Stress and strain analysis and induced seismicity in geological gas storage (Yela, Spain)

Geologic gas storage is a sustainable strategy to store energy in underground reservoirs in order to be used under demand. Injection and withdrawal gas operations could trigger induced seismicity according to the tectonic constrains of the reservoir. The study of the active stress/strain fields shows the properties of the fault patterns that can be involved in induced seismicity. In our work, we have determined the strain/stress field in the Yela underground gas storage, an Upper Cretaceous carbonate reservoir located in central Spain. Slickensides on fault planes were measured from Cretaceous, Miocene and Quaternary rocks. Results show a strain field with ey (maximum horizontal shortening) oriented NW-SE. This field was compressional during the early Miocene, switching off to extensional from late Miocene to present-day. Our results suggest that NNW-SSE and NW-SE oriented faults could act as an effective pathway for gas leakage and prone to trigger induced seismicity. Moreover, 141 small earthquakes (Mmax 2.3) were recorded during underground operations in Yela. Peaks of earthquakes appear seasonally from November to February, in coincidence with the injection operations prior to the winter withdrawal. Working at its maximum gas storage volume, earthquake peaks decreased in intensity and magnitude from 2017 to 2021, and show a time lag of 3 months from the month of maximum volume injection to the earthquake occurrenc

Regioirregular and catalytic Mizoroki-Heck reactions

[EN] The palladium-catalysed cross-coupling reaction between alkenes and aryl halides (the Mizoroki-Heck reaction) is a powerful methodology to construct new carbon-carbon bonds. However, the success of this reaction is in part hampered by an extremely marked regioselectivity on the double bond, which dictates that electron-poor alkenes react exclusively on the beta-carbon. Here, we show that ligand-free, few-atom palladium clusters in solution catalyse the alpha-selective intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck coupling of iodoaryl cinnamates, and mechanistic studies support the formation of a sterically encumbered cinnamate-palladium cluster intermediate. Following this rationale, the alpha-selective intermolecular coupling of aryl iodides with styrenes is also achieved with palladium clusters encapsulated within fine-tuned and sterically restricted zeolite cavities to produce 1,1-bisarylethylenes, which are further engaged with aryl halides by a metal-free photoredox-catalysed coupling. These ligand-free methodologies significantly expand the chemical space of the Mizoroki-Heck coupling.This work was supported by MINECO (Spain, projects CTQ 2017-86735-P, PID2019-105391GB-C22 and MAT2017-82288-C2-1-P, Severo Ochoa programme SEV-2016-0683 and the Juan de la Cierva programme). F.G.-P. and R.G. thank ITQ for the concession of a contract. J.O.-M. acknowledges the Juan de la Cierva programme for the concession of a contract, and R.P.-R. and J.C.-S. thank the Plan GenT programme (CIDEGENT/2018/044) funded by Generalitat Valenciana. HR STEM measurements were performed at DME-UCA in Cadiz University, with financial support from FEDER/MINECO (PID2019-110018GA-I00 and PID2019-107578GA-I00). We acknowledge ALBA Synchrotron for allocating beamtime and CL AE SS beamline staff for their technical support during our experiment.Garnes-Portoles, F.; Greco, R.; Oliver-Meseguer, J.; Castellanos-Soriano, J.; Jiménez Molero, MC.; Lopez-Haro, M.; Hernández-Garrido, JC.... (2021). Regioirregular and catalytic Mizoroki-Heck reactions. Nature Catalysis. 4(4):293-303. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-021-00592-3S2933034

La universidad humanista

Esta obra, titulada La universidad humanista, es fruto de la colaboración entre dos instituciones centenarias: la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, una de las universidades más antiguas de España que ofrece educación superior desde 1495 y la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, heredera del Instituto Científico y Literario Autónomo, fundado en 1828, a escasos siete años de que México naciera como entidad política independiente. Ambas instituciones, con un pasado muy diferente, se encuentran hermanadas por la misma vocación de futuro y las preocupaciones propias de las universidades del siglo XXI.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México y Universidad de Santiago de Compostel

Hitos Demográficos del Siglo XXI: Migración Internacional

La migración ha sido una constante en la historia mundial. Sin embargo, las migraciones que han tenido lugar desde principios del siglo XXI no tienen precedentes, ya que recientemente éstas han alcanzado su mayor volumen en la historia y presentan características que las diferencian de las observadas en periodos anteriores, lo que ha propiciado una nueva conceptualización del fenómeno, enmarcada en lo que algunos estudiosos llaman “la nueva era” de las migraciones internacionales (Arango, 2003, mencionado por Fernández, 2005). Este nuevo ciclo se caracteriza por una profusa re-configuración del mapa migratorio mundial, el cual parece dar cuenta hoy, de una auténtica mundialización migratoria, con una fuerte tendencia a la diversificación de rutas y conexiones origen-destino. El nuevo mapa es el correlato de un escenario de globalización económica, cultural e informacional, que estimula que segmentos amplios de la población respondan cada vez más rápidamente a informaciones y oportunidades que se originan más allá de las fronteras nacionales (CONAPO, 2009). De esta forma la nueva era de la globalización, se ha convertido en un asunto de especial trascendencia. Por un lado, la mejora y expansión de los sistemas de comunicación y transporte y la significativa reducción del tiempo y coste de desplazamiento, así como las disparidades económicas y la existencia de situaciones sociales y políticas extremas han propiciado el crecimiento de los movimientos transnacionales de personas y la intensificación de las presiones migratorias. En este sentido, España nunca ha sido ajena al fenómeno de las corrientes migratorias. Así por ejemplo, en los últimos años y durante la primera mitad del siglo XX y parte de la segunda, grandes contingentes de españoles emigraron hacia diferentes puntos de América Latina y Europa en busca de un empleo y mejor calidad de vida. Pero fue a finales del siglo pasado cuando España, impulsada por el acelerado ritmo de crecimiento económico adoptado en parte gracias a su integración económica en Europa, pasó de ser una economía emisora de emigrantes a una receptora de inmigrantes. Sin embargo, el fenómeno de la inmigración en España cobró verdadera importancia hasta principios del siglo XXI, cuando las fuertes oleadas masivas de personas provenientes de países en vías de desarrollo se dejaron sentir en su estructura poblacional y actividad laboral; de ésta manera, durante el primer quinquenio de este siglo si al 1 de enero del año 2000 los residentes extranjeros en España eran 0.9 millones (que representaban 2.3 por ciento de las personas empadronadas) al 1 de enero de 2005 ya eran 3.7 millones, es decir, 8.5 por ciento de la población residente en el país, habiéndose por tanto cuadriplicado el efectivo de extranjeros en tan sólo cinco años (González, 2006: 2-3; Gil, 2007: 1). Con base en lo anterior, el objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en analizar las características de los flujos de inmigración actuales en España procedentes de países latinoamericanos, enmarcados en la nueva re-configuración del mapa migratorio mundial

Chromatin regulation by Histone H4 acetylation at Lysine 16 during cell death and differentiation in the myeloid compartment

Histone H4 acetylation at Lysine 16 (H4K16ac) is a key epigenetic mark involved in gene regulation, DNA repair and chromatin remodeling, and though it is known to be essential for embryonic development, its role during adult life is still poorly understood. Here we show that this lysine is massively hyperacetylated in peripheral neutrophils. Genome-wide mapping of H4K16ac in terminally differentiated blood cells, along with functional experiments, supported a role for this histone post-translational modification in the regulation of cell differentiation and apoptosis in the hematopoietic system. Furthermore, in neutrophils, H4K16ac was enriched at specific DNA repeats. These DNA regions presented an accessible chromatin conformation and were associated with the cleavage sites that generate the 50 kb DNA fragments during the first stages of programmed cell death. Our results thus suggest that H4K16ac plays a dual role in myeloid cells as it not only regulates differentiation and apoptosis, but it also exhibits a non-canonical structural role in poising chromatin for cleavage at an early stage of neutrophil cell death

Natural History of MYH7-Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND Variants in myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7) are responsible for disease in 1% to 5% of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM); however, the clinical characteristics and natural history of MYH7-related DCM are poorly described. OBJECTIVES We sought to determine the phenotype and prognosis of MYH7-related DCM. We also evaluated the influence of variant location on phenotypic expression. METHODS We studied clinical data from 147 individuals with DCM-causing MYH7 variants (47.6% female; 35.6 +/- 19.2 years) recruited from 29 international centers. RESULTS At initial evaluation, 106 (72.1%) patients had DCM (left ventricular ejection fraction: 34.5% +/- 11.7%). Median follow-up was 4.5 years (IQR: 1.7-8.0 years), and 23.7% of carriers who were initially phenotype-negative developed DCM. Phenotypic expression by 40 and 60 years was 46% and 88%, respectively, with 18 patients (16%) first diagnosed at <18 years of age. Thirty-six percent of patients with DCM met imaging criteria for LV noncompaction. During follow-up, 28% showed left ventricular reverse remodeling. Incidence of adverse cardiac events among patients with DCM at 5 years was 11.6%, with 5 (4.6%) deaths caused by end-stage heart failure (ESHF) and 5 patients (4.6%) requiring heart transplantation. The major ventricular arrhythmia rate was low (1.0% and 2.1% at 5 years in patients with DCM and in those with LVEF of <= 35%, respectively). ESHF and major ventricular arrhythmia were significantly lower compared with LMNA-related DCM and similar to DCM caused by TTN truncating variants. CONCLUSIONS MYH7-related DCM is characterized by early age of onset, high phenotypic expression, low left ventricular reverse remodeling, and frequent progression to ESHF. Heart failure complications predominate over ventricular arrhythmias, which are rare. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt s = 13 TeV

Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons are measured over a broad multiplicity range, from a few particles up to about 250 reconstructed charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. The results are based on data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC during runs with a special low-pileup configuration. Three analysis techniques with different degrees of dependence on simulations are used to remove the non-Bose-Einstein background from the correlation functions. All three methods give consistent results. The measured lengths of homogeneity are studied as functions of particle multiplicity as well as average pair transverse momentum and mass. The results are compared with data from both CMS and ATLAS at $\sqrt{s}$ = 7 TeV, as well as with theoretical predictions.[graphic not available: see fulltext]Bose-Einstein correlations of charged hadrons are measured over a broad multiplicity range, from a few particles up to about 250 reconstructed charged hadrons in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} =$ 13 TeV. The results are based on data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC during runs with a special low-pileup configuration. Three analysis techniques with different degrees of dependence on simulations are used to remove the non-Bose-Einstein background from the correlation functions. All three methods give consistent results. The measured lengths of homogeneity are studied as functions of particle multiplicity as well as average pair transverse momentum and mass. The results are compared with data from both CMS and ATLAS at $\sqrt{s} =$ 7 TeV, as well as with theoretical predictions