On a new NBUE property in multivariate sense: an application

Since multivariate lifetime data frequently occur in applications, various properties of multivariate distributions have been previously considered to model and describe the main concepts of aging commonly considered in the univariate setting. The generalization of univariate aging notions to the multivariate case involves, among other factors, appropriate definitions of multivariate quantiles and related notions, which are able to correctly describe the intrinsic characteristics of the concepts of aging that should be generalized, and which provide useful tools in the applications. A new multivariate version of the well-known New Better than Used in Expectation univariate aging notion is provided, by means of the concepts of the upper corrected orthant and multivariate excess-wealth function. Some of its properties are described, with particular attention paid to those that can be useful in the analysis of real data sets. Finally, through an example it is illustrated how the new multivariate aging notion influences the final results in the analysis of data on tumor growth from the Comprehensive Cohort Study performed by the German Breast Cancer Study Grou

Silvopastoral systems established with Pinus radiate D. Don and Betula pubescens Ehrh.: Tree growth, understorey biomass and vascular plant biodiversity

In the European Union, the majority of afforestation is carried out on former agricultural land. This afforestation causes fundamental changes in ecosystem structure and functioning, with the trees intercepting light and precipitation, producing litterfall and competing for soil nutrients. All of these effects could potentially have a negative impact on understorey biomass and vascular plant biodiversity in a relatively short time span. This study aims to evaluate the effects of afforestation with Pinus radiata D. Don (Monterey pine: pine) and Betula pubescens Ehrh. (Downy birch: birch), established at two different densities (2500 and 833 trees ha21) and sown with two different pasture mixtures (Dactylis glomerata L. + Trifolium repens L. + Trifolium pratense L. and Lolium perenne L. + T. repens L. + T. pratense L.), on understorey biomass, alpha plant biodiversity, life cycle type (annuals vs. perennials) and beta biodiversity over a period of 11 years. Pine showed better development than birch throughout the study, although both species were very sensitive to tree density. While increasing density increased pine height and decreased pine diameter, both aspects of birch development were reduced by higher tree densities. Aboveground biomass increased throughout the study. Alpha plant biodiversity was drastically reduced under pine established at high density, 11 years after afforestation. However, the similarities in species richness, species composition and the low beta growth rates found under pine at low density, and birch at both high and low density suggest that, in these cases, the choice of canopy tree has little consequence for understorey biodiversity at this stage of system development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Plagioclase and biotite compositions tracing granite genesis and evolution: insights from two syntectonic granitoids from Aguiar da Beira (N Portugal)

The Aguiar da Beira area (N Portugal) is located within the Central-Iberian Zone (CIZ) of the Iberian Variscan Belt. It is mainly composed by granitoids emplaced during (syntectonic) or slightly after (late- to post-tectonic) the last ductile deformation event of the Variscan orogeny (D3). From the petrological and geochemical point of view, the syntectonic granitoids from the CIZ can be included into two genetically distinct suites: (a) calc-alkaline granodiorites and biotite granites, and (b) strongly peraluminous leucogranites and two-mica granites. In the Aguiar da Beira area, the first group is represented by a small intrusion of a medium- to coarse-grained porphyritc biotite granodiorite-granite, emplaced 322 Ma ago, characterized by a slightly peraluminous and moderately evolved composition. The second group comprises a NW-SE elongated pluton of a strongly peraluminous and highly evolved medium- to fine-grained muscovite-biotite granite (317 Ma), showing occasionally a gneissic foliation concordant with the D3 variscan structures. Based on geochemical and Sr-Nd and 18O isotopic data, the biotite granodiorite-granite melt is interpreted either as the result of partial melting of heterogeneous lower crustal materials, or as the product of mixing of mantle derived magmas and lower crustal felsic anatectic melts. In contrast, the muscovite-biotite gneissic granite magma appears to have been exclusively generated by partial melting of upper crustal metasediments and suffered a subsequent evolution dominantly controlled by fractional crystallization processes. Plagioclase and biotite major and trace element compositions can be used to constrain the origin and evolution of the two granitoids and provide strong evidence in support of the proposed petrogenetic models. In the biotite granodiorite-granite, the plagioclase is characterized by a wide compositional range (An20-33), high Sr (749 – 869 ppm) and Ba (32 – 351 ppm) contents and a Sr discontinuous zonation pattern, whilst the biotite shows high TiO2 (2.92 – 3.30 wt%), Ba (407 – 589 ppm), V (214 – 234 ppm), and low Al2O3 (16.83 – 18.03 wt%), Li (335 – 367 ppm), Zn (262 – 279 ppm) and Fet/(Fet + Mg) (0.54 – 0.55) contents. These data confirm the typical calc-alkaline affinity of this intrusion and reveal that these phase minerals crystallized under disequilibrium conditions. In contrast, the plagioclase from the muscovite-biotite granite displays a narrower compositional range (An1-7), unzoned or normally zoned compositional patterns and lower Sr (19 – 33 ppm) and Ba (1.1 – 2.0 ppm) contents, reflecting the highly evolved character of this intrusion and near equilibrium crystallization conditions. The biotite crystals from the muscovite-biotite granite plot in the field of the alumino-potassic series in the AlVI versus Mg diagram (Nachit et al., 1983), supporting a major contribution of metasedimentary rocks for the genesis of this magma. Their AlVI contents increase with decreasing Mg suggesting an important role for fractional crystallization processes during magmatic evolution. The range of AlVI and Fet/(Fet + Mg) values (AlVI: 0.482 – 0.487; Fet/(Fet + Mg): 0.72 – 0.83) displayed by the biotites show that the muscovite-biotite granite crystallized from a reduced magma (low O2), which is consistent with its inferred sedimentary provenance

A characterization of the multivariate excess wealth ordering

In this paper, some new properties of the upper-corrected orthant of a random vector are proved. The univariate right-spread or excess wealth function, introduced by Fernández-Ponce et al. (1996), is extended to multivariate random vectors, and some properties of this multivariate function are studied. Later, this function was used to define the excess wealth ordering by Shaked and Shanthikumar (1998) and Fernández-Ponce et al. (1998). The multivariate excess wealth function enable us to define a new stochastic comparison which is weaker than the multivariate dispersion orderings. Also, some properties relating the multivariate excess wealth order with stochastic dependence are describe

Preparación de mallas mediante electrohilado para la inhibición de la angiogénesis

La preparación de nanofibras por electrohilado está ganando mucho interés en la actualidad debido a su posible aplicación como sistemas de liberación controlada de fármaco. La incorporación del compuesto activo en la matriz polimérica de las fibras permite su protección frente a los procesos degradativos del organismo y su liberación controlada y localizada. Numerosas enfermedades (psoriasis, retinopatías diabéticas, crecimiento de tumores) están relacionadas con alteraciones en la angiogénesis (formación de nuevos vasos sanguíneos a partir de otros ya formados), por tanto el desarrollo de nuevos compuestos que regulen adecuadamente los procesos angiogénicos se está estudiando como una posible vía en el tratamiento de estas enfermedades. En el presente trabajo se han preparado y caracterizado nanofibras de ácido poli(D,L-láctico) cargadas con ácido 5-amino-2-naftalensulfónico o el homopolímero del ácido 2-acrilamido-2-metilpropanosulfónico, compuestos inhibidores de la acción de algunos factores de crecimiento proangiogénicos dependientes de heparina. La distinta naturaleza de los compuestos activos utilizados permitieron la obtención de diferentes perfiles de liberación, dependientes de la hidrofilia del compuesto activo, su peso molecular y la biodegradabilidad del ácido poli(D,L-láctico). Ambos sistemas mostraron una alta capacidad para inhibir la mitogénesis de fibroblastos inducida por aFGF.Preparation of nanofibers by electrospinning is gaining much attention due to their potential application as drug delivery systems. The incorporation of the active compound in the polymeric matrix of the fibers prevents degradation and allows a controlled and localized delivery of the drug. Many diseases (psoriasis, diabetic retinopathy, tumor growth) have been related to alterations in the angiogenic processes, therefore the control of angiogenesis is being investigated as a possible treatment for these diseases. In this work poly(D, L-lactic acid) nanofibers loaded with sulfonated active compounds that inhibit heparin-dependent proangiogenic growth factors (5-amino acid-2-naphthalene sulfonic acid and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) have been prepared and characterized. The different nature of the active compounds gave rise different release profiles that depended on the hydrophilic nature of the drug, molecular weight, and the biodegradation of poly (D, L-lactic acid). Both systems showed a high inhibition of fibroblasts aFGF- induced mitogenesis.Peer Reviewe

A simple dilute-and-shoot approach for the determination of ultra-trace levels of arsenic in biological fluids via ICP-MS using CH3F/He as a reaction gas

The performance of a mixture of CH3F/He (1/9) as a reaction gas for the determination of As in biological fluids using a quadrupole ICP-MS instrument has been explored. A simple (dilute-and-shoot) interference-free method has been developed to quantify As concentrations at trace and ultra-trace levels in matrices with a high Cl content. As+ reacts with CH3F (through CH3F addition, followed by HF elimination) with high efficiency forming AsCH2 + as the primary reaction product, which can be monitored at a mass-to-charge ratio of 89, free from the Cl-based interferents (e.g., 40Ar35Cl+ and 40Ca35Cl+) that hamper the monitoring of 75As+. Matrix effects are overcome by the use of Te as an internal standard and the addition of 3% v/v ethanol to all samples and calibration standard solutions. The method presented was validated by analysing a set of reference materials (blood, serum and urine) and by assessing As recovery from a set of real blood samples. With this method, the limit of detection was calculated to be 0.8 ng L-1 As, favourably comparable to the vast majority of values reported in the literature, even with those obtained using more sophisticated sector-field instrumentation

El laboratorio de inmunología en el diagnóstico y control de las enfermedades autoinmunitarias sistémicas (I): protocolo de estudio ante la sospecha clínica

Inclou referències bibliogràfique

Quantifying the leading role of the surface state in the Kondo effect of Co/Ag(111)

Using a combination of scanning tunneling spectroscopy and atomic lateral manipulation, we obtained a systematic variation of the Kondo temperature TK of Co atoms on Ag(111) as a function of the surface-state contribution to the total density of states at the atom adsorption site ρs. By sampling the TK of a Co atom on positions where ρs was spatially resolved beforehand, we obtain a nearly linear relationship between the magnitudes. We interpret the data on the basis of an Anderson model including orbital and spin degrees of freedom [SU(4)] in good agreement with the experimental findings. The fact that the onset of the surface band is near the Fermi level is crucial to finding the observed linear behavior. In light of this model, the quantitative analysis of the experimental data evidences that at least a quarter of the coupling of Co impurities with extended states takes place through the hybridization to surface states. This result is of fundamental relevance in the understanding of Kondo screening of magnetic impurities on noble-metal surfaces, where bulk and surface electronic states coexist.Fil: Moro Lagares, M.. Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; República Checa. Palacky University; República Checa. Universidad de Zaragoza. Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragón; EspañaFil: Fernández, Joaquín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; ArgentinaFil: Roura Bas, Pablo Gines. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Ibarra, M.R.. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Aligia, Armando Ángel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; ArgentinaFil: Serrate, D.. Universidad de Zaragoza; Españ

Interactions in improvised music: people at play

Interactions in improvised music: people at play This project began as an open exploration of musical interactions in a trio in which I have played bass for many years. We gave three concerts for the project and I explored our interactions by talking with the pianist/bandleader and drummer after each concert. They described a broad range of interactions and explored a number of different conceptions of what entails a musical interaction. The musicians were keen to talk about the factors that motivate them to perform together, mainly the desire to play. Play, for them, is its own reward. They aim to collaborate in the moment of performance to create something fresh, rather than display their instrumental technique or present music that has been preconceived. An appreciation of this motivation is needed to understand their interactions in concert. Audience members were also interviewed after every performance. They each experienced the concerts differently, in a way that reflects their preoccupations and interests as much as it reflects the concert event. The research thus provides a view of individuals and their differences that contrasts with the body of music research focused on common experiences within particular musical cultures and the acquisition of the skills required to participate in those cultures. This practice-led research project was allowed to develop and find focus gradually in cycles of performances, interviews and analysis of interview transcripts, concurrent with an ongoing exploration of texts about doing research. Various interactions – during the performances and interviews, between the researcher and the interview transcripts and between the researcher and research texts – contributed to the project’s development. These interactions can be thought of as play between foreknowledge and the unknown. Accordingly, play as described by the musicians and as defined in hermeneutics, was actively pursued as a way of developing an appropriate methodology for the project