In-situ Micro-Raman spectroscopic analysis of Handprints in Maltravieso Cave (Cáceres), Spain

TECHNART 2015 − Catania, April 27 - 30, 2015; http://technart2015.lns.infn.it/Peer Reviewe

Can physical activity attenuate the negative association between sitting time and cognitive function among older adults? A mediation analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the combined association of sitting time and physical activity with cognitive function and to determine whether moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is a mediator of the association between sitting time and cognitive function in a nationally representative sample of older adults from Chile. Data from 989 older adults (≥65 years old, 61.3% female) from the 2009-2010 Chilean Health Survey were analyzed. Physical activity and sitting time were measured using the Global Physical Activity questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed using the modified Mini-Mental State levels Examination. Physical activity levels were categorized as "inactive" (<600 metabolic equivalent value minutes per week) or "active" (≥600 metabolic equivalent value minutes per week). Sitting time was categorized as "sedentary", defined as ≥4 h of reported sitting time per day, or "non-sedentary", defined as <4 h. We created the following groups (i) non-sedentary/active; (ii) non-sedentary/inactive; (iii) sedentary/active; and (iv) sedentary/inactive. Hayes's PROCESS macro was used for the simple mediation analysis. Compared with the reference group (individuals classified as non-sedentary/active), older adults who were classified as sedentary/active had elevated odds of cognitive impairment (OR = 1.90, [95% CI, 1.84 to 3.85]). However, the odds ratio for cognitive impairment was substantially increased in those classified as sedentary/inactive (OR = 4.85 [95% CI, 2.54 to 6.24]) compared with the reference group. MVPA was found to mediate the relationship between sitting time and cognitive function (Indirect Effect = -0.070 [95% CI, -0.012 to -0.004]). The present findings suggest that, whether overall physical activity is high or low, spending large amounts of time sitting is associated with elevated odds of cognitive impairment and that MVPA slightly weakens the relationship between sitting time and cognitive function

Application of genomic and quantitative genetic tools to identify candidate resistance genes for brown rot resistance in peach.

The availability of a complete peach genome assembly and three different peach genome sequences created by our group provide new opportunities for application of genomic data and can improve the power of the classical Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) approaches to identify candidate genes for peach disease resistance. Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp., is the most important fungal disease of stone fruits worldwide. Improved levels of peach fruit rot resistance have been identified in some cultivars and advanced selections developed in the UC Davis and USDA breeding programs. Whole genome sequencing of the Pop-DF parents lead to discovery of high-quality SNP markers for QTL genome scanning in this experimental population. Pop-DF created by crossing a brown rot moderately resistant cultivar 'Dr. Davis' and a brown rot resistant introgression line, 'F8,1-42', derived from an initial almond × peach interspecific hybrid, was evaluated for brown rot resistance in fruit of harvest maturity over three seasons. Using the SNP linkage map of Pop-DF and phenotypic data collected with inoculated fruit, a genome scan for QTL identified several SNP markers associated with brown rot resistance. Two of these QTLs were placed on linkage group 1, covering a large (physical) region on chromosome 1. The genome scan for QTL and SNP effects predicted several candidate genes associated with disease resistance responses in other host-pathogen systems. Two potential candidate genes, ppa011763m and ppa026453m, may be the genes primarily responsible for M. fructicola recognition in peach, activating both PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) responses. Our results provide a foundation for further genetic dissection, marker assisted breeding for brown rot resistance, and development of peach cultivars resistant to brown rot

PROPUESTA DE ESCISIÓN DE LA DENOMINADA ‘FORMACIÓN SILGARÁ’ (MACIZO DE SANTANDER, COLOMBIA), A PARTIR DE EDADES U-Pb EN CIRCONES DETRÍTICOS

La Formación Silgará (s.l.) aforante en el Macizo de Santander (Cordillera Oriental de Colombia) en la franja Matanza-Cachirí, presenta litologías metamórfcas fundamentalmente metapelíticas y metasemipelitas, las cuales  alcanzaron el máximo pico de metamorfsmo en la facies Esquistos Verdes. Circones detríticos con edades U-Pb entre 906,5±10,5 Ma y 1.610,3±9,8 Ma, permiten determinar que la máxima edad de depositación del protolito de ésta unidad es Neo-proterozóico (Toniano). Contrariamente, la franja de rocas metamórfcas Piedecuesta-Aratoca (relacionada en trabajos previos con la denominada Formación Silgará s.l., propuesta desde la década de los 70s), presentan dos grupos de litologías diferentes: una compuesta fundamentalmente de metapsamitas, semipelitas y metabasitas (hacia la base), las cuales alcanzaron el máximo pico de metamorfsmo en la facies anfbolita; y otra de metapsamitas, semipelitas hacia la parte superior (en facies sub-esquistos verdes). Circones detríticos con edades U-Pb entre 506,7±9,3 Ma y 2.586,9±10,2 Ma, en cuarcitas de la facies anfbolita, apuntan a que la máxima edad de depositación del protolito de estas litologías metamórfcas estaría entre el Cámbrico temprano (Terreneuviano) a Cámbrico medio; mientras que en las cuarcitas de la facies sub-esquistos verdes, las edades entre 451,6±7,7 Ma y 1.611,5±13,6 Ma, sugieren que su máxima edad de depositación del protolito es Ordovícico tardío (Katian) y una historia paleogeográfca y sedimentológica muy diferente, en comparación con las litologías previamente referidas.  Apoyados en las diferencias antes referidas, se propone escindir la Formación Silgará (s.l.) en tres unidades diferentes: Esquistos del Silgará s.s. (unidad fundamentalmente pelítica y semipelita), Esquistos del Chicamocha (unidad compuesta fundamentalmente de metapsamitas, metapelitas y metabasitas; y posiblemente litologías calco-silicatadas?, presentes en otros franjas metamórfcas del MS) y Filitas de San Pedro (unidad compuesta fundamentalmente de metapsamitas, metapelitas; y localmente muy posiblemente litologías meta-volcanoclásticas?). El pico de metamorfsmo de las unidades Esquistos del Silgará (s.s.) y del Chicamocha, se relacionan con el evento orogénico principal Fammatiniano (localmente referido como Quetame-Caparonensis, de edad Ordovícico temprano); mientras que el pico de metamorfsmo de la unidad Filitas de San Pedro, se relacionaría con el evento orogénico menor Fammatiniano (de edad Silúrico). Aunque los unidades Esquistos del Silgará (s.s.) y del Chicamocha, al parecer alcanzaron el máximo pico de metamorfsmo durante el evento orogénico principal Fammatiniano, aquí se propone su escisión, considerando sus diferencias litológicas (además de las diferencias ya referidas). No obstante, se recomienda un análisis comparativo más detallado entre las diferentes franjas metamórfcas esquistosas presentes en el Macizo de Santander (en términos de sus litologías predominantes y sus máximas edades estratigráfcas, entre otros aspectos), para fnes de soportar o descartar ésta división. En lo referente a la unidad Filitas de San Pedro (aquí propuesta), su escisión (individualización) es muy evidente y necesaria, debido a las diferencias litológicas y edad de metamorfsmo, respecto a las unidades previamente referidas. No se descarta la existencia de eventos tectono-termales más jóvenes en el Macizo de Santander (especialmente de tipo dinamo-térmico), considerando la presencia localizada de rocas sedimentarias, de edad Paleozóico tardío, afectadas por pizarrosidad. The metamorphic lithologies from the Silgará Formation (s.l.) outcropping along the Matanza-Cachirí strip in the Santander Massif (Colombian Eastern Cordillera) are mainly constituted by metapelites and metasemipelites that reached the thermal metamorphic peak in the range of green schist facies. Detrital zircons from these metamorphic lithologies yielded U-Pb ages from 906.5 ± 10.5 to 1610.3 ± 9.8 Ma, suggesting a maximum age of deposition at Neoproterozoic time. On the other hand, the Piedecuesta-Aratoca metamorphic rocks strip (also linked previously to the so-called Silgará Formation) is composed by two groups of lithologies: The lower sequence which is constituted mainly by meta-psamites, semipelites and metabasites with the thermal metamorphic peak at amphibolite facies and; the upper sequence which are basically meta-psamites and semipelites that reached the thermal metamorphic peak at sub-green schist facies. Detrital zircons from the quartzites in amphibolite facies rocks yielded U-Pb ages from 506.7± 9.3 to 2586.9±10.2 Ma, suggesting a maximum age of deposition at Early to Middle Cambrian time; whereas U-Pb zircon ages determinated from the meta-sandstones from the upper sequence yielded ages from 451.6±7.7 to 1611.5±13.6 Ma, suggesting a maximum age of deposition at Late Ordovician (Katina) time. These geochronology data point out that these both sequences have different paleogeographic and sedimentological history.   Supported by the aforementioned differences, it is proposed here to split-off the older Silgará Formation (s.l.) in the following three different units: the Silgará schists s.s.(constituted by metapelitic and semipelitic rocks), the Chicamocha schists (mainly constituted by metapsammites, metapelites and metabasites, and possibly metacalcsilicates? rocks outcropping in some others metamorphic strips from the Santander Massif) and the San Pedro phyllites (constituted by metapsamites and metapelites and possibly metavolcanoclastic lithologies?). The thermal metamorphic peak of the Silgara (s.s.) and Chicamocha Schists units must be related to the main Fammatinian orogenic event (locally known as Quetame-Caparonensis, early Ordovician in age), whereas the metamorphic peak for the San Pedro Fillites unit should be related to the minor Fammatinian orogenic event (Silurian in age). Despite both The Silgará Schists (s.s.) and Chicamocha Schists units reached probably the thermal metamorphic peak during the Fammatinian Orogeny, here is proposed to split-off these units, because of these lithological differences (among some others aforementioned characteristics). Anyway, in order to avoid or to support this idea, there is a need to develop new studies, involving more metamorphic strips in order to identify better their lithologies and their maximum deposition ages. The split-off of the San Pedro Phyllites Unit from the Silgara Formation (s.l.) is evident and necessary task, considering their lithologies, metamorphic ages, among others features, compared with the Silgara Schists (s.s.) and Chicamocha Schists Units.Younger tectono-thermal events (mainly dynamo-thermal) are not ruled out, taking into account the local presence of late Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in the Santander Massif, affected by a slaty cleavag

Low X-Ray Luminosity Galaxy Clusters: Main goals, sample selection, photometric and spectroscopic observations

We present the study of nineteen low X-ray luminosity galaxy clusters (L$_X \sim$ 0.5--45 $\times$ $10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$), selected from the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counters (PSPC) Pointed Observations (Vikhlinin et al. 1998) and the revised version of Mullis et al. (2003) in the redshift range of 0.16 to 0.7. This is the introductory paper of a series presenting the sample selection, photometric and spectroscopic observations and data reduction. Photometric data in different passbands were taken for eight galaxy clusters at Las Campanas Observatory; three clusters at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory; and eight clusters at the Gemini Observatory. Spectroscopic data were collected for only four galaxy clusters using Gemini telescopes. With the photometry, the galaxies were defined based on the star-galaxy separation taking into account photometric parameters. For each galaxy cluster, the catalogues contain the PSF and aperture magnitudes of galaxies within the 90\% completeness limit. They are used together with structural parameters to study the galaxy morphology and to estimate photometric redshifts. With the spectroscopy, the derived galaxy velocity dispersion of our clusters ranged from 507 km~s$^{-1}$ for [VMF98]022 to 775 km~s$^{-1}$ for [VMF98]097 with signs of substructure. Cluster membership has been extensively discussed taking into account spectroscopic and photometric redshift estimates. In this sense, members are the galaxies within a projected radius of 0.75 Mpc from the X-ray mission peak and with cluster centric velocities smaller than the cluster velocity dispersion or 6000 km~s$^{-1}$, respectively. These results will be used in forthcoming papers to study, among the main topics, the red cluster sequence, blue cloud and green populations; the galaxy luminosity function and cluster dynamics.Comment: 13 pages, 6 tables, 9 figures. Uses emulateapj. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. Some formatting errors fixe

Imágenes de Gray de códigos consta-cíclicos sobre anillos de Galois R de índice de nilpotencia 3.

We will state necessary and sufficient conditions for the image under the Gray map of a R-constacyclic code to be Fpm-quasi-cyclic code. We study the Witt vectors to get a way to operate the µ-reduction of padic components of the elements of the Galois rings of nilpotency index 3, R = GR(p3, m). We analyze Galois rings, its mostly relevant properties, and we focus in the p-adic representation of their elements. Later on, we examine construction of the Witt vectors rings and its operations, in particular, we get explicit expressions for operations of addition and product of the elements in the truncated Witt vectors ring of length 3, W3(Fpm). Finally, we will use these operations and an isomorphism between GR(p3, m) and W3(Fpm) to get a way to operate the µ-reductions described above.Estableceremos condiciones necesarias y suficientes para que la imagen bajo la función de Gray de un R-código consta-cíclico sea un Fpmcódigo cuasi-cíclico. Estudiamos el anillo de vectores de Witt para obtener una manera de operar las µ-reducciones de las componentes p-ádicas de los elementos de los anillos de Galois de índice de nilpotencia 3, R = GR(p3, m). Analizamos a los anillos de Galois, sus propiedades más relevantes, y en particular la representación p-ádica de sus elementos. Más adelante, examinamos la construcción del anillo de vectores de Witt y sus operaciones, en particular, obtenemos expresiones explícitas para las operaciones de suma y producto de los elementos en el anillo truncado de vectores de Witt de longitud 3, W3(Fpm). Finalmente, utilizamos las operaciones de éstos últimos y un isomorfismo entre GR(p3, m) y W3(Fpm) para operar las µ-reducciones antes descritas

Ideal cardiovascular health and incident cardiovascular disease among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To investigate the association between ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases were searched from January 1, 2010 through July 31, 2017, for studies that met the following criteria: (1) prospective studies conducted in adults, (2) with outcome data on CVD incidence and (3) a measure of ideal CVH metrics. Results: Twelve studies (210,443 adults) were included in this analysis. Compared with adults who met 0 to 2 of the ideal CVH metrics (high-risk individuals), a significantly lower hazard for CVD incidence was observed in those who had 3 to 4 points for the ideal CVH metrics (hazard ratio [HR]=0.53; 95% CI, 0.47-0.59) and 5 to 7 points (HR=0.28; 95% CI, 0.23-0.33). Weaker associations were observed in studies with older individuals, suggesting that there is a positive relationship between age and HR. Conclusion: Although meeting 5 to 7 metrics is associated with the lowest hazard for CVD incidence, meeting 3 to 4 metrics still offers an important protective effect for CVD. Therefore, a realistic goal in the general population in the short term could be to promote at least an intermediate ideal CVH profile (3 to 4 metrics)

Abdominal Obesity Associated To Medical-Related Absenteeism At A Company Of Metal-Mechanical Industry In Cali, Colombia

Con el objetivo de examinar la frecuencia de obesidad abdominal y el ausentismo laboral por causa médica, se realizó un estudio transversal en 185 varones pertenecientes a una industria metalmecánica. En ellos, además de datos sociodemográficos, se recogió datos antropométricos y se midió la circunferencia de cintura (CC) en centímetros como indicador de obesidad abdominal. Se encontró, además de una alta frecuencia de obesidad abdominal (28,7%), que los trabajadores con obesidad abdominal presentaron mayor frecuencia, mayor tiempo y mayores costos por las incapacidades médicas. Se concluye que la obesidad abdominal en esta muestra fue altamente frecuente; no obstante, al tratarse de un riesgo reversible, las empresas podrían beneficiarse, en términos de ausentismo laboral, de programas preventivo promocionales destinados a controlar este problemaThe aim of this study was examined the abdominal obesity prevalence and association with medical-related absenteeism. A cross-sectional study in 185 men from the metal-mechanical industry was conducted. Sociodemografic and antropometrics data of was gathered, waist circumference was measured as an indicator of abdominal obesity. The prevalence of central obesity was 28.7 %. Subjects with higher values of central obesity showed higher frequency, higher duration and higher costs of medical-related absenteeism, however, this relationship was not significant. We conclude that abdominal obesity is highly frequent in this sample; however, since it’s a reversible risk, enterprises could get benefits from preventive and promotional programs destiny to control this problem

The Hydrological Balance in Micro-Watersheds Is Affected by Climate Change and Land Use Changes

Temperate forests are key to the balance and provision of hydrological and environmental services. Currently, these forests are subject to human alterations as well as to the effects of global change, including warming, variability, deforestation, and forest fires. As a consequence, the hydrological balance has been modified. The present study simulates the effects of climate change and land use change on the hydrological balance of micro-watersheds in Mexico using the hydrological model Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP). The land use change between 1995 and 2021 was estimated to establish a baseline. Climate scenario SSP585 was projected using three global models, MPI-ESM1-2-LR, HadGEM3-GC31-LL, and CNRM-CM6-1 by the 2081–2100 horizon, along with two scenarios of land use change: one with forest permanence and another with loss of forest cover and increased forest fires. Results indicate that future climatic conditions will modify the hydrological balance at the microbasin level. Even with positive conditions of forest permanence, increases in surface runoff of 124% (CNRM), 35% (HadGEM3), and 13% (MPI) are expected. The projections of coverage loss and fires showed surface runoff increases of 338% (CNRM), 188% (HadGEM3), and 143% (MPI). In the high areas of the microbasins where temperate forest predominates, climatic variations could be contained. If the forest is conserved, surface runoff decreases by −70% (CNRM), −87% (HadGEM3), and −89% (MPI). Likewise, the moisture in the soil increases. In areas with temperate forests, there will be modifications of the hydrological balance mainly due to the increase in evapotranspiration (due to the increase in temperature and precipitation). This will cause a significant decrease in flow and interflow. The alteration of these flows will decrease water availability in soil for infiltration. It is expected that the availability of hydrological and environmental services will be compromised in the entire study area due to climate change