Muscle protein waste in tumor-bearing rats is effectively antagonized by a beta 2-adrenergic agonist (clenbuterol). Role of the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway.

Tissue protein hypercatabolism (TPH) is a most important feature in cancer cachexia, particularly with regard to the skeletal muscle. The rat ascites hepatoma Yoshida AH-130 is a very suitable model system for studying the mechanisms involved in the processes that lead to tissue depletion, since it induces in the host a rapid and progressive muscle waste mainly due to TPH (Tessitore, L., G. Bonelli, and F. M. Baccino. 1987. Biochem. J. 241:153-159). Detectable plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha associated with marked perturbations in the hormonal homeostasis have been shown to concur in forcing metabolism into a catabolic setting (Tessitore, L., P. Costelli, and F. M. Baccino. 1993. Br. J. Cancer. 67:15-23). The present study was directed to investigate if beta 2-adrenergic agonists, which are known to favor skeletal muscle hypertrophy, could effectively antagonize the enhanced muscle protein breakdown in this cancer cachexia model. One such agent, i.e., clenbuterol, indeed largely prevented skeletal muscle waste in AH-130-bearing rats by restoring protein degradative rates close to control values. This normalization of protein breakdown rates was achieved through a decrease of the hyperactivation of the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway, as previously demonstrated in our laboratory (Llovera, M., C. García-Martínez, N. Agell, M. Marzábal, F. J. López-Soriano, and J. M. Argilés. 1994. FEBS (Fed. Eur. Biochem. Soc.) Lett. 338:311-318). By contrast, the drug did not exert any measurable effect on various parenchymal organs, nor did it modify the plasma level of corticosterone and insulin, which were increased and decreased, respectively, in the tumor hosts. The present data give new insights into the mechanisms by which clenbuterol exerts its preventive effect on muscle protein waste and seem to warrant the implementation of experimental protocols involving the use of clenbuterol or alike drugs in the treatment of pathological states involving TPH, particularly in skeletal muscle and heart, such as in the present model of cancer cachexia.

Muscle protein waste in tumor-bearing rats is effectively antagonized by a beta 2-adrenergic agonist (clenbuterol). Role of the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway.

Tissue protein hypercatabolism (TPH) is a most important feature in cancer cachexia, particularly with regard to the skeletal muscle. The rat ascites hepatoma Yoshida AH-130 is a very suitable model system for studying the mechanisms involved in the processes that lead to tissue depletion, since it induces in the host a rapid and progressive muscle waste mainly due to TPH (Tessitore, L., G. Bonelli, and F. M. Baccino. 1987. Biochem. J. 241:153-159). Detectable plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha associated with marked perturbations in the hormonal homeostasis have been shown to concur in forcing metabolism into a catabolic setting (Tessitore, L., P. Costelli, and F. M. Baccino. 1993. Br. J. Cancer. 67:15-23). The present study was directed to investigate if beta 2-adrenergic agonists, which are known to favor skeletal muscle hypertrophy, could effectively antagonize the enhanced muscle protein breakdown in this cancer cachexia model. One such agent, i.e., clenbuterol, indeed largely prevented skeletal muscle waste in AH-130-bearing rats by restoring protein degradative rates close to control values. This normalization of protein breakdown rates was achieved through a decrease of the hyperactivation of the ATP-ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway, as previously demonstrated in our laboratory (Llovera, M., C. García-Martínez, N. Agell, M. Marzábal, F. J. López-Soriano, and J. M. Argilés. 1994. FEBS (Fed. Eur. Biochem. Soc.) Lett. 338:311-318). By contrast, the drug did not exert any measurable effect on various parenchymal organs, nor did it modify the plasma level of corticosterone and insulin, which were increased and decreased, respectively, in the tumor hosts. The present data give new insights into the mechanisms by which clenbuterol exerts its preventive effect on muscle protein waste and seem to warrant the implementation of experimental protocols involving the use of clenbuterol or alike drugs in the treatment of pathological states involving TPH, particularly in skeletal muscle and heart, such as in the present model of cancer cachexia.

