The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a suborbital rocket experiment that on 3rd September 2015 measured the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Ly-$\alpha$ line of the solar disk radiation, whose line-center photons stem from the chromosphere-corona transition region (TR). These unprecedented spectropolarimetric observations revealed an interesting surprise, namely that there is practically no center-to-limb variation (CLV) in the $Q/I$ line-center signals. Using an analytical model, we first show that the geometrical complexity of the corrugated surface that delineates the TR has a crucial impact on the CLV of the $Q/I$ and $U/I$ line-center signals. Secondly, we introduce a statistical description of the solar atmosphere based on a three-dimensional (3D) model derived from a state-of-the-art radiation magneto-hydrodynamic simulation. Each realization of the statistical ensemble is a 3D model characterized by a given degree of magnetization and corrugation of the TR, and for each such realization we solve the full 3D radiative transfer problem taking into account the impact of the CLASP instrument degradation on the calculated polarization signals. Finally, we apply the statistical inference method presented in a previous paper to show that the TR of the 3D model that produces the best agreement with the CLASP observations has a relatively weak magnetic field and a relatively high degree of corrugation. We emphasize that a suitable way to validate or refute numerical models of the upper solar chromosphere is by confronting calculations and observations of the scattering polarization in ultraviolet lines sensitive to the Hanle effect.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letter