On the physics of transient ejection from bubble bursting

The transient ejection due to a bubble bursting at the interface of a liquid with a gas environment is here described using a dynamical scaling analysis along the process. We show here that the ejection of a liquid microjet requires the backfire of a vortex ring inside the liquid to preserve physical symmetry, which involves a non-trivial scaling. We present the first single uniformly valid expression for the size and speed of ejected droplets for the whole range of the Ohnesorge and Bond numbers where droplet ejection occurs. The evolution of the flow variables, the apparent singularity for a critical Ohnesorge number, and the dispersion of data around this point are explained. Our model generalizes or displaces other recently proposed ones, impacting for instance the statistical description of sea spray.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Heterologous expression of AtNPR1 gene in olive for increasing fungal tolerance

The NPR1 gene encodes a key component of SAR signaling mediated by salicylic acid (SA). After a pathogen infection, the accumulation of SA releases NPR1 monomers in the cytosol that are translocated to the nucleus, activating the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Overexpression of NPR1 has conferred resistance to fungal, viral and bacterial pathogens in several plant species. The aim of this research was to generate transgenic olive plants expressing the gene AtNPR1 from Arabidopsis thaliana to obtain material resistant to fungal pathogens. Three transgenic lines expressing AtNPR1 gene under the control of the constitutive promoter CaMV35S were obtained following the protocol of Torreblanca et al. (2010), using an embryogenic line derived from a seed of cv. Picual. Level of AtNPR1 expression in transgenic calli varied greatly among the different lines, being higher in the line NPR1-780. The elicitation of embryogenic calli in liquid medium with AS did not increase endochitinase activity, a PR protein. However, jasmonic acid induced a transient increase in chitinase activity after 24 h of treatment in all the lines, being the increment higher in transgenic NPR1 than in control. After maturation and germination of transgenic somatic embryos, plants were micropropagated and acclimated to ex vitro conditions. The expression of AtNPR1 did not alter the growth of transgenic plants neither in vitro nor in the greenhouse. Experiments are in progress to determine the resistance of transgenic AtNPR1 plants to V. dalihae and R. necatrix.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Research projects: Plan Nacional AGL2014-52518-C2-1-R; AGL2017-83368-C2-1-R and Junta de Andalucía P11-AGR799

Cost-utility of a walking programme for moderately depressed, obese, or overweight elderly women in primary care: a randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a considerable public health burden due to physical inactivity, because it is a major independent risk factor for several diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, moderate mood disorders neurotic diseases such as depression, etc.). This study assesses the cost utility of the adding a supervised walking programme to the standard "best primary care" for overweight, moderately obese, or moderately depressed elderly women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One-hundred six participants were randomly assigned to an interventional group (n = 55) or a control group (n = 51). The intervention consisted of an invitation, from a general practitioner, to participate in a 6-month walking-based, supervised exercise program with three 50-minute sessions per week. The main outcome measures were the healthcare costs from the Health System perspective and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) using EuroQol (EQ-5D.)</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the patients invited to participate in the program, 79% were successfully recruited, and 86% of the participants in the exercise group completed the programme. Over 6 months, the mean treatment cost per patient in the exercise group was €41 more than "best care". The mean incremental QALY of intervention was 0.132 (95% CI: 0.104–0.286). Each extra QALY gained by the exercise programme relative to best care cost €311 (95% CI, €143–€394). The cost effectiveness acceptability curves showed a 90% probability that the addition of the walking programme is the best strategy if the ceiling of inversion is €350/QALY.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The invitation strategy and exercise programme resulted in a high rate of participation and is a feasible and cost-effective addition to best care. The programme is a cost-effective resource for helping patients to increase their physical activity, according to the recommendations of general practitioners. Moreover, the present study could help decision makers enhance the preventive role of primary care and optimize health care resources.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>[ISRCTN98931797]</p

Metabolic and Stress Responses in Senegalese Soles (Solea senegalensis Kaup) Fed Tryptophan Supplements: E ects of Concentration and Feeding Period

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of di erent dietary Trp concentrations on the stress and metabolism response of juvenile Senegalese soles (Solea senegalensis). Fish (38.1 1.9 g) were fed di erent Trp-enriched feeds (0%, 1% and 2% Trp added) for two and eight days, and later exposed to air stress for three min. Samples were taken pre- and 1 h post-stress (condition). Plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose and proteins were significantly a ected by the sampling time, showing higher values at 1 h post-stress. Trp concentration in food also had significant e ects on lactate and glucose levels. However, the feeding period did not a ect these parameters. Post-stress values were higher than in the pre-stress condition for every plasma parameter, except for lactate in two days and 1% Trp treatment. Nevertheless, cortisol, glucose and lactate did not vary significantly between pre- and post-stress samplings in fish fed the 1% Trp-enriched diet for two days. The lack of variability in cortisol response was also due to the high pre-stress value, significantly superior to pre-stress control. The exposure time to Trp feeding did not significantly a ect any enzyme activity; however, Trp added and condition influenced protein-related enzyme activities. In spite of decreasing stress markers, Trp-enriched diets altered the protein metabolism

