The Urban Biography of a Mauritanian City: Microstratigraphic Analysis of the Eastern Quarter of Tamuda (Morocco)

The lack of vertical stratigraphic sondages and open area excavations constitutes a challenge to understanding Mauritanian urbanism. This makes the characterization of the spatio-temporal evolution of Mauritanian towns a difficult task. Systematic excavations carried out in Tamuda by several research teams in the twentieth century provided vertical and horizontal views of Mauritanian urbanism. Our study offers, for the first time, a high-resolution geoarchaeological analysis of Tamuda’s urban sequence (third through first century BC). The microfacies analysis, by means of micromorphology and µ-XRF of Spaces E18 and E20 of the Eastern Quarter revealed a complex interaction of deposits and site formation processes that resulted from changes in everyday urban life. In this respect, the overlap of different construction phases and the alternation of episodes of active use and abandonment is highly significant. This study examines the functional characterization of urban spaces, including the identification of midden activities, a roasting pit, and a milling site (possibly) linked to fish flour production. These activities leave traces on beaten floors and occupation surfaces, and several features indicate abandonment periods between short-term occupations. The result is a complex urban biography of this Mauritanian town, in which human occupation was not constant over time.37 página

Coordination Of Teachers In New Undergraduate Degrees Adapted To European Higher Education Area

The introduction of new undergraduate degrees adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) requires a coordinated effort by teachers, because the different subjects are based on a new methodology of teaching and learning. The Social Sciences School of Cuenca offers degrees in Business Administration, Law and Labor Sciences. The progressive adaptation of the undergraduate degrees at the University of Castilla-La Mancha has culminated with the introduction, in the academic year 2009-2010, of the Business Administration Degree and, beginning in academic year 2010-2011, of the Degrees in Law and in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Development, once they have all been verified by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA). This paper addresses opportunities for coordination among teachers that occur in the implementation of new degree of Law and Business Administration, through the joint work of teachers in different aspects of competency-based education. After the first course of the new degrees, it must articulate all coordination tools that allow teachers to conduct their work effectively and efficiently, with the aim of providing the best possible service to students. The synergies arising from this deployment will allow better planning tools in the implementation of the following degrees

The DNA-methyltransferase inhibitors zebularine and decitabine induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and DNA damage in p53 mutant leukemic T cells

DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)-inhibiting nucleoside analogs reactivate the expression of tumor suppressor genes and apoptosis-related genes silenced by methylation, thus favoring the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. Moreover, induction of DNA damage seems to contribute to their antitumor effect. However, the apoptotic signaling pathway induced by these demethylating drugs is not well understood. Here, we have investigated the induction of apoptosis by two nucleoside DNMT inhibitors, decitabine and zebularine, in leukemic T cells. Both inhibitors induced caspase-dependent apoptosis in Jurkat, CEM-6 and MOLT-4 leukemia T cell lines, all with mutant p53, whereas resting and activated normal T lymphocytes were highly resistant to these demethylating agents. Although decitabine and zebularine showed different ability to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest among the three cell lines, they similarly activated the intrinsic apoptotic pathway by inducing mitochondrial alterations such as Bak activation, loss of transmembrane potential and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Accordingly, Bcl-2- and Bcl-xL-overexpressing Jurkat cells, as well as caspase-9-deficient Jurkat cells, were resistant to apoptosis induced by decitabine and zebularine. Interestingly, ROS production seemed to be necessary for the induction of apoptosis. Apoptotic events, such as Bak and caspase activation, started as soon as 20 hr after treatment with either decitabine or zebularine. In addition, progression of apoptosis triggered by both DNMT inhibitors was paralleled by the induction of DNA damage. Our results suggest that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway activated by decitabine and zebularine in p53 mutant leukemic T cells depends mainly on the induction of DNA damage.Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo; Grant number: PI06071

Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the extended TUG test in elderly participants

Background: To analyse the reliability, variance and execution time of the Extended Timed Up and Go (Extended TUG) test in three age groups of elderly participants (G1: 55–64 years; G2: 65–74 years; G3: 75–85 years). Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study of 114 recruited participants (63 women) of average age 70.17 (± 7.3) years was undertaken. Each participant performed the Extended TUG three consecutive times, with a rest break between tests of 120 s. Both the intragroup and intergroup reliability of the measurements in the Extended TUG were analysed. Results: The reliability of the Extended TUG test is excellent for the first and second decades but drops down to good for the third decade. Specifically, intragroup reliability ranged from 0.784 for G3 to 0.977 for G1 (G2 = 0.858). Intergroup reliability, compared with intragroup reliability, was slightly lower, ranging between 0.779 for G3 and 0.972 for G1 (G2 = 0.853). Conclusion: The reliability of the Extended TUG test progressively decreases with increasing age, being excellent for the younger age groups and good for the oldest age group

