933 research outputs found
Morphology of the larval stages of Macropodia czernjawskii (Brandt, 1880) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Inachidae) reared in the laboratory
The complete larval development of Macropodia czernjawskii (Brandt, 1880), is described and illustrated for the first time. Larvae were reared in the laboratory and development consisted of two zoeal stages and a megalopa. The main difference in the zoeal stages is the absence of lateral spines on the telson furcae, which allow it to be distinguished from the remaining species of Macropodia as well as from the zoeae of most majoids.This study was funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Plan Nacional I+D” and the European FEDER funds through project MEGALOPADN (CGL2009–11225).Peer reviewe
Do envy and compassion pave the way to unhappiness? Social preferences and life satisfaction in a Spanish city
Mounting evidence shows that people’s self-reported life satisfaction (LS) is negatively related to income inequality. Under the interpretation that the relationship between macro-level variables and LS reflects individuals’ social preferences, this finding indicates that most people display inequality-averse preferences. We explore the relationship between self-reports on inequality aversion and LS in a citywide representative survey/experiment conducted in Spain. If self-reported well-being can be used to infer people’s social preferences, LS should correlate negatively with both “envy” and “compassion” scores (i.e., how much one suffers from disadvantageous and advantageous inequality, respectively). We find that LS relates negatively to envy but positively to compassion, which would imply that suffering from observing poorer others, paradoxically, increases well-being. Using an incentivized Dictator Game as a measure of generous behavior, we reject the hypothesis that the positive link between compassion and LS is actually driven by generosity. We discuss how these findings could indicate that the way LS is used to assess social preferences in the population should be revised
Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1C : from cognition to cancer
Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) C was the last member of the CPT1 family of genes to be discovered. CPT1A and CPT1B were identified as the gate-keeper enzymes for the entry of long-chain fatty acids (as carnitine esters) into mitochondria and their further oxidation, and they show differences in their kinetics and tissue expression. Although CPT1C exhibits high sequence similarity to CPT1A and CPT1B, it is specifically expressed in neurons (a cell-type that does not use fatty acids as fuel to any major extent), it is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum of cells, and it has minimal CPT1 catalytic activity with l-carnitine and acyl-CoA esters. The lack of an easily measurable biological activity has hampered attempts to elucidate the cellular and physiological role of CPT1C but has not diminished the interest of the biomedical research community in this CPT1 isoform. The observations that CPT1C binds malonyl-CoA and long-chain acyl-CoA suggest that it is a sensor of lipid metabolism in neurons, where it appears to impact ceramide and triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism. CPT1C global knock-out mice show a wide range of brain disorders, including impaired cognition and spatial learning, motor deficits, and a deregulation in food intake and energy homeostasis. The first disease-causing CPT1C mutation was recently described in humans, with Cpt1c being identified as the gene causing hereditary spastic paraplegia. The putative role of CPT1C in the regulation of complex-lipid metabolism is supported by the observation that it is highly expressed in certain virulent tumor cells, conferring them resistance to glucose- and oxygen-deprivation. Therefore, CPT1C may be a promising target in the treatment of cancer. Here we review the molecular, biochemical, and structural properties of CPT1C and discuss its potential roles in brain function, and cancer
Integral Field Spectroscopy based H\alpha\ sizes of local Luminous and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies. A Direct Comparison with high-z Massive Star Forming Galaxies
Aims. We study the analogy between local U/LIRGs and high-z massive SFGs by
comparing basic H{\alpha} structural characteristics, such as size, and
luminosity (and SFR) surface density, in an homogeneous way (i.e. same tracer
and size definition, similar physical scales). Methods. We use Integral Field
Spectroscopy based H{\alpha} emission maps for a representative sample of 54
local U/LIRGs (66 galaxies). From this initial sample we select 26 objects with
H{\alpha} luminosities (L(H{\alpha})) similar to those of massive (i.e. M\ast
\sim 10^10 M\odot or larger) SFGs at z \sim 2, and observed on similar physical
scales. Results. The sizes of the H{\alpha} emitting region in the sample of
local U/LIRGs span a large range, with r1/2(H{\alpha}) from 0.2 to 7 kpc.
However, about 2/3 of local U/LIRGs with Lir > 10^11.4 L\odot have compact
H{\alpha} emission (i.e. r1/2 < 2 kpc). The comparison sample of local U/LIRGs
also shows a higher fraction (59%) of objects with compact H{\alpha} emission
than the high-z sample (25%). This gives further support to the idea that for
this luminosity range the size of the star forming region is a distinctive
factor between local and distant galaxies of similar SF rates. However, when
using H{\alpha} as a tracer for both local and high-z samples, the differences
are smaller than the ones recently reported using a variety of other tracers.
Despite of the higher fraction of galaxies with compact H{\alpha} emission, a
sizable group (\sim 1/3) of local U/LIRGs are large (i.e. r1/2 > 2 kpc). These
are systems showing pre-coalescence merger activity and they are
indistinguishable from the massive high-z SFGs galaxies in terms of their
H{\alpha} sizes, and luminosity and SFR surface densities.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. (!5 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables
Mechanical Isolation of Highly Stable Antimonene under Ambient Conditions
Using mechanical exfoliation combined with a controlled double step transfer
procedure we demonstrate that single layers of antimony can be readily
produced. These flakes are not significantly contaminated upon exposure to
ambient conditions and they do not react with water. DFT calculations confirm
our experimental observations and predict a band gap of 1.2-1.3 eV (ambient
conditions) for single layer antimonene, which is smaller than that calculated
under vacuum conditions at 0 K. Our work confirms antimonene as a highly stable
2D material with promising relevant applications in optoelectronics.Comment: main paper: 5 pages, 4 figures supporting: 9 pages, 7 figures,
Advanced Materials, 201
Irrigation from the Sixties: Flumen-Monegros
53 Pags.- Tabls.- Maps.In arid and semiarid areas, agricultural land use is mainly restricted, in the first place, by the
availability of water for crop growth.
The transformation to irrigation of about 600 000 ha in the Ebro Valley has led to high
increases in yield and in diversity of crops.
After the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), which was followed by II World War, the Spanish
food production system was heavily disrupted and food shortages appeared. This put high
pressure on the development of new irrigated schemes which had been planned many
years ago.
In the Flumen-Monegros area, the technology available in the late fifties was based on
flood-irrigation systems, with no previous soil studies, an empirical land evaluation, no
control of saltinization risk and, finally, levelling without topsoil preservation.
The extension of salinity and/or sodicity-affected soils in the Ebro Valley (IRYDA, 1977) was
200 000 ha, from which 160 000 were located in Aragon, mainly in Bardenas, Cinca and
Flumen-Monegros area. But Alberto et al. (1984) reckron this data in 300 000 ha. As a
result of these studies, ILACO (1975) designed two experimental drainage plots.
Although the existence of salt-affected soils was known, information about the extent,
location and general functioning at landscape level of those soils was lacking in the area.
Some of the problems related to land use and soil management which are present now in
the area or can be expected in the near future are:- Salinity-Sodicity: Diagnosis, monitoring and rehabilitation of salt-affected soils.
- Soil structural degradation and surface crust formation.
- Need for improved efficiency in water use: irrigation technology, water reuse, ...
- Control of drainage-system degradation: open-air drains as well as underground drains.
Several approaches at different scales have been adopted to work on these issues.
Satellite images have been used to monitor land use and its temporal variability. Classical
soil mapping at 1: 100000 level have been performed; in addition various detailed studies
have been undertaken in model areas using the electromagnetic and four electrode
sensors, micromorphological techniques, scanning electronic microscopy, and land
evaluation procedures.
The results have been presented in several papers: about salinity-sodicity trends in the
Flumen sector (Herrero, 1987); about parameters related to water behaviour (Aragues,
1986); about soil porosity in plough horizons (Rodriguez-Ochoa, 1998); about translocation
of solid materials (Rodriguez-Ochoa, et al. 1989; Porta and Rodriguez-Ochoa, 1991;
Rodriguez-Ochoa, 1998); about degradation of underground drainage systems by mineral
siltation (Herrero et al. 1989; Rodriguez-Ochoa, et al. 1989; Munoz, 1991; RodriguezOchoa,
1998).Other studies performed in the area include: Soil-vegetation relationships (Herrero, 1981);
laboratory trials with different amendments in the drainage trench infilling material (Porta et
al. 1996); dispersive processes because of soil structural instability (Amezketa and
Aragues, 1990; Aragues and Amezketa, 1991; Amezketa and Aragues, 1995) and
degradation of the hydraulic conductivity of soils (Amezketa and Aragues, 1989; Aragues
and Amezketa, 1991; Amezketa and Aragues, 1995).
The trip to the Flumen-Monegros area undertakes some of these points, and the stops are
located in some of the main soil units.
Discussion will be centered on aspects of soil genesis, classification and mapping, land use
and soil conservation.Peer reviewe
Testing the Unification Model for AGN in the Infrared: are the obscuring tori of Type 1 and 2 Seyferts different?
We present new mid-infrared (MIR) imaging data for three Type-1 Seyfert
galaxies obtained with T-ReCS on the Gemini-South Telescope at subarcsecond
resolution. Our aim is to enlarge the sample studied in a previous work to
compare the properties of Type-1 and Type-2 Seyfert tori using clumpy torus
models and a Bayesian approach to fit the infrared nuclear spectral energy
distributions (SEDs). Thus, the sample considered here comprises 7 Type-1, 11
Type-2, and 3 intermediate-type Seyferts. The unresolved IR emission of the
Seyfert 1 galaxies can be reproduced by a combination of dust heated by the
central engine and direct AGN emission, while for the Seyfert 2 nuclei only
dust emission is considered. These dusty tori have physical sizes smaller than
6 pc radius, as derived from our fits. Unification schemes of AGN account for a
variety of observational differences in terms of viewing geometry. However, we
find evidence that strong unification may not hold, and that the immediate
dusty surroundings of Type-1 and Type-2 Seyfert nuclei are intrinsically
different. The Type-2 tori studied here are broader, have more clumps, and
these clumps have lower optical depths than those of Type-1 tori. The larger
the covering factor of the torus, the smaller the probability of having direct
view of the AGN, and vice-versa. In our sample, Seyfert 2 tori have larger
covering factors and smaller escape probabilities than those of Seyfert 1. All
the previous differences are significant according to the Kullback-Leibler
divergence. Thus, on the basis of the results presented here, the
classification of a Seyfert galaxy as a Type-1 or Type-2 depends more on the
intrinsic properties of the torus rather than on its mere inclination towards
us, in contradiction with the simplest unification model.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures, Appendix including supplementary figures.
Accepted by Ap
A Simulation Study of an Inverse Controller for Closed and Semiclosed-Loop Control in Type 1 Diabetes
Background: Closed-loop control algorithms in diabetes aim to calculate the optimum insulin delivery to maintain the patient in a normoglycemic state, taking the blood glucose level as the algorithm's main input. The major difficulties facing these algorithms when applied subcutaneously are insulin absorption time and delays in measurement of subcutaneous glucose with respect to the blood concentration.
Methods: This article presents an inverse controller (IC) obtained by inversion of an existing mathematical model and validated with synthetic patients simulated with a different model and is compared with a proportional-integral-derivative controller.
Results: Simulated results are presented for a mean patient and for a population of six simulated patients. The IC performance is analyzed for both full closed-loop and semiclosed-loop control. The IC is tested when initialized with the heuristic optimal gain, and it is compared with the performance when the initial gain is deviated from the optimal one (±10%).
Conclusions: The simulation results show the viability of using an IC for closed-loop diabetes control. The IC is able to achieve normoglycemia over long periods of time when the optimal gain is used (63% for the full closed-loop control, and it is increased to 96% for the semiclosed-loop control
Agreement of body composition methods in elite male football referees
Objective: The current literature about the body composition of elite football referees is scarce and almost non-existent. Therefore, and in order to establish the level of agreement between bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in elite football referees, the aim of this study was to compare fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) values measured with these two different methods.
Method: A total of 30 male referees belonging to 1st, 2nd and 2ndB categories, and 36 assistant referees from 1st and 2nd categories in the Spanish national league participated in this study. Total and regional FM and FFM were assessed using a portable BIA analyser TANITA BC 418-MA (Tanita Corp., Tokyo, Japan) and DXA (Hologic Corp. Software version 12.4, Bedford, MA 01730). Agreement between methods was assessed by plotting the results in Bland-Altman graphs and the presence of heteroscedasticity was also examined. Differences between methods were analysed by two-paired samples t-test.
Results: For the whole group, BIA underestimated body fat percentage in 3.87 points (CI 95%=3.22-4.52; p=<0.01) and overestimated kg of total FFM in 3.56 points (CI 95%=3.08-4.05; p=<0.01), however, no heteroscedasticity was shown in any case (all p>0.05).
Conclusions: The present study suggests that according to DXA, BIA values calculated with a non-specific equation are underestimating total FM and, consequently, overestimating total FFM in male elite football referees.
Objetivo: La literatura científica existente sobre la composición corporal en árbitros de fútbol es todavía escasa. Por lo tanto y para establecer el nivel de concordancia entre el análisis de impedancia bioeléctrica y la absorciometría de rayos X de doble energía en árbitros de fútbol de elite, el objetivo de este estudio fue comparar los valores de masa grasa (MG) y la masa libre de grasa (MLG) medidos con ambos métodos.
Método: Un total de 30 árbitros pertenecientes a las categorías de 1ª, 2ª y 2ª división B, y 36 asistentes de 1ª y 2ª división de la liga española participaron en este estudio. La MG y la MLG tanto a nivel total como regional se evaluó utilizando la impedancia bioeléctrica TANITA BC 418-MA (Tanita Corp., Tokyo, Japan) y absorciometría de rayos X de doble energía (Hologic Corp. Software versión 12.4, Bedford, MA 01730). La concordancia entre métodos se evaluó con gráficos de Bland-Altman y también se examinó la presencia de heterocedasticidad. Las diferencias entre métodos se analizaron con la prueba T de Student para muestras relacionadas.
Resultados: Para el total de la muestra, la impedancia bioeléctrica infraestimó el porcentaje de MG en 3.87 puntos (IC 95%=3.22-4.52; p=0.05).
Conclusión: El presente estudio sugiere que, tomando como referencia la absorciometría de rayos X de doble energía, la impedancia bioeléctrica calculada a partir de una ecuación no especifica para árbitros, infraestima la MG y consecuentemente, sobreestima la MLG en árbitros de fútbol de elite
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