University of Alcalá

About: University of Alcalá is a education organization based out in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 10795 authors who have published 20718 publications receiving 410089 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Alcala & University of Alcala de Henares.

From climate change impacts to the development of adaptation strategies: Challenges for agriculture in Europe

Abstract: This study links climate change impacts to the development of adaptation strategies for agriculture in Europe. Climate change is expected to intensify the existing risks, particularly in southern regions, and create new opportunities in some northern areas. These risks and opportunities are characterised and interpreted across European regions by analysing over 300 highly relevant publications that appeared in the last decade. The result is a synthesis of the reasons for concern for European agricultural regions. The need to respond to these risks and opportunities is addressed by evaluating the costs and benefits of a number of technical and policy actions. The results highlight the importance of enhanced water use efficiency as a critical response to climate risks and the need for a more effective extension service. These results aim to assist stakeholders as they take up the adaptation challenge and develop measures to reduce the vulnerability of the sector to climate change.

Catalytic ozonation of naproxen and carbamazepine on titanium dioxide

Abstract: This study investigates the ozonation of naproxen and carbamazepine during catalytic and non-catalytic semicontinuous oxidation experiments performed at 25 °C and in the range of pH 3–7. The results showed that naproxen and carbamazepine were completely consumed in the first few minutes of reaction. The extent of mineralization during non-catalytic runs reached about 50% and essentially took place during a period covering the first 10–20 min. Catalytic runs were carried out on a commercial catalyst consisting of fumed colloidal TiO2 particles. The catalyst increased the extent of mineralization by up to 75% of the initial organic carbon. The results showed that the catalyst enhanced mineralization both in acidic and neutral solutions, but the best results were obtained in a slightly acidic media. This effect was probably linked to the adsorption of reaction intermediates on Lewis acid catalytic sites. The catalyst enhanced the decomposition of ozone in an acid medium, but inhibited it in a neutral solution. This seems to exclude a mechanism based on the surface formation of hydroxyl radicals followed by their migration and bulk reaction with organic compounds. The evolution of the total organic carbon measured in samples taken during the run was modelled as a function of the integral ozone exposure. The kinetic regression model considered that the ozonation products from naproxen or carbamazepine consisted of either oxidizable or refractory compounds, where the latter were necessarily produced from the former. The model assumed a second order reaction between organic compounds and ozone. The higher non-catalytic rate constants for the first mineralization period were 1.048 × 10−2 ± 9.3 × 10−4 L mmol−1 s−1 for naproxen and 6.16 × 10−3 ± 5.6 × 10−4 L mmol−1 s−1 for carbamazepine, both at pH 7. The corresponding pseudohomogeneous catalytic rate constants were 7.76 × 10−3 ± 3.9 × 10−4 and 4.25 × 10−3 ± 9.7 × 10−4 L mmol−1 s−1 for naproxen and carbamazepine, respectively, at pH 5 and with a catalyst load of 1 g/L. The evolution of carboxylic acids during reaction revealed that the catalyst avoided the accumulation of oxalate especially in comparison with non-catalytic runs, in which it accounted for up to 30% of the final organic carbon. Specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm was also followed during the run. The products from naproxen reached a high absorbance from the beginning of the ozonation that was maintained throughout the run. For carbamazepine, however, the absorbance rapidly decreased revealing a different chemical structure of reaction products.

