Design of growing points for silver nanoparticles on polypropylene membranes

Articulo de investigación en revista indezadaThe nucleation process of a nanoparticle requires an enviroment, which stabilizes the initial seed and favor the growth action.conacyt 220392 siyea uaemex 431

Metodología para la caracterización de formaciones de vegetación de ribera y su morfología fluvial asociada utilizando datos LiDAR e imágenes digitales de alta resolución

En el presente documento se presenta una nueva metodología para la caracterización de formaciones de vegetación de ribera y su morfología fluvial asociada. La metodología está basada en la utilización de sensores aerotransportados LiDAR y Cámara Digital multiespectral de gran formato junto a perfiles batimétricos tomados en campo. Este trabajo pone de manifiesto la utilidad de los datos captados por sensores LiDAR y cámaras digitales aerotransportadas en aplicaciones medioambientales

AI Watch: Methodology to Monitor the Evolution of AI Technologies

In this report, we present a methodology to assess the evolution of AI technologies in the context of the AI WATCH initiative. The methodology is centred on building the AIcollaboratory, a data-driven framework to collect and explore data about AI results, progress and ultimately capabilities. From the collaborator framework we later extract qualitative information related to the state of the art, challenges and trends of AI research and development. This report first describes the administrative context of study, followed by the proposed methodology to build the AIcollaboratory framework and exploit it for qualitative assessment. In addition, we present some preliminary results of this monitoring process and some conclusions and suggestions for future work. This document is an internal report of the AI WATCH initiative, to be agreed for future work on Task 2 of the administrative arrangement between the Joint Research Centre and DG CNECT.JRC.B.6-Digital Econom

AI Watch: Assessing Technology Readiness Levels for Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers the potential to transform our lives in radical ways. However, the main unanswered questions about this foreseen transformation are when and how this is going to happen. Not only do we lack the tools to determine what achievements will be attained in the near future, but we even underestimate what various technologies in AI are capable of today. Many so-called breakthroughs in AI are simply associated with highly-cited research papers or good performance on some particular benchmarks. Certainly, the translation from papers and benchmark performance to products is faster in AI than in other non-digital sectors. However, it is still the case that research breakthroughs do not directly translate to a technology that is ready to use in real-world environments. This document describes an exemplar-based methodology to categorise and assess several AI research and development technologies, by mapping them into Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) (e.g., maturity and availability levels). We first interpret the nine TRLs in the context of AI and identify different categories in AI to which they can be assigned. We then introduce new bidimensional plots, called readiness-vs-generality charts, where we see that higher TRLs are achievable for low-generality technologies focusing on narrow or specific abilities, while low TRLs are still out of reach for more general capabilities. We include numerous examples of AI technologies in a variety of fields, and show their readiness-vs-generality charts, serving as exemplars. Finally, we use the dynamics of several AI technology exemplars at different generality layers and moments of time to forecast some short-term and mid-term trends for AI.JRC.B.6-Digital Econom

Habitat differences filter functional diversity of low dispersive microscopic animals (Acari, Halacaridae)

We are starting to appreciate that microscopic animals are not as widespread as previously thought, but we still ignore to what extent and through which mechanisms the environment selects for specific communities or traits in microscopic animals. We here analyse the functional diversity of marine mite communities living in a seagrass meadow across two habitats: the leaves and the matte. The strictly benthic lifestyle and the conserved morphology of mites allow for unambiguous characterisation of their functional traits, while the discrete nature of the two habitats alleviates the uncertainty in their ecological characterisation. Our results show that habitat filters the distribution of certain traits favouring a higher diversity, dispersion, and evenness of functional traits in the matte than in the leaves. We further observed temporal variations in the functional diversity of communities, following the changes in biomass and structure of seagrass leaves. However, despite the stark differences between the two habitats, the filtering effect is partial and affects mostly relative species abundances. Our study emphasises the need of moving from a taxonomical towards a functional view of ecological studies of microscopic organisms. This integrative approach is key to achieve a mechanistic understanding of their habitat and distribution patterns.Peer reviewe

Association between a Mediterranean lifestyle and growth differentiation factor 15: The seniors ENRICA-2 cohort

Background: Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) is a marker of inflammation and oxidative stress that has been associated with multiple age-related chronic diseases. Since lifestyle is key for preventing these adverse health outcomes, we examined the association between a Mediterranean lifestyle and GDF-15 serum concentrations in Spanish older adults. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 2502 older adults participating in the Seniors ENRICA-2 cohort. Adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle was assessed with the 27-item MEDLIFE index, divided into three blocks: 1) "Mediterranean food consumption, 2) Mediterranean dietary habits, 3) Physical activity, rest, social habits, and conviviality". Analyses of the association between the MEFLIFE index and GDF-15 concentrations were performed using multivariable linear regression models adjusting for the main potential confounders. Results: The MEDLIFE index was inversely associated with GDF-15. Compared with participants in the lowest quartile of the MEDLIFE score, GDF-15 mean percentage differences (95% CI) were -3.0% (-8.0, 2.3) for the second quartile, -8.7% (-13.0, -4.1) for the third quartile, and -10.1% (-15.0, -4.9) for the fourth quartile (p-trend<0.001). Block 3 of MEDLIFE, and particularly doing sufficient physical activity, adequate sleep duration, and participating in collective sports, was individually linked to lower concentrations of GDF-15. Results remained similar after excluding participants with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, or obesity. Conclusions: A Mediterranean lifestyle was associated with reduced levels of GDF-15, suggesting that a combination of multiple lifestyles may be an integral approach to reduce chronic inflammation and disease burden in older adults.This work was supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III; the Secretary of R+D+I; the European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund (FIS grants 19/319, 20/00896); the National Plan on Drugs (grant 2020/17); Fundación Soria Melguizo (MITOFUN project); Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RYC 2018-02069I to MSP); Universidad Autonóma de Madrid (FPI contract to JMR); FACINGLCOVID-CM project, Funding REACT EU Program (Comunidad de Madrid, European Regional Development Fund). Reagents for measuring Growth Differentiation Factor 15 have been provided by Roche Diagnostics International through a Research Agreement with the FUAM (Fundación de la Universidad Autonóma de Madrid). The funding agencies had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript preparation or the decision to submit this manuscript for publication.S

Physical Activity, Sitting Time, and Mortality From Inflammatory Diseases in Older Adults

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the independent and combined associations of physical activity (PA) and sitting time (ST) with long-term mortality attributed to inflammatory causes other than cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer in a national cohort of older adults in Spain.Design: Prospective study.Setting and Participants: A cohort of 3,677 individuals (1,626 men) aged ≥60 years was followed-up during 14.3 years.Measures: At baseline, individuals reported PA and ST. The study outcome was death from inflammatory diseases when CVD or cancer mortality was excluded. This outcome was classified into infectious and non-infectious conditions. Analyses were performed with Cox regression and adjusted for PA, ST, and other main confounders (age, sex, educational level, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, and chronic conditions).Results: During follow-up, 286 deaths from inflammatory diseases (77 from infectious diseases) were identified. Compared to individuals who defined themselves as inactive/less active, mortality from inflammatory diseases was lower in those who were moderately active (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50–0.90) or very active (HR = 0.48, 95%CI = 0.33–0.68), independently of ST. Also, being seated ≥7 h/d vs. &lt;7 h/d was linked to higher mortality (HR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.02–1.87). The largest risk of mortality was observed in inactive/less active individuals with ST≥7 h/d (HR = 2.29, 95%CI = 1.59–3.29) compared to those with moderate/very PA and ST &lt;7 h/d. Low PA and high ST were consistently associated with a higher risk of mortality from non-infectious inflammatory causes. Associations of PA and ST with mortality from infectious inflammatory causes showed a similar trend, but most of them did not reach statistical significance.Conclusions: Low PA and high ST were independently associated with higher mortality from inflammatory diseases other than CVD or cancer in older adults. Interventions addressing simultaneously both behaviors could have greater benefits than those focusing on only one of them