A 2D extension of a large time step explicit scheme (CFL>1) for unsteady problems with wet/dry boundaries

A 2D Large Time Step (LTS) explicit scheme on structured grids is presented in this work. It is first detailed and analysed for the 2D linear advection equation and then applied to the 2D shallow water equations. The dimensional splitting technique allows us to extend the ideas developed in the 1D case related to source terms, boundary conditions and the reduction of the time step in the presence of large discontinuities. The boundary conditions treatment as well as the wet/dry fronts in the case of the 2D shallow water equations require extra effort. The proposed scheme is tested on linear and non-linear equations and systems, with and without source terms. The numerical results are compared with those of the conventional scheme as well as with analytical solutions and experimental data

Gender differences in mental health during the economic crisis

Background: Economic crises have a negative effect on mental health. Little evidence has been published on the impact of economic downturns on male and female. The aim of the study was to analyze gender differences in specific mental disorders in primary care during the current economic recession in Spain. Method: A total of 7, 914 patients in 2006 and 5, 876 patients in 2010 were recruited to collect sociodemographic data and the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders. Results: Between 2006 and 2010 the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder increased 155.7% in men and 104.9% in women; Generalized Anxiety Disorder increased 98.3% in men and 71.3% in women; and Multisomatoform Disorder increased 100.05% in men and 37% in women. The effect of the Employment confounder was significant across all comparisons: Major Depressive Disorder Generalized Odds Ratio=2.557 for Men (p<.001), 2.046 for Women (p=.002); Generalized Anxiety Disorder Generalized Odds Ratio= 2.153 (p<.001) for Men, 1.546 for Women (p<.001); and for Non-specific Multisomatoform Disorder Generalized Odds Ratio=1.680 for Men (p<.001) and 1.301 for women (p=.014). Conclusion: Overall prevalence of mental disorders increased significantly between 2006 and 2010, especially in males, who are more sensitive to the effect of the current economic recession than women. Antecedentes: el impacto de las crisis económicas sobre la salud mental está bien documentado, pero hay poca evidencia sobre el efecto diferencial que pueda tener entre hombres y mujeres. El objetivo fue analizar las diferencias de género en la prevalencia de trastornos mentales en atención primaria durante la recesión económica en España. Método: 7.914 pacientes en 2006-2007 y 5.876 en 2010-2011 fueron encuestados para recoger datos sociodemográficos y completar la entrevista Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders. Resultados: entre 2006 y 2010 la prevalencia del Trastorno Depresivo Mayor incrementó 155, 7% en hombres y un 104, 9% en mujeres; el Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada aumentó 98, 3% en hombres y 71, 3% en mujeres; el Trastorno Multisomatomorfo incrementó 100, 05% en hombres y 37% en mujeres. El desempleo fue significativo en todos los análisis: Trastorno Depresivo Odds Ratio Generalizados= 2.557 en hombres (p<.001), 2.046 en mujeres (p= .002); Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada Odds Ratio Generalizados= 2.153 (p<.001) en hombres, 1.546 en mujeres (p<.001); Trastorno Multisomatoformo indiferenciado Odds Ratio Generalizados= 1.680 en hombres (p<.001) y 1.301 en mujeres (p= .014). Conclusiones: la prevalencia de los trastornos mentales se incrementó entre 2006 y 2010 en ambos sexos, pero especialmente en hombres, quienes son más sensibles a los efectos de la crisis económica

The VVV Survey RR Lyrae Population in the Galactic Center Region

Indexación: Scopus.We gratefully acknowledge the use of data from the ESO Public Survey program ID 179.B-2002 taken with the VISTA telescope, and data products from the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit (CASU). Support for the authors is provided by the BASAL Center for Astrophysics and Associated Technologies (CATA) through grant PFB-06, and the Ministry for the Economy, Development, and Tourism, Programa Iniciativa Cientifica Milenio through grant IC120009, awarded to the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS). D.M. and M.Z. acknowledge support from FONDECYT Regular grants No. 1170121, and 1150345, respectively. P.H. acknowledges financial support from FONDECYT regular grant 1170305. F.G. acknowledge support from CONICYT-PCHA Doctorado Nacional 2017-21171485 and Proyecto Fondecyt Regular 1150345. J.A.-G. acknowledges support by FONDECYT Iniciacion 11150916. D.M. is also grateful for the hospitality of the Vatican Observatory. This research made use of Astropy, a community-developed core Python package for astronomy; Scikit-learn, NumPy, and matplotlib, a Python library for publication-quality graphics; and Aladin Sky Atlas, developed at CDS, Strasbourg Observatory, France, and TOPCAT.Deep near-IR images from the VISTA Variables in the V a L ctea (VVV) Survey were used to search for RR Lyrae stars within 100 arcmin from the Galactic Center. A large sample of 960 RR Lyrae of type ab (RRab) stars were discovered. A catalog is presented featuring the positions, magnitudes, colors, periods, and amplitudes for the sample, in addition to estimated reddenings, distances, and metallicities, and measured individual relative proper motions. We use the reddening-corrected Wesenheit magnitudes, defined as WKs Ks 0.428 J Ks = - ( - ), in order to isolate bona fide RRL belonging to the Galaxy Center, finding that 30 RRab are foreground/background objects. We measure a range of extinctions from AKs 0.19 = to 1.75 mag for the RRab in this region, finding that large extinction is the main cause of the sample incompleteness. The mean period is P =0.5446±0.0025 days, yielding a mean metallicity of [Fe/H] =-1.30±0.01 (ς = 0.33) dex for the RRab sample in the Galactic Center region. The median distance for the sample is D =8.05±0.02 kpc. We measure the RRab surface density using the less reddened region sampled here, finding a density of 1000 RRab/sq deg at a projected Galactocentric distance RG =1.6 deg. Under simple assumptions, this implies a large total mass (M>109Me) for the old and metal-poor population contained inside RG. We also measure accurate relative proper motions, from which we derive tangential velocity dispersions of ςVl =125.0 and ςVb =124.1 km s-1 along the Galactic longitude and latitude coordinates, respectively. The fact that these quantities are similar indicate that the bulk rotation of the RRab population is negligible, and implies that this population is supported by velocity dispersion. In summary, there are two main conclusions of this study. First, the population as a whole is no different from the outer bulge RRab, predominantly a metal-poor component that is shifted with respect to the Oosterhoff type I population defined by the globular clusters in the halo. Second, the RRab sample, as representative of the old and metal-poor stellar population in the region, has high velocity dispersions and zero rotation, suggesting a formation via dissipational collapse. ©2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aacf9

Long-Term Safety of Tedizolid in a Patient With Spondilodiscitis After Switch From Linezolid Due to Toxicity

The patient is a 57-year-old man with liver cirrhosis, Bricker anastomosis after a radical cystoprostatectomy and, a history of bacteremias caused by extended-spectrum -lactamase-positive Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium, and Candida albicans. He presented with persistent low back pain and was diagnosed with vertebral osteomyelitis, for which he received ertapenem-linezolid treatment. However, after 20 days, linezolid had to be discontinued because of myelotoxicity and metabolic acidosis. The patient was switched to tedizolid, which, in combination with ertapenem, was successfully given for 114 days until biopsy showed no growth of gram-positive cocci. We conclude that tedizolid can be an alternative to linezolid in case of toxicity, especially in long-term treatments

Aquatic pollution may favor the success of the invasive species A. franciscana

The genus Artemia consists of several bisexual and parthenogenetic sibling species. One of them, A. franciscana, originally restricted to the New World, becomes invasive when introduced into ecosystems out of its natural range of distribution. Invasiveness is anthropically favored by the use of cryptobiotic eggs in the aquaculture and pet trade. The mechanisms of out-competition of the autochthonous Artemia by the invader are still poorly understood. Ecological fitness may play a pivotal role, but other underlying biotic and abiotic factors may contribute. Since the presence of toxicants in hypersaline aquatic ecosystems has been documented, our aim here is to study the potential role of an organophosphate pesticide, chlorpyrifos, in a congeneric mechanism of competition between the bisexual A. franciscana (AF), and one of the Old World parthenogenetic siblings, A. parthenogenetica (PD). For this purpose we carried out life table experiments with both species, under different concentrations of the toxicant (0.1, 1 and 5. μg/l), and analyzed the cholinesterase inhibition at different developmental stages. The results evidence that both, AF and PD, showed an elevated tolerance to high ranges of chlorpyrifos, but AF survived better and its fecundity was less affected by the exposure to the pesticide than that of PD. The higher fecundity of AF is a selective advantage in colonization processes leading to its establishment as NIS. Besides, under the potential selective pressure of abiotic factors, such as the presence of toxicants, its higher resistance in terms of survival and biological fitness also indicates out-competitive advantages. © 2015This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation projects (CGL2005-02306 and CGL2008-04737-E) “Biodiversidad de Artemia (Branchiopoda, Anostraca) en el Mediterráneo Occidental, archipiélagos Balear y Canario. Efectos de A. franciscana como especie invasora. Implicaciones ecológicas y de interés en acuicultura” y “Biodiversidad amenazada en salinas mediterráneas”. S. Redón was supported by a Ph.D grant (FPI) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. D. Guinot was supported by BANCAJA contract.Peer Reviewe

Is NGC 3108 transforming itself from an early to late type galaxy -- an astronomical hermaphrodite?

A common feature of hierarchical galaxy formation models is the process of "inverse" morphological transformation: a bulge dominated galaxy accretes a gas disk, dramatically reducing the system's bulge-to-disk mass ratio. During their formation, present day galaxies may execute many such cycles across the Hubble diagram. A good candidate for such a "hermaphrodite" galaxy is NGC 3108: a dust-lane early-type galaxy which has a large amount of HI gas distributed in a large scale disk. We present narrow band H_alpha and R-band imaging, and compare the results with the HI distribution. The emission is in two components: a nuclear bar and an extended disk component which coincides with the HI distribution. This suggests that a stellar disk is currently being formed out of the HI gas. The spatial distributions of the H_alpha and HI emission and the HII regions are consistent with a barred spiral structure, extending some 20 kpc in radius. We measure an extinction- corrected SFR of 0.42 Msun/yr. The luminosity function of the HII regions is similar to other spiral galaxies, with a power law index of -2.1, suggesting that the star formation mechanism is similar to other spiral galaxies. We measured the current disk mass and find that it is too massive to have been formed by the current SFR over the last few Gyr. It is likely that the SFR in NGC 3108 was higher in the past. With the current SFR, the disk in NGC 3108 will grow to be ~6.2x10^9 Msun in stellar mass within the next 5.5 Gyr. While this is substantial, the disk will be insignificant compared with the large bulge mass: the final stellar mass disk-to-bulge ratio will be ~0.02. NGC 3108 will fail to transform into anything resembling a spiral without a boost in the SFR and additional supply of gas.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The PKC, HOG and Ca2+ signalling pathways co-ordinately regulate chitin synthesis in Candida albicans

Open Access via PMC2649417Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Multimedia delivery in the future internet

The term “Networked Media” implies that all kinds of media including text, image, 3D graphics, audio and video are produced, distributed, shared, managed and consumed on-line through various networks, like the Internet, Fiber, WiFi, WiMAX, GPRS, 3G and so on, in a convergent manner [1]. This white paper is the contribution of the Media Delivery Platform (MDP) cluster and aims to cover the Networked challenges of the Networked Media in the transition to the Future of the Internet. Internet has evolved and changed the way we work and live. End users of the Internet have been confronted with a bewildering range of media, services and applications and of technological innovations concerning media formats, wireless networks, terminal types and capabilities. And there is little evidence that the pace of this innovation is slowing. Today, over one billion of users access the Internet on regular basis, more than 100 million users have downloaded at least one (multi)media file and over 47 millions of them do so regularly, searching in more than 160 Exabytes1 of content. In the near future these numbers are expected to exponentially rise. It is expected that the Internet content will be increased by at least a factor of 6, rising to more than 990 Exabytes before 2012, fuelled mainly by the users themselves. Moreover, it is envisaged that in a near- to mid-term future, the Internet will provide the means to share and distribute (new) multimedia content and services with superior quality and striking flexibility, in a trusted and personalized way, improving citizens’ quality of life, working conditions, edutainment and safety. In this evolving environment, new transport protocols, new multimedia encoding schemes, cross-layer inthe network adaptation, machine-to-machine communication (including RFIDs), rich 3D content as well as community networks and the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) overlays are expected to generate new models of interaction and cooperation, and be able to support enhanced perceived quality-of-experience (PQoE) and innovative applications “on the move”, like virtual collaboration environments, personalised services/ media, virtual sport groups, on-line gaming, edutainment. In this context, the interaction with content combined with interactive/multimedia search capabilities across distributed repositories, opportunistic P2P networks and the dynamic adaptation to the characteristics of diverse mobile terminals are expected to contribute towards such a vision. Based on work that has taken place in a number of EC co-funded projects, in Framework Program 6 (FP6) and Framework Program 7 (FP7), a group of experts and technology visionaries have voluntarily contributed in this white paper aiming to describe the status, the state-of-the art, the challenges and the way ahead in the area of Content Aware media delivery platforms

Surface wind over Europe: Data and variability

This work improves the characterization and knowledge of the surface wind climatology over Europe with the development of an observational database with unprecedented quality control (QC), the European Surface Wind Observational database (EuSWiO). EuSWiO includes more than 3,829 stations with sub-daily resolution for wind speed and direction, with a number of sites spanning the period of 1880–2017, a few hundred time series starting in the 1930s and relatively good spatial coverage since the 1970s. The creation of EuSWiO entails the merging of eight different data sets and its submission to a common QC. About 5% of the total observations were flagged, correcting a great part of the extreme and unrealistic values, which have a discernible impact on the statistics of the database. The daily wind variability was characterized by means of a classification technique, identifying 11 independent subregions with distinct temporal wind variability over the 2000–2015 period. Significant decreases in the wind speed during this period are found in five regions, whereas two regions show increases. Most regions allow for extending the analysis to earlier decades. Caution in interpreting long-term trends is needed as wind speed data have not been homogenized. Nevertheless, decreases in the wind speed since the 1980s can be noticed in most of the regions. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the temporal and spatial surface wind variability in Europe. It will allow from meteorological to climate and climate change studies, including potential applications to the analyses of extreme events, wind power assessments or the evaluation of reanalysis or model-data comparison exercises at continental scales