Suppression of Parallel Plate Modes in Low Frequency Microstrip Circuit Packages Using Lid of Printed Zigzag Wires

This work deals with the suppression of parallel plate and cavity modes in shielded microstrip circuits operating at the lower microwave frequency range. The suppression is achieved by using a lid made of zigzag wires printed periodically on narrow slices of ungrounded circuit boards, located vertically side by side. This structure is very compact both in periodicity and height, it suppresses cavity modes over about an octave 2: 1 bandwidth, and it does not interfere with the packaged microstrip circuit

Informe de campaña: Platuxa 2015

La campaña Platuxa 2015 se ha llevado a cabo desde el 31 de mayo hasta el 21 de junio a bordo del B/O Vizconde de Eza. La campaña se realizó tal y como estaba previsto en el plan de campaña, gracias en parte a que se contó con marineros de refuerzo y las condiciones meteorologicas fueron propicias y permitieron trabajar de forma satisfactoria. Se realizaron un total 126 pescas, de las cuales tres fueron nulas debido a enganches durante el arrastre que produjeron daños severos en el aparejo y otra no fue consideraba válida por un mal funcionamiento del arte que provocó la virada del aparejo a los siete minutos de arrastre. Los 122 lances válidos tuvieron en su mayoría una duración de 30 minutos y cubrieron un rango de profundidades entre 43 y 1482 m, de forma que se ha muestreado el área de estudio completa. Asimismo se obtuvieron 127 perfiles hidrográficos con el CTD, aunque del total de perfiles realizados 4 fueron nulos por un problema de configuración que impidió el registro de los datos. El análisis de los datos recogidos este año muestra diferentes lecturas respecto a los resultados de 2014 y de la media de captura media estratificada (que considera el área del estrato en su estimación) del periodo 2002-2014. Comparando los datos con el año 2014, aumentó la captura de raya radiata (125%), mendo (100%), gallineta (97%), granadero berglax (75%), fletán negro (50%), tiburón negro (20%) y platija americana (6%). Disminuyó la captura de bacalao (59%) y se mantuvieron las capturas de limanda y bertorella tenuis (Tabla 1.1 y Figura 4.2.1). En comparación con la media de captura estratificada para el periodo 2002-2014, aumentaron las capturas de gallineta (128%), tiburón negro (100%), bacalao (52%) y fletán negro (29%), y disminuyeron las de raya radiata (38%), mendo (33%), platija americana (19%), limanda (16%) y granadero berglax (13%). Este año además se capturaron 3495 kg de capelán (Mallotus villosus), y 2505 kg de bolo (Ammodites dubius). La captura de capelán fue de 3.5 t, inferior a la registrada durante la campaña de 2014 en la que alcanzó 9 t, mientras que la captura de bolo registra un ligero aumento con respecto a 2014 hasta 2.5 t (Figura 4.2.1).The 3NO survey (Platuxa) 2015 was conducted from 31 May to 19 June 2015 on board the R/V Vizconde de Eza. The survey took place as scheduled, thanks in part to counting with two extra deckhands and weather conditions were favorable and allowed to work satisfactorily. A total of 126 hauls were taken, four hauls were void, three of them because the trawl was severely damaged after snagging while fishing and the fourth was interrupted after 7 minutes because the gear was not performing adequately. The 122 valid hauls lasted 30 minutes in their majority and covered a depth range between 43 and 1482 m, thus the study area was sampled as planned. Furthermore, 127 hydrographic profiles were obtained, although 4 of them were void due to technical issues that prevented recording the data. Data analysis provides different readings when comparing the 2014 results with those from 2015 or with the mean stratified catch (which takes into account the strata area) for the period 2002-2014. Compared to 2014, there were increases in catches of thorny skate (125%), witch flounder (100%), redfish (97%), roughhead grenadier (75%), Greenland halibut (50%), black dogfish (20%) and American plaice (6%). Cod catch declined roughly by 59% and catches of yellowtail flounder and white hake remained stable (Table 1.1 and Figure 4.2.1). When 2015 results are compared to the stratified mean for 2002-2014, redfish catch was 38% lower. Others species that showed decreases respect to the mean were witch flounder (33%), American plaice (19%), yellowtail flounder (16%) and roughhead grenadier (13%). Redfish catch increased by 128%, black dogfish by 100%, cod by 52% and Greenland halibut by 29%. During the 2015 survey, capelin catch decreased from 9 t in 2014 to 3.5 t and northern sand lance catch increased slightly to 2.5 t (Figure 4.2.1

