Consejo Superior De Investigaciones Cientificas Research Articles

A bibliometric analysis of studies on gut microbiota in attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder from 2012 to 2021.

An increasing number of studies have focused on the role of gut microbiota in the treatment of ADHD, but its related molecular mechanisms are not yet clear, and there is still room for development of studies targeting this area. This study analyzes publications from 2012 to 2021 in a comprehensive and multi-faceted visualization, with the aim of grasping the existing research profile and guiding scholars to make more in-depth studies. The 1,677 articles and 298 review articles on gut microbiota in ADHD were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, Microsoft Excel 2019, Scimago Graphica, Bibliometrix and Pajek metrics software were used for visualization and analysis of the included literature. On August 3, 2022, a total of 1975 English-language articles on gut microbiota in ADHD were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) from January 2012 to December 2021, with a steady upward trend in the number of articles published in this field over the decade. The top three countries in terms of the number of articles published are the United States, China, and Spain. Meanwhile, CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS CSIC, UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEM, and UDICE FRENCH RESEARCH UNIV have made significant contributions in this field. In the analysis of the published journals, PLoS One was not only the first in terms of number of articles published but also the most cited. Wang J was the most prolific author and CAPORASO JG ranked first in terms of co-cited authors. In addition, "Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome," published by David LA et al., has the highest citation frequency in this field. The most frequently occurring keyword was "gut microbiota." The results of this paper clarify the current status of research on gut microbiota in ADHD. Based on the research on the mechanism of gut microbiota in other diseases, there is reason to believe that the exploration of gut microbiota in ADHD must be increasingly mature. And the study speculates that future research may focus on "nutrition supplements," "lipid metabolism," and "gut brain axis." It is imperative to promote a closer international cooperation among scholars in this field.

Immuno(T)herapy for age-related diseases.

During the last decade, the stimulation of T-cell function by the blockage of immunosuppressive checkpoints has experienced an outstanding impact in the treatment of cancer. Development of the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell technology has also emerged as a powerful alternative for patients suffering from oncological processes, especially those affected by hematological neoplasms. Recent evidence suggest that the use of immunotherapy could be extended to non-oncological diseases and could be especially relevant for age-associated disorders, opening exciting therapeutic options for a wide range of diseases of the elderly. Here we comment on the emergence of T-cell-based immunotherapies as feasible approaches that could revolutionize the future of GeroScience.

Quality of Care Indicators for Hospital Physical Therapy Units: A Systematic Review.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this review was to identify quality indicators described in the literature that may be used as quality measures in hospital physical therapy units.MethodsThe following sources were searched for quality indicators or articles: Web of Science, MEDLINE, IBECS, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, Academic Search Complete, SportDiscus, SciELO, PsychINFO, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, and Scopus databases; the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Health System Indicator Portal, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development websites; and the National Quality Forum’s measures inventory tool. Search terms included “quality indicator,” “quality measure,” “physiotherapy,” and “physical therapy.” Inclusion criteria were articles written in English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese aimed at measuring the quality of care in hospital physical therapy units. Evidence-based indicators with an explicit formula were extracted by 2 independent reviewers and then classified using the structure-process-outcome model, quality domain, and categories defined by a consensus method.ResultsOf the 176 articles identified, only 19 met the criteria. From these articles and from the indicator repository searches, 178 clinical care indicators were included in the qualitative synthesis and presented in this paper. Process and outcome measures were prevalent, and 5 out of the 6 quality domains were represented. No efficiency measures were identified. Moreover, structure indicators, equity and accessibility indicators, and indicators in the cardiovascular and circulatory, mental health, pediatrics, and intensive care categories were underrepresented.ConclusionsA broad selection of quality indicators was identified from international resources, which can be used to measure the quality of physical therapy care in hospital units.ImpactThis review identified 178 quality of care indicators that can be used in clinical practice monitoring and quality improvement of hospital physical therapy units. The results highlight a lack of accessibility, equity, and efficiency measures for physical therapy units.

Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) Based on Web of Science

Muskmelon is a warm season cucurbit species that belongs to family Cucurbitaceae. We analyzed 2955 papers of global research on muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) based on Web of Science from 1924 to 2021. Papers were mainly written in English (2766, 93.604%), from 7883 authors, 83 countries or regions, 1697 organizations, and published in 585 journals and book series. The top five journals were HortScience (334, 11.303%), Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science (Proceedings of the American Society for Horticultural Science) (117, 3.959%), Scientia Horticulturae (109, 3.689%), Plant Disease (88, 2.978%), and Phytopathology (84, 2.843%), each of which published more than 84 papers. The top five countries or regions were the United States, PR China, Spain, Brazil, and Japan, which each published more than 168 papers. The top six organizations were U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, Agricultural Research Organization, Texas A&M University, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, University of California–Davis and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, each of which published more than 64 papers. The top five authors are G.D. Lester, J.D. McCreight, J. Garcia-Mas, K.M. Crosby, and T.J. Ng, who each published more than 26 papers. On the basis of the analysis of a network map of VOSviewer, there were cooperation among authors, organizations, and countries or regions. All keywords of muskmelon research were separated into eight clusters for different research topics. Visualizations offer exploratory information on the current state and indicate possible developments in the future. This work is also useful for students identifying graduate schools and researchers selecting journals.

Differential miRNA plasma profiles associated with the spontaneous loss of HIV‐1 control: miR‐199a‐3p and its potential role as a biomarker for quick screening of elite controllers

Differential miRNA plasma profiles associated with the spontaneous loss of HIV‐1 control: miR‐199a‐3p and its potential role as a biomarker for quick screening of elite controllers

Constructing “Pure” and “Applied” Science in Early Francoism

The paper discusses several appropriations of the categories of “pure” and “applied” science (mainly in chemistry) in early Francoism. At the height of a crusade that criminalized “pure” science as inherently attached to the culture of the Second Spanish Republic, the category of “pure” assumed spiritual, religious and anti-materialist values in the early education policies of the new regime, in the context of the newly founded national research centre, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). At the same time, relevant Francoist scientists stressed the high moral status of a new utilitarian, “applied” science, to efficiently serve the material needs of the country. As a result, the categories of “pure” and “applied” science, and their rhetorical use in public addresses and propaganda, became useful tools for building a strong alliance between science and power that cemented the dictatorship.

Exploring Functionalities for the Development of High Thermal Stability Polypropylene-Based Dielectrics

The financial support from project Polymeric Nanodielectrics, Proyecto Intramural Especial, PIE202060E215 (CSIC, Spain) is greatly acknowledged. A.M. thanks the Universidad de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) for the opportunity of performing her final degree project.

Deficient Thyroid Hormone Transport to the Brain Leads to Impairments in Axonal Caliber and Oligodendroglial Differentiation

Background: Mutations in the thyroid hormone transporter monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) lead to profound brain alterations, including myelination impairments, in humans. We aimed to further explore the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the MCT8 deficiency-associated myelination impairments to unravel new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Methods: We have performed brain histological analysis on an MCT8-deficient subject and histological, ultrastructural, and MRI analysis in the brain of a mouse model of the syndrome, lacking MCT8 and enzyme deiodinase type 2 (DIO2, Mct8/Dio2 KO). Findings: We have found that the MCT8-deficient subject presents severely reduced myelin lipid and protein staining and increased proportion of small-calibre myelinated axons in detriment of large-calibre ones. Mct8/Dio2 KO mice present myelination impairments and abnormal oligodendroglial development, both in proliferation and maturation. Interpretation: We conclude that the greater proportion of small-calibre axons and differentiation impairments in oligodendrocyte precursor cells arise as potential mechanisms underlying the permanent myelination defects in MCT8-deficiency. Moreover, we present the Mct8/Dio2 KO mouse model, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a non-invasive biomarker, as highly valuable tools for preclinical studies involving MCT8 deficiency. These findings contribute to the understanding of the pathological mechanisms in MCT8 deficiency and suggest new biomarkers and therapeutic targets to consider therapeutic options for the neurological defects of patients. Funding Statement: This study was supported by grants from the Spanish Plan Nacional de I+D+i (Grant No. SAF2017-86342-R), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (Grant No. 2020AEP044), the Sherman Foundation (Grant No. OTR02211) and the Asociacion Corriendo con el Corazon por Hugo (Grant No OTR06190). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest exist. Ethics Approval Statement: Human studies: Tissue samples were collected and processed following the guidelines and approval by the ethics committee of our Institution (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, CSIC, permit number SAF2011-25608) and with written informed consent from the parents of all subjects, in agreement with the Declaration of Helsinki. The smallest possible number of samples was used to perform these studies and all personal data were treated anonymously. Animal studies: All experimental procedures involving animals were performed following the European Union Council guidelines (directive 2010/63/UE) and Spanish regulations (R.D. 53/2013) and were approved by the ethics committee Comite de Etica y Experimentacion Humana y Animal (CEEHA) at Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) and by the Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid Review Board (proex 162/17) for the use of animals for scientific purposes.

Recovery of Serum Testosterone Levels is an Accurate Predictor of Survival From COVID-19 in Male Patients

Background: Infection with SARS-CoV-2 portends a broad range of outcomes, from a majority of asymptomatic cases or mild clinical courses to a lethal disease. Robust correlates of severe COVID-19 include old age, male sex, poverty and co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A precise knowledge is still lacking of the molecular and biological mechanisms that may explain the association of severe disease with male sex.Methods: Clinical biochemical and haematological parameters of admission samples in 249 hospitalized male and 247 female COVID-19 patients, analysed for associations with outcome and sex. Longitudinal analyses of a subcohort of 114 male patients for biochemical and haematological parameters, as well as testosterone, luteinizing hormone and androstenedione, analysed for associations with outcome. Longitudinal analysis of circulating immune populations by flow cytometry in 24 male patients, analysed for associations of specific subpopulations with outcome.Findings: There are quantitative differences in biochemical predictors of disease outcome in male vs. female patients. Longitudinal analyses in a subcohort of male COVID-19 patients indicate that testosterone trajectories are the strongest predictors (AUC of ROC = 92.8%, p Interpretation: Recovery or failure to reinstate testosterone levels is strongly associated with survival or death from COVID-19 in male patients. Our observations are suggestive of a significant role of testosterone status in the immune responses to COVID-19.Funding Information: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (RTI2018-096055-B-I00), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas’ COVID-19 Research Fund (CSIC-COV19-006, CSIC-COV19-201), Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (2020PANDE00048 and 2017SGR 1411 GRC) and Plan Nacional de I+D (PID-107139RB-C21) and Instituto Nacional de la Salud Carlos III (PI18/00346 and COVID-19_00416).Declaration of Interests: Authors declare no conflict of interest.Ethics Approval Statement: protocol reviewed and approved by the Hospital Vall d’Hebron Institutional Review Board (Medical Research Ethics Committee, protocol number PR(AG)329-2020). Immunophenotyping studies of peripheral blood cells underwent a separate review and approval process (protocol number PR(AG)242/2020).

The Representation of External Threats: From the Middle Ages to the Modern World ed. by Eberhard Crailsheim and María Dolores Elizalde

Reviewed by: The Representation of External Threats: From the Middle Ages to the Modern World ed. by Eberhard Crailsheim and María Dolores Elizalde Alexandre Coello de la Rosa Eberhard Crailsheim and Marõa Dolores Elizalde, EDS. The Representation of External Threats: From the Middle Ages to the Modern World Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2019. 466 pages. Today's world is convulsed by global environmental threats, cultural fundamentalism, the rise of right-wing extremism, migratory crises, not to mention the impoverishment of large sections of the global population, the loss of political rights, and more recently, the deadly new coronavirus disease. In this pessimistic context, Brill has published a lengthy, multi-author edited collection, which revolves around the sociological theory that representations of external threats have the potential to impact the internal cohesion of and strengthen the existing social order in the threatened communities. Starting from a research project initially focused on the Spanish-colonial Philippines, editors Eberhard Crailsheim, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the Institute of History, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), in Madrid, Spain, and María Dolores Elizalde, a CSIC researcher as well, expand the focus of security studies and threats to other geographical areas and historical periods to conclude that "threats are part of our daily lives. . . . [and] shape our political and social behaviour and contribute to the features of our personalities" (2). To narrow the focus, this volume concentrates on external military threats to states and empires and their sovereignty claims (5). The contributors come from different disciplines, such as political science, philosophy, and history, but no anthropologists were invited to participate, which would certainly have enriched the epistemological analysis of violence. [End Page 111] The book has seven parts, which reflect the variety of topics about and approaches to external threats. Part 1 features chapters that theorize the representation of external threats. In the first one, Crailsheim approaches threat representations from conflict sociology and securitization theories, emphasizing Niklas Luhmnann's theories on communication as the constituting element of a social system. He sees external conflicts as factors that increase the internal cohesion of a social group. Public fears fuel "real" threats, thereby reducing humanity to fixed-action patterns of aggression. In his chapter on nineteenth-century pan-Slavism, Vladimir Belous uses a dialectical approach to the dichotomy of own/alien to argue that every external threat is fundamentally a cultural conflict (64). Part 2 analyzes threat communication in general. It opens with Theresia Raum's chapter that applies Crailsheim's threat communication to explain how the Byzantine emperor and his court in the seventh century gained support from large sections of the Roman population in the face of external military threats, specifically the Persians and Avars. Marie Shreier focuses on the Scottish colonization attempt in Panama at the end of the seventeenth century. Looking at the same period, Simon Kemper examines the discourse of threat among the sultans of Banten in western Java, demonstrating how Muslim elites eventually transformed the potential threats posed by the Dutch East India Company into a security issue (106–27). Part 3 focuses on internal "others" turned into minoritized scapegoats. It begins with Stephan Steiner's chapter on the depiction of Gypsies in the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian monarchy from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. They were accused not only of misdemeanors but also of acts of espionage and treason (134–39), making them the scapegoat for the people's fear of the Ottomans. The fate of the Armenian merchants in the Moldavian Principality was not much better, according to Alexandr Osipian, who links their depiction as heretic suspects to their trade "in the lands of infidels"—the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate (161–62). Finally, Anna Balian's essay analyzes the different ways the Russian ruling class represented Jews as intellectual, economic, and racial threats from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century (186–202). Part 4 concentrates on threat communication and how Europeans constructed a perverse image of their enemies. Federico Niglia discusses the perception of "the German" as a threat to the rest of Europe from the end of the Middle Ages to the Second World War. This process of "enmification...

Hacia una Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales Arqueológica. Geoportal de la excavación arqueológica de Geoktchik-depe, Turkmenistán

Several years have passed since the publication of the regulations INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community) and its transposition into Spanish law. So far, there is no fully harmonized geoportal to INSPIRE archaeological information. This is due in part to the lack of a profile of the application schema adapted to archaeological data. This article describes the process for the preparation of a geoportal with access to data from an archaeological excavation according to the draft of schema “INSPIRE Cultural Heritage Data” compiled by the CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas) and its associated services. The aim is to structure the information in a way enabling both interoperability and understanding of it, being accessible through standardized services1. All this applied to the site of Geoktchik-depe, Turkmenistan.

Trends on enzyme immobilization researches based on bibliometric analysis

Abstract In this survey, a bibliometric analysis of the global scientific production on enzyme immobilization researches was developed using Web of Science© database. The time-span comprised the period from 1991 to 2017. A total of 9636 documents related to the subject were retrieved and analyzed according to seven main aspects: publication years, journals, countries, authors, organizations, keywords, and Web of Science categories. The results indicated that the countries with the highest number of publications were China and the United States. The most expressive international collaborative networks were evidenced between Brazil and Spain and between the USA and China. Additionally, the Spanish researchers were the ones that contributed most to this domain, while the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas and the Chinese Academy of Sciences were the most emblematic organizations. Finally, the analysis of keywords revealed that biosensor, lipase and glucose oxidase were the most cited terms among all publications, and also indicated the existence of a possible knowledge gap involving the terms Escherichia coli, Candida rugosa lipase and cytochrome-c in the context of enzyme immobilization. This study was efficient to evaluate the trends of the body of literature on enzyme immobilization research, subsidizing future decision-making in this field of science.