Prevalence of 'obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction' in severely obese men and women and its resolution after bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: Background Sexual dimorphism manifests noticeably in obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction. In women, obesity is associated with androgen excess disorders, mostly the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), whereas androgen deficiency is frequently present in obese men in what has been termed as male obesity-associated secondary hypogonadism (MOSH). Obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction, consisting of PCOS in women and MOSH in men, is a frequent finding in patients with severe obesity and it may be ameliorated or even resolve with marked weight loss, especially after bariatric surgery. Objective and rationale We aimed to obtain an estimation of the prevalence of obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction among women and men presenting with severe obesity and to evaluate the response to bariatric surgery in terms of resolution and/or improvement of this condition and changes in circulating sex hormone concentrations. Search methods We searched PubMed and EMBASE for articles published up to June 2016. After deleting duplicates, the abstract of 757 articles were analyzed. We subsequently excluded 712 articles leaving 45 studies for full-text assessment of eligibility. Of these, 16 articles were excluded. Hence, 29 studies were included in the quantitative synthesis and in the different meta-analyses. Quality of the studies was assessed using the Quality index for prevalence studies and the Quality Assessment Tool for Before-After (Pre-Post) Studies With No Control Group available from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. For meta-analyses including more than 10 studies, we used funnel and Doi plots to estimate publication bias. Outcomes In severely obese patients submitted to bariatric surgery, obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction was very prevalent: PCOS was present in 36% (95CI 22-50) of women and MOSH was present in 64% (95CI 50-77) of men. After bariatric surgery, resolution of PCOS was found in 96% (95CI 89-100) of affected women and resolution of MOSH occurred in 87% (95CI 76-95) of affected men. Sex hormone-binding globulin concentrations increased after bariatric surgery in women (22 pmol/l, 95CI 2-47) and in men (22 pmol/l, 95CI 19-26) and serum estradiol concentrations decreased in women (-104 pmol/l, 95CI -171 to -39) and to a lesser extent in men (-22 pmol/l, 95CI -38 to -7). On the contrary, sex-specific changes were observed in serum androgen concentrations: for example, total testosterone concentration increased in men (8.1 nmol/l, 95CI 6-11) but decreased in women (-0.7 nmol/l, 95CI -0.9 to -0.5). The latter was accompanied by resolution of hirsutism in 53% (95CI 29-76), and of menstrual dysfunction in 96% (95CI 88-100), of women showing these symptoms before surgery. Wider implications Obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction is among the most prevalent comorbidities in patients with severe obesity and should be ruled out routinely during their initial diagnostic workup. Considering the excellent response regarding both PCOS and MOSH, bariatric surgery should be offered to severely obese patients presenting with obesity-associated gonadal dysfunction.

Molecular Outflows in Local ULIRGs: Energetics from Multitransition OH Analysis

Abstract: We report on the energetics of molecular outflows in 14 local ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) that show unambiguous outflow signatures (P Cygni profiles or high-velocity absorption wings) in the far-infrared lines of OH measured with the Herschel/PACS spectrometer. All sample galaxies are gas-rich mergers at various stages of the merging process. Detection of both ground-state (at 119 and 79 mu m) and one or more radiatively excited (at 65 and 84 mu m) lines allows us to model the nuclear gas (. 300 pc) and the more extended components using spherically symmetric radiative transfer models. Reliable models and the corresponding energetics are found in 12 of the 14 sources. The highest molecular outflow velocities are found in buried sources, in which slower but massive expansion of the nuclear gas is also observed. With the exception of a few outliers, the outflows have momentum fluxes of (2-5) x L-IR/c and mechanical luminosities of (0.1-0.3)% of L-IR. The moderate momentum boosts in these sources (. 3) suggest that the outflows are mostly momentum driven by the combined effects of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and nuclear starbursts, as a result of radiation pressure, winds, and supernova remnants. In some sources ( similar to 20%), however, powerful (10(10.5- 11) L circle dot) AGN feedback and (partially) energy-conserving phases are required, with momentum boosts in the range of 3-20. These outflows appear to be stochastic, strong AGN feedback events that occur throughout the merging process. In a few sources, the outflow activity in the innermost regions has subsided in the past similar to 1 Myr. While OH traces the molecular outflows at subkiloparsec scales, comparison of the masses traced by OH with those previously inferred from tracers of more extended outflowing gas suggests that most mass is loaded (with loading factors of M/SFR = 1-10) from the central galactic cores (a few. x. 100 pc), qualitatively consistent with an ongoing inside-out quenching of star formation. Outflow depletion timescales are <10(8) yr, shorter than the gas consumption timescales by factors of 1.1-15, and are anticorrelated with the AGN luminosity.

Next-generation sequencing and syntenic integration of flow-sorted arms of wheat chromosome 4A exposes the chromosome structure and gene content.

Abstract: Wheat is the third most important crop for human nutrition in the world. The availability of high-resolution genetic and physical maps and ultimately a complete genome sequence holds great promise for breeding improved varieties to cope with increasing food demand under the conditions of changing global climate. However, the large size of the bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome (approximately 17 Gb/1C) and the triplication of genic sequence resulting from its hexaploid status have impeded genome sequencing of this important crop species. Here we describe the use of mitotic chromosome flow sorting to separately purify and then shotgun-sequence a pair of telocentric chromosomes that together form chromosome 4A (856 Mb/1C) of wheat. The isolation of this much reduced template and the consequent avoidance of the problem of sequence duplication, in conjunction with synteny-based comparisons with other grass genomes, have facilitated construction of an ordered gene map of chromosome 4A, embracing ≥85% of its total gene content, and have enabled precise localization of the various translocation and inversion breakpoints on chromosome 4A that differentiate it from its progenitor chromosome in the A genome diploid donor. The gene map of chromosome 4A, together with the emerging sequences of homoeologous wheat chromosome groups 4, 5 and 7, represent unique resources that will allow us to