LipoDDx: a mobile application for identification of rare lipodystrophy syndromes

Background: Lipodystrophy syndromes are a group of disorders characterized by a loss of adipose tissue once other situations of nutritional deprivation or exacerbated catabolism have been ruled out. With the exception of the HIV-associated lipodystrophy, they have a very low prevalence, which together with their large phenotypic heterogeneity makes their identification difficult, even for endocrinologists and pediatricians. This leads to significant delays in diagnosis or even to misdiagnosis. Our group has developed an algorithm that identifies the more than 40 rare lipodystrophy subtypes described to date. This algorithm has been implemented in a free mobile application, LipoDDx®. Our aim was to establish the effectiveness of LipoDDx®. Forty clinical records of patients with a diagnosis of certainty of most lipodystrophy subtypes were analyzed, including subjects without lipodystrophy. The medical records, blinded for diagnosis, were evaluated by 13 physicians, 1 biochemist and 1 dentist. Each evaluator first gave his/her results based on his/her own criteria. Then, a second diagnosis was given using LipoDDx®. The results were analysed based on a score table according to the complexity of each case and the prevalence of the disease. Results: LipoDDx® provides a user-friendly environment, based on usually dichotomous questions or choice of clinical signs from drop-down menus. The final result provided by this app for a particular case can be a low/high probability of suffering a particular lipodystrophy subtype. Without using LipoDDx® the success rate was 17 ± 20%, while with LipoDDx® the success rate was 79 ± 20% (p < 0.01).Project financed with an intramural grant from the Xunta de Galicia, ED341b 2017/19. S.S-I was awarded a Research Fellowship, granted by the Asociación Española de Familiares y Afectados de Lipodistrofias (AELIP).S

Estudio para la mejora de la calidad del vino albariño

Premio de Investigación, Real Academia Galega de Ciencias, convocatoria 2009.[EN]Twenty-two clones from Albariño variety (Vitis vinifera L.), from an initial collection of 115 clones, were selected on the basis of their ampelographic, molecular and sanitary characteristics. These selected clones were studied from the agronomic and oenological point of view, and were also quantified for their levels of susceptibility to Powdery Mildew, Oidium and Botrytis. An ecotypic yeast was selected, its use has been patented and it is being exploited. Musts obtained from the previously selected Albariño clones were fermented with this yeast, essentially by increasing the content in volatile substances of interest (terpens: linalool and geraniol; norisoprenoids: α-ionone and β- damascenone), leading to wines with improved fermentative dynamic and sensorial attributes.[ES]En base a características ampelográficas, moleculares y sanitarias, se seleccionaron 22 clones de la variedad Albariño (Vitis vinifera L.), partiendo de 115 iniciales. Sobre los clones seleccionados se ha llevado a cabo un estudio agronómico y enológico, así como la cuantificación de los niveles de susceptibilidad a Mildiu, Oídio y Botrytis. Se ha seleccionado una levadura ecotípica, cuyo uso ha sido patentado y se encuentra en explotación. Con ella se fermentaron los mostos obtenidos a partir de los clones de Albariño previamente seleccionados, dando lugar a vinos con una dinámica fermentativa xPremio de Investigación, Real Academia Galega de Ciencias, convocatoria 2009 y unos atributos sensoriales mejorados, fundamentalmente en base al aumento del contenido en sustancias volátiles de interés (terpenos: linalool y geraniol; norisoprenoides: α-ionona y β- damascenona).La actividad realizada ha sido financiada, además de por la Bodega Terras Gauda S.A., por la Xunta de Galicia (PGIDIT04TAL035E), y por el propio CSIC (PIE 2004 7 0E 214).Peer reviewe

A first approach to assess the impact of bottom trawling over Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the High Seas of the Southwest Atlantic

Versión del edito

Microglia Actively Remodel Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis through the Phagocytosis Secretome