Factors influencing privatization of urban solid waste collection: some evidence from Spain

In this paper we analyse some of the organisational aspects of the urban solid waste collection and, in particular, the privatization modality of contracting out. We start by discussing some of the theoretical aspects of contracting out. We then specify and estimate an explanatory model on a sample of municipalities that we surveyed. Our purpose is twofold: on the one hand, we identify the economic factors at work when deciding to contract out the service and, on the other hand, we analyse the role of ideological factors in choosing between the public production of the service or contracting it out. The results show a significant effect of the demand for waste collection on contracting out. There also appears to be a neighbouring effect as the municipalities close to other cities that contract out are also more prone to do so. Finally, the decisions to contract seem to have been motivated by pragmatic rather than ideological reasons.

Socio-economic inequalities in reported depression in Spain : a decomposition approach

Recent evidence questions some conventional view on the existence of income-related inequalities in depression suggesting in turn that other determinants might be in place, such as activity status and educational attainment. Evidence of socio-economic inequalities is especially relevant in countries such as Spain that have a limited coverage of mental health care and are regionally heterogeneous. This paper aims at measuring and explaining the degree of socio-economic inequality in reported depression in Spain. We employ linear probability models to estimate the concentration index and its decomposition drawing from 2003 edition of the Spanish National Health Survey, the most recent representative health survey in Spain. Our findings point towards the existence of avoidable inequalities in the prevalence of reported depression. However, besides ¿pure income effects¿ explaining 37% of inequality, economic activity status (28%), education (15%) and demographics (15%) play also a key encompassing role. Although high income implies higher resources to invest and cure (mental) illness, environmental factors influencing in peoples perceived social status act as indirect path as explaining the prevalence of depression. Finally, we find evidence of a gender effect, gender social-economic inequality in income is mainly avoidable.

Decomposition of Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande in the sediment of a coastal lagoon

The decomposition process of Ruppia cirrhosa was studied in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon in the Delta of the River Ebro (NE Spain). Leaves and shoots of Ruppia were enclosed in 1 mm-mesh and 100 pm-mesh litter bags to ascertain the effect of detritivores, macroinvertebrates, and bacteria and fungi, respectively. Changes in biomass and carbon, and, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the detritus were studied at the sediment-water interface and in the sediment. Significant differences in biomass decay were observed between the two bag types. Significant differences in decomposition were observed between the two experimental conditions studied using 100 pm-mesh bags. These differences were not significant when using the 1 mm-mesh bags. The carbon content in the detritus remained constant during the decomposition process. The percentage of nitrogen increased progressively from an initial 2.4 % to 3 %. The percentage of phosphorus decreased rapidly during the first two days of decomposition from an initial 0.26 % to 0.17 %. This loss is greater in the sediment than in the water column or at the sediment-water interface. From these results we deduce that the activity of microorganisms seems to be more important in the sediment than in the water-sediment interface, and that grazing by macroinvertebrates has less importance in the sediment than in the water column.

MMPBSA decomposition of the binding energy throughout a molecular dynamics simulation of Amyloid-Beta (Aß10-35) aggregation

Recent experiments with amyloid-beta (Aß) peptides indicate that the formation of toxic oligomers may be an important contribution to the onset of Alzheimer's disease. The toxicity of Aß oligomers depend on their structure, which is governed by assembly dynamics. However, a detailed knowledge of the structure of at the atomic level has not been achieved yet due to limitations of current experimental techniques. In this study, replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations are used to identify the expected diversity of dimer conformations of Aß10-35 monomers. The most representative dimer conformation has been used to track the dimer formation process between both monomers. The process has been characterized by means of the evolution of the decomposition of the binding free energy, which provides an energetic profile of the interaction. Dimers undergo a process of reorganization driven basically by inter-chain hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions and also solvation/desolvation processes.

