Nuevos datos sobre la estratigrafía de subsuelo del acuífero de Torrevieja (Alicante): implicaciones en el modelo conceptual de funcionamiento.

El análisis estratigráfico de sondeos de investigación realizados en el acuifera de Torrevieja pone de manifiesto la coincidencia de las unidades hidrogeológicas con las estratigráficas y permite una mayor precisión en la definición de las primeras al poder constatar que las variaciones internas dentro de las unidades estratigráficas tienen reflejo en la geometria de los acuiferos y los parámetros hidrogeológicos. Asi mismo, la interpretación genética de los sedimentos y la caracterización de las discontinuidades que los limitan permiten realizar una extrapolación predictiva de las caracteristicas geológicas de subsuelo que pueden ser aplicadas a la modelización de las unidades hidrogeológicas

Calidad de vida en pacientes con fosfatasa alcalina persistentemente baja portadores o no de mutaciones del gen ALPL

Introducción: Los niveles bajos de fosfatasa alcalina (FAlc) en suero son el sello distintivo de la hipofosfatasia, un trastorno debido a variantes patogénicas del gen ALPL. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en adultos con fosfatasa alcalina baja y explorar las diferencias entre pacientes con y sin mutaciones en ALPL. Material y métodos: Estudiamos 35 pacientes adultos con FAlc persistentemente baja en los que se excluyeron causas adquiridas y se secuenció ALPL. Se compararon con 35 controles de igual edad. Se completaron tres cuestionarios sobre dolor (Brief Pain Inventory, BPI), discapacidad física (Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, HAQ-DI) y calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (36-item Short-Form Health Survey, SF-36). Resultados: Las puntuaciones medias de intensidad e interferencia del dolor en el BPI fueron mayores en el grupo de pacientes (p=0,04 y 0,004, respectivamente). Todos los dominios del instrumento HAQ tendieron a puntuar peor en los pacientes, con diferencias significativas en la puntuación de "alcance" (p=0,037) y la puntuación media general (0,23 frente a 0,09; p=0,029). Los pacientes puntuaron peor que los controles en varias dimensiones del SF-36 (rol físico, p=0,039; dolor corporal p=0,046; rol emocional, p=0,025). Sin embargo, los pacientes con y sin variantes patogénicas puntuaron de manera similar en todas las pruebas, sin diferencias significativas entre los grupos. Conclusiones: Los pacientes con niveles persistentemente bajos de FAlc tienen puntuaciones significativamente peores en dolor corporal y otras dimensiones de calidad de vida relacionadas con la salud, sin diferencias entre pacientes con y sin variantes patogénicas en el gen ALPL. Esto es consistente con la hipótesis de que estos últimos presenten mutaciones en regiones reguladoras, habitualmente no secuenciadas, del gen ALPL

A High Pressure Operando Spectroscopy Examination of Bimetal Interactions in ‘Metal Efficient’ Palladium/In2O3/Al2O3 Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation

CO2 hydrogenation to methanol has the potential to serve as a sustainable route to a wide variety of hydrocarbons, fuels and plastics in the quest for net zero. Synergistic Pd/In2O3 (Palldium on Indium Oxide) catalysts show high CO2 conversion and methanol selectivity, enhancing methanol yield. The identity of the optimal active site for this reaction is unclear, either as a Pd−In alloy, proximate metals, or distinct sites. In this work, we demonstrate that metal-efficient Pd/In2O3 species dispersed on Al2O3 can match the performance of pure Pd/In2O3 systems. Further, we follow the evolution of both Pd and In sites, and surface species, under operando reaction conditions using X-ray Absorption Spectroscpy (XAS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. In doing so, we can determine both the nature of the active sites and the influence on the catalytic mechanism

The QUIJOTE experiment: project overview and first results

QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife) is a new polarimeter aimed to characterize the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background and other Galactic and extragalactic signals at medium and large angular scales in the frequency range 10-40 GHz. The multi-frequency (10-20~GHz) instrument, mounted on the first QUIJOTE telescope, saw first light on November 2012 from the Teide Observatory (2400~m a.s.l). During 2014 the second telescope has been installed at this observatory. A second instrument at 30~GHz will be ready for commissioning at this telescope during summer 2015, and a third additional instrument at 40~GHz is now being developed. These instruments will have nominal sensitivities to detect the B-mode polarization due to the primordial gravitational-wave component if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is larger than r=0.05.Comment: To appear in "Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII", Proceedings of the XI Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society, Teruel, Spain (2014

AINUR: Atlas of Images of NUclear Rings

We present the most complete atlas of nuclear rings to date. We include 113 rings found in 107 galaxies, six of which are elliptical galaxies, five are highly inclined disc galaxies, 18 are unbarred disc galaxies, and 78 are barred disc galaxies. Star-forming nuclear rings occur in 20% of disc galaxies with types between T=-3 and T=7. We aim to explore possible relationships between the size and morphology of the rings and various galactic parameters. We produce colour index and structure maps, as well as Halpha and Paalpha continuum-subtracted images from HST archival data. We derive ellipticity profiles from H-band 2MASS images in order to detect bars and find their metric parameters. We measure the non-axisymmetric torque parameter, Qg, and search for correlations between bar, ring metric parameters, and Qg. Our atlas of nuclear rings includes star-forming and dust rings. Nuclear rings span a range from a few tens of parsecs to a few kiloparsecs in radius. Star-forming nuclear rings can be found in a wide range of morphological types, from S0 to Sd, with a peak in the distribution between Sab and Sb, and without strong preference for barred galaxies. Dust nuclear rings are found in elliptical and S0 galaxies. For barred galaxies, the maximum radius that a nuclear ring can reach is a quarter of the bar radius. We found a nearly random distribution of PA offsets between nuclear rings and bars. There is some evidence that nuclear ring ellipticity is limited by bar ellipticity. We confirm that the maximum relative size of a star-forming nuclear ring is inversely proportional to the non-axisymmetric torque parameter, Qg, and that the origin of nuclear rings, even the ones in non-barred hosts, are closely linked to the existence of dynamical resonances.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. A full resolution version of the manuscript with high resolution figures can be found at http://www.iac.es/folleto/research/preprints

QUIJOTE Experiment: status of telescopes and instrumentation

The QUIJOTE Experiment (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife) is a combined operation of two telescopes and three instruments working in the microwave band to measure the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from the northern hemisphere, at medium and large angular scales. The experiment is located at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, one of the seven Canary Islands (Spain). The project is a consortium maintained by several institutions: the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Instituto de Física de Cantabria (IFCA), the Communications Engineering Department (DICOM) at Universidad de Cantabria, and the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge. The consortium is led by the IAC

Integrating current and historical water chemistry data with long-term piezometric records to develop a regional-scale conceptual flow model: Las Salinas spring, Medina del Campo, Spain

Study region: Old Las Salinas spring in Medina del Campo, Duero river basin, central Spain. Study focus: Medina del Campo groundwater body (MCGWB) is a multilayer semiconfined aquifer subject to intensive pumping since the 1970’s, where the current existence of spas where there used to be traditional baths could confirm the existence of deep groundwater flow paths. The old spring of Las Salinas (OSLS) is a saline anomaly in an aquifer with predominance of CaCO3H waters whose occurrence has not yet been formally explained. Long-term geological, geophysical, hydrogeological and hydrochemical records were integrated and complemented with field work to clarify its existence. New hydrological insights for the region: Outcomes led to the conclusion that the hydrochemistry of the Olmedo and Palacio de las Salinas salt baths is associated with the existence of a major threshold in the impervious basement of the aquifer, which intercepted deep regional groundwater flow and caused upwelling to the surface under unperturbed conditions. These results allow for the development of a conceptual flow model at the regional scale that explains the changes in natural water chemistry that have been identified in recent decades

Estrategias de estudio y trabajo en estudiantes universitarios de la UIB

El estudio se centra en el conocimiento de los procesos de aprendizaje que se desarrollan en la enseñanza superior, siendo su objetivo principal la evaluación de las estrategias de aprendizaje utilizadas por estudiantes universitarios a lo largo de su formación inicial. Responde a un diseño descriptivo-exploratorio, dirigido a las estrategias de estudio y trabajo de la población universitaria de la Universidad de las Islas Baleares (UIB). Para ello, se procedió a la elaboración de un cuestionario como instrumento de recogida de datos1 sobre estrategias de estudio y trabajo, categorizado en cuatro grupos de estrategias (disposicionales y de apoyo; de búsqueda, recogida y selección de información; de procesamiento y uso de información; metacognitivas, de regulación y control) y sus correspondientes subcategorías. Se trabajó con una muestra de 949 estudiantes de la UIB, clasificados por ámbitos disciplinares y estudios, agrupados en grandes dimensiones (sexo; estudios de ciclo corto y de ciclo largo; rama de estudios; dedicación al estudio y actividad laboral), aportando, para cada una de ellas los datos estadísticos en los que se constata una diferencia significativa.L’estudi està centrat en el coneixement dels processos d’aprenentatge que es desenvolupen a l’ensenyament superior, i el l’objectiu principal és l’avaluació de les estratègies d’aprenentatge utilitzades per estudiants universitaris al llarg de la seva formació inicial. Respon a un disseny descriptiu-exploratori, dirigit a les estratègies d’estudi i treball de la població universitària de la Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB). En aquest sentit, es va confeccionar un qüestionari com a instrument de recollida de dades sobre estratègies d’estudi i treball, categoritzat en quatre grups d’estratègies (disposicionals i de suport; de cerca, recollida i selecció d’informació; de processament i ús d’informació; metacognitives, de regulació i control) i les subcategories corresponents. Es va treballar amb una mostra de 949 estudiants de la UIB, classificats per àmbits disciplinaris i estudis, agrupats en grans dimensions (sexe; estudis de cicle curt i de cicle llarg; branca d’estudis; dedicació a l’estudi i activitat laboral), que varen aportar, per a cadascuna, dades estadístiques en els quals es constata una diferència significativa.The study is focused on the knowledge of learning processes developed in Higher Education and the main objective is to assess the learning strategies of university students along their initial training. This is a response to a descriptive-exploratory design addressed to the learning and working strategies among the students of the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). Regarding to this, a question paper was designed as a tool for the collection of data on the studying and working strategies sorted by four strategy groups (dispositional and backup groups; research, collection and selection of information; processing and use of information; metacognitive, regulation and control groups) with their respective subcategories. We took a sample of 949 students from the UIB, sorted by study and disciplinary areas, and we gathered them in larger-dimension groups (gender, shorter and longer degrees, field of study and commitment to studies and work). These groups provided, for each of the samples, statistical information in which an important difference is stated

A high pressure operando spectroscopy examination of bimetal interactions in ‘Metal Efficient’ palladium/In 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 catalysts for CO 2 hydrogenation

CO2 hydrogenation to methanol has the potential to serve as a sustainable route to a wide variety of hydrocarbons, fuels and plastics in the quest for net zero. Synergistic Pd/In2O3 (Palldium on Indium Oxide) catalysts show high CO2 conversion and methanol selectivity, enhancing methanol yield. The identity of the optimal active site for this reaction is unclear, either as a Pd−In alloy, proximate metals, or distinct sites. In this work, we demonstrate that metal‐efficient Pd/In2O3 species dispersed on Al2O3 can match the performance of pure Pd/In2O3 systems. Further, we follow the evolution of both Pd and In sites, and surface species, under operando reaction conditions using X‐ray Absorption Spectroscpy (XAS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. In doing so, we can determine both the nature of the active sites and the influence on the catalytic mechanism

The QUIJOTE-CMB experiment: studying the polarisation of the galactic and cosmological microwave emissions

The QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint Tenerife) CMB Experiment will operate at the Teide Observatory with the aim of characterizing the polarisation of the CMB and other processes of Galactic and extragalactic emission in the frequency range of 10-40GHz and at large and medium angular scales. The first of the two QUIJOTE telescopes and the first multi-frequency (10-30GHz) instrument are already built and have been tested in the laboratory. QUIJOTE-CMB will be a valuable complement at low frequencies for the Planck mission, and will have the required sensitivity to detect a primordial gravitational-wave component if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is larger than r = 0.05.The QUIJOTE-CMB experiment is being developed by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), the Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA), and the Universities of Cantabria, Manchester and Cambridge. Partial financial support is provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under the projects AYA2010-21766-C03 (01, 02 and 03), and also by the Consolider-Ingenio project CSD2010-00064 (EPI: Exploring the Physics of Inflation49)