Non-volatility of ferroelectric SBT thin fims, at 75ºC

[ES] El estudio de la no volatilidad de una memoria FeRAM de tantalato de bismuto y estroncio, SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) en condiciones reales de uso, requiere la caracterización ferroeléctrica del material en forma de lámina delgada a temperaturas por encima del ambiente. Para ello se han depositado láminas de SBT mediante un método sol-gel, sobre substratos de Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si(100), seleccionándose condensadores de área 5.10-4 cm-2. Basándonos en las medidas de la variación de la polarización con el tiempo (retención) realizadas a temperatura ambiente y a 75ºC, analizamos la viabilidad del material como una FeRAM en condiciones reales de uso.[EN] The study of the non-volatility of Strontium bismuth tantalate SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) FeRAM memory, at real operating conditions, requires the ferroelectric characterisation of the material, as a thin film, above the room temperature.As a result, it has been deposited SBT films by the sol-gel method, onto Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si (100) substrates, using capacitors of 5 x 10–4 cm-2 .In this work, we analysed the viability of this material as a FeRAM memory in real operating conditions, as a result of the variation of the polarisation measurements with time (retention), performed at room temperature and 75ºC.Este trabajo ha sido realizado con el apoyo del proyecto de la CICYT MAT98-1068.Peer reviewe

Hyaenids, felids and canids as bone accumulators: Does the natural history of extant species support zooarchaeological inferences?

Mammalian carnivores may be important agents of prehistoric bone accumulations. Taphonomic analyses of bone assemblages used for specific assignment usually include information on feeding, breeding, denning and even defecating ecology of extant species. Here, we review literature for the Hyaenidae, Felidae and Canidae families of carnivores, focusing on the ecological and behavioural traits that are commonly used as criteria to assign bone accumulations to specific carnivores, and whether these correspond to the present behaviour and ecology of extant species. We found a total of 93 records where 12 species (9 extant species) of these families were considered as bone accumulators in archaeozoological sites. Hyaenidae was the group most often cited, followed by Felidae and Canidae. Crocuta crocuta was by far the species most often cited as a bone accumulator. Most bone deposits assigned to carnivores (84.9%) were found in underground cavities, and to a lesser extent in non-cave deposits (15.1%). The use assigned to the sites was mainly as a den (29.5%) or breeding den (29.5%), followed by prey depot (16.2%), feeding shelter (12.4%), and to a lesser extent a hunting place (7.6%), with some remarkable differences among families. Coprolites were also found in 53.8% of cases. The behaviour of present hyenas may be similar to that of prehistoric ones as they commonly use underground dens, defecate inside of them and frequently accumulate prey remains. On the other hand, even though present canids are more often recorded than felids using underground dens and accumulating prey, the latter are more often recorded as prehistoric bone accumulators than the former. The behaviour of only one present species of canid (V. vulpes) and other a felid (P. pardus) matches the one presumed for prehistoric individuals of such species in relation to bone and scat accumulation. The role of the remaining species as bone and scat accumulator agents in prehistoric sites remains questionable due to differences in their present behaviour. Therefore, many assignments of bone accumulation to specific carnivores are based on assumptions, which did not coincide with the present natural history of the species. Our review also highlights the absence of records of small species as prehistoric bone accumulators.We thank Cuauhtemoc Ch avez and Ana Carolina Srbek for their unpublished information on jaguars. HRV is a beneficiary of a PhD scholarship “Severo Ochoa” from the Regional Government of Principality of Asturias, and AMG was supported by the Predoctoral Fellowship PRE2018-086102

Kinetics of antibodies in sera, saliva, and urine samples from adult patients with primary or secondary dengue 3 virus infections

SummaryObjectivesThe kinetics of three serological markers (IgM, IgA, and IgG) in serum, saliva, and urine samples from adult patients with primary or secondary dengue infection were studied.DesignSerum, saliva, and urine samples were collected from 22 patients with clinical and confirmed dengue 3 virus infection during the outbreak in Havana City in 2001. They were tested by capture IgM (MAC-ELISA), IgA (AAC-ELISA), and IgE (EAC-ELISA) and IgG ELISA inhibition method (EIM) to detect specific dengue antibodies.ResultsSimilar kinetics were observed in IgM, IgA, and IgG antibodies in saliva and IgA and IgG in urine samples from secondary cases compared with kinetics in serum samples, although the values were lower. No IgG antibody was detected in saliva and urine samples in primary cases and IgM antibody was not detected in urine samples from either primary or secondary infection. All secondary cases were positive for IgG in saliva and urine samples at day 7. The kinetics of specific IgE antibodies in primary and secondary cases were different.ConclusionsThe kinetics of three serological markers (IgM, IgA, and IgG) in serum, saliva, and urine samples from adult patients with primary or secondary dengue 3 virus infection were studied for the first time, showing its behavior and usefulness in dengue virus diagnosis. The specific IgE could play a role as a serological marker in secondary infections

Conocimientos y factores de riesgo relacionados con la enfermedad de Chagas en dos comunidades panameñas donde Rhodnius pallescens es el vector principal

Introduction: The implementation of surveillance, control and prevention measures for Chagas’ disease requires an integrated approach. The sustainability of programs depends on community participation supported on a basic understanding of the problem.Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of people interviewed which facilitates or limits the surveillance, prevention and control of Chagas’ disease in two endemic Panamanian communities where Rhodnius pallescens is the main vector.Materials and methods: A questionnaire assessed the knowledge and risk factors related to Chagas’ disease in 201 people over 10 years of age from the endemic communities of Las Pavas and Lagartera Grande located on the western shore of Panama Canal. Additionally, with the help of the residents, the presence of triatomine bugs in 93 dwellings was evaluated during a year.Results: Of those interviewed, 69.2% (139/201) had poor or very poor knowledge about Chagas’ disease. Nearly 93% (187/201) was exposed to moderate or high risk factors. Triatomine bugs were collected in 20.4% (19/93) of the evaluated homes; 80% (66/76) of them were R. pallescens. Significant association was found between the presence of triatomines inside the houses and precarious housing (p<0.01).Conclusion: Despite having been exposed to health education-related programs, it is necessary to strengthen the basic knowledge about Chagas’ disease in the two communities before establishing prevention and surveillance measures which involve active participation of its inhabitants.Introducción. La implementación de los programas de vigilancia, prevención y control de la enfermedad de Chagas requiere una aproximación integral. La sostenibilidad de los programas depende de la participación comunitaria amparada en un conocimiento básico del problema.Objetivo. Evaluar los conocimientos de los entrevistados que facilitan o limitan la vigilancia, prevención y control de la enfermedad de Chagas en dos comunidades endémicas de Panamá donde Rhodnius pallescens es el vector principal.Materiales y métodos. Mediante un cuestionario se evaluaron los conocimientos y los factores de riesgo relacionados con la enfermedad de Chagas en 201 personas mayores de 10 años de las comunidades endémicas de Las Pavas y Lagartera Grande, ubicadas en la ribera oeste del Canal de Panamá. Con ayuda de los moradores también se evaluó la presencia de chinches triatominos en 93 viviendas a lo largo de un año.Resultados. De las personas entrevistadas, 69,2 % (139/201) tenía pocos o muy pocos conocimientos sobre la enfermedad de Chagas y 93 % (187/201) estaba expuesto a factores de riesgo moderados o altos. Se capturaron chinches triatominos en 20,4 % (19/93) de las viviendas evaluadas, de los cuales, el 86,8 % (66/76) era R. pallescens. Se encontró asociación significativa entre la presencia de chinches dentro de las viviendas y las viviendas catalogadas como precarias (p<0,01).Conclusión. A pesar de que en estas dos comunidades se han desarrollado programas de educación sanitaria, es necesario reforzar los conocimientos básicos sobre la enfermedad de Chagas antes de establecer medidas de prevención y vigilancia que involucren la participación activa de sus habitantes

Comparative analysis of the performance of asphalt concretes modified by dry way with polymeric waste

An asphalt concrete has been modified by adding four polymeric wastes: polyethylene (PE) from micronized containers, polypropylene (PP) from ground caps, polystyrene (PS) from hangers and rubber from end-of-life tyres (ELT). These polymeric wastes were selected according to their availability, homogeneity and economic criteria considering the big amount of material required to build a road. The dry method has been used to modify the bituminous mixture due to its simplicity and the possibility to be carried out in any asphalt plant without important modifications. This is very important in order to spread the process and recycle the polymeric waste in the same place where it is produced, hence improving the environmental impact. The reference asphalt mixture and the four modified asphalt concretes have been analysed separately and their performance compared, evaluating their resistance against plastic deformation, stiffness, fatigue resistance and workability. The Master curve and the Black diagram of the mixtures were also calculated. The results showed that the use of polymeric wastes significantly increased the stiffness of the reference mixture in all cases, but especially when PE, PP and ELT were used. However, none of these materials significantly modifies the fatigue behaviour of the reference mixture. Regarding the resistance against plastic deformation, the use of both PE and ELT led to an increase of the resistance, whereas PP did not modify it and PS decreased it. As for workability, the energy of compaction of the modified mixtures did not suffer any important change. Therefore, according to the results obtained, PE, PP and ELT can be used to modify asphalt mixtures since they improve or do not change their properties. On the other hand, PS should be further studied because of the contradictory results obtained, and only when plastic deformation is not a problem this material could be used.POLYMIX is a project financed by the “LIFE+” program of the European Union, with reference number LIFE10 ENV ES 516. This project was carried out by a consortium coordinated by GITECO (Construction Technology Applied Research Group, University of Cantabria) and integrated by ACCIONA Infrastructures, AIMPLAS (Research Association of Plastic Materials), and VIA-M (Department of Road Construction from the Madrid Regional Government). The authors wish to acknowledge and especially thank Belén Monje and Eva Verdejo (AIMPLAS) and Raquel Casado and Elena Sáez (ACCIONA) for their collaboration

Persistence of COVID-19 Symptoms after Recovery in Mexican Population

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a highly contagious infectious disease that has caused many deaths worldwide. Despite global efforts, it continues to cause great losses, and leaving multiple unknowns that we must resolve in order to face the pandemic more effectively. One of the questions that has arisen recently is what happens, after recovering from COVID-19. For this reason, the objective of this study is to identify the risk of presenting persistent symptoms in recovered from COVID-19. This case-control study was conducted in one state of Mexico. Initially the data were obtained from the participants, through a questionnaire about symptoms that they had at the moment of the interview. Initially were captured the collected data, to make a dataset. After the pre-processed using the R project tool to eliminate outliers or missing data. Obtained finally a total of 219 participants, 141 recovered and 78 controls. It was used confidence level of 90% and a margin of error of 7%. From results it was obtained that all symptoms have an associated risk in those recovered. The relative risk of the selected symptoms in the recovered patients goes from 3 to 22 times, being infinite for the case of dyspnea, due to the fact that there is no control that presents this symptom at the moment of the interview, followed by the nausea and the anosmia with a RR of 8.5. Therefore, public health strategies must be rethought, to treat or rehabilitate, avoiding chronic problems in patients recovered from COVID-19

II Jornadas de la Sociedad Española para la Conservación y Estudio de Los Mamíferos (SECEM) Soria 7-9 diciembre 1995

Seguimiento de una reintroducción de corzo (Capreolus capreolus) en ambiente mediterráneo. Dispersión y área de campeoModelos de distribución de los insectívoros ern la Península IbéricaDieta anual del zorro, Vulpes vulpes, en dos hábitats del Parque Nacional de DoñanaDesarrollo juvenil del cráneo en las poblaciones ibéricas de gato montés, Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777Presencia y expansión del visón americano (Mustela vison) en las provincias de Teruel y Castellón (Este de España).Preferencias de hábitat invernal de la musaraña común (Crocidura russula) en un encinar fragmentado de la submeseta norteUso de cámaras automáticas para la recogida de información faunística.Dieta del lobo en dos zonas de Asturias (España) que difieren en carga ganadera.Consumo de frutos y dispersión de semillas de serbal (Sorbus aucuparia L.) por zorros y martas en la cordillera Cantábrica occidentalEvaluación de espermatozoides obtenidos postmorten en el ciervo.Frecuencia de aparición de diferentes restos de conejo en excrementos de lince y zorroAtlas preliminar de los mamíferos de Soria (España)Censo y distribución de la marmota alpina (Marmota marmota) en Navarra.Trampeo fotográfico del género Martes en el Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici (Lleida)Peer reviewe

Institutional Science for Policy Report on the damages produced by and the conservation status of wolves in Europe

Informe presentado por la Estación Biológica de Doñana a petición de la Comisión Europea.The Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC has been working on large carnivore management and conservation and on the management of wildlife damages for decades, in collaboration with multiple international research bodies. In this Science for Policy Report we provide, together with collaborating scientists from other institutions, evidenced-based scientific information related to the petition expressed by the EC. This response also includes an evaluation of the suggested changes in management policies raised in the EC press release, which are of particular concern for the conservation of wolf populations. Those changes could compromise human-wolf coexistence in Europe and eventually downgrade coexistence targets in the management of other predators in Europe and worldwide.Peer reviewe