Hipodoncia: utilidad de hallazgos dentales en la determinación de patologías y parentesco en poblaciones antiguas. Estudio de dos casos en la necrópolis oriental de Carthago Spartaria

The use of forensic techniques when studying partial or badly-conserved human remains is very important when we want to determine age, sex, and race, as well as parental relation between two or more individuals. Of these techniques, some of the simplest but most reliable are those related to the dental studies of the retrieved remains. Finding dental anomalies may give useful information about diseases suffered by the individual (congenital or infecto-contagious) and possible family relation between several individuals. This study describes several cases of dental agenesia (absence of teeth caused by lack of formation of these teeth) found in populations living during the fi fth to seventh centuries (a.D.), retrieved in the oriental necropolis of Carthago Spartaria, in the neighborhood of the present University (Cartagena, Murcia).La utilización de técnicas forenses a la hora de estudiar restos humanos parciales o en mal estado de conservación son muy importantes cuando queremos determinar la edad, sexo y raza, así como el parentesco entre dos o más individuos. De estas técnicas, algunas de las más sencillas pero de resultados bastante fi ables son aquellas relacionadas con el estudio dental de los restos encontrados. El hallazgo de anomalías dentarias puede facilitar información acerca de enfermedades padecidas por el individuo (tanto infectocontagiosas como congénitas) y de posibles relaciones familiares entre varios individuos. El presente estudio describe varios casos de agenesias dentales (ausencia dental debida a la falta de formación de algún diente) encontradas en una población de los siglos V-VII d.C., recuperados en la necrópolis oriental de Carthago Spartaria, en la zona del actual Barrio Universitario. (Cartagena, Murcia

Candida albicans Hyphal Extracellular Vesicles Are Different from Yeast Ones, Carrying an Active Proteasome Complex and Showing a Different Role in Host Immune Response.

Candida albicans is the principal causative agent of lethal fungal infections, predominantly in immunocompromised hosts. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been described as crucial in the interaction of microorganisms with their host. Since the yeast-to-hypha transition is an important virulence trait with great impact in invasive candidiasis (IC), we have addressed the characterization of EVs secreted by hyphal cells (HEVs) from C. albicans, comparing them to yeast EVs (YEVs). YEVs comprised a larger population of bigger EVs with mainly cell wall proteins, while HEVs were smaller, in general, and had a much higher protein diversity. YEVs were able to rescue the sensitivity of a cell wall mutant against calcofluor white, presumably due to the larger amount of cell wall proteins they contained. On the other hand, HEVs also contained many cytoplasmic proteins related to protein metabolism and intracellular protein transport and the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) pathway related to exosome biogenesis, pointing to an intracellular origin of HEVs. Interestingly, an active 20S proteasome complex was secreted exclusively in HEVs. Moreover, HEVs contained a greater number of virulence-related proteins. As for their immunogenic role, both types of EV presented immune reactivity with human sera from patients suffering invasive candidiasis; however, under our conditions, only HEVs showed a cytotoxic effect on human macrophages and could elicit the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by these macrophages. IMPORTANCE This first analysis of HEVs of C. albicans has shown clear differences between them and the YEVs of C. albicans, showing their relevance and possible use in the discovery of new diagnostic markers and treatment targets against C. albicans infections. The data obtained point to different mechanisms of biogenesis of YEVs and HEVs, as well as different involvements in cell biology and host interaction. YEVs played a more relevant role in cell wall maintenance, while HEVs were more closely related to virulence, as they had greater effects on human immune cells. Importantly, an active 20S proteosome complex was described as a fungal-EV cargo. A deeper study of its role and those of many other proteins exclusively detected in HEVs and involved in different relevant biological processes of this fungus could open up interesting new areas of research in the battle against C. albicans

A Light Calibration System for the ProtoDUNE-DP Detector

A LED-based fiber calibration system for the ProtoDUNE-Dual Phase (DP) photon detection system (PDS) has been designed and validated. ProtoDUNE-DP is a 6x6x6 m3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber currently being installed at the Neutrino Platform at CERN. The PDS is based on 36 8-inch photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and will allow triggering on cosmic rays. The system serves as prototype for the PDS of the final DUNE DP far detector in which the PDS also has the function to allow the 3D event reconstruction on non-beam physics. For this purpose an equalized PMT response is desirable to allow using the same threshold definition for all PMT groups, simplifying the determination of the trigger efficiency. The light calibration system described in this paper is developed to provide this and to monitor the PMT performance in-situ.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Towards domestic cooking efficiency: A case study on burger pan frying using experimental and computational results

It is well known that the use of efficient domestic cooking appliances and equipment can not only save energy, but also improve the quality of the food being prepared. This work raises the question of whether cooking procedures can also contribute to this energy efficiency. Focusing on burger pan frying, experimental data were used to develop a model able to predict cooking outcomes under different power levels supplied by an induction hob. The proposed model takes into account not only the heat consumed by water evaporation in the contact region but also the shrinkage process of the hamburger. A new formulation based on the multiplicative decomposition of the strain deformation gradient is proposed to describe the observed decoupling between weight and volume loss during the process. The model properly predicts temperature, moisture loss and shrinkage, and allows elucidation of the effects of supplying different amounts of energy on the final water content

Percepción en personas mayores de qué podría ayudarnos a morir en paz.

Recent changes in our society have led to the denial of death, both at a social level and in the medical field particularly, using all the therapeutic procedures available in order to avoid it, and considering death as a failure of knowledge when it appears. Death cannot be delayed indefinitely and when it comes the most important is to ensure the necessary conditions to meet a peacefully death.The objective of this study was to analyze those aspects that could facilitate a death in peace according to the elderly, as well as analyze the influence of sociodemographic variables. 152 adults aged between 50 and 77 have completed the Dying in Peace Questionnaire. The results show as the most important aspects at the end of life for the elderly, those related to the closeness of loved ones, the control of physical suffering and the meaning of life. In contrast, the two least valued factors have been to believe in another life after death and to think that I may die at home. Differential analyses according to sociodemographic variables show statistically significant differences depending on whether or not the elderly suffered a disease close to death and on religious beliefs. Likewise, significant correlations have been found with age. To know those factors prioritized by elderly at the end of life, will allow us to offer a more tailored attention to their particular needs, bearing in mind possible individual differences.Los cambios acontecidos en los últimos tiempos en nuestra sociedad han favorecido la negación de la muerte tanto a nivel social como en el ámbito médico en particular, utilizando todos los procedimientos terapéuticos disponibles para intentar evitarla, y considerándola como un fracaso del conocimiento cuando aparece. La muerte no puede retrasarse indefinidamente y cuando llega, lo más importante es asegurar que se reúnan las condiciones necesarias para que la persona pueda morir en paz. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido analizar aquellos aspectos que ayudarían a facilitar una muerte en paz según las personas mayores, analizando la posible influencia en esta valoración de variables sociodemográficas. 152 adultos con edades comprendidas entre los 50 y 77 años cumplimentaron el Cuestionario de Ayuda a Morir en Paz. Los resultados muestran que para las personas mayores los aspectos prioritarios al final de la vida serían aquellos relativos a la cercanía de las personas queridas, el control del sufrimiento físico y el sentido de la vida. En cambio, los dos factores menos valorados han sido creer en otra vida después de la muerte y pensar que se pueda morir en casa. El análisis diferencial en función de variables sociodemográficas muestra diferencias estadísticamente significativas en función de haber sufrido o no alguna enfermedad cercana a la muerte y las creencias religiosas, así como correlaciones también significativas en función de la edad. Conocer los aspectos que priorizan las personas mayores al final de la vida nos permitirá ofrecer una atención más ajustada a sus necesidades particulares siendo conscientes de que es necesario tener en cuenta posibles diferencias individuales

Star Formation Rate estimators: [O II]λ3727 vs. Hα for local star-forming galaxies

The [O ii]λ3727 emission line is frequently used as an indicator of the star formation rate (SFR) despite its complex dependence on metallicity and excitation conditions. We have analysed the properties of the [O II] and Hα emission lines for a complete sample of local Hα-selected galaxies, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) survey. We find a large scatter in the [O II]/Hα line ratios, although the scatter in the extinction-corrected [O II]^0/Hα^0 ratio is considerably smaller. We also find that the [O II]/Hα ratios are reasonably well correlated with the absolute B- and K-band magnitudes and with EW([O II]). However, the extinction-corrected [O II]^0/Hα^0 ratio is largely independent of these quantities, indicating that extinction is the main driver of the correlations. These correlations allow us to statistically predict-with varying degrees of accuracy-the observed and extinction-corrected Hα fluxes from the observed [O II] flux using the information contained in EW([O II]) and/or the absolute magnitudes, but extreme caution is needed to make sure that the sample selection effects are correctly taken into account

MEGARA cryogenic system

MEGARA (Multi Espectrógrafo en GTC de Alta Resolución para Astronomía) is the new integral field unit (IFU) and multi-object spectrograph (MOS) instrument for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). The selected cryogenic device to harbor the CCD detector for the MEGARA spectrograph is a liquid nitrogen open-cycle cryostat. The LN2 open-cycle cryostat is a custom made product which has been designed by the INAOE astronomical instrumentation group. The proposed cryostat offers modular stages for easy assembly and testing whilst also allowing future modifications to accommodate the required CCDs, electronics and optics

MEGARA detector test bench at LICA-UCM

LICA (Laboratorio de Instrumentaci´on Cient´ıfica Avanzada) is an initiative of the Campus de Excelencia Internacional of UCM. Among the facilities within LICA, a new laboratory has been assigned to MEGARA project for subsystem tests and AIV. This paper presents the current facilities installed at LICA for detector characterization, which will be used to test and characterize MEGARA detectors