During adult hippocampal neurogenesis, most newborn cells undergo apoptosis and are rapidly phagocytosed by resident microglia to prevent the spillover of intracellular contents. Here, we propose that phagocytosis is not merely passive corpse removal but has an active role in maintaining neurogenesis. First, we found that neurogenesis was disrupted in male and female mice chronically deficient for two phagocytosis pathways: the purinergic receptor P2Y12, and the tyrosine kinases of the TAM family Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK)/Axl. In contrast, neurogenesis was transiently increased in mice in which MerTK expression was conditionally downregulated. Next, we per-formed a transcriptomic analysis of the changes induced by phagocytosis in microglia in vitro and identified genes involved in metabolism, chromatin remodeling, and neurogenesis-related functions. Finally, we discovered that the secretome of phagocytic microglia limits the production of new neurons both in vivo and in vitro. Our data suggest that microglia act as a sensor of local cell death, modulating the balance between proliferation and survival in the neurogenic niche through the phagocytosis secretome, thereby supporting the long-term maintenance of adult hippocampal neurogenesis.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (http://www. mineco.gob.es) with FEDER funds to A.S. (BFU2012-32089 and RYC-2013-12817) to A.S. and J.V. (BFU2015-66689); a Leonardo Award from the BBVA Foundation to A.S. (IN16,_BBM_BAS_0260); a Basque Government Department of Education project to A.S. (PI_2016_1_0011; http://www.euskadi.eus/basque-government/department-educa- tion/); Ikerbasque start-up funds to J.V.; a Hungarian Research and Development Fund Grant (K116654) to B.S.; a Hungarian Brain Research Program Grant (2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017-00002) to B.S.; a National Institutes of Health Grant (AG060748) to G.L

Monoaminergic PET imaging and histopathological correlation in unilateral and bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesioned rat models of Parkinson's disease: a longitudinal in-vivo study

Carbon-11 labeled dihydrotetrabenazine (11C-DTBZ) binds to the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 and has been used to assess nigro-striatal integrity in animal models and patients with Parkinson's disease. Here, we applied 11C-DTBZ positron emission tomography (PET) to obtain longitudinally in-vivo assessment of striatal dopaminergic loss in the classic unilateral and in a novel bilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion rat model. Forty-four Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into 3 sub-groups: 1. 6-OHDA-induced unilateral lesion in the medial forebrain bundle, 2. bilateral lesion by injection of 6-OHDA in the third ventricle, and 3. vehicle injection in either site. 11C-DTBZ PET studies were investigated in the same animals successively at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 weeks after lesion using an anatomically standardized volumes-of-interest approach. Additionally, 12 rats had PET and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to construct a new 11C-DTBZ PET template. Behavior was characterized by rotational, catalepsy and limb-use asymmetry tests and dopaminergic striatal denervation was validated post-mortem by immunostaining of the dopamine transporter (DAT). 11C-DTBZ PET showed a significant decrease of striatal binding (SB) values one week after the unilateral lesion. At this point, there was a 60% reduction in SB in the affected hemisphere compared with baseline values in 6-OHDA unilaterally lesioned animals. A 46% symmetric reduction over baseline SB values was found in bilaterally lesioned rats at the first week after lesion. SB values remained constant in unilaterally lesioned rats whereas animals with bilateral lesions showed a modest (22%) increase in binding values at the 3rd and 6th weeks post-lesion. The degree of striatal dopaminergic denervation was corroborated histologically by DAT immunostaining. Statistical analysis revealed a high correlation between 11C-DTBZ PET SB and striatal DAT immunostaining values (r = 0.95, p < 0.001). The data presented here indicate that 11C-DTBZ PET may be used to ascertain changes occurring in-vivo throughout the evolution of nigro-striatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration, mainly in the unilateral 6-OHDA lesion rat

Parvimonas micra can translocate from the subgingival sulcus of the human oral cavity to colorectal adenocarcinoma