Aggregation of liposomes induced by calcium : a structural and kinetic study

In this work, the calcium-induced aggregation of phosphatidylserine liposomes is probed by means of the analysis of the kinetics of such process as well as the aggregate morphology. This novel characterization of liposome aggregation involves the use of static and dynamic light-scattering techniques to obtain kinetic exponents and fractal dimensions. For salt concentrations larger than 5mM, a diffusion-limited aggregation regime is observed and the Brownian kernel properly describes the time evolution of the diffusion coefficient. For slow kinetics, a slightly modified multiple contact kernel is required. In any case, a time evolution model based on the numerical resolution of Smoluchowski's equation is proposed in order to establish a theoretical description for the aggregating system. Such a model provides an alternative procedure to determine the dimerization constant, which might supply valuable information about interaction mechanisms between phospholipid vesicles

Growth of lipid vesicle structures : from surface fractals to mass fractals

We study fractal vesicle aggregates whose morphology is conditioned by the interaction between the lipid vesicle membranes and calcium and magnesium ions. These morphologies are probed by means of static light scattering using a cross-correlation scheme that avoids the multiple intracluster scattering. In contrast to the branched structures induced by calcium, we report a singular surface- to mass-fractal transition controlled by the magnesium concentration. From infrared spectroscopy data we conclude that the specific dehydration of the lipid membranes due to these cations plays an essential role in short-range intervesicle interactions

Novel synthetic routes of large-pore magnetic mesoporous nanocomposites (SBA-15/Fe3O4) as potential multifunctional theranostic nanodevices

In this paper, novel magnetic silica nanocomposites were prepared by anchoring magnetite nanoparticles onto the outer surface of mesoporous SBA-15 silica; the magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by microemulsion and solvothermal methods, varying the synthesis conditions in order to control the final physicochemical, textural and magnetic properties. The morphology and mesostructure of the materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), N2 adsorption–desorption, and Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy (TEM and SEM). Magnetic silica nanocomposites feature a two-dimensional hexagonal arrangement constituted by a homogeneous pore channel system with diameters between 13 and 18 nm and a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area higher than 260 m2 g−1. The different morphologies of the samples are given by the presence of diverse magnetic nanoparticle arrangements covalently linked onto the outer surface of the mesoporous silica rods. This confers on them a superparamagnetic behaviour with a magnetic response between 50–80 emu g−1, even though the weight percent of magnetite present in the samples does not exceed 21.7%. In addition, the magnetic nanocomposites exhibit magnetic hyperthermia with moderate Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) valuesThis work was supported in part by MINECO (Spain) and FEDER Funds (projects MAT 2015-67458-P and CTQ2016-79461-R); and the European Commission (PANA project, Call H2020-NMP-2015-two-stage, Grant 686009; and the MADIA project, Call H2020-ICT-2016-1, Grant 732678)S

Control optoelectrónico en tiempo real de la transparencia de ventanas: Aplicaciones Domóticas

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The role of emerging technologies in the dehydration of berries: Quality, bioactive compounds, and shelf life

Financiaciado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGBerries are among the fruits with the highest nutritional and commercial value. This paper reviews the conventional and emerging dehydration methods most commonly used as postharvest treatment and discusses their efficacy in maintaining and/or improving the nutritional and functional qualities of dried berries. The characteristics of the conventional methods (e.g., convective drying, freeze-drying, spray-drying, osmotic dehydration), their pre-treatments, their combination, and intermittent drying, as well as their potential disadvantages are discussed. The use of emerging dehydration techniques (e.g., electromagnetic radiation drying, explosion puffing drying, heat pump drying, low-pressure superheated steam drying, microwave drying) allows to improve the quality of the dried berries compared to conventional techniques, in addition to reducing drying times, increasing drying speed and energy efficiency. Finally, the use of pre-treatments and the combination of technologies can enhance the quality of the final product as a result of the improvement in the effectiveness of the dehydration processGAIN (Axencia Galega de Innovación) | Ref. IN607A2019/0

Thematic Trends in Complementary and Alternative Medicine Applied in Cancer-Related Symptoms

Purpose: The main goal of this study is to discover the scientific evolution of Cancer-Related Symptoms in Complementary and Alternative Medicine research area, analyzing the articles indexed in the Web of Science database from 1980 to 2013. Design/Methodology/Approach: A co-word science mapping analysis is performed under a longitudinal framework (1980 to 2013). The documental corpus is divided into two subperiods, 1980–2008 and 2009–2013. Thus, the performance and impact rates, and conceptual evolution of the research field are shown. Findings: According to the results, the co-word analysis allows us to identify 12 main thematic areas in this emerging research field: anxiety, survivors and palliative care, meditation, treatment, symptoms and cancer types, postmenopause, cancer pain, low back pain, herbal medicine, children, depression and insomnia, inflammation mediators, and lymphedema. The different research lines are identified according to the main thematic areas, centered fundamentally on anxiety and suffering prevention. The scientific community can use this information to identify where the interest is focused and make decisions in different ways. Research limitation: Several limitations can be addressed: 1) some of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine therapies may not have been included; 2) only the documents indexed in Web of Science are analyzed; and 3) the thematic areas detected could change if another dataset was considered. Practical implications: The results obtained in the present study could be considered as an evidence-based framework in which future studies could be built. Originality/value: Currently, there are no studies that show the thematic evolution of this research area