Exploring the evolutionary paths of the most massive galaxies since z~2

We use Spitzer MIPS data from the FIDEL Legacy Project in the Extended Groth Strip to analyze the stellar mass assembly of massive (M>10^11 M_sun) galaxies at z<2 as a function of structural parameters. We find 24 micron emission for more than 85% of the massive galaxies morphologically classified as disks, and for more than 57% of the massive systems morphologically classified as spheroids at any redshift, with about 8% of sources harboring a bright X-ray and/or infrared emitting AGN. More noticeably, 60% of all compact massive galaxies at z=1-2 are detected at 24 micron, even when rest-frame optical colors reveal that they are dead and evolving passively. For spheroid-like galaxies at a given stellar mass, the sizes of MIPS non-detections are smaller by a factor of 1.2 in comparison with IR-bright sources. We find that disk-like massive galaxies present specific SFRs ranging from 0.04 to 0.2 Gyr^-1 at z<1 (SFRs ranging from 1 to 10 M_sun/yr), typically a factor of 3-6 higher than massive spheroid-like objects in the same redshift range. At z>1, and more pronouncedly at z>1.3, the median specific SFRs of the disks and spheroids detected by MIPS are very similar, ranging from 0.1 to 1 Gyr^-1 (SFR=10-200 M_sun/yr). We estimate that massive spheroid-like galaxies may have doubled (at the most) their stellar mass from star-forming events at z<2: less than 20% mass increase at 1.7<z<2.0, up to 40% more at 1.1<z<1.7, and less than 20% additional increase at z<1. Disk-like galaxies may have tripled (at the most) their stellar mass at z<2 from star formation alone: up to 40% mass increase at 1.7<z<2.0, and less than 180% additional increase below z=1.7 occurred at a steady rate.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Human-robot collaboration for safe object transportation using force feedback

[EN] This work presents an approach based on multi-task, non-conventional sliding mode control and admittance control for human-robot collaboration aimed at handling applications using force feedback. The proposed robot controller is based on three tasks with different priority levels in order to cooperatively perform the safe transportation of an object with a human operator. In particular, a high-priority task is developed using non-conventional sliding mode control to guarantee safe reference parameters imposed by the task, e.g., keeping a load at a desired orientation (to prevent spill out in the case of liquids, or to reduce undue stresses that may compromise fragile items). Moreover, a second task based on a hybrid admittance control algorithm is used for the human operator to guide the robot by means of a force sensor located at the robot tool. Finally, a third low-priority task is considered for redundant robots in order to use the remaining degrees of freedom of the robot to achieve a pre-set secondary goal (e.g., singularity avoidance, remaining close to a homing configuration for increased safety, etc.) by means of the gradient projection method. The main advantages of the proposed method are robustness and low computational cost. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed approach are substantiated by experimental results using a redundant 7R manipulator: the Sawyer collaborative robot. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Government under Project DPI2017-87656-C2-1-R, and the Generalitat Valenciana under Grants VALi+d APOSTD/2016/044 and BEST/2017/029.Solanes Galbis, JE.; Gracia Calandin, LI.; Muñoz-Benavent, P.; Valls Miro, J.; Carmichael, MG.; Tornero Montserrat, J. (2018). Human-robot collaboration for safe object transportation using force feedback. Robotics and Autonomous Systems. 107:196-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.robot.2018.06.003S19620810

Revisión de tecnologías de membranas en la eliminación de metales pesados en aguas superficiales para consumo humano

[EN] Several sources contaminate heavy metals in surface waters. Among the main ones are industries and mining, in addition to natural geological pollution. Several international organizations consider heavy metals as toxic and dangerous. Globally, many bodies of surface water have concentrations of metal ions that exceed the allowed limits. This problem is more significant when water bodies contaminated with metals are used as sources of supply for cities. Therefore, there is an imminent need to apply efficient treatment technologies and with a high metal removal rate. This work makes a bibliographic review of the results obtained in the various experiences of the last 20 years, to identify which of the membrane filtration processes is the most promising for its application, considering different metal ions.[ES] Existen diversas fuentes que contaminan con metales pesados en las aguas superficiales. Entre las principales se encuentran las industrias y la minería, además de la contaminación geológica natural. Los metales pesados son considerados por varias organizaciones internacionales como tóxicos y/o peligrosos. A nivel mundial, muchos cuerpos de agua superficial presentan concentraciones de iones metálicos que exceden los límites permitidos. Esta problemática es mayor cuando los cuerpos de agua contaminados con metales se utilizan como fuentes de abastecimiento para ciudades. Observando lo anterior, existe la necesidad inminente de aplicar tecnologías de tratamiento eficientes y con alta tasa de remoción de metales. Este trabajo hace una revisión bibliográfica de los resultados obtenidos en las diversas experiencias de los últimos 20 años, con el fin de identificar cuál de los procesos de filtración por membranas es el más prometedor para su aplicación, considerando diferentes iones metálicos.Alvizuri-Tintaya, PA.; Villena Martínez, EM.; Torregrosa López, JI.; Lo-Iacono-Ferreira, VG.; Lora-García, J. (2020). Review of membrane technologies in the removal of heavy metals in surface waters for human consumption. Asociación Española de Dirección e Ingeniería de Proyectos (AIEPRO). 1130-1141. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/181059S1130114

Contamination of Water Supply Sources by Heavy Metals: The Price of Development in Bolivia, a Latin American Reality

[EN] Like other Latin American countries, Bolivia is in the race towards development, which has caused many economic activities to be carried out without due consideration for the care of the environment. At this point, it is essential to carry out environmental inventories to preserve the quality of ecosystems and natural resources, such as water. As water is vital, it needs to be adequately monitored and managed to prevent its degradation. This research presents the results of monitoring the main sources of water supply in two continuously growing departments of Bolivia, La Paz, and Tarija. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the water to which the population has access, with particular attention to heavy metals with concentrations that exceed the permitted limits. The metals found were arsenic, chromium, mercury, manganese, iron, zinc, and tin in the Milluni area, and lead, iron, and manganese in the Guadalquivir area. Exposing the presence of metals in water sources implies immediate attention by decision-makers to take action to reduce the risk to public health. In addition, this study exposes a Bolivian reality that could encourage other countries in similar contexts to conduct similar studies on their water sources.This work was supported by the Universidad Catolica Boliviana "San Pablo"-Academic Units of La Paz and Tarija, and by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia through the ADSIDEO project.Alvizuri-Tintaya, PA.; Villena-Martínez, EM.; Avendaño-Acosta, N.; Lo-Iacono-Ferreira, VG.; Torregrosa López, JI.; Lora-García, J. (2022). Contamination of Water Supply Sources by Heavy Metals: The Price of Development in Bolivia, a Latin American Reality. Water. 14(21):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14213470120142

On the Road to Sustainable Water Supply: Reducing Public Health Risks and Preserving Surface Water Resources in the Milluni Micro-Basin, Bolivia

[EN] Bolivia is among the countries with the highest availability of freshwater globally. However, many of its natural sources are impacted by anthropogenic activities, such as mining. Water is intimately linked to public health and is essential to achieving sustainable development. It is necessary to preserve water resources by designing and validating monitoring programs that help control the quality of the sources that supply important population centers. The study area in this research is the upper part of the Milluni micro-basin, whose lagoon system supplies water for two large cities. Milluni is close to illegal and abandoned mining areas, making the region highly vulnerable to heavy metal contamination. This study aimed to optimize the resources available for monitoring Milluni. The frequency of monitoring was statistically determined, and the correlation between parameters measured in situ (pH and conductivity) and metal ion concentrations to determine low-cost indicators to monitor the presence of heavy metals. A multivariate analysis of friction of the results of the pilot year of the monitoring program designed for Milluni, considering the characteristics and economic limitations, is presented. An approximation of the quality of the surface water resources of Milluni is presented as a result of the monitoring operations.This work was supported by The Universidad Catolica Boliviana-Academic Units of La Paz and Tarija, and PROGRAMA ADSIDEO-2018 Development Cooperation Center Of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Alvizuri Tintaya, PA.; Villena Martínez, EM.; Micó-Vicent, B.; Lora Garcia, J.; Torregrosa López, JI.; Lo-Iacono-Ferreira, VG. (2022). On the Road to Sustainable Water Supply: Reducing Public Health Risks and Preserving Surface Water Resources in the Milluni Micro-Basin, Bolivia. Environments. 9(1):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments9010004S1169

Valorization of Seaweed Wracks : Inclusion as Additive in Diets for Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Macroalgae have been recently described as a potential ingredient for aquafeeds, exerting several physiological benefits. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a freshwater species, which has been the major fish species produced in the world in the last years. In order to determine the potential use of macroalgal wracks in fish feeding, C. idella juveniles were fed with an extruded commercial diet (CD) or the CD supplemented with 7% of a wind dried-powder (1 mm) from either a multispecific macroalgal wrack (CD + MU7) or a monospecific macroalgal wrack (CD + MO7) obtained from Gran Canaria island (Spain) coasts. After 100 days of feeding, survival, fish weight, and body indexes were determined, and muscle, liver, and digestive tract samples were collected. The total antioxidant capacity of macroalgal wracks was analyzed by assesing the antioxidant defense response and digestive enzymes activity in fish. Finally, muscle proximate composition, lipid classes (LC), and fatty acid (FA) profiles were also studied. Our results suggest that dietary inclusion of macroalgal wracks does not have negative effects on growth, proximate, and lipid composition, antioxidative status, or digestive capacity of C. idella. In fact, both macroalgal wracks caused a general lower fat deposition, and the multispecific wrack enhanced catalase activity in the liver.This study was funded by the European Interreg Programme 2014-2020 (MACBIOBLUE; MAC/1.1b/086). FCT–Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and as applicable cofinanced by the FEDER within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement by funding the cE3c centre (UID/BIA/00329/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Critical Analysis of Stakeholders in the Municipality of Tarija, Bolivia, in Search of Strategies for Adequate Water Governance to Implement Reverse Osmosis as an Alternative for Generating Safe Water for Its Inhabitants

[EN] The accelerated deterioration of water quality in the city of Tarija, Bolivia, has caused several water sources in the Municipality of Tarija to be discontinued due to the presence of toxic contaminants. The current water purification systems that are used in Tarija do not guarantee the elimination of heavy metals; in addition, political and social interest conflicts are a serious problem in the execution of projects and new public investment alternatives, with these being the main problems found in the sector. Reverse osmosis (RO) water purification technologies are one of the most effective contemporary alternatives for the elimination of contaminants in water, such as heavy metals; however, their application and implementation in countries with little or no experience in this type of technology require acceptance and knowledge on behalf of the interested parties. Political and social conflicts between interested parties generate scenarios that affect hydrological planning. Analysis of the actors in the urban and municipal sphere of the city of Tarija, Bolivia, provides a case study for adequate water governance and enabled us to come to a consensus for the implementation of RO. The results show 23 fundamental actors in water management in the Municipality of Tarija, with local actors being those with the greatest influence and power in decision-making. Our analysis of social networks showed an important polarization in the power of decision makers, with municipalities and legislative entities being those that decide on public investments. The interested parties showed considerable interest in the application of RO as a technology that can provide definitive, short-term solutions to the problems of water stress and the water crisis in the Municipality of Tarija and its application in small towns with a high level of social and environmental vulnerability.This study was supported by Subproject 2 of the Agreement for the Implementation of Phase 2 of the Institutional Cooperation Project VLIR UOS IUC-Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2027.Villena Martínez, EM.; Alvizuri-Tintaya, PA.; Lo-Iacono-Ferreira, VG.; Lora-García, J.; Torregrosa López, JI.; Sánchez Barrero, L.; Leigue Fernández, A.... (2023). Critical Analysis of Stakeholders in the Municipality of Tarija, Bolivia, in Search of Strategies for Adequate Water Governance to Implement Reverse Osmosis as an Alternative for Generating Safe Water for Its Inhabitants. Water. 15(17). https://doi.org/10.3390/w15173164151

A comparison between padding and bath exhaustion to apply microcapsules onto cotton

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10570-015-0600-8[EN] The use of Microcapsules has increased in the textile sector. They have been applied as a possible means of introducing new products to textiles, such as insect repellents, antibiotics, skin moisturizers, etc. Microencapsulation technology has improved the fragrance durability on fabrics. Historically, the durability of the fragrance was poor, especially once the fabric had been washed. Microcapsules have been used in textiles for many years, however their previous characterization, adhesion behaviour and permanence on the fabrics are not well known. Nowadays the majority of textile industries are not able to characterize commercial products, or to study the process of adhering the microcapsule to the fibre's surface nor their functionality. Thus, the characterization of microencapsulated fabrics with different active core and the knowledge of the various application processes becomes a major challenge in the field of microcapsules use. There are various industrial processes to apply microcapsules, but determining optimal amounts of products, temperature, conditions and other process variables are an important challenge for the textile sector in order to achieve the highest depositions and retention of microcapsules. This work is focused on determining and quantifying presence fragrance microcapsules when applied onto fabrics by padding and by bath exhaustion and determining which method is the most effective. Consequently, diverse analysis techniques such as microscopy (SEM), spectroscopy FTIR and XPS have been used. We concluded that proposed techniques seem to be useful to compare fabrics treated with microcapsules. Results demonstrate that padding application gives better yields than bath exhaustion.Bonet Aracil, MA.; Monllor Pérez, P.; Capablanca Francés, L.; Gisbert Paya, J.; Díaz-García, P.; Montava Seguí, IJ. (2015). A comparison between padding and bath exhaustion to apply microcapsules onto cotton. Cellulose. 22(3):2117-2127. doi:10.1007/s10570-015-0600-8S21172127223Bonet M, Quijada C, Muñoz S, Cases F (2004) Characterization of ethylcellulose with different degrees of substitution (DS): a diffuse-reflectance infrared study. Can J Anal Sci Spectrosc 49(4):234–239Bonet M, Capablanca L, Monllor P, Díaz P, Montava I (2012) Studying bath exhaust as a method to apply microcapsules on fabrics. J Text Inst 103(6):629–635Buchert J, Pere LS, Johanson JM, Campbell J (2001) Analysis of surface chemistry of linen and cotton fabrics. Text Res J 71:626–629Fras L, Johanson LS, Stenius P, Laine P, Stana-Kleinscheck K, Ribitsch V (2005) Analysis of theoxidation of cellulosefibresbytitration and XPS. Colloids Surf A 260:101–108Gisbert G, Ibañez F, Bonet M, Monllor P, Díaz P, Montava I (2009) Increasing hydration of the epidermis by microcapsules in sterilized products. J Appl Polym Sci 113(4):2282–2286Hong K, Park S (1999) Melamine resin microcapsules containing fragant oil: synthesis and characterization. J Appl Polym Sci 58:128–131Jing HU, Zuobing X, Rujun Z, Shuangshuang M, Mingxi W, Zhen L (2011) Properties of aroma sustained-release cotton fabric with rose fragrance nanocapsule. Chin J Chem Eng 19(3):523–528Kokot S, Czarnik-Matusewicz C, Ozaki Y (2002) Two- dimensional correlation spectroscopy and principal component analysis studies of temperature-dependent IR spectra of cotton-cellulose. Biopolymers 67:456–469Kondo T, Sawatari C, Manley RJ, Gray DG (1994) Characterization of hydrogen bonding in cellulose synthetic polymer blend systems with regioselectively substituted methylcellulose. Macromolecules 27(1):210–215Miró Specos MM, Escobar G, Marino P, Puggia C, Defain Tesoriero MV, Hermida L (2010) Aroma finishing of cotton fabrics by means of microencapsulation techniques. J Ind Text 40(1):13–32Monllor P, Bonet M, Cases F (2007) Characterization of the behaviour of flavour microcapsules in cotton fabrics. Eur Polym J 43:2481–2490Monllor P, Bonet M, Sánchez L, Cases F (2009) Thermal behaviour of microencapsulated flavours when applied to cellulose fabrics. Text Res J 79(4):365–380Monllor P, Capablanca L, Gisbert J, Díaz P, Bonet M (2010) Improvement of microcapsule adhesion to fabrics. Text Res J 80(7):631–635Nelson G (1991) Microencapsulates in textile coloration and finishing. Rev Prog Color Relat Top 21:72–85Nelson G (2001) Microencapsulation in textile finishing. Rev Prog Color Relat Top 321:57–64Nelson G (2002) Application of microencapsulation in textiles. Int J Pharm 242:55–62Rodrigues SN, Fernandes I, Martins IM, Mata VG, Barreiro F, Rodrigues AE (2008) Microencapsulation of limonene for textiles application. Ind Eng Chem Res 47:4142–4147Rodrigues SN, Martins, IM, Fernades IP, Gomes PB, Mata VG, Barreiro MF, Rodrigues AE (2009) Scentfashion®: microencapsulated perfumes for textile application. Chem Eng J 149(1–3):463–472. ISSN:1385-8947Sócrates G (1997) In: Infrared characteristic group frequencies. Tables and charts, 2nd ednTopalovic T, Nierstrasz VA, Bautista L, Jocic D, Navarro A, Warmoeskerken MMCG (2007) XPS and contact angle study of cotton surface oxidation by catalytic bleaching. Colloids Surf A 296:76–85Wilson RC, Pfhol WF (2000) Study of crosslinking reactions of melamine/formaldehyde resin with hydroxyl functional polyester by generalized 2-D infrared spectroscopy. Vib Spectrosc 23:13–22Zhang H, Wang X (2009) Fabrication and performances of microencapsulated phase change materials based on n-octadecane core and resorcinol-modified melamine-formaldehyde shell. Colloids Surf A 332:129–13

Clinico-pathological characteristics and outcomes of patients with early-onset colorectal cancer

[Background]: The rising incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) among young patients is alarming. We aim to characterize the clinico-pathological features and outcomes of patients with early-onset CRC (EOCRC). [Methods]: We included all of the patients with pathologically confirmed diagnosis of CRC at Hospital Universitario La Paz from October 2016 to September 2020. EOCRC age cut-off was 50 years. All statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS v.25. [Results]: A total of 1152 patients were diagnosed with CRC, fifty-nine (5,1%) of them were After a median follow-up of 24 months, 279 patients have died. Median overall survival (OS) was not reached in either group (p = 0,06). Three-year OS was 80% (95%CI: 73-87) and 67 (95%CI: 65-69) in the younger and older group, respectively. In patients with localized disease that underwent surgery or other antineoplastic treatment ( n = 856), 159 events for disease-free survival (DFS) were observed. Median DFS was [Conclusions]: Patients with EOCRC are diagnosed at a more advanced stage and display distinct biological features (more prevalence of dMMR and WT tumors among others). Studies focusing on screening in this population and deeper molecular profiling are needed

RANK links senescence to stemness in the mammary epithelia, delaying tumor onset but increasing tumor aggressiveness

Rank signaling enhances stemness in mouse and human mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and mediates mammary tumor initiation. Mammary tumors initiated by oncogenes or carcinogen exposure display high levels of Rank and Rank pathway inhibitors have emerged as a new strategy for breast cancer prevention and treatment. Here, we show that ectopic Rank expression in the mammary epithelia unexpectedly delays tumor onset and reduces tumor incidence in the oncogene-driven Neu and PyMT models. Mechanistically, we have found that ectopic expression of Rank or exposure to Rankl induces senescence, even in the absence of other oncogenic mutations. Rank leads to DNA damage and senescence through p16/p19. Moreover, RANK-induced senescence is essential for Rank-driven stemness, and although initially translates into delayed tumor growth, eventually promotes tumor progression and metastasis. We uncover a dual role for Rank in the mammary epithelia: Rank induces senescence and stemness, delaying tumor initiation but increasing tumor aggressiveness