Organic geochemistry of the Villaviciosa estuary record since 1400 AD (North of Spain)

We have reconstructed the palaeoenvironmental conditions in the Villaviciosa estuary during the last 600 yrs, from the biomarker content (alkanes and alkanoic acids) of the sediment. The amino acid racemization method in ostracodes allowed determining that the sedimentation in the Selorio bay started in 1400 AD. Organic matter was well preserved, although certain microbial activity was interpreted. Three periods were established from the alkane content: 1.- Between 1400 and 1580 AD terrestrial input was dominant; 2.- Between 1580 and 1720 AD there was a major influence of aquatic macrophytes, coinciding with the Little Ice Age, 3.- Between 1720 and 2015 AD there were alternating periods during which land plants or aquatic macrophytes predominated, probably linked to anthropogenic activitiesSe han reconstruido las condiciones paleoambientales de la zona de la ría de Villaviciosa de los últimos 600 años, a partir de los biomarcadores (alcanos y ácidos alcanoicos) presentes en el sedimento. El método de racemización de aminoácidos en ostrácodos ha permitido determinar el inicio de la sedimentación en la ensenada de Selorio, en la ría de Villaviciosa, que comenzó en 1400. La preservación de la materia orgánica es buena, aunque se observa una actividad microbiana importante. A partir de los alcanos se han establecido tres episodios: 1.- Entre 1400 y 1580 predominó el aporte de vegetación terrestre, 2.- Entre 1580 y 1720 hubo una mayor abundancia de macrofitas acuáticas, coincidiendo con la Pequeña Edad del Hielo, 3.- Entre 1720 y 2015, hubo una alternancia de aportes terrestres y de macrofitas acuáticas, posiblemente ligados a la acción antrópic

The JCMT Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey – XI. Environmental Variations in the Atomic and Molecular Gas Radial Profiles of Nearby Galaxies

We present an analysis of the radial profiles of a sample of 43 H I-flux selected spiral galaxies from the Nearby Galaxies Legacy Survey (NGLS) with resolved James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) CO J = 3 − 2 and/or Very Large Array (VLA) H I maps. Comparing the Virgo and non-Virgo populations, we confirm that the H i discs are truncated in the Virgo sample, even for these relatively H i-rich galaxies. On the other hand, the H2 distribution is enhanced for the Virgo galaxies near their centres, resulting in higher H2 to H I ratios and steeper H2 and total gas radial profiles. This is likely due to the effects of moderate ram pressure stripping in the cluster environment, which would preferentially remove low-density gas in the outskirts while enhancing higher density gas near the centre. Combined with Hα star formation rate data, we find that the star formation efficiency (SFR/H2) is relatively constant with radius for both samples, but the Virgo galaxies have an ∼40 per cent lower star formation efficiency than the non-Virgo galaxies

Biomarkers and inorganic proxies in the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of mires: The importance of landscape in Las Conchas (Asturias, Northern Spain)

We determined the lipid distributions (n-alkanes, n-alkan-2-ones, n-alkanoic acids), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), Ca/Mg and ash content in Las Conchas mire, a 3.2 m deep bryophyte-dominated mire in Northern Spain covering 8000 cal yr BP. Bog conditions developed in the bottom 20 cm of the profile, and good preservation of organic matter (OM) was inferred from n-alkanoic acid distribution, with the exception of the uppermost 20 cm (last ca. 200 yr). Microbial synthesis of long chain saturated fatty acids from primary OM likely produced a dominance of short chain n-alkanoic acids with a bimodal distribution, as well as the lack of correspondence between the n-alkane and n-alkanoic acid profiles in the upper 20 cm. This was accompanied by an increase in ash content, a decrease in TOC and variation in n-alkane ratios, thereby suggesting significant changes in the mire, namely drainage and transformation to a meadow, in the last ca. 200 yr. The distribution of n-alkan-2-ones indicated an increase in bacterial source from the bottom of the record to 94 cm, whereas their distribution in the upper part could be attributed mainly to plant input and/or the microbial oxidation of n-alkanes. The different n-alkane proxies showed variations, which we interpreted in terms of changes in vegetation (Sphagnum vs. non-Sphagnum dominated phases) during the last 8000 cal yr BP. C23 was the most abundant homolog throughout most of the record, thereby suggesting dominant humid conditions alternating with short drier phases. However, such humid conditions were not linked to paleoclimatic variation but rather to geomorphological characteristics: Las Conchas mire, at the base of the Cuera Range, receives continuous runoff—even during drier periods—which is not necessarily accompanied by additional mineral input to peat, producing the development of Sphagnum moss typical of waterlogged ecotopes and damp habitats. Thus, although geochemical proxies indicated an ombrotrophic regime in the mire, geomorphological characteristics may make a considerable contribution to environmental conditions

