Influence of temperature and time on the Eu3+ reaction with synthetic Na-Mica-n (n = 2 and 4)

Bentonite is accepted as the best clay material for the engineered barrier of Deep Geological Repositories (DGRs). The performance of clay as the main component of the engineered barrier in the DGR has been intensively studied and the structure of the selected clay mineral play a crucial role. In this sense, a new family of synthetic swelling silicates, Na-Mica-n, with tuned layer charge (n) values between 2.0 and 4.0 per unit cell has recently been synthesized and a general synthetic method has been reported. These swelling high-charge micas could be highly valuable for the decontamination of harmful cations. The ability of these micas to immobilize Eu3+ under subcritical conditions has been probed. The adsorption was in both non-specific sites (cation exchange mechanism) and specific sites (chemical reaction or surface defects adsorption). Moreover, its adsorption capacity, under the same conditions is higher than in saponite and far superior to the bentonites.Junta de Andalucía P12-FQM-567European Union 29178

The role of cardiorespiratory fitness on the risk of sudden cardiac death at the population level: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available evidence

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) has been widely studied as a powerful and independent predictor of all-cause and disease-specific mortality. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is recognized as a significant cause of mortality among the general population, including the general population without previous symptoms of any coronary heart disease (CHD). Consequently, SCD is an important public health problem, which constitutes a clinical challenge. Thus, prevention of SCD by detecting early risk factors could be a useful tool, contributing to the American Heart Association‘s goal of decreasing the incidence of SCD at the population level. The identification of these risk factors for CVD would facilitate the large-scale screening of those participants at higher risk of SCD. This systematic review collects information about the role of CRF on the risk of SCD at the available evidence, and analyzes the long-term influence of CRF as a risk factor and independent predictor of SCD

HADES: A multi-agent platform to reduce congestion anchoring based on temporal coordination of vessel arrivals—application to the multi-client liquid bulk terminal in the Port of Cartagena (Spain)

Ports are key factors in international trade, and new port terminals are quite costly and time consuming to build. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize existing infrastructure to achieve sustainability in logistics. This problem is more complex in multi-client port terminals, where quay infrastructure is shared among terminal operators who often have conflicting interests. Moreover, the berth allocation problem in liquid bulk terminals implies demanding restrictions due to the reduced flexibility in berth allocation for these types of goods. In this context, this paper presents HADES, a multi-agent platform, and the experience of its pilot use in the Port of Cartagena. HADES is a software platform where agents involved in vessel arrivals share meaningful but limited information. This is done to alleviate potential congestion in multi-client liquid bulk terminals, promoting a consensus where overall congestion anchoring is reduced. A study is presented using a mixed integer linear program (MILP) optimization model to analyze the maximum theoretical reduction in congestion anchoring, depending on the flexibility of vessel arrival time changes. Results show that 6 h of flexibility is enough to reduce congestion anchoring by half, and 24 h reduces it to negligible values. This confirms the utility of HADES, which is also briefly described.The authors would like to thank Port Authority of Cartagena for data supplied, and terminal operators of docks E010 and E011 for their suggestions

Big rip avoidance via black holes production

We consider a cosmological scenario in which the expansion of the Universe is dominated by phantom dark energy and black holes which condense out of the latter component. The mass of black holes decreases via Hawking evaporation and by accretion of phantom fluid but new black holes arise continuously whence the overall evolution can be rather complex. We study the corresponding dynamical system to unravel this evolution and single out scenarios where the big rip singularity does not occur.Comment: 16 pages, two figures. Key words. Cosmology, phantom energy, black holes. Sligthly extended version to be published in Gravitation and Cosmolog

A Single Question of Parent-Reported Physical Activity Levels Estimates Objectively Measured Physical Fitness and Body Composition in Preschool Children: The PREFIT Project

