Trispyrazolylborate Ligands Supported on Vinyl Addition Polynorbornenes and Their Copper Derivatives as Recyclable Catalysts

Polynorbornenes prepared by vinyl addition poly- merization and bearing pendant alkenyl groups serve as skeletons to support trispyrazolylborate ligands (Tpx) built at those alkenyl sites. Reaction with CuI in acetonitrile led to VA-PNB–TpxCu(NCMe) (VA-PBN = vinyl addition polynorbor- nene) with a 0.8–1.4 mmol incorporation of Cu per gram of polymer. The presence of tetracoordinated copper(I) ions was been assessed by FTIR studies on the corresponding VA-PNB-TpxCu(CO) adducts, in agreement with those on discrete TpxCu(CO). The new materials were employed as heteroge- neous catalysts in several carbene- and nitrene-transfer reac- tions, showing a behavior similar to that of the homogene- ous counterparts but also being recycled several times main- taining a high degree of activity and selectivity. This is the first example of supported Tpx ligands onto polymeric sup- ports with catalytic applications.MINECO (CTQ2017-82893-C2-1-R, CTQ2016-80913-P and Red Intecat CTQ2016-81923-REDC)Junta de Castilla y León (VA051P17, VA062G18)European Union (CHAOS COST ACTION CA-15106)

Tamaño de población y parámetros reproductores del halcón peregrino Falco peregrinus en Álava (País Vasco, España). Año 2016.

En 2016 se censó la población reproductora de halcón peregrino Falco peregrinus en la provincia de Álava, manteniendo la periodicidad de diez años entre censos de ocasiones anteriores. Con una metodología estandarizada que concreta el número de visitas a cada territorio y la duración de las mismas, se localizaron 31 parejas territoriales, una cifra que se ha mantenido muy constante en los censos de los últimos veinte años. Los territorios con una ocupación más continuada a lo largo de este periodo son aquellos correspondientes a roquedos con una elevada dominancia sobre el terreno circundante. Tras los malos resultados reproductores observados diez años atrás, en 2016 se recuperan unos valores de productividad relativamente elevados, 1,40 pollos volados/ pareja territorial, aunque la elevada proporción de hembras inmaduras (17%) podría indicar una alta mortalidad adulta

Ser o no ser y estar o no estar en Internet.

Objective: To reflect the situation of the websites of the hospital libraries in Spain in 2003. Material and methods: The websites of the hospital libraries have been located through C-17 directory, various hospital directories and searching Google, Altavista and Alltheweb. It has been applied the questionnaire of evaluation of websites with pondered punctuation by Lluís Codina. Visibility indicators have been obtained as well as accessibility according TAW. Results: From the C-17 catalogue have been retrieved 176 hospital libraries, of which 13 have a website; we added to these other 19 websites found through other directories and search engines. Of those 32 websites, 2 were not active; the remaining 30 were analyzed. Five of them passed the Codina's test of level I. In the TAW priority level 1, the problems detected automatically oscillated between 0 and 77. Conclusions: The results show the low number of hospital libraries with websites on the internet. The websites quality should be improved following the recommendations of the checkup lists to evaluate digital resources on the internet. The scarce visibility of these webs, hinders greatly its localization. On the other hand, the low accessibility rate of these webs blocks their visualization to handicapped people

Dynamic model of distribution and organization of activities in multi-agent systems

Currently, the allocation of tasks is a problem in many different areas such as e-Goverment. Traditionally, the assignment is done manually; therefore it is necessary to anticipate workloads and employee characteristics. This article describes a system based on virtual organizations of agents that allows recommendations about planning of tasks to minimize the resources necessary for their accomplishment and to obtain the maximum profit. For this purpose, a hybrid artificial intelligence system with genetic algorithm, queuing theory and case-based reasoning is used to obtain an efficient distribution. The final part of the article is focused on validating the plan developed inside a case of study centered in the e-Government in order to obtain empirical results

Model for assigning roles automatically in egovernment virtual organizations

When working in conjunction with multiagent systems, virtual organizations attempt to simulate the functions and interactions of entities in different environments. Recent studies have addressed the problem of assigning roles to agents that form part of the organization, and incorporating new agents to carry out certain tasks. However, these studies are limited to defining the norms and rules that determine the behavior of the organization. The present study proposes a virtual organization model for egovernment environments to assign resources and minimize the required personnel by forecasting workloads. To this end, a neural network, queuing theory, and CBR are used to obtain an efficient distribution. Queuing theory can establish the number of agents with a specific role that are necessary to maximize profits, while the network distributes roles among agents according to their respective efficiency. The final part of the paper is focused on validating the plan developed inside a case study centered on e-government in order to obtain empirical results

Fish upstream passage through gauging stations: experiences with Iberian barbel in Flat-V Weirs

Producción CientíficaThe monitoring of river discharge is vital for the correct management of water resources. Flat-V gauging weirs are facilities used worldwide for measuring discharge. These structures consist of a small weir with a triangular cross-section and a flat “V”-shaped notch. Their extensive use is a consequence of their utility in the measurement of both low and high flow conditions. However, depending on their size, local morphology and river discharge can act as full or partial hydraulic barriers to fish migration. To address this concern, the present work studies fish passage performance over flat-V weirs considering their hydraulic performance. For this, radio-tracking and video-monitoring observations were combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models in two flat-V weirs, using Iberian barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei) as the target species. Results showed that fish passage is conditioned by both hydraulic and behavioral processes, providing evidence for scenarios in which flat-V weirs may act as full or partial barriers to upstream movements. For the studied flat-V weirs, a discharge range of 0.27–8 m3/s, with a water drop difference between upstream and downstream water levels lower than 0.7 m and a depth downstream of the weir of higher than 0.3 m can be considered an effective passage situation for barbels. These findings are of interest for quantifying flat-V weir impacts, for engineering applications and for establishing managing or retrofitting actions when required.European Union’s Horizon 2020 (Grant 101032024

Estimating fish passage over velocity barriers for non-uniform flow conditions: A case study in flat-V gauging weirs

Producción CientíficaWhen the flow velocity over a river structure exceeds the swimming capacity of fish, it behaves as a velocity barrier. Depending on the hydrodynamic circumstances of the structure as well as the fish’s swimming ability and motivation, the barrier can be permanent, partial, or intermittent. This is the case of flat-V gauging weirs, a common type of velocity barrier in Spanish rivers and in other European rivers. Flat-V weirs are broadly used as they provide precise information about river discharge for water resource management under different hydraulic scenarios, especially during low flow conditions. However, depending on their size, local river morphology, and the river flow scenario, they can produce excessive velocities and thus, reduce or hinder fish upstream movements. Due to their variable geometry, velocity barriers exhibit a non-uniform flow velocity field, which means that flow velocity varies along the barrier. Therefore, any predictive swimming model to assess the barrier effect on fish must consider the spatial variation to achieve a valuable forecast. This work aims to estimate fish passage over Flat-V weirs by linking their 3D hydraulic performance with the swimming capacity of fish. For this, a predictive model is developed using as target species the Iberian barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei), combining research on their swimming ability with 3D models of the structure. Results of the model show the river conditions and weir dimensions that permit the ascent of this species through the sloped wall of the weir. This information has direct implications for the design and assessment of velocity barriers as well as for the retrofitting of velocity barriers, making them compatible with the fish migration.Consejo Europeo de Investigación, European Union’s Horizon 2020 - (Grant 101032024

Coenzyme Q10 therapy

For a number of years, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) was known for its key role in mitochondrial bioenergetics; later studies demonstrated its presence in other subcellular fractions and in blood plasma, and extensively investigated its antioxidant role. These 2 functions constitute the basis for supporting the clinical use of CoQ10. Also, at the inner mitochondrial membrane level, CoQ10 is recognized as an obligatory cofactor for the function of uncoupling proteins and a modulator of the mitochondrial transition pore. Furthermore, recent data indicate that CoQ 10 affects the expression of genes involved in human cell signaling, metabolism and transport, and some of the effects of CoQ10 supplementation may be due to this property. CoQ10 deficiencies are due to autosomal recessive mutations, mitochondrial diseases, aging-related oxidative stress and carcinogenesis processes, and also statin treatment. Many neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, cancer, and muscular and cardiovascular diseases have been associated with low CoQ10 levels as well as different ataxias and encephalomyopathies. CoQ10 treatment does not cause serious adverse effects in humans and new formulations have been developed that increase CoQ10 absorption and tissue distribution. Oral administration of CoQ10 is a frequent antioxidant strategy in many diseases that may provide a significant symptomatic benefit.This work was supported by grants (FIS PI10/00543, FIS EC08/00076) from the Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain, and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea); Servicio Andaluz de Salud-Junta de Andalucía (SAS 111242); Proyecto de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía (CTS-5725); and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), FEEL (Fundación Española de Enfermedades Lisosomales) and ALBA Andalucía (Federación Andaluza de Fibromialgia y Fatiga Crónica).Peer Reviewe

A Shopping Mall Multiagent System: Ambient Intelligence in Practice.

This paper presents a multiagent model that facilitates aspects of shopping mall management, as well as increasing the quality of leisure facilities and shopping on offer. The work presented focuses on the use of a multi agent architecture, based on the use of deliberative agents that incorporates casebased planning. The architecture considers a dynamic framework that facilitates user’s interactions. The architecture incorporates agents whose aim is to acquire knowledge and adapt themselves to the environmental changes, and to the client’s profile. These agents facilitate user’s tasks and provide a communication frame where users can exchange opinions. The system has been tested successfully, and the results obtained are presented in this paper.

Apoptotic microtubules delimit an active caspase free area in the cellular cortex during the execution phase of apoptosis

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.Apoptotic microtubule network (AMN) is organized during apoptosis, forming a cortical structure beneath plasma membrane, which has an important role in preserving cell morphology and plasma membrane permeability. The aim of this study was to examine the role of AMN in maintaining plasma membrane integrity during the execution phase of apoptosis. We demonstrated in camptothecin-induced apoptosis in H460 cells that AMN delimits an active caspase free area beneath plasma membrane that permits the preservation of cellular cortex and transmembrane proteins. AMN depolymerization in apoptotic cells by a short exposure to colchicine allowed active caspases to reach the cellular cortex and cleave many key proteins involved in plasma membrane structural support, cell adhesion and ionic homeostasis. Cleavage of cellular cortex and plasma membrane proteins, such as α-spectrin, paxilin, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), E-cadherin and integrin subunit β4 was associated with cell collapse and cell detachment. Otherwise, cleavage-mediated inactivation of calcium ATPase pump (PMCA-4) and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) involved in cell calcium extrusion resulted in calcium overload. Furthermore, cleavage of Na(+)/K(+) pump subunit β was associated with altered sodium homeostasis. Cleavage of cell cortex and plasma membrane proteins in apoptotic cells after AMN depolymerization increased plasma permeability, ionic imbalance and bioenergetic collapse, leading apoptotic cells to secondary necrosis. The essential role of caspase-mediated cleavage in this process was demonstrated because the concomitant addition of colchicine that induces AMN depolymerization and the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD avoided the cleavage of cortical and plasma membrane proteins and prevented apoptotic cells to undergo secondary necrosis. Furthermore, the presence of AMN was also critical for proper phosphatidylserine externalization and apoptotic cell clearance by macrophages. These results indicate that AMN is essential to preserve an active caspase free area in the cellular cortex of apoptotic cells that allows plasma membrane integrity during the execution phase of apoptosis.This work was supported by FIS PI10/00543 grant, FIS EC08/00076 grant, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), SAS 111242 grant, Servicio Andaluz de Salud Junta de Andalucía, Proyecto de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725, and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial).Peer reviewe