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Copper (Cu) is an essential plant micronutrient. This report is the first to assess the effects of high copper sulfate (CuSO4) levels on in vitro callus and shoot formation of cucumber. Four-day-old cotyledon explants from the inbred line Wisconsin 2843 and the commercial cultivars Marketer and Negrito were used. Murashige and Skoog (MS)-derived callus and shoot induction medium containing 0.5 mg L-1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 2.5 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) was supplemented with CuSO4 (0.2-5 mg L-1). The response on callus-derived shoots showed that the optimal concentration of CuSO4 was 8- to 200-fold greater than in standard MS medium. Shoot frequency (SF) and shoot number (SN) were assessed, and Marketer > Negrito > Wisconsin 2843, where 1, 0.2 and 5 mg L-1 CuSO4 produced the highest results, respectively. SF and SN increased 6- and 10-fold in Wisconsin 2843 and twice in the other cultivars. All explants formed calluses, and in two of the three cultivars, callus extension was significantly affected by CuSO4 application. SN showed a strong relationship with CuSO4 levels and no association with callus extension. The results show that specific CuSO4 concentrations higher than in standard MS medium increase adventitious cucumber shoot organogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Originally suggested by Rodriguez (2012), trans generosity aims to address the tensions and complexities of queer and trans pedagogies in educational settings. Using this concept, this study generates empirical insights on how queer and trans affirmative practices can disrupt heteronormativity, foster gender diversity and proactively emphasize the self-determination of trans students in schools and PE. Drawing on narrative ethnography, we relate the experiences of Lucas, a secondary trans student, during a period of four years, using the messy method of data collection. A dialogical narrative analysis helped to give sense to the whats, the hows, and the effects of Lucas's stories and storytelling within the narrative environment of the school. Legal and educational policy and academic frameworks provided Lucas and other actors with an adequate space for critical performances to foster the disruption of heteronormativity and broaden the circulation of (queer)gender narratives within the school. The dialogue, commitment, collaboration, and mutual trust between Lucas, his PE teacher and the school environment helped to make Lucas' trans affirmative stories tellable and coherent. This story of trans generosity may inspire other trans students, PE teachers, schools, or whoever wants to embrace queer and trans theories and pedagogies, to foster trans recognition and gender diversity education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focused ion beam irradiation was used to reduce locally the perpendicular anisotropy of magnetic thin films in rectangular lattices of 50 nm sized dots. The effect of the anisotropy patterns, differing in ion fluence and interdot spacing, on the magnetization reversal process was determined in q space with x-ray resonant magnetic scattering and in real space with magnetic force microscopy. At remanence only a slight alignment of the irregularly shaped domains is observed. In perpendicular magnetic fields, however, the high field bubble domains display a pronounced localization on the dots, showing that this form of local anisotropy reduction is a highly efficient way of domain positioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With focused ion-beam irradiation it is possible to engineer the anisotropy of magnetic films on nanometer length scales. We used this technique to write square lattices of artificial domain-wall pinning centers in a perpendicular anisotropy GdFe film displaying a well-defined stripe domain pattern. We observe a clear lock in of the intrinsic meandering stripe pattern to the pinning lattices, resulting in highly ordered domain patterns. We find that at remanence the dots pin the domain walls, while in perpendicular applied magnetic fields they host the down domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body is at the forefront of the relationship between space and sexuality, and its materiality is the basis on which social and individual conceptions of sex and gender are constructed. In this paper, we use the notion of body borders to approach the way trans persons experience heteronormativity in their bodies. Defined as those elements placed on body physicality that produce social distinctions and reorganize people's social conditions, body borders are important in the processes of sex differentiation and gender oppression that negatively affect trans persons’ processes of identification/disidentification. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 10 of 43 trans persons from a wider study, who expressed their gender identities at different levels of intensity, we differentiate between four important body borders: man/woman, puberty, inside/outside and liminal zone. The findings reveal that body borders rely to a great extent on the gaze of others and are problematic for trans persons, especially at the beginning of their transition processes, or when their bodies are perceived as more androgynous. Although the experience of body borders is oppressive and causes conflicts to trans persons, they do not impede them from opening up possibilities for new models of transgender identities which defy non-heteronormative ideals and subvert the current gender regulation, which supports these borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In physical education (PE) and sports there is little theoretical and empirical knowledge about transgender people, and particularly, on how they are and can be imagined within this context. In this paper, we present and analyze a pedagogical activity based on the reading and discussion of a fictional representation of a transgender person within a group of undergraduate students of Sport Sciences. Our theoretical frame situatesabjectionandalterityas opposing concepts on a continuum. Results show several ways in which a transgender person is imagined by students, as well as constraints and possibilities for the pedagogical proposal to promote moral imagining of transgender. Students situated in abjection justify their rejection of transgender persons, bringing up compassion (such as pity),genitalization,symbolic violence and stigmatization of transgender persons. The realm between abjection and alterity is characterized by tolerance of different normalities, as well as linguistic constraints hindering the acceptance of transgender people. In alterity, students acknowledge their limited ability tototallyimagine what it is like to be transgender, and also, their will to encounter transgender personsface-to-face.Although results of this experience should not be interpreted in a prescriptive way, they show different ways to imagine transgender people in the domain of PE and sports, as well as the importance of considering the ethics of alterity as a means to advance in the moral imagining of transgender persons and, in general, of the distant Other. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The supply of water to rural areas has historically provided the Mexican government with a significant challenge. Years of uncertainty in relation to responsibility for water supply, as well as geographical differences across the country and a division between rural and urban areas, explain this phenomenon. I have reviewed in this paper a substantial proportion of the literature on this topic, the reasons behind its nature, and the solutions to the problem in Mexico, as my main aim. The key conclusion is that while improvements in rural water supply in Mexico have been made, further work is required for equality in its supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trustworthiness and technological security solutions are closely related to online collaborative learning and they can be combined with the aim of reaching information security requirements for e-Learning participants and designers. Moreover, mobile collaborative learning is an emerging educational model devoted to providing the learner with the ability to assimilate learning any time and anywhere. In this paper, we justify the need of trustworthiness models as a functional requirement devoted to improving information security. To this end, we propose a methodological approach to modelling trustworthiness in online collaborative learning. Our proposal sets out to build a theoretical approach with the aim to provide e-Learning designers and managers with guidelines for incorporating security into mobile online collaborative activities through trustworthiness assessment and prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a trustworthiness model for the design of secure learning assessment in on-line web collaborative learning groups. Although computer supported collaborative learning has been widely adopted in many educational institutions over the last decade, there exist still drawbacks which limit their potential in collaborative learning activities. Among these limitations, we investigate information security requirements in on-line assessment, (e-assessment), which can be developed in collaborative learning contexts. Despite information security enhancements have been developed in recent years, to the best of our knowledge, integrated and holistic security models have not been completely carried out yet. Even when security advanced methodologies and technologies are deployed in learning management systems, too many types of vulnerabilities still remain opened and unsolved. Therefore, new models such as trustworthiness approaches can overcome these lacks and support e-assessment requirements for e-Learning. To this end, a holistic security model is designed, implemented and evaluated in a real context of e-Learning. Implications of this study are remarked for secure assessment in on-line collaborative learning through effective trustworthiness approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion-specific effects on the aqueous solubilities of biomolecules are relevant in many areas of biochemistry and life sciences. However, a general and well-supported molecular picture of the phenomena has not yet been established. In order to contribute to the understanding of the molecular-level interactions governing the behavior of biocompounds in aqueous saline environments, classical molecular dynamics simulations were performed for aqueous solutions of four amino acids (alanine, valine, isoleucine, and 2-aminodecanoic acid), taken as model systems, in the presence of a series of inorganic salts. The MD results reported here provide support for a molecular picture of the salting-in/salting-out mechanism based on the presence/absence of interactions between the anions and the nonpolar moieties of the amino acids. These results are in good qualitative agreement with experimental solubilities and allow for a theoretical interpretation of the available data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of detailed atomistic modeling of the early stages of the synthesis of periodic mesoporous silica using molecular dynamics. Our simulations lead to the proposal of a mechanism that validates several previous experimental and modeling studies and answers many controversial issues regarding the synthesis of mesoporous silicas. In particular, we show that anionic silicates interact very strongly with cationic surfactants and significantly adsorb on the surface of micelles, displacing a fraction of previously bound bromide counterions. This induces an increase in micelle size and also enhances silica condensation at the micelle surface. The presence of larger silica aggregates in solution further promotes the growth of micelles and, by binding to surfactant molecules in different micelles, their aggregation. This work demonstrates the crucial role played by silica in influencing, by way of a cooperative templating mechanism, the structure of the eventual liquid-crystal phase, which in turn determines the structure of the porous material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Soft X-ray resonant magnetic scattering (SXRMS) has been used to investigate the microscopic magnetization reversal behavior of complex magnetic systems. SXRMS is a unique technique, providing chemical, spatial and magnetic sensitivity, which is not affected by external magnetic fields. The study of two selected thin magnetic heterostructures is presented, amorphous rare-earth transition metal alloys and perpendicular exchange coupled antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic films. In the first system, the internal structure of magnetic stripe domains on nanometer length scales is obtained by measuring bi-dimensional (2D) scattering images. In the second system, the element specificity is exploited to identify the role of the uncompensated spins in the antiferromagnetic layer on the exchange coupling phenomena. Future trends are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The pure organic liquids nitrobenzene (NB) and 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) have been studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations. Both solvents are extremely important in various interfacial processes, mainly connected with ion transfer taking place across the interface with water. Thermodynamic (mass density, enthalpy of vaporization, isothermal compressibility, dipole moment) and dynamic (viscosities and self-diffusion coefficients) properties of both liquids have been calculated and are in very good agreement with the experimental data. In the case of NB, several potentials have been tested and the obtained results compared and discussed. In most cases, the OPLS all-atom potential gives results that are in better agreement with available experimental values. Atomic radial distribution functions, dihedral and angle distributions, as well as dipole-orientation correlation functions are used to probe the structure and interactions of the bulk molecules of both organic solvents. These were seen to be very similar in terms of structure and thermodynamics, but quite distinct in terms of dynamic behavior, with NPOE showing a much slower dynamic response than NB. A simulation study of the simple Cl-and Kions dissolved in both solvents has been also undertaken, revealing details about the diffusion and solvation mechanisms of these ions. It was found that in both liquids the positive potassium ion is solvated by the negative end of the molecular dipole, whereas the negative chloride ion is solvated by the positive end of the dipole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A custom-made Omicron-compatible sample holder for time-resolved photoelectron emission microscopy experiments is presented. It comprises a sample plate with four contacts that hosts a chip carrier where the semiconductor substrate is mounted. Covering the sample holder, a 6 mm diameter mask protects electrostatically the sample from the extractor lens voltage while keeping the imaging quality unperturbed. The improvements are a greater sample lifetime and the ability to withstand much higher currents in the stripline that provides the magnetic pulse to the magnetic microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In western societies, commitment to social justice claims for politics of recognition when referring to gender diversity. Gender nonconforming people, such as trans persons, represent social groups traditionally oppressed within heteronormative hegemonic thinking on gender. We present two qualitative case studies based on pedagogical activities that aim to convey our ruminations on this queer question: how can we contribute to the subversion of gender normalcy in Physical Education and Sport Tertiary Education (PESTE) through the imagination of trans persons' Physical Education and Sport experiences? Theoretical framework: With the support of queer concepts, we theorize on trans persons and queer pedagogy. Trans persons do not fit into gender binarism which molds hegemonic ideology of heteronormativity, bringing about serious consequences that would include discrimination and harassment. Queer pedagogy efforts to enhance social justice should put the eye not only in trans persons' experiences and feelings but also in cisgender's (non-trans persons) beliefs and attitudes toward trans persons. Participants and methodology: Both activities were developed in the same degree with different groups of PESTE students. The first activity unfolds the use of a fictional tale, previously created for pedagogic purposes. The second activity entails queer tango as embodied performance to challenge heteronormativity. Qualitative data was obtained during the activities and was thematically analyzed to illustrate the activity and students' interpretations. Results