What is the redshift of the gamma- ray BL Lac source S4 0954+65?

High signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic observations of the BL Lac object S4 0954+65 at the alleged redshift z = 0.367 are presented. This source was detected at gamma frequencies by MAGIC (TeV) and FERMI (GeV) telescopes during a remarkable outburst that occurred in February 2015, making the determination of its distance particularly relevant for our understanding of the properties of the Extragalactic Background Light. Contrary to previous reports on the redshift, we found that the optical spectrum is featureless at an equivalent width limit of \sim 0.1 Ang. A critical analysis of the existing observations indicates that the redshift is still unknown. Based on the new data we estimate a lower limit to the redshift at z \geq 0.45.Comment: Minor comment and accepted for publication in Astronomical Journa

Estudio de las cremaciones de la sepultura 11/ 145 de los Castellones de Ceal

This paper studies the cremaled bones of an adult mate included in an urn of Iberian dale. Outside it there were some more remains, also cremated, corresponding to animals and humans.Se estudian los restos quemados de un varón adulto correspondiente a una tumba ibérica. Distribuidos fuera de la urna se encontraron restos faunísticos y humanos también quemados

Recent star formation in clusters of galaxies: extreme compact starbursts in A539 and A634

We report on the detection of two Halpha-emitting extreme compact objects from deep images of the Abell 634 and Abell 539 clusters of galaxies at z ~ 0.03. Follow up long slit spectroscopy of these two unresolved sources revealed that they are members of their respective clusters showing HII type spectra. The luminosity and the extreme equivalent width of Halpha+[NII] measured for these sources, together with their very compact appearance, has raised the question about the origin of these intense starbursts in the cluster environment. We propose the compact starburst in Abell 539 resulted from the compression of the interstellar gas of a dwarf galaxy when entering the cluster core; while the starburst galaxy in Abell 634 is likely to be the result of a galaxy-galaxy interaction, illustrating the preprocessing of galaxies during their infall towards the central regions of clusters. The contribution of these compact star-forming dwarf galaxies to the star formation history of galaxy clusters is discussed, as well as a possible link with the recently discovered early-type ultra-compact dwarf galaxies. We note that these extreme objects will be rarely detected in normal magnitude-limited optical or NIR surveys, mainly due to their low stellar masses (of the order of 10^6 solar masses), whereas they will easily show up in dedicated Halpha surveys given the high equivalent width of their emission lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. 31 pages, 10 fig

Importance of nephron number in the regulation of arterial pressure and renal function during ageing

The physiological importance of the kidneys in the long-term control of extracellular volume and arterial pressure has been demonstrated in studies showing that an alteration of renal function leads to the development of hypertension and other cardiovascular dysfunctions (1-4). It has also been proposed that the development of hypertension may be secondary to an altered nephron endowment during the nephrogenic period (3,4). A cause-effect link between nephron number at birth and hypertension has been proposed in clinical and experimental studies showing that essential hypertensive patients have a reduced nephron number (3-6), and that the alteration of nephrogenesis leads to the development of hypertension during the adult life (3,4,7-10). A deficient nephrogenesis has been observed in offspring of pregnant mothers taking a low protein diet, or treated with either corticoids or a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor (3,4). The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) seems to play an important role in the regulation of nephrogenesis because its activity is reduced in these situations (3,4), and it is known that angiotensin II (Ang II) is involved in regulating renal growth and differentiation (11). The role of Ang II in renal development has been confirmed in studies demonstrating an elevation of all RAS components during the nephrogenic period and showing that the administration of either a converting enzyme inhibitor or an Ang II AT1 receptor antagonist during this period leads to a significant reduction in nephron number and an alteration of the normal kidney structure (7,8).Sociedad Argentina de Fisiologí

Trained Immunity Confers Prolonged Protection From Listeriosis.

Trained immunity refers to the ability of the innate immune system exposed to a first challenge to provide an enhanced response to a secondary homologous or heterologous challenge. We reported that training induced with β-glucan one week before infection confers protection against a broad-spectrum of lethal bacterial infections. Whether this protection persists over time is unknown. To tackle this question, we analyzed the immune status and the response to Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) of mice trained 9 weeks before analysis. The induction of trained immunity increased bone marrow myelopoiesis and blood counts of Ly6C <sup>high</sup> inflammatory monocytes and polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). Ex vivo, whole blood, PMNs and monocytes from trained mice produced increased levels of cytokines in response to microbial products and limited the growth of L. monocytogenes. In vivo, following challenge with L. monocytogenes, peripheral blood leukocytes were massively depleted in control mice but largely preserved in trained mice. PMNs were reduced also in the spleen from control mice, and increased in the spleen of trained mice. In transwell experiments, PMNs from trained mice showed increased spontaneous migration and CXCL2/MIP2α-induced chemotaxis, suggesting that training promotes the migration of PMNs in peripheral organs targeted by L. monocytogenes. Trained PMNs and monocytes had higher glycolytic activity and mitochondrial respiration than control cells when exposed to L. monocytogenes. Bacterial burden and dissemination in blood, spleen and liver as well as systemic cytokines and inflammation (multiplex bead assay and bioluminescence imaging) were reduced in trained mice. In full agreement with these results, mice trained 9 weeks before infection were powerfully protected from lethal listeriosis. Altogether, these data suggest that training increases the generation and the antimicrobial activity of PMNs and monocytes, which may confer prolonged protection from lethal bacterial infection

Mammalian Innate Immune Response to a Leishmania-Resident RNA Virus Increases Macrophage Survival to Promote Parasite Persistence.

Some strains of the protozoan parasite Leishmania guyanensis (L.g) harbor a viral endosymbiont called Leishmania RNA virus 1 (LRV1). LRV1 recognition by TLR-3 increases parasite burden and lesion swelling in vivo. However, the mechanisms by which anti-viral innate immune responses affect parasitic infection are largely unknown. Upon investigating the mammalian host's response to LRV1, we found that miR-155 was singularly and strongly upregulated in macrophages infected with LRV1+ L.g when compared to LRV1- L.g. LRV1-driven miR-155 expression was dependent on TLR-3/TRIF signaling. Furthermore, LRV1-induced TLR-3 activation promoted parasite persistence by enhancing macrophage survival through Akt activation in a manner partially dependent on miR-155. Pharmacological inhibition of Akt resulted in a decrease in LRV1-mediated macrophage survival and consequently decreased parasite persistence. Consistent with these data, miR-155-deficient mice showed a drastic decrease in LRV1-induced disease severity, and lesional macrophages from these mice displayed reduced levels of Akt phosphorylation

The short-duration GRB 050724 host galaxy in the context of the long-duration GRB hosts

We report optical and near-infrared broad band observations of the short-duration GRB 050724 host galaxy, used to construct its spectral energy distribution (SED). Unlike the hosts of long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which show younger stellar populations, the SED of the GRB 050724 host galaxy is optimally fitted with a synthetic elliptical galaxy template based on an evolved stellar population (age ~2.6 Gyr). The SED of the host is difficult to reproduce with non-evolving metallicity templates. In contrast, if the short GRB host galaxy metallicity enrichment is considered, the synthetic templates fit the observed SED satisfactorily. The internal host extinction is low (A_v \~< 0.4 mag) so it cannot explain the faintness of the afterglow. This short GRB host galaxy is more massive (~5x10^10 Mo) and luminous (~1.1 L*) than most of the long-duration GRB hosts. A statistical comparison based on the ages of short- and long-duration GRB host galaxies strongly suggests that short-duration GRB hosts contain, on average, older progenitors. These findings support a different origin for short- and long-duration GRBs.Comment: A&A in pres

¿Saben a lo que vienen? Promoción de la Ingeniería Informática en niveles preuniversitarios

Es bien conocido el hecho de que no se logran cubrir todos los empleos relacionados con las titulaciones en Informática. Debido a esta necesidad del mercado, junto a otros factores, los distintos grados en Informática tienen habitualmente una alta demanda, hasta el punto de cubrir los cupos de ingreso marcados por gran parte de las universidades españolas. Sin embargo, en la literatura académica encontramos varios artículos que analizan y tratan de mitigar las elevadas tasas de abandono que sufren estas titulaciones. El enfoque que presentamos en este artículo difiere, dado que las iniciativas de nuestro centro ponen el foco en la actividad de orientación y promoción de la Ingeniería en Informática realizada para los estudiantes preuniversitarios antes de que lleguen a nuestra facultad. Se expondrán en este trabajo distintas líneas de actuación que llevamos a cabo en la Facultad de Informática de la Universidad de Murcia, algunas de ellas con más de una década de experiencia, como la Escuela de Verano para estudiantes de secundaria, las Olimpiadas Informáticas o el proyecto Descubre de iniciación a la programación. Con el fin de contextualizar, también se incluirán datos acerca del perfil de ingreso y las tasas de abandono de los últimos años. Finalmente se reflexionará sobre qué impacto pueden tener estas actividades en el perfil de los nuevos alumnos.It is well known that Computer Science students are in demand, and that demand exceeds the supply. There is a shortage of graduates in IT (Information Technologies). Due to this requirement of the market, together with other considerations, those university degrees related to Computer Science are highly demanded. However, we can find in the literature several works analysing and trying to mitigate the dropout rates that are also related to those degrees. The approach that we introduce in this paper is different since our initiatives are more focused on promotional activities that we have been carrying out during the last decade for students at secondary education levels. We present the different initiatives, like the Summer School, Computer Science Olympics, and the Descubre project. We also include some analytic data about the profile of admitted students and the dropout rate in the last years. Finally, we will discuss the influence of those promotional activities in our new students