Anomalous polymer collapse winding angle distributions

In two dimensions polymer collapse has been shown to be complex with multiple low temperature states and multi-critical points. Recently, strong numerical evidence has been provided for a long-standing prediction of universal scaling of winding angle distributions, where simulations of interacting self-avoiding walks show that the winding angle distribution for N-step walks is compatible with the theoretical prediction of a Gaussian with a variance growing asymptotically as C log N . Here we extend this work by considering interacting self-avoiding trails which are believed to be a model representative of some of the more complex behaviour. We provide robust evidence that, while the high temperature swollen state of this model has a winding angle distribution that is also Gaussian, this breaks down at the polymer collapse point and at low temperatures. Moreover, we provide some evidence that the distributions are well modelled by stretched/compressed exponentials, in contradistinction to the behaviour found in interacting self-avoiding walks.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Atomic motions in the αβ\alpha\beta-region of glass-forming polymers: Molecular versus Mode Coupling Theory approach

We present fully atomistic Molecular Dynamics simulation results on a main-chain polymer, 1,4-Polybutadiene, in the merging region of the $\alpha$- and $beta$-relaxations. A real space analysis reveals the occurrence of localized motions (``$\beta$-like'') in addition to the diffusive structural relaxation. A molecular approach provides a direct connection between the local conformational changes reflected in the atomic motions and the secondary relaxations in this polymer. Such local processes occur just in the time window where the $\beta$-process of the Mode Coupling Theory is expected. We show that the application of this theory is still possible, and yields an unusually large value of the exponent parameter. This result might originate from the competition between two mechanisms for dynamic arrest: intermolecular packing and intramolecular barriers for local conformational changes (``$\beta$-like'').Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

New Energy Calibration of the CMAM 5MV Tandem Accelerator

Abstract Ion accelerators are fundamental in the ongoing research on materials for future energy sources, being the primary tool for understanding the behaviour of different classes of materials (functional, structural, diagnostic) under e.g. the intense radiation expected in fission reactors or the critical thermal operational conditions in IV generation fission reactors. The relevance of ion accelerators research extends straightforwardly to the modification and analysis of materials to be used in future developments of diverse non-nuclear sources like photovoltaic, fuel batteries, etc. From the analytical point of view, the energy of the accelerated ion needs, in many cases, to be known with a precision higher than e.g. the width of reaction resonances that are used for controlling either the yield of a reaction or the penetration depth of the ion, imposing a calibration of the accelerator terminal voltage. This paper reports on the new energy calibration performed for the 5 MV CMAM tandem accelerator

Estimation of the road dust contribution in the urban aerosol

The urban area of Madrid (Spain), as in many other cities worldwide, is characterized by poor ambient air quality. Previous studies in the area have pointed out traffic as the main source of fine particles, while dust resuspension was found to be responsible for elevated levels of coarse particles (Querol et al, 2004). Street washing is one of the methods that might reduce the dust resuspension. The aim of this study was to quantify the contribution of road dust to particulate matter and evaluate the effects of street washing on the strength of resuspensio

Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of New N-Sulfonylureas as NLRP3 Inflammasome Inhibitors: Identification of a Hit Compound to Treat Gout

NLRP3 is involved in the pathophysiology of several inflammatory diseases. Therefore, there is high current interest in the clinical development of new NLRP3 inflammasome small inhibitors to treat these diseases. Novel N-sulfonylureas were obtained by the replacement of the hexahydroindacene moiety of the previously described NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950. These new derivatives show moderate to high potency in inhibiting IL-1β release in vitro. The greatest effect was observed for compound 4b, which was similar to MCC950. Moreover, compound 4b was able to reduce caspase-1 activation, oligomerization of ASC, and therefore, IL-1β processing. Additional in silico predictions confirmed the safety profile of compound 4b, and in vitro studies in AML12 hepatic cells confirmed the absence of toxicological effects. Finally, we evaluated in vivo anti-inflammatory properties of compound 4b, which showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect and reduced mechanical hyperalgesia at 3 and 10 mg/kg (i.p.) in an in vivo mouse model of gout.J.E. thanks Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (ISCIII/ FEDER) (Programa Miguel Servet: CP19/00005 and PI19/ 00082) and Fundación Mutua Madrileñ a. D.D.-I. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities for predoctoral FPU grant

El rey Lear, tragedia de William Shakespeare traducida por Jacinto Benavente

Representació de l'obra teatral "El Rey Lear" de Shakespeare, per la companyia de Teatro Español de Madrid. Direcció de Miguel Narros, música de Carmelo Bernaol

TLR4-pathway impairs synaptic number and cerebrovascular functions through astrocyte activation following traumatic brain injury.

Background and purpose: Activation of astrocytes contributes to synaptic remodelling, tissue repair and neuronal survival following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The mechanisms by which these cells interact to resident/infiltrated inflammatory cells to rewire neuronal networks and repair brain functions remain poorly understood. Here, we explored how TLR4-induced astrocyte activation modified synapses and cerebrovascular integrity following TBI. Experimental approach: To determine how functional astrocyte alterations induced by activation of TLR4 pathway in inflammatory cells regulate synapses and neurovascular integrity after TBI, we used pharmacology, genetic approaches, live calcium imaging, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity assessment and molecular and behavioural methods. Key results: Shortly after a TBI, there is a recruitment of excitable and reactive astrocytes mediated by TLR4 pathway activation with detrimental effects on post-synaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) synaptic puncta, BBB integrity and neurological outcome. Pharmacological blockage of the TLR4 pathway with resatorvid (TAK-242) partially reversed many of the observed effects. Synapses and BBB recovery after resatorvid administration were not observed in IP3 R2-/- mice, indicating that effects of TLR4 inhibition depend on the subsequent astrocyte activation. In addition, TBI increased the astrocytic-protein thrombospondin-1 necessary to induce a synaptic recovery in a sub-acute phase. Conclusions and implications: Our data demonstrate that TLR4-mediated signalling, most probably through microglia and/or infiltrated monocyte-astrocyte communication, plays a crucial role in the TBI pathophysiology and that its inhibition prevents synaptic loss and BBB damage accelerating tissue recovery/repair, which might represent a therapeutic potential in CNS injuries and disorders.This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Programa Miguel Servet II Grants CPII19/00005;PI16/00735; PI19/00082 to JE; and PI18/00357 to DC, partiallyfunded by FEDER - European Union ‘Una manera de hacer Europa’) and Fundación Mutua Madrileña to JE; European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme under the H2020 MarieSkłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement no. 794926 and StopFuga de Cerebros Roche Pharma to JMR; and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RTI2018-094887-B-I00 and RYC-2016-20414 to MN andRYC2019-026870-I to JMR. DC, MCO, VVS and EFL are hired bySESCAM

TLR4-pathway impairs synaptic number and cerebrovascular functions through astrocyte activation following traumatic brain injury

Background and purpose: Activation of astrocytes contributes to synaptic remodelling, tissue repair and neuronal survival following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The mechanisms by which these cells interact to resident/infiltrated inflammatory cells to rewire neuronal networks and repair brain functions remain poorly understood. Here, we explored how TLR4-induced astrocyte activation modified synapses and cerebrovascular integrity following TBI. Experimental approach: To determine how functional astrocyte alterations induced by activation of TLR4 pathway in inflammatory cells regulate synapses and neurovascular integrity after TBI, we used pharmacology, genetic approaches, live calcium imaging, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity assessment and molecular and behavioural methods. Key results: Shortly after a TBI, there is a recruitment of excitable and reactive astrocytes mediated by TLR4 pathway activation with detrimental effects on post-synaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) synaptic puncta, BBB integrity and neurological outcome. Pharmacological blockage of the TLR4 pathway with resatorvid (TAK-242) partially reversed many of the observed effects. Synapses and BBB recovery after resatorvid administration were not observed in IP3 R2-/- mice, indicating that effects of TLR4 inhibition depend on the subsequent astrocyte activation. In addition, TBI increased the astrocytic-protein thrombospondin-1 necessary to induce a synaptic recovery in a sub-acute phase. Conclusions and implications: Our data demonstrate that TLR4-mediated signalling, most probably through microglia and/or infiltrated monocyte-astrocyte communication, plays a crucial role in the TBI pathophysiology and that its inhibition prevents synaptic loss and BBB damage accelerating tissue recovery/repair, which might represent a therapeutic potential in CNS injuries and disorders.This work was supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Programa Miguel Servet II Grants CPII19/00005;PI16/00735; PI19/00082 to JE; and PI18/00357 to DC, partiallyfunded by FEDER - European Union ‘Una manera de hacer Europa’) and Fundación Mutua Madrileña to JE; European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme under the H2020 MarieSkłodowska-Curie Actions grant agreement no. 794926 and StopFuga de Cerebros Roche Pharma to JMR; and Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RTI2018-094887-B-I00 and RYC-2016-20414 to MN andRYC2019-026870-I to JMR. DC, MCO, VVS and EFL are hired bySESCAM

Wind and turbulence relationship with NO2 in an urban environment: a fine-scale observational analysis

It is well known that meteorology plays an important role in the diurnal evolution of pollutants, especially those variables related to atmospheric dispersion. Most studies typically relate the concentration of some pollutants with wind speed from conventional anemometers; however, the use of turbulence variables is less common, in part because the needed instruments are not so typical in standard air-quality stations. In this work, we compare the wind-NO2 relationship with the turbulence-NO2 one using observational data from two field campaigns developed in Madrid (winter and summer). The turbulence data comes from two sonic anemometers deployed at different locations: one close to the street and the other at the top of a nearby tall building. The results indicate that the turbulent variables correlate better with the pollutant concentration than the wind speed when using data from the street sonic, while the contrary is found when using the terrace sonic. These data are also used to perform a fine-scale analysis of the turbulent diffusion-NO2 behaviour during a very-stable period in winter, when the turbulence typically shows a decrease in the evening transition, causing the highestNO2 concentrations. Conversely, under these conditions, the formation of thermally-driven winds is also favoured later in the night, which favours the pollutant dispersion and cleaning of the air. The important role of these dynamical processes on the NO2 evolution highlights the importance of the correct understanding of small-scale atmospheric processes to understand their relationship with the concentration of pollutants

Campaña invernal del proyecto TECNAIRE: caracterización turbulenta y su influencia en las condiciones de la calidad del aire

Ponencia presentada en: XXXIV Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el XVII Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en Teruel, del 29 de febrero al 2 de marzo de 2016.Este estudio ha sido financiado mediante el Proyecto TECNAIRE-CM (S2013/MAE-2972), gracias a la Dirección General de Universidades e investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid