Datos sobre la edad de las secciones del Mioceno Inferior de Port d'es Canonge y Randa (Mallorca)

Abstract not availabl

Bioadhesión sobre Alúmina. Propiedades superficiales

La alúmina es uno de los materiales cerámicos de mayor relevancia en usos biomédicos. Así, este trabajo hace una completa caracterización de su superficie a través de propiedades que son de especial importancia en aquellos procesos de interacción con superficies biológicas como son células y microorganismos. Tensión superficial, potencial zeta y rugosidad superficial se analizan utilizando métodos diversos. La tensión superficial se muestra en torno a 35 mJ m-2 aunque los valores dependen en muchos casos de la aproximación escogida y de los grupos de líquidos prueba necesarios para su determinación. El punto isoeléctrico aparece a pH = 4,6 lo que indica una carga superficial negativa cuando la alúmina se encuentre inmersa en líquidos fisiológicos (pH = 7). Los accidentes topográficos responsables de la macrorugosidad pueden considerarse de periodicidad en torno a 25um presentando alta variabilidad a escalas inferiores, por ello, es importante determinar la rugosidad a escalas próximas al tamaño de las células que intervienen en el proceso de adhesión

El cabalgamiento Finiserravallense del Norte de Sierra Arana (Cordillera Bética). Observaciones sobre la caracterización bioestratigráfica del Serravallense

Al N. de Sierra Arana se reconocen una serie de ventanas tectónicas en las que afloran margas Serravallenses y calcarenitas del Langhense superior-Serravallense inferior, bajo unas dolomías que presentan, en la base, intercalaciones de rocas subvolcánicas básicas. Los materiales cabalgantes parecen pertenecer a la unidad de Sierra Arana, o a alguna otra directamente relacionada con ella, aún cuando están separados del conjunto por un importante accidente de desgarre que discurre al pie de la ladera N. de dicha sierra. El cabalgamiento, de una magnitud mínima estimada de 2'5 Km., se produjo entre el Serravallense superior y el Tortonense basal.In the northern part of Sierra Arana several tectonic windows have been recognized. Serravallian marls and upper Langhian - lower Serravallian calcarenites are overthrusted by dolomites with basic subvolcanic rocks interbedded in their lower part. The allochtonous rocks must belong to the Sierra Arana unit, or to some other unit' directly connected with it, even if no stratigrafic continuity between them can be ascertained because of an important strike-slip fault bordering the northern foot of the Sierra Arana massif. Tectonic superposition has an amplitude of 2'5 Km. or more and took place during the upper Serravallian or the lowermost Tortonian

Production of cadmium sulfide quantum dots by the lithobiontic Antarctic strain Pedobacter sp. UYP1 and their application as photosensitizer in solar cells

Indexación ScopusBackground: Microbes are present in almost every environment on Earth, even in those with extreme environmental conditions such as Antarctica, where rocks may represent the main refuge for life. Lithobiontic communities are composed of microorganisms capable of colonizing rocks and, as it is a not so well studied bacterial community, they may represent a very interesting source of diversity and functional traits with potential for biotechnological applications. In this work we analyzed the ability of Antarctic lithobiontic bacterium to synthesize cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs) and their potential application in solar cells. Results: A basaltic andesite rock sample was collected from Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica, and processed in order to isolate lithobiontic bacterial strains. Out of the 11 selected isolates, strain UYP1, identified as Pedobacter, was chosen for further characterization and analysis due to its high cadmium tolerance. A protocol for the biosynthesis of CdS QDs was developed and optimized for this strain. After 20 and 80 min of synthesis, yellow-green and orange-red fluorescent emissions were observed under UV light, respectively. QDs were characterized through spectroscopic techniques, dynamic light scattering analysis, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Nanostructures of 3.07 nm, composed of 51.1% cadmium and 48.9% sulfide were obtained and further used as photosensitizer material in solar cells. These solar cells were able to conduct electrons and displayed an open circuit voltage of 162 mV, a short circuit current density of 0.0110 mA cm−2, and had an efficiency of conversion up to 0.0016%, which is comparable with data previously reported for solar cells sensitized with biologically produced quantum dots. Conclusions: We report a cheap, rapid and eco-friendly protocol for the production of CdS QDs by an Antarctic lithobiontic bacterium, Pedobacter, a genus that was not previously reported as a quantum dot producer. The application of the biosynthesized QDs as sensitizer material in solar cells was validated. © 2021, The Author(s).https://microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12934-021-01531-

El Neógeno del Valle de los Guájares (Cordillera Bética, Granada)