[Abstract] Oral and intestinal samples from a cohort of 93 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and 30 healthy controls (non-CRC) were collected for microbiome analysis. Saliva (28 non-CRC and 94 CRC), feces (30 non-CRC and 97 CRC), subgingival fluid (20 CRC), and tumor tissue samples (20 CRC) were used for 16S metabarcoding and/or RNA sequencing (RNAseq) approaches. A differential analysis of the abundance, performed with the ANCOM-BC package, adjusting the P-values by the Holm-Bonferroni method, revealed that Parvimonas was significantly over-represented in feces from CRC patients (P-value < 0.001) compared to healthy controls. A total of 11 Parvimonas micra isolates were obtained from the oral cavity and adenocarcinoma of CRC patients. Genome analysis identified a pair of isolates from the same patient that shared 99.2% identity, demonstrating that P. micra can translocate from the subgingival cavity to the gut. The data suggest that P. micra could migrate in a synergistic consortium with other periodontal bacteria. Metatranscriptomics confirmed that oral bacteria were more active in tumor than in non-neoplastic tissues. We suggest that P. micra could be considered as a CRC biomarker detected in non-invasive samples such as feces.The present authors want to thank all the cancer patients of the University Hospital of A Coruña for participating in this study, collaborating with us despite their health problems. We warmly want to thank Gema Carro Díaz and Montserrat Ingelmo Sánchez (surgical service nurses of HUAC) for their support during patient's recruitment time and also with sample collection. Moreover, we want to appreciate the valuable assistance received in anaerobic culturing by David Velasco Fernández (microbiologist) and Ana María Fernández Liñares (technician), and in FFPE samples processing by the pathology service technicians: Diego Barco Díaz, Cristina Vázquez Costa and Ana María Mejuto Rial. This work would not be possible without all the professionals of the Microbiology, Surgery, Pathology and Oncology services and Biobank from CHUAC who support this microbiome and cancer research project. This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project PI20/00413 and co-funded by the European Union to MP. The work has been also supported by the project RTI2018-102032-B-I00 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to AM and by the CIBER INF ISCIII (CB21/13/00055) to GB and MP. Biobank of University Hospital Complex of A Coruña was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III – Fondos FEDER (EU) by grant PT20/00128. K. Conde-Pérez was financially supported with a predoctoral fellowship by the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC). E. Buetas is supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with the reference PRE2019-088126. S. Ladra, E. Martin-De Arribas and Iago Iglesias-Corrás are supported by grants from GAIN (Xunta de Galicia, Spain) with references ED431C 2021/53 and ED431GXunta de Galicia; ED431C 2021/53Xunta de Galicia; ED431

Efficacy of a brief multifactorial adherence-based intervention on reducing the blood pressure of patients with poor adherence: protocol for a randomized clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lowering of blood pressure by antihypertensive drugs reduces the risks of cardiovascular events, stroke, and total mortality. However, poor adherence to antihypertensive medications reduces their effectiveness and increases the risk of adverse events. In terms of relative risk reduction, an improvement in medication adherence could be as effective as the development of a new drug.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The proposed randomized controlled trial will include patients with a low adherence to medication and uncontrolled blood pressure. The intervention group will receive a multifactorial intervention during the first, third, and ninth months, to improve adherence. This intervention will include motivational interviews, pill reminders, family support, blood pressure self-recording, and simplification of the dosing regimen.</p> <p>Measurement</p> <p>The primary outcome is systolic blood pressure. The secondary outcomes are diastolic blood pressure, proportion of patients with adequately controlled blood pressure, and total cost.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The trial will evaluate the impact of a multifactorial adherence intervention in routine clinical practice. Ethical approval was given by the Ethical Committee on Human Research of Balearic islands, Spain (approval number IB 969/08 PI).</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current controlled trials ISRCTN21229328</p

Hyperprolactinaemia in first episode psychosis - a longitudinal assessment

Little is known about hyperprolactinaemia (HPL) in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients. We investigated longitudinal changes in serum prolactin in FEP, and the relationship between HPL, and antipsychotic medication and stress. Serum prolactin was recorded in FEP patients at recruitment and again, 3 and 12 months later. HPL was defined as a serum prolactin level greater than 410 mIU/L (~19.3ng/ml) for males, and a serum prolactin level greater than 510 mIU/L (~24.1ng/ml) for females. From a total of 174 people with serum prolactin measurements at study recruitment, 43% (n=74) had HPL, whilst 27% (n=21/78) and 27% (n=26/95) had HPL at 3 and 12 months respectively. We observed higher serum prolactin levels in females versus males (p<0.001), and in antipsychotic treated (n=68) versus antipsychotic naïve patients (p<0.0001). Prolactin levels were consistently raised in FEP patients taking risperidone, amisulpride and FGAs compared to other antipsychotics. No significant relationship was observed between perceived 3 stress scores (β=7.13, t =0.21, df=11, p=0.0.84 95% CI -72.91-87.16), or objective life stressors (β=-21.74, t=-0.31, df=8, p=0.77 95% CI -218.57-175.09) and serum prolactin. Our study found elevated rates of HPL over the course of the first 12 months of illness. We found no evidence to support the notion that stress is related to elevated serum prolactin at the onset of psychosis