A parametrization of the growth index of matter perturbations in various Dark Energy models and observational prospects using a Euclid-like survey

We provide exact solutions to the cosmological matter perturbation equation in a homogeneous FLRW universe with a vacuum energy that can be parametrized by a constant equation of state parameter $w$ and a very accurate approximation for the Ansatz $w(a)=w_0+w_a(1-a)$. We compute the growth index \gamma=\log f(a)/\log\Om_m(a), and its redshift dependence, using the exact and approximate solutions in terms of Legendre polynomials and show that it can be parametrized as $\gamma(a)=\gamma_0+\gamma_a(1-a)$ in most cases. We then compare four different types of dark energy (DE) models: $w\Lambda$CDM, DGP, $f(R)$ and a LTB-large-void model, which have very different behaviors at z\gsim1. This allows us to study the possibility to differentiate between different DE alternatives using wide and deep surveys like Euclid, which will measure both photometric and spectroscopic redshifts for several hundreds of millions of galaxies up to redshift $z\simeq 2$. We do a Fisher matrix analysis for the prospects of differentiating among the different DE models in terms of the growth index, taken as a given function of redshift or with a principal component analysis, with a value for each redshift bin for a Euclid-like survey. We use as observables the complete and marginalized power spectrum of galaxies $P(k)$ and the Weak Lensing (WL) power spectrum. We find that, using $P(k)$, one can reach (2%, 5%) errors in $(w_0, w_a)$, and (4%, 12%) errors in $(\gamma_0, \gamma_a)$, while using WL we get errors at least twice as large. These estimates allow us to differentiate easily between DGP, $f(R)$ models and $\Lambda$CDM, while it would be more difficult to distinguish the latter from a variable equation of state parameter or LTB models using only the growth index.}Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, 6 table

Controlled grain-size thermochromic VO2 coatings by the fast oxidation of sputtered vanadium or vanadium oxide films deposited at glancing angles

An original, simple and cost-effective oxidation strategy to attain thermochromic vanadium dioxide thin films is reported. This two-step procedure comprises the initial deposition of DC magnetron-sputtered vanadium or vanadium oxide films by the combination of glancing angle deposition and, if needed, reactive gas pulsing process, followed by fast oxidation of such layers in air atmosphere at high temperatures. Thanks to the careful control of the thermal treatment parameters, and taking advantage of the superior reactivity of the high surface-to-volume porous deposited structures, the formation of pure VO2 (M1) layers was achieved. The comprehensive characterization of such oxidized systems by means of scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning-transmission electron microscopy techniques such as electron energy-loss spectroscopy, not only confirmed the presence of the VO2 (M1) phase, but also allowed to shed light on the key role that reaction time plays in the selective formation of vanadium dioxide films of adjustable grain size and crystallinity. The optimal conditions to stabilize thermochromic VO2 consists in using large deposition angles (85 degrees) and short oxygen pulses (<= 2 s) during the growth, followed by fast and short thermal treatments (<= 45 s with a heating rate of 42 degrees C s(-1)) in air atmosphere at 550 degrees C. The metal-to-insulator response of the accomplished VO2 layers was finally evaluated by means of temperature dependent Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements, evidencing surface potential drops at heating, greater than those reported in the literature to date for VO2 thin films.A. J. Santos would like to thank the IMEYMAT Institute and the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion y Cultura for the concessions of grants (ICARO-173873 and FPU16-04386) . The "Talent Attraction Program" of the University of Cadiz is acknowledged by supporting B. Lacroix contract code E-11-2017-0117214. University of Cadiz and IMEYMAT are also agreed by financing the mutual facilities available at the UCA R&D Central Services (SC-ICYT) , the UCA projects reference "PUENTE PR2018-040 '' and "PUENTE PR2020-003 '', and the IMEYMAT project references "LINEAS PRIORITARIAS PLP2019120-3 and PLP2021120-1 ''. This work was supported by the Spanish State R&D project (Retos y Generacion de Conocimiento) ref. PID2020-114418RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The regional government of Andalusia with FEDER cofunding also participates through the projects AT-5983 Trewa 1157178 and FEDER-UCA18-10788. M. Dominguez acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion under project reference EQC 2018-004704-P FEDER 2014-2020, "Modernizacion del Servicio de Microscopia de Fuerza Atomica (AFM) del IMEYMAT"

Materiales utilizados en la policromía de la fachada de Pedro I (Real Alcázar de Sevilla, España)

This research has been conducted on the architectural decoration of the façade of the Palace of King Pedro I (The Royal Alcazar of Seville, Spain). The stratigraphic study of pictorial layers has revealed numerous interventions made on the polychrome decorations that have been related to those referenced in historical documents. Mineralogical and compositional studies of the natural and synthetic pigments and their alteration have provided an independent chronology for the polychrome decorations. Finally, this study has revealed the importance of colour of the decorative elements over the history of the palace.El estudio de la fachada del palacio de Pedro I ha puesto de manifiesto la existencia de un gran número de policromías realizadas con una amplia variedad de pigmentos de diferentes cronologías. Mediante diversas técnicas analíticas han sido diferenciadas y caracterizadas química y mineralógicamente. El estudio estratigráfico detallado de las diferentes policromías ha permitido relacionarlas con las sucesivas intervenciones documentadas, comprobando así la gran importancia que el color ha tenido en todas las épocas o momentos históricos del Palacio

A multi-stage genome-wide association study of bladder cancer identifies multiple susceptibility loci.

We conducted a multi-stage, genome-wide association study of bladder cancer with a primary scan of 591,637 SNPs in 3,532 affected individuals (cases) and 5,120 controls of European descent from five studies followed by a replication strategy, which included 8,382 cases and 48,275 controls from 16 studies. In a combined analysis, we identified three new regions associated with bladder cancer on chromosomes 22q13.1, 19q12 and 2q37.1: rs1014971, (P = 8 × 10⁻¹²) maps to a non-genic region of chromosome 22q13.1, rs8102137 (P = 2 × 10⁻¹¹) on 19q12 maps to CCNE1 and rs11892031 (P = 1 × 10⁻⁷) maps to the UGT1A cluster on 2q37.1. We confirmed four previously identified genome-wide associations on chromosomes 3q28, 4p16.3, 8q24.21 and 8q24.3, validated previous candidate associations for the GSTM1 deletion (P = 4 × 10⁻¹¹) and a tag SNP for NAT2 acetylation status (P = 4 × 10⁻¹¹), and found interactions with smoking in both regions. Our findings on common variants associated with bladder cancer risk should provide new insights into the mechanisms of carcinogenesis

Specialized proresolving mediators protect against experimental autoimmune myocarditis by modulating Ca2+ handling and NRF2 activation

Specialized proresolving mediators and, in particular, 5(S), (6)R, 7-trihydroxyheptanoic acid methyl ester (BML-111) emerge as new therapeutic tools to prevent cardiac dysfunction and deleterious cardiac damage associated with myocarditis progression. The cardioprotective role of BML-111 is mainly caused by the prevention of increased oxidative stress and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) down-regulation induced by myocarditis. At the molecular level, BML-111 activates NRF2 signaling, which prevents sarcoplasmic reticulum–adenosine triphosphatase 2A down-regulation and Ca2+ mishandling, and attenuates the cardiac dysfunction and tissue damage induced by myocarditis.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (SAF-2017-84777R), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI17/01093, PI17/01344, and PI20/01482), Sociedad Española de Cardiología, Proyecto Traslacional 2019 and Asociación del Ritmo Cardiaco (SEC, España), Proyecto Asociación Insuficiencia Cardiaca (Trasplante Cardiaco) 2020, Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, Fondo Social Europeo, and CIBERCV, a network funded by ISCIII, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PGC2018-097019-B-I00), Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad/Agencia Estatal de Investigación 10.13039/501100011033 PID2020-113238RB-I00, PID2019-105600RB-I00, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria grant PRB3 [PT17/0019/0003-ISCIII-SGEFI/ERDF, ProteoRed]), and “la Caixa” Foundation (project code HR17-00247). The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares is supported by the ISCIII, the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. Dr Ruiz-Hurtado is Miguel Servet I researcher of ISCIII (CP15/00129 Carlos III Health Institute). Dr Tamayo and R.I. Jaén, and M. Gil-Fernández were or currently are PhD students funded by the Formación de Profesorado Universitario program of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (FPU17/06135; FPU16/00827, FPU1901973)

A multi-stage genome-wide association study of bladder cancer identifies multiple susceptibility loci.

We conducted a multi-stage, genome-wide association study of bladder cancer with a primary scan of 591,637 SNPs in 3,532 affected individuals (cases) and 5,120 controls of European descent from five studies followed by a replication strategy, which included 8,382 cases and 48,275 controls from 16 studies. In a combined analysis, we identified three new regions associated with bladder cancer on chromosomes 22q13.1, 19q12 and 2q37.1: rs1014971, (P = 8 × 10⁻¹²) maps to a non-genic region of chromosome 22q13.1, rs8102137 (P = 2 × 10⁻¹¹) on 19q12 maps to CCNE1 and rs11892031 (P = 1 × 10⁻⁷) maps to the UGT1A cluster on 2q37.1. We confirmed four previously identified genome-wide associations on chromosomes 3q28, 4p16.3, 8q24.21 and 8q24.3, validated previous candidate associations for the GSTM1 deletion (P = 4 × 10⁻¹¹) and a tag SNP for NAT2 acetylation status (P = 4 × 10⁻¹¹), and found interactions with smoking in both regions. Our findings on common variants associated with bladder cancer risk should provide new insights into the mechanisms of carcinogenesis

Dinosaur bonebed amber from an original swamp forest soil

Dinosaur bonebeds with amber content, yet scarce, offer a superior wealth and quality of data on ancient terrestrial ecosystems. However, the preserved palaeodiversity and/or taphonomic characteristics of these exceptional localities had hitherto limited their palaeobiological potential. Here, we describe the amber from the Lower Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed of Ariño (Teruel, Spain) using a multidisciplinary approach. Amber is found in both a root layer with amber strictly in situ and a litter layer mainly composed of aerial pieces unusually rich in bioinclusions, encompassing 11 insect orders, arachnids, and a few plant and vertebrate remains, including a feather. Additional palaeontological data¿charophytes, palynomorphs, ostracods¿ are provided. Ariño arguably represents the most prolific and palaeobiologically diverse locality in which fossiliferous amber and a dinosaur bonebed have been found in association, and the only one known where the vast majority of the palaeontological assemblage suffered no or low-grade pre-burial transport. This has unlocked unprecedentedly complete and reliable palaeoecological data out of two complementary windows of preservation¿the bonebed and the amber¿from the same site

A search for point sources of EeV photons

Measurements of air showers made using the hybrid technique developed with the fluorescence and surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory allow a sensitive search for point sources of EeV photons anywhere in the exposed sky. A multivariate analysis reduces the background of hadronic cosmic rays. The search is sensitive to a declination band from -85{\deg} to +20{\deg}, in an energy range from 10^17.3 eV to 10^18.5 eV. No photon point source has been detected. An upper limit on the photon flux has been derived for every direction. The mean value of the energy flux limit that results from this, assuming a photon spectral index of -2, is 0.06 eV cm^-2 s^-1, and no celestial direction exceeds 0.25 eV cm^-2 s^-1. These upper limits constrain scenarios in which EeV cosmic ray protons are emitted by non-transient sources in the Galaxy.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa