586 research outputs found
Influencia de los materiales triásicos en la calidad del agua de algunos acuíferos kársticos del sur de Alicante (España)
Overexploitation of the aquifers of the Middle Vinalopó (SE Spain) has led to problems which, in many cases, are associated with groundwater salinization. The increase in salinity is considered to be due to the dissolution of mineral salts in the Triassic Keuper facies. Geophysical logging of various boreholes in three aquifers in this region confirms the presence of more mineralized waters at depth. The evidence suggests that the phenomenon of salinization results from mixing of these deep waters with more shallow ones. The fall in the ratio of freshwater to saltwater as overexploitation continues and the aquifer is emptied could explain the increased mineralization that has been observed at many boreholes that penetrate these aquifers.La fuerte presión sometida a los acuíferos del Medio Vinalopó (SE España) ha originado problemas de sobreexplotación, los cuales van asociados en un gran número de casos a la salinización del agua. El aumento de salinidad ha sido interpretado como debido a la disolución de sales provenientes de los materiales triásicos del Keuper. La testificación geofísica de diversos sondeos de tres acuíferos de esta región ha permitido constatar la presencia de aguas más mineralizadas en profundidad. Por tanto, todo indica que el fenómeno de la salinización se debe a la mezcla del agua más superficial con la profunda. La disminución de la relación agua dulce-agua salada, a medida que progresa la sobreexplotación y el vaciado del acuífero, podría explicar el aumento de la mineralización que han experimentado numerosas captaciones de estos acuíferos
Más allá de los autoinformes: una revisión sistemática sobre el uso de medidas implícitas de las actitudes hacia la violencia de género en España
El estudio de las actitudes hacia la violencia contra las mujeres y de género ha despertado
mucho interés, y se ha llevado a cabo, habitualmente, con medidas explícitas (encuestas y
autoinformes). Para determinar el nivel uso de las medidas implícitas en el estudio de las
actitudes hacia estas violencias, se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura al respecto.
La búsqueda en las principales bases de datos permitió identificar 54 registros cuyo análisis
mostró que las investigaciones que emplean estas medidas implícitas se han centrado,
principalmente, en agresiones sexuales hacia menores y actitudes hacia la violencia en general.
Las formas específicas de violencia contra las mujeres (como violencia en la pareja, o
agresiones sexuales) han sido temas menos estudiados, y, cuando lo han sido, más que analizar
actitudes sociales hacia ellas, se han abordado otros objetivos (como analizar los estereotipos, o
contrastar la efectividad de la intervención con maltratadores).The study of attitudes towards violence against women and gender has aroused great interest,
and has been carried out, usually, with explicit measures (surveys and self-reports). To determine
the level of use of implicit measures in the study of attitudes towards these violences, a
systematic review of the literature was carried out. The search in the main databases identified 54
records, whose analysis allow us affirm that use these implicit measures have focused, mainly,
on sexual assaults towards minors and attitudes toward violence in general. The specific forms of
violence against women have been less studied topics, and, when they have been, rather than
analysing social attitudes towards them, other objectives have been addressed (such as
analysing stereotypes, or contrasting the effectiveness of the intervention with abusers)
Overexploitation and water quality in the Crevillente aquifer (Alicante, SE Spain)
The Crevillente aquifer is a karstic aquifer, situated in Alicante province in the SE of Spain. The aquifer basically comprises a series of Jurassic limestones and dolomites, belonging to the Betic Cordillera. Intense exploitation of the aquifer started in the early 1960s. Exploitation was initially concentrated in two sectors of the Sierra de Crevillente and, years later, extended to a third sector. As a consequence of abstractions that were much greater than recharge into the system, a continual drop in the water level persisted for several decades. These abstractions have occasionally caused local dewatering over depths of more than 300 m. From a hydrogeological point of view, the aquifer dewatering in one of the sectors was accompanied by increased mineralization and a fall in quality of the groundwater, and several boreholes had to be abandoned. In recent years, the degree to which the aquifer is overexploited has fallen considerably, and it appears to have entered a new hydrodynamic stage. New hydrogeochemical characterisations have been carried out, which indicate that the aquifer water is relatively strongly mineralised due, fundamentally, to the dissolution of evaporite rocks. On the other hand, deterioration in water quality as a consequence of the degree of overabstraction can also be confirmedDepto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEGeneralitat ValencianaUNESCOpu
Bisphenol A induces coronary endothelial cell necroptosis by activating RIP3/CamKII dependent pathway.
Epidemiological studies link long term exposure to xenoestrogen Bisphenol-A to adverse cardiovascular effects. Our previous results show that BPA induces hypertension by a mechanism involving CamKII activation and increased redox stress caused by eNOS uncoupling. Recently, CamKII sustained activation has been recognized as a central mediator of programmed cell death in cardiovascular diseases, including necroptosis. However, the role of necroptosis in cardiac response to BPA had not yet been explored. Mice exposed to BPA for 16 weeks showed altered heart function, electrical conduction, and increased blood pressure. Besides, a stress test showed ST-segment depression, indicative of cardiac ischemia. The hearts exhibited cardiac hypertrophy and reduced vascularization, interstitial edema, and large hemorrhagic foci accompanied by fibrinogen deposits. BPA initiated a cardiac inflammatory response, up-regulation of M1 macrophage polarization, and increased oxidative stress, coinciding with the increased expression of CamKII and the necroptotic effector RIP3. In addition, cell death was especially evident in coronary endothelial cells within hemorrhagic areas, and Evans blue extravasation indicated a vascular leak in response to Bisphenol-A. Consistent with the in vivo findings, BPA increased the necroptosis/apoptosis ratio, the expression of RIP3, and CamKII activation in endothelial cells. Necrostatin-1, an inhibitor of necroptosis, alleviated BPA induced cardiac dysfunction and prevented the inflammatory and hemorrhagic response in mice. Mechanistically, silencing of RIP3 reversed BPA-induced necroptosis and CamKII activation in endothelial cells, while inhibition of CamKII activation by KN-93 had no effect on RIP3 expression but decreased necroptotic cell death suggesting that BPA induced necroptosis is mediated by a RIP 3/CamKII dependent pathway. Our results reveal a novel pathogenic role of BPA on the coronary circulation. BPA induces endothelial cell necroptosis, promotes the weakening of coronary vascular wall, which caused internal ventricular hemorrhages, delaying the reparative process and ultimately leading to cardiac dysfunction.post-print4043 K
The Questionnaire of Intention to Help in VAW Cases (QIHVC): Development and preliminary results
Introduction: Violence against women (VAW) is a worldwide social and health
problem of epidemic proportions. This violence is preventable, and bystander
programs are one of the possible preventative strategies. The main purpose of
this research was to develop a tool that, by applying a contrastive methodology
for its application in different forms of violence (forms of gender-based violence,
such as intimate partner VAW, sexual harassment at work, and street harassment,
and common violence, such as a robbery), would allow measuring the probability
of occurrence of bystander response in the face of these types of violence with
good evidence of content validity.
Method: Firstly (Study 1), an initial version of a measure tool, the Questionnaire
of Intention to Help in VAW Cases (QIHVC), was developed; secondly (Study 2), a
Delphi (modified) study was carried out to obtain valid, content-based evidence;
and finally (Study 3), a pilot study was carried out to evaluate the appropriate
functioning of the QIHVC and, if required, to make any necessary adjustments.
Results and discussion: The main result is the development of a set of case
scenarios and a questionnaire related to its content which constitutes the QIHVC
and, in its initial approximation, seems to constitute an adequate and sensible tool
to capture the differences between the characterizations of common violence
and VAW and in the possible response of bystanders in the face of such violenc
Large memcapacitance and memristance at Nb:SrTiO3/La0.5Sr0.5Mn0.5Co0.5O3-d topotactic redox interface
The possibility to develop neuromorphic computing devices able to mimic the extraordinary data processing capabilities of biological systems spurs the research on memristive systems. Memristors with additional functionalities such as robust memcapacitance can outperform standard devices in key aspects such as power consumption or miniaturization possibilities. In this work, we demonstrate a large memcapacitive response of a perovskite memristive interface, using the topotactic redox ability of La0.5Sr0.5Mn0.5Co0.5O3-d (LSMCO, 0 = d = 0.62). We demonstrate that the multi-mem behavior originates at the switchable n-p diode formed at the Nb:SrTiO3/LSMCO interface. We found for our Nb:SrTiO3/LSMCO/Pt devices a memcapacitive effect CHIGH/CLOW ~100 at 150 kHz. The proof-of-concept interface reported here opens a promising venue to use topotactic redox materials for disruptive nanoelectronics, with straightforward applications in neuromorphic computing technology
Silibinin is a direct inhibitor of STAT3.
We herein combined experimental and computational efforts to delineate the mechanism of action through which the flavonolignan silibinin targets STAT3. Silibinin reduced IL-6 inducible, constitutive, and acquired feedback activation of STAT3 at tyrosine 705 (Y705). Silibinin attenuated the inducible phospho-activation of Y705 in GFP-STAT3 genetic fusions without drastically altering the kinase activity of the STAT3 upstream kinases JAK1 and JAK2. A comparative computational study based on docking and molecular dynamics simulation over 14 different STAT3 inhibitors (STAT3i) predicted that silibinin could directly bind with high affinity to both the Src homology-2 (SH2) domain and the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of STAT3. Silibinin partially overlapped with the cavity occupied by other STAT3i in the SH2 domain to indirectly prevent Y705 phosphorylation, yet showing a unique binding mode. Moreover, silibinin was the only STAT3i predicted to establish direct interactions with DNA in its targeting to the STAT3 DBD. The prevention of STAT3 nuclear translocation, the blockade of the binding of activated STAT3 to its consensus DNA sequence, and the suppression of STAT3-directed transcriptional activity confirmed silibinin as a direct STAT3i. The unique characteristics of silibinin as a bimodal SH2- and DBD-targeting STAT3i make silibinin a promising lead for designing new, more effective STAT3i.This work was supported by grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Grant SAF2016-80639-P to J. A. Menendez), Plan Nacional de I + D + I, Spain, and the Agencia de Gestio d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (Grant 2014 SGR229 to J. A. Menendez). This study was supported also by unrestricted research grants from Roche Pharma (Spain) and Astellas Pharma (Spain) to the Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE, Catalan Institute of Oncology). Joaquim Bosch-Barrera is supported by SEOM, Pfizer (Grant WI190764), Boehringer Ingelheim, Meda Pharma, and Pla strategic de recerca i innovacio en salut 2016-2020 de la Generalitat de Catalunya (SLT006/17/114). Elisabet Cuyas is supported by a Sara Borrell postdoctoral contract (CD15/00033) from the Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria (FIS), Spain. The authors would like to thank Dr. Kenneth McCreath for editorial support.S
Thin discs, thick dwarfs and the effects of stellar feedback
We investigate the role of stellar mass in shaping the intrinsic thickness of
galaxy discs by determining the probability distribution of apparent axis
ratios (b/a) for two different samples that probe the faint end of the galaxy
luminosity function. We find that the b/a distribution has a characteristic
'U-shape' and identify a limiting mass M_* ~ 2x10^9 M_sun below which low-mass
galaxies start to be systematically thicker. This tendency holds for very faint
(M_B ~ -8) dwarfs in the Local Volume, which are essentially spheroidal
systems. We argue that galaxy shape is the result of the complex interplay
between mass, specific angular momentum and stellar feedback effects. Thus, the
increasing importance of turbulent motions in lower mass galaxies leads to the
formation of thicker systems, a result supported by the latest hydrodynamical
simulations of dwarf galaxy formation and other theoretical expectations. We
discuss several implications of this finding, including the formation of bars
in faint galaxies, the deprojection of HI line profiles and simulations of
environmental effects on the dwarf galaxy population.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter
Radio continuum and near-infrared study of the MGRO J2019+37 region
(abridged) MGRO J2019+37 is an unidentified extended source of VHE gamma-rays
originally reported by the Milagro Collaboration as the brightest TeV source in
the Cygnus region. Its extended emission could be powered by either a single or
several sources. The GeV pulsar AGL J2020.5+3653, discovered by AGILE and
associated with PSR J2021+3651, could contribute to the emission from MGRO
J2019+37, although extrapolation of the GeV spectrum does not explain the
detected multi-TeV flux. Our aim is to identify radio and NIR sources in the
field of the extended TeV source MGRO J2019+37, and study potential
counterparts that could contribute to its emission. We surveyed a region of
about 6 square degrees with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at the
frequency 610 MHz. We also observed the central square degree of this survey in
the NIR Ks-band using the 3.5 m telescope in Calar Alto. Archival X-ray
observations of some specific fields are included. VLBI observations of an
interesting radio source were performed. We explored possible scenarios to
produce the multi-TeV emission from MGRO J2019+37 and studied which of the
sources could be the main particle accelerator. We present a catalogue of 362
radio sources detected with the GMRT in the field of MGRO J2019+37, and the
results of a cross-correlation of this catalog with one obtained at NIR
wavelengths, as well as with available X-ray observations of the region. Some
peculiar sources inside the ~1 degree uncertainty region of the TeV emission
from MGRO J2019+37 are discussed in detail, including the pulsar PSR J2021+3651
and its pulsar wind nebula PWN G75.2+0.1, two new radio-jet sources, the HII
region Sh 2-104 containing two star clusters, and the radio source NVSS
J202032+363158.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysic
- …