Geomorphological mapping of granite caves

[Abstract] The aim is to develop a mapping which represents the relief and the form (morphology) of granite caves and associated superficial structures

A New Approach to Laminar Flowmeters

After studying the performance and characteristics of actual laminar flowmeters a new disposition for this type of sensors is proposed in such a way that the measurement errors introduced by the intrinsic nature of the device can be minimized. The preliminary study shows that the developing entry region introduces non-linearity effects in all these devices. These effects bring about not only errors, but also a change in the slope of the linear calibration respect of the Poiseuille relation. After a subsequent analysis on how these non-linearity errors can be reduced, a new disposition of this type of flowmeters is introduced. This device makes used of flow elements having pressure taps at three locations along its length and connected to three isolated chambers. In this way, the static pressure can be measured at three locations and contributed to by the pressure taps at the level of each chamber. Thus the linearization error is reduced with an additional advantage of producing a reduced pressure drop.Xunta de Galicia; 07DPI166EXunta de Galicia; 08TIC035

Ontologies in medicinal chemistry: current status and future challenges

[Abstract] Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the amount and availability of data in the diverse areas of medicinal chemistry, making it possible to achieve significant advances in fields such as the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of compounds. However, with this data explosion, the storage, management and analysis of available data to extract relevant information has become even a more complex task that offers challenging research issues to Artificial Intelligence (AI) scientists. Ontologies have emerged in AI as a key tool to formally represent and semantically organize aspects of the real world. Beyond glossaries or thesauri, ontologies facilitate communication between experts and allow the application of computational techniques to extract useful information from available data. In medicinal chemistry, multiple ontologies have been developed during the last years which contain knowledge about chemical compounds and processes of synthesis of pharmaceutical products. This article reviews the principal standards and ontologies in medicinal chemistry, analyzes their main applications and suggests future directions.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; FIS-PI10/02180Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo; 209RT0366Galicia. Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria; CN2012/217Galicia. Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria; CN2011/034Galicia. Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria; CN2012/21

Observatoire de la variabilité interannuelle à décennale en Atlantique Nord

41 páginas, 19 figuras.-- Pascale Lherminier ... et al.-- Merian Cruise N. 2, Leg. 1, Lisbon (Portugal) - Thorshavn (Faroes), May 21 to June 28, 2006Cruise MSM02/1 is the third occurrence of the Ovide hydrological section that was performed in 2002 and 2004, as part of the CLIVAR programme under the name of A25. The Ovide Principal Investigator is Herlé Mercier. A Greenland-Portugal section was previously performed in 1997 under the leadership of S. Bacon (NOCS), slightly south of the Ovide path. The Ovide route crosses Reykjanes Ridge 300 miles north of Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone and runs through the West European Basin without having to sample on top of the complex Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The objective of this repeated hydrological section is to monitor the variability of water mass properties and main current transports in the basin, complementing the international observation array relevant for climate studies. The western part of the Ovide section is redundant with AR7E (called also A1) which was done on the odd years and will allow a better analysis of the inter annual variability. The hydrological section includes a hundred surface-bottom stations from coast to coast, collecting profiles of temperature, salinity, oxygen and currents. From the 28 bottles closed at various depth at each stations, samples of sea water are used for salinity and oxygen calibration, and for measurements of biogeochemical components, including tracers, isotopes, nutrients and carbon. From the thermal wind equations, geostrophic transports are deduced from temperature and salinity. Then, direct current observations, preferentially those measured by the ship ADCP, are used to constrain the velocity at the chosen reference level. This is particularly important in the Irminger Sea, where bottom currents are very energetic. This way, the contribution in heat and fresh water of the major currents crossed (mostly perpendicularly) by the Ovide line can be estimated. From north to south, the major currents are the East Greenland/Irminger Current (about 20 Sv southward, 1 Sv = 106 m3s-1), the Deep Western Boundary Current (about 10 Sv southward), the Irminger Current (about 10 Sv northward), and the North Atlantic Current (about 20 Sv northward). Between 1997 and 2004, we already observed a significative variability of these transports (about 30%)The Meridional Overturning Circulation reflects the equilibrium between the warm and salty waters flowing poleward near surface and the cold and relatively fresh water flowing equatorward near the bottom. Measured across Ovide, it is mainly the balance between the North Atlantic Current and the Deep Western Boundary Current. The simple sketch is however complicated by the export into the Labrador Sea and around the Subpolar Gyre of part of the highly variable East Greenland Current. This is why an array of four currentmeter moorings and one ADCP lander was deployed on the East Greenland slope and shelf in 2004, for two year. While temperature and salinity are often the basic parameters to identify water masses, it is useful to use tracers like CFCs to determine when they were ventilated. Oxygen is also a good indicator near the sources, but not conservative. Combining oxygen with nutrients gives useful information on the biological activity and on the remineralization processes. CFCs and nutrients are analysed by the Roscoff team led by Pascal Morin (LCM). The measurements and analyses of pH, alkalinity and pCO2 are performed by a Fiz Perez and Aida Rios from Vigo (IIMV) at every Ovide cruise. In 2006, it was officially part of the CARBO-OCEAN international program, and the objective is to better quantify the role of the North Atlantic in the storage and transport of anthropogenic carbon accumulated in the atmosphere. In 2006, samples were taken to measure isotopes of oxygen (18) and carbon (13) after the cruise. Oxygen isotopes are very useful to determine the proportion of fresh water from different origin (rain/snow, runoff, sea ice).Peer reviewe

CO2 antropogénico en la región de las Azores

The AZORES-I cruise was conducted in August 1998, spanning the length of three latitudinal large-scale sections at 22, 28 and 32ºW. The oceanic carbon system was oversampled by measuring total alkalinity, total inorganic carbon and pH. It is thus possible to estimate anthropogenic CO2 (CANT) and to investigate its relationship with the main water masses that are present. C CANT is calculated using the latest back-calculation techniques: φCTº and TrOCA methods. Although the two approaches produce similar vertical distributions, the results of the TrOCA method show higher CANT variability and produce higher inventories than those of the φCTº method. The large proportion of Mediterranean Water found in the northern part of the study area is the main cause of the observed increase northwards of C CANT inventories. Changes in C CANT inventories between 1981 and 2004 are evaluated using data from the TTO-NAS, OACES-93 and METEOR-60/5 cruises. According to the φCTº and TrOCA approaches, the average long-term rates of C CANT inventory change are 1.32±0.11 mol C m-2 y-1 (P=0.008) and 1.18±0.16 mol C m-2 y-1 (P=0.018), respectively. During the 1993-1998 a significant increase in the C CANT storage rate was detected by the φCTº method. It is thought that this stems directly from the enhanced Labrador Seawater formation after the increased advection observed at the time.La campaña de macro-escala Azores I se desarrolló durante el mes de agosto de 1998 y consta de tres secciones meridionales centradas en 22, 28 y 32ºW. El sobre-muestreo realizado del sistema del carbónico, con medidas de alcalinidad total, carbono inorgánico total y pH, ha permitido el cálculo del CO2 antropogénico (CANT) e investigar su distribución en las masas de agua presentes. El CANT se calculó mediante las últimas técnicas de retro-cálculo disponibles: los métodos φCTº y TrOCA. A pesar de que ambos procedimientos producen distribuciones verticales similares, los resultados del método TrOCA indican mayores inventarios y variabilidad de CANT que los estimados por el método φCTº. La elevada proporción de agua mediterránea presente al norte de la región estudiada es la causa principal del aumento hacia el norte de los inventarios de CANT. Las tasas de cambio en los inventarios de CANT entre 1981 y 2004 se han evaluado utilizando datos de las campañas TTO-NAS, OACES-93 y METEOR-60/5. Según los métodos φCTº y TrOCA, las tasas de cambio promedio a largo plazo del inventario de CANT en esta zona son de 1.32±0.11 mol C m -2 y-1 (p-valor=0.008) y de 1.18±0.16 mol C m-2 y-2 (p-valor=0.018), respectivamente. Durante el periodo 1993-1998 el método φCTº detecta un aumento significativo de la tasa de acumulación de CANT provocado posiblemente por las elevadas tasas de formación de agua de Labrador, derivadas del aumento de la advección observada en dicho periodo

Alkalinity and pH measurements during the Ovide 2010 on board R/V Thalassa, 8 June and 8 July 2010

7 páginasThe carbon system is defined by four variables: pH, Total Alkalinity (AT), partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and Total Inorganic Carbon (CT). The knowledge of two of these variables allows calculating the other two by means of a set of equations deduced from thermodynamic equilibrium. During the OVIDE 2010 cruise pH and AT measurements were sampled from bottle depths at selected stations (table 1) and analysed on board. Also, to check the internal consistence, 35 samples for CT were also taken in 7 stations along the section and will be analysed at laboratory. This report resumes the activities, methods and first results obtained during the OVIDE 2010 cruise. This cruise was carried out between 8 June and 8 July on board the R/V ThalassaPeer reviewe

Apnea during slow sub-anaesthetic infusion of intravenous ketamine for treatment-resistant depression

Ketamine's pharmacological profile makes it an interesting and useful drug to challenge treatment-resistant-depression (TRD). Emerging adverse events associated with single-slow-sub-anaesthetic doses for the treatment of depression are common, although generally transient and self-limited. Nevertheless, data on the safety of this practice are scarce. Thus, it seems timely before ketamine is used for clinical treatment of depression to recommend careful monitoring and reporting of all potential adverse events related to ketamine administration. Here, we describe a case of apnea during slow sub-anaesthetic infusion of intravenous ketamine for the treatment of resistant depression. As far as we are concerned, this is an uncommon, previously unreported, and potentially severe adverse event that clinicians should be aware of, and specific management measures should be implemented

Estudio morfológico, isotópico y proteómico de la fauna del Pleistoceno y Holoceno de Cova dos Santos (Abadín, Lugo, NO España)

[Abstract] Cova dos Santos is a karstic cavity in Abadín (Lugo), in a hitherto unexplored area that may have been the natural route between the well-known Quaternary faunas of the Cantabrian Mountain Range and those located further south in Galicia, such as in the Serra do Courel. The surface surveys carried out during the topographic layout revealed the presence of deposits of bone remains, usually extremely fragmented, of medium and large vertebrates. Due to the nature of these remains, different molecular techniques (ZooMS, stable isotopes), radiocarbon dating, and morphological and metric analysis were used to characterise the remains present at the site. Combining these methods, it has been possible to identify different taxa such as Ursus speleaeus, Ursus arctos, Panthera pardus, Cervus elaphus, Rhinocerotidae, and to confirm the occupation of this cave since at least 43000 years ago calBP. The presence of domestic species, such as Ovis aries, Equus sp. and Gallus gallus, also shows the use of this cave in more recent times.[Resumen] Cova dos Santos es una cavidad kárstica en Abadín (Lugo), en una zona hasta ahora inexplorada que podría haber sido la ruta natural entre las conocidas faunas cuaternarias de la cordillera Cantábrica y las situadas más al sur de Galicia, como en la Serra do Courel. La prospección de superficie realizada durante los trabajos de trazado topográfico reveló la presencia de depósitos de restos óseos, generalmente muy fragmentados, pertenecientes a vertebrados de mediano y gran tamaño. Debido al carácter de estos restos, se emplearon distintas técnicas moleculares (ZooMS, isótopos estables), dataciones por radiocarbono, y análisis morfológico y métrico para poder caracterizar los restos presentes en el yacimiento. Combinando estos métodos, se han podido identificar distintos taxones como Ursus speleaeus, Ursus arctos, Panthera pardus, Cervus elaphus, Rhinocerotidae, y constatar la ocupación de esta cueva desde hace al menos 43.000 años calBP. La presencia de especies domésticas, como Ovis aries, Equus sp. o Gallus gallus, también pone de manifiesto el uso de esta cavidad en épocas más recientes.This research was supported by financial assistance from the Sociedad Española de Paleontología ID AJISEP-2019-07121 and funds from the Instituto Universitario de Xeoloxía of the UDC. A. García-Vázquez is supported by a postdoctoral ICUB Fellowship for Young Researchers of the University of BucharestSociedad Española de Paleontología; AJISEP-2019-0712

Blood pressure reduction due to hemoglobin glycosylation in type 2 diabetic patients

Pedro Cabrales1, Miguel A Salazar Vázquez2,3, Beatriz Y Salazar Vázquez3,4, Martha Rodríguez-Morán5, Marcos Intaglietta4, Fernando Guerrero-Romero51La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, La Jolla, California, USA; 2Hospital Regional No. 1, of the Mexican Social Security Institute, Victoria de Durango, Dgo. Mexico; 3Faculty of Medicine and Dept. of Physical Chemistry, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Victoria de Durango, Dgo. Mexico; 4Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA; 5Biomedical Research Unit, of the Mexican Social Security Institute, Victoria de Durango, Dgo. MexicoObjective: To test the hypothesis that glycosylation of hemoglobin constitutes a risk factor for hypertension.Methods: A total of 129 relative uniform diabetic subjects (86 women and 42 men) were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Exclusion criteria included alcohol consumption, smoking, ischemic heart disease, stroke, neoplasia, renal, hepatic, and chronic inflammatory disease. Systolic and diastolic pressures were recorded in subsequent days and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was determined. Hemoglobin glycosylation was measured by determining the percentage glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by means of the automated microparticle enzyme immunoassay test.Results: MAP was found to be independent of the concentration of HbA1c; however, correcting MAP for the variability in hematocrit, to evidence the level of vasoconstriction (or vasodilatation) showed that MAP is negatively correlated with the concentration of HbA1c (p for trend <0.05), when patients treated for hypertension are excluded from the analysis. Patients treated for hypertension showed the opposite trend with increasing MAP as HbA1c increased (p for the difference in trends <0.05).Conclusions: Glycosylation per se appears to lead to blood pressure reduction in type 2 diabetic patients untreated for hypertension. Treatment for hypertension may be associated with a level of endothelial dysfunction that interferes with the antihypertensive effect of HbA1c.Keywords: diabetes, hemoglobin glycosylation, hypertension, hematocrit, nitric oxid

Ethnoarchaeological study of a seasonal high mountain habitat evolution in Lugo (Galicia, Spain)

Se presenta un estudio etnoarqueológico sobre una alzada, hábitat estacional de la alta montaña lucense, vinculado con la actividad pastoril estival, y en menor medida con la agrícola para, de acuerdo con los datos obtenidos a través del trabajo de campo antropológico y geográfico, establecer un modelo explicativo del proceso de abandono casi total del yacimiento y de la adquisición de nuevas funciones y significados que ha tomado de un modo reciente. De esta manera es posible entender, a la luz del contexto etnográfico, histórico y antropológico, los restos arqueológicos de este lugar de ocupación.An ethnoarchaeology study about alzadas is presented. The alzada is a high mountain seasonal habitat in Lugo´s province, related to temporally pastoral activities and, in a lesser degree, to agriculture, used during the summer season. According to the anthropologic and geographic data obtained from the field research, we establish an explanatory model of the abandonment process and of the acquisition of new meanings and functions of this type of settlement. In this way, it´s possible to understand, within the ethnographic, historic and anthropologic context, the archaeological remnants of this place.S