Communication, development, and social change in Spain: A field between institutionalization and implosion

This paper renders an account of the rapid institutionalization of the academic field of Communication for Development and Social Change (CDCS) in Spain in recent years following a period of neglect and marginalization. The ongoing expansion of the field of CDSC in the Spanish context is understood as a process of implosion, i.e. a collapse inwards, which results from the inconsistencies and weaknesses of fast and late institutionalization. The methodological approach for this inquiry is a documental review of both academic literature and research and institutional reports produced in Spain between 1980 and 2010. Based on this review, the paper contrasts the trajectory of the field in Spain with the debates at the international level, establishing relevant continuities and differences.This article is part of the Research Project (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain) CSO2014-52005-R titled ‘Evaluation and Monitoring of Communication for Development and Social Change in Spain: design of indicators to measure its social impact’ (2015–2017)17 página

Ovarian damage from chemotherapy and current approaches to its protection

BACKGROUND: Anti-cancer therapy is often a cause of premature ovarian insufficiency and infertility since the ovarian follicle reserve is extremely sensitive to the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. While oocyte, embryo and ovarian cortex cryopreservation can help some women with cancer-induced infertility achieve pregnancy, the development of effective methods to protect ovarian function during chemotherapy would be a significant advantage.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: This paper critically discusses the different damaging effects of the most common chemotherapeutic compounds on the ovary, in particular, the ovarian follicles and the molecular pathways that lead to that damage. The mechanisms through which fertility-protective agents might prevent chemotherapy drug-induced follicle loss are then reviewed.SEARCH METHODS: Articles published in English were searched on PubMed up to March 2019 using the following terms: ovary, fertility preservation, chemotherapy, follicle death, adjuvant therapy, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, doxorubicin. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to the analysis of the protective agents.OUTCOMES: Recent studies reveal how chemotherapeutic drugs can affect the different cellular components of the ovary, causing rapid depletion of the ovarian follicular reserve. The three most commonly used drugs, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin and doxorubicin, cause premature ovarian insufficiency by inducing death and/or accelerated activation of primordial follicles and increased atresia of growing follicles. They also cause an increase in damage to blood vessels and the stromal compartment and increment inflammation. In the past 20 years, many compounds have been investigated as potential protective agents to counteract these adverse effects. The interactions of recently described fertility-protective agents with these damage pathways are discussed.WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Understanding the mechanisms underlying the action of chemotherapy compounds on the various components of the ovary is essential for the development of efficient and targeted pharmacological therapies that could protect and prolong female fertility. While there are increasing preclinical investigations of potential fertility preserving adjuvants, there remains a lack of approaches that are being developed and tested clinically

Detection of mesoscale thermal fronts from 4 km data using smoothing techniques : gradient-based fronts classification and basin scale application

In order to optimize frontal detection in sea surface temperature fields at 4 km resolution, a combined statistical and expert-based approach is applied to test different spatial smoothing of the data prior to the detection process. Fronts are usually detected at 1 km resolution using the histogram-based, single image edge detection (SIED) algorithm developed by Cayula and Cornillon in 1992, with a standard preliminary smoothing using a median filter and a 3 x 3 pixel kernel. Here, detections are performed in three study regions (off Morocco, the Mozambique Channel and north-western Australia) and across the Indian Ocean basin using the combination of multiple windows (CMW) method developed by Nieto, Demarcq and McClatchie in 2012 which improves on the original Cayula and Cornillon algorithm. Detections at 4 km and 1 km resolution are compared. Fronts are divided into two intensity classes ("weak" and "strong") according to their thermal gradient A preliminary smoothing is applied prior to the detection using different convolutions: three type of filters (median, average and Gaussian) combined with four kernel sizes (3 x 3, 5 x 5, 7 x 7, and 9 x 9 pixels) and three detection window sizes (16 x 16,24 x 24 and 32 x 32 pixels) to test the effect of these smoothing combinations on reducing the background noise of the data and therefore on improving the frontal detection. The performance of the combinations on 4 km data are evaluated using two criteria: detection efficiency and front length. We find that the optimal combination of preliminary smoothing parameters in enhancing detection efficiency and preserving front length includes a median filter, a 16 x 16 pixel window size, and a 5 x 5 pixel kernel for strong fronts and a 7 x 7 pixel kernel for weak fronts. Results show an improvement in detection performance (from largest to smallest window size) of 71% for strong fronts and 120% for weak fronts. Despite the small window used (16 x 16 pixels), the length of the fronts has been preserved relative to that found with 1 km data. This optimal preliminary smoothing and the CMW detection algorithm on 4 km sea surface temperature data are then used to describe the spatial distribution of the monthly frequencies of occurrence for both strong and weak fronts across the Indian Ocean basin. In general, strong fronts are observed in coastal areas; whereas weak fronts, with some seasonal exceptions, are mainly located in the open ocean. This study shows that adequate noise reduction achieved by a preliminary smoothing of the data considerably improves the frontal detection efficiency as well as the global quality of the results. Consequently, the use of 4 km data enables frontal detections similar to 1 km data (using a standard median 3 x 3 convolution) in terms of detectability, length and location. This method is easily applicable to large regions or at the global scale, with far less constraints of data manipulation and processing time using 4 km data relative to 1 km data

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International audienceIn order to optimize frontal detection in sea surface temperature fields at 4 km resolution, a combined statistical and expert-based approach is applied to test different spatial smoothing of the data prior to the detection process. Fronts are usually detected at 1 km resolution using the histogram-based, single image edge detection (SIED) algorithm developed by Cayula and Cornillon in 1992, with a standard preliminary smoothing using a median filter and a 3 × 3 pixel kernel. Here, detections are performed in three study regions (off Morocco, the Mozambique Channel, and north-western Australia) and across the Indian Ocean basin using the combination of multiple windows (CMW) method developed by Nieto, Demarcq and McClatchie in 2012 which improves on the original Cayula and Cornillon algorithm. Detections at 4 km and 1 km of resolution are compared. Fronts are divided in two intensity classes (“weak” and “strong”) according to their thermal gradient. A preliminary smoothing is applied prior to the detection using different convolutions: three type of filters (median, average and Gaussian) combined with four kernel sizes (3 × 3, 5 × 5, 7 × 7, and 9 × 9 pixels) and three detection window sizes (16 × 16, 24 × 24 and 32 × 32 pixels) to test the effect of these smoothing combinations on reducing the background noise of the data and therefore on improving the frontal detection. The performance of the combinations on 4 km data are evaluated using two criteria: detection efficiency and front length. We find that the optimal combination of preliminary smoothing parameters in enhancing detection efficiency and preserving front length includes a median filter, a 16 × 16 pixel window size, and a 5 × 5 pixel kernel for strong fronts and a 7 × 7 pixel kernel for weak fronts. Results show an improvement in detection performance (from largest to smallest window size) of 71% for strong fronts and 120% for weak fronts. Despite the small window used (16 × 16 pixels), the length of the fronts has been preserved relative to that found with 1 km data. This optimal preliminary smoothing and the CMW detection algorithm on 4 km sea surface temperature data are then used to describe the spatial distribution of the monthly frequencies of occurrence for both strong and weak fronts across the Indian Ocean basin. In general strong fronts are observed in coastal areas whereas weak fronts, with some seasonal exceptions, are mainly located in the open ocean. This study shows that adequate noise reduction done by a preliminary smoothing of the data considerably improves the frontal detection efficiency as well as the global quality of the results. Consequently, the use of 4 km data enables frontal detections similar to 1 km data (using a standard median 3 × 3 convolution) in terms of detectability, length and location. This method, using 4 km data is easily applicable to large regions or at the global scale with far less constraints of data manipulation and processing time relative to 1 km data

A testosterone/epitestosterone (TE) relationship in urine samples obtained from athletes attending an international competition

Se estudió la relación Testosterona/Epitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.A Testosterone/Epitestosterone (TIE) relationship has been studied in urine samples obtained from 98 athletes attending an international competition. Among T/E relationship values, no values higher than 6 has been found. Six is considered the limit se1 up by IOC and other international sport organizations. Statistical parameters for the population under study were as follows: mean 1.3; SD 0.97; median 1.55; minimum 0.10; maximum 4.12 GC-MS has been used to measure T/E ratio.Se estudió la relación TestosteronaEpitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

A testosterone/epitestosterone (TE) relationship in urine samples obtained from athletes attending an international competition

Se estudió la relación Testosterona/Epitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.A Testosterone/Epitestosterone (TIE) relationship has been studied in urine samples obtained from 98 athletes attending an international competition. Among T/E relationship values, no values higher than 6 has been found. Six is considered the limit se1 up by IOC and other international sport organizations. Statistical parameters for the population under study were as follows: mean 1.3; SD 0.97; median 1.55; minimum 0.10; maximum 4.12 GC-MS has been used to measure T/E ratio.Se estudió la relación TestosteronaEpitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Fish aggregating devices drift like oceanographic drifters in the near-surface currents of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

Knowledge of ocean surface dynamics is crucial for oceanographic and climate research. The satellite-tracked movements of hundreds of drifters deployed by research and voluntary observing vessels provide high-frequency and high-resolution information on near-surface currents around the globe. Consequently, they constitute a major component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). However, maintaining this array is costly and in some oceanic regions such as the tropics, spatio-temporal coverage is limited. Here, we demonstrate that the GPS-buoy equipped fish aggregating devices (FADs) used in tropical tuna fisheries to increase fishing success are also capable of providing comparable near-surface current information. We analyzed millions of position data collected between 2008 and 2014 from more than 15,000 FADs and 2,000 drifters, and combined this information with remotely-sensed near-surface current data to demonstrate that the surface velocity components of FADs and drifters are highly correlated in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. While it was noted that the subsurface structures of FADs did slow them down relative to the drifters, particularly in the Atlantic Ocean, this bias was measurable and could be accounted for in future studies. Our findings show that the physical meteorological and oceanographic data collected by fishermen could provide an invaluable source of information to the GOOS. Furthermore, by forging closer collaborations with the fishing industry and ensuring their contributions to global ocean databases are properly acknowledged, there is significant scope to capture this data more effectively

Fish aggregating devices drift like oceanographic drifters in the near-surface currents of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

Knowledge of ocean surface dynamics is crucial for oceanographic and climate research. The satellite-tracked movements of hundreds of drifters deployed by research and voluntary observing vessels provide high-frequency and high-resolution information on near-surface currents around the globe. Consequently, they constitute a major component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). However, maintaining this array is costly and in some oceanic regions such as the tropics, spatio-temporal coverage is limited. Here, we demonstrate that the GPS-buoy equipped fish aggregating devices (FADs) used in tropical tuna fisheries to increase fishing success are also capable of providing comparable near-surface current information. We analyzed millions of position data collected between 2008 and 2014 from more than 15,000 FADs and 2,000 drifters, and combined this information with remotely-sensed near-surface current data to demonstrate that the surface velocity components of FADs and drifters are highly correlated in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. While it was noted that the subsurface structures of FADs did slow them down relative to the drifters, particularly in the Atlantic Ocean, this bias was measurable and could be accounted for in future studies. Our findings show that the physical meteorological and oceanographic data collected by fishermen could provide an invaluable source of information to the GOOS. Furthermore, by forging closer collaborations with the fishing industry and ensuring their contributions to global ocean databases are properly acknowledged, there is significant scope to capture this data more effectively

Presence of "ecstasy" (MDMA), "love drug" (MDA), and cocaine metabolites in a biological sample

Se reporta el hallazgo de "Éxtasis"(MDMA)y de "Love Drug'(MDA) en una muestra de orina llegada para un análisis rutinario de drogas de abuso. Se practicaron ensayos de orientación inmunológicos "AMIA", "ELISA" y "Drug Screen", así como una cromatografia en placa fina normalizada (Toxilab). La confirmación de la presencia de las drogas mencionadas se hizo por GCMS (EI) previa extracción en fase sólida y derivatización con anhídrido acético para MDMA y MDA y extracción en fase sólida y líquido/líquido y derivatización con PFPA y HFPA para la benzoilecgonina y la metilecgonina. Se acompañan los espectros de masa de los derivados acetilados de la MDMA y la MDA.The finding of "Ecstasy" (MDMA), the "Love Drug" (MDA) and cocaine metabolites in a urine routine substance abuse analysis is reported. Screening inmuno assays "AMIA","ELISA and "Drug Screen", as well as Toxilab (a normalized thin layer chromatography) were performed. The presence of the aforementioned drugs was confmed by GCMS (EI), previously extracted in solid phase and denvatization with acetic anhydride for MDMA and MDA, and solid phase and liquid/liquid extraction and derivatization with PFPA and HFPA for benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine esters. Mass spectra of acetilated MDMA and MDA are shown.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire