Temporal analysis of natural radionuclides deposition at Málaga(2005-2016)

Atmospheric deposition of radionuclides has been investigated in many studies from the aspects of both radiation protection and geochemistry. The present study, carried out in the city of Málaga, in the southeast of Spain, focuses on the assessment of the bulk depositional fluxes of three natural radionuclides: 7Be (cosmogenic origin), and 210Pb and 40K (crustal origin). These three radionuclides are useful markers of particles arising from their respective sources. To obtain fundamental information of atmospheric transportation, sedimentation and geological process of particulate matter, a long-term monitoring of atmospheric deposition has been carried out in Málaga from January 2005-December 2016. Samples of bulk deposition were collected on a monthly basis on a stainless steel tray from January 2005 to December 2016. Afterwards, a volume of 6 L of the bulk deposition was reduced via evaporation to 1 L approximately and transferred to a Marinelli geometry container for gamma counting. Additionally, aerosols samples were collected weekly in cellulose membrane filters of 0.8μm pore size and 47mm diameter with an air sampler lodged in an all-weather sampling station, situated on the roof near the bulk rain collector. Gamma counting of the aerosols and bulk deposition samples was performed using an intrinsic germanium coaxial detector, Re-Ge-type (CANBERRA). This study describes the results and then discusses characteristics of atmospheric deposition of mentioned radionuclides with respect to seasonal variations and dependency on controlling factors. The depositional fluxes of all radionuclides showed a clear seasonal trend with summer minimum and high values in wintertime

Natural radiactivity from building materials in Spain

The industrial construction sector is very important in Spain. Building materials used in this industry are sources of radiation from natural radionuclides they contain. The European Commission published some recommendations to facilitate the trade of these materials in the E.U. The studies about this subject have increased notably during last years. This, probably, can be associated with the increase interest from natural radiation radiological risk on indoor exposure.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. CSN-201

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) as a potential therapeutic target in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) is a central signaling node involved in the modulation of many G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and also displaying regulatory functions in other cell signaling routes. GRK2 levels and activity have been reported to be enhanced in patients or in preclinical models of several relevant pathological situations, such as heart failure, cardiac hypertrophy, hypertension, obesity and insulin resistance conditions, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and to contribute to disease progression by a variety of mechanisms related to its multifunctional roles. Therefore, targeting GRK2 by different strategies emerges as a potentially relevant approach to treat cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, or NAFLD, pathological conditions which are frequently interconnected and present as co-morbidities.Our laboratories are supported by Ministerio de Economía; Industria y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain (grant SAF2017- 84125-R to FM and CM and SAF2016-80305-P to MS and AMB), CIBERCV-Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (grants CB16/11/00278 and CB16/11/00286 to FM and MS, respectively, co-funded with European FEDER contribution), and Programa de Actividades en Biomedicina de la Comunidad de Madrid (grants B2017/BMD-3671-INFLAMUNE to FM and B2017/ BMD-3676-AORTASANA to MS)

Delayed development of basal spikelets in wheat explains their increased floret abortion and rudimentary nature

Large differences exist in the number of grains per spikelet across an individual wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) spike. The central spikelets produce the highest number of grains, while apical and basal spikelets are less productive, and the most basal spikelets are commonly only developed in rudimentary form. Basal spikelets are delayed in initiation, yet they continue to develop and produce florets. The precise timing or the cause of their abortion remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the underlying causes of basal spikelet abortion using shading applications in the field. We found that basal spikelet abortion is likely to be the consequence of complete floret abortion, as both occur concurrently and have the same response to shading treatments. We detected no differences in assimilate availability across the spike. Instead, we show that the reduced developmental age of basal florets pre-anthesis is strongly associated with their increased abortion. Using the developmental age pre-abortion, we were able to predict final grain set per spikelet across the spike, alongside the characteristic gradient in the number of grains from basal to central spikelets. Future efforts to improve spikelet homogeneity across the spike could thus focus on improving basal spikelet establishment and increasing floret development rates pre-abortion

Holocene sea level and climate interactions on wet dune slack evolution in SW Portugal: a model for future scenarios?

We examine the Holocene environmental changes in a wet dune slack of the Portuguese coast, Poco do Barbarroxa de Baixo. Lithology, organic matter, biological proxies and high-resolution chronology provide estimations of sediment accumulation rates and changes in environmental conditions in relation to sea-level change and climate variability during the Holocene. Results show that the wet dune slack was formed 7.5 cal. ka BP, contemporaneous with the last stages of the rapid sea-level rise. This depositional environment formed under frequent freshwater flooding and water ponding that allowed the development and post-mortem accumulation of abundant plant remains. The wetland evolved into mostly palustrine conditions over the next 2000 years, until a phase of stabilization in relative sea-level rise, when sedimentation rates slowed down to 0.04 mm yr(-1), between 5.3 and 2.5 cal. ka BP. Later, about 0.8 cal. ka BP, high-energy events, likely due to enhanced storminess and more frequent onshore winds, caused the collapse of the foredune above the wetlands' seaward margin. The delicate balance between hydrology (controlled by sea-level rise and climate change), sediment supply and storminess modulates the habitat's resilience and ecological stability. This underpins the relevance of integrating past records in coastal wet dune slacks management in a scenario of constant adaptation processes.Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa [FCT UID/GEO/50019/2013

Five new real-time detections of Fast Radio Bursts with UTMOST

We detail a new fast radio burst (FRB) survey with the Molonglo Radio Telescope, in which six FRBs were detected between June 2017 and December 2018. By using a real-time FRB detection system, we captured raw voltages for five of the six events, which allowed for coherent dedispersion and very high time resolution (10.24 $\mu$s) studies of the bursts. Five of the FRBs show temporal broadening consistent with interstellar and/or intergalactic scattering, with scattering timescales ranging from 0.16 to 29.1 ms. One burst, FRB181017, shows remarkable temporal structure, with 3 peaks each separated by 1 ms. We searched for phase-coherence between the leading and trailing peaks and found none, ruling out lensing scenarios. Based on this survey, we calculate an all-sky rate at 843 MHz of $98^{+59}_{-39}$ events sky$^{-1}$ day$^{-1}$ to a fluence limit of 8 Jy-ms: a factor of 7 below the rates estimated from the Parkes and ASKAP telescopes at 1.4 GHz assuming the ASKAP-derived spectral index $\alpha=-1.6$ ($F_{\nu}\propto\nu^{\alpha}$). Our results suggest that FRB spectra may turn over below 1 GHz. Optical, radio and X-ray followup has been made for most of the reported bursts, with no associated transients found. No repeat bursts were found in the survey.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, submitted to MNRA

Improvements to the X-ray Spectrometer at the Aerosol Laboratory, Instituto de Física, UNAM

Due to the demands of better (accurate and precise) analytical results using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) at the Aerosol Laboratory, Instituto de Física, UNAM, it was necessary to carry out improvements in instrumentation and analytical procedures in the x-ray spectrometer located in this facility. A new turbomolecular vacuum system was installed, which allows reaching the working pressure in a shorter time. Characteristic x-rays are registered with a Silicon Drift Detector, or SDD, (8 mm thick Be window, 140 eV at 5.9 keV resolution), working directly in a high-vacuum, permitting the detection of x-rays with energies as low as 1 keV (Na Ka) and higher counting rates than in the past. Due to the interference produced by the Rh L x-rays emitted by the tube normally used for atmospheric and food analysis with Cl K x-rays, another tube with a W anode was mounted in the spectrometer to avoid this interference, with the possibility to select operation with any of these tubes. Examples of applications in atmospheric aerosols and other samples are presented, to demonstrate the enhanced function of the spectrometer. Other future modifications are also explained

Successful use of mild therapeutic hypothermia as compassionate treatment for severe refractory hypoxemia in COVID-19

Indexación ScopusBackground: COVID-19 is a disease associated with an intense systemic inflammation that could induce severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with life-threatening hypoxia and hypercapnia. We present a case where mild therapeutic hypothermia was associated with improved gas exchange, facing other therapies' unavailability due to the pandemic. Case report: A healthy 38-year-old male admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia developed extreme hypoxia (PaO2/FiO2 ratio 42 mmHg), respiratory acidosis, and hyperthermia, refractory to usual treatment (mechanical ventilation, neuromuscular blockade, and prone position), and advanced therapies were not available. Mild therapeutic hypothermia management (target 33–34 °C) was maintained for five days, with progressive gas exchange improvement, which allowed his recovery over the following weeks. He was discharged home after 68 days without significant ICU associated morbidity. Conclusions: Mild hypothermia is a widely available therapy, that given some specific characteristics of COVID-19, may be explored as adjunctive therapy for life-threatening ARDS, especially during a shortage of other rescue therapies. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.https://www-sciencedirect-com.recursosbiblioteca.unab.cl/science/article/pii/S0883944121000095?via%3Dihu

The ontogeny of greater amberjack digestive and antioxidant defence systems under different rearing conditions: A histological and enzymatic approach

An overall synchronization of morphological and physiological ontogenetic events of the digestive and antioxidant defence systems occurred in greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) larvae reared under intensive (INT) or semi‐intensive (MES) conditions for 30 days. The first differentiations of the digestive channel took place at 3–4 days post‐hatch (dph) (3.6–3.7 mm). Differentiation of the endocrine and exocrine pancreas begun at 4–5 dph (4.0–4.1 mm), coinciding with a decrease in carbohydrase activity from egg to the onset of exogenous feeding and the maintenance of bile salt‐activated lipase and total alkaline proteases. The first gastric glands and pepsin activity were evident at 17–20 dph (5.5–6.2 mm) in both fish groups. The appearance of pyloric caeca had a 5‐day delay in the INT compared to the MES larvae (28 versus 23 dph). Antioxidant enzyme activities decreased progressively from 7 to 30 dph in both rearing conditions. However, GPx, SOD at 7 and 18 dph, and GST activities were higher in the INT larvae. Although both larval groups did not globally differ in somatic growth and maturation of digestive function, it seems that the antioxidant defence system of MES larvae had to face less oxidative assaults, which may be attributed to lower stressful and more stable culture conditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio