Nieto, Xavier y Santos, Marta, 2009, El vaixell grec arcaic de Cala Sant Vicenç. Monografies del CASC, 7, Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya-Barcelona, Barcelona 2009, 469 p.

Por sí sólo el hallazgo y excavación de un barco griego tardoarcaico en la costa norte de Mallorca ya constituiría una singularidad arqueológica digna de comentario; si además la aventura se materializa, como es el caso, en un excelente libro monográfico, el suceso se convierte en una fuente histórica de primer orden, que reporta un notorio avance en la comprensión del comercio empórico foceo occidental. Aunque se disponían de algunos trabajos preliminares, la presente obra culmina los esfuerzos de Xavier Nieto y Marta Santos, autores principales, pero también de treinta y cinco colaboradores que firman estudios especializados ¿tipológicos, epigráficos y analíticos¿ de muy variada metodología y extensión.

Western Iowa Missouri River Flooding -- Geo-Infrastructure Damage Assessment, Repair and Mitigation Strategies, TR-638, 2013

The 2011 Missouri River flooding caused significant damage to many geo-infrastructure systems including levees, bridge abutments/foundations, paved and unpaved roadways, culverts, and embankment slopes in western Iowa. The flooding resulted in closures of several interchanges along Interstate 29 and of more than 100 miles of secondary roads in western Iowa, causing severe inconvenience to residents and losses to local businesses. The main goals of this research project were to assist county and city engineers by deploying and using advanced technologies to rapidly assess the damage to geo-infrastructure and develop effective repair and mitigation strategies and solutions for use during future flood events in Iowa. The research team visited selected sites in western Iowa to conduct field reconnaissance, in situ testing on bridge abutment backfills that were affected by floods, flooded and non-flooded secondary roadways, and culverts. In situ testing was conducted shortly after the flood waters receded, and several months after flooding to evaluate recovery and performance. Tests included falling weight deflectometer, dynamic cone penetrometer, three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning, ground penetrating radar, and hand auger soil sampling. Field results indicated significant differences in roadway support characteristics between flooded and non-flooded areas. Support characteristics in some flooded areas recovered over time, while others did not. Voids were detected in culvert and bridge abutment backfill materials shortly after flooding and several months after flooding. A catalog of field assessment techniques and 20 potential repair/mitigation solutions are provided in this report. A flow chart relating the damages observed, assessment techniques, and potential repair/mitigation solutions is provided. These options are discussed for paved/unpaved roads, culverts, and bridge abutments, and are applicable for both primary and secondary roadways.

Evaluation of Appropriate Maintenance, Repair and Rehabilitation Methods for Iowa Bridges, TR-429, 2003

Most states, including Iowa, have a significant number of substandard bridges. This number will increase significantly unless some type of preventative maintenance is employed. Both the Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa counties have successfully employed numerous maintenance, repair and rehabilitation (MR&R) strategies for correcting various types of deficiencies. However, successfully employed MR&R procedures are often not systematically documented or defined for those involved in bridge maintenance. This study addressed the need for a standard bridge MR&R manual for Iowa with emphasis for secondary road applications. As part of the study, bridge MR&R activities that are relevant to the state of Iowa have been systematically categorized into a manual, in a standardized format. Where pertinent, design guidelines have been presented. Material presented in this manual is divided into two major categories: 1) Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridge Superstructure Components, and 2) Repair and Rehabilitation of Bridge Substructure Components. There are multiple subcategories within both major categories that provide detailed information. Some of the detailed information includes step-by-step procedures for accomplishing MR&R activities, material specifications and detailed drawings where available. The source of information contained in the manual is public domain technical literature and information provided by Iowa County Engineers. A questionnaire was sent to all 99 counties in Iowa to solicit information and the research team personally solicited input from many Iowa counties as a follow-up to the questionnaire.

A forensic science perspective on the role of images in crime investigation and reconstruction

This article presents a global vision of images in forensic science. The proliferation of perspectives on the use of images throughout criminal investigations and the increasing demand for research on this topic seem to demand a forensic science-based analysis. In this study, the definitions of and concepts related to material traces are revisited and applied to images, and a structured approach is used to persuade the scientific community to extend and improve the use of images as traces in criminal investigations. Current research efforts focus on technical issues and evidence assessment. This article provides a sound foundation for rationalising and explaining the processes involved in the production of clues from trace images. For example, the mechanisms through which these visual traces become clues of presence or action are described. An extensive literature review of forensic image analysis emphasises the existing guidelines and knowledge available for answering investigative questions (who, what, where, when and how). However, complementary developments are still necessary to demystify many aspects of image analysis in forensic science, including how to review and select images or use them to reconstruct an event or assist intelligence efforts. The hypothetico-deductive reasoning pathway used to discover unknown elements of an event or crime can also help scientists understand the underlying processes involved in their decision making. An analysis of a single image in an investigative or probative context is used to demonstrate the highly informative potential of images as traces and/or clues. Research efforts should be directed toward formalising the extraction and combination of clues from images. An appropriate methodology is key to expanding the use of images in forensic science.

Aberrant repair and fibrosis development in skeletal muscle

The repair process of damaged tissue involves the coordinated activities of several cell types in response to local and systemic signals. Following acute tissue injury, infiltrating inflammatory cells and resident stem cells orchestrate their activities to restore tissue homeostasis. However, during chronic tissue damage, such as in muscular dystrophies, the inflammatory-cell infiltration and fibroblast activation persists, while the reparative capacity of stem cells (satellite cells) is attenuated. Abnormal dystrophic muscle repair and its end stage, fibrosis, represent the final common pathway of virtually all chronic neurodegenerative muscular diseases. As our understanding of the pathogenesis of muscle fibrosis has progressed, it has become evident that the muscle provides a useful model for the regulation of tissue repair by the local microenvironment, showing interplay among muscle-specific stem cells, inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and extracellular matrix components of the mammalian wound-healing response. This article reviews the emerging findings of the mechanisms that underlie normal versus aberrant muscle-tissue repair.

3D noise power spectrum applied on clinical mdct scanners: effects of reconstruction algorithms and reconstruction filters

The noise power spectrum (NPS) is the reference metric for understanding the noise content in computed tomography (CT) images. To evaluate the noise properties of clinical multidetector (MDCT) scanners, local 2D and 3D NPSs were computed for different acquisition reconstruction parameters.A 64- and a 128-MDCT scanners were employed. Measurements were performed on a water phantom in axial and helical acquisition modes. CT dose index was identical for both installations. Influence of parameters such as the pitch, the reconstruction filter (soft, standard and bone) and the reconstruction algorithm (filtered-back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR)) were investigated. Images were also reconstructed in the coronal plane using a reformat process. Then 2D and 3D NPS methods were computed.In axial acquisition mode, the 2D axial NPS showed an important magnitude variation as a function of the z-direction when measured at the phantom center. In helical mode, a directional dependency with lobular shape was observed while the magnitude of the NPS was kept constant. Important effects of the reconstruction filter, pitch and reconstruction algorithm were observed on 3D NPS results for both MDCTs. With ASIR, a reduction of the NPS magnitude and a shift of the NPS peak to the low frequency range were visible. 2D coronal NPS obtained from the reformat images was impacted by the interpolation when compared to 2D coronal NPS obtained from 3D measurements.The noise properties of volume measured in last generation MDCTs was studied using local 3D NPS metric. However, impact of the non-stationarity noise effect may need further investigations.

Functions of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha and beta in skin homeostasis, epithelial repair, and morphogenesis.

The three peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR alpha, PPAR beta, and PPAR gamma) are ligand-activated transcription factors belonging to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. They are regarded as being sensors of physiological levels of fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives. In the adult mouse skin, they are found in hair follicle keratinocytes but not in interfollicular epidermis keratinocytes. Skin injury stimulates the expression of PPAR alpha and PPAR beta at the site of the wound. Here, we review the spatiotemporal program that triggers PPAR beta expression immediately after an injury, and then gradually represses it during epithelial repair. The opposing effects of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta-1 signalling pathways on the activity of the PPAR beta promoter are the key elements of this regulation. We then compare the involvement of PPAR beta in the skin in response to an injury and during hair morphogenesis, and underscore the similarity of its action on cell survival in both situations.

Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways.

To newly identify loci for age at natural menopause, we carried out a meta-analysis of 22 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 38,968 women of European descent, with replication in up to 14,435 women. In addition to four known loci, we identified 13 loci newly associated with age at natural menopause (at P < 5 × 10(-8)). Candidate genes located at these newly associated loci include genes implicated in DNA repair (EXO1, HELQ, UIMC1, FAM175A, FANCI, TLK1, POLG and PRIM1) and immune function (IL11, NLRP11 and PRRC2A (also known as BAT2)). Gene-set enrichment pathway analyses using the full GWAS data set identified exoDNase, NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction as biological processes related to timing of menopause.

Regulation of recombination at yeast nuclear pores controls repair and triplet repeat stability.

Secondary structure-forming DNA sequences such as CAG repeats interfere with replication and repair, provoking fork stalling, chromosome fragility, and recombination. In budding yeast, we found that expanded CAG repeats are more likely than unexpanded repeats to localize to the nuclear periphery. This positioning is transient, occurs in late S phase, requires replication, and is associated with decreased subnuclear mobility of the locus. In contrast to persistent double-stranded breaks, expanded CAG repeats at the nuclear envelope associate with pores but not with the inner nuclear membrane protein Mps3. Relocation requires Nup84 and the Slx5/8 SUMO-dependent ubiquitin ligase but not Rad51, Mec1, or Tel1. Importantly, the presence of the Nup84 pore subcomplex and Slx5/8 suppresses CAG repeat fragility and instability. Repeat instability in nup84, slx5, or slx8 mutant cells arises through aberrant homologous recombination and is distinct from instability arising from the loss of ligase 4-dependent end-joining. Genetic and physical analysis of Rad52 sumoylation and binding at the CAG tract suggests that Slx5/8 targets sumoylated Rad52 for degradation at the pore to facilitate recovery from acute replication stress by promoting replication fork restart. We thereby confirmed that the relocation of damage to nuclear pores plays an important role in a naturally occurring repair process.

Evaluation of the indication for surgical extraction of third molars according to the oral surgeon and the primary care dentist. Experience in the Master of Oral Surgery and Implantology at Barcelona University Dental School

Introduction: Third molar extraction is the most frequent procedure in oral surgery. The present study evaluates the indication of third molar extraction as established by the primary care dentist (PCD) and the oral surgeon, and compares the justification for extraction with the principal reason for patient consultation. Patients and method: A descriptive study was made of 319 patients subjected to surgical removal of a third molar in the context of the Master of Oral Surgery and Implantology (Barcelona University Dental School, Barcelona, Spain) between July 2004 and March 2005. The following parameters were evaluated: sex, age, molar, type of impaction, position according to the classifications of Pell and Gregory and of Winter, and the reasons justifying extraction. Results: The lower third molars were the most commonly extracted molars (73.7%). A total of 69.6% of the teeth were covered by soft tissues only. Fifty-six percent of the lower molars corresponded to Pell and Gregory Class IIB, while 42.1% were in the vertical position. The most common reason for patient reference to our Service of Oral Surgery on the part of the PCD was prophylactic removal (51.0% versus 46.1% in the case of the oral surgeon). Discussion and conclusions. Our results show prophylaxis to be the principal indication of third molar extraction, followed by orthodontic reasons. Regarding third molars with associated clinical symptoms or signs, infectious disease-including pericoronitis- was the pathology most often observed by the oral surgeon, followed by caries. This order of frequency was seen to invert in the case of third molars referred for extraction by the PCD. A vertical position predominated among the third molars with associated pathology

Sense títol

Postprint (published version)

Projecte de rehabilitació de la Casa Puig i Cadafalch

Award-winning

Reforma i ampliació de la Biblioteca Montserrat Roig a Sant Feliu de Llobregat.

Award-winning

The role of financial markets in the stabilization and reconstruction of Lebanon.

Rapport de recherche