Stability of the factorial structure of metabolic syndrome from childhood to adolescence : a 6-year follow-up study

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors that is considered a predictor of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and mortality. There is no consistent evidence on whether the MS construct works in the same way in different populations and at different stages in life. Methods: We used confirmatory factor analysis to examine if a single-factor-model including waist circumference, triglycerides/HDL-c, insulin and mean arterial pressure underlies metabolic syndrome from the childhood to adolescence in a 6-years follow-up study in 174 Swedish and 460 Estonian children aged 9 years at baseline. Indeed, we analyze the tracking of a previously validated MS index over this 6-years period. Results: The estimates of goodness-of-fit for the single-factor-model underlying MS were acceptable both in children and adolescents. The construct stability of a new model including the differences from baseline to the end of the follow-up in the components of the proposed model displayed good fit indexes for the change, supporting the hypothesis of a single factor underlying MS component trends. Conclusions: A single-factor-model underlying MS is stable across the puberty in both Estonian and Swedish young people. The MS index tracks acceptably from childhood to adolescence.

SEM and EDS Characterisation of Layering TiOx Growth onto the Cutting Tool Surface in Hard Drilling Processes of Ti-Al-V Alloys

10 p.

Algorithms for colour image processing based on neurological models

373 p. : il., gráf., fot., tablas

Wide Screening of Phage-Displayed Libraries Identifies Immune Targets in Planta

Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns and virulence effectors are recognized by plants as a first step to mount a defence response against potential pathogens. This recognition involves a large family of extracellular membrane receptors and other immune proteins located in different sub-cellular compartments. We have used phage-display technology to express and select for Arabidopsis proteins able to bind bacterial pathogens. To rapidly identify microbe-bound phage, we developed a monitoring method based on microarrays. This combined strategy allowed for a genome-wide screening of plant proteins involved in pathogen perception. Two phage libraries for high-throughput selection were constructed from cDNA of plants infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14, or from combined samples of the virulent isolate DC3000 of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and its avirulent variant avrRpt2. These three pathosystems represent different degrees in the specificity of plant-microbe interactions. Libraries cover up to 26107 different plant transcripts that can be displayed as functional proteins on the surface of T7 bacteriophage. A number of these were selected in a bio-panning assay for binding to Pseudomonas cells. Among the selected clones we isolated the ethylene response factor ATERF-1, which was able to bind the three bacterial strains in competition assays. ATERF-1 was rapidly exported from the nucleus upon infiltration of either alive or heat-killed Pseudomonas. Moreover, aterf-1 mutants exhibited enhanced susceptibility to infection. These findings suggest that ATERF-1 contains a microbe-recognition domain with a role in plant defence. To identify other putative pathogen-binding proteins on a genome-wide scale, the copy number of selected-vs.-total clones was compared by hybridizing phage cDNAs with Arabidopsis microarrays. Microarray analysis revealed a set of 472 candidates with significant fold change. Within this set defence-related genes, including well-known targets of bacterial effectors, are over-represented. Other genes non-previously related to defence can be associated through this study with general or strain-specific recognition of Pseudomonas.

Gestión de datos de investigación en repositorios de acceso abierto: una visión panorámica y un caso práctico en la UPV/EHU

[ES] Los siguientes enlaces proporcionan información adicional sobre este texto:

Incubadoras y aceleradores de crecimiento: modelo de apoyo a las start-up tecnológicas

[ES]Las políticas de apoyo al emprendimiento se han demostrado imprescindibles para el desarrollo económico de los países. En este contexto las conocidas incubadoras de empresas juegan un papel importante, pero los innovadores aceleradores de crecimiento que están logrando convertir pequeñas start-up en grandes compañías de base tecnológica se presentan como una apuesta para el futuro. La unión de ambos conceptos constituye un modelo eficaz de apoyo a las start-up tecnológicas. En el trabajo se presentan varios estudios que demuestran que mientras que, en las incubadoras los recursos más valorados son el ahorro de costes y el mentoring, los aceleradores obtienen muy buena calificación en todos sus ámbitos. Aun así la facilidad para obtener financiación y el mentoring también son los aspectos más valorados por los participantes en la aceleración. Además se han utilizado dos casos de éxito con el objeto de proponer un corolario de buenas prácticas que ayude entre otros, a la mejora de la situación de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco (CAPV) en cuanto a emprendimiento se refiere.

