Land subsidence resulting from groundwater extractions is a global phenomenon adversely affecting many regions worldwide. Understanding the governing processes and mitigating associated hazards ...require knowing the spatial distribution of the implicated factors (piezometric levels, lithology, ground deformation), usually only known at discrete locations. Here, we propose a methodology based on the Kriging with External Drift (KED) approach to interpolate sparse point measurements of variables influencing land subsidence using high density InSAR measurements. In our study, located in the Alto Guadalentin basin, SE Spain, these variables are GPS vertical velocities and the thickness of compressible soils. First, we estimate InSAR and GPS rates of subsidence covering the periods 2003-2010 and 2004-2013, respectively. Then, we apply the KED method to the discrete variables. The resulting continuous GPS velocity map shows maximum subsidence rates of 13 cm/year in the center of the basin, in agreement with previous studies. The compressible deposits thickness map is significantly improved. We also test the coherence of Sentinel-1 data in the study region and evaluate the applicability of this methodology with the new satellite, which will improve the monitoring of aquifer-related subsidence and the mapping of variables governing this phenomenon.
Yebes 40m radio telescope is the main and largest observing instrument at Yebes Observatory and it is devoted to Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and single dish observations since 2010. It ...has been covering frequency bands between 2 GHz and 90 GHz in discontinuous and narrow windows in most of the cases, to match the current needs of the European VLBI Network (EVN) and the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA).
Nanocosmos project, a European Union funded synergy grant, opened the possibility to increase the instantaneous frequency coverage to observe many molecular transitions with single tunnings in single dish mode. This reduces the observing time and maximises the output from the telescope.
We present the technical specifications of the recently installed 31.5 - 50GHz (Q band) and 72 - 90.5 GHz (W band) receivers along with the main characteristics of the telescope at these frequency ranges. We have observed IRC+10216, CRL 2688 and CRL 618, which harbour a rich molecular chemistry, to demonstrate the capabilities of the new instrumentation for spectral observations in single dish mode.
The results show the high sensitivity of the telescope in the Q band. The spectrum of IRC+10126 offers a signal to noise ratio never seen before for this source in this band. On the other hand, the spectrum normalised by the continuum flux towards CRL 618 in the W band demonstrates that the 40 m radio telescope produces comparable results to those from the IRAM 30 m radio telescope, although with a smaller sensitivity. The new receivers fulfil one of the main goals of Nanocosmos and open the possibility to study the spectrum of different astrophysical media with unprecedented sensitivity.
The prediction of behavior in dynamical systems, is frequently associated to the design of models. When a time series obtained from observing the system is available, the task can be performed by ...designing the model from these observations without additional assumptions or by assuming a preconceived structure in the model, with the help of additional information about the system. In the second case, it is a question of adequately combining theory with observations and subsequently optimizing the mixture.
In this work, we proposes the design of time-continuous models of dynamical systems as solutions of differential equations, from non-uniformly sampled or noisy observations, using machine learning techniques.
The proposed approach, for design of these models, is simple to interpret and implement computationally and its performance is shown with both, several simulated data sets and experimental data from Hare–Lynx population and Coronavirus 2019 outbreak.
The results suggest its usefulness in the case of synthetic or real data, uniformly or non-uniformly sampled.
•Continuous model from discrete data.•Machine learning based modeling.•Non uniformly sampled data.•Kernel methods.
•Nonlinear control scheme.•Machine learning based control of chaos.•Control function from data.
In this work, inspired by symbolic dynamic of chaotic systems and using machine learning techniques, a ...control strategy for complex systems is designed. Unlike the usual methodologies based on modeling, where the control signal is obtained from an approximation of the dynamical rule, here the strategy rest upon an approach of a function that, from the current state of the system, give the necessary perturbation to bring the system closer to a homoclinic orbit that naturally goes to the target. The proposed methodology is data-driven or can be developed in a model-based context and is illustrated with computer simulations of chaotic systems given by discrete maps, ordinary differential equations and coupled map networks. Results show the usefulness of the design of nonlinear control techniques based on machine learning and numerical approach of homoclinic orbits.
This multicentre, randomised, and phase II study evaluated mFOLFOX+cetuximab followed by maintenance mFOLFOX+cetuximab or single-agent cetuximab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients ...(NCT01161316).
Previously, untreated mCRC patients (wild-type KRAS) were randomised to receive cetuximab+mFOLFOX-6 (8 cycles for 2 weeks) followed by maintenance therapy: single-agent cetuximab (Arm-A) or mFOLFOX-6 + cetuximab (Arm-B) until progression. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 9 months.
One hundred ninety-three patients (median range age 60 33–74 years) were randomised (2:1): 129 Arm-A versus 64 Arm-B. PFS at 9 months (95% confidence interval) showed non-inferiority between arms (Arm-A/Arm-B: 60 52, 69%/72 61, 83%, p non-inferiority<0.1). There were no statistically significant differences in the PFS (Arm-A/Arm-B: 9 95% CI 7, 10 months/10 7,13 months, hazard ratio HR = 1.19 0.80, 1.79) or overall survival (23 19, 28 months/27 18, 36 months, HR = 1.24 0.85, 1.79) between arms. The objective response rate was also similar (48 39, 57%/39 27, 52%). The safety profile was similar between arms, and all patients experienced at least one adverse event (AE) (Arm-A/Arm-B grade ≥III AEs: 70%/68%). The most common grade ≥III AEs were as follows: neutropenia (Arm-A/Arm-B: 28%/26%), rash acneiform (15%/24%) and sensory neuropathy (2%/15%) in any group. Arm-A was associated with less grade ≥III rash and sensory neuropathy and a lower rate of serious AEs (20%/27%).
This phase II exploratory trial with a non-inferiority design suggests that maintenance therapy with single-agent cetuximab following mFOLFOX+cetuximab induction could be a valuable option compared with mFOLFOX+cetuximab treatment continuation. We await phase III trials to confirm single-agent cetuximab as maintenance therapy in mCRC patients.
•Cetuximab alone could be a viable maintenance therapy option in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.•Progression-free survival (PFS) at 9 months was similar between cetuximab alone and FOLFOX+cetuximab.•PFS and overall survival were similar between cetuximab alone and FOLFOX+cetuximab.•Safety profile was similar between cetuximab alone and FOLFOX+cetuximab.
Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD) is a rare-inherited disease caused by mutations in the
gene and characterized by the presence of multiple shimmering yellow-white deposits in the posterior pole of ...the retina in association with atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and chorioretinal atrophy. The additional presence of glittering dots located at the corneal limbus is also a frequent finding. The CYP4V2 protein belongs to the cytochrome P450 subfamily 4 and is mainly expressed in the retina and the RPE and less expressed in the cornea. The disease has its metabolic origin in the diminished transformation of fatty acid substrates into n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids due to a dysregulation of the lipid metabolism. In this review, we provide updated insights on clinical and molecular characteristics of BCD including underlying mechanisms of BCD, genetic diagnosis, progress in the identification of causative genetic and epigenetic factors, available techniques of exploration and development of novel therapies. This information will help clinicians to improve accuracy of BCD diagnosis, providing the patient reliable information regarding prognosis and clinical prediction of the disease course.
The need for optoelectronic and chemical compatibility between the layers in colloidal quantum dot (CQD) photovoltaic devices remains a bottleneck in further increasing performance. Conjugated ...polymers are promising candidates as new hole‐transport layer (HTL) materials in CQD solar cells (CQD‐SCs) owing to the highly tunable optoelectronic properties and compatible chemistries. A diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based polymer with benzothiadiazole derivatives (PD2FCT‐29DPP) as an HTL in these devices is reported. The energy level, molecular orientation, and hole mobility of this HTL are manipulated through molecular engineering. By levering the polymer's optical absorption spectrum complementary to that of the CQD active layer, EQE across the visible and near‐infrared regions is maximized. As a result, a PD2FCT‐29DPP‐based device exhibits a fill factor of 70% and approximately 35% efficiency enhancement compared to a PTB7‐based device.
A new DPP‐based alternating D–A copolymer (PD2FCT‐29DPP) is developed for use as a hole‐transport layer. PD2FCT‐29DPP addresses the different requirements for an HTL, offering favorable energetics, near‐infrared absorption, and efficient charge transfer. Therefore, a PD2FCT‐29DPP‐based device achieves a remarkable FF of 70% and the highest PCE of 14.0% among PbS CQD‐SCs.
Optical nonlinearities, such as thermo-optic mechanisms and free-carrier dispersion, are often considered unwelcome effects in silicon-based resonators and, more specifically, optomechanical ...cavities, since they affect, for instance, the relative detuning between an optical resonance and the excitation laser. Here, we exploit these nonlinearities and their intercoupling with the mechanical degrees of freedom of a silicon optomechanical nanobeam to unveil a rich set of fundamentally different complex dynamics. By smoothly changing the parameters of the excitation laser we demonstrate accurate control to activate two- and four-dimensional limit cycles, a period-doubling route and a six-dimensional chaos. In addition, by scanning the laser parameters in opposite senses we demonstrate bistability and hysteresis between two- and four-dimensional limit cycles, between different coherent mechanical states and between four-dimensional limit cycles and chaos. Our findings open new routes towards exploiting silicon-based optomechanical photonic crystals as a versatile building block to be used in neurocomputational networks and for chaos-based applications.
Semiclassical nonlocal optics based on the hydrodynamic description of conduction electrons might be an adequate tool to study complex phenomena in the emerging field of nanoplasmonics. With the aim ...of confirming this idea, we obtain the local and nonlocal optical absorption spectra in a model nanoplasmonic device in which there are spatial gaps between the components at nanometric and subnanometric scales. After a comparison against time-dependent density functional calculations, we conclude that hydrodynamic nonlocal optics provides absorption spectra exhibiting qualitative agreement but not quantitative accuracy. This lack of accuracy, which is manifest even in the limit where induced electric currents are not established between the constituents of the device, is mainly due to the poor description of induced electron densities.
Yeasts are unicellular eukaryotic microorganisms isolated from many foods, and are commonly found in table olive processing where they can play a double role. On one hand, these microorganisms can ...produce spoilage of fruits due to the production of bad odours and flavours, the accumulation of CO2 leading to swollen containers, the clouding of brines, the softening of fruits and the degradation of lactic acid, which is especially harmful during table olive storage and packaging. But on the other hand, fortunately, yeasts also possess desirable biochemical activities (lipase, esterase, β-glucosidase, catalase, production of killer factors, etc.) with important technological applications in this fermented vegetable. Recently, the probiotic potential of olive yeasts has begun to be evaluated because many species are able to resist the passage through the gastrointestinal tract and show beneficial effects on the host. In this way, yeasts may improve consumers' health by decreasing cholesterol levels, inhibiting pathogens, degrading non assimilated compounds, producing antioxidants and vitamins, adhering to intestinal cells or by maintaining epithelial barrier integrity. Many yeast species, usually also found in table olive processing, such as Wicherhamomyces anomalus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia membranifaciens and Kluyveromyces lactis, have been reported to exhibit some of these properties. Thus, the selection of the most appropriate strains to be used as starters, alone or in combination with lactic acid bacteria, is a promising research line to develop in a near future which might improve the added value of the commercialized product.
► Yeasts are part of the usual microbiota found in table olive processing. ► These microorganisms may improve the technological process but also the human health. ► However, certain species under certain conditions can produce the spoilage of the product. ► Diverse statistical tools have been used for the selection of the most relevant yeasts strains.
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