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• Seismic analysis considering the soil-foundation-structure-iteration. • Seismic analysis on a soft soil with massive gravitational loads. • Comparison of results obtained with fixed and SFSI conditions. • Seismic failure and damage expected for different return periods. • Moderate time calculation for a very large FE model (1,104,735 solid elements). The seismic safety of heritage buildings may be affected by the interaction between the soil, the foundation and the structure, which is usually neglected in conventional seismic assessments. These factors are particularly important in the case of slender constructions, such as masonry towers, over soft strata. Hence, this work deals with the influence of the soil-foundation-structure interaction in the seismic behaviour of complex heritage masonry towers. The investigations have been carried out considering the case study of the Giralda tower in Seville, Spain. The region is an earthquake-prone area, characterised by far away very large earthquakes with long-return periods. The Giralda tower is a slender brick unreinforced masonry tower, 95 m high and about 13 m wide. It features a high artistic value and popularity as it has been the historical symbol of the city. It was declared a UNESCO Word Heritage Site of Outstanding Universal Value in 1987. Apart from its slenderness, the tower presents some other seismic vulnerabilities: openings irregularities, material heterogeneity and the position of a belfry on the top. Furthermore, the building is placed on soft alluvial strata and has a shallow foundation. Likewise, the tower has a considerable weight, which has caused large settlements. A thorough evaluation of the soil, the foundation and the structure has been carried out to develop a complex and detailed finite element model. Macro mechanical elements and the direct method have been used to develop the numerical model of the tower in the OpenSees framework. Free ambient vibration tests and non-destructive experiments have been used to calibrate the model. Its dynamic behaviour has been evaluated considering the seismic action suggested by the Spanish Code and those determined through a seismic response analysis, bearing in mind different return periods and considering real ground motions. Finally, the numerical results showed that the effect of the soil and the foundation have a significant impact on the seismic behaviour of the bell tower, amplifying the acceleration and its damage at the top. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine which acoustic parameters may be associated with vocal fatigue among college professors in Bogotá-Colombia. This was a cross-sectional study including 27 voice samples of college professors. A gender analysis showed that mean fundamental frequency increased significantly among men and women who reported vocal fatigue compared with the those without fatigue (138.2Hz vs 122.3Hz for males; and 228.7Hz vs 188.9Hz for females; Mann-Whitney U test P value <0.01). Participants with vocal fatigue demonstrated a significantly decreased standard deviation of vocal sound pressure level compared to participants without vocal fatigue (8.7 dB vs 10.2 dB; Mann-Whitney U test P value <0.01). For the males in our sample, fundamental frequency had fair discriminatory value for vocal fatigue (area under the curve = 0.7). Sensitivity and specificity were moderate at a cut-off of 125 Hz (0.7 and 0.6 respectively). For females in this sample, the discriminatory value of fundamental frequency was slightly higher (area under the curve = 0.8). At a cut-off of 200 Hz, sensitivity was high (0.9) and specificity were moderate (0.7). In conclusion, the fundamental frequencies and standard deviations of vocal sound pressure level are good indicators of and may be used to identify college professors with vocal fatigue. Clinically, voice clinicians may aim to train their clients to produce speech with a higher variation of "intensity" in order to avoid vocal fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Readers' rhetorical competence is related to reading comprehension and moderates the impact of rhetorical devices in expository texts since upper elementary school years. In this cross-sectional study, we examine the differences in four measures of rhetorical competence (knowledge of anaphors, organizational signals, refutations, and a total score) in grades three through to six, we determine its contribution to expository text comprehension after controlling the effect of a wide set of linguistic and cognitive variables, and we study whether this contribution is moderated by grade or any of our control variables. First, although we found evidence for some level of rhetorical competence at early ages, data suggest that rhetorical competence development takes many years. Second, we found that knowledge of some rhetorical devices is acquired before knowledge of others. Finally, rhetorical competence was a unique predictor of expository text comprehension, and its influence was evident regardless of grade and all of the control variables. Highlights • Rhetorical competence (RC) is the ability of processing text rhetorical devices. • RC is examined in a cross-sectional study from grades 3 to 6. • The development of RC has started in Grade 3 but takes many years. • RC makes a unique contribution to expository text comprehension in Primary students. • The contribution of rhetorical competence was not moderated by other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks are vectors of diseases that affect humans and animals worldwide. Tick vaccines have been proposed as a cost-effective and environmentally sound alternative for tick control. Recently, the Rhipicephalus microplus Subolesin (SUB)- Anaplasma marginale MSP1a chimeric antigen was produced in Escherichia coli as membrane-bound and exposed protein and used to protect vaccinated cattle against tick infestations. In this research, lipidomics and proteomics characterization of the E. coli membrane-bound SUB-MSP1a antigen showed the presence of components with potential adjuvant effect. Furthermore, vaccination with membrane-free SUB-MSP1a and bacterial membranes containing SUB-MSP1a showed that bacterial membranes enhance the immunogenicity of the SUB-MSP1a antigen in animal models. R. microplus female ticks were capillary-fed with sera from pigs orally immunized with membrane-free SUB, membrane bound SUB-MSP1a and saline control. Ticks ingested antibodies added to the blood meal and the effect of these antibodies on reduction of tick weight was shown for membrane bound SUB-MSP1a but not SUB when compared to control. Using the simple and cost-effective process developed for the purification of membrane-bound SUB-MSP1a, endotoxin levels were within limits accepted for recombinant vaccines. These results provide further support for the development of tick vaccines using E. coli membranes exposing chimeric antigens such as SUB-MSP1a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Full exploitation of the properties of N-doped graphene and few-layers graphitic platelets will require a method for the mass production of this highly conductive material. Herein the preparation of few-layers graphitic platelet dispersions at concentrations up to 0.16mgml−1 is reported. These suspensions are produced by dispersion and exfoliation of N-doped graphitic carbons obtained from the chitosan biopolymer. This high concentration derives from the morphology of pyrolyzed chitosan constituted by a graphitic carbonaceous residue with loose stacking of the graphene sheets that is prone to undergo easy exfoliation. The presence of few layers graphitic sheets was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy. Our method results in the formation of N-doped graphitic platelet suspensions with a yield of 40wt.% of the initial graphitic carbon, which could potentially be improved to 90wt.% by four consecutive sonication–centrifugation cycles of the same pyrolyzed chitosan residue. The absence of defects or oxides is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron, infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Solution processing of graphene and few-layers graphitic flakes opens up a range of potential large-area applications, from device and sensor fabrication to liquid-phase chemistry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The goal of the present study was to examine the mechanisms underlying a strategy that we developed to make instructional explanations effective. In two experiments participants learned about plate tectonics from a multimedia material, including adjunct explanations that revised common misunderstandings. These explanations were either marked (including a device that pointed out the misunderstanding that the explanation was intended to revise) or unmarked. In both experiments participants receiving marked revising explanations outperformed those receiving unmarked ones in retention and transfer. In Experiment 1, think-aloud protocols revealed that marked revising explanations enabled learners to detect and repair flaws in their understanding more frequently than unmarked explanations. In Experiment 2, time recordings revealed that participants in the marked condition spent more time processing the revising explanations. Overall, the results mean that the revising instructional explanations that point out learners'' misunderstandings promote a revision-oriented processing, in which learners monitor and revise their own understanding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, a mathematical model for alcohol consumption in Spanish population is proposed. Its parameters are estimated by fitting the model to real data from Spanish Ministry of Health. Predictions about the future behavior of the alcohol consumption in Spain are presented using this model. Results are applied to estimate the economic costs (sanitary and non-sanitary) assumed by Spanish society that are derived from this consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We describe a patient born to consanguineous parents, who presented with an MCA pattern characterized by low birth weight, duodenal atresia, extrahepatic biliary atresia, hypoplastic pancreas and intestinal malrotation. The infant died 60days after birth. Chromosomes at 550–600 band levels were normal for a female (46,XX). This patient confirmed the autosomal recessive disorder previously described by our group. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is most probably of blastogenetic origin mainly affecting midline developmental duodenal biliary pancreatic junction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The brain regulates multiple metabolic processes, such as food intake, energy expenditure, insulin secretion, hepatic glucose production, and glucose and fatty acid metabolism in adipose tissue, which are fundamental for the maintenance of energy and glucose homeostasis during lactation and pregnancy. In addition, brain expression has a fundamental impact on the development of maternal behavior. Although brain functions are partly regulated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), their expression profiles have not been characterized in depth in any ruminant species. We have sequenced the transcriptome of 12 brain tissues from 3 goats that were 1 mo pregnant and 4 nonpregnant goats to investigate their lncRNA expression patterns. Between 4,363 (adenohypophysis) and 4,604 (olfactory bulb) lncRNAs were expressed in brain tissues, leading us to establish a set of 794 already annotated lncRNAs and 5,098 novel lncRNA candidates. The detected lncRNAs shared features with those of other mammals, and tissue-specific lncRNAs were enriched in brain development-related terms. Differential expression analyses between goats that were 1 mo pregnant and nonpregnant goats showed that the lncRNA expression profiles of certain brain regions experience substantial changes associated with early pregnancy (238 lncRNAs are differentially expressed in the olfactory bulb), but others do not. Enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed lncRNAs from the olfactory bulb are co-expressed with genes previously linked to behavioral changes related to pregnancy. These findings provide a first characterization of the landscape of lncRNA expression in the goat brain and provides valuable clues to understand the molecular events triggered by early pregnancy in the central nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological traits are of great importance to dairy goat production given their effect on phenotypes of economic interest. However, their underlying genomic architecture has not yet been extensively characterized. Herein, we aimed to identify genomic regions associated with body, udder, and leg conformation traits recorded in 825 Murciano-Granadina goats. We genotyped this resource population using the GoatSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) and performed genome-wide association analyses using the GEMMA software. We found 2 genome-wide significant associations between markers rs268273468 [ Capra hircus (CHI) 16:69617700] and rs268249346 (CHI 28:18321523) and medial suspensory ligament. In contrast, we did not detect any genome-wide significant associations for body and leg traits. Moreover, we found 12, 19, and 7 chromosome-wide significant associations for udder, body, and leg traits, respectively. Comparison of our data with previous studies revealed a low level of positional concordance between regions associated with morphological traits. In addition to technical factors, this lack of concordance could be due to a substantial level of genetic heterogeneity among breeds or to the strong polygenic background of morphological traits, which makes it difficult to detect genetic factors that have small phenotypic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A classification of oral and written rhetorical devices is proposed. • Oral and written rhetorical devices in academic discourses are complementary. • Teachers' lessons contain more rhetorical devices. • Rhetorical devices in teachers' lessons are more diverse. • Textbooks employ more rhetorical devices for the global connection of ideas. Abstract Rhetorical devices signal the authors' attitudes and intentions to their texts or their audiences. Mastering these resources characterises academic language proficiency and contributes to academic success. We explored whether oral and written academic texts provide different opportunities to gain knowledge about rhetorical devices and academic language. We compared 10 teachers' lessons with 10 textbooks – matched according to educational level (Secondary Education), topic (History), instructional content and genre – to determine the frequency, type and format of rhetorical devices: visual forms, reduced verbal forms, or completely discursive forms (with or without explicit orders). The results show that teachers employ more rhetorical devices, include rhetorical devices practically absent from textbooks (those related to discourse-knowledge integration, monitoring, and inter/intra-referential processes), and use both reduced expressions and completely discursive forms (with and without explicit orders). Textbooks employ more rhetorical devices for the overall connection of ideas and widely exploit visual forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) is a multidimensional tool developed to evaluate frequency, severity, and distress of common symptoms present in cancer patients.Objective: To translate the original English version of MSAS and prove the reliability and validity of the Spanish version.Methods: MSAS scale was translated into Spanish and administered to 246 cancer patients aged between 18 and 85 years. They attended the Day Hospital to receive chemotherapy. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 and Rotterdam Symptom Checklist were used to test criterion validity.Results: TOTAL MSAS, Physical Symptom Subscale (PHYS), Psychological Symptom Subscale (PSYCH), and Global Distress Index (GDI) reported high internal consistency: 0.891, 0.801, 0.825, 0.813, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis identified two-factors structure and confirmatory factor analysis showed good adjustment rates. The emotional functioning subscale of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 highly correlated with PSYCH (r = -0.868; P < 0.001) and GDI (r = -0.810; P < 0.001), whereas social functioning subscale correlated with PSYCH (r = -0.704; P < 0.001) and GDI (r = -0.624; P < 0.001). The PHYS of Rotterdam Symptom Checklist correlated with PHYS (r = 0.876; P < 0.001) and the PSYCH with PSYCH (r = 0.872; P < 0.001).Conclusion: The Spanish version of MSAS was determined to be a valid and reliable scale in cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The MYH9 gene encodes a protein that is expressed in the kidney glomerular podocytes. MYH9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been linked to the risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease. Our aim was to determine whether MYH9 SNPs were associated with renal disease in Spanish Caucasians. The RENASTUR cohort consisted of 592 Spanish Caucasians, aged 55–85years. They were genotyped for SNPs rs3752462 and rs4821480, which tagged haplotype E. The main values between individuals with a glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 and ≥60ml/min/1.73m2 were statistically compared. The next variables were significantly associated with the eGFR in the univariate analysis: age, gender, type 2 diabetes, total cholesterol, total LDL-cholesterol, and the MYH9 rs3752462 (TC+TT genotypes; p=0.003). This SNP remained significantly associated with the eGFR in the multivariate analysis. In conclusion, SNP rs3752462 was an independent predictor of reduced eGFR in the Spanish RENASTUR population. The genotyping of this MYH9 SNP could help to identify individuals at risk of developing CKD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objective of this article is to review: (a) the principles that underpin conservation agriculture (CA) ecologically and operationally; (b) the potential benefits that can be harnessed through CA systems in the dry Mediterranean climate; (c) current status of adoption and spread of CA in the dry Mediterranean climate countries; and (d) opportunities for CA in the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region. CA, comprising minimum mechanical soil disturbance and no-tillage seeding, organic mulch cover, and crop diversification is now practised on some 125 million ha, corresponding to about 9% of the global arable cropped land. The area under CA is spread across all continents and many agro-ecologies, including the dry Mediterranean climate. Empirical and scientific evidence is presented to show that significant productivity, economic, social and environmental benefits exist that can be harnessed through the adoption of CA in the dry Mediterranean climates, including those in the CWANA region. The benefits include: higher productivity and income; climate change adaptation and reduced vulnerability to the erratic rainfall distribution; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. CA is now spread across several Mediterranean climate countries outside the Mediterranean basin particularly in South America, South Africa and Australia. In the CWANA region, CA is perceived to be a powerful tool of sustainable land management but it has not yet taken off in a serious manner except in Kazakhstan. Research on CA in the CWANA region has shown that there are opportunities for CA adoption in rainfed and irrigated farming systems involving arable and perennial crops as well as livestock. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cocaine consumption is a social problem with acute consequences and its dependency can be regarded as a health concern of social transmission. This fact leads us to develop the idea that its transmission dynamics can be studied using epidemiological mathematical models. Under this point of view, in this paper we propose a network model to study the short-term evolution of the cocaine consumer subpopulations. The model parameters are obtained from data source and from an analogue continuous model. Sensitivity of the model parameters is studied. The parameters are associated with prevention and treatment policies and the sensitivity study gives us information about which parameters have more incidence on the future evolution of consumers. Results and discussion are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]