Empirics of the international inequality in CO2 emissions intensity: explanatory factors according to complementary decomposition methodologies

This paper analyses the international inequalities in CO2 emissions intensity for the period 1971–2009 and assesses explanatory factors. Multiplicative, group and additive methodologies of inequality decomposition are employed. The first allows us to clarify the separated role of the carbonisation index and the energy intensity in the pattern observed for inequalities in CO2 intensities; the second allows us to understand the role of regional groups; and the third allows us to investigate the role of different fossil energy sources (coal, oil and gas). The results show that, first, the reduction in global emissions intensity has coincided with a significant reduction in international inequality. Second, the bulk of this inequality and its reduction are attributed to differences between the groups of countries considered. Third, coal is the main energy source explaining these inequalities, although the growth in the relative contribution of gas is also remarkable. Fourth, the bulk of inequalities between countries and its decline are explained by differences in energy intensities, although there are significant differences in the patterns demonstrated by different groups of countries. JEL codes: D39; Q43; Q56. Key words: CO2 international distribution, inequality decomposition, CO2 emissions intensity

Real-time monitoring of the silicidation process of tungsten filaments at high temperature used as catalysers for silane decomposition

The scope of this work is the systematic study of the silicidation process affecting tungsten filaments at high temperature (1900ºC) used for silane decomposition in the hot-wire chemical vapour deposition technique (HWCVD). The correlation between the electrical resistance evolution of the filaments, Rfil(t), and the different stages of the their silicidation process is exposed. Said stages correspond to: the rapid formation of two WSi2 fronts at the cold ends of the filaments and their further propagation towards the middle of the filaments; and, regarding the hot central portion of the filaments: a initial stage of silicon dissolution into the tungsten bulk, with a random duration for as-manufactured filaments, followed by the inhomogeneous nucleation of W5Si3 (which is later replaced by WSi2) and its further growth towards the filaments core. An electrical model is used to obtain real-time information about the current status of the filaments silicidation process by simply monitoring their Rfil(t) evolution during the HWCVD process. It is shown that implementing an annealing pre-treatment to the filaments leads to a clearly repetitive trend in the monitored Rfil(t) signatures. The influence of hydrogen dilution of silane on the filaments silicidation process is also discussed.

Multiway Array Decomposition Analysis of EEGs in Alzheimer’s Disease

Methods for the extraction of features from physiological datasets are growing needs as clinical investigations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in large and heterogeneous population increase. General tools allowing diagnostic regardless of recording sites, such as different hospitals, are essential and if combined to inexpensive non-invasive methods could critically improve mass screening of subjects with AD. In this study, we applied three state of the art multiway array decomposition (MAD) methods to extract features from electroencephalograms (EEGs) of AD patients obtained from multiple sites. In comparison to MAD, spectral-spatial average filter (SSFs) of control and AD subjects were used as well as a common blind source separation method, algorithm for multiple unknown signal extraction (AMUSE). We trained a feed-forward multilayer perceptron (MLP) to validate and optimize AD classification from two independent databases. Using a third EEG dataset, we demonstrated that features extracted from MAD outperformed features obtained from SSFs AMUSE in terms of root mean squared error (RMSE) and reaching up to 100% of accuracy in test condition. We propose that MAD maybe a useful tool to extract features for AD diagnosis offering great generalization across multi-site databases and opening doors to the discovery of new characterization of the disease.

Empirical mode decomposition-based face recognition system

In this work we explore the multivariate empirical mode decomposition combined with a Neural Network classifier as technique for face recognition tasks. Images are simultaneously decomposed by means of EMD and then the distance between the modes of the image and the modes of the representative image of each class is calculated using three different distance measures. Then, a neural network is trained using 10- fold cross validation in order to derive a classifier. Preliminary results (over 98 % of classification rate) are satisfactory and will justify a deep investigation on how to apply mEMD for face recognition.

EEG signal analysis via a cleaning procedure based on multivariate empirical mode decomposition

Artifacts are present in most of the electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, making it difficult to interpret or analyze the data. In this paper a cleaning procedure based on a multivariate extension of empirical mode decomposition is used to improve the quality of the data. This is achieved by applying the cleaning method to raw EEG data. Then, a synchrony measure is applied on the raw and the clean data in order to compare the improvement of the classification rate. Two classifiers are used, linear discriminant analysis and neural networks. For both cases, the classification rate is improved about 20%.

Why do they separate it or not? Attitudes and behaviors towards organic waste separation

This article shows the results of an exploratory study related to the separation of organic waste in order to offer suggestions for the improvement of waste disposal communication campaigns. The overall objective is to analyze attitude and behavior of those who do and those who do not separate organic waste, related to a specific promotional campaign carried out in two neighborhoods, in the municipality of Badalona (Spain), within the framework of the study of proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors and based on the Psychosocial Four Spheres Model. 1,010 interviews were conducted and data was analyzed using Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID). Waste separation behavior was used as a dependent variable. The reasons given to explain why people do or do not separate organic waste and sociodemographic variables, have been introduced as independent variables. In accordance with the Four Spheres Model, results show significant differences in waste separation. Based on the profiles obtained, we find some predictive variables that facilitate the development of communication campaigns according to the requirements of each community.

Why do they separate it or not? Attitudes and behaviors towards organic waste separation

This article shows the results of an exploratory study related to the separation of organic waste in order to offer suggestions for the improvement of waste disposal communication campaigns. The overall objective is to analyze attitude and behavior of those who do and those who do not separate organic waste, related to a specific promotional campaign carried out in two neighborhoods, in the municipality of Badalona (Spain), within the framework of the study of proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors and based on the Psychosocial Four Spheres Model. 1,010 interviews were conducted and data was analyzed using Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID). Waste separation behavior was used as a dependent variable. The reasons given to explain why people do or do not separate organic waste and sociodemographic variables, have been introduced as independent variables. In accordance with the Four Spheres Model, results show significant differences in waste separation. Based on the profiles obtained, we find some predictive variables that facilitate the development of communication campaigns according to the requirements of each community.

The effect of pesticides and alien invesive species on soil biota and litter decomposition rates in a Mediterrean-climate ecosystem of Western Australia

Ecosystems are complex systems and changing one of their components can alter their whole functioning. Decomposition and biodiversity are two factors that play a role in this stability, and it is vital to study how these two factors are interrelated and how other factors, whether of human origin or not, can affect them. This study has tested different hypotheses regarding the effects of pesticides and invasive species on the biodiversity of the soil fauna and litter decomposition rate. Decomposition was measured using the litterbags technique. Our results indicate that pesticides had a negative effect on decomposition whereas invasive species increased decomposition rate. At the same time, the diversity of the soil biota was unaffected by either factor. These results allow us to better understand the response of important ecosystem functions to human‐induced alterations, in order to mitigate harmful effects or restore them wherever necessary.

Disentangling water usage in the European Union: A decomposition analysis

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) defines common objectives for water resources throughout the European Union (EU). Given this general approach to water preservation and water policy, the objective of this paper is to analyse whether common patterns of water consumption exist within Europe. In particular, our study uses two methods to reveal the reasons behind sectoral water use in all EU countries. The first method is based on an accounting indicator that calculates the water intensity of an economy as the sum of sectoral water intensities. The second method is a subsystem input‐output model that divides total water use into different income channels within the production system. The application uses data for the years 2005 and 2009 on water consumption in the production system of the 27 countries of the EU. From our analysis it emerges that EU countries are characterized by very different patterns of water consumption. In particular water consumption by the agriculture sector is extremely high in Central/Eastern Europe, relative to the rest of Europe. In most countries, the water used by the fuel, power and water sector is consumed to satisfy domestic final demand. However, our analysis shows that for some countries exports from this sector are an important driver of water consumption. Focusing on the agricultural sector, the decomposition analysis suggests that water usage in Mediterranean countries is mainly driven by final demand for, and exports of, agricultural products. In Central/Eastern Europe domestic final demand is the main driver of water consumption, but in this region the proportion of water use driven by demand for exports is increasing over time. Given these heterogeneous water consumption patterns, our analysis suggests that Mediterranean and Central/Eastern European countries should adopt specific water policies in order to achieve efficient levels of water consumption in the European Union. JEL codes: N5; C67 Keywords: Water use, Subsystem input–output model; Water intensity, European Union.