Functional characterization of the water-soluble organic carbon of size-fractionated aerosol in the southern Mississippi Valley

The chemical content of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) as a function of particle size was characterized in Little Rock, Arkansas in winter and spring 2013. The objectives of this study were to (i) compare the functional characteristics of coarse, fine and ultrafine WSOC and (ii) reconcile the sources of WSOC for periods when carbonaceous aerosol was the most abundant particulate component. The WSOC accounted for 5% of particle mass for particles with <i>d</i>_p > 0.96 μm and 10% of particle mass for particles with <i>d</i>_p < 0.96 μm. Non-exchangeable aliphatic (H–C), unsaturated aliphatic (H–C–C=), oxygenated saturated aliphatic (H–C–O), acetalic (O–CH–O) and aromatic (Ar–H) protons were determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR). The total non-exchangeable organic hydrogen concentrations varied from 4.1 ± 0.1 nmol m⁻³ for particles with 1.5 < <i>d</i>_p < 3.0 μm to 73.9 ± 12.3 nmol m⁻³ for particles with <i>d</i>_p < 0.49 μm. The molar H / C ratios varied from 0.48 ± 0.05 to 0.92 ± 0.09, which were comparable to those observed for combustion-related organic aerosol. The R–H was the most abundant group, representing about 45% of measured total non-exchangeable organic hydrogen concentrations, followed by H–C–O (27%) and H–C–C= (26%). Levoglucosan, amines, ammonium and methanesulfonate were identified in NMR fingerprints of fine particles. Sucrose, fructose, glucose, formate and acetate were associated with coarse particles. These qualitative differences of ¹H-NMR profiles for different particle sizes indicated the possible contribution of biological aerosols and a mixture of aliphatic and oxygenated compounds from biomass burning and traffic exhausts. The concurrent presence of ammonium and amines also suggested the presence of ammonium/aminium nitrate and sulfate secondary aerosol. The size-dependent origin of WSOC was further corroborated by the increasing δ¹³C abundance from −26.81 ± 0.18&permil; for the smallest particles to −25.93 ± 0.31&permil; for the largest particles and the relative distribution of the functional groups as compared to those previously observed for marine, biomass burning and secondary organic aerosol. The latter also allowed for the differentiation of urban combustion-related aerosol and biological particles. The five types of organic hydrogen accounted for the majority of WSOC for particles with <i>d</i>_p > 3.0 μm and <i>d</i>_p < 0.96 μm

Gene expression profiles modulated by the human carcinogen aristolochic acid I in human cancer cells and their dependence on TP53

Aristolochic acid (AA) is the Causative agent of urothelial tumours associated with aristolochic acid nephropathy. These tumours contain TP53 mutations and over-express TP53. We compared transcriptional and translational responses of two isogenic HCT116 cell lines, one expressing TP53 (p53-WT) and the other with this gene knocked out (p53-null), to treatment with aristolochic acid I (AAI) (50-100 mu M) lor 6-48 h. Modulation of 118 genes was observed in p53-WT cells ad 123 genes in p53-null cells. Some genes, including INSIG1, EGR1, CAV1, LCN2 arid CCNG1, were differentially expressed in the two cell lines. CDKN1A was selectively Up-regulated in p53-WT cells, leading to accumulation of TP53 and CDKN1A. Apoptotic signalling, measured by caspase-3 and -7 activity, was TP53-dependent. Both cell types accumulated in S phase, suggesting that AAI-DNA adducts interfere with DNA replication, independently of TP53 Status. The oncogene MYC, frequently over expressed ill urothelial turnouts, Was Up-regulated by AAI, whereas FOS was down-regulated. Observed modulation of genes involved in endocytosis, e.g. RAB5A, may be relevant to the known inhibition of receptor-mediated endocytosis, an early sign of AA-mediated proximal tubule injury. AAI-DNA adduct Formation was significantly greater in p53-WT cells than in p53-null cells. Collectively, phenotypic anchoring of the AAI-induced expression profiles to DNA adduct formation, cell-cycle parameters, TP53 expression arid apoptosis identified several genes linked to these biological outcomes, some of which are TP53-dependent. These results strengthen the importance of TP53 in AA-induced cancer, arid indicate that other alterations, e.g. to MYC oncogenic pathways, may also contribute. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Aprender y crecer con STEAM: una experiencia de diseño en el jardín de infancia

Tenint present la funció social de l’educació i la necessitat d’un enfocament pedagògic integrat en l’educació preescolar d’acord amb un desenvolupament integral i holístic del nen, presentem un projecte d’intervenció educativa, construït i dinamitzat en el marc de la formació inicial i professionalització d’educadors infantils. El projecte “Descobrim Prínceps i Princeses... Castells i Dragons” es basa en una pedagogia infantil que valora la preeminència de la veu del nen, constructora activa del seu recorregut d’aprenentatge, pensada en una dinàmica d’(ínter)acció integradora centrada en l’enfocament STEAM. Es tracta d’un estudi de cas en què les dades recollides permeten reconèixer les contribucions del projecte que segueix la pedagogia STEAM per a l’aprenentatge dels nens i per a una acció reflexiva de fort caràcter formatiu per a les educadores involucrades. A partir de la proposta elaborada, es va copsar l’acció STEAM tenint en compte l’acció del nen, element principal de l’acció pedagògica, a partir de la resolució de problemes. També es va poder constatar la promoció de l’aprenentatge a través d’aquesta metodologia en l’àmbit cognitiu, amb el  desenvolupament de la innovació, la implicació, la creativitat, el treball en equip i la comunicació.This paper presents an educational intervention considering the social function of education and the need for an integrated pedagogical approach in kindergarten education for the holistic development of the child, built and streamlined within the framework of initial training and professionalization of childhood educators. The project “Let’s discover Princes and Princesses ... Castles and Dragons” is based on a childhood pedagogy that values the primacy of the child’s voice, active builder of their own learning path, designed in a dynamic of integrative (inter) action centred on the STEAM approach. The data collected for this case study highlights the contributions of the project anchored in the STEAM pedagogy for children’s learning and for a reflexive action with a strong formative tendency for the involved educators. From this proposal, it was possible to understand the action (not sure about this) of STEAM considering the children’s agency, placing them as the main element of the pedagogical action, based on problem solving. On the other hand, it was possible to verify the promotion of learning through the methodology at the cognitive level, with the development of innovation, involvement, creativity, teamwork, and communication.Teniendo presente la función social de la educación y la necesidad de un enfoque pedagógico integrado en la educación preescolar en acorde con un desarrollo integral y holístico del niño, presentamos un proyecto de intervención educativa, construido y dinamizado en el marco de la formación inicial y profesionalización de educadores infantiles. El proyecto - Vamos a descubrir Príncipes y Princesas... Castillos y Dragones - se basa en una pedagogía infantil que valoriza la primacía de la voz del niño, constructora activa de su recorrido de aprendizaje, pensada en una dinámica de (ínter)acción integradora centrada en el enfoque STEAM. El estudio llevado a cabo adoptó la forma de un estudio de caso y los datos recogidos permiten reconocer las contribuciones del proyecto anclado en la pedagogía STEAM para el aprendizaje de los niños y para una acción reflexiva de fuerte carácter formativo para las educadoras involucradas

Derechos Humanos de los Grupos Vulnerables. Guía de prácticas

El documento que el docente, o el discente, tienen entre sus manos está destinado a facilitar una aproximación práctica a un conjunto de contenidos vinculados al estudio de los derechos humanos de los grupos vulnerables. Esta guía didáctica de trabajos prácticos completa los contenidos teóricos que recoge el manual titulado “Derechos Humanos de los grupos vulnerables”, publicados por esta misma editorial y elaborado dentro del mismo programa de trabajo, el desarrollado por la RedDHES.La Guía de Prácticas es producto de la Red de Derechos Humanos en la Educación Superior (RedDHES), un proyecto ALFA financiado por la Unión EuropeaCap. 1. Los derechos humanos de los menores : aproximación general y perspectiva internacional de los mecanismos de protección / Itziar Gómez. - Cap. 2. La protección de los derechos humanos de niñas y niños en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos / Karlos Castilla. - Cap. 3. Dereitos das pessoas com deficiencia: o contexto universal / George Rodrigo Bandeira Galindo. - Cap. 4. La incorporación de la discapacidad en el Sistema Interamericano : principales regulaciones y estándares post-convención / Renata Bregaglio. - Cap. 5. Sistema internacional de protección de los derechos humanos de las mujeres / Yolanda Gómez. - Cap. 6. La construcción de la igualdad de género en el ámbito regional americano / Yanira Zuñiga. - Cap. 7. El sistema internacional de derechos humanos y los pueblos indígenas / Julian Burger. - Cap. 8. Movimientos, povos & cidadanias indígenas: inscriçoes constitucionais e direitos étnicos na América Latina / Jane Felipe Beltrão y Assis da Costa Oliveira. - Cap. 9. La jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en materia de pueblos indígenas y tribales / Rosmerlin Estupiñan Silva. - Cap. 10. La interdicción de discriminación por razón de orientación sexual e identidad sexual en el ámbito internacional / Ascensión Elvira Perales. - Cap. 11. Direitos humanos y diversidade sexual no Sistema Interamericano de Proteçao dos Direitos Humanos / Cristina Figueiredo Terezo. - Cap. 12. La protección del derecho al agua de los pueblos indígenas en el sistema interamericano de derechos humanos / Nataly Viviana Gamboa y Shirley Gamboa Alb

Exact master equation for a noncommutative Brownian particle

We derive the Hu-Paz-Zhang master equation for a Brownian particle linearly coupled to a bath of harmonic oscillators on the plane with spatial noncommutativity. The results obtained are exact to all orders in the noncommutative parameter. As a by-product we derive some miscellaneous results such as the equilibrium Wigner distribution for the reservoir of noncommutative oscillators, the weak coupling limit of the master equation and a set of sufficient conditions for strict purity decrease of the Brownian particle. Finally, we consider a high-temperature Ohmic model and obtain an estimate for the time scale of the transition from noncommutative to ordinary quantum mechanics. This scale is considerably smaller than the decoherence scale.Comment: Latex file, 28 pages, Published versio

Effectiveness of topical treatment for pain control of malignant fungating wound in adults compared to systemic treatment: a systematic review protocol

Objective: To synthesize the evidence of the effectiveness of topical treatment compared to the systemic treatment for pain control in Malignant Fungating Wounds (MFWs) in adults. Introduction: Approximately 14.5% of cancer patients present MFWs due to the increased survival rate of oncology treatments, and 85% report pain in the wound. Previous systematic reviews on the subject have explored MFWs-related symptoms (bleeding, foul odor, and exudate) but without results concerning the pain. A recently published scoping review mapped 20 proposals for topical treatment of MFWs-related pain, originated in different studies designs. Currently, there is a need to carry out an effectiveness review in order to facilitate clinical evidence-based decision-making. Inclusion criteria: Quantitative studies on the effects of topical therapies for pain control in MFWs compared to systemic treatments in adult patients in English, Portuguese, and Spanish without any time limits. Studies that do not meet 70% of the methodological quality threshold will be excluded. Methods: A review of effectiveness according to the JBI methodology. The titles and abstracts of identified records will be checked for the inclusion criteria, and the selected papers will be reviewed in their entirety for their relevance to the objective. The selection of the studies will be carried out according to the defined threshold of the assessment of the methodological quality using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist instruments, and the data of interest will be extracted by two reviewers. Finally, the data synthesis will be presented in a narrative and/or statistical summary. Systematic review registration number: CRD4202235171

Derechos Humanos de los Grupos Vulnerables. Manual

La formación que ofrecemos en este manual pretende sensibilizar y dar herramientas de detección y reacción frente a las lesiones de derechos, colocando esas herramientas en manos de nuestros alumnos, que por estar cursando educación superior, se encuentran en unas condiciones óptimas para poder asistir, por sus conocimientos y sus capacidades, a quienes son víctimas de situaciones de extrema vulnerabilidad, facilitándoles los medios adecuados para reforzar su capacidad de reacción y reducir, precisamente, su vulnerabilidad.El Manual es producto de la Red de Derechos Humanos en la Educación Superior (RedDHES), un proyecto ALFA financiado por la Unión EuropeaCap. 1. La Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño y la protección de la infancia en la normativa internacional de derechos humanos / Alejandro Morlachetti. - Cap. 2. La protección de los derechos humanos de niñas y niños en el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos / Karlos Castilla. - Cap. 3. Asegurando el goce de los derechos en condiciones de igualdad: derechos humanos de las personas con discapacidad – contexto general / José Claudio Monteiro de Brito Filho. - Cap. 4. Entre mantenimiento y cambio: un análisis de los primeros años de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre personas con discapacidad / George Rodrigo Bandeira Galindo. - Cap. 5. La incorporación de la discapacidad en el sistema interamericano: principales regulaciones y estándares post-convención / Renata Bregaglio. - Cap. 6. Género y derechos humanos: revolución de ideas y políticas públicas (contexto general) / Lia Zanotta. - Cap. 7. Sistema internacional de protección de los derechos humanos de las mujeres / Yolanda Gómez. - Cap. 8. La construcción de la igualdad de género en el ámbito regional americano / Yanira Zuñiga. - Cap. 9. La protección de los pueblos indígenas en el sistema internacional / Julian Burger. - Cap. 10. Movimientos, pueblos y ciudadanías indígenas: inscripciones constitucionales y derechos étnicos en latinoamerica / Jane Felipe Beltrão y Assis da Costa Oliveira. - Cap. 11. Los derechos de los pueblos indígenas en América Latina: avances jurídicos y brechas de implementación / José Aylwin. - Cap. 12. La jurisprudencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos en materia de pueblos indígenas y tribales / Rosmerlin Estupiñan Silva y Juana María Ibáñez Rivas. - Cap. 13. Derechos humanos y diversidad sexual: contexto general / Fernando Muñoz León. - Cap. 14. La interdicción de discriminación por razón de orientación sexual e identidad sexual en el ámbito internacional / Ascensión Elvira Perales. - Cap. 15. Derechos humanos y diversidad sexual en el Sistema Interamericano de Protección de los Derechos Humanos / Cristina Figueiredo Terezo. - Cap. 16. El Derecho de los «pueblos y naciones indígena originario campesinos» en la Constitución Política del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia / Nataly Viviana Vargas Gamboa y Shirley Gamboa Alba. - Cap. 17. La protección del desplazamiento forzado por desastres medioambientales en Colombia: hacia una perspectiva de derechos humanos / Sebastián Rubiano Galvi

Augmented Human Assistance (AHA)

Aging and sedentarism are two main challenges for social and health systems in modern societies. To face these challenges a new generation of ICT based solutions is being developed to promote active aging, prevent sedentarism and find new tools to support the large populations of patients that suffer chronic conditions as result of aging. Such solutions have the potential to transform healthcare by optimizing resource allocation, reducing costs, improving diagno ses and enabling novel therapies, thus increasing quality of life. The primary goal of the “AHA: Augmented Human Assistance” project is to de velop novel assistive technologies to promote exercise among the elderly and patients of motor disabilities. For exercise programs to be effective, it is essential that users and patients comply with the prescribed schedule and perform the ex ercises following established protocols. Until now this has been achieved by hu man monitoring in rehabilitation and therapy session, where the clinicians or therapists permanently accompany users or patient. In many cases, exercises are prescribed for home performance, in which case it is not possible to validate their execution. In this context, the AHA project is an integrative and cross-discipli nary approach of 4 Portuguese universities, the CMU, and 2 Portuguese industry partners, that combines innovation and fundamental research in the areas of hu man-computer interaction, robotics, serious games and physiological computing (see partner list in Appendix A). In the project, we capitalize on recent innova tions and aim at enriching the capabilities and range of application of assistive devices via the combination of (1) assistive robotics; (2) technologies that use well-understood motivational techniques to induce people to do their exercises in the first place, and to do them correctly and completely; (3) tailored and relevant guidance in regard to health care and social support and activities; and (4) tech nologies to self-monitoring and sharing of progress with health-care provider enabling clinicians to fine-tune the exercise regimen to suit the participant’s ac tual progress. We highlight the development of a set of exergames (serious games controlled by the movement of the user’s body limbs) specifically designed for the needs of the target population according to best practices in sports and human kinetics sciences. The games can be adapted to the limitations of the users (e.g. to play in a sitting position) so a large fraction of the population can benefit from them. The games can be executed with biofeedback provided from wearable sensors, to pro duce more controlled exercise benefits. The games can be played in multi-user settings, either in cooperative or competitive mode, to promote the social rela tions among players. The games contain regional motives to trigger memories from the past and other gamification techniques that keep the users involved in the exercise program. The games are projected in the environment through aug mented reality techniques that create a more immersive and engaging experience than conventional displays. Virtual coach techniques are able to monitor the cor rectness of the exercise and provide immediate guidance to the user, as well as providing reports for therapists. A socially assistive robot can play the role of the coach and provide an additional socio-cognitive dimension to the experience to complement the role of the therapist. A web service that records the users’ per formances and allows the authorized therapists to access and configure the exer cise program provides a valuable management tool for caregivers and clinical staff. It can also provide a social network for players, increasing adherence to the therapies. We have performed several end-user studies that validate the proposed ap proaches. Together, or in isolation, these solutions provide users, caregivers, health professionals and institutions, valuable tools for health promotion, disease monitoring and prevention.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The effect of black cohosh extract and risedronate coadministration on bone health in an ovariectomized rat model

Preparations of black cohosh extract are sold as dietary supplements marketed to relieve the vasomotor symptoms of menopause, and some studies suggest it may protect against postmenopausal bone loss. Postmenopausal women are also frequently prescribed bisphosphonates, such as risedronate, to prevent osteoporotic bone loss. However, the pharmacodynamic interactions between these compounds when taken together is not known. To investigate possible interactions, 6-month-old, female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent bilateral ovariectomy or sham surgery and were treated for 24 weeks with either vehicle, ethinyl estradiol, risedronate, black cohosh extract or coadministration of risedronate and black cohosh extract, at low or high doses. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the femur, tibia, and lumbar vertebrae was then measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at weeks 0, 8, 16, and 24. A high dose of risedronate significantly increased BMD of the femur and vertebrae, while black cohosh extract had no significant effect on BMD individually and minimal effects upon coadministration with risedronate. Under these experimental conditions, black cohosh extract alone had no effect on BMD, nor did it negatively impact the BMD-enhancing properties of risedronate

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13