Puente Tensairity para pasarela peatonal en el PMT-UPC de Castelldefels (737-PRO-CA-5385)

Actualmente el espacio formado por el “Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia” y el Campus Universitario de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (PMT-UPC) de Castelldefels está en expansión. Es por ello que se está pensando en la construcción de dos pasarelas peatonales para cruzar la laguna de laminación de la “Olla del Rei”, conectando de esta forma el PMT-UPC con el paseo del Pitort. Dado que el PMT-UPC pretende ser un referente ambiental y tecnológico, se plantea como alternativa óptima la construcción de una pasarela peatonal ligera diseñada mediante una novedosa tecnología neumática conocida y patentada con el nombre de Tensairity®. Las estructuras ligeras son un reto para el ingeniero estructural y un importante avance hacia una arquitectura sostenible. Tensairity® es un concepto que hace referencia a estructuras neumáticas ligeras basadas en una sutil interacción entre cables, elementos de compresión, membranas y aire a baja presión. En Tensairity®, compresión y tracción están físicamente separados por una membrana de tejido hinchada a baja presión, el fin de la cual es, por un lado pretensar el elemento de tracción, y por el otro estabilizar el elemento de compresión frente al pandeo. Esto permite llevar al material hasta su límite plástico, tanto para tracción como para compresión, dando como resultado vigas que pueden ser varios órdenes de magnitud más ligeras que las vigas metálicas convencionales, manteniendo siempre su misma capacidad de carga. Aplicaciones ideales para esta tecnología son cerchas, estructuras con grandes luces, estructuras temporales, pasarelas peatonales o incluso estructuras de despliegue rápido para casos de emergencia, entre otras. La pasarela peatonal objeto de este proyecto está compuesta por dos partes bien diferenciadas, una pasarela Tensairity® que cruza la laguna de laminación y dos estructuras de madera a modo de embarcaderos, una a cada lado de la pasarela y donde ésta se apoya hasta alcanzar los caminos que bordean el trazado de la laguna. La pasarela Tensairity® está formada por dos vigas Tensairity® compuestas cada una de ellas por un tubo hinchable de PVC en cuya parte superior se apoya una viga de madera a modo de elemento de compresión y en su parte inferior una cinta de carga a modo de elemento de tracción. Sobre estas dos vigas se sustenta la superestructura de la pasarela formada por vigas transversales de madera sobre las que se apoya el tablero y las barandillas, también de madera. Las estructuras de apoyo se construyen igualmente en madera, con una tipología estructural similar al de la pasarela y mediante el uso de pilotes que recuerda en cierta manera los embarcaderos presentes en los ríos, de forma que la estructura completa esté integrada en el entorno

A survey of cost-sensitive decision tree induction algorithms

The past decade has seen a significant interest on the problem of inducing decision trees that take account of costs of misclassification and costs of acquiring the features used for decision making. This survey identifies over 50 algorithms including approaches that are direct adaptations of accuracy based methods, use genetic algorithms, use anytime methods and utilize boosting and bagging. The survey brings together these different studies and novel approaches to cost-sensitive decision tree learning, provides a useful taxonomy, a historical timeline of how the field has developed and should provide a useful reference point for future research in this field

Genome-Wide Association Study for Serum Omega-3 and Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Exploratory Analysis of the Sex-Specific Effects and Dietary Modulation in Mediterranean Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.

Many early studies presented beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on cardiovascular risk factors and disease. However, results from recent meta-analyses indicate that this effect would be very low or nil. One of the factors that may contribute to the inconsistency of the results is that, in most studies, genetic factors have not been taken into consideration. It is known that fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster in chromosome 11 is a very important determinant of plasma PUFA, and that the prevalence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) varies greatly between populations and may constitute a bias in meta-analyses. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been carried out in other populations and none of them have investigated sex and Mediterranean dietary pattern interactions at the genome-wide level. Our aims were to undertake a GWAS to discover the genes most associated with serum PUFA concentrations (omega-3, omega-6, and some fatty acids) in a scarcely studied Mediterranean population with metabolic syndrome, and to explore sex and adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) interactions at the genome-wide level. Serum PUFA were determined by NMR spectroscopy. We found strong robust associations between various SNPs in the FADS cluster and omega-3 concentrations (top-ranked in the adjusted model: FADS1-rs174547, p = 3.34 × 10-14; FADS1-rs174550, p = 5.35 × 10-14; FADS2-rs1535, p = 5.85 × 10-14; FADS1-rs174546, p = 6.72 × 10-14; FADS2-rs174546, p = 9.75 × 10-14; FADS2- rs174576, p = 1.17 × 10-13; FADS2-rs174577, p = 1.12 × 10-12, among others). We also detected a genome-wide significant association with other genes in chromosome 11: MYRF (myelin regulatory factor)-rs174535, p = 1.49 × 10-12; TMEM258 (transmembrane protein 258)-rs102275, p = 2.43 × 10-12; FEN1 (flap structure-specific endonuclease 1)-rs174538, p = 1.96 × 10-11). Similar genome-wide statistically significant results were found for docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA). However, no such associations were detected for omega-6 PUFAs or linoleic acid (LA). For total PUFA, we observed a consistent gene*sex interaction with the DNTTIP2 (deoxynucleotidyl transferase terminal interacting protein 2)-rs3747965 p = 1.36 × 10-8. For adherence to MedDiet, we obtained a relevant interaction with the ME1 (malic enzyme 1) gene (a gene strongly regulated by fat) in determining serum omega-3. The top-ranked SNP for this interaction was ME1-rs3798890 (p = 2.15 × 10-7). In the regional-wide association study, specifically focused on the FADS1/FASD2/FADS3 and ELOVL (fatty acid elongase) 2/ELOVL 5 regions, we detected several statistically significant associations at p < 0.05. In conclusion, our results confirm a robust role of the FADS cluster on serum PUFA in this population, but the associations vary depending on the PUFA. Moreover, the detection of some sex and diet interactions underlines the need for these associations/interactions to be studied in all specific populations so as to better understand the complex metabolism of PUFA.This study was partially funded, by the Spanish Ministry of Health (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) and the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad-Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (grants CIBER 06/03, PI06/1326, PI13/00728, PI16/00366, SAF2016–80532-R and FPU 18/01703); the University Jaume I (grants P1–1B2013–54 and COGRUP/2016/06); the Rei Jaume I Award for Medical Research 2018; the Fundació La Marató de TV3 (grant 538/U/2016); and the Generalitat Valenciana (grants PROMETEO2017/017, AEST/2018/044 and APOSTD/2019/136) and the US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (grant 8050–51000--098--00D).N

Quantification of CH4_{4} emissions from waste disposal sites near the city of Madrid using ground- and space-based observations of COCCON, TROPOMI and IASI

The objective of this study is to derive methane (CH$_{4}$) emissions from three landfills, which are found to be the most significant CH$_{4}$ sources in the metropolitan area of Madrid in Spain. We derive CH$_{4}$ emissions from the CH$_{4}$ enhancements observed by spaceborne and ground-based instruments. We apply satellite-based measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) together with measurements from the ground-based COllaborative Carbon Column Observing Network (COCCON) instruments. In 2018, a 2-week field campaign for measuring the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases was performed in Madrid in the framework of Monitoring of the Greenhouse Gases Concentrations in Madrid (MEGEI-MAD) project. Five COCCON instruments were deployed at different locations around the Madrid city center, enabling the observation of total column-averaged CH$_{4}$ mixing ratios (XCH$_{4}$). Considering the prevalent wind regimes, we calculate the wind-assigned XCH$_{4}$ anomalies for two opposite wind directions. Pronounced bipolar plumes are found when applying the method to NO$_{2}$, which implies that our method of wind-assigned anomaly is suitable to estimate enhancements of trace gases at the urban level from satellite-based measurements. For quantifying the CH$_{4}$ emissions, the wind-assigned plume method is applied to the TROPOMI XCH$_{4}$ and to the lower tropospheric CH$_{4}$  dry-air column ratio (TXCH$_{4}$) of the combined TROPOMI+IASI product. As CH$_{4}$ emission strength we estimate 7.4 × 10$^{25}$ ± 6.4 × 10$^{24}$ molec. s$^{-1}$ from the TROPOMI XCH$_{4}$ data and 7.1 × 10$^{25}$ ± 1.0 × 10$^{25}$ molec. s$^{-1}$ from the TROPOMI+IASI merged TXCH$_{4}$ data. We use COCCON observations to estimate the local source strength as an independent method. COCCON observations indicate a weaker CH$_{4}$ emission strength of 3.7 × 1025 molec. s$^{-1}$ from a local source (the Valdemingómez waste plant) based on observations from a single day. This strength is lower than the one derived from the satellite observations, and it is a plausible result. This is because the analysis of the satellite data refers to a larger area, covering further emission sources in the study region, whereas the signal observed by COCCON is generated by a nearby local source. All emission rates estimated from the different observations are significantly larger than the emission rates provided via the official Spanish Register of Emissions and Pollutant Sources

Genome-Wide Association Study for Serum Omega-3 and Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Exploratory Analysis of the Sex-Specific Effects and Dietary Modulation in Mediterranean Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome

Many early studies presented beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on cardiovascular risk factors and disease. However, results from recent meta-analyses indicate that this effect would be very low or nil. One of the factors that may contribute to the inconsistency of the results is that, in most studies, genetic factors have not been taken into consideration. It is known that fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster in chromosome 11 is a very important determinant of plasma PUFA, and that the prevalence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) varies greatly between populations and may constitute a bias in meta-analyses. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been carried out in other populations and none of them have investigated sex and Mediterranean dietary pattern interactions at the genome-wide level. Our aims were to undertake a GWAS to discover the genes most associated with serum PUFA concentrations (omega-3, omega-6, and some fatty acids) in a scarcely studied Mediterranean population with metabolic syndrome, and to explore sex and adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) interactions at the genome-wide level. Serum PUFA were determined by NMR spectroscopy. We found strong robust associations between various SNPs in the FADS cluster and omega-3 concentrations (top-ranked in the adjusted model: FADS1-rs174547, p = 3.34 × 10-14; FADS1-rs174550, p = 5.35 × 10-14; FADS2-rs1535, p = 5.85 × 10-14; FADS1-rs174546, p = 6.72 × 10-14; FADS2-rs174546, p = 9.75 × 10-14; FADS2- rs174576, p = 1.17 × 10-13; FADS2-rs174577, p = 1.12 × 10-12, among others). We also detected a genome-wide significant association with other genes in chromosome 11: MYRF (myelin regulatory factor)-rs174535, p = 1.49 × 10-12; TMEM258 (transmembrane protein 258)-rs102275, p = 2.43 × 10-12; FEN1 (flap structure-specific endonuclease 1)-rs174538, p = 1.96 × 10-11). Similar genome-wide statistically significant results were found for docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA). However, no such associations were detected for omega-6 PUFAs or linoleic acid (LA). For total PUFA, we observed a consistent gene*sex interaction with the DNTTIP2 (deoxynucleotidyl transferase terminal interacting protein 2)-rs3747965 p = 1.36 × 10-8. For adherence to MedDiet, we obtained a relevant interaction with the ME1 (malic enzyme 1) gene (a gene strongly regulated by fat) in determining serum omega-3. The top-ranked SNP for this interaction was ME1-rs3798890 (p = 2.15 × 10-7). In the regional-wide association study, specifically focused on the FADS1/FASD2/FADS3 and ELOVL (fatty acid elongase) 2/ELOVL 5 regions, we detected several statistically significant associations at p < 0.05. In conclusion, our results confirm a robust role of the FADS cluster on serum PUFA in this population, but the associations vary depending on the PUFA. Moreover, the detection of some sex and diet interactions underlines the need for these associations/interactions to be studied in all specific populations so as to better understand the complex metabolism of PUFA

The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk: An In-Depth Review of the PREDIMED

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. Diet is known to be important in the prevention of CVD. The PREDIMED trial tested a relatively low-fat diet versus a high-fat Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) for the primary prevention of CVD. The resulting reduction of the CV composite outcome resulted in a paradigm shift in CV nutrition. Though many dietary factors likely contributed to this effect, this review focuses on the influence of the MedDiet on endogenous antioxidant systems and the effect of dietary polyphenols. Subgroup analysis of the PREDIMED trial revealed increased endogenous antioxidant and decreased pro-oxidant activity in the MedDiet groups. Moreover, higher polyphenol intake was associated with lower incidence of the primary outcome, overall mortality, blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, onset of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity. This suggests that polyphenols likely contributed to the lower incidence of the primary event in the MedDiet groups. In this article, we summarize the potential benefits of polyphenols found in the MedDiet, specifically the PREDIMED cohort. We also discuss the need for further research to confirm and expand the findings of the PREDIMED in a non-Mediterranean population and to determine the exact mechanisms of action of polyphenols

Small but crucial : the novel small heat shock protein Hsp21 mediates stress adaptation and virulence in Candida albicans

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Hsp90 orchestrates transcriptional regulation by Hsf1 and cell wall remodelling by MAPK signalling during thermal adaptation in a pathogenic yeast

Acknowledgments We thank Rebecca Shapiro for creating CaLC1819, CaLC1855 and CaLC1875, Gillian Milne for help with EM, Aaron Mitchell for generously providing the transposon insertion mutant library, Jesus Pla for generously providing the hog1 hst7 mutant, and Cathy Collins for technical assistance.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Deficiency of Pkc1 activity affects glycerol metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In pressProtein kinase C is apparently involved in the control of many cellular systems: the cell wall integrity pathway, the synthesis of ribosomes, the appropriated reallocation of transcription factors under specific stress conditions and also the regulation of N-glycosylation activity. All these observations suggest the existence of additional targets not yet identified. In the context of the control of carbon metabolism, previous data demonstrated that Pkc1 p might play a central role in the control of cellular growth and metabolism in yeast. In particular, it has been suggested that it might be involved in the derepression of genes under glucose-repression by driving an appropriated subcellular localization of transcriptional factors, such as Mig1 p. In this work, we show that pkc1∆ mutant is unable to grow on glycerol because it cannot perform the derepression of GUT1 gene that encodes for glycerol kinase. Additionally, active transport is also partially affected. Using this phenotype, we were able to isolate a new pkc1∆ revertant. We also isolated two transformants identified as the nuclear exportin Msn5 and the histone deacetylase Hos2 extragenic suppressors of this mutation. Based on these results, we postulate that Pkc1 p may be involved in the control of the cellular localization and/or regulation of the activity of nuclear proteins implicated in gene expression.Fundação Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (FUFOP). Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) - CBS-1875/95. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) - 300998/89-9 to R.L.B., 301255/01-6 to L.G.F

Operando and Postreaction Diffraction Imaging of the La-Sr/CaO Catalyst in the Oxidative Coupling of Methane Reaction

A La−Sr/CaO catalyst was studied operando during the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction using the X-ray diffraction computed tomography technique. Full-pattern Rietveld analysis was performed in order to track the evolving solid-state chemistry during the temperature ramp, OCM reaction, as well as after cooling to room temperature. We observed a uniform distribution of the catalyst main components: La2O3, CaO−SrO mixed oxide, and the hightemperature rhombohedral polymorph of SrCO3. These were stable initially in the reaction; however, doubling the gas hourly space velocity resulted in the decomposition of SrCO3 to SrO, which subsequently led to the formation of a second CaO−SrO mixed oxide. These two mixed CaO−SrO oxides differed in terms of the extent of Sr incorporation into their unit cell. By applying Vegard’s law during the Rietveld refinement, it was possible to create maps showing the spatial variation of Sr occupancy in the mixed CaO−SrO oxides. The formation of the Srdoped CaO species is expected to have an important role in this system through the enhancement of the lattice oxygen diffusion as well as increased catalyst basicity