Late Burdigalian (Miocene) age for pectinids (Mollusca-Bivalvia) from the Pirabas Formation (northern Brazil) derived from Sr-isotope (87 Sr/86 Sr) data

The faunas of the highly fossiliferous Pirabas Formation belong to the southern part of the biogeographical unit known as "Neogene Tropical America". This unit developed prior to the closure of the Central American Seaway by the Isthmus of Panama. Until now, the age of the Pirabas Formation was inferred only from biostratigraphy. The Sr-isotope (87 Sr/86 Sr) values of pectinid shells from the Pirabas Formation show that most parts of this unit were deposited during the Late Burdigalian (about 16-17 Ma). This result does not contradict biostratigraphic data and it constrains the age of the Pirabas Formation more tightly than do previous estimates of age, it for future, more precise biogeographical comparisons

“Laboratorio Q”, Seville: creative production of collective spaces before and after austerity

The creative city approach is going through a redefinition after the 2008 global financial crisis. In the specific case of South-European cities, in the context of austerity and cuts in public investment, creativity is becoming a strategy for achieving maximum social benefit and improvement of the built environment with minimum economic expenditure. This paper looks at this redefinition of creativity through the case study of Seville, in southern Spain. Through research methods that include video-recorded testimonies of the actors involved, mapping at the online platform “Laboratorio Q”, and public engagement activities, this paper explores how the civic society, professional, and public authorities have reinvented how to produce collective spaces. The paper concludes that bottom-up creative processes for producing collective spaces have become more visible since the 2008 crisis, when architects, planners, public authorities and policy-makers have been “learning” from them

Statistically derived contributions of diverse human influences to twentieth-century temperature changes

The warming of the climate system is unequivocal as evidenced by an increase in global temperatures by 0.8 °C over the past century. However, the attribution of the observed warming to human activities remains less clear, particularly because of the apparent slow-down in warming since the late 1990s. Here we analyse radiative forcing and temperature time series with state-of-the-art statistical methods to address this question without climate model simulations. We show that long-term trends in total radiative forcing and temperatures have largely been determined by atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, and modulated by other radiative factors. We identify a pronounced increase in the growth rates of both temperatures and radiative forcing around 1960, which marks the onset of sustained global warming. Our analyses also reveal a contribution of human interventions to two periods when global warming slowed down. Our statistical analysis suggests that the reduction in the emissions of ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol, as well as a reduction in methane emissions, contributed to the lower rate of warming since the 1990s. Furthermore, we identify a contribution from the two world wars and the Great Depression to the documented cooling in the mid-twentieth century, through lower carbon dioxide emissions. We conclude that reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are effective in slowing the rate of warming in the short term.F.E. acknowledges financial support from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (http://www.conacyt.gob.mx) under grant CONACYT-310026, as well as from PASPA DGAPA of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. (CONACYT-310026 - Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia; PASPA DGAPA of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico

Analysis of the backward bending modes in damped rotating beams

[EN] This article presents a study of the backward bending mode of a simply supported rotating Rayleigh beam with internal damping. The study analyses the natural frequency behaviour of the backward mode according to the internal viscous damping ratio, the slenderness of the beam and its spin speed. To date, the behaviour of the natural frequency of the backward mode is known to be a monotonically decreasing function with spin speed due to gyroscopic effects. In this article, however, it is shown that this behaviour of the natural frequency may not hold for certain damping and slenderness conditions, and reaches a minimum value (concave function) from which it begins to increase. Accordingly, the analytical expression of the spin speed for which the natural frequency of the backward mode attains the minimum value has been obtained. In addition, the internal damping ratio and slenderness intervals associated with such behaviour have been also provided.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades Agencia Estatal de Investigacion and the European Regional Development Fund (project TRA2017-84701-R), as well as Generalitat Valenciana (project Prometeo/2016/007) and European Commission through the project 'RUN2Rail - Innovative RUNning gear soluTiOns for new dependable, sustainable, intelligent and comfortable RAIL vehicles' (Horizon 2020 Shift2Rail JU call 2017, grant number 777564)Martínez Casas, J.; Denia Guzmán, FD.; Fayos Sancho, J.; Nadal, E.; Giner Navarro, J. (2019). Analysis of the backward bending modes in damped rotating beams. Advances in Mechanical Engineering. 11(4):1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1687814019840474S113114Zorzi, E. S., & Nelson, H. D. (1977). Finite Element Simulation of Rotor-Bearing Systems With Internal Damping. Journal of Engineering for Power, 99(1), 71-76. doi:10.1115/1.3446254Ku, D.-M. (1998). FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF WHIRL SPEEDS FOR ROTOR-BEARING SYSTEMS WITH INTERNAL DAMPING. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 12(5), 599-610. doi:10.1006/mssp.1998.0159Dimentberg, M. F. (2005). Vibration of a rotating shaft with randomly varying internal damping. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 285(3), 759-765. doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2004.11.025Vatta, F., & Vigliani, A. (2008). Internal damping in rotating shafts. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 43(11), 1376-1384. doi:10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2007.12.009Rosales, M. B., & Filipich, C. P. (1993). Dynamic Stability of a Spinning Beam Carrying an Axial Dead Load. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 163(2), 283-294. doi:10.1006/jsvi.1993.1165Mazzei, A. J., & Scott, R. A. (2003). Effects of internal viscous damping on the stability of a rotating shaft driven through a universal joint. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 265(4), 863-885. doi:10.1016/s0022-460x(02)01256-7Ehrich, F. F. (1964). Shaft Whirl Induced by Rotor Internal Damping. Journal of Applied Mechanics, 31(2), 279-282. doi:10.1115/1.3629598Vance, J. M., & Lee, J. (1974). Stability of High Speed Rotors With Internal Friction. Journal of Engineering for Industry, 96(3), 960-968. doi:10.1115/1.3438468Vila, P., Baeza, L., Martínez-Casas, J., & Carballeira, J. (2014). Rail corrugation growth accounting for the flexibility and rotation of the wheel set and the non-Hertzian and non-steady-state effects at contact patch. Vehicle System Dynamics, 52(sup1), 92-108. doi:10.1080/00423114.2014.881513Glocker, C., Cataldi-Spinola, E., & Leine, R. I. (2009). Curve squealing of trains: Measurement, modelling and simulation. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 324(1-2), 365-386. doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2009.01.048Bauer, H. F. (1980). Vibration of a rotating uniform beam, part I: Orientation in the axis of rotation. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 72(2), 177-189. doi:10.1016/0022-460x(80)90651-3Shiau, T. N., & Hwang, J. L. (1993). Generalized Polynomial Expansion Method for the Dynamic Analysis of Rotor-Bearing Systems. Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, 115(2), 209-217. doi:10.1115/1.2906696Hili, M. A., Fakhfakh, T., & Haddar, M. (2006). Vibration analysis of a rotating flexible shaft–disk system. Journal of Engineering Mathematics, 57(4), 351-363. doi:10.1007/s10665-006-9060-3Young, T. H., Shiau, T. N., & Kuo, Z. H. (2007). Dynamic stability of rotor-bearing systems subjected to random axial forces. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 305(3), 467-480. doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2007.04.016Wang, J., Hurskainen, V.-V., Matikainen, M. K., Sopanen, J., & Mikkola, A. (2017). On the dynamic analysis of rotating shafts using nonlinear superelement and absolute nodal coordinate formulations. Advances in Mechanical Engineering, 9(11), 168781401773267. doi:10.1177/1687814017732672Lee, C.-W. (1993). Vibration Analysis of Rotors. Solid Mechanics and Its Applications. doi:10.1007/978-94-015-8173-8Genta, G. (1999). Vibration of Structures and Machines. doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-1450-2Cheng, C. C., & Lin, J. K. (2003). Modelling a rotating shaft subjected to a high-speed moving force. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 261(5), 955-965. doi:10.1016/s0022-460x(02)01374-

The costs of preventing and treating chagas disease in Colombia

Background: The objective of this study is to report the costs of Chagas disease in Colombia, in terms of vector disease control programmes and the costs of providing care to chronic Chagas disease patients with cardiomyopathy. Methods: Data were collected from Colombia in 2004. A retrospective review of costs for vector control programmes carried out in rural areas included 3,084 houses surveyed for infestation with triatomine bugs and 3,305 houses sprayed with insecticide. A total of 63 patient records from 3 different hospitals were selected for a retrospective review of resource use. Consensus methodology with local experts was used to estimate care seeking behaviour and to complement observed data on utilisation. Findings: The mean cost per house per entomological survey was $4.4 (in US$ of 2004), whereas the mean cost of spraying a house with insecticide was $27. The main cost driver of spraying was the price of the insecticide, which varied greatly. Treatment of a chronic Chagas disease patient costs between$46.4 and $7,981 per year in Colombia, depending on severity and the level of care used. Combining cost and utilisation estimates the expected cost of treatment per patient-year is$1,028, whereas lifetime costs averaged $11,619 per patient. Chronic Chagas disease patients have limited access to healthcare, with an estimated 22% of patients never seeking care. Conclusion: Chagas disease is a preventable condition that affects mostly poor populations living in rural areas. The mean costs of surveying houses for infestation and spraying infested houses were low in comparison to other studies and in line with treatment costs. Care seeking behaviour and the type of insurance affiliation seem to play a role in the facilities and type of care that patients use, thus raising concerns about equitable access to care. Preventing Chagas disease in Colombia would be cost-effective and could contribute to prevent inequalities in health and healthcare.Wellcome Trus

Red wine polyphenols prevent metabolic and cardiovascular alterations associated with obesity in Zucker fatty rats (Fa/Fa)

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Binding to serine 65-phosphorylated ubiquitin primes Parkin for optimal PINK1-dependent phosphorylation and activation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from EMBO Press via the DOI in this recordMutations in the mitochondrial protein kinase PINK1 are associated with autosomal recessive Parkinson disease (PD). We and other groups have reported that PINK1 activates Parkin E3 ligase activity both directly via phosphorylation of Parkin serine 65 (Ser(65))--which lies within its ubiquitin-like domain (Ubl)--and indirectly through phosphorylation of ubiquitin at Ser(65). How Ser(65)-phosphorylated ubiquitin (ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65)) contributes to Parkin activation is currently unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) binding to Parkin dramatically increases the rate and stoichiometry of Parkin phosphorylation at Ser(65) by PINK1 in vitro. Analysis of the Parkin structure, corroborated by site-directed mutagenesis, shows that the conserved His302 and Lys151 residues play a critical role in binding of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65), thereby promoting Parkin Ser(65) phosphorylation and activation of its E3 ligase activity in vitro. Mutation of His302 markedly inhibits Parkin Ser(65) phosphorylation at the mitochondria, which is associated with a marked reduction in its E3 ligase activity following mitochondrial depolarisation. We show that the binding of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) to Parkin disrupts the interaction between the Ubl domain and C-terminal region, thereby increasing the accessibility of Parkin Ser(65). Finally, purified Parkin maximally phosphorylated at Ser(65) in vitro cannot be further activated by the addition of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65). Our results thus suggest that a major role of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) is to promote PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of Parkin at Ser(65), leading to maximal activation of Parkin E3 ligase activity. His302 and Lys151 are likely to line a phospho-Ser(65)-binding pocket on the surface of Parkin that is critical for the ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65) interaction. This study provides new mechanistic insights into Parkin activation by ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65), which could aid in the development of Parkin activators that mimic the effect of ubiquitin(Phospho-Ser65).Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship in Clinical Science101022/Z/13/Z; Medical Research Council; Wellcome Trust; Parkinson's UK; Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease Research; Tenovus Scotland; Wellcome/MRC; UCL Institute of Neurology; University of Sheffield; MRC‐PPU of University of Dundee; Division of Signal Transduction Therapy Unit (AstraZeneca, Boehringer‐Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck KGaA, Janssen Pharmaceutica and Pfizer