SDSS-V Algorithms: Fast, Collision-Free Trajectory Planning for Heavily Overlapping Robotic Fiber Positioners

Robotic fiber positioner (RFP) arrays are becoming heavily adopted in wide field massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey instruments. RFP arrays decrease nightly operational overheads through rapid reconfiguration between fields and exposures. In comparison to similar instruments, SDSS-V has selected a very dense RFP packing scheme where any point in a field is typically accessible to three or more robots. This design provides flexibility in target assignment. However, the task of collision-less trajectory planning is especially challenging. We present two multi-agent distributed control strategies that are highly efficient and computationally inexpensive for determining collision-free paths for RFPs in heavily overlapping workspaces. We demonstrate that a reconfiguration path between two arbitrary robot configurations can be efficiently found if "folded" state, in which all robot arms are retracted and aligned in a lattice-like orientation, is inserted between the initial and final states. Although developed for SDSS-V, the approach we describe is generic and so applicable to a wide range of RFP designs and layouts. Robotic fiber positioner technology continues to advance rapidly, and in the near future ultra-densely packed RFP designs may be feasible. Our algorithms are especially capable in routing paths in very crowded environments, where we see efficient results even in regimes significantly more crowded than the SDSS-V RFP design.Comment: To be published in the Astronomical Journa

La participación de alumnos en Comunidades de Aprendizaje

Nuestro objetivo es dar a conocer la actividad “Prácticas de Intervención Psicoeducativa en Comunidades de Aprendizaje” que ha sido ofrecida en el curso 2013-14 de manera interdepartamental, con la participación de profesores de los Departamentos de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación y de Didáctica y Organización Educativa, de la Universidad de Sevilla. Se propuso para todos los alumnos de la Universidad como actividad de libre configuración, de reconocimiento de créditos o de voluntariado para los que no optasen por ninguna de las dos posibilidades primeras. La participación en Grupos Interactivos, Tertulias Dialógicas o en otras actividades llevadas a cabo por los estudiantes en los centros que forman parte de la Red de Comunidades de Aprendizaje de Sevilla está siendo gratificante personalmente para ellos y muy productiva desde un punto de vista académico para implicar a los estudiantes en actuaciones educativas de éxito y de superación del fracaso escolar.Our aim is to publicize the internships “Intervention in Educational Learning Communities” that has been offered in the academic year 2013-2014 with the participation of professors from the Departments of Psychology and Education and Teaching and Educational Organization, University of Seville. It has been offered to all university students and they will earn free-elected credits, recognition of credits or, at least, volunteerism for those who do not select the previous two options. The collaboration in Interactive Groups, Discussion Groups or other activities developed by the students in schools that are taken part in the Learning Community Network of Seville has being personally rewarded for them and really productive from the academic perspective. With this programme, students have been involved in successful practical experiences, overcoming school failure

The SDSS-IV MaNGA sample : design, optimization, and usage considerations

We describe the sample design for the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey and present the final properties of the main samples along with important considerations for using these samples for science. Our target selection criteria were developed while simultaneously optimizing the size distribution of the MaNGA integral field units (IFUs), the IFU allocation strategy, and the target density to produce a survey defined in terms of maximizing S/N, spatial resolution, and sample size. Our selection strategy makes use of redshift limits that only depend oni-band absolute magnitude (Mi), or, for a small subset of our sample, Mi and color (NUV-i). Such a strategy ensures that all galaxies span the same range in angular size irrespective of luminosity and are therefore covered evenly by the adopted range of IFU sizes. We define three samples: the Primary and Secondary samples are selected to have a flat number density with respect to Mi and are targeted to have spectroscopic coverage to 1.5 and 2.5 effective radii (Re),respectively. The Color-Enhanced supplement increases the number of galaxies in the low-density regions of color-magnitude space by extending the redshift limits of the Primary sample in the appropriate color bins. The samples cover the stellar mass range 5 x 108 ≤ M⋆ ≤ 3 x 1011 M⊙ /h2 and are sampled at median physical resolutions of 1.37 kpc and 2.5 kpc for the Primary and Secondary samples respectively. We provide weights that will statistically correct for our luminosity and color-dependent selection function and IFU allocation strategy, thus correcting the observed sample to a volume limited sample.PostprintPeer reviewe

Actividad física, ejercicio y deporte en la lucha contra la obesidad infantil y juvenil

El propósito del presente documento es proponer desde el grupo de expertos en ejercicio físico y salud de EXERNET (Red Española de Investigación en Ejercicio Físico y Salud) una serie de recomendaciones sobre la práctica de la actividad física y deportiva que a nivel individual, familiar e institucional ayuden a prevenir y tratar la obesidad infantil y juvenil, basadas en la evidencia científi ca actual

Cribado de la depresión mayor en la infancia y adolescencia (Parte 2)

El síndrome depresivo que aparece durante la infancia o la adolescencia tiende a seguir un curso crónico, con alta probabilidad de permanecer en la edad adulta. Su sintomatología repercute en la vida diaria del menor y, en el caso de la depresión mayor, supone un riesgo para la aparición de conducta suicida. Dada la variabilidad de sus manifestaciones clínicas y las dificultades en el diagnóstico, se plantea la posible utilidad del uso de cuestionarios de cribado en la población infantil y adolescente, a partir de un análisis del rendimiento de estos y de la eficacia de las medidas terapéuticas actuales. El presente trabajo se ha dividido en dos partes, y al final de este se recopilan las recomendaciones de distintos grupos de trabajo y tras el análisis de la evidencia, las recomendaciones que el grupo PrevInfad ha consensuado para la consulta de los pediatras en Atención Primaria

Observing Strategy for the SDSS-IV/MaNGA IFU Galaxy Survey

Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) is an integral-field spectroscopic survey that is one of three core programs in the fourth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV). MaNGA's 17 pluggable optical fiber-bundle integral field units (IFUs) will observe a sample of 10,000 nearby galaxies distributed throughout the SDSS imaging footprint (focusing particularly on the North Galactic Cap). In each pointing these IFUs are deployed across a 3° field; they yield spectral coverage 3600−10300 Å at a typical resolution R ~ 2000, and sample the sky with 2'' diameter fiber apertures with a total bundle fill factor of 56%. Observing over such a large field and range of wavelengths is particularly challenging for obtaining uniform and integral spatial coverage and resolution at all wavelengths and across each entire fiber array. Data quality is affected by the IFU construction technique, chromatic and field differential refraction, the adopted dithering strategy, and many other effects. We use numerical simulations to constrain the hardware design and observing strategy for the survey with the aim of ensuring consistent data quality that meets the survey science requirements while permitting maximum observational flexibility. We find that MaNGA science goals are best achieved with IFUs composed of a regular hexagonal grid of optical fibers with rms displacement of 5 μm or less from their nominal packing position; this goal is met by the MaNGA hardware, which achieves 3 μm rms fiber placement. We further show that MaNGA observations are best obtained in sets of three 15 minute exposures dithered along the vertices of a 1.44 arcsec equilateral triangle; these sets form the minimum observational unit, and are repeated as needed to achieve a combined signal-to-noise ratio of 5 Å-1 per fiber in the r-band continuum at a surface brightness of 23 AB arcsec-2. In order to ensure uniform coverage and delivered image quality, we require that the exposures in a given set be obtained within a 60 minute interval of each other in hour angle, and that all exposures be obtained at airmass ≲ 1.2 (i.e., within 1–3 hr of transit depending on the declination of a given field)

Overview of the SDSS-IV MaNGA Survey: Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory

We present an overview of a new integral field spectroscopic survey called MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory), one of three core programs in the fourth-generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) that began on 2014 July 1. MaNGA will investigate the internal kinematic structure and composition of gas and stars in an unprecedented sample of 10,000 nearby galaxies. We summarize essential characteristics of the instrument and survey design in the context of MaNGA\u27s key science goals and present prototype observations to demonstrate MaNGA\u27s scientific potential. MaNGA employs dithered observations with 17 fiber-bundle integral field units that vary in diameter from 12\u27\u27 (19 fibers) to 32\u27\u27 (127 fibers). Two dual-channel spectrographs provide simultaneous wavelength coverage over 3600-10300 Å at R ~ 2000. With a typical integration time of 3 hr, MaNGA reaches a target r-band signal-to-noise ratio of 4-8 (Å–1 per 2\u27\u27 fiber) at 23 AB mag arcsec–2, which is typical for the outskirts of MaNGA galaxies. Targets are selected with M * ≳ 109 M ☉ using SDSS-I redshifts and i-band luminosity to achieve uniform radial coverage in terms of the effective radius, an approximately flat distribution in stellar mass, and a sample spanning a wide range of environments. Analysis of our prototype observations demonstrates MaNGA\u27s ability to probe gas ionization, shed light on recent star formation and quenching, enable dynamical modeling, decompose constituent components, and map the composition of stellar populations. MaNGA\u27s spatially resolved spectra will enable an unprecedented study of the astrophysics of nearby galaxies in the coming 6 yr