Social crisis: reflection on the economic, social and educational alternatives from a gender perspective

Colección ReSed. Es un artículo de ReSed Nº 3, perteneciente al monográfico Crisis Social, Educación y Desarrollo Profesional. Coordinación del Monográfico: Dra. Montserrat Vargas Vergara Dirección de ReSed: Dra. A-Beatriz Pérez-GonzálezEn el presente artículo hacemos una reflexión sobre cómo la actual crisis financiera plantea una crisis de valores, que nos lleva a la necesidad de reorganización en lo económico, social y educativo. La interpretación del problema la hacemos desde un posicionamiento de estudio de género, donde veremos cómo el feminismo traza alternativas viables. Las perspectivas de la economía feminista o economía del bien común son algunas de las alternativas que vamos a reflejar, al mismo tiempo que describimos una realidad condicionada por el género, no siempre asumida por los gobernantes. La propuesta que surge de esta reflexión está basada en el cuidado equilibrado de todos los miembros de la sociedad, promoviendo una educación igualitaria y más libre entre los géneros; nuevos caminos que se hacen necesarios para construir una sociedad más equitativa y sostenible y que favorezcan el desarrollo personal, social y laboral de todos sus miembros

The Social Environment and Neurogenesis in the Adult Mammalian Brain

Adult neurogenesis – the formation of new neurons in adulthood – has been shown to be modulated by a variety of endogenous (e.g., trophic factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones) as well as exogenous (e.g., physical activity and environmental complexity) factors. Research on exogenous regulators of adult neurogenesis has focused primarily on the non-social environment. More recently, however, evidence has emerged suggesting that the social environment can also affect adult neurogenesis. The present review details the effects of adult–adult (e.g., mating and chemosensory interactions) and adult–offspring (e.g., gestation, parenthood, and exposure to offspring) interactions on adult neurogenesis. In addition, the effects of a stressful social environment (e.g., lack of social support and dominant–subordinate interactions) on adult neurogenesis are reviewed. The underlying hormonal mechanisms and potential functional significance of adult-generated neurons in mediating social behaviors are also discussed

Optimization systems developed to improve the yield on tungsten and tantalum extraction and reduce associated costs – the EU HORIZON 2020 Optimore project (grant no. 642201)

Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Investigations on Imaging Properties of Inorganic Scintillation Screens under Irradiation with High Energetic Heavy Ions

This work represents the investigations in imagine properties of inorganic scintillation screens as diagnostic elements in heavy ion accelerator facilities, that were performed at GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research (Darmstadt, Germany) and TU Darmstadt. The screen materials can be classified in groups of phosphor screens (P43 and P46 phosphor), single crystals (cerium-doped Y3Al5O12) and polycrystalline aluminum oxides (pure and chromium-doped Al2O3). Out of these groups, a selection of seven screens were irradiated by five different projectiles (proton, nitrogen, nickel, xenon and uranium), that were extracted from SIS18 in fast (1 μs) and slow (300-400 ms) extraction mode at a specific energy of E_spec = 300 MeV/u. The number of irradiating particles per pulse was varied between 10^7 and 2*10^10 ppp and the scintillation response was recorded by a complex optical system. The records served on the one hand for investigations in the two-dimensional response to the irradiating beam, namely the light output L, the light yield Y and the characteristics of the beam profiles in horizontal and vertical direction. On the other hand the wavelength spectrum of the scintillation was recorded for investigations in variations of the material structure. A data analysis was performed based on a dedicated Python script. Additionally three conventional methods (UV/Vis transmission spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction, Raman fluorescence spectroscopy) were performed after the beam times for investigations in the material structure. Nevertheless, neither structural variations nor material defects, induced by the ion irradiation, were proven within the accuracy range of the used instrumentation and the given ion fluences. Besides the irradiation under varying beam intensity, radiation hardness tests with fast and slow extracted Nickel pulses at 2*10^9 ppp and a specific energy around E_spec = 300 MeV/u were performed and the scintillation record was used to examine the material stability under long time application. Here, the light yield Y of the targets was nearly constant or decreased only in the range of 10-15 %, relative to the initial value. For the targets with single crystal characteristic (P46, YAG:Ce), Y even increased slightly and than saturated, offering an enhanced mobility of charge carriers under irradiation. The emission spectra were reproduced continuously and the beam profiles showed good accordance to the reference methods. Within all performed beam times, the targets offered a great stability. Non-linear characteristics, e.g. due to quenching during irradiation at high beam intensities, were not observed. The light yield Y showed a decreasing tendency as function of calculated electronic energy loss dE/dx. The characteristics of the calculated beam profiles, as well as the recorded emission spectra did not change significantly. So a material degradation in the investigated materials was not verified. This observation is confirmed by the performed material characterization measurements. The need of target replacement, e.g. due to damage, did not occur and was thus not performed during the complete investigations. As material for future beam diagnostics of FAIR cerium-doped Y3Al5O12 single crystal with a thickness in the range of 300 μm is recommended in cross-points between different storage sections, due to the stable imaging properties for high energy ion beams, even under long-time irradiation. For beam alignment to experimental and research areas, common Al2O3:Cr is recommended due to the cost advantage

RNA-inspired intramolecular transesterification accelerates the hydrolysis of polyethylene-like polyphosphoesters

To synthesize new (bio)degradable alternatives to commodity polymers, adapting natural motives can be a promising approach. We present the synthesis and characterization of degradable polyethylene (PE)-like polyphosphoesters, which exhibit increased degradation rates due to an intra-molecular transesterification similar to RNA. An α,ω-diene monomer was synthesized in three steps starting from readily available compounds. By acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization, PE-like polymers with molecular weights up to 38 400 g mol(−1) were obtained. Post-polymerization functionalization gave fully saturated and semicrystalline polymers with a precise spacing of 20 CH(2) groups between each phosphate group carrying an ethoxy hydroxyl side chain. This side chain was capable of intramolecular transesterification with the main-chain similar to RNA-hydrolysis, mimicking the 2′-OH group of ribose. Thermal properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC (T(m)ca. 85 °C)) and the crystal structure was investigated by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). Polymer films immersed in aqueous solutions at different pH values proved an accelerated degradation compared to structurally similar polyphosphoesters without pendant ethoxy hydroxyl groups. Polymer degradation proceeded also in artificial seawater (pH = 8), while the polymer was stable at physiological pH of 7.4. The degradation mechanism followed the intra-molecular “RNA-inspired” transesterification which was detected by NMR spectroscopy as well as by monitoring the hydrolysis of a polymer blend of a polyphosphoester without pendant OH-group and the RNA-inspired polymer, proving selective hydrolysis of the latter. This mechanism has been further supported by the DFT calculations. The “RNA-inspired” degradation of polymers could play an important part in accelerating the hydrolysis of polymers and plastics in natural environments, e.g. seawater