Social Bioclimatic Urban House Prototype in Arid Area Energy and Economic Assessment

The energetic and economic evaluation of an evolutionary bioclimatic social house prototype designed in the research unit, for urban arid zones, is presented, calculating their respective costs. The performance of passive systems is evaluated with the Optimix Program, using the Collector Load Rate Method (Los Álamos National Laboratory). The investment alternatives are adopted from the calculation from the Net Present and Marginal Value. The results quantify the use of passive solar systems to make more efficient the thermal and economic benefits of the executed prototypes. The winter thermal load, to which the homes are exposed, is reduced by 64.1%, with technics of energy conservation and the improvement of solar systems and variants applied. Energy savings result in 20% and 22% and the amortization of 2.4 years and 2.3 years, depending on the orientation of the prototype (azimuth 0° N and ± 15° N respectively.Fil: Kurban, Alejandra Silvia. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño. Instituto de Estudios en Arquitectura Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; ArgentinaFil: Cunsulo, Mario Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño. Instituto de Estudios en Arquitectura Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Matar, M.. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño. Instituto de Estudios en Arquitectura Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Ripoll, V.. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño. Instituto de Estudios en Arquitectura Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, A.. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño. Instituto de Estudios en Arquitectura Ambiental; Argentin

Influence of polysaccharide commercial product addition on volatile composition of white sparkling wines

Póster presentado en las XI Carbohydrate Symposium (XI Jornadas de Carbohidratos), celebradas en Logroño del 28 al 30 de mayo de 2014.Peer Reviewe

Rarity patterns and conservation priorities in Cactaceae species from the Southern Central Andes : a case study from the Calchaquíes Valleys, Salta, Argentina

En este trabajo se estudiaron 34 especies de Cactaceae de los Valles Calchaquíes, Argentina, para determinar 1) el nivel de rareza de las especies, 2) la proporción de especies raras entre grupos taxonómicos y ecológicos, y 3) la consistencia espacial de la rareza a lo largo del rango de distribución. Se definió a la rareza a través de un modelo que combina medidas del rango geográfico de distribución y el tamaño poblacional local de cada especie. La rareza no se concentró en ningún grupo taxonómico o ecológico particular de Cactaceae; sin embargo, 28 especies presentaron algún nivel de rareza. En la mayoría de las especies, la rareza varió a lo largo del área de distribución geográfica; sólo cinco especies fueron consistentemente raras en todas las poblaciones evaluadas. Seis especies fueron calificadas como extremadamente raras; todas de la subfamilia Cactoideae, cuatro endémicas del sur de los Andes Centrales y difiriendo en su forma de crecimiento. Sólo dos de las 34 especies estudiadas presentaron una rareza extrema y constante a lo largo de toda su distribución. La determinación del nivel de rareza fue útil para identificar especies que pueden estar en peligro o que pueden necesitar más estudios. Este trabajo permitió indicar qué especies de Cactaceae son más vulnerables a las perturbaciones antropogénicas o naturales, en comparación con las especies comunes. Muchas de las especies Cactaceae identificadas aquí como raras fueron mencionados por la IUCN en las categorías intermedias de extinción, por lo que la rareza parece estar relacionada con la vulnerabilidad a la extinción en la parte más sur de los Andes Centrales.In this study, 34 Cactaceae species from the Calchaquíes Valleys, Argentina, were studied to determine 1) species rarity level, 2) proportion of rare species among taxonomic and ecological groups and, 3) whether rareness is consistently distributed throughout the species geographical ranges. We used a model where rarity is defined by the geographic range and the local population size to define species rarity. Rareness was not concentrated in any particular taxonomic or ecological group of Cactaceae; however 28 species were rare at some level. In most species, rarity varied across the geographical range, only five species remained consistently rare in all the surveyed populations. Six species qualified as extremely rare, all from the Cactoideae subfamily, four endemic to the southernmost Central Andes and differing in their growth forms. Only two of the 34 studied species, appeared as both extremely and consistently rare across its distribution. Determining rarity levels is useful for identifying species that may be in danger and/or in need for further studies. Rarity, used as an indicator of species vulnerability, allowed us, to identify Cactaceae species that are more vulnerable to anthropogenic or natural disturbance, compared with common species. Many of the Cactaceae species identified here as rare were mentioned by IUCN at intermediate categories of extinction. Our approach seems then to yield useful results and rareness in the present context appears to be related with vulnerability to extinction within the southernmost Central Andes

Extraordinary sensitizing effect of co-doped carbon nanodots derived from mate herb: application to enhanced photocatalytic degradation of chlorinated wastewater compounds under visible light

tThe present work investigates the role of two types of carbon nanodots (CNDs) as novel sensitizers of TiO2to create a visible-light driven photo-catalyst that is not only efficient for solar-driven pollution abate-ment, but also inexpensive, durable and environmentally-friendly. Two widely available green organicprecursors, the Argentinean herb Mate and the Stevia plant have been selected as the carbogenic sourceto thermally induce the formation of different types of CNDs with different levels of N and P doping andtunable photoluminescence response in the UV–vis-near infrared (NIR) ranges. These CNDs have beensuccessfully assembled with TiO2to form heterogeneous photocatalysts that are highly active in thevisible-light and NIR- driven photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), a persistent chlorinatedorganic compound present in numerous pesticide formulations

Arterial stiffness is associated with adipokine dysregulation in non-hypertensive obese mice