Konexio konikodun hortzetako inplanteak: ateratze indarraren zehaztapena. Eredu analitikoa eta saiakuntza esperimentalak

[EU]Txosten honetan konexio konikodun hortzetako inplante baten eraginkortasuna aztertzen da. Zehatzagoak izanik, inplante bat ahotik kanporatu ahal izateko beharrezkoa den indarra aztertu egiten da, kontuan hartuz aldagai horren balioa ezagutzea ezinbestekoa dela pazientearen osasuna eta konforta ziurtatzeko. Proiektu honek zein eremutan garrantzia edukiko duen ikusteko, lehenik eta behin testuingurua deskribatuko da. Horren ondoren helburu nagusiak eta onura zientifiko-tekniko zein ekonomikoak adieraziko dira. Helburuak lortzeko posibleak diren bide desberdinak aztertuko dira, eta bakoitzaren abantailak eta desabantailak kontuan hartuz kasu honi hobeto egokitzen zaion alternatiba aukeratuko da. Jarraian, metodo horri dagokion azalpenari ekingo zaio, proiektuaren garapenean egindako lanak pausoz pauso deskribatuz. Proiektuaren hasieratik amaierara arte egindako lanen planifikazioa era argi batean adierazteko Gantt diagrama erabiliko da. Bertan hiru etapa nagusi ezberdindu daitezke: saiakuntzen aurre-diseinua, kanpaina esperimentala eta emaitzen interpretazioa. Azkenik, egindako saiakuntzen eta analisien emaitzak laburbilduko dira, horiek dakartzaten ondorioak azalduz. Puntu honekin hasiera batean planteatutako helburuei erantzun bat emango zaie, eta proiektu honen ondoren jarraitu ahal izango diren hurrengo pausoak aipatuko dira.

Ab initio study of anharmonicity in high pressure Cmca-4 metallic hydrogen

Hydrogen is the only atom for which the Schr odinger equation is solvable. Consisting only of a proton and an electron, hydrogen is the lightest element and, nevertheless, is far from being simple. Under ambient conditions, it forms diatomic molecules H2 in gas phase, but di erent temperature and pressures lead to a complex phase diagram, which is not completely known yet. Solid hydrogen was rst documented in 1899 [1] and was found to be isolating. At higher pressures, however, hydrogen can be metallized. In 1935 Wigner and Huntington predicted that the metallization pressure would be 25 GPa [2], where molecules would disociate to form a monoatomic metal, as alkali metals that lie below hydrogen in the periodic table. The prediction of the metallization pressure turned out to be wrong: metallic hydrogen has not been found yet, even under a pressure as high as 320 GPa. Nevertheless, extrapolations based on optical measurements suggest that a metallic phase may be attained at 450 GPa [3]. The interest of material scientist in metallic hydrogen can be attributed, at least to a great extent, to Ashcroft, who in 1968 suggested that such a system could be a hightemperature superconductor [4]. The temperature at which this material would exhibit a transition from a superconducting to a non-superconducting state (Tc) was estimated to be around room temperature. The implications of such a statement are very interesting in the eld of astrophysics: in planets that contain a big quantity of hydrogen and whose temperature is below Tc, superconducting hydrogen may be found, specially at the center, where the gravitational pressure is high. This might be the case of Jupiter, whose proportion of hydrogen is about 90%. There are also speculations suggesting that the high magnetic eld of Jupiter is due to persistent currents related to the superconducting phase [5]. Metallization and superconductivity of hydrogen has puzzled scientists for decades, and the community is trying to answer several questions. For instance, what is the structure of hydrogen at very high pressures? Or a more general one: what is the maximum Tc a phonon-mediated superconductor can have [6]? A great experimental e ort has been carried out pursuing metallic hydrogen and trying to answer the questions above; however, the characterization of solid phases of hydrogen is a hard task. Achieving the high pressures needed to get the sought phases requires advanced technologies. Diamond anvil cells (DAC) are commonly used devices. These devices consist of two diamonds with a tip of small area; for this reason, when a force is applied, the pressure exerted is very big. This pressure is uniaxial, but it can be turned into hydrostatic pressure using transmitting media. Nowadays, this method makes it possible to reach pressures higher than 300 GPa, but even at this pressure hydrogen does not show metallic properties. A recently developed technique that is an improvement of DAC can reach pressures as high as 600 GPa [7], so it is a promising step forward in high pressure physics. Another drawback is that the electronic density of the structures is so low that X-ray di raction patterns have low resolution. For these reasons, ab initio studies are an important source of knowledge in this eld, within their limitations. When treating hydrogen, there are many subtleties in the calculations: as the atoms are so light, the ions forming the crystalline lattice have signi cant displacements even when temperatures are very low, and even at T=0 K, due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Thus, the energy corresponding to this zero-point (ZP) motion is signi cant and has to be included in an accurate determination of the most stable phase. This has been done including ZP vibrational energies within the harmonic approximation for a range of pressures and at T=0 K, giving rise to a series of structures that are stable in their respective pressure ranges [8]. Very recently, a treatment of the phases of hydrogen that includes anharmonicity in ZP energies has suggested that relative stability of the phases may change with respect to the calculations within the harmonic approximation [9]. Many of the proposed structures for solid hydrogen have been investigated. Particularly, the Cmca-4 structure, which was found to be the stable one from 385-490 GPa [8], is metallic. Calculations for this structure, within the harmonic approximation for the ionic motion, predict a Tc up to 242 K at 450 GPa [10]. Nonetheless, due to the big ionic displacements, the harmonic approximation may not su ce to describe correctly the system. The aim of this work is to apply a recently developed method to treat anharmonicity, the stochastic self-consistent harmonic approximation (SSCHA) [11], to Cmca-4 metallic hydrogen. This way, we will be able to study the e ects of anharmonicity in the phonon spectrum and to try to understand the changes it may provoque in the value of Tc. The work is structured as follows. First we present the theoretical basis of the calculations: Density Functional Theory (DFT) for the electronic calculations, phonons in the harmonic approximation and the SSCHA. Then we apply these methods to Cmca-4 hydrogen and we discuss the results obtained. In the last chapter we draw some conclusions and propose possible future work.

CDA, Una start-up en el sector del mar

El proyecto consiste en un plan de empresa actualizado para la empresa Commercial Diving Activities, S.L . Es una empresa de obras y servicios integrales de buceo comercial que cuenta con una división dedicada a la formación de buceo profesional.

Marketin Esperientziala: Kasu praktikoa. Pop-up Storeak.

Aditu askoren arabera, milurteko berriaren atarian marketin filosofia berri bat hasi zen loratzen: Marketin Esperientziala. Filosofia berri horrek paradigma aldaketa bat suposatzen du, fokua bezeroek enpresekin bizi dituzten esperientzia gogoangarrietan jartzen duena. Gaur egun, produktu eta zerbitzuak geroz eta antzekoagoak dira, kalitate eta prezioan oinarritutako lehia ez da nahikoa eta bezeroa geroz eta zorrotzagoa da. Horrek guztiak desberdintzeko bide berriak bilatu beharra dakar eta, horregatik, produktu eta zerbitzuez gain esperientziak sortu eta eskaintzea aukera paregabea bilakatu da enpresentzat, hau da, faktore emozionala kontuan hartzea. Gradu Amaierako Lan honek filosofia berri horren nondik norakoak aztertzea bilatzen du eta baita erosketa puntuan nola aplikatzen den ikertzea ere; izan ere, erosketa puntuek bezeroa, produktu/zerbitzua eta langileak atmosfera bakar batean biltzen dituzte. Horretarako, erosketa puntuan parte-hartzen duten esperientzia-eragile nagusiak aztertuko dira: zentzumenak, estetika eta diseinua eta langileen portaera. Ondoren, adibide gisa kasu praktiko eta esanguratsu bat aztertuko da: Pop Up Storeak edo, beste era batera esanda, aldi baterako establezimenduak.

Mechanisms of Toxicity of Ag Nanoparticles in Comparison to Bulk and Ionic Ag on Mussel Hemocytes and Gill Cells

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are increasingly used in many products and are expected to end up in the aquatic environment. Mussels have been proposed as marine model species to evaluate NP toxicity in vitro. The objective of this work was to assess the mechanisms of toxicity of Ag NPs on mussel hemocytes and gill cells, in comparison to ionic and bulk Ag. Firstly, cytotoxicity of commercial and maltose stabilized Ag NPs was screened in parallel with the ionic and bulk forms at a wide range of concentrations in isolated mussel cells using cell viability assays. Toxicity of maltose alone was also tested. LC50 values were calculated and the most toxic Ag NPs tested were selected for a second step where sublethal concentrations of each Ag form were tested using a wide array of mechanistic tests in both cell types. Maltose-stabilized Ag NPs showed size-dependent cytotoxicity, smaller (20 nm) NPs being more toxic than larger (40 and 100 nm) NPs. Maltose alone provoked minor effects on cell viability. Ionic Ag was the most cytotoxic Ag form tested whereas bulk Ag showed similar cytotoxicity to the commercial Ag NPs. Main mechanisms of action of Ag NPs involved oxidative stress and genotoxicity in the two cell types, activation of lysosomal AcP activity, disruption of actin cytoskeleton and stimulation of phagocytosis in hemocytes and increase of MXR transport activity and inhibition of Na-K-ATPase in gill cells. Similar effects were observed after exposure to ionic and bulk Ag in the two cell types, although generally effects were more marked for the ionic form. In conclusion, results suggest that most observed responses were due at least in part to dissolved Ag.

Building up a frequency stabilisation based on a wavemeter for a diode laser and characterisation for a digital mirror device for artificial potentials

It has built and characterised a laser and It has learned what each of the components does. It has been able to run the laser in single-mode and stabilised it around a desired setpoint thanks to a PID controller that It has programmed. It has established a communication between the PID controller programmed in LabVIEW and Arduino Due, the DAC that It has chosen after comparing it with another candidate. It has learned some basics of how the LightCrafter 4500 DMD works. The projected light is the composition of the lights of three LED’s, each of which has a certain on-time. The mirrors chose to be in on- or off-stages depending to the amount of intensity that we want for each colour.

Patterns of Impact Resulting from a 'Sit Less, Move More' Web-Based Program in Sedentary Office Employees

Purpose Encouraging office workers to 'sit less and move more' encompasses two public health priorities. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of workplace interventions for reducing sitting, even less about the longer term effects of such interventions and still less on dual-focused interventions. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of a workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS; 2010-11) on self-reported sitting time, step counts and physical risk factors (waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure) for chronic disease. Methods Employees at six Spanish university campuses (n=264; 42 +/- 10 years; 171 female) were randomly assigned by worksite and campus to an Intervention (used W@WS; n=129; 87 female) or a Comparison group (maintained normal behavior; n=135; 84 female). This phased, 19-week program aimed to decrease occupational sitting time through increased incidental movement and short walks. A linear mixed model assessed changes in outcome measures between the baseline, ramping (8 weeks), maintenance (11 weeks) and follow-up (two months) phases for Intervention versus Comparison groups. Results A significant 2 (group) x 2 (program phases) interaction was found for self-reported occupational sitting (F[3]=7.97, p=0.046), daily step counts (F[3]=15.68, p=0.0013) and waist circumference (F[3]=11.67, p=0.0086). The Intervention group decreased minutes of daily occupational sitting while also increasing step counts from baseline (446 +/- 126; 8,862 +/- 2,475) through ramping (+425 +/- 120; 9,345 +/- 2,435), maintenance (+422 +/- 123; 9,638 +/- 3,131) and follow-up (+414 +/- 129; 9,786 +/- 3,205). In the Comparison group, compared to baseline (404 +/- 106), sitting time remained unchanged through ramping and maintenance, but decreased at follow-up (-388 +/- 120), while step counts diminished across all phases. The Intervention group significantly reduced waist circumference by 2.1cms from baseline to follow-up while the Comparison group reduced waist circumference by 1.3cms over the same period. Conclusions W@WSis a feasible and effective evidence-based intervention that can be successfully deployed with sedentary employees to elicit sustained changes on "sitting less and moving more".