and discussion: A range of responses to the fictional tale resulted from the first activity. Some students legitimized sex/gender binarism and biological norms, unquestionably reflecting heteronormativity and, therefore, abjection toward trans persons. Others showed difficulties in achieving a true acceptance that would involve, for instance, an appropriately naming of gender identities. Finally, some exhibited their willingness to respect, encounter and accept trans persons. In the second activity, students found interesting the opportunity that queer tango had offered to exchange gender roles, while others expressed their difficulties in performing other gender roles than their own. Embodied experience was of significant importance in the process of gaining empathetic imagination on gender diversity. Some students questioned the rigid structuration of the beginning of the activity, while other's slapstick performances were identified as strategies of resistance. Participants also reflected on how PESTE students imagined themselves teaching, commenting their lack of formation and ability to construct a non-heteronormative PES. Conclusions and final comments: Initiatives to sensitize about gender diversity and disrupt normalcy are necessary in PESTE. The two activities presented evidence coexisting imaginaries on trans persons. The double approach based on a fictional tale and a queer dance show different possibilities to enhance the empathetic imagining of distant others, trans persons in this case. With its limitations, politics of recognition need to enhance empathetic imagination to foster the possibilities for recognition and dialog between gender privileged and oppressed individuals and groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State sum constructions, such as Kuperberg’s algorithm, give partition functions of physical systems, like lattice gauge theories, in various dimensions by associating local tensors or weights with different parts of a closed triangulated manifold. Here we extend this construction by including matter fields to build partition functions in both two and three space–time dimensions. The matter fields introduce new weights to the vertices and they correspond to Potts spin configurations described by an -module with an inner product. Performing this construction on a triangulated manifold with a boundary we obtain transfer matrices which are decomposed into a product of local operators acting on vertices, links and plaquettes. The vertex and plaquette operators are similar to the ones appearing in the quantum double models (QDMs) of Kitaev. The link operator couples the gauge and the matter fields, and it reduces to the usual interaction terms in known models such as gauge theory with matter fields. The transfer matrices lead to Hamiltonians that are frustration-free and are exactly solvable. According to the choice of the initial input, that of the gauge group and a matter module, we obtain interesting models which have a new kind of ground state degeneracy that depends on the number of equivalence classes in the matter module under gauge action. Some of the models have confined flux excitations in the bulk which become deconfined at the surface. These edge modes are protected by an energy gap provided by the link operator. These properties also appear in ‘confined Walker–Wang’ models which are 3D models having interesting surface states. Apart from the gauge excitations there are also excitations in the matter sector which are immobile and can be thought of as defects like in the Ising model. We only consider bosonic matter fields in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we look at three dimensional (3D) lattice models that are generalizations of the state sum model used to define the Kuperberg invariant of 3-manifolds. The partition function is a scalar constructed as a tensor network where the building blocks are tensors given by the structure constants of an involutory Hopf algebra . These models are very general and are hard to solve in its entire parameter space. One can obtain familiar models, such as ordinary gauge theories, by letting be the group algebra of a discrete group G and staying on a certain region of the parameter space. We consider the transfer matrix of the model and show that quantum double Hamiltonians are derived from a particular choice of the parameters. Such a construction naturally leads to the star and plaquette operators of the quantum double Hamiltonians, of which the toric code is a special case when . This formulation is convenient to study ground states of these generalized quantum double models where they can naturally be interpreted as tensor network states. For a surface Σ, the ground state degeneracy is determined by the Kuperberg 3-manifold invariant of . It is also possible to obtain extra models by simply enlarging the allowed parameter space but keeping the solubility of the model. While some of these extra models have appeared before in the literature, our 3D perspective allows for an uniform description of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the synaptic transmission in brainstem auditory structures in patients with subjective chronic bilateral tinnitus treated with nimodipine. Methods: A randomized triple-blind controlled clinical trial, which selected 40 patients allocated equally and randomly in intervention and control groups. At first, the Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) and the questionnaires Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for loudness and annoyance for each ear were applied with the participants. The participants were advised to take one pill