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Vascular Pharmacology 77 (2016): 38-47, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vph.2015.05.012The aim of this study was to characterize alterations in vascular structure and mechanics in murine mesenteric arteries from obese non-hypertensive mice, as well as their relationship with adipokines. Four-week old C57BL/6J male mice were assigned either to a control (C, 10% kcal from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD, 45% kcal from fat) for 32 weeks. HFD animals weighed 30% more than controls (p < 0.001), exhibited similar blood pressure, increased leptin, insulin and superoxide anion (O2radical dot−) levels, and reduced adiponectin levels and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Arterial structure showed an outward remodeling with an increase in total number of both adventitial and smooth muscle cells in HFD. Moreover, HFD mice exhibited an increased arterial stiffness assessed by β-values (C = 2.4 ± 0.5 vs HFD = 5.3 ± 0.8; p < 0.05) and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV, C = 3.4 ± 0.1 vs HFD = 3.9 ± 0.1; p < 0.05). β-Values and PWV positively correlated with leptin, insulin or O2radical dot− levels, whereas they negatively correlated with adiponectin levels and NO bioavailability (p < 0.01). A reduction in fenestrae number together with an increase in type-I collagen amount (p < 0.05) were observed in HFD. These data demonstrate that HFD accounts for the development of vascular remodeling and arterial stiffness associated with adipokine dysregulation and oxidative stress, independently of hypertension developmentThis work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Investigación (BFU2011-25303), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SAF2009-09714, SAF2011-25303, BFU2012-35353), Grupos Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM; GR-921641), Fundación Universitaria CEU-San Pablo, Fundación Mutua Madrileña and Sociedad para el Estudio de la Salud Cardiometabólica (SESCAMET). MGO is recipient of a Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia fellowshi

The molecular environment of the pillar-like features in the H ii region G46.5–0.2

At the interface of HII regions and molecular gas, peculiar structuresappear, some of them with pillar-like shapes. Understanding their originis important for characterizing triggered star formation and the impactof massive stars on the interstellar medium. In order to study themolecular environment and influence of radiation on two pillar-likefeatures related to the H ii region G46.5-0.2, we performed molecularline observations with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experimentand spectroscopic optical observations with the Isaac Newton Telescope.From the optical observations, we identified the star that is excitingthe H ii region as spectral type O4-6. The molecular data allowed us tostudy the structure of the pillars and an HCO+ cloud lyingbetween them. In this HCO+ cloud, which has no well-defined12CO counterpart, we found direct evidence of star formation:two molecular outflows and two associated near-IR nebulosities. Theoutflow axis orientation is perpendicular to the direction of theradiation flow from the HII region. Several Class I sources are alsoembedded in this HCO+ cloud, showing that it is usual thatyoung stellar objects (YSOs) form large associations occupying a cavitybounded by pillars. On the other hand, it was confirmed that theradiation-driven implosion (RDI) process is not occurring in one of thepillar tips.Fil: Paron, Sergio Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Celis Peña, Mariela Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Ortega, Martin Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Fariña, Cecilia Silvia. Isaac Newton Group Of Telescopes, Las Palmas, Iac; EspañaFil: Petriella, Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Rubio, M.. Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Ashley, R. P.. University Of Warwick; Reino Unid

Imbalance between pro and anti-oxidant mechanisms in perivascular adipose tissue aggravates long-term high-fat diet-derived endothelial dysfunction

Background: The hypothesis of this study is that long-term high-fat diets (HFD) induce perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) dysfunction characterized by a redox imbalance, which might contribute to aggravate endothelial dysfunction in obesity. Methods and Results: C57BL/6J mice were fed either control or HFD (45% kcal from fat) for 32 weeks. Body weight, lumbar and mesenteric adipose tissue weights were significantly higher in HFD animals compared to controls. The anticontractile effect of PVAT in mesenteric arteries (MA) was lost after 32 week HFD and mesenteric endothelial-dependent relaxation was significantly impaired in presence of PVAT in HFD mice (Emax = 71.0±5.1 vs Emax = 58.5±4.2, p<0.001). The inhibitory effect of L-NAME on Ach-induced relaxation was less intense in the HFD group compared with controls suggesting a reduction of endothelial NO availability. Expression of eNOS and NO bioavailability were reduced in MA and almost undetectable in mesenteric PVAT of the HFD group. Superoxide levels and NOX activity were higher in PVAT of HFD mice. Apocynin only reduced contractile responses to NA in HFD animals. Expression of ec-SOD and total SOD activity were significantly reduced in PVAT of HFD mice. No changes were observed in Mn-SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD or catalase. The ratio [GSSG]/([GSH]+[GSSG]) was 2-fold higher in the mesenteric PVAT from HFD animals compared to controls. Conclusions: We suggest that the imbalance between pro-oxidant (NOX, superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide) and antioxidant (eNOS, NO, ecSOD, GSSG) mechanisms in PVAT after long-term HFD might contribute to the aggravation of endothelial dysfunctionThis work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Investigación (BFU2011-25303), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SAF2009- 09714, SAF2011-25303, BFU2012-35353), Grupos Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM; GR-921641), Fundación Universitaria San Pablo-CEU, Fundación Mutua Madrileña and Sociedad para el Estudio de la Salud Cardiometabólica (SESCAMET). MGO and CFG-P are supported by Ministerio de Educación y Cienci