A Polyextreme Hydrothermal System Controlled by Iron: The Case of Dallol at the Afar Triangle

One of the latest volcanic features of the Erta Ale range at the Afar Triangle (NE Ethiopia) has created a polyextreme hydrothermal system located at the Danakil depression on top of a protovolcano known as the dome of Dallol. The interaction of the underlying basaltic magma with the evaporitic salts of the Danakil depression has generated a unique, high-temperature (108 °C), hypersaline (NaCl supersaturated), hyperacidic (pH values from 0.1 to −1.7), oxygen-free hydrothermal site containing up to 150 g/L of iron. We find that the colorful brine pools and mineral patterns of Dallol derive from the slow oxygen diffusion and progressive oxidation of the dissolved ferrous iron, the iron-chlorine/-sulfate complexation, and the evaporation. These inorganic processes induce the precipitation of nanoscale jarosite-group minerals and iron(III)- oxyhydroxides over a vast deposition of halite displaying complex architectures. Our results suggest that life, if present under such conditions, does not play a dominant role in the geochemical cycling and mineral precipitation at Dallol as opposed to other hydrothermal sites. Dallol, a hydrothermal system controlled by iron, is a present-day laboratory for studying the precipitation and progressive oxidation of iron minerals, relevant for geochemical processes occurring at early Earth and Martian environmentsThis work received funding from the European Research Council under the Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement 340863 (Prometheus) and from MINECO, ref CGL2016-78971-P, AEI/FEDER, UE”

Circulating concentrations of free triiodothyronine are associated with central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors in young euthyroid adults

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via the Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/01393), by the Retos de la Sociedad program (DEP2016-79512-R), European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU13/04365), the Fundacion Iberoamericana de Nutricion (FINUT), the Redes Tematicas de Investigacion Cooperativa RETIC (Red SAMID RD16/0022), the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016-Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)-and Plan Propio de Investigacion 2018-the Programa Contratos-Puente and Contratos Perfeccionamiento de Doctores, the Junta de Andalucia, Consejeria de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidades (ERDF; ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR), and the Fundacion Alfonso Martin Escudero (grant awarded to GSD).Thyroid dysfunction is associated with classic cardiometabolic risk factors in humans. However, this relationship remains unclear in young euthyroid adults. The present work examines the associations of circulating thyroid hormones (THs) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations with body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in young euthyroid adults. A total of 106 sedentary, euthyroid adults (72 women; 22 ± 2 years old) participated in this cross-sectional study. THs and TSH serum concentrations were determined in fasting conditions (6 h). Body composition (fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)) was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, anthropometric parameters (weight, height, and waist circumference) were measured, and neck adipose tissue mass was quantified through computed tomography (CT) scanning. Cardiometabolic risk factors including fasting glucose and lipid metabolism markers, hepatic phosphatase and transaminases, and blood pressure were also assessed. Free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentration was positively associated with body mass index, LM, VAT, and waist circumference (all P ≤ 0.038). FT3 was also associated with glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, fatty liver index, and blood pressure (all P < 0.024). All the associations were attenuated when adjusting for sex. In contrast, we found no associations of TSH or free thyroxine with any body composition parameter or cardiometabolic risk factors. In conclusion, FT3 is associated with central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors including insulin resistance, fatty liver index, and mean, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in young euthyroid adults. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02365129.Universidad de Granada/CBUASpanish Government PI13/01393Retos de la Sociedad program DEP2016-79512-REuropean CommissionSpanish Government FPU13/04365Fundacion Iberoamericana de Nutricion (FINUT)Redes Tematicas de Investigacion Cooperativa RETIC Red SAMID RD16/0022AstraZenecaUniversity of Granada Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016-Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Plan Propio de Investigacion 2018-the Programa Contratos-PuenteContratos Perfeccionamiento de DoctoresJunta de AndaluciaConsejeria de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidades (ERDF) SOMM17/6107/UGRFundacion Alfonso Martin Escuder

Can the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) Be Used as a Suicide Risk Scale? An Exploratory Study

The objective of this research was to examine whether the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale, a life event scale, can be used to identify suicide attempters. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale\u27s ability to identify suicide attempters was tested in 1183 subjects (478 suicide attempters, 197 psychiatric inpatients, and 508 healthy controls) using the Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis and traditional psychometric methods. The Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis outperformed traditional psychometric approaches (area under the curve: 0.85 vs. 0.78; p \u3c 0.05) and indicated that this scale may be used to identify suicide attempters. The life events that better characterized suicide attempters were change in frequency of arguments, marital separation, and personal injury. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale may help identify suicide attempters

Circulating concentrations of free triiodothyronine are associated with central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors in young euthyroid adults

Thyroid dysfunction is associated with classic cardiometabolic risk factors in humans. However, this relationship remains unclear in young euthyroid adults. The present work examines the associations of circulating thyroid hormones (THs) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations with body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in young euthyroid adults. A total of 106 sedentary, euthyroid adults (72 women; 22 +/- 2 years old) participated in this cross-sectional study. THs and TSH serum concentrations were determined in fasting conditions (6 h). Body composition (fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)) was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, anthropometric parameters (weight, height, and waist circumference) were measured, and neck adipose tissue mass was quantified through computed tomography (CT) scanning. Cardiometabolic risk factors including fasting glucose and lipid metabolism markers, hepatic phosphatase and transaminases, and blood pressure were also assessed. Free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentration was positively associated with body mass index, LM, VAT, and waist circumference (all P <= 0.038). FT3 was also associated with glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, fatty liver index, and blood pressure (all P < 0.024). All the associations were attenuated when adjusting for sex. In contrast, we found no associations of TSH or free thyroxine with any body composition parameter or cardiometabolic risk factors. In conclusion, FT3 is associated with central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors including insulin resistance, fatty liver index, and mean, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in young euthyroid adults. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02365129

CSA06 Computing, Software and Analysis challenge at the Spanish Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites

This note describes the participation of the Spanish centres PIC, CIEMAT and IFCA as Tier-1 and Tier-2 sites in the CMS CSA06 Computing, Software and Analysis challenge. A number of the facilities, services and workflows have been demonstrated at the 2008 25% scale. Very valuable experience has been gained running the complex computing system under realistic conditions at a significant scale. The focus of this note is on presenting achieved results, operational experience and lessons learnt during the challenge

Early experience and quality of life in SBRT prostate cancer boost of 9 Gy in a phase II trial

Purpose or ObjectiveExtracranial stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) allows delivering high doses per fraction with high accuracy to the prostatic gland in a low number of fractions.Dose escalation in normofractionaded radiation prostate cancer trials showed an increased toxicity.In order to evaluate the feasibility and toxicity of a regimen of a single dose hypofractionated prostate stereotactic boost a phase II study was undertaken. Self-reported quality of life (QOL) measures were also obtained in order to better define the possible deleterious effect of treatment

Human DNA methylomes of neurodegenerative diseases show common epigenomic patterns

Different neurodegenerative disorders often show similar lesions, such as the presence of amyloid plaques, TAU-neurotangles and synuclein inclusions. The genetically inherited forms are rare, so we wondered whether shared epigenetic aberrations, such as those affecting DNA methylation, might also exist. The studied samples were gray matter samples from the prefrontal cortex of control and neurodegenerative disease-associated cases. We performed the DNA methylation analyses of Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer-like neurodegenerative profile associated with Down's syndrome samples. The DNA methylation landscapes obtained show that neurodegenerative diseases share similar aberrant CpG methylation shifts targeting a defined gene set. Our findings suggest that neurodegenerative disorders might have similar pathogenetic mechanisms that subsequently evolve into different clinical entities. The identified aberrant DNA methylation changes can be used as biomarkers of the disorders and as potential new targets for the development of new therapies

Enhancement of Water Transport and Microstructural Changes Induced by High-Intesity Ultrasound Application on Orange Peel Drying

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (US) on the drying kinetics of orange peel as well as its influence on the microstructural changes induced during drying. Convective drying kinetics of orange peel slabs were carried out at a relative humidity of 26.5±0.9%, 40 °C and 1 m/s with (AIR+US) and without (AIR) ultrasound application. In order to identify the US effect on water transport, drying kinetics were analyzed by taking the diffusion theory into account. Fresh, AIR and AIR+US dried samples were analyzed using Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy. Results showed that the drying kinetics of orange peel were significantly improved by US application, which involved a significant (p<0.05) improvement of mass transfer coefficient and effective moisture diffusivity. The effects on mass transfer properties were confirmed with microstructural observations. In the cuticle surface of flavedo, the pores were obstructed by the spread of the waxy components, this fact evidencing US effects on the air solid interfaces. Furthermore, the cells of the albedo were disrupted by US, as it created large intercellular air spaces facilitating water transfer through the tissue.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of MICINN and CEE (European Regional Development Fund) from projects Ref. DPI2009-14549-C04-04, PSE-060000-2009-003, and FP6-2004-FOOD-23140 HIGHQ RTE.García Pérez, JV.; Ortuño Cases, C.; Puig Gómez, CA.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Pérez Munuera, IM. (2012). Enhancement of Water Transport and Microstructural Changes Induced by High-Intesity Ultrasound Application on Orange Peel Drying. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 5(6):2256-2265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-011-0645-0S2256226556Alandes, L., Perez-Munuera, I., Llorca, E., Quiles, A., & Hernando, I. (2009). Use of calcium lactate to improve structure of “Flor de Invierno” fresh-cut pears. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 53(3), 145–151.Anagnostopoulou, M. A., Kefalas, P., Papageorgiou, V. P., Assimopoulou, A. N., & Boskou, D. (2006). Radical scavenging activity of various extracts and fractions of sweet orange peel (Citrus sinensis). Food Chemistry, 94(1), 19–25.AOAC. (1997). Official methods of analysis. Arlington: Association of Official Analytical Chemist.Arslan, D., Özcan, M. M. (2011). Evaluation of drying methods with respect to drying kinetics, mineral content, and color characteristics of savory leaves. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-010-0498-y , in press.Cárcel, J. A., Garcia-Perez, J. V., Riera, E., & Mulet, A. (2007). Influence of high intensity ultrasound on drying kinetics of persimmon. Drying Technology, 25(1), 185–193.Chafer, M., Gonzalez-Martinez, C., Chiralt, A., & Fito, P. (2003). Microstructure and vacuum impregnation response of citrus peles. Food Research International, 36(1), 35–41.Chau, C., Sheu, F., Huang, Y., & Su, L. (2005). Improvement in intestinal function and health by the peel fibre derived from Citrus sinensis L cv Liucheng. Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture, 85(7), 1211–1216.Crank J. (1975). The Mathematics of diffusion. Oxford (2nd ed.), UK: Clarendon Press.Cruz, R. M. S., Vieira, M. C., Fonseca, S. C., Silva, C. L. M. (2010). Impact of thermal blanching and thermosonication treatments on watercress (Nasturtium officinale) quality: thermosonication process optimization and microstructure evaluation. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-009-0220-0 , in press.Delgado, A. E., Zheng, L., & Sun, D.-W. (2010). Influence of ultrasound on freezing rate of immersion-frozen apples. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 2(3), 263–270.FAOSTAT (2010). FAO Statistical Databases. Food and Agriculture of the United Nations. Available at: http://faostat.fao.org/site/291/default.aspx . Accessed 15 January 2010.Fernandes, F. A. N., Gallao, M. I., & Rodrigues, S. (2008a). Effect of osmotic dehydration and ultrasound pre-treatment on cell structure: Melon dehydration. Food Science and Technology, 41(4), 604–610.Fernandes, F. A. N., Oliveira, F. I. P., & Rodrigues, S. (2008b). Use of ultrasound for dehydration of papayas. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 1(4), 339–345.Gabaldon-Leyva, C. A., Quintero-Ramos, A., Barnard, J., Balandrán-Quintana, R., Talamás-Abbud, R., & Jiménez-Castro, J. (2007). Effect of ultrasound on the mass transfer and physical changes in brine bell pepper at different temperatures. Journal of Food Engineering, 81(2), 374–379.Gallego-Juárez, J. A. (1998). Some applications of air-borne power ultrasound to food processing. In M. J. W., Povey, T. J. Mason (Eds.), Ultrasound in Food Processing. UK: London, Chapman & Hall.Gallego-Juárez, J. A., Rodríguez-Corral, G., Gálvez-Moraleda, J. C., & Yang, T. S. (1999). A new high intensity ultrasonic technology for food dehydration. Drying Technology, 17(3), 597–608.Garau, M. C., Simal, S., Femenia, A., & Rosselló, C. (2006). Drying of orange skin: drying kinetics modelling and functional properties. Journal of Food Engineering, 75(2), 288–295.Garau, M. C., Simal, S., Rossello, C., & Femenia, A. (2007). Effect of air-drying temperature on physico-chemical properties of dietary fibre and antioxidant capacity of orange (Citrus aurantium v. Canoneta) by-products. Food Chemistry, 104(3), 1014–1024.Garcia-Perez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., De la Fuente, S., & Riera, E. (2006). Ultrasonic drying of foodstuff in a fluidized bed. Parametric study. Ultrasonics, 44, 539–543.Garcia-Perez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., Benedito, J., & Mulet, A. (2007). Power ultrasound mass transfer enhancement in food drying. Food and Bioproducts Proccessing, 85(3), 247–254.Guiné, R. P. F., Henrriques, F., Barroca, M. J. (2010). Mass transfer coefficients for the drying of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and dried product quality. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-009-0275 , in press.Khalloufi, S., Almeida-Rivera, C., & Bongers, P. (2009). A theoretical model and its experimental validation to predict the porosity as a function of shrinkage and collapse phenomena during drying. Food Research International, 42(8), 1122–1130.Larrauri, J. A., Rupérez, P., Bravo, L., & Saura-Calixto, F. (1996). High dietary fibre powders from orange and lime peels: associated polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. Food Research International, 29(8), 757–762.Mujumdar, A. S., & Law, C. L. (2010). Drying technology: trends and applications in postharvest processing. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 3(6), 843–852.Mulet, A., Blasco, M., García-Reverter, J., & Garcia-Perez, J. V. (2005). Drying kinetics of Curcuma longa rhizomes. Journal of Food Science, 7(5), 318–323.Oliveira, F. I. P., Gallao, M. I., Rodrigues, S., Fernandes, F.A.N. (2010). Dehydration of malay apple (Syzygium malaccense L.) using ultrasound as a pretreatment. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-010-0351-3 , in press.Ortuño, C., Perez-Munuera, I., Puig, A., Riera, E., & Garcia-Perez, J.V. (2010). Influence of power ultrasound application on mass transport and microstructure of orange peel during hot air drying. Physics Procedia, 3, 153–159.Perry, R. H. & Chilton, C. H. (1973). Chemical Engineers’ Handbook. McGraw Hill (5th ed.), New York, US.Ruiz-López, I. I., Castillo-Zamudio, R. I., Salgado-Cervantes, M. A., Rodríguez-Jimenes, G. C., & García-Alvarado, M. A. (2010). Mass transfer modelling during osmotic dehydration of hexahedral pineapple slices in limited volume solutions. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 3(3), 427–433.Salvador, A., Salvador, L., Besada, C., Larrea, V., Hernando, I., & Perez-Munuera, I. (2008). Reduced effectiveness of the treatment for removing astringency in persimmon fruit when stored at 15 °C: Physiological and microstructural study. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 49(3), 340–347.Sanchez, E. S., Simal, S., Femenía, A., Benedito, J., & Roselló, C. (2001). Effect of acoustic brining on lipolysis and on sensory characteristics of Mahon cheese. Journal of Food Science, 66(6), 892–896.Sanchez, E. S., Simal, S., Femenía, A., Llul, P., & Roselló, C. (2001). Proteolysis of Mahon cheese as affected by acoustic-assited brining. European Food Research and Technology, 212(2), 147–152.Sharma, A., & Gupta, M. N. (2006). Ultrasonic pre-irradiation effect upon aqueous enzymatic oil extraction from almond and apricot seeds. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 13(6), 529–534.Simal, S., Rosello, C., & Mulet, A. (1998). Modelling of air drying in regular shaped bodies. Trends in Chemical Engineering, 4(4), 171–180.Simal, S., Femenia, A., & Garcia-Pascual, P. (2003). Simulation of the drying curves of a meat-based product: effect of the external resistance to mass transfer. Journal of Food Engineering, 58(2), 193–199.Singh, R. P., & Heldman, D. R. (2001). Introduction to Food Engineering. Academic Press (3rd ed.): San Diego.Toma, M., Vinatoru, M., Paniwnyk, L., & Mason, T. J. (2001). Investigation of the effects of ultrasound on vegetal tissues during solvent extraction. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 8(2), 137–142

HERMES-TDT: Herramientas de monitorización y control de servicios de accesibilidad para la TDT

Los servicios de accesibilidad a la televisión digital constituyen un medio para acceder al audio o vídeo de los programas de TV y son necesarios para un número creciente de personas