per day during 30 days of nimodipine or placebo, which were previously manipulated in pills of identic appearance and delivered to the participants. After this period the participants were submitted to a new BERA and questionaries THI and VAS. Results: The study counted with 38 participants, from which 18 belonged to control group and 20 in the intervention, since two participants of the control group were excluded due to the discontinuity of taken pills. The comparative analysis between the two BERA exams showed significant difference for wave III and V latencies, as well for the interpeak intervals I-III and I-V, with higher values at the second exam, only for the intervention group. The comparative analysis of THI and VAS questionnaires did not show significant difference in both groups. Conclusion: Nimodipine in a dose of 30 milligrams per day during 30 days in individuals with tinnitus has evidence to alter synaptic transmission in brainstem structures. In contrast, there was no significant improvement of tinnitus complaints through THI and VAS questionnaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum double models, such as the toric code, can be constructed from transfer matrices of lattice gauge theories with discrete gauge groups and parametrized by the center of the gauge group algebra and its dual. For general choices of these parameters the transfer matrix contains operators acting on links which can also be thought of as perturbations to the quantum double model driving it out of its topological phase and destroying the exact solvability of the quantum double model. We modify these transfer matrices with perturbations and extract exactly solvable models which remain in a quantum phase, thus nullifying the effect of the perturbation. The algebra of the modified vertex and plaquette operators now obey a deformed version of the quantum double algebra. The Abelian cases are shown to be in the quantum double phase whereas the non-Abelian phases are shown to be in a modified phase of the corresponding quantum double phase. These are illustrated with the groups Z n and S 3 . The quantum phases are determined by studying the excitations of these systems namely their fusion rules and the statistics. We then go further to construct a transfer matrix which contains the other Z 2 phase namely the double semion phase. More generally for other discrete groups these transfer matrices contain the twisted quantum double models. These transfer matrices can be thought of as being obtained by introducing extra parameters into the transfer matrix of lattice gauge theories. These parameters are central elements belonging to the tensor products of the algebra and its dual and are associated to vertices and volumes of the three dimensional lattice. As in the case of the lattice gauge theories we construct the operators creating the excitations in this case and study their braiding and fusion properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scenario of land use was projected in the basin of river Metztitlan to 2025 using Markov chains-cellular automata. A generated map for 2007 Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 images and SPOT 5 and 6 images for 2013 was applied. The irrigation agriculture, the unwatered agriculture and the forest will experience a decrease in surface. The uses of urban land, scrub and eroded scrub show a surface increase. The odds of permanence show that urban use poses no threat to the forest with 1,7%. A positive rate of deforestation for woody surface (1,42%) was recorded. For further modeling it is highly recommended to consider socioeconomic and biophysical variables to explain in more detail the processes that could either limit or enhance land use change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A temporal analysis (2007-2013) of the dynamics of change in vegetation cover and land use in the river basin Metztitlán, Hidalgo, Mexico was carried out in order to update their status. A generated map for 2007 with Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 images and SPOT 5 and 6 images for 2013 were used. The results show that the areas used for agricultural irrigation and unwatered land decreased by 34,8 and 25,6 %, respectively. The analysis of changes indicates that urban use and water bodies increased 305,3 and 82,4 %, respectively. It is recommended to move the use of images of medium spatial resolution (Landsat), to the use of high-resolution images (SPOT) if the intention is to evaluate in detail the changes occurring in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the research was to evaluate the vigor roselle crop (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) using rhizobacteria of Pseudomonas fluorences under conditions of stress caused by copper sulfate (CuSO4), as an alternative for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with wastewater. The experiment was conducted at the facilities of Campus Montecillo in the Colegio de Postgraduados, Mexico. Seeds of two cultivars of jamaica (cv. Creole and cv. Spider) inoculated with cells of six bacterial strains (M83, M67, M88, L168, M82_A and M82_C), which were planted and grown in a greenhouse to determine: stem length (SL), root length (RL), dry root biomass (DRB), chlorophyll content (CHC), number of leaves (NL), stem diameter (SD) and radical volume (RV). The implemented experimental design was completely random blocks with a factorial arrangement (4 x 2 x 2 x 2). The concentrations of CuSO4 used in the sowing were 10-2 molar concentration (M) for the cv. Creole and 10-6 M for the cv. Spider. The type of soil was decisive because it caused significant differences in most of the variables evaluated, except in the RL, DRB and RV. Inoculation with bacterial strains caused inhibition in the growth of SD in the cv. Spider at 80 days after sowing (das). The strains that promoted the plant growth of roselle were M83, M67 and M82 used in both cultivars. It is concluded that the roselle plants had no negative effects due to the stress condition caused by CuSO4. In general, the cultivar that had a greater tolerance to CuSO4 was cv. Creole, therefore, could be considered as an alternative for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the farmers who grow cactus pear (Opuntia albicarpa) use manure as a fertilizer. This practice increases the problems of pests. The use of endomycorrhizae (Glomus intraradices) is almost unknown to farmers. Therefore, the objective of this research was to study the effect of the application of organic matter (OM) and inoculation with endomycorrhizae in cactus pear. The study was conducted under greenhouse conditions at the Montecillo Campus of the Postgraduate College, Mexico. Two types of soil from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, were used: reddish coloration (xerosol) and gray coloration (lithosol). The results show that there were significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in all the variables by inoculation with endomycorrhizae and in the majority of those by the application of OM. Both the mycorrhizae and the application of OM, as vermicompost, promoted greater growth of the stems and roots. The types of soils used did not affect the growth of the plants. Mycorrhizae can be useful to improve mineral nutrition and thus increase yields in cactus pear plantations. In addition, these fungi can increase yields and help reduce production costs. The application of 50 t ha-1 vermicompost is a better alternative to add nutrients and OM to this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight or obese. This impressive number shows that weight excess is pandemic. Overweight and obesity are closely associated with a high risk of comorbidities, such as insulin resistance and its most important outcomes, including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. Adiponectin has emerged as a salutary adipocytokine, with insulin-sensitizing, anti-inflammatory, and cardiovascular protective properties. However, under metabolically unfavorable conditions, visceral adipose tissue-derived inflammatory cytokines might reduce the transcription of the adiponectin gene and consequently its circulating levels. Low circulating levels of adiponectin are negatively associated with various conditions, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. In contrast, several recent clinical trials and meta-analyses have reported high circulating adiponectin levels positively associated with cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. These results are biologically intriguing and counterintuitive, and came to be termed "the adiponectin paradox". Adiponectin paradox is frequently associated with adiponectin resistance, a concept related with the downregulation of adiponectin receptors in insulin-resistant states. We review this contradiction between the apparent role of adiponectin as a health promoter and the recent evidence from Mendelian randomization studies indicating that circulating adiponectin levels are an unexpected predictor of increased morbidity and mortality rates in several clinical conditions. We also critically review the therapeutic perspective of synthetic peptide adiponectin receptors agonist that has been postulated as a promising alternative for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To define if the pressure support of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy can determine the severity of apnea concerning Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) and desaturation of oxyhemoglobin. Methods: A cross-sectional study that selected 27 patients followed in the Sleep outpatient of a Statewide Hospital in the city of Santo André, Brazil, which carried out exams as polysomnography type 3 and test with CPAP. Data was tabulated, holding patient's information (age, gender and BMI), values found in polysomnography (AHI, oxygen desaturation index - ODI, and sleep time with oxygen saturation below 90% - ST90) and in test with CPAP (AIH and pressure support), as well as the outcome (prescription of CPAP or not). Based on the data collected, exploratory and statistical analysis were made. Results: Descriptive analysis of the sample evidenced majority of patients classified as severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (AHI>30). The correlation analysis showed statistical significance only with the support pressure of CPAP and ST90. For the support pressure was observed statistical difference of ST90 between both groups, with higher values for the group with support pressure >10cmH2O. The descriptive analysis of the outcome found that patients which required support pressure >10cmH2O presented higher ST90, leading to the prescription of CPAP for 75% of them. The comparative analysis of the outcome could not find relation between AHI and prescription of CPAP. Conclusion: Patients with the necessity of pressure support of CPAP >10cmH2O has increased odd of running with desaturation of oxyhemoglobin (ST90) when subjected to sleep monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School is one of the primary settings where non-gender conformer children and adolescents emerge as vulnerable groups at high risk of suffering violence and harassment. Within schooling contexts, embodied experiences in physical education (PE) may become particularly problematic for trans students. However, there is little research focusing on trans persons’s experiences in PE. The purpose of this paper is to gather memories and impressions of a group of adult trans persons on their experiences in secondary PE. Theoretical framework: The concept of heteronormativity is used as a theoretical framework to provide insights and understanding to trans persons’s experiences in PE. It is used to characterize inequalities and hierarchies derived from the intersection of the dualistic logic of gender binarism with other social categories and ideologies. Heteronormative discourses also act regulating the way of looking at and over trans persons’ bodies, categorizing some of them as queer or abject. Participants and methodology: Study is based on semi-structured interviews to nine participants (five trans women and four trans men) from 23 to 62 years of age. A thematic analysis was carried out in order to flexibly and directly identify interpretative patterns of meaning within data, as well as to open them to interpretative frameworks. The categories were grouped into four themes best gathering the experiences of participants in PE. Results and discussion: (1)Hindering desired gender: In daily practices, participants felt in ‘the middle’ of activities, spaces and gender groups, experiencing aloofness, isolation and loneliness. Participants complained about the fact that they could not perform gender segregated activities with their desired gender group. PE teachers played an important role in supporting heteronormative system. (2)Preferences, aversions and opportunities: All participants experienced hegemonic forms of gender and sexuality linked to PE programme activities in different ways. For most trans boys, sport-based PE was their favourite subject, while trans girls found it particularly negative and demotivating. Exceptionally, some aesthetic and dance activities were recalled as nearly non-heterosexual practices. (3)Confronting transgression. Situations of stigmatization and bullying in PE were frequent as a result from situations in which gender norms were eventually transgressed. Teachers impeded any attempt of trans persons to overcome heteronormativity in PE lessons. (4)Intimacy struggles: Body intimacy was crucial for participants. Different strategies were used for the search of intimacy. Changing rooms were the most problematic spaces for trans students in educative contexts. The worse trans participants felt about their bodies, the more uneasy they felt in these facilities. Conclusions and final comments: Heteronormative contexts strongly determined trans persons’ experiences in PE. Trans participants, especially those not performing gender conforming practices, were abjectified in PE lessons. This situation generated multiple forms of exclusion and rejection, as well as episodes of harassment. However, some practices counteracted the dominance of the heteronormative system, showing their potential to destabilize this ideology in PE. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ternary blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with a constant weight percentage of 60%, 10% and 30% respectively were compatibilized with soybean oil derivatives epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), maleinized soybean oil (MSO) and acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). The potential compatibilization effects of the soybean oil-derivatives was characterized in terms of mechanical, thermal and thermomechanical properties. The effects on morphology were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). All three soybean oil-based compatibilizers led to a noticeable increase in toughness with a remarkable improvement in elongation at break. On the other hand, both the tensile modulus and strength decreased, but in a lower extent to a typical plasticization effect. Although phase separation occurred, all three soybean oil derivatives led somewhat to compatibilization through reaction between terminal hydroxyl groups in all three biopolyesters (PLA, PHB and PCL) and the readily reactive groups in the soybean oil derivatives, that is, epoxy, maleic anhydride and acrylic/epoxy functionalities. In particular, the addition of 5 parts per hundred parts of the blend (phr) of ESO gave the maximum elongation at break while the same amount of MSO and AESO gave the maximum toughness, measured through Charpy's impact tests. In general, the herein-developed materials widen the potential of ternary PLA formulations by a cost effective blending method with PHB and PCL and compatibilization with vegetable oil-based additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peri-urbanization has been considered to be the driving force of change in land use and the loss of ecosystems and their biodiversity. In view of this premise, the research provides for the follow up, from a double perspective, historical and predictive, on changes in the area of the wetlands and progressive deforestation in Villahermosa, the most important city in the Grijalva River basin, in the State of Tabasco (Mexico). Different methods have been used: the bibliographic analysis for the period since the founding of the city until the last third of the twentieth century, the verification of aerial photographs between 1984 and 2008, and the modelling of future scenarios between 2020 and 2040. Since the Colonial period until the mid-nineteenth century, floods and unhealthy conditions limited the growth of the city despite the transformation of the surface water drainage to basin scale, which was started through the construction of levees in the seventeenth century. Subsequently, high rates of wetland loss and deforestation (-0.50 and -4.63%) increased due to the urbanization and the impact of agricultural production and petroleum programs. In the last 40 years, the fringe development has resulted in the loss of 4,008 ha of timberline vegetation and 289 ha of wetlands, with perhaps an additional 1,449 and 356 ha disappearing by 2040. These results highlight the need to redesign a metropolitan, transdisciplinary and sustainable program that respect and update the land reserves to regulate the urban sprawl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New investigations carried out over the last few years in the Madrid Tertiary basin have revealed a large number of Acheulean sites used for the exploitation of flint. The find is significantly important because it adds context to the understanding of the intense human activity in the central parts of the Iberian Peninsula during the middle Pleistocene. The sites are spread across an extensive zone of 500 ha; Set on a vast platform on the watershed between the Manzanares and Jarama rivers. The Tertiary sedimentary succession that forms the surface of the platform is comprised of about 20 m of thick green clay interbedded with several layers of flint from the Miocene Intermediate unit of the Madrid basin. During the second half of the Middle Pleistocene, seasonal flows of streams eroded the clay, leaving large numbers of flint nodules visible to the hominids. Investigations show a sustained period of active quarrying, with much of the liberated material converted into hand crafted flint axes (Through the direct manipulation of the flint nodules). The find is valuable especially due to STI exceptional state of preservation; fossilized by sandy fluvial deposits, whose sedimentation is controlled by complex localised subsidences caused by karstic processes. The current study provides geoarchaeological background and explores different models for the formation of the sites and provides a preliminary analysis of the main Acheulean assemblages and techniques for working flint nodules. The research also adds a new, rich perspective to our understanding of the region and the organized human exploitation of raw materials in the Acheulean period. The study complements the well-known river terrace sites in the wider area showing the intensity and prevalence of flint extraction and use during the period, and the handaxe tradition typology of the Madrid region (Pérez de Barradas, 1924, 1929; Santonja et al., 1980; Rus y Querol, 1981; Rus y Vega, 1984; VVAA, 2002; Baena et al., 2010 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system is associated with cardiometabolic complications of obesity. Allelic variants in coding genes for this system components may contribute to differences in the susceptibility to obesity and related health hazards. These data have mostly been shown in Caucasian populations and in severely obese individuals. We investigated a multiethnic Brazilian population to study the relationships among the polymorphism 385C>A in an endocannabinoid degrading enzyme gene (FAAH), endocannabinoid levels and markers of cardiometabolic risk. Fasting plasma levels of endocannabinoids and congeners (anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol, N-oleoylethanolamide and N-palmitoylethanolamide) were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in 200 apparently healthy individuals of both genders with body mass indices from 22.5 ± 1.8 to 35.9 ± 5.5 kg/m2 (mean ± 1 SD) and ages between 18 and 60 years. All were evaluated for anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, metabolic variables, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), adiponectin, leptin, C-reactive protein, and genotyping. The endocannabinoid levels increased as a function of obesity and insulin resistance. The homozygous genotype AA was associated with higher levels of anandamide and lower levels of adiponectin versus wild homozygous CC and heterozygotes combined. The levels of anandamide were independent and positively associated with the genotype AA position 385 of FAAH, C-reactive protein levels and body mass index. Our findings provide evidence for an endocannabinoid-related phenotype that may be identified by the combination of circulating anandamide levels with genotyping of the FAAH 385C>A; this phenotype is not exclusive to mono-ethnoracial populations nor to individuals with severe obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ring-opening/closing reaction between spiropyran (SP) and merocyanine (MC) is a prototypical thermally and optically induced reversible reaction. However, MC molecules in solution are thermodynamically unstable at room temperature and thus return to the parent closed form on short time scales. Here we report contrary behavior of a submonolayer of these molecules adsorbed on a Au(111) surface. At 300 K, a thermally induced ring-opening reaction takes place on the gold surface, converting the initial highly ordered SP islands into MC dimer chains. We have found that the thermally induced ring-opening reaction has an activation barrier similar to that in solution. However, on the metal surface, the MC structures turn out to be the most stable phase. On the basis of the experimentally determined molecular structure of each molecular phase, we ascribe the suppression of the back reaction to a stabilization of the planar MC form on the metal surface as a consequence of its conjugated structure and large electric dipole moment. The metal surface thus plays a crucial role in the ring-opening reaction and can be used to alter the stability of the two isomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]