Detectors and Concepts for sub-100 ps timing with gaseous detectors

We give a short compendium of the main ongoing detectors and concepts capable of performing accurate sub-100 ps timing at high particle fluxes and on large areas, through technologies based on gaseous media. We briefly discuss the state-of-the-art, technological limitations and prospects, and a new bizarre idea

Análisis Comparativo del Resultado Económico-Patrimonial en Empresa Familiar y No Familiar: El Caso del Sector Servicios en Málaga (España)

This research explores the differences between the main economic financial ratios of family firms and non-family firms. The analysis has been carried out on a total of 335 firms from within the province of Malaga, of which 154 are family firms, with the remaining 181 being non-family firms. The sector that is the subject of this study is the tertiary sector: choosing bars, cafes and wholesale providers of these type of businesses due to their evident importance to the service sector in the province. Among main results, significant differences are highlighted in all the ratios analysed between the two groups of firms studied, as well as a greater distribution of profits to its shareholders by family firms (FF) versus non-family firms (NFF). Results show NFF have relatively higher economic return, although the variation of this ratio is greater than in a family firm.El presente trabajo refleja un análisis comparativo en los principales ratios económicos-financieros de las empresas familiares y no familiares, se ha realizado sobre un total de 335 empresas de la provincia de Málaga, de las cuales 154son familiares y otras 181no familiares. El sector que se ha estudiado es el terciario, escogiendo bares, cafeterías y los proveedores al por mayor de este tipo de comercios por su evidenteimportancia del sector servicios en esta provincia. Entre los principales resultados destacan las diferencias significativas en todos los ratios analizados entre los dos grupos de empresas estudiados, el mayor repartode beneficios a sus accionistas por parte de las empresas no familiares frente a las no familiares. Las empresas no familiares obtienen mayor rentabilidad económica relativamente, aunque la variación de este ratio es mayor que en las familiares. Diversas son las aplicaciones prácticas de los resultados del estudio para el sector terciario

A century of warfare shoots holes in anti-Caulerpa campaign

Effort to have all varieties of the marine alga Caulerpa taxifolia listed as noxious weeds hinges on the argument that the alga's proliferation in the Mediterranean Sea is a cause and not a consequence of environmental degradation. Until now, the occurrence of two populations in a pristine part of the northern Mediterranean near the island of Porquerolles has upheld this claim. Here we show that the alga's development at Porquerolles is indeed a consequence of environmental degradation caused by military weapons' impacts on seagrass beds during the last century. The available data show that substratum enrichment plays a key role in fostering development of Caulerpa, irrespective of whether this results directly from pollution or from the impacts of pollution and other anthropogenic factors on benthic vegetation cover

Marginally Trapped Surfaces in the Nonsymmetric Gravitational Theory

We consider a simple, physical approach to the problem of marginally trapped surfaces in the Nonsymmetric Gravitational Theory (NGT). We apply this approach to a particular spherically symmetric, Wyman sector gravitational field, consisting of a pulse in the antisymmetric field variable. We demonstrate that marginally trapped surfaces do exist for this choice of initial data.Comment: REVTeX 3.0 with epsf macros and AMS symbols, 3 pages, 1 figur

Conservation biogeography of ecologically interacting species: The case of the Iberian lynx and the European rabbit

Aim To relate the recent Iberian lynx decline to changes in the distribution of the European rabbit after the haemorrhagic disease outbreak of 1989. As Iberian rabbits evolved in two geographically separated lineages, being the recent lynx range practically restricted to the southwestern lineage, we also test if differential range dynamics exists for these lineages, with the consequent implications for lynx conservation and reintroduction planning

Expresión de ICAM-1 en el Endotelio de Arterias Humanas Mediante Inmunohistoquímica

Moore-Carrasco, R (reprint author), Univ Talca, Fac Ciencias Salud, Dept Bioquim Clin & Inmunohematol, Programa Invest Factores Riesgo Enfermedades Card, POB 747, Talca, Chile.Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in the world. Among them the ischemic type are of great importance. where the development of atherosclerotic plaques is the central pathophysiological process. The study of atherosclerosis is critical to understand how this disease process begins and factors influencing its development. Various laboratory methods, including immunohistochemistry, allow the recognition of cells and molecules involved in the atheromatous process that are interacting according to the progression of the lesion. A marker of endothelial dysfunction is the increased expression of intercellular adhesion molecule ICAM-1. In this paper, an immunohistochemistry method was standardized for the adhesion molecule ICAM-1, and its expression was studied in healthy human arteries with atheromatous plaque. In samples of human arteries with atherosclerotic disease, the expression of ICAM-1 was observed lobe increased, but was hardly recognizable. This mainly because the tissue used as a control for standardization was a tonsil with an inflammatory process and hyperplasia, which significantly increases the expression of ICAM-1. The implementation of the immunohistochemistry method for ICAM-1 in human arteries will reveal endothelial dysfunction states that will enable a future design and implementation of methods of diagnosis in atherosclerotic processes in the early stages

Early alterations in vascular contractility associated to changes in fatty acid composition and oxidative stress markers in perivascular adipose tissue

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To test the early effect of fructose-induced changes in fatty acid composition and oxidative stress markers in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) upon vascular contractility.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Adult male Wistar rats were fed a commercial diet without (CD) or with 10% fructose (FRD) in the drinking water for 3 weeks. We measured plasma metabolic parameters, lipid composition and oxidative stress markers in aortic PVAT. Vascular contractility was measured in aortic rings sequentially, stimulated with serotonin (5-HT) and high K⁺-induced depolarization using intact and thereafter PVAT-deprived rings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Comparable body weights were recorded in both groups. FRD rats had increased plasma triglyceride and fructosamine levels. Their PVAT had an increased saturated to mono- or poly-unsaturated fatty acid ratio, a significant decrease in total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and in the total content of glutathione. Conversely, lipid peroxidation (TBARS), nitric oxide content, and gluthathione reductase activity were significantly higher, indicating an increase in oxidative stress. In aortic rings, removal of PVAT increased serotonin-induced contractions, but the effect was significantly lower in rings from FRD rats. This effect was no longer observed when the two contractions were performed in PVAT-deprived rings. PVAT did not affect the contractions triggered by high K⁺-induced depolarization either in CD or FRD rats.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>FRD induces multiple metabolic and endocrine systemic alterations which also alter PVAT and the vascular relaxant properties of this tissue. The changes in PVAT would affect its paracrine modulation of vascular function.</p

Sinteza sustava upravljanja s proporcionalno-derivacijskim regulatorom zasnovana na neizrazitim diferencijalnim jednadžbama

This paper reports a fuzzy differential equations approach for the modeling of initial condition uncertainty for a proportional derivative closed-loop control of a direct current motor. Uncertainties are considered on the precision of the sensing devices installed on a driver. The closed-loop system is designed for a plant modeled with fuzzy differential equations. Satisfactory analytic and numerical results for the position regulation problem for ideal case and also considering perturbed initial conditions are reported.U radu je razvijen postupak sinteze proporcionalno-derivacijskog regulatora za upravljanje istosmjernim motorom s neizrazitim (engl. fuzzy) početnim uvjetima zasnovane na neizrazitim diferencijalnim jednadžbama. Pritom je uzeta u obzir nesigurnost određena mjernom preciznošću senzora. U predloženom postupku se zatvoreni regulacijski krug dizajnira korištenjem neizrazitih diferencijalnih jednadžbi. Primjenom projektiranog regulatora na probleme pozicioniranja u idealnom slučaju te u slučaju koji uzima u obzir perturbirane početne uvjete ostvareni su zadovoljavajući analitički i numerički rezultati