Self-Referencing Fiber-Optic Intensity Sensors Using Ring Resonators and Fiber Bragg Gratings

An improved ring resonator self-referencing technique in a new reflection configuration for remote fiber-optic intensity sensors is demonstrated using fiber Bragg gratings. Sensor sensitivity doubles and a single fiber lead is used. The sensor is interrogated at two subcarrier frequencies having a high rejection of interference from laser source intensity fluctuations and loss in the fiber lead. We experimentally demonstrate the efficiency of the new reflection configuration, the usefulness of the theoretical model proposed, and discuss design parameters for optimum insertion lossesThis work was supported in part by CICYT (TIC2003-03783 and TEC2006-13273-C03-03-MIC), in part by UC3M (FAVICOBIS), in part by CAM (FACTOTEM-CM:S-0505/ESP/000417), and in part by COST 299.Publicad

Tropical Medicine: Sleeping Sickness

[ES]Raquel Cade (Angie Dickinson), una misionera, viaja al Congo Belga en 1939 para ayudar como enfermera al Dr. Bikel (Douglas Spencer) en el Hospital de la Misión de Dibela. Nada más llegar, el médico fallece de un ataque cardiaco y Raquel tiene que enfrentarse con las costumbres y creencias religiosas de los nativos. El coronel Henry Derode (Peter Finch), el jefe del destacamento del Ejército belga, le ofrece ayudarla a abandonar el lugar pero no acepta. Las cosas van mal, pero todo cambia cuando se ve obligada a intervenir a un niño de una apendicitis aguda, a partir de ese momento la tribu estará dividida. Su situación mejora al estrellarse un avión en las proximidades y atender al único superviviente, un médico llamado Paul Wilton (Roger Moore).[EN]Raquel Cade (Angie Dickinson) is a missionary nurse who, in 1939, travels to Belgian Congo in order to help Dr. Bikel (Douglas Spencer) in Dibella’s Mission Hospital. Just after her arrival the doctor dies because of a heart attack, and Rachel has to confront the native’s habits and religious beliefs. Colonel Henry Derode (Peter Finch), the detachment commander of the Belgian army, offers her his help to abandon the place, but she does not accept it. Things seem to go wrong, but everything changes when she has to perform an appendicitis surgery on a child. As of that moment, the tribe is divided. Her situation improves when an airplane crashes near there and she assists the only survivor, a doctor called Paul Wilton (Roger Moore)

Na+-dependent NO3- uptake in leaf cells of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile

Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass of recognized ecological significance and, as other seagrasses, this species has secondarily adapted to live in the marine environment. In this alkaline medium with a high Na+ concentration (0.5 M), the high inwardly directed electrochemical potential gradient for sodium is used in the seagrass Zostera marina to energize the uptake of nitrate1 and phosphate that usually occur at concentration below 10 µM. Here we summarize several evidences for the operation of a sodium-dependent high-affinity nitrate transport system at the plasma membrane of the mesophyll leaf cells of P. oceanica. Leaf cells of P. oceanica possess a H+-ATPase as a primary pump, exhibit a plasma membrane potential (Em) of -174 ± 10 mV and show reduced Na+ permeability. The addition of micromolar nitrate concentrations induces membrane depolarizations that show saturation kinetics. Curve fitting of the values renders a semisaturation constant (Km) of 21.3 ± 6.6 μM and a maximum depolarization (Dmax) of 7 ± 1 mV. In dark conditions, Dmax decreases by fifty percent but no significant effect is observed on the Km value. On the other hand, nitrate induced depolarizations show sodium dependence. The depolarizations induced by 100 µM NO3- in media containing increasing Na+ concentrations (from 0 to 250 mM) show saturation kinetics, rendering a Km value of 16 ± 5 mM Na+. Moreover, the depolarization induced by 100 µM NO3- is accompanied by a simultaneous increase of cytosolic sodium, measured by Na+-sensitive microelectrodes, of 0.4 ± 0.2 mM above the resting cytosolic sodium concentration (17 ± 2 mM). Finally, nitrate uptake rates, measured in depletion experiments, decreases by 50% and 80% in dark conditions and in the absence of Na+, respectively, compared with control conditions (0.5 M Na+ and light). All together, these results strongly suggest that NO3- uptake in P. oceanica leaf cells is mediated by a high-affinity nitrate carrier that uses Na+ as the driving ion. 1 Rubio et al. (2005). J. Exp. Bot, 412: 613-622. Project Funding: CTM 2011-30356. (MEC)Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Madres adultas y madres adolescentes: un análisis comparativo de las interacciones que mantienen con sus bebés

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar las diferencias en las interacciones que, durante una situación de comida, mantienen un grupo de madres adolescentes y otro de madres adultas con sus bebés de 8-12 meses de edad. Para ello, estudiamos 93 díadas madre-bebé (41 adolescentes y 52 adultas) en 4 dimensiones observacionales: (1) la calidez emocional; (2) la sensibilidad materna; (3) la estimulación del desarrollo lingüístico y de la autonomía; y (4) la organización la situación de comida. Los resultados parecen indicar que las madres adultas se muestran más cálidas y más sensibles durante la interacción. Parecen ser estas madres quienes aprovechan en mayor medida la situación para estimular aspectos relacionados con el lenguaje y la autonomía de sus bebés. Además, el grupo de madres adultas suele dotar de mayor organización a la situación de comida. Los resultados nos permiten concluir que se hace necesaria una intervención ajustada a la realidad que circunda al hecho de convertirse en madre durante la adolescencia.This work analyzes the differences in the interactions of a group of adolescent mothers and another one of adult mothers with their babies of 8-12 months of age during feeding time. In this way, we studied 93 mother-baby dyads (41 adolescents and 52 adults) in 4 observational dimensions: (1) the emotional warm; (2) maternal sensitivity; (3) linguistic development and autonomy stimulation; and (4) feeding time organization. The results indicate that the adult mothers are warmer and more sensible during the interaction than adolescent mothers. Data show that adult mothers who take advantage of in greater measurement the situation to stimulate aspects related to the language and the autonomy of their babies. In addition, the group of adult mothers usually equips from greater the feeding time organization. This results point out that it is necessary a intervention adjust to the fact of becoming mother during the adolescent age

Searching for simultaneous arithmetic progressions on elliptic curves

We look for elliptic curves featuring rational points whose coordinates form two arithmetic progressions, one for each coordinate. A constructive method for creating such curves is shown, for lengths up to 5.Junta de AndalucíaMinisterio de Ciencia y TecnologíaFondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regiona

A complete diophantine characterization of the rational torsion of an elliptic curve

We give a complete characterization for the rational torsion of an elliptic curve in terms of the (non–)existence of integral solutions of a system of diophantine equations

From mother's ideas to the interactions with their children

El objetivo de este trabajo es el de estudiar la relación que pudiera existir entre las ideas que tienen las madres sobre el desarrollo, la crianza y la educación de sus hijos y las interacciones que mantienen estos adultos con sus bebés. Para ello, fue estudiado un grupo de 53 mujeres con sus bebés de un año de edad durante una situación de comida en el hogar. Las ideas evolutivo-educativas fueron evaluadas mediante el CIP (Cuestionario de Ideas de los Padres; Palacios, 1988). Las dimensiones observacionales evaluadas fueron, entre otras, la calidez emocional, la sensibilidad materna y la estimulación del desarrollo lingüístico en los bebés. Los resultados presentados sugieren que hay diferencias importantes en el estilo de las madres durante la interacción de comida cuando controlamos estadísticamente sus ideas sobre el desarrollo, la crianza y la educación de los hijos. Estas diferencias parecen presentar a las madres con ideas evolutivo-educativas modernas con un mayor nivel de competencia que las madres con ideologías más tradicionales. Se discute acerca de los determinantes, la naturaleza y el sentido de la relación idea-conducta.The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between parents’ belief about child development and parent-infant interaction. 53 mother-child interactions during feeding situation at home were analysed. The babies were 12 month-old. Parents’ belief system was evaluated by CIP (Parents’ ideas questionnaire; Palacios, 1988). Interactions were coded using some observational dimensions: emotional warm, maternal sensitivity, strategies to stimulate linguistic and autonomy development, etc. Results show significant differences in interaction style when we controlled parent’s ideas about development child and education. Mothers with modern ideas were warmer and presented more fine-tuning those mothers with traditional ideas. Results and implications belief-behaviour relations are discussed

Electro-optical Simulation of a-Si Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display Pixels

An analysis of an amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) pixel is presented. The electro-optical model combines the electrical properties of the switching element and the optical performance of a twisted nematic (TN) liquid-crystal cell.Publicad