Design of a case management model for people with chronic disease (Heart Failure and COPD). Phase I: modeling and identification of the main components of the intervention through their actors: patients and professionals (DELTA-ICE-PRO Study

Background Chronic diseases account for nearly 60% of deaths around the world. The extent of this silent epidemic has not met determined responses in governments, policies or professionals in order to transform old Health Care Systems, configured for acute diseases. There is a large list of research about alternative models for people with chronic conditions, many of them with an advanced practice nurse as a key provider, as case management. But some methodological concerns raise, above all, the design of the intervention (intensity, frequency, components, etc). Methods/Design Objectives: General: To develop the first and second phases (theorization and modeling) for designing a multifaceted case-management intervention in people with chronic conditions (COPD and heart failure) and their caregivers. Specific aims: 1) To identify key events in people living with chronic disease and their relation with the Health Care System, from their point of view. 2) To know the coping mechanisms developed by patients and their caregivers along the story with the disease. 3) To know the information processing and its utilization in their interactions with health care providers. 4) To detect potential unmet needs and the ways deployed by patients and their caregivers to resolve them. 5) To obtain a description from patients and caregivers, about their itineraries along the Health Care System, in terms of continuity, accessibility and comprehensiveness of care. 6) To build up a list of promising case-management interventions in patients with Heart Failure and COPD with this information in order to frame it into theoretical models for its reproducibility and conceptualization. 7) To undergo this list to expert judgment to assess its feasibility and pertinence in the Andalusian Health Care. Design: Qualitative research with two phases: For the first five objectives, a qualitative technique with biographic stories will be developed and, for the remaining objectives, an expert consensus through Delphi technique, on the possible interventions yielded from the first phase. The study will be developed in the provinces of Almería, Málaga and Granada in the Southern Spain, from patients included in the Andalusian Health Care Service database with the diagnosis of COPD or Heart Failure, with the collaboration of case manager nurses and general practitioners for the assessment of their suitability to inclusion criteria. Patients and caregivers will be interviewed in their homes or their Health Centers, with their family or their case manager nurse as mediator. Discussion First of a series of studies intended to design a case-management service for people with heart failure and COPD, in the Andalusian Health Care System, where case management has been implemented since 2002. Accordingly with the steps of a theoretical model for complex interventions, in this study, theorization and intervention modeling phases will be developed.This research was carried out with the support of one research grant, awarded by the Regional Health Ministry of Andalusia (Exp. 0222/2008

Identification of Natural Killer (NK) Cells in Lesions of Human Cutaneous Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Expression of a Novel NK-Associated Surface Antigen (Kp43) in Mononuclear Infiltrates

We performed an immunohistochemical analysis of skin biopsies from 13 allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients, undergoing either acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD, n = 8) or chronic GVHD (cGVHD, n = 5). A panel of different monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) was employed including anti-CD2, -CD3, -CD4, -CD8, -CD11b, -CD16, -CD56, and -CD57, as well as a recently described reagent (HP-3B1) specific for a novel natural killer (NK)-associated cell-surface antigen (Kp43). Our data indicate that in a GVHD lesions the proportions of CD2+ cells often exceeded those detected with anti-CD3 MoAb. Double labeling confirmed the presence of CD2+ CD3- lymphocytes and suggested the coexpression in some cells of CD2 and CD11b. When MoAb specific for non-lineage-restricted NK-associated markers were employed, anti-CD56 and -CD57 occasionally stained variable numbers of lymphocytes (x¯ = 14.6% of mononuclear cells in 0.05mm2, range <1-48% and x¯ = 10.3%, range 2–25%, respectively), whereas no CD16+lymphocytes were observed. In contrast, most samples consistently displayed substantial proportions of Kp43+cells (&xsline = 32.8%, range 12–63%), which appeared CD3-and were mainly located at the dermoepidermal junction. On the other hand, sections from most (four of five) cGVHD lichenoid lesions analyzed displayed lower proportions of Kp43 + and CD56 + cells. Our data point out the interest of the anti-Kp43 MoAb to identify NK cells in aGVHD lesions, suggesting their pathogenetic participation

Distributed incremental fingerprint identification with reduced database penetration rate using a hierarchical classification based on feature fusion and selection

Fingerprint recognition has been a hot research topic along the last few decades, with many applications and ever growing populations to identify. The need of flexible, fast identification systems is therefore patent in such situations. In this context, fingerprint classification is commonly used to improve the speed of the identification. This paper proposes a complete identification system with a hierarchical classification framework that fuses the information of multiple feature extractors. A feature selection is applied to improve the classification accuracy. Finally, the distributed identification is carried out with an incremental search, exploring the classes according to the probability order given by the classifier. A single parameter tunes the trade-off between identification time and accuracy. The proposal is evaluated over two NIST databases and a large synthetic database, yielding penetration rates close to the optimal values that can be reached with classification, leading to low identification times with small or no accuracy loss

Revan-degree indices on random graphs

Given a simple connected non-directed graph $G=(V(G),E(G))$, we consider two families of graph invariants: $RX_\Sigma(G) = \sum_{uv \in E(G)} F(r_u,r_v)$ (which has gained interest recently) and $RX_\Pi(G) = \prod_{uv \in E(G)} F(r_u,r_v)$ (that we introduce in this work); where $uv$ denotes the edge of $G$ connecting the vertices $u$ and $v$, $r_u$ is the Revan degree of the vertex $u$, and $F$ is a function of the Revan vertex degrees. Here, $r_u = \Delta + \delta - d_u$ with $\Delta$ and $\delta$ the maximum and minimum degrees among the vertices of $G$ and $d_u$ is the degree of the vertex $u$. Particularly, we apply both $RX_\Sigma(G)$ and R$X_\Pi(G)$ on two models of random graphs: Erd\"os-R\'enyi graphs and random geometric graphs. By a thorough computational study we show that \left and \left, normalized to the order of the graph, scale with the average Revan degree \left; here \left denotes the average over an ensemble of random graphs. Moreover, we provide analytical expressions for several graph invariants of both families in the dense graph limit.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure

First releases of hatchery‑produced Senegal sole (Solea senegalensis), brill (Scophthalmus rhombus), and wedge sole (Dicologoglossa cuneata) juveniles in the South‑western Spanish coast

Primeras y únicas repoblaciones con peces en el litoral de HuelvaThe regression of fisheries in the Gulf of Cadiz is evident since current fish catches are 33% of that 30 years before. Consequently, some initiatives for the replenishment of exhausted wild stocks are welcome. The objective of the present work is to describe and analyze the results coming from the first flatfish stock enhancements in Andalusia. A total of 3189 fish from three flatfish species: Senegal sole (Solea senegalensis Kaup), wedge sole (Dicologlossa cuneata Moreau), and brill (Scophthalmus rhombus Linnaeus) were tagged and released. Several variables were calculated through the data analysis of recovered fish. Some variables were calculated only for Senegal soles since wedge sole and brill recaptures were not significant. The Senegal sole recapture rate was 2.71±0.72, similar to other published data, the recapture rates for bigger fish being higher though not significant. No significant differences were detected for distance, time, growth or recapture rate among initial Senegal sole sizes. Around 80% of recaptures were registered within 15 weeks after release. The results show that it is possible the release and recovery of tagged Senegal soles in the Gulf of Cadiz. Future long-term programs on stock enhancement could help to determine the effects on fisheries and recover stocks.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This study has been financed by the Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible of the Junta de Andalucia. M. Herrera’s post-doc contract is supported by the National Institute of Agricultural Research and the European Social Fund (INIA-FSE). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA

An eBPF-XDP hardware-based network slicing architecture for future 6G front- to back-haul networks

The heterogeneous requirements imposed by different vertical businesses have motivated a networking paradigm shift in the next generation of mobile networks (beyond 5G and 6G), leading to critical operation competitiveness of improved productivity, performance and efficiency. Furthermore, with the global digital revolution, such as Industry 4.0, and a connected world, network virtualisation together with high reliability and high performance communications have become crucial elements for mobile network operators. To minimise the negative effects that could affect critical services, network slicing is widely recognised as a key technology with the objective of meeting the Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in future 6G networks. In this context, it is essential to introduce a programmable data plane able to enforce flexible Quality of Service (QoS) commitments, while providing high-performance packet processing and real-time monitoring capabilities. To this end, this paper is focused on designing, prototyping and evaluating a novel framework that leverages a set of hardware-based technologies including eXpress Data Path (XDP), extended Barkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) and Smart Network Interface Cards (SmartNICs) to offload network functionality with the objective of providing high-performance pre-6G front-, mid-and back-haul network communications and thus, decreasing the overhead incurs by the Linux Kernel. The proposed solution is implemented based on bypassing the Linux Kernel and accelerating the communication, while providing network slice control and real-time monitoring capabilities. The main aim of this framework is to ensure network communications in forthcoming 6G infrastructures by guaranteeing 6G KPIs and avoiding system overload. The empirical validation of this solution for Industry 4.0 services as an example use case demonstrates key performance improvements in terms of packet processing as high as about 25Gbps, 20M pa..