Challenges to implementing cyclist counting systems on rural roads

In Spain, the presence of sport and recreational cyclists on rural roads has increased notably in recent years. In fact, the number offederation licences reached 75,638 cyclists and 3,634 cycling clubs in 2020. As the number of cyclists on these roads has increased, so has the number of accidents. Despite regulations, information campaigns and measures t.aken by the Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic in recent years, the number of crashes involving cyclists in rural environments remains plateaued at near 50 cyclist fatalities per year. Most Spanish rural roads do not have specifi.c infrastructure for cyclists - e.g. cycle lanes. Theo. cyclists and drivers share the road and interact; being the overtaking manoeuvre one of the most dangerous interactions. These interactions imply risk of rear-end and side-on collisions with cyclists and head-on collisions with oncoming vehicles during the overtaking manoeuvre. Since traffic crashes and risk exposure are highly correlated, every interaction between cyclists and/or with motorised vehicles increases the likelihood of a traffic crash. Consequently, to properly assess road safety on rural roads, an adequate estimation of cycle volume is needed. On the other band, cyclists may ride in groups in different confi.gurations (in-line or two-abreast), which can also affect the traftic operation by creating queues and increasing the delay time of m.otorised vehicles. Therefore, determining the volume of cyclists on a rural road segment is a necessary challenge in order to integrate them into safety and traffic operation analyses. Cycle volume is of great interest for many applications. In fact, knowing the spatial and temporal distribution of cycle volume across a road network. can help engineers to plan and manage these roads, improving road safety and traffic operation. Furthermore, knowing cycle volume can also help motorised drivers. Waming drivers about the presence of cycl:ists before reaching them improves road safety, as drivers can adapt their behaviour to interact with cyclists more safely. One tool to inform drivers of the presence of cyclists in this environment is the use of vertical signs. These systems have evolved in recent years, from simple static signs (infomring ofthe possible presence of cyclists), to the implementation of active and intelligent signs. Active or dyn.amic signs alert drivers about the presence of cyclists in real time, raising their level of attention. This is extremely important, since driver inattention or speeding was present in half of crashes involving cyclists on Spanish rural roads. There are many technologies for cyclist detection. Most of them have been used in urban areas, where cyclists have specific facilities. However, rural roads present particu1arities duc to the type of infrastructure, users, and how they interact. For this reason, the main objective of this study is to analyse what challenges existing counting systems must overcome in order to be effective on rural environment. The analysis will consider the particular characteristics of the phenomenon tobe detected, both the characteristics ofthe cyclists themselves and of the road

Mesocosm trials reveal the potential toxic risk of degrading bioplastics to marine life

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGIf biodegradable plastics tackle the marine plastic pollution problem sufficiently remains questionable. To gain more insight in degradability, performance, and the impact of degradation on the toxicity, commercial bags made from two biodegradable plastics and one conventional plastic (PE) were exposed for 120 days in a mesocosm featuring benthic, pelagic, and littoral habitat simulations. Degradability was assessed as weight loss, and specimens were tested for toxicity using Paracentrotus lividus sea-urchin larvae after different exposure times. Both biodegradable bags showed degradation within 120 days, with the littoral simulation showing the highest and the pelagic simulation the lowest decay. Disregarding habitat, the home-compostable plastic showed higher marine degradation than the industrial-compostable material. The relevant initial toxicity of both biopolymers was lost within 7 days of exposure, pointing towards easily leachable chemical additives as its cause. Interestingly, littoral exposed specimens gained toxicity after 120 days, suggesting UV- induced modifications that increase biopolymer toxicity.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PCI2020-112110Ministerio de Universidades | Ref. FPU19/0228

Brief on agricultural biomass production

This brief on agricultural biomass is one out of a series of briefs prepared by the Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy which intend to provide independent evidence for EU policy in this field. The following are the key results: 1. The total annual agricultural biomass production in the European Union is estimated at 956 million tonnes (Mt) per year. 54% are primary products (grains, fruits, roots, tubers, etc.), i.e. economic production, and 46% are residues, e.g. leaves and stems. 2. Cereals account for more than half of the total EU economic production of agricultural biomass and almost three quarters of total residue production in the EU. 3. About 75% of the EU-282 economic and residue production comes from seven Member States: FR, DE, IT, PL, ES, RO and the UK. 4. Uncertainties associated with residue production estimates are relatively large. 5. In order to quantify the actual availability of residues for competitive uses, environmental sustainability requirements (e.g. soil conservation, biodiversity and the full range of ecosystem services in the agricultural sector) need to be accounted for.JRC.D.1-Bio-econom

Clinical effectiveness of routine first-trimester combined screening for pre-eclampsia in Spain with the addition of placental growth factor

Aspirin; Placental growth factor; Pre-eclampsiaAspirina; Factor de crecimiento placentario; PreeclampsiaAspirina; Factor de creixement placentari; PreeclampsiaIntroduction Pre-eclampsia affects 2%–8% of pregnancies and is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. First-trimester screening using an algorithm that combines maternal characteristics, mean arterial blood pressure, uterine artery pulsatility index and biomarkers (pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and placental growth factor) is the method that achieves a greater diagnostic accuracy. It has been shown that daily salicylic acid administration before 16 weeks in women at a high risk for pre-eclampsia can reduce the incidence of preterm pre-eclampsia. However, no previous studies have evaluated the impact of routine first-trimester combined screening for pre-eclampsia with placental growth factor after being implemented in the clinical practice. Material and methods This was a multicenter cohort study conducted in eight different maternities across Spain. Participants in the reference group were prospectively recruited between October 2015 and September 2017. Participants in the study group were retrospectively recruited between March 2019 and May 2021. Pre-eclampsia risk was calculated between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks using the Gaussian algorithm combining maternal characteristics, mean arterial pressure, uterine arteries pulsatility index, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and placental growth factor. Patients with a risk greater than 1/170 were prescribed daily salicylic acid 150 mg until 36 weeks. Patients in the reference group did not receive salicylic acid during gestation. Results A significant reduction was observed in preterm pre-eclampsia (OR 0.47; 95% CI: 0.30–0.73), early-onset (<34 weeks) pre-eclampsia (OR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16–0.77), preterm small for gestational age newborn (OR 0.57; 95% CI: 0.40–0.82), spontaneous preterm birth (OR 0.72; 95% CI: 0.57–0.90), and admission to intensive care unit (OR 0.55; 95% CI: 0.37–0.81). A greater treatment adherence resulted in a significant reduction in adverse outcomes. Conclusions Routine first-trimester screening for pre-eclampsia with placental growth factor leads to a reduction in preterm pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy complications. Aspirin treatment compliance has a great impact on the effectiveness of this screening program

Factors That Influence the Brand Loyalty and Dealer Loyalty of the Automotive Industry: the Case of Mexican Consumers in the Central Region of Mexico

In this study we investigate which factors determine the automobile brand and dealer loyalty of Mexican consumers, and to what extent. We collected data on brand loyalty and dealer loyalty among customers who bought their vehicle two years or more ago to permit evaluation of loyalty behavior. Our findings show that the core factor that appears to determine the loyalty of the Mexican consumer in the automotive industry is the satisfaction with the technical-functional quality of the automobile. Within this factor, satisfaction with the vehicle&apos;s safety (in event of an accident), the vehicle&apos;s maneuverability and vehicle comfort are the highestranked variables. In second place appears the satisfaction with the global cost of the vehicle and with the dealer after sales service. This study further reveals that it does not exist an authentic/real brand or dealer loyalty among Mexican car purchasers. This means that in spite of a customer&apos;s current preference for the brand studied, the customer has tried and has bought different brands in the past, or simply has been sensitive to the competitors&apos; marketing actions or strategies

Tunable narrowband Excitonic Optical Tamm States enabled by a metal-free all-organic structure

Optical Tamm States (OTS) are confined optical modes that can occur at the interface between two highly reflective structures. However, due to the strong reflectance required, their implemen-tation with highly processable and metal-free flexible materials has proven challenging. Herein, we develop the first structure supporting OTS based only on organic polymeric materials, demon-strating a photonic platform based on non-critical, widely available, and easily processable mate-rials. The structures fabricated present large areas and consist of a narrowband multi-layered polymeric Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) followed by a thin film of J-aggregate molecular exci-tonic material that can act as a highly reflective surface within a narrowband range. We take ad-vantage of the narrowband spectral response of the DBR and of the reflective molecular layer to tune the OTS band by varying the periodicity of the multilayer, opening the door for the fabrica-tion of OTS structures based on lightweight integrable excitonic devices with cost-effective proce-dures.Comment: 15 pages, 8 (3+5) figures, supplementary information include

PKC-omerga and HIV-1 transcriptional regulator Tat co-exist at the LTR promoter in CD4⁺ T cells

PKCtheta is essential for the activation of CD4+ T cells. Upon TCR/CD28 stimulation, PKCtheta is phosphorylated and migrates to the immunological synapse, inducing the activation of cellular transcription factors such as NF-kB and kinases as ERK that are critical for HIV-1 replication. We previously demonstrated that PKCtheta is also necessary for HIV-1 replication but the precise mechanism is unknown. Efficient HIV-1 transcription and elongation is absolutely dependent on the synergy between NF-kB and the viral regulator Tat. Tat exerts its function by binding a RNA stem-loop structure proximal to the viral mRNA cap site termed TAR. Besides, due to its effect on cellular metabolic pathways, Tat causes profound changes in infected CD4+ T cells such as the activation of NF-kB and ERK. We hypothesized that the aberrant up-regulation of Tat-mediated activation of NF-kB and ERK occurred through PKCtheta signaling. In fact, Jurkat TetOff cells with stable and doxycycline-repressible expression of Tat (Jurkat-Tat) expressed high levels of mRNA for PKCtheta. In these cells, PKCtheta located at the plasma membrane was phosphorylated at T538 residue in undivided cells, in the absence of stimulation. Treatment with doxycycline inhibited PKCtheta phosphorylation in Jurkat-Tat, suggesting that Tat expression was directly related to the activation of PKCtheta. Both NF-kB and Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway were significantly activated in Jurkat-Tat cells, and this correlated with high transactivation of HIV-1 LTR promoter. RNA interference for PKCtheta inhibited NF-kB and ERK activity, as well as LTR-mediated transactivation even in the presence of Tat. In addition to Tat-mediated activation of PKCtheta in the cytosol, we demonstrated by sequential ChIP that Tat and PKCtheta coexisted in the same complex bound at the HIV-1 LTR promoter, specifically at the region containing TAR loop. In conclusion, PKCtheta-Tat interaction seemed to be essential for HIV-1 replication in CD4+ T cells and could be used as a therapeutic target

New mandibular remains of Callistoe (Metatheria, Sparassodonta) reveal unexpected anatomical, functional, and evolutionary aspects of this carnivorous genus

We present a detailed description of the anatomy of the dentary and lower teeth of a new specimen of Callistoe vincei, a large carnivorous metatherian from the Eocene (?Ypresian) of northwestern Argentina. The recently collected specimen is a young adult represented by a partial right dentary with the canine, p1, roots of p3, and very well-preserved m1 to m4. The description includes a comparison with the holotype specimen, a much older individual, and other closely related large sparassodonts (e.g., Arminiheringia). The analysis of this new material allowed identifying plesiomorphic molar features in Callistoe, such as the presence of a reduced metaconid on the m3 and a tricuspated, basined talonid on m1–m3. We also described the mesowear facets in the lower dentition, showing that the self-sharpening facet typically present in extinct and extant placental and some marsupial carnivorous forms, was absent in Callistoe. The presence of a short-term cutting edge in the trigonid related to the thinness of the enamel layer, and the associated tooth wear susceptibility, were likely compensated by a dental mechanism (overeruption) to maintain occlusal contact among antagonist teeth. This process could explain the marked extrusion of the tooth roots observed in Callistoe as well as in other large closely related members of the group.Fil: Babot, María Judith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Rougier, Guillermo Walter. University of Louisville; Estados UnidosFil: Garcia Lopez, Daniel Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Bertelli, Sara Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Herrera, Claudia Marcela Reina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Deraco, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Giannini, Norberto Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; Argentin

Postcranial remains of basal typotherian notoungulates from the eocene of Northwestern Argentina

Notoungulates represent the most taxonomically diverse and temporally and geographically widespread group among South American native ungulates. Here, we analyze anatomical and systematic aspects of proximal tarsal bones recovered from the Lower and Upper Lumbrera formations (middle and late middle Eocene) in northwestern Argentina. We provide detailed descriptions, comparisons, and infer foot stances and range of movements for the taxa implicated. Material studied includes astragali belonging to the oldfieldthomasiid Colbertia lumbrerense (Lower Lumbrera Formation), a set of proximal tarsals referred as Typotheria indet. (Lower Lumbrera Formation), and tarsals (also including navicular and cuboid) of the informal taxon “Campanorco inauguralis” (Upper Lumbrera Formation). The comparison of the tarsals of Colbertia lumbrerense (middle Eocene of Argentina) with Colbertia magellanica (early Eocene of Brazil) reveals several differences including variations on the development and arrangement of articular facets, and the size of the dorsal astragalar foramen in the Argentinean species. The specimen of Typotheria indet. shows morphological affinities with basal interatheriid taxa. However, its larger size contrasting with the overall small body sizes of Eocene interatheriids precludes an indisputable taxonomic assignment. Concerning “Campanorco inauguralis”, our observations indicate that there is no morphological evidence for a close phylogenetic relationship with Mesotheriidae. It presents a “reversed alternating tarsus” condition, which is also observed in Leontiniidae, “Notohippidae”, Toxodontidae, and some typotherians. However, the spectrum of singularities exhibited by this form precludes the assessment of its relationships in the context of the Paleogene radiation of Typotheria and it is necessary to extend the comparison to Eocene notoungulates. Finally, in a morphofunctional context a plantigrade foot posture is inferred for the specimens here reported. These observations have the potential to provide functional proxies for paleoecological reconstructions to be applied to the study of the early radiation of these notoungulate faunas.Fil: Armella, Matías Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Lopez, Daniel Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Babot, María Judith. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Deraco, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Herrera, Claudia Marcela Reina. Fundación Miguel Lillo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Saade, Luis Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; ArgentinaFil: Bertelli, Sara Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Departamento de Geología. Cátedra Geología Estructural. Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica; Argentin