Nota sobre algúnos alimentos arbustivos del clímax- mediterráneo seleccionados por el ciervo: determinación por examen del contenido ruminal en el "cervus elaphus L."

Se estudia los contenidos ruminales de tres ciervos sacrificados durante l!lS estaciones de verano, invierno y primavera, con el fin de determinar qué especies vegetales arbustivas son las consumidas. Se hallan las frecuencias de aparición y a p:utir de éstas su porcentaje. En verano y en primavera es la Phillyrea angustifolia la que alcanza un mayor porcentaje, 20 0/o y 44,87 °/o respectivamente. Mientras que en invierno est:i representado con un 58,25 Ofo por el Quercus ilex con sus frutos

El empleo de la cascarilla de algodón en la alimentación de ganado bovino de cebo

Los autores realizan una experiencia de cebo sobre e1nco lotes de bovinos de raza frisona y retinta, con un total de 137 animlles, empleando como alimentos cascarilla de algodón, y cascarilla de algodón más un 30 por 100 de mazorca integral de maiz. Se obtienen incrementos diarios de 1,09 Kg con un consumo energético de 21,7 Mcal/cabeza y día. Los resultados satisfactorios obtenidos, deben atribuirse, fundamentalmente, al alto valor nutritivo de la cascarilla empleada

Mejoramiento en la eficiencia del proceso de secado convencional y homogenización en el color de la Albura y el Duramen en madera de Teca (Tectona grandis L.) (Documento I)

Informe final de Proyecto de Investigación. Código: 5401-1401-1030Different drying schedules were investigated to decrease drying time of Tectona grandis L. wood from juvenile plantations, using the drying rate (DR) to reduce time. The DR value was 20% per day during the first stages and by the time the wood reached 30% of moisture content (MC), the DR remained in 8% per day until the end of drying. The initial moisture content (MCi) ranged between 92 and 115%, MCi was affected by grain pattern and heartwood percentage. The final moisture content (MCf) differed in 2.0% in relation to the MC targeted for this study. Drying time can be reduced from 140 hours to 105 hours, maintaining DR conditions and saving 33% of energy consumption. DR is affected by moisture content and drying time and this behavior can be modeled mathematically by the equation Y = a*t + b. In these relations, the factors with greatest influence were dry-bulb temperature and wet-bulb depression. Both relations show an inflexion point in the relation DR-MC, 80% in fast drying schedule and 40% in slow drying schedule. This MC indicates the point where the DR must be changed

Formation of two-ion crystals by injection from a Paul-trap source into a high-magnetic-field Penning trap

Two-ion crystals constitute a platform for investigations of quantum nature that can be extended to any ion species or charged particle provided one of the ions in the crystal can be directly laser cooled and manipulated with laser radiation. This paper presents the formation of two-ion crystals for quantum metrology in a 7-tesla open-ring Penning trap. 40Ca+ ions are produced either internally by photoionization or externally in a (Paul-trap) source, transported through the strong magnetic field gradient of the superconducting solenoid, and captured in-flight with a mean kinetic energy of a few electronvolts with respect to the minimum of the Penning-trap potential well. Laser cooling of the two-ion crystal in a strong magnetic field towards reaching the quantum regime is also presented, with particular emphasis on the cooling of the radial modes.Spanish Government PID2019-104093GB-I00/AEI/10.013 39/501100011033Andalusian Government P18FR-3432 PTA2018-016573-IFondo Operativo FEDER A-FQM-425-UGR18Spanish Government FPU17/02596University of Granada "Plan Propio -Programa de Intensificacion de la Investigacion" PP2017-PRI.I-04Laboratorios Singulares 2020European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 278648TRAPSENSOR MICINN/FEDER/UGR FPA2015-67694-P FPA2012-32076 UNGR10-1E501 UNGR13-1E-1830 EQC2018-005130-PJunta de AndaluciaEuropean Commission IE-5713 IE2017-5513Spanish MICINN ("Beatriz Galindo" Fellowship) BEAGAL18/00078German Research Foundation (DFG)European Commission SFB/CRC 122

Giant non-functioning pituitary adenoma: clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes

[Abstract] Background: Giant pituitary adenoma (≥4 cm) is a rare tumor whose clinical features and prognosis are not well known. Aim: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of giant non-functioning PA (gNFPA). Patients and methods: A retrospective multicenter study of gNFPA patients diagnosed in a 12-year period was performed. In each patient, clinical data and therapeutic outcomes were registered. Results: Forty patients (24 men, age 54.2 ± 16.2 years) were studied. The maximum tumor diameter [median (interquartile range)] was 4.6 cm (4.1-5.1). Women had larger tumors [4.8 cm (4.2-5.4) vs. 4.5 cm (4.0-4.9); p=0.048]. Hypopituitarism [partial (n=22, 55%) or complete (n=9, 22.5%)] at diagnosis was present in 77.5% of the patients. Visual field defects were found in 90.9%. The most used surgical technique was endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal (EET) surgery (n=31, 77.5%). Radiotherapy was used in 11 (27.5%) patients (median dose 50.4 Gy, range 50-54). Thirty-seven patients were followed for 36 months (10-67 months). Although more than half of these patients showed tumor persistence (n=25, 67.6%), tumor size was significantly reduced [0.8 cm (0-2.5); p<0.001]. At last visit, 12 patients (32.4%) showed absence of tumor on MRI. Hypopituitarism rate was similar (75.0%), although with significant changes (p<0.001) in the distribution of the type of hypopituitarism. The absence of tumor at the last visit was positively associated with positive immunohistochemical staining for FSH (p=0.01) and LH (p=0.006) and negatively with female sex (p=0.011), cavernous sinus invasion (p=0.005) and the presence of Knosp grade 4 (p=0.013). Conclusion: gNFPAs are more frequent in men but tumors are larger in women. Surgical treatment is followed by a complete tumor resection rate of approximately 30%. Positive immunostaining for gonadotropins is associated with tumor absence at last revision, while female sex and invasion of the cavernous sinuses with tumor persistence

The TRAPSENSOR facility: an open-ring 7 tesla Penning trap for laserbased precision experiments

APenning-trap facility for high-precision mass spectrometry based on a novel detection method has been built. This method consists in measuring motional frequencies of singly-charged ions trapped in strong magnetic fields through the fluorescence photons from laser-cooled 40Ca+ ions, to overcome limitations faced in electronic single-ion detection techniques. The key element of this facility is an open-ring Penning trap coupled upstream to a preparation Penning trap similar to those used at Radioactive Ion Beam facilities. Here we present a full characterization of the trap and demonstrate motional frequency measurements of trapped ions stored by applying external radiofrequency fields in resonance with the ions’ eigenmotions, in combination with time-of-flight identification. The infrastructure developed to observe the fluorescence photons from 40Ca+, comprising the 12 laser beams and the optical system to register the image in a high-sensitive CCD sensor, has been proved by taking images of the trapped and cooled 40Ca+ ions. This demonstrates the functionality of the proposed laser-based mass-spectrometry technique, providing a unique platform for precision experiments with implications in different fields of physics.This work was supported by the European Research Council (contract no. 278648-TRAPSENSOR), from the SpanishMINECO/ FEDER (project nos. FPA2012-32076, FPA2015-67694-P, FIS2015-69983-P, UNGR10-1E- 501, UNGR13-1E-1830), Ramón y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391, Juan de la Cierva grant IJCI-2015-26091, Centro Nacional de Partículas, Astropartículas y Nuclear CPAN13-TM01, and ‘Sistema Nacional de Garantía Juvenil y del Programa Operativo de Empleo Juvenil’; from the SpanishMECD(PhD grant nos. FPU15-04679 and FPU17/02596); from Junta de Andalucía/FEDER (project no. IE-57131) and ‘Programa de Empleo Juvenil; from Basque Government (PhD grant no. PRE-2015-1-0394) and (project no. IT986-16), and from the University of Granada ‘Plan propio-Programa de Intensificación de la Investigación PP2017-PRI.I-04’. I.A, L.L. and E.S acknowledge also support from projects OpenSuperQ (820363) and QMiCS (820505) of the EUFlagship on Quantum Technologies

Serum CD26 is related to histopathological polyp traits and behaves as a marker for colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Serum CD26 (sCD26) levels were previously found diminished in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients compared to healthy donors, suggesting its potential utility for early diagnosis. Therefore we aimed to estimate the utility of the sCD26 as a biomarker for CRC and advanced adenomas in a high-risk group of patients. The relationship of this molecule with polyp characteristics was also addressed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>sCD26 levels were measured by ELISA in 299 symptomatic and asymptomatic patients who had undergone a colonoscopy. Patients were diagnosed as having no colorectal pathology, non-inflammatory or inflammatory bowel disease, polyps (hyperplastic, non-advanced and advanced adenomas) or CRC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At a 460 ng/mL cut-off, the sCD26 has a sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% (95% CI, 64.5-93.0%) and 72.3% (95% CI, 65.0-77.2%) for CRC regarding no or benign colorectal pathology. Clinicopathological analysis of polyps showed a relationship between the sCD26 and the grade of dysplasia and the presence of advanced adenomas. Hence, a 58.0% (95% CI, 46.5-68.9%) sensitivity detecting CRC and advanced adenomas was obtained, with a specificity of 75.5% (95% CI, 68.5-81.0%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our preliminary results show that measurement of the sCD26 is a non-invasive and reasonably sensitive assay, which could be combined with others such as the faecal occult blood test for the early diagnosis and screening of CRC and advanced adenomas. Additional comparative studies in average-risk populations are necessary.</p

Extended-schedule dose-dense temozolomide in refractory gliomas

This multicenter phase II study conducted by the Spanish Neuro-Oncology Group evaluated the activity of an extended, dose-dense temozolomide regimen in patients with temozolomide-refractory malignant glioma. Adult patients (at least 18 years of age) with WHO grade III or IV glioma and a Karnofsky Performance Status of 60 or higher were treated with temozolomide (85 mg/m2/day) for 21 consecutive days every 28-day cycle until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. All patients had developed progressive disease either during or less than 3 months after completing previous temozolomide treatment. Forty-seven patients were treated with a median of 2 (range, 1–13) cycles of temozolomide. Before study entry, patients had received a median of 6 cycles of temozolomide: 39 (83%) as part of initial therapy and 23 (49%) as second-line therapy. Three patients (6.4%) had a partial response with durations of 8.0, 3.5, and 3.2 months; 15 patients (31.9%) had stable disease with a median duration of 2.1 months, including 2 patients with stable disease (SD) for greater than 6 months (14 and 16 months). Median time to progression was 2 months, and median overall survival from study entry was 5.1 months. The 6-month progression-free survival rate was 16.7%. The most common hematologic toxicities were lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Lymphopenia occurred in 83% of patients and was grade 3 in 28%, but no opportunistic infections occurred. In conclusion, this extended dose-dense schedule of temozolomide appears to have modest activity in patients refractory to previous treatment with temozolomide and is associated with manageable toxicity