Physical inactivity is recognized as a determinant of low physical fitness and body composition in preschool children, which in turn, are important markers of health through the lifespan. Objective methods to assess physical activity, physical fitness and body composition in preschool children are preferable; however, they have some practical limitations in the school context. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test whether a single question regarding physical activity level of preschool children, reported by their parents, could be used as an alternative screening tool of physical fitness and body composition. The information was obtained from 10 different cities throughout Spain, gathering a total of 3179 healthy preschool children (52.8% boys and 47.2% girls) aged 3-5 years. Physical activity levels of preschool children were reported by parents using a single question with five response options (very low, low, average, high, or very high). Physical fitness and body composition were assessed with the PREFIT fitness battery. The results showed that parents' perception of their children's physical activity was positively associated with all objectively measured physical fitness components (beta(range) = -0.094 to 0.113; all p < 0.020); and negatively with body composition indicators as measured (beta(range) = -0.113 to -0.058; all p < 0.001). The results showed significant differences in all physical fitness and body composition z-scores across the parent-reported physical activity levels (all p < 0.017 and all p < 0.001, respectively), as well as, for the fitness index (p < 0.001). Our study suggests that in school settings with insufficient resources to objectively assess fitness and body composition, parents-reported physical activity level by means of a single question might provide useful information about these important health markers in preschool children

Peripheral Inflammation Enhances Microglia Response and Nigral Dopaminergic Cell Death in an in vivo MPTP Model of Parkinson’s Disease

The impact of systemic inflammation in nigral dopaminergic cell loss remains unclear. Here, we have investigated the role of peripheral inflammation induced by systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration in the MPTP-based model of Parkinson’s disease. Brain inflammation, microglia and astroglia activation, disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and integrity of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system were evaluated in response to i.p. injection of LPS, MPTP or the combination of both. Our results showed that combinative treatment exacerbates microglia activation and enhances (i) the appearance of galectin-3-positive microglia, recently identified as microglial disease-associated phenotypic marker, (ii) the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, (iii) the occurrence of A1 neurotoxic astrocytes, (iv) the breakdown of the BBB, and (v) the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Microglia activation was triggered earlier than other degenerative events, suggesting that over-activation of microglia (including different polarization states) may induce dopaminergic neuron loss by itself, initiating the endless cycle of inflammation/degeneration. Our study revitalizes the importance of peripheral inflammation as a potential risk factor for Parkinson’s disease and raises the possibility of using new anti-inflammatory therapies to improve the course of neurodegenerative diseases, including those directly aimed at modulating the deleterious activity of disease-associated microglia.España MINECO y FEDER SAF2015-64171-

Instalación de Red Geodésica secundaria en el Casco Urbano del Municipio de Masatepe, Departamento de Masaya, Septiembre 2014

Con este proyecto de “Instalación de Red Geodésica Secundaria en el casco urbano del municipio de Masatepe”, nos propusimos instalar seis puntos geodésicos a partir de dos puntós geodésicos ubicados en el parque central del Municipio. Estos dos geodésicos fueron instalados, revisados, aprobados y certificados por INETER central, por lo que esta información es de carácter oficial garantizándonos la calidad en cuanto a precisión y ajuste. Por muchos años la actualización cartográfica no ha tenido la atención e inversión necesaria de parte de las autoridades municipales; sino, hasta este año que se invirtió en la instalación de tres puntos geodésicos para iniciar el barrido catastral del casco urbano. Con ese proyecto se logró catastrar cuatrocientos ocho predios, por lo que queda pendiente un amplio margen en cuanto a área y predios por catastrar, por lo tanto, con el objetivo de continuar la actualización catastral y crear una base de datos que permita la definición exacta de poligonales urbanas, vocación de usos de suelo y actividades de planeamiento urbano y territorial en general, es que nació esta propuesta de ampliar o crear una red geodésica secundaria para el casco urbano del municipio de Masatepe. La ubicación de los seis puntos geodésicos se determinó de acuerdo a la proyección futura del barrido catastral, además de tratar de cubrir la mayor parte de la zona urbana. El proceso que se utilizó para darle las coordenadas a los seis puntos instalados fue la reiteración de medida, esto consiste en estacionarse en cada uno de los puntos o PI y radiar el punto siguiente tomando como referencia al punto anterior. El equipo utilizado para realizar este procedimiento fue una Estación Total SOKKIA, instrumento que puede medir, calcular y guardar coordenadas, ángulos y distancia

SMA-10 Is a Non-Canonical Member of the TGF-β Sma/Mab Pathway and Immunity Regulator via the DAF-2 Insulin Receptor in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signalling pathways are highly conserved across metazoa and play essential roles not only during development but also in adult tissue maintenance. Alterations of these pathways usually result in a plethora of pathologies. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the TGF-β Sma/Mab (small/male abnormal) pathway regulates various worm phenotypes such as body size, immune response, ageing, matricide and reproductive span. SMA-10 has been described as a positive modulator of worm body size through the TGF-β Sma/Mab pathway. To better understand if SMA-10 is a core component of the pathway, we use gene epistatic analysis to assess the contribution of SMA-10 to various phenotypes regulated by TGF-β Sma/Mab. We confirm that SMA-10 controls body size and find that it also affects the matricide and reproductive span of the nematodes. However, neither male tail formation (previously reported) nor ageing appeared altered. Lastly, although null sma-10 worms are more susceptible to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections than wild-types, this response does not depend on TGF-β Sma/Mab but on the insulin receptor DAF-2. We also show that the expression of sma-10 in either hypodermis or intestine fully rescues the wild-type immune response. Our results contribute to understanding the role of SMA-10 as a context-dependent component of TGF-β Sma/Mab, and reveal a function of SMA-10 in immunity in association to the Insulin/insulin-like growth factor signalling (IIS) pathway.This research was funded by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS), grant numbers PI08/642 and PI11/120 to E.L., M.P.d.L., A.G.S. and E.L. were supported by programs Formación de Profesorado Universitario, FIS PI08/642 and Ramón y Cajal, respectively, all of them from the Spanish Government.S

Physical activity, fitness and adiposity: immigrants versus spanish scholars

El objetivo fue analizar las asociaciones entre los niveles de condición física, patrones de actividad física y adiposidad del alumnado nativo e inmigrante. Se estudiaron 612 niños (8-10 años) de colegios públicos, valorándose mediante pruebas antropométricas, condición física y cuestionario de hábitos de actividad física. Se observó que el alumnado que realizaba mayor actividad física presentaba menor índice de masa corporal y mayor condición física. El alumnado inmigrante presentó menor adiposidad y mayor participación en actividades deportivas. No encontramos diferencias en condición física, salvo en chicas inmigrantes, con mayor fuerza del tren inferior. En conclusión, los inmigrantes del presente estudio parecen poseer un perfil más saludable de condición física, actividad física y adiposidad que los nativos.The objective was to analyse the associations of physical fitness and patterns of physical activity with adiposity in native and foreign. This study was performed with 612 school students (8-10 years). Anthropometric measurements, physical fitness and activity patterns were studied. The results showed that students who practiced more physical activity had lower body mass index and higher levels of fitness. Immigrants had lower adiposity and higher participation in sport activities than native students. No differences between native and foreing students in levels were found, except for immigrant girls, who showed greater lower body strengh than the natives ones. In conclusion, immigrants from this study appear to have a healthier fitness, physical activity and adiposity than natives.Este estudio ha sido financiando por la de la Dirección General de Participación e Innovación Educativa, por la que se aprueban proyectos de investigación e innovación educativa y de elaboración de materiales curriculares de de la Consejería de Educación de Andalucía. RESOLUCIÓN de 14 de julio de 2010 (PIV-038/10), y con una beca del Ministerio de Ciencia e Investigación (JCI-2010-07055)