Effects of spin-elastic interactions in frustrated Heisenberg antiferromagnets

The Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a compressible triangular lattice in the spin- wave approximation is considered. It is shown that the interaction between quantum fluctuations and elastic degrees of freedom stabilizes the low symmetric L-phase with a collinear Neel magnetic ordering. Multi-stability in the dependence of the on-site magnetization on an unaxial pressure is found.Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, 2 eps figure

Efficacy and efficiency of a new therapeutic approach based on activity-oriented proprioceptive antiedema therapy (TAPA) for edema reduction and improved occupational performance in the rehabilitation of breast cancer-related arm lymphedema in women: a controlled, randomized clinical trial

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a major public health issue. More than one out of five women treated for breast cancer will develop lymphedema in an upper extremity. Current evidence advocates transdisciplinary oncological rehabilitation. Therefore, research in this area is necessary since limited consensus having been reached with regard to the basic essential components of this rehabilitation. Consensus has, however, been reached on the use of decongestive lymphedema therapy (DLT), but due to a lack of tests, the necessary dosages are unknown and its level is moderately strong. This study attempts to verify both the efficacy of activity-oriented proprioceptive antiedema therapy (TAPA), as compared to conventional treatments such as DLT or Complex Physical Therapy (CPT), as well as its efficiency in terms of cost-effectiveness, for patients affected by breast cancer-related arm lymphedema. Methods: Controlled, randomized clinical trial with dual stratification, two parallel arms, longitudinal and single blind. 64 women with breast cancer-related arm lymphedema will take part in the study. The experimental group intervention will be the same for stage I and II, and will consist of neuro-dynamic exercises oriented to the activity, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation activities and proprioceptive anti-edema bandaging. The control group intervention, depending on the stage, will consist of preventive measures, skin care and exercise-prescribed training in the lymphedema workshop as well as compression garments (Stage I) or conservative Complex Decongestive Therapy treatment (skin care, multi-layer bandaging, manual lymphatic drainage and massage therapy) (Stage II). Results: Sociodemographic and clinical variables will be collected for the measurement of edema volume and ADL performance. Statistical analysis will be performed on intent to treat. Discussion: It has been recommended that patient training be added to DLT, as well as a re-designing of patient lifestyles and the promotion of health-related aspects. In addition, clinical trials should be undertaken to assess neural mobilization techniques and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation should be included in the therapy. Cohesive bandaging will also be performed as an early form of pressotherapy. The proposed study combines all of these aspects in order to increased comfort and promote the participation of individuals with lymphedema in everyday situations. Limitations: The authors have proposed the assessment of the experimental treatment for stages I and II. One possible limitation is the lack of awareness of whether or not this treatment would be effective for other stages as well as the concern for proper hand cleansing during use of bandages, given the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. Trial registration: This trial was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03762044). Date of registration: 23 November 2018. Prospectively Registered

Un Parque Jurásico… en el Mediterráneo

Los arrecifes modernos son básicamente estructuras calcáreas, construidas principalmente por la actividad calcificadora de los corales, muchas veces con la ayuda de algas calcáreas incrustantes. Sin embargo, previamente a la existencia de los corales modernos, hubo un tiempo en que los arrecifes eran estructuras construidas esencialmente de silicio. Durante parte de la era Mesozoica, particularmente en los periodos Jurásico y Cretácico (entre 163 y 65 millones de años), dos tipos de esponjas con esqueletos masivos de sílice (las hexactinélidas dictioninas y las demosponjas litístidas) fueron importantes constructores de arrecifes en las plataformas continentales cálidas del Mar de Tethys. El registro fósil indica que estos arrecifes silíceos entraron en declive durante el Terciario (Paleógeno, entre 65 y 23 millones de años) y, finalmente, se extinguieron. Para sorpresa general, en los años 80 se descubrió un equivalente vivo de los arrecifes Mesozoicos. Un arrecife constituido por sólo tres especies de esponjas hexactinélidas y sin la contribución de las esponjas litístidas. La estructura se extiende irregularmente sobre un área de unos 700 km2 en la frías y nutritivas aguas del Pacífico canadiense (Estrecho de Georgia, Canadá), a una profundidad de unos 250 m, en la zona de transición entre la plataforma continental y el talud. Por su singularidad, esté hábitat ha atraído la atención de científicos y medios de comunicación durante los últimos 20 años y su estudio aún continúa, estimulado por los avances en la tecnología de trabajo en ambientes marinos profundos. En esta ponencia informamos que durante 2013 se ha descubierto en el Mediterráneo un segundo equivalente vivo de los arrecifes silíceos mesozoicos. Se trata de una variante aun más rara, construida no por esponjas hexactinélidas, sino por esponjas litístidas, que constituyen una fauna relicta en el Mediterráneo. Se resumen aquí los datos disponibles sobre este excepcional hábitat, único en el planeta, y se discute su vulnerabilidad y necesidad de protección, ilustrando las explicaciones con material fotográfico y vídeos obtenidos mediante el uso de un robot submarino

CosmoHub: Interactive exploration and distribution of astronomical data on Hadoop

We present CosmoHub (https://cosmohub.pic.es), a web application based on Hadoop to perform interactive exploration and distribution of massive cosmological datasets. Recent Cosmology seeks to unveil the nature of both dark matter and dark energy mapping the large-scale structure of the Universe, through the analysis of massive amounts of astronomical data, progressively increasing during the last (and future) decades with the digitization and automation of the experimental techniques. CosmoHub, hosted and developed at the Port d'Informació Científica (PIC), provides support to a worldwide community of scientists, without requiring the end user to know any Structured Query Language (SQL). It is serving data of several large international collaborations such as the Euclid space mission, the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS) and the Marenostrum Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (MICE) numerical simulations. While originally developed as a PostgreSQL relational database web frontend, this work describes the current version of CosmoHub, built on top of Apache Hive, which facilitates scalable reading, writing and managing huge datasets. As CosmoHub's datasets are seldomly modified, Hive it is a better fit. Over 60 TiB of cataloged information and 50×10 astronomical objects can be interactively explored using an integrated visualization tool which includes 1D histogram and 2D heatmap plots. In our current implementation, online exploration of datasets of 10 objects can be done in a timescale of tens of seconds. Users can also download customized subsets of data in standard formats generated in few minutes.CosmoHub has been partially funded through projects of the Spanish national program “Programa Estatal de I + D + i” of the Spanish government. The support of the ERDF fund is gratefully acknowledged

CosmoHub: Interactive exploration and distribution of astronomical data on Hadoop

We present CosmoHub (https://cosmohub.pic.es), a web application based on Hadoop to perform interactive exploration and distribution of massive cosmological datasets. Recent Cosmology seeks to unveil the nature of both dark matter and dark energy mapping the large-scale structure of the Universe, through the analysis of massive amounts of astronomical data, progressively increasing during the last (and future) decades with the digitization and automation of the experimental techniques. CosmoHub, hosted and developed at the Port d'Informaci\'o Cient\'ifica (PIC), provides support to a worldwide community of scientists, without requiring the end user to know any Structured Query Language (SQL). It is serving data of several large international collaborations such as the Euclid space mission, the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS) and the Marenostrum Institut de Ci\`encies de l'Espai (MICE) numerical simulations. While originally developed as a PostgreSQL relational database web frontend, this work describes the current version of CosmoHub, built on top of Apache Hive, which facilitates scalable reading, writing and managing huge datasets. As CosmoHub's datasets are seldomly modified, Hive it is a better fit. Over 60 TiB of catalogued information and $50 \times 10^9$ astronomical objects can be interactively explored using an integrated visualization tool which includes 1D histogram and 2D heatmap plots. In our current implementation, online exploration of datasets of $10^9$ objects can be done in a timescale of tens of seconds. Users can also download customized subsets of data in standard formats generated in few minutes

The Rise and Fall of "Respectable" Spanish Liberalism, 1808-1923: An Explanatory Framework

The article focuses on the reasons behind both the consolidation of what I have termed “respectable” liberalism between the 1830s and the 1840s and its subsequent decline and fall between 1900 and 1923. In understanding both processes I study the links established between “respectable” liberals and propertied elites, the monarchy, and the Church. In the first phase these links served to consolidate the liberal polity. However, they also meant that many tenets of liberal ideology were compromised. Free elections were undermined by the operation of caciquismo, monarchs established a powerful position, and despite the Church hierarchy working with liberalism, the doctrine espoused by much of the Church was still shaped by the Counter-Reformation. Hence, “respectable” liberalism failed to achieve a popular social base. And the liberal order was increasingly denigrated as part of the corrupt “oligarchy” that ruled Spain. Worse still, between 1916 and 1923 the Church, monarch, and the propertied elite increasingly abandoned the liberal Monarchist Restoration. Hence when General Primo de Rivera launched his coup the rug was pulled from under the liberals’ feet and there was no one to cushion the fall

Integrando escalas y métodos LTER para comprender la dinámica global de un espacio protegido de montaña: el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido.

Los espacios protegidos, por el hecho de albergar una gran geo-biodiversidad y asegurar una baja intervención humana, constituyen lugares muy adecuados para el seguimiento de organismos y procesos a escala ecológica, así como para la obtención de series temporales largas a escala geológica. En el marco de la red LTER-España, el Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido (PNOMP) y el Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología-CSIC están impulsando estudios para la detección de cambios a distintas escalas mediante variados métodos y aproximaciones. Destacamos aquí los más consolidados, entre los que se encuentran los análisis de registros de sedimentos en lagos, espeleotemas en cuevas, la dinámica de uno de los pocos glaciares activos de la Península ibérica, el análisis físico-químico de aguas corrientes e ibones de alta montaña, el registro del cambio climático actual en árboles longevos, la afección que éste ejerce sobre masas actuales de pinos en el límite superior del bosque y de abetales en zonas húmedas, la matorralización de algunos pastos y los procesos mecanicistas que subyacen, la reorganización de la diversidad florística en pastos tras el abandono paulatino o drástico de la ganadería, la biodiversidad de las comunidades alpinas y la dinámica poblacional de especies amenazadas o indicadoras de hábitats o de motores de cambio global. Los seguimientos ecológicos actuales muestran que tanto el cambio climático como el de usos del suelo están teniendo una considerable trascendencia en la fisionomía y la estructura de algunos de los ambientes más icónicos y frecuentes del parque (deterioro del glaciar, termofilización de la flora en cumbres alpinas, densificación del bosque en su límite superior, pérdida de productividad en algunos pastos supraforestales, etc.). También sugieren una importante variabilidad espacial en los procesos (por ej. en el PNOMP conviven pastos matorralizados y pastos muy estables), y evidencian que los cambios observados no siempre siguen los paradigmas establecidos (por ej., las especies amenazadas mantienen dinámicas poblacionales estables). La integración de resultados parciales proporcionados por cada aproximación relativiza la importancia de las percepciones que cada estudio destaca por separado, y permite medir los cambios actuales en el marco de referencia de los cambios a escala geológica.Predecir la resistencia y resiliencia de los ecosistemas o las poblaciones de seres vivos para enfrentarse a los futuros cambios ambientales es complicado, no sólo por la falta de conocimientos disponibles sino también porque las respuestas que observamos no siempre son tan rápidas o lineales como se espera. La modelización constituye una herramienta cada vez más utilizada, pero requiere de evidencias reales para validar sus pronósticos, por lo que la observación de los procesos que actúan en el PNOMP ha de incluir un esfuerzo continuado de monitorización multiescalar y multidisciplinar de los distintos componentes de la geo, hidro-, crio- y biosfera, sin olvidar el componente humano. Entender la complejidad supone conectar las interacciones que existen entre todos los sistemas y ponderar sus efectos según las escalas de trabajo

Molecular basis of engineered meganuclease targeting of the endogenous human RAG1 locus

Homing endonucleases recognize long target DNA sequences generating an accurate double-strand break that promotes gene targeting through homologous recombination. We have modified the homodimeric I-CreI endonuclease through protein engineering to target a specific DNA sequence within the human RAG1 gene. Mutations in RAG1 produce severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a monogenic disease leading to defective immune response in the individuals, leaving them vulnerable to infectious diseases. The structures of two engineered heterodimeric variants and one single-chain variant of I-CreI, in complex with a 24-bp oligonucleotide of the human RAG1 gene sequence, show how the DNA binding is achieved through interactions in the major groove. In addition, the introduction of the G19S mutation in the neighborhood of the catalytic site lowers the reaction energy barrier for DNA cleavage without compromising DNA recognition. Gene-targeting experiments in human cell lines show that the designed single-chain molecule preserves its in vivo activity with higher specificity, further enhanced by the G19S mutation. This is the first time that an engineered meganuclease variant targets the human RAG1 locus by stimulating homologous recombination in human cell lines up to 265 bp away from the cleavage site. Our analysis illustrates the key features for à la carte procedure in protein–DNA recognition design, opening new possibilities for SCID patients whose illness can be treated ex vivo