Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease. Low vitamin D levels have been reported to be a risk factor for MS, and genetic variances could be implicated. The ...aim of this study was to evaluate the association of MS with rs10766197 polymorphism of CYP2R1 gene and rs10877012 polymorphism of CYP27B1 gene. The second aim was to analyse whether these polymorphisms are associated with the severity of the progression of MS. Material and Methods. In a case-control study, we included 116 MS patients and 226 controls, all of whom were Mexican Mestizo. MS was diagnosed by McDonald criteria (2017). A complete neurological evaluation was performed to evaluate the severity of disease progression. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH) vitamin D levels were measured by ELISA. Single nucleotide polymorphisms rs10766197 of CYP2R1 gene and rs10877012 SNP of CYP27B1 gene were genotyped by real-time PCR. Results. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels were lower in MS patients than in controls (p=0.009). No differences were observed between serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels of MS patients with severe progression compared to low progression (p=0.88). A higher frequency of the A allele of CYP2R1 rs10766197 was observed between MS patients and controls (p=0.05). No differences were observed in the frequency of T allele of CYP27B1 rs10877012 (p=0.65). In subanalysis, patients with GA+AA genotypes of CYP2R1 rs10766197 had an increased risk of MS compared to controls (p=0.03). No increased risk was observed in GT+TT genotypes of CYP27B1 rs10877012 (p=0.63). No differences were observed in allele frequencies of either polymorphism between patients with severe vs. low disease progression. Conclusion. Lower serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels were observed in MS patients than in controls, although these levels were not associated with disease progression. Carriers of GA+AA genotypes of CYP2R1 rs10766197 had an increased risk of MS. None of these polymorphisms was associated with severe progression of MS.
Using data from analyses of stomach contents and stable isotopes, we examined high-resolution variations in the feeding habits and trophic position of Dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus during ...2005–2007. In total, 418 specimens were collected off the southern Baja California peninsula, Mexico. Based on analysis of stomach contents (% index of relative importance %IRI), Dolphinfish consumed mainly epipelagic prey, with the red crab Pleuroncodes planipes as the most abundant prey species. The diet was highly similar between sexes but differed between size-classes: Dolphinfish smaller than 65 cm FL fed mainly on Pacific Sardine Sardinops sagax caeruleus (%IRI = 30), whereas those larger than 110 cm FL fed mainly on jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas (%IRI = 45) in addition to red crabs. Dietary differences between the smallest and largest specimens were mainly related to changes in morphology and spatial stratification by size (i.e., to avoid cannibalism). Trophic positions estimated by both methods indicated that the Dolphinfish is a secondary to tertiary carnivore with a high degree of trophic plasticity, and thus it plays different trophic roles within the area. Elevated variability in δ ¹⁵N and Shannon–Wiener diversity index values on an annual scale revealed that Dolphinfish are opportunistic predators. Interannual diet variation related to the availability and abundance of prey species can be explained by changes in environmental conditions due to climate anomalies associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation events. We highlight that the Dolphinfish is a good indicator of changes occurring in the food web structure of pelagic ecosystems. The observed variations in feeding habits and trophic position are critical to understanding the ecology and role of Dolphinfish in marine ecosystems by providing knowledge on feeding locations, seasonal prey utilization, and prey availability and allowing predictions of possible ecological responses to environmental change.
Background
In this work, the experimental behavior observed in the z-scan curves of a sample of bleached photographic film for different incident powers is theoretically modeled.
Methods
Two models ...are modified in order to fit the experimental z-scan curves. The Focal Length Dependent on a power of the beam radius (FLD) model and the Nonlocal (NL) model.
Results
As a result of the fitting, it is not possible to fit the experimental results considering only one contribution during the z-scan experiment.
Conclusion
The results demonstrated that two contributions were needed to reproduce completely the experimental z-scan curves in both models.
Piglets appear to be neurologically sensitive to intrapartum asphyxia. Our aim was to investigate the short-term neurophysiologic consequences of intrapartum asphyxia in piglets. We studied 10 ...piglets suffering intrapartum asphyxia and 10 control piglets. Glucose and blood gas levels, tympanic membrane temperature, and body weight were measured within the first 2 min after birth. Animals were followed up for a 5-day period. As surrogated markers of piglets' neurological function, a viability score and the time elapsed from birth to the first contact with the maternal udder were recorded. In the control group, temperature and blood pH levels at birth were significantly higher (p ≤ .001), whereas calcium, lactate and PCO2 levels were statistically lower (p ≤ .05) than in the piglets experiencing intrapartum asphyxia. Lower temperature and blood pH levels as well as higher blood PCO2 and lactate levels were observed in piglets with lower viability scores and in piglets with prolonged times until first udder contact. At the end of the study, asphyxiated piglets weighed on average 200 g less (p = .023) than control piglets. In conclusion, intrapartum asphyxia in spontaneously born piglets was associated with signs of acute neurological dysfunction and lower weight gain, supporting the hypothesis that they may be used as a naturalistic model for the study of asphyxia in newborns.
This paper describes the third public data release (DR3) of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey. Science-grade quality data for 667 galaxies are made public, including the 200 ...galaxies of the second public data release (DR2). Data were obtained with the integral-field spectrograph PMAS/PPak mounted on the 3.5 m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory. Three different spectral setups are available: i) a low-resolution V500 setup covering the wavelength range 3745-7500 A (4240-7140 A unvignetted) with a spectral resolution of 6.0 A (FWHM) for 646 galaxies, ii) a medium-resolution V1200 setup covering the wavelength range 3650-4840 A (3650-4620 A unvignetted) with a spectral resolution of 2.3 A (FWHM) for 484 galaxies, and iii) the combination of the cubes from both setups (called COMBO) with a spectral resolution of 6.0 A and a wavelength range between 3700-7500 A (3700-7140 A unvignetted) for 446 galaxies. The Main Sample, selected and observed according to the CALIFA survey strategy covers a redshift range between 0.005 and 0.03, spans the color-magnitude diagram and probes a wide range of stellar masses, ionization conditions, and morphological types. The Extension Sample covers several types of galaxies that are rare in the overall galaxy population and are therefore not numerous or absent in the CALIFA Main Sample. All the cubes in the data release were processed using the latest pipeline, which includes improved versions of the calibration frames and an even further improved image reconstruction quality. In total, the third data release contains 1576 datacubes, including ~1.5 million independent spectra.
The systematic evaluation of the results of time-series studies of air pollution is challenged by differences in model specification and publication bias.
We evaluated the associations of inhalable ...particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM
) and fine PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM
) with daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality across multiple countries or regions. Daily data on mortality and air pollution were collected from 652 cities in 24 countries or regions. We used overdispersed generalized additive models with random-effects meta-analysis to investigate the associations. Two-pollutant models were fitted to test the robustness of the associations. Concentration-response curves from each city were pooled to allow global estimates to be derived.
On average, an increase of 10 μg per cubic meter in the 2-day moving average of PM
concentration, which represents the average over the current and previous day, was associated with increases of 0.44% (95% confidence interval CI, 0.39 to 0.50) in daily all-cause mortality, 0.36% (95% CI, 0.30 to 0.43) in daily cardiovascular mortality, and 0.47% (95% CI, 0.35 to 0.58) in daily respiratory mortality. The corresponding increases in daily mortality for the same change in PM
concentration were 0.68% (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.77), 0.55% (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.66), and 0.74% (95% CI, 0.53 to 0.95). These associations remained significant after adjustment for gaseous pollutants. Associations were stronger in locations with lower annual mean PM concentrations and higher annual mean temperatures. The pooled concentration-response curves showed a consistent increase in daily mortality with increasing PM concentration, with steeper slopes at lower PM concentrations.
Our data show independent associations between short-term exposure to PM
and PM
and daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in more than 600 cities across the globe. These data reinforce the evidence of a link between mortality and PM concentration established in regional and local studies. (Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and others.).
•Design proposal for the coils and power supplies for the SMART tokamak.•Dimensioning of coils by analytical thermal model in transitory scenarios.•Modular power supplies by the parallelization of ...H-bridges and supercapacitors banks.•Design of auxiliary circuit for central solenoid power supply for plasma breakdown.•Preliminary analysis of power supplies with MATLAB Simulink to prove feasibility.
A new spherical tokamak, the SMall Aspect Ratio Tokamak (SMART), is currently being designed at the University of Seville. The goal of the machine is to achieve a toroidal field of 1 T, a plasma current of 500 kA and a pulse length of 500 ms for a plasma with a major radius of 0.4 m and minor radius of 0.25 m. This contribution presents the design of the coils and power supplies of the machine. The design foresees a central solenoid, 12 toroidal field coils and 8 poloidal field coils. Taking the current waveforms for these set of coils as starting point, each of them has been designed to withstand the Joule heating during the tokamak operation time. An analytical thermal model is employed to obtain the cross sections of each coil and, finally, their dimensions and parameters. The design of flexible and modular power supplies, based on IGBTs and supercapacitors, is presented. The topologies and control strategy of the power supplies are explained, together with a model in MATLAB Simulink to simulate the power supplies performance, proving their feasibility before the construction of the system.
Metal-organic interfaces based on copper-phthalocyanine monolayers are studied in dependence of the metal substrate (Au versus Cu), of its symmetry hexagonal (111) surfaces versus fourfold (100) ...surfaces, as well as of the donor or acceptor semiconducting character associated with the nonfluorinated or perfluorinated molecules, respectively. Comparison of the properties of these systematically varied metal-organic interfaces provides new insight into the effect of each of the previously mentioned parameters on the molecule-substrate interactions.
What is Knowledge? Ortega y Gasset, Jose; Garcia-Gomez, Jorge
2002, 2001
eBook
Appearing in English for the first time, this book comprises two of Ortega’s most important works, ¿Qué es conocimiento? and the essay “Ideas y creencias.” This is Ortega’s attempt to systematically ...present the foundations of his metaphysics of human life and, on that basis, to provide a radical philosophical account of knowledge. In so doing, he criticizes idealism and overcomes it. Accordingly, this book goes well beyond a treatise on epistemology; in fact, as understood in modern philosophy, this discipline and its questions are shown to be derivative and, in that sense, they are transcended here by Ortega’s systematic effort.
Written during the time of his maturity, these works are representative of his fruitful and radical period. Both ¿Qué es conocimiento? and “Ideas y creencias” are equally decisive not only for the understanding and radical completion of Ortega’s work, but also for their relevance to the work of continental philosophers during the same period and for years to come (e.g., Husserl, Jaspers, Heidegger, Sartre, and others).
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