El estudio llevado a cabo sobre las características litoestratigráficas, el contenido faunístico y la edad de los materiales neógenos del Valle de los Guájares, pone de manifiesto la presencia de materiales del Serravallense y del Tortonense, además de los correspondientes al Plioceno (?) - Cuaternario. Las deformaciones de tales materiales se deben esencialmente a fracturas con saltos tanto horizontales como verticales, que controlaron en buena medida el relieve y la sedimentación. A partir de estos datos y de otros de carácter regional se aborda la evolución geológica del sector, posterior a la estructuración esencial de la Cordillera Bética durante el Mioceno inferior. A este respecto se pueden destacar dos fases deformacionales: una fase finiserravallense, responsable de algunas fallas inversas que afectan a las margas pelágicas serravallenses y a los materiales alpujárrides y, probablemente, también responsable del nacimiento de sistemas de fallas, las cuales podrían ya controlar la sedimentación; segunda fase intratortonense que produce discordancia angular entre los materiales tortonenses así como una nueva actividad, principalmente con desplazamientos verticales, de los sistemas de fallas previamente formados. Los materiales del Plioceno (?) - Cuaternario muestran igualmente evidencias de movimientos tectónicos recientes en los que prevalecen los desplazamientos verticales sobre los horizontales.The geological study, lead upon the lithostratigraphic characteristics, the faunistic content and the age of the neogene materials from the Guájares valley reveals the presence of terranes belonging to the Serravallian and the Tortonian, besides the ones corresponding to the Pliocene (?) - Quaternary. The deformation features of such materials are essentially due to faults showing both horizontal and vertical slips, which strongly controlled the relief and the deposition. From these data and others of regional character we envisage the geological evolution of the area, once the main structuration of the Betic Cordilleras during the lower Miocene was already accomplished. In this regard two deformational phases stand out: a finiserravallian phase, responsible for sorne reverse faults concerning serravallian pelagic marls and alpujarride materials and, probably also and for the birth of important fault systems which could already control the sedimentation; which a second one, the intratortonian phase, which yields an angular unconformity within the tortonian materials as well as a new activity, mainly with vertical displacements, of the previous fault systems. The Pliocene (?)- Quaternary deposits provide also evidence of recent tectonic movements, the vertical slips being prevalent over the horizontal ones.Trabajo realizado dentro del Proyecto «El Borde Mediterráneo español: Evolución del Orógeno bético y geodinámica de las depresiones neógenas», realizado por el Departamento de Investigaciones Geológicas, C.S.I.C. y financiado por C.A.I.C.YT. y C.S.I.C

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.</p

El cabalgamiento Finiserravallense del Norte de Sierra Arana (Cordillera Bética). Observaciones sobre la caracterización bioestratigráfica del Serravallense

Al N. de Sierra Arana se reconocen una serie de ventanas tectónicas en las que afloran margas Serravallenses y calcarenitas del Langhense superior-Serravallense inferior, bajo unas dolomías que presentan, en la base, intercalaciones de rocas subvolcánicas básicas. Los materiales cabalgantes parecen pertenecer a la unidad de Sierra Arana, o a alguna otra directamente relacionada con ella, aún cuando están separados del conjunto por un importante accidente de desgarre que discurre al pie de la ladera N. de dicha sierra. El cabalgamiento, de una magnitud mínima estimada de 2'5 Km., se produjo entre el Serravallense superior y el Tortonense basal.In the northern part of Sierra Arana several tectonic windows have been recognized. Serravallian marls and upper Langhian - lower Serravallian calcarenites are overthrusted by dolomites with basic subvolcanic rocks interbedded in their lower part. The allochtonous rocks must belong to the Sierra Arana unit, or to some other unit' directly connected with it, even if no stratigrafic continuity between them can be ascertained because of an important strike-slip fault bordering the northern foot of the Sierra Arana massif. Tectonic superposition has an amplitude of 2'5 Km. or more and took place during the upper Serravallian or the lowermost Tortonian

Biomimetic synthesis of CuInS2 nanoparticles: Characterization, cytotoxicity, and application in quantum dots sensitized solar cells

CuInS2 (CIS) nanoparticles have unique chemical, toxicological and optoelectronic properties that favor their technological applications. In the present work we report a novel one step biomimetic method for the aqueous synthesis of CIS nanoparticles, that is also low cost and environmentally friendly. This biomimetic method uses only CuSO4 and InCl3 as precursor salts, and the biological molecule glutathione as sulfur donor and stabilizer of the nanoparticles (NPs). The reaction is performed at low temperatures, under aerobic conditions and atmospheric pressure. CIS nanoparticles produced by our biomimetic method exhibit fluorescence emission between 650 and 700 nm when excited at 500 nm. A size between 10 and 15 nm was determined by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and corroborated by electron transmission microscopy. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) confirmed the crystalline structure of the CIS NPs produced. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) analyses revealed the presence of Cu, In, and S in a 0.6: 1.4: 2 ratio, which has been reported for other CIS NPs in literature. No cytotoxicity of CIS NPs was observed in human OKT6/TERT2 cells and bacteria. Besides, the potential application of biomimetic CIS NPs as photosensitizers in quantum dots sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) was confirmed. The biocompatibility, spectroscopic properties, and energy harvesting performance in solar cells of the CIS NPs produced by our biomimetic method make them suitable for their use in different biotechnological applications

El Neógeno del Valle de los Guájares (Cordillera Bética, Granada)

El estudio llevado a cabo sobre las características litoestratigráficas, el contenido faunístico y la edad de los materiales neógenos del Valle de los Guájares, pone de manifiesto la presencia de materiales del Serravallense y del Tortonense, además de los correspondientes al Plioceno (?) - Cuaternario. Las deformaciones de tales materiales se deben esencialmente a fracturas con saltos tanto horizontales como verticales, que controlaron en buena medida el relieve y la sedimentación. A partir de estos datos y de otros de carácter regional se aborda la evolución geológica del sector, posterior a la estructuración esencial de la Cordillera Bética durante el Mioceno inferior. A este respecto se pueden destacar dos fases deformacionales: una fase finiserravallense, responsable de algunas fallas inversas que afectan a las margas pelágicas serravallenses y a los materiales alpujárrides y, probablemente, también responsable del nacimiento de sistemas de fallas, las cuales podrían ya controlar la sedimentación; segunda fase intratortonense que produce discordancia angular entre los materiales tortonenses así como una nueva actividad, principalmente con desplazamientos verticales, de los sistemas de fallas previamente formados. Los materiales del Plioceno (?) - Cuaternario muestran igualmente evidencias de movimientos tectónicos recientes en los que prevalecen los desplazamientos verticales sobre los horizontales.The geological study, lead upon the lithostratigraphic characteristics, the faunistic content and the age of the neogene materials from the Guájares valley reveals the presence of terranes belonging to the Serravallian and the Tortonian, besides the ones corresponding to the Pliocene (?) - Quaternary. The deformation features of such materials are essentially due to faults showing both horizontal and vertical slips, which strongly controlled the relief and the deposition. From these data and others of regional character we envisage the geological evolution of the area, once the main structuration of the Betic Cordilleras during the lower Miocene was already accomplished. In this regard two deformational phases stand out: a finiserravallian phase, responsible for sorne reverse faults concerning serravallian pelagic marls and alpujarride materials and, probably also and for the birth of important fault systems which could already control the sedimentation; which a second one, the intratortonian phase, which yields an angular unconformity within the tortonian materials as well as a new activity, mainly with vertical displacements, of the previous fault systems. The Pliocene (?)- Quaternary deposits provide also evidence of recent tectonic movements, the vertical slips being prevalent over the horizontal ones.Trabajo realizado dentro del Proyecto «El Borde Mediterráneo español: Evolución del Orógeno bético y geodinámica de las depresiones neógenas», realizado por el Departamento de Investigaciones Geológicas, C.S.I.C. y financiado por C.A.I.C.YT. y C.S.I.C

Associations Between the Modified Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in an Elderly Population

Background: Helping consumers to improve the nutritional quality of their diet is a key public health action to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The modified version of the Food Standard Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index (FSAm-NPS DI) underpinning the Nutri-Score front-of-pack label has been used in public health strategies to address the deleterious consequences of poor diets. This study aimed to assess the association between the FSAm-NPS DI and some CVD risk factors including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, plasma glucose levels, triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Materials and Methods: Dietary intake was assessed at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up using a 143-item validated semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary indices based on FSAm-NPS applied at an individual level were computed to characterize the diet quality of 5,921 participants aged 55-75 years with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome from the PREDIMED-plus cohort. Associations between the FSAm-NPS DI and CVD risk factors were assessed using linear regression models. Results: Compared to participants with a higher nutritional quality of diet (measured by a lower FSAm-NPS DI at baseline or a decrease in FSAm-NPS DI after 1 year), those participants with a lower nutritional quality of diet (higher FSAm-NPS DI or an increase in score) showed a significant increase in the levels of plasma glucose, triglycerides, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, and waist circumference (β coefficient [95% confidence interval]; P for trend) (1.67 [0.43, 2.90]; <0.001; 6.27 [2.46, 10.09]; <0.001; 0.56 [0.08, 1.05]; 0.001; 0.51 [0.41, 0.60]; <0.001; 1.19 [0.89, 1.50]; <0.001, respectively). No significant associations in relation to changes in HDL and LDL-cholesterol nor with systolic blood pressure were shown. Conclusion: This prospective cohort study suggests that the consumption of food items with a higher FSAm-NPS DI is associated with increased levels of several major risk factors for CVD including adiposity, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure. However, results must be cautiously interpreted because no significant prospective associations were identified for critical CVD risk factors, such as HDL and LDL-cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure