On multifractals: a non-linear study of actigraphy data

This work aimed, to determine the characteristics of activity series from fractal geometry concepts application, in addition to evaluate the possibility of identifying individuals with fibromyalgia. Activity level data were collected from 27 healthy subjects and 27 fibromyalgia patients, with the use of clock-like devices equipped with accelerometers, for about four weeks, all day long. The activity series were evaluated through fractal and multifractal methods. Hurst exponent analysis exhibited values according to other studies ($H>0.5$) for both groups ($H=0.98\pm0.04$ for healthy subjects and $H=0.97\pm0.03$ for fibromyalgia patients), however, it is not possible to distinguish between the two groups by such analysis. Activity time series also exhibited a multifractal pattern. A paired analysis of the spectra indices for the sleep and awake states revealed differences between healthy subjects and fibromyalgia patients. The individuals feature differences between awake and sleep states, having statistically significant differences for $\alpha_{q-} - \alpha_{0}$ in healthy subjects ($p = 0.014$) and $D_{0}$ for patients with fibromyalgia ($p = 0.013$). The approach has proven to be an option on the characterisation of such kind of signals and was able to differ between both healthy and fibromyalgia groups. This outcome suggests changes in the physiologic mechanisms of movement control.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication at Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Application

A new Eliomys from the Upper Miocene of Spain and its implications for the phylogeny of genus

In this paper, we describe a previously unknown species of the glirid Eliomys from the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene Cabriel, Alcoy and Granada basins of southeastern Spain. Eliomys yevesi sp. nov. is characterized by its relative small size, narrow lingual wall and common presence of two centrolophs in the upper molars, and well-developed centrolophids in the lower molars. The new species is the probable ancestor of E. intermedius, which in turn represents the ancestor of the extant E. quercinus. According to its morphologic and biometric features, the origin of E. yevesi sp. nov. is likely to be found in some population of E. truci from the Late Miocene. Based on these affinities, we propose the lineage E. truci–E. yevesi sp. nov.–E. intermedius–E. quercinus, in which there is a trend towards the development of centrolophs, as well as the reduction of accessory crests

Evaluación in vitro de la apoptosis de neutrófilos de vacas lecheras inducida por los tipos capsulares 5 y 8 de Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus es el principal patógeno causante de la mastitis bovina, la infección de la glándula mamaria por esta bacteria, se acentúa por los factores de virulencia; destacando el exopolisacarido capsular del que predominan los serotipos CP5 y CP8 en la infección mamaria. Los neutrófilos (PMN) en la glándula mamaria, constituye la primera barrera de defensa celular en la resistencia a la infección intraglandular mamaria. Para evaluar el efecto de los serotipos capsulares CP5 y CP8 de S. aureus sobre la fagocitosis y apoptosis in vitro de neutrófilos de bovinos lecheros, se utilizaron neutrófilos de sangre de vacas lecheras concentrados por el método de lisis hipotónica de eritrocitos LHE. El ensayo in vitro de de fagocitosis se realizó por triplicado, con una suspensión de bacterias de 2 x 108 CFU/mL., conjugada con fluoresceína para cada serotipo capsular y el tipo compacto. A partir de los ensayos, se determinó la capacidad de fagocitosis de neutrófilos (CFN) e índice de fagocitosis de neutrófilos (IFN) observados en el microscopio de epifluorescencia UV. La apoptosis se evaluó mediante el método de microscopia de fondo claro teñido con May Grünwald-Giemsa y por epifluorescencia de acuerdo a las características morfológicas observadas en las células. Los resultados obtenidos para CFN fueron: Cepa compacta (CC) 86.50±0.31, Cepa capsular 5 (CP5) 74.98±2.44 y Cepa capsular 8(CP8) 82.22±1.50. El IFN obtenidos por la técnica de microscopia de fondo claro para los diferentes grupos fueron: CC 6.13±2.93, CP5 4.88±0.13, CP8 5.22±0.10. Los valores de IFN por la técnica de epifluorescencia fueron: CC 7.62±0.55, CP5 4.67±0.29 y CP8 5.53±0.40. En ambas técnicas el IFN muestra diferencias entre los tratamientos y el grupo control (p<0.05). Los valores obtenidos de la inducción de apoptosis por la técnica de microscopia de campo claro fueron: Control positivo C(+) 97.7±1.28, Control negativo C(-) 27.13±1.85 CC 35.44±2.56, CP5 60.07±4.21, CP8 45.57±4.34. El porcentaje de inducción de apoptosis para la técnica de epifluorescencia empleando Bromuro de Etidio y Naranja de Acridina fueron: C(+) 95.61±2.66, C(-) 20.2±1.77, CC 26.50±1.65, CP5 52.78±3.29, CP8 41.33±2.32. Al evaluar el porcentaje de inducción de la apoptosis mediante la detección de fosfatidilserina se obtuvieron los siguientes valores: C(+) 94.63±1.68, C(-) 19.17±1.81, CC 28.87±2.82, CP5 54.80±3.15 y CP8 46.17±2.17. En ambas técnicas se observaron diferencias (p<0.05) entre los tratamientos y los grupos controles. Así mismo el serotipo CP5 indujo mayor porcentaje de apoptosis y fue fagocitado en menor proporción que CP8 y CC. Los resultados indicas que la cepa CP5 posiblemente sea más virulenta. Existen diferencias en la actividad de fagocitosis in vitro entre los tipos capsulares 5 y 8 y en su capacidad para inducir apoptosis de neutrófilos bovinos

1st Workshop Proceedings of the Collaborative Project "Crystalline Rock Retention Processes" (7th EC FP CP CROCK) (KIT Scientific Reports ; 7629)

The EURATOM 7th EC Framework Program Collaborative Project Crystalline ROCK retention processes (CROCK) started in January 2011 and extends over 2 and a half years. The key driver for initiation the CP CROCK, identified by national Waste Management Organizations, is the undesired high uncertainty and the associated conservatism with respect to the radionuclide transport in the crystalline host-rock far-field around geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes

Migración de jóvenes, adolescentes y niños mexiquenses a Estados Unidos: una lectura sociodemográfica

Los flujos migratorios entre México y Estados Unidos tienen una larga tradición, no obstante, hay escasez de información respecto a la migración de los menores entre ambos países. Este trabajo hace un diagnóstico de la migración de menores, principalmente del Estado de México y trata el tema de la vulnerabilidad de los menores migrantes, que se acentúa y se recrudece por diversos elementos, como su edad y su condición migratoria. Cabe señalar que en los estudios censales publicados por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía ( inegi ) en 2000 y 2010 es posible observar un incremento de los menores migrantes de retorno, ya que en el año 2000 la cifra fue de 73 544, mientras que para 2010 fue de 176 345. El documento finaliza con una serie de propuestas para el desarrollo de políticas por parte del Estado y señala la necesidad de apoyar la realización de proyectos de investigación sobre el tema, ya que, como se mencionó anterior - mente, la información al respecto es escasa.Los flujos migratorios entre México y Estados Unidos tienen una larga tradición, no obstante, hay escasez de información respecto a la migración de los menores entre ambos países. Este trabajo hace un diagnóstico de la migración de menores, principalmente del Estado de México y trata el tema de la vulnerabilidad de los menores migrantes, que se acentúa y se recrudece por diversos elementos, como su edad y su condición migratoria. Cabe señalar que en los estudios censales publicados por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía ( inegi ) en 2000 y 2010 es posible observar un incremento de los menores migrantes de retorno, ya que en el año 2000 la cifra fue de 73 544, mientras que para 2010 fue de 176 345. El documento finaliza con una serie de propuestas para el desarrollo de políticas por parte del Estado y señala la necesidad de apoyar la realización de proyectos de investigación sobre el tema, ya que, como se mencionó anterior - mente, la información al respecto es escasa

Cross-sectional Study of the Contribution of Rhetorical Competence to Children’s Expository Text Comprehension between Third- and Sixth-Grade

Readers' rhetorical competence is related to reading comprehension and moderates the impact of rhetorical devices in expository texts. In this cross-sectional study, we examine the differences in four measures of rhetorical competence (knowledge of anaphors, organizational signals, refutations, and a total score) in grades three through to six, we determine its contribution to expository text comprehension after controlling the effect of a wide set of linguistic and cognitive variables, and we study whether this contribution is moderated by grade or any of our control variables. First, although we found evidence for some level of rhetorical competence at early ages, data suggest that rhetorical competence development takes many years. Second, we found that knowledge of some rhetorical devices is acquired before knowledge of others. Finally, rhetorical competence was a unique predictor of expository text comprehension, and its influence was evident regardless of grade and all of the control variables

Dry rainfed conditions are key drivers of the effect of conservation tillage and a nitrification inhibitor on N fate and N2O emissions: A field 15N tracing study

The sustainability of rainfed crops under semiarid conditions is threatened by low plant nitrogen (N) recovery as well as the potential loss of reactive N to the environment. A field 15N tracing experiment on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under rainfed conditions was carried out to study how different tillage management practices and the use of the nitrification inhibitor DMPSA affected the fate of N. The experiment consisted of a factorial combination of tillage (i.e., no tillage, NT, and conventional tillage, T) and fertilizer treatments (unfertilized control and ammonium nitrate, AN, with or without DMPSA). Single-labelled ammonium nitrate (15NH4NO3, 15AN, or NH415NO3, A15N) was applied at top-dressing to microplots at a rate of 80 kg N ha−1. Our results show out that DMPSA modulates the nitrification process from both fertilizer-N and endogenous soil-N (which was the main contributor to plant N uptake and N2O emissions), affecting soil residual N at the end of the cropping period (i.e., higher topsoil retention of 15AN in DMPSA-amended plots). Generally, cumulative N2O emissions from fertilizer were derived from 15AN rather than from A15N, thus confirming the site-specific choice of the source of synthetic N as an effective N2O mitigation strategy. Two months after harvest, a rewetting event produced a remarkable N2O emission peak that drove total cumulative N2O emissions and was also mainly derived from endogenous N. These results suggest that dry seasons could decrease N2O losses after fertilization while causing critical peaks after rewetting, thus potentially limiting the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. The average plant N recovery from the synthetic fertilizer was 22.6%, while the use of DMPSA combined with NT enhanced plant N uptake from endogenous soil-N. This could be a result of the improved crop development and plant N acquisition under NT, consistent with the decrease of soil N retention for A15N in the deeper layer at the end of the experiment in the nontilled plots. This study contributes to the mechanistic understanding of the effect of nitrification inhibitors and tillage on N2O emissions, soil N dynamics and N plant recovery, revealing relevant effects of both management strategies and a critical role of endogenous soil-N under dry rainfed conditions. It can be concluded that, under the conditions of our study, combining DMPSA with NT could help to improve plant N recovery, thus resulting in positive impacts on reactive N loss and climate change mitigation and adaptation

High-Frequency Transformer Design for Solid-State Transformers in Electric Power Distribution Systems

The objective of this thesis is to present a high- or medium-frequency transformer design methodology for Solid-State Transformer (SST) applications. SSTs have been proposed as a replacement of the traditional 50/60 Hz transformer in applications demanding high-power density. Moreover, due to the high penetration of distributed generation, DC grids, energy storage systems, and sensitive loads, SSTs have been considered as an enabling technology for envisioned future energy systems. These applications demand additional functionalities that may not be achieved with traditional transformers. For example, active power flow control, harmonic suppression, voltage regulation, voltage sag compensation, and reduced size and volume. In this thesis, SST topologies are evaluated in order to determine their impact upon the transformer design. In addition, design considerations for core and wire selections, isolation requirements, and different transformer structures are investigated. As a result, the proposed transformer design methodology accounts for leakage inductance requirements for optimal power transfer, high-frequency effects in the transformer core and windings, and a flux density optimization to maximize transformer’s efficiency. The design procedure has been implemented in MATLAB® as an interactive tool for designing high-frequency transformers