90Sr uptake in the freshwater liverwort Riccia fluitans L.

90Sr is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. This artificial radioisotope is present in natural ecosystems as the results of radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons or releases during nuclear power plants accidents; because of its similarity with Ca*2 is quickly incorporated into the biota. The high mobility of Sr+2 in aquatic compared with terrestrial ecosystems makes the uptake and accumulation of 90Sr+2 higher in aquatic than in terrestrial plants. Here we analyse the uptake rate, kinetics and retention, concentration factor (CF) of 90Sr in the freshwater liverwort Riccia fluiants. 90Sr uptake by R. fluitnas shows a bi-phasic kinetics that fits the Michaelis & Menten model in both micro and milimolar concentration ranges. Apparent semi-saturation constants (KM) were 15 µM and 2 mM for the high and low affinity ranges, respectively. The presence of the K+ channels blocker tetraethyamonium (10 mM TEA) inhibits 90Sr uptake by a 25%. However, the presence of 1 mM La+3 completely inhibits 90Sr uptake in this plant. Maximum incorporation rate occurs at alkaline external pH (8.3), either in plants grown in the presence of K+ or in the absence. Finally, gradual increases of the Ca2+ concentration in the medium progressively inhibits 90Sr uptake. CF values are higher in K+ -deficient plants, CF maximum of 1500, than in K+ -sufficient, (maximum CF of 600) and show similar responses to inhibitors, pH or Ca2+. CF values progressively decrease at increasing external Ca2+ concentrations, higher CF values are found at pH 8.3 but lower values are observed in the presence of TEA, being close to zero in the presence of La+3. The different 90Sr uptake rates in K+-sufficient and K+-deficient plants and TEA sensitivity indicate that one part of 90Sr would be transported through non-selective cation channels. Furthermore, Ca2+ and La3+ sensitivities suggest that 90Sr could be incorporated through Ca2+ channels.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Spanish MINECO: BFU2017-85117-R and BIO2016-81957-RED

Towards product platform introduction: optimising commonality of components

Companies that design and manufacture products for a wide range of related applications need to offer the right product for each use. A platform design strategy allows designing the product range based on product platforms, where some of the components and systems are common across the range whereas other components are individual for each product variant. This paper presents the problems that a company faces when trying to introduce a platform strategy and outlines a method to find suitable components to be made common. The method is shown with a simple case. The approach uses fuzzy logic to obtain a suitable criterion to assess the overall value of the product line and a genetic algorithm for finding the set of components to be made commo

Product Family Design Using Product Simulation and Multi-objective Optimization

This study is concerned with the design of a range of products intended to cover different applications. The prominent example throughout the thesis is that of a family of industrial trucks that need to cater for a wide range of load capacities. That product range is normally built around platforms, i.e. basic sets of components that are common to some or all of the products in the range. With this approach, each product is made up of those common components and additionally other components that are specifically suited for each particular product. The outcome of this thesis is a novel method to assess the possible combinations of common/specific components to build up a product range to cover a predetermined set of user applications and provide the company with a clear view of the trade-off between offering customer appealing products and keeping the costs down. The method uses a combination of mathematical modelling and simulation for estimating the relevant performance attributes of each possible product design, fuzzy logic to reduce the naturally large number of objectives to a manageable one and a multi-objective searching algorithm to find a Pareto set of solutions to provide the decision makers with clear and useful information with which they can take a better decision

¿Un derecho fundamental a la reinserción social?: reflexiones acerca del artículo 25.2 de la CE

[Resumen] La naturaleza de la resocialización y reinserción social como un auténtico dere- cho fundamental -recogidas en el artículo 25.2 de la Constitución española-, ha sido objeto de un intenso análisis y discusión por parte de la doctrina y la jurisprudencia. En este artículo se recogen las distintas posturas al respecto, así como los argumentos que se entienden decisivos para entender a la reinserción y reeducación social como un auténtico derecho fundamental. Del mismo modo, el análisis no olvida que a pesar de la importancia del debate, este queda ensombrecido por el hecho de que el ideal reso- cializador vive una profunda crisis.[Abstract] The nature of the resocialization and reintegration into society as a authentic fundamental right –collected in article 25.2 of the Spanish Constitution-, has been the sub- ject of an intense analysis and discussion by the doctrine and the jurisprudence. This article lists the different positions on the subject, as well as the arguments that are crit- ical to understanding the social reintegration and rehabilitation as a genuine fundamen- tal right. In the same way, the analysis does not forget that, despite the importance of the debate, this is overshadowed by the fact that the ideal resocializing seeing a pro- found crisis

Evolución comparada de los parámetros fisiológicos en triatletas y ciclistas de élite a lo largo de una temporada

Con el objetivo de evaluar la adaptación de dos grupos de deportistas de resistencia a las cargas de entrenamiento aplicadas, se realizó un control de volumen e intensidad del mismo diariamente durante los mesociclos de trabajo general y específicos, previos a la etapa de competición, según modelos de planificación tradicionales, en tres momentos de la temporada, coincidiendo en el inicio y finalización de esos dos mesociclos se realizaron controles de adaptación mediante pruebas antropométricas, ergoesprirométricas, analíticas sanguíneas y de nutrición, obteniendo los datos para la posterior comparación entre grupos y momentos de temporada. De entre los resultados más relevantes se extraen mejoras entre un 8% y un 9% de consumo de oxígeno máximo, de un 6% a un 10% del primer umbral ventilatorio y de un 3% a un 7% del segundo umbral ventilatorio, así como descensos en las principales variables de serie roja asociados al volumen de entrenamiento pudiendo llegar a considerarse como estados de pseudoanemia del deportista. Se concluye que un modelo de aplicación de las cargas más continuo, como el empleado por los ciclistas mejoran más el umbral ventilatorio y es más adecuado para prolongados períodos de competición, mientras que un modelo de cargas más concentradas, como el aplicado por los triatletas, mejoran más el segundo umbral ventilatorio y es mas adecuado para la puesta a punto de una competición única

Justicia penal internacional versus impunidad: ¿La Corte Penal Internacional?

[Resumen] En este artículo se pretende poner de manifiesto cómo las limitaciones estructurales y, en definitiva, la falta de independencia de la Corte Penal Internacional hacen de ésta no sólo un mecanismo ineficaz para la persecución de los crímenes contra la humanidad, sino que su deficiente actividad la convierte en un mecanismo potencialmente peligroso que contribuye indirectamente al enraizamiento de la impunidad