MT1a mRNA Expression in Human Lung Cells (BEAS 2B) After Airborne PM10 and Copper Exposure: A Possible Biomarker for Asthma

Puerto Ricans have the highest prevalence, morbidity and mortality of asthma than any other ethnic group in the U.S. and can be triggered by different stimuli such as airborne Particle pollution (PM). PM transfers transition metals, including cooper, to the human airways generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Metallothionein protein (MT1A) is a free radical scavenger expected to be induced in lung cells by PM exposure; however, this has never been proven nor demonstrated. The hypothesis involves the amounts of PM10 in 2004, which would be significantly higher in the urban sites during months of March and June, thereby increasing PM metal exposure and inducing MT1A gene at the urban site. PM10 filters for Urban (Guaynabo) and rural (Fajardo) site were provided by the PREQB. Organic extracts were prepared from filters by means of Soxhlet Extraction and heavy metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. BEAS-2B cells were cultured and exposed to PM10 during 4 hrs. RNA was isolated and relative mRNA levels of MT1A were determined by RT-PCR. Urban PM10 concentrations were 35 ug/m3 and 60ug/m3 for the months of March and June, respectively. Concentrations of copper for this urban PM10 were 29.6 ppm and 50.3 ppm, for March and June, respectively. Exposure to Cu leads to an MT1A expression in lung cells demonstrating its response to metal exposure. Cellular response for the mRNA expression of MT1A was greater in relative high inflammation markers than in PM10 samples

Electronic structure of porphyrin-based metal– organic frameworks and their suitability for solar fuel production photocatalysis

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can be exceptionally good catalytic materials thanks to the presence of active metal centres and a porous structure that is advantageous for molecular adsorption and confinement. We present here a first-principles investigation of the electronic structure of a family of MOFs based on porphyrins connected through phenyl-carboxyl ligands and AlOH species, in order to assess their suitability for the photocatalysis of fuel production reactions using sunlight. We consider structures with protonated porphyrins and those with the protons exchanged with late 3d metal cations (Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+), a process that we find to be thermodynamically favorable from aqueous solution for all these metals. Our band structure calculations, based on an accurate screened hybrid functional, reveal that the bandgaps are in a favorable range (2.0 to 2.6 eV) for efficient adsorption of solar light. Furthermore, by approximating the vacuum level to the pore centre potential, we provide the alignment of the MOFs' band edges with the redox potentials for water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction, and show that the structures studied here have band edges positions suitable for these reactions at neutral pH.Royal Society for an International Exchange Scheme grantVia our membership of the UK's HPC Materials Chemistry Consortium, which is funded by EPSRC (EP/L000202), this work made use of the facilities of ARCHER, the UK's national high-performance computing services, which are funded by the Office of Science and Technology through EPSRC's High End Computing ProgrammeEuropean Research Council through an ERC Starting Grant (ERC2011-StG-279520-RASPA)MINECO (CTQ2013-48396-P)Andalucía Region (FQM-1851)University of Granad

Un estudio unificado de la convergencia semilocal de métodos tipo Newton de dos puntos en espacios de Banach

En este trabajo consideramos procesos iterativos tipo Newton de dos puntos para aproximar una solución de una ecuación no lineal en espacios de Banach. A partir de una expresión general que caracteriza estos procesos iterativos, obtenemos resultados de convergencia semilocal, estableciendo una teoría unificada para el an´alisis de este tipo de procesos.Ministerio de Educación y Cienci

Aproximación a la interpretación publicitaria desde la estética de la recepción

Definida por primera vez por Hans Robert Jauss en la conferencia inaugural de la Universidad de Constanza el 13 de abril de 1967, la teoría o estética de la recepción pretendía una revolución en la concepción de la relación autor-receptor de la obra literaria, que sería trasladada, posteriormente, al resto de manifestaciones artísticas. En esta línea, y relacionada con la teoría de los efectos de la comunicación de masas y, en concreto, de la comunicación persuasiva, el presente trabajo propone un análisis de la publicidad desde los presupuestos básicos de dicha Teoría de la Recepción, entendiendo que es el público de los anuncios el que realmente configura su sentido final

Continuous spectra in high-harmonic generation driven by multicycle laser pulses

We present observations of the emission of XUV continua in the 20-37 eV region by high harmonic generation (HHG) with $4$-$7\ \mathrm{fs}$ pulses focused onto a Kr gas jet. The underlying mechanism relies on coherent control of the relative delays and phases between individually generated attosecond pulse, achievable by adjusting the chirp of the driving pulses and the interaction geometry. Under adequate negative chirp and phase matching conditions, the resulting interpulse interference yields a continuum XUV spectrum, which is due to both microscopic and macroscopic (propagation) contributions. This technique opens the route for modifying the phase of individual attosecond pulses and for the coherent synthesis of XUV continua from multicycle driving laser pulses without the need of an isolated attosecond burst.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Physical Review

Desenvolupament d'eines gràfiques Web associades a bases de dades espai temporals de dades hidrometeorològiques

A causa del canvi climàtic, les eines de gestió de riscs especialitzades en meteorologia cada vegada estan agafant més pes dins de les institucions d'arreu del món. HYDS, empresa pionera en aquest àmbit, millora dia a dia els seus serveis oferint l'aplicació web ARGOS. En la seva contínua millora del servei, s'ha decidit desenvolupar una eina gràfica per interactuar amb dades espai temporals hidrometeorològiques. Aquesta eina gràfica consisteix a mostrar en un visor dades hidrometeorològiques del passat sobre un territori. És un projecte llarg on a cada fase es millorarà i s'hi afegiran noves funcionalitats. Amb aquesta millora un dels beneficis que tindran les institucions serà estudiar fenòmens meteorològics del passat per poder estar més preparades per actuar en els futurs episodis que apareixeran. Com estudiant en pràctiques, HYDS em va oferir treballar en aquest projecte i poder presentar-lo com a treball de fi de grau, on em va semblar un projecte interessant i desafiant a parts iguals.Due to climate change, risk management tools specialized in meteorology are gaining more weight within institutions all over the world. HYDS, a pioneer in this sector, is improving its service's day by day by offering the ARGOS web application. In its continuous improvement of the service, it has been decided to develop a graphic tool to interact with spatio-temporal hydrometeorological data. This graphical tool consists of displaying past hydrometeorological data on a territory in a viewer. It is a long project where in each phase new functionalities will be added and improved. With this improvement, one of the benefits for the institutions will be to study past meteorological phenomena in order to be better prepared to respond in case of future episodes. As an intern, HYDS offered me to work on this project and present it as my final thesis, which I found to be an interesting and challenging project in equal parts

Estudio comparativo: tromboendarterectomía carotídea versus stent carotídeo

El tratamiento quirúrgico de la oclusión de la bifurcación carotidea se ha considerado que es factible pudiéndose realizar dos técnicas, la endarterectomía carotidea y el stent carotideo. Existen numerosos estudios que analizan las ventajas y desventajas de la utilización de ambos métodos, que sin embargo muestran una metodología no homogénea en su realización introduciendo numerosos factores de sesgo, lo que impide tener una valoración real de la situación. Se realiza un estudio retrospectivo descriptivo no aleatorizado con objeto de aportar información sobre el tema. Se analizan aspectos demográficos, indicaciones, resultados de la técnica, ventajas y desventajas y otros parámetros de interés que puedan aportar datos. Se valoran los resultados y se comparan con otros reflejados en la bibliografíaGrado en Medicin

La Ley aplicable a los contratos del personal civil internacional de las misiones de la Unión Europea. A propósito de la STGUE de 10 de noviembre de 2021

In the Jenkinson case, the General Court of the European Union resolves the claims raised by an Irish worker who provided services for several years for different European Union Missions, the last one in Kosovo. Services were always provided on the basis of fixed-term contracts. After the termination of the contract, the worker claimed that all consecutive contracts should be re-categorized as a contract of indefinite duration. Even though each contract, considered individually, leaded to the application of different Laws, the Judgment of the General Court of 10 November 2021 establishes the application of Irish Law to the whole employment relationship. The case is analyzed considering the special regulation of private international Law for contracts signed with the European Union.En el caso Jenkinson, el Tribunal General de la Unión Europea resuelve las reclamaciones planteadas por un trabajador irlandés que durante varios años prestó servicios, siempre sobre la base de contratos de duración determinada, para diversas Misiones de la Unión Europea, la última de ellas en Kosovo. Tras la extinción del contrato, el trabajador reclama ante el TGUE que los diferentes contratos temporales se recalifiquen como una única relación laboral indefinida. Aunque cada uno de los contratos, contemplado individualmente, conduce a la aplicación de leyes diferentes, la STGUE de 10 de noviembre de 2021 establece la aplicación del Derecho irlandés a la totalidad de la relación laboral. El caso se analiza teniendo en consideración las especialidades que plantean los contratos suscritos con la Unión Europea desde el punto de vista del Derecho internacional privado