Assessing phytoplankton community composition using combined pigment and particle size distribution analysis

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 594:51-63 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12559 Assessing phytoplankton community composition using combined pigment and particle size distribution analysis Joan S. Font-Muñoz1,*, Antoni Jordi2,5, Sílvia Anglès1, Pere Ferriol3, Esther Garcés4, Gotzon Basterretxea1 1Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (UIB-CSIC), Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain 2Davidson Laboratory, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA 3Universitat de les Illes Balears, Cra. de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain 4Departament de Biologia Marina i Oceanografia, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain 5Present address: Jupiter Intelligence, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA *Corresponding author: jfont@imedea.uib-csic.es ABSTRACT: Changes in phytoplankton composition reveal relevant information about the response of aquatic systems to environmental drivers. Here, we propose the combined use of particle size measurements and pigment signatures to analyze the changes in the composition of phytoplankton communities at a coastal location. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was applied to separate phytoplankton signals from non-algal components of particulate matter in concurrent measurements of particle size distribution and pigment concentrations (chlorophylls a, b and c). Using this method, we were able to identify phytoplankton community structure variations at size and functional levels associated with the water column during the spring to summer transition at a Mediterranean coastal site. Some taxa with characteristic size spectrum signatures such as Pseudo-nitzschia sp., which produced an intense (up to 5 x 105 cells l-1), but ephemeral bloom, could also be identified. The general patterns of phytoplankton succession obtained using this methodology were corroborated by light microscopy and flow cytometry identification. Phytoplankton biovolume comparisons between both methods were highly consistent (r = 0.75, p < 0.01). We consider that combined pigment and size structure analysis using CCA is a useful tool to determine reorganization patterns of phytoplankton via changes in species composition. KEY WORDS: Phytoplankton · Size distribution · Pigments · Canonical correlation analysis · Chlorophyll Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Font-Muñoz JS, Jordi A, Anglès S, Ferriol P, Garcés E, Basterretxea G (2018) Assessing phytoplankton community composition using combined pigment and particle size distribution analysis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 594:51-63. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12559 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 594. Online publication date: April 26, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.

Rašf Al-Darab Fī Faḍl Bani IsraϽīl Wal-L-ϲArab (On the Eminence of Israelites And Arabs), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas ed. by Paul Fenton

76 BOOK REVIEWS / COMPTES RENDUS on the term ‘Négritude’ in order to try and inscribe its emotional and cultural significance for the author within the larger African context. When one examines the type of memories that are associated with the space of the native city in Sphaxitude, one notices that these memories are primarily sensory: they relate to the senses of taste, smell, vision and touch. The city of Sphax is described as a “poulpe rayonnant tentacules” or referred to as an incurable illness, as can be seen in the two first verses of “Ô toi ville natale: ‘Je te porte en moi / Incurable maladie’. The absence of a feeling of sentimentality is visible in the collection. Instead, Sphax is perceived as an idyllic space that the author is proud of belonging to, but it is also experienced as a space of disappointment and even rejection. If one examines the entire collection, one can conclude that the native space of Sfax is a space of memory that stands in contrast with the reality of the modern, contemporary city of Sfax. Paradoxically, the native city remains unattainable and can be experienced only as a memorial trace by the author. The anthology ends with a selection of poems from two of Bouraoui’s more recent collections, Traversées (2010) and Livr’errance (2013), as well as with a small selection of unpublished poems or those published in various places. A poem that resonates particularly with the notions of nomadism and transpoetics is, in my view, “L’interligne en movement”, not only for the quality of its rhythm and imagery, but also for its conceptual force. Form and content are perfectly aligned, yet they are not fixated. Instead, they are in constant movement. They both destabilise and disorientate the reader, as is relayed in the ultimate stanza of the poem: Nomade dans le carousel du temps / Mes pas laissent des traces / La rose des vents les efface / L’histoire finira par en retracer le courant. To conclude, Mario Selvaggio’s bilingual anthology gives the reader an excellent overview of Bouraoui’s poetry. The anthology can be recommended to both experts and those who wish to be introduced to Bouraoui’s oeuvre and his notions of transpoetics and transculturalism. JASMINA BOLFEK-RADOVANI University of Westminster PAUL FENTON, EDITOR, RA¸SF AL-DARAB Fı FA∂L BANI ISRA√ıL WAL-L-fiARAB (ON THE EMINENCE OF ISRAELITES AND ARABS), CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS, MADRID, 2016 Students of Jewish history are very familiar with various questions regarding conversion, including such issues as forced conversion, crypto-conversion and BOOK REVIEWS / COMPTES RENDUS 77 crypto-Jews. Although the prevailing understanding of many Muslims who interpret the Quranic verse ‘lā ikrā bil-dīn’ as an imperative is that it is forbidden to enforce conversion, there are several well-known historical cases of compulsory conversion. Examples to support this interpretation of Jewish– Muslim historical relations can be carefully chosen from remote places. The history of the Jews in Marinid Fez on the one hand and in 19th-century Mashhad are two remote cases that easily come to mind. Part one of Fenton’s book concentrates on the history of converted Jews in the Moroccan city of Fez.1 He provides a longue durée history of this society. The mass assimilation of Jews created social tension, accelerated by economic and political competition. The new-believers were not received by their neighbours with open arms. The case under review here casts light on 18th-century northern Morocco. Fenton devotes many pages to the history of the Biladiyun, accompanied by bibliographical and historiographical valuable notes. The refusal by ‘old Muslims’ to acculturate the ‘new Muslims’ is a most striking element in the detailed picture painted by him. This certainly stands against the common Muslim interpretation of Qu√rn 49: 13,2 the Hadith ‘la faḍl lil-arabi’3 or the popular tradition ‘even an Ethiopian slave’.4 Part two concentrates on the Ben Zikrī family from Fez, a family with a longdocumented history. Over the centuries scions of the family crossed the border separating Judaism from Islam and converted. One of them is the pivot of the book...

An Experimental Platform for Autonomous Bus Development

Nowadays, with highly developed instrumentation, sensing and actuation technologies, it is possible to foresee an important advance in the field of autonomous and/or semi-autonomous transportation systems. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) have been subjected to very active research for many years, and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is one area of major interest. Among the most promising transport infrastructures, the articulated bus is an interesting, low cost, high occupancy capacity and friendly option. In this paper, an experimental platform for research on the automatic control of an articulated bus is presented. The aim of the platform is to allow full experimentation in real conditions for testing technological developments and control algorithms. The experimental platform consists of a mobile component (a commercial articulated bus) fully instrumented and a ground test area composed of asphalt roads inside the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) premises. This paper focuses also on the development of a human machine interface to ease progress in control system evaluation. Some experimental results are presented in order to show the potential of the proposed platform.

NAMPT overexpression induces cancer stemness and defines a novel tumor signature for glioma prognosis.

Gliomas are the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumors associated with poor prognosis. NAMPT, a rate-limiting enzyme that boosts the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) regeneration in the salvage pathway, is commonly expressed in these tumors. NAD metabolism is required to maintain tissue homeostasis. To maintain metabolism, cancer cells require a stable NAD regeneration circuit. However, high levels of NAD confer resistance to therapy to these tumors, usually treated with Temozolomide (TMZ). We report that NAMPT overexpression in glioma cell lines increases tumorigenic properties controlling stem cell pathways and enriching the cancer-initiating cell (CIC) population. Furthermore, NAMPT expression correlated with high levels of Nanog, CD133 and CIC-like cells in glioblastoma directly extracted from patients. Meta-analysis reveals that NAMPT is also a key factor inducing cancer stem pathways in glioma cells. Furthermore, we report a novel NAMPT-driven signature which stratify prognosis within tumor staging. NAMPT signature also correlates directly with EGFR positive and IDH negative tumors. Finally, NAMPT inhibition increases sensitivity to apoptosis in both NAMPT-expressing cells and tumorspheres. Therefore, NAMPT represents a novel therapeutic target in Glioma progression and relapse.

MIPAS IMK/IAA carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) retrieval and first comparison with other instruments

Abstract. MIPAS thermal limb emission measurements were used to derive vertically resolved profiles of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Level-1b data versions MIPAS/5.02 to MIPAS/5.06 were converted into volume mixing ratio profiles using the level-2 processor developed at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA). Consideration of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) as an interfering species, which is jointly retrieved, and CO2 line mixing is crucial for reliable retrievals. Parts of the CO2 Q-branch region that overlap with the CCl4 signature were omitted, since large residuals were still found even though line mixing was considered in the forward model. However, the omitted spectral region could be narrowed noticeably when line mixing was accounted for. A new CCl4 spectroscopic data set leads to slightly smaller CCl4 volume mixing ratios. In general, latitude–altitude cross sections show the expected CCl4 features with highest values of around 90 pptv at altitudes at and below the tropical tropopause and values decreasing with altitude and latitude due to stratospheric decomposition. Other patterns, such as subsidence in the polar vortex during winter and early spring, are also visible in the distributions. The decline in CCl4 abundance during the MIPAS Envisat measurement period (July 2002 to April 2012) is clearly reflected in the altitude–latitude cross section of trends estimated from the entire retrieved data set.

Performance of Different Light Sources for the Absolute Calibration of Radiation Thermometers

The evolving mise en pratique for the definition of the kelvin (MeP-K) [1, 2] will, in its forthcoming edition, encourage the realization and dissemination of the thermodynamic temperature either directly (primary thermometry) or indirectly (relative primary thermometry) via fixed points with assigned reference thermodynamic temperatures. In the last years, the Centro Espanol de Metrologia (CEM), in collaboration with the Instituto de Optica of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (IO-CSIC), has developed several setups for absolute calibration of standard radiation thermometers using the radiance method to allow CEM the direct dissemination of the thermodynamic temperature and the assignment of the thermodynamic temperatures to several fixed points. Different calibration facilities based on a monochromator and/or a laser and an integrating sphere have been developed to calibrate CEM’s standard radiation thermometers (KE-LP2 and KE-LP4) and filter radiometer (FIRA2). This system is based on the one described in [3] placed in IO-CSIC. Different light sources have been tried and tested for measuring absolute spectral radiance responsivity: a Xe-Hg 500 W lamp, a supercontinuum laser NKT SuperK-EXR20 and a diode laser emitting at 6473 nm with a typical maximum power of 120 mW. Their advantages and disadvantages have been studied such as sensitivity to interferences generated by the laser inside the filter, flux stability generated by the radiant sources and so forth. This paper describes the setups used, the uncertainty budgets and the results obtained for the absolute temperatures of Cu, Co-C, Pt-C and Re-C fixed points, measured with the three thermometers with central wavelengths around 650 nm.

La naturaleza no existe: conservacionismos y relaciones internacionales en Doñana

Tras descartar el acercamiento metodológico a la historia de Doñana como un paso hacia la “conservación de la Naturaleza” con mayúscula, este artículo sitúa la historia del Parque en los contextos políticos, personales y científicos que lo hicieron posible. Estos contextos nos colocan en la escala internacional del desmantelamiento del imperio británico y de la transformación de la ornitología y la ecología como disciplinas. Las rutas migratorias de las aves de Doñana contribuyeron a la dimensión internacional en la que se fraguó el acuerdo entre el World Wildlife Fund (WWF) y el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) que llevó a la inauguración de la Reserva Biológica de Doñana en 1965. La posterior creación del Parque abrió la puerta a nuevos desencuentros entre diversos modos de entender el conservacionismo y entre diferentes categorizaciones científicas del territorio de Doñana. La resolución de estos conflictos dependió de fuerzas y alianzas, lo que permite concluir afinando el argumento metodológico de partida.

San Francisco de San Miguel: Fraile, Embajador y Mártir en Japón by Roberto Blanco Andrés

Reviewed by: San Francisco de San Miguel: Fraile, Embajador y Mártir en Japón by Roberto Blanco Andrés Grace Liza Y. Concepcion ROBERTO BLANCO ANDRÉS San Francisco de San Miguel: Fraile, Embajador y Mártir en Japón Valladolid: Editorial Galland Books, 2016. 190 pp. Roberto Blanco is one of the few Spanish historians who specialize on the Philippines, his research being part of a new wave of Spanish historiography on the Spanish empire. His works, generally on nineteenth-century church–state relations, include Entre Frailes y Clérigos: Las Claves de la Cuestión Clerical en Filipinas (1776–1872) (CSIC, 2012) and El Estado en Filipinas: Marco Político y Relaciones Internacionales (1986–2010) (Edicions Bellaterra, 2012). He collaborates with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) on various research projects, but he is a full-time secondary school teacher in Valladolid. In San Francisco de San Miguel Blanco ventures into the early Spanish period in the Pacific, focusing on the life story of San Francisco de San Miguel, a simple man from a small Spanish town whose biography exhibits events that determined the course of Spain’s imperial expansion and the Catholic Church’s mission in Asia. Fray Francisco never occupied any high position in the Franciscan order. Never ordained into the priesthood, he served as porter, cook, and nurse. He was not an intellectual. Yet by focusing on an ordinary Franciscan brother whose life unfolded in an extraordinary context, Blanco draws attention to the significance of biography in history. Biography gives the interplay of political, economic, and religious interests a human touch, even as these factors affected the course of an individual’s life. [End Page 97] Francisco was one of the twenty-six Christians (including six Franciscans, three Jesuits, and seventeen Japanese Christians who were associated with the Franciscans) who were executed on 5 February 1597 in Nagasaki upon Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s orders. Despite the enduring significance of this martyrdom, scholarly material on Francisco is scarce, leading Blanco to contribute a “detailed, rigorous and critical study of the character” (14) and help readers understand Francisco’s life in the context of the counterreformation and Spain and the Philippines in the sixteenth century. Blanco’s book thus fills a lacuna in a literature dominated by hagiographies. The complexity of Francisco’s life owes to overlapping dimensions that Blanco discusses throughout the book’s nine chapters: (a) the spirit of reform among religious orders during the counterreformation, (b) the beginning of missionary work in the Philippines, and (c) the responsibility given to Franciscan friars as ambassadors to Japan (15). The stages of Francisco’s life in the Franciscan order (first in the reformed observant branch, subsequently in the recently approved and more rigorous discalced branch), his years as a missionary in the Philippines, and his final mission as a member of the Spanish embassy in Japan all bear witness to these dimensions. The book can be divided into two parts. The first part consists of the first three chapters about Francisco’s youth and early years as a Franciscan. The last six comprise the second part, which is about his missionary life in three territories: Mexico, the Philippines, and Japan. Chapter 1 traces the origin of Francisco de la Parilla, as Francisco de San Miguel was popularly known. Blanco gives details on the missionary’s birthplace and upbringing by examining Franciscan chronicles. Chapter 2 narrates Francisco’s life as a lay brother in Valladolid and Abrojo. He was admitted to the Franciscan order on 9 January 1567 in the convent of Valladolid, which followed the observant branch of the Franciscans (34). Blanco clarifies the series of reforms within the Franciscan order that gave rise to the observant Franciscans, who practiced the spirit of St. Francis rigorously, especially concerning poverty and austerity. Chapter 3 relates Francisco’s move to the Franciscan province of San Jose, whose jurisdiction included Valladolid, Segovia, Madrid, and a part of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain. This province advocated the strictest observance of poverty, represented by the friars going discalced. It also focused on the Christianization of America and Asia. Francisco’s entry into the province [End Page 98] of San...