An artifact in fits to conic-based surfaces

It is common in Physiological Optics to fit the corneal and the lens surfaces to conic-based surfaces (usually ellipse-based surfaces), obtaining their characteristic radius of curvature and asphericity. Here we show that the variation in radius and asphericity due to experimental noise is strongly correlated. This correlation is seen both in experimental data of the corneal topographer Pentacam and in simulations. We also show that the effect is a characteristic of the geometry of ellipses, and not restricted to any experimental device or fitting procedure.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Mapping ERA-NETs across Europe: Overview of the ERA-NET Scheme and its Results

This report provides a first mapping of the active ERA-NETs as well as a battery of indicators to characterise the transnational networks. It has been produced as part of NETWATCH (http://netwatch.jrc.ec.europa.eu), a main aim of which is the development and implementation of an analytical framework for transnational R&D collaboration at European level. This mapping provides a snap-shot of the ERA-NET landscape at the time of the analysis and involves collecting information along a range of dimensions that 'characterise' ERA-NETs (e.g. number of countries involved, joint activities developed, thematic coverage, etc.). The data collection for the first mapping exercise was carried out by JRC-IPTS between October 2009 and January 2010. It was organised through an online questionnaire that was sent to the coordinators of the running ERA-NETs via the NETWATCH information platform. The scope of the mapping includes data from a total of 47 active ERA-NETs, from which: 32 are FP7 ERA-NETs; 8 are ERA-NETs Plus, and 7 are FP6 ERA-NETs (running at least until the end of 2010).JRC.DDG.J.3-Knowledge for Growt

A Discussion of Thin Client Technology for Computer Labs

Computer literacy is not negotiable for any professional in an increasingly computerised environment. Educational institutions should be equipped to provide this new basic training for modern life. Accordingly, computer labs are an essential medium for education in almost any field. Computer labs are one of the most popular IT infrastructures for technical training in primary and secondary schools, universities and other educational institutions all over the world. Unfortunately, a computer lab is expensive, in terms of both initial purchase and annual maintenance costs, and especially when we want to run the latest software. Hence, research efforts addressing computer lab efficiency, performance or cost reduction would have a worldwide repercussion. In response to this concern, this paper presents a survey on thin client technology for computer labs in educational environments. Besides setting out the advantages and drawbacks of this technology, we aim to refute false prejudices against thin clients, identifying a set of educational scenarios where thin clients are a better choice and others requiring traditional solutions

Enhanced CO2 Methanation by New Microstructured Reactor Concept and Design

A novel multichannel minireactor with channel internal diameter in the range of millimeters has been conceptually designed and constructed. Its configuration confers to the new concept reactor some features and advantages compared to conventional fixed-bed reactors g.e. better mass-transfer, avoid hot-spots formation, increased performance (10–20%). Consequently, this new reactor concept is ideal to be applied to exothermic reactions such as the Sabatier reaction that demands continuous removal of the heat produced to avoid hot-spot formation and the sintering of the catalyst. Thanks to its configuration, this reactor could control effectively the heat generated by the reaction and several tests were carried out to validate the reactor features. The results obtained demonstrate that the catalysts activity in the reaction is improved with the application of the novel reactor respect the conventional fixed- and fluidized-bed ones and neither catalyst sintering, nor pressure drop was appreciated during the catalytic tests. At the best reaction conditions, Tecnalia’s multichannel minireactor can handle 820 Nm3/h of CO2 per square meter of channel section showing the enormous potential of the new reactor concept.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) funding under the project RENOVAGAS (RTC-2014-2975-3). Likewise, the authors want to acknowledge the valuable contribution of other colleagues from other entities participating in the project

COX7A2L Is a Mitochondrial Complex III Binding Protein that Stabilizes the III2+IV Supercomplex without Affecting Respirasome Formation

Mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) complexes I, III, and IV associate into a variety of supramolecular structures known as supercomplexes and respirasomes. While COX7A2L was originally described as a supercomplex-specific factor responsible for the dynamic association of complex IV into these structures to adapt MRC function to metabolic variations, this role has been disputed. Here, we further examine the functional significance of COX7A2L in the structural organization of the mammalian respiratory chain. As in the mouse, human COX7A2L binds primarily to free mitochondrial complex III and, to a minor extent, to complex IV to specifically promote the stabilization of the III+IV supercomplex without affecting respirasome formation. Furthermore, COX7A2L does not affect the biogenesis, stabilization, and function of the individual oxidative phosphorylation complexes. These data show that independent regulatory mechanisms for the biogenesis and turnover of different MRC supercomplex structures co-exist.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant numbers PI11-00182 and PI14-00209 to C.U., PI12-01683 to M.A.M., and PI12-00933 to S.C.), by Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (P2010/BMD-2361 to C.U. and P2010/BMD-2402 to M.A.M. and S.C.), by European FEDER Funds, by Association Française contre les Myopathies (16086) to E.F.V., by an European Research Council advanced investigator grant (268897) and grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB829) and the Swedish Research Council (2015-00418) to N.G.L., and by NIH-NIGMS (1R01GM105781-01) to C.U.Peer Reviewe

Tiempo de silencio: una imagen de España a través de la renovación en la literatura y en el cine

El contenido de este artículo se centra en el cotejo de la novela, Tiempo de Silencio y su adaptación cinematográfica, ya que la misma renovación que supuso la novela en el terreno de las letras (no sólo por su contenido, sino principalmente por la utilización del lenguaje poético), tuvo su reflejo en el cine en lo que se refiere a la capacidad que en este caso tuvo el lenguaje fílmico para mostrar la realidad española. La película, al igual que la novela, resulta un relato sórdido en el que el hombre parece haber perdido el rumbo; así, el desencanto y el desasosiego ante la realidad es reflejado en ambos soportes, texto literario y filme, como eje temático y formal