Spectral averaging techniques for Jacobi matrices

Spectral averaging techniques for one-dimensional discrete Schroedinger operators are revisited and extended. In particular, simultaneous averaging over several parameters is discussed. Special focus is put on proving lower bounds on the density of the averaged spectral measures. These Wegner type estimates are used to analyze stability properties for the spectral types of Jacobi matrices under local perturbations

Aplicació d’alta pressió sobre dissolucions aquoses de goma diutan: influència sobre les propietats reològiques

En este trabajo se estudia el efecto de aplicar alta presión sobre el comportamiento reológico de disoluciones acuosas de goma diutan con el objeto de ampliar su uso potencial. Muestras de goma diutan sin tratar y tratadas fueron comparadas usando ensayos de cizalla estacionaria y ensayos de cizalla oscilatoria de baja amplitud. Esto se ha hecho haciendo pasar una vez disoluciones acuosas de 0.5% en peso de goma diutan en 0 y 1% en peso de NaCl a través de un Microfluidizador M110P a 5000 psi (34,47 MPa). Inicialmente las disoluciones de goma diutan presentaron un comportamiento tipo gel débil con valores del módulo elástico por encima de los del módulo viscoso. Adicionalmente presentaron un comportamiento pseudoplástico, claramente no newtoniano, que se ajusta perfectamente al modelo de Carreau. Después de aplicar alta presión, las muestras ilustraron un cambio de comportamiento reológico. Se produce una fuerte destrucción estructural evidenciada por una disminución de viscosidad y la aparición de un comportamiento tipo líquido con valores de G” por encima de los de G’.In this work, the effect of applying high pressure on the rheological properties of diutan gum aqueous solutions in order to extend its potential use was studied. Untreated and treated diutan gum samples have been compared using steady and small amplitude oscillatory shear. This has been done passing once 0.5wt% diutan gum solutions in 0 and 1wt% NaCl through a Microfluidizer M110P at 5000 psi (34.47 Mpa). At first, the diutan gum solutions exhibited a gel-like behaviour with elastic modulus values above the viscous modulus values. Additionally, they showed a pseudoplastic behaviour, clearly no-Newtonian which succesfully fitted the Carreau model. After applying high pressure, the samples illustrated a modification of the rheological behaviour. An important structural destruction occurred. This was evidenced by a decrease of viscosity and the appearance of a liquid-like behaviour with G” above G’ values.En aquest treball s’estudia l’efecte d’aplicar alta pressió sobre el comportament reològic de dissolucions aquoses de goma diutan amb l’ objectiu d’ampliar el seu potencial d’us. Mostres de goma diutan sense tractar i d’altres tractades van ser comparades emprant assajos de cisalla estacionaria i assajos de cisalla oscil·latòria de baixa amplitud. Això s’ha obtingut, fent passar un cop dissolucions aquoses de 0.5% en pes de goma diutan en 0 i 1% en pes de NaCl a través d’un Microfluidizador M110P a 5000 psi (34,47 MPa). Inicialment les dissolucions de goma diutan presentaren un comportament tipus de gel dèbil amb valors del mòdul elàstic per sobre dels del mòdul viscos. Addicionalment presentaren un comportament pseudoplàstic, clarament no newtonià, que s’ajusta perfectament al model de Carreau. Després d’aplicar alta pressió, les mostres il·lustraren un canvi de comportament reològic. Es produeix una forta destrucció estructural evidenciada per una disminució de viscositat i l’aparició d’un comportament tipus líquid amb valores de G” per damunt dels de G’.Proyecto CTQ2011-27371 financiado por el Ministerio español de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)Comisión Europea (Programa FEDER)Dr. Ross Clark y CP Kelc

Lactate Oxidation in Endothelial Cells: A Feature of All Endothelial Cells?

Resumen de la comunicaciónMetabolism of endothelial cells is a topic that has gained an increasing interest in the last years. This is due to their role in the angiogenic process, which is pathologically upregulated in several diseases, such as retinopathies, diabetes and cancer. Glycolysis, among other metabolic routes, has been found to be essential for triggering the angiogenic switch. Additionally, it has been seen that endothelial cells are able to take up lactate from the extracellular media, for example in the case of the tumor microenvironment, where cancer cells would have secreted high amounts of this metabolite. Endothelial cells would oxidize this lactate for obtaining energy, but lactate can also act as a signaling molecule for the angiogenic process. However, experiments to determine the molecular fate of lactate have been performed using only macrovascular endothelial cells. The aim of the present work is to prove whether microvascular endothelial cells are also able to take up and oxidize lactate. For this purpose, fluorimetry, isotopic labeling and Seahorse experiments were used to study the metabolism of a human microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC). The expression levels of transcripts and proteins of different enzymes and transporters related to lactate metabolism were estimated by qPCR and Western blotting. The results obtained indicate that these cells rely on glycolysis for their metabolism, while the oxidation of glucose and glutamine seems to be considerably low. On the other hand, no lactate oxidation could be detected. We then checked the mRNA expression of the two isoenzymes of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the two main lactate transporters, MCT1 and MCT4, and found that levels of LDH-B and MCT1 were undetectable. We failed to measure any MCT1 mRNA or protein expression either in normoxia or hypoxia. Hence, we can conclude that at least this microvascular endothelial cell line cannot use extracellular lactate as a metabolic fuel.Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain). This communicaction has the support of a travel grant "Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech"

News territorials configurations in the southwestern edge of the City of San Juan as a result of implementing housing policies

En la expansión urbana dispersa hacia el sur-oeste de la Ciudad de San Juan sin un plan integrado de desarrollo y sobre espacios tradicionalmente dedicados a la agricultura intensiva, se destaca por un lado la construcción, desde el año 2005, de barrios con viviendas de interés social, destinados a población socialmente vulnerable erradicada de asentamientos irregulares y por otro, el mejoramiento habitacional a grupos con niveles de ingresos medio - bajos. El objetivo del presente artículo es mostrar las nuevas configuraciones producidas a raíz de la implementación de la política pública de vivienda. Se realizaron sucesivos relevamientos del área de estudio a fin de corroborar las progresivas transformaciones territoriales, complementándose con análisis de bases de datos censales provistos por el Instituto Provincial de la Vivienda. Los resultados muestran la conformación de territorios de borde en los que la producción del uso de suelo residencial es progresiva, lo cual hace prever a mediano plazo una tendencia al cambio de uso del suelo rural a urbano o su transformación en urbanizable. Las nuevas configuraciones territoriales tienen al Estado como actor principal, pero el abordaje sectorial si bien permite el acceso a la vivienda digna, acentúa los problemas de movilidad intraurbana, disponibilidad de equipamientos e infraestructura y provisión de servicios, situaciones que podrían ser evitadas si se lograra integrar las políticas habitacionales con estrategias de desarrollo y ordenamiento territorial, orientadas hacia el crecimiento urbano sostenible.In the urban sprawl towards the southwest of the City of San Juan- without an integrated approach development and spaces traditionally devoted to intensive agriculture it stands out on the one hand the construction from year 2005 of neighborhoods with social interest housing, intended for socially vulnerable population eradicated from irregular settlements and on the other housing improvement for groups with levels of lower middle income. The objectives of this paper is to show the new configurations produced the wake of the implementation housing policy. Successive surveys were done of the study area to corroborate the progressive territorial transformations complemented through analysis of census databases and provided by the Provincial Housing Institute. The results show the conformation of edge of territories where the production of residential land use is progressive, which seems to indicate a medium term trend change of use of rural soil to urban or to urbanize The new territorial configurations have the state as the main actor, but the sectorial approacheven though allows access to decent housing, accentuates the problems o intra-urban mobility availability of equipment and infrastructure and provision of services, situations that could be avoided if it were possible integrate housing policies with development strategies and spatial planning, geared towards sustainable urban growth.Fil: Jofré, R. del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de San JuanFil: Sarracina, Andrea E.. Universidad Nacional de San Jua

Contraste entre los patrones de crecimiento NCHS y los nuevos patrones OMS, para la población mexicana menor de 5 años en un Centro de Salud. Diferencias en las estimaciones

Introducción: Con el objeto de evaluar Ias posibles diferencias para la población mexicana de los nuevos patrones de crecimiento de la OMS, con los patrones utilizados y normados actualmente, se realizaron las estimaciones de cada curva para Ia población menor de 5 años, atendida en un Centro de Salud de Atención Primaria, usando puntuación Z. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal, descriptivo y observacional, utilizando el registro realizado en la Tarjeta de Control de Nutrición de dicho Centro de Salud, en niños menores de 5 años. Se estimaron los diversos índices antropométricos, utilizando el software de la Organización Mundial de Ia Salud (OMS) Anthro 3.2.2, así como Las curvas de crecimiento NCHS correspondientes. Resultados: La muestra analizada fue de 93 niños menores de 5 años, 46.2% sexo femenino y 53.8% sexo masculino, encontrándose una disminución en Ia estimación de bajo peso/talla baja en todos los grupos de edad, con aumento en las estimaciones de sobrepeso/talla alta, no siendo esto del todo concordante con la premisa dada por Ia OMS al publicar sus patrones de crecimiento en 2006. Conclusiones: Existieron diferencias de consideración entre los 2 patrones. En el caso de la población mexicana en general, la estimación de bajo peso/talla disminuyó, con aumento en la estimación de sobrepeso/talla alta, lo cual puede en determinado momento ser decisivo si los resultados se extrapolan a la población pediátrica atendida en el primer nivel de atención, sin embargo son necesarios mayores estudios para determinar esto

PAMP-triggered immunity against Pseudomonas syringae involves microRNA-mediated regulation of several uncharacterized R genes

Two main types of noncoding small RNA molecules have been found in plants: microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). They differ in their biogenesis and mode of action, but share similar sizes (20-24 nt). Their precursors are processed by Dicer-Like RNase III (dcl) proteins present in Arabidopsis thaliana, and in their mature form can act as negative regulators of gene expression, being involved in a vast array of plant processes, including plant development, genomic integrity or response to stress. Small-RNA mediated regulation can occurs at transcriptional level (TGS) or at post-transcriptional level (PTGS). In recent years, the role of gene silencing in the regulation of expression of genes related to plant defence responses against bacterial pathogens is becoming clearer. Comparisons carried out in our lab between the expression profiles of different mutants affected in gene silencing, and plants challenged with Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato DC3000, led us to identify a set of uncharacterized R genes, belonging to the TIR-NBS-LRR gene family, differentially expressed in these conditions. Through the use of bioinformatics tools, we found a miRNA* of 22 nt putatively responsible for down-regulating expression of these R genes through the generation of siRNAs. We have also found that the corresponding pri-miRNA is down-regulated after PAMP-perception in a SA-dependent manner. We also demonstrate that plants with altered levels of miRNA* (knockdown lines or overexpression lines) exhibit altered PTI-associated phenotypes, suggesting a role for this miRNA* in this defence response against bacteria. In addition we identify one of the target genes as a negative regulator of defence response against Pseudomonas syringae.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. MINECO, FEDE

Positive schizotypy increases the acceptance of unpresented materials in false memory tasks in non-clinical individuals

Enhanced spreading of semantic activation has been hypothesized to underlie some of the most significant symptoms of schizotypal personality, like thought disorder, odd speech, delusion, or magical thinking. We applied the Deese/Roediger-McDermott false memory task to the study of semantic activation in a group of 123 non-clinical individuals varying in the three dimensions of schizotypal personality: positive, negative and disorganized schizotypy. In the study phase, we presented them with lists composed of words semantically associated to unpresented critical words. Then, they responded to a recognition questionnaire including previously presented words and critical unpresented lures, as well as weakly related and unrelated unpresented lures. Participants rated their confidence in recognizing each word. They also filled in a standardized schizotypal personality questionnaire. Confirming the false memory effect, recognition ratings provided in response to critical words were higher than those produced for both weakly related and unrelated items. Crucially, scores in the positive dimension increased recognition percentages and confidence ratings for weakly related and unrelated lures. This study indicates that high levels of positive schizotypy might influence the tendency to accept false memories of unrelated unpresented material

The effect of the gas flow-rate on the radial structure of a torch-like helium plasma

The effect of the gas flow-rate on the radial structure of a torch-like helium microwave plasma has been studied by measuring the radial distributions of emission intensity of spectral lines from helium and from the air that surrounds the discharge. It has been found that increasing the gas flow-rate leads to an increase of the maximum of the spectral lines and a shift of these emission peaks toward the plasma edge. Apart from that, it is found that the entrainment of air into the plasma increases with the flow-rate

Tuning Proton Conductivity Properties of Lanthanide Amino-Sulfophosphonates-Loaded Nafion Composite Membranes

Polymer-based electrolytes in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) utilize acidic groups as proton carriers and hydrogen bonding networks as proton-conducting pathways to facilitate proton transport. Crystalline acid-functionalized metal phosphonates are potential proton conductors while maintaining a high hydration degree below 100 °C. This property may be combined with Nafion-like polymers which tend to dehydrate at the operating conditions of PEMFCs [1,2]. In this work, preliminary results of the preparation of lanthanide amino-sulfophosphonates-loaded Nafion composites membranes and the corresponding electrical properties are reported. Synthesis conditions of lanthanide derivatives were optimized following a hightrough-put screening at 140 °C. Their crystal structures, solved from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data, corresponds to layered frameworks where the acidic groups, -CPO3H or -SO3H, point toward the interlamellar region interacting by H-bond with the lattice water. The composites were prepared by mixing the metal phosphonates with Nafion solution at different loadings. The membranes were characterized by SEM, XRD and FT-IR. A study of the proton conductivity as a function of the composite membranes was carried out at 90 °C and 95% RH. Referencias [1] Y. Gao, R. Broersen, W. Hageman, N. Yan, M. C. Mittelmeijer-Hazeleger, G. Rothenberg, S. Tanase. J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, 3, 22347–22352. [2] A. Cabeza, P. Olivera-Pastor, R. M. P. Colodrero. Tailored Organic-Inorganic Materials, Brunet, E., Colón, J.L., Clearfield, A., Eds.; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2015; Ch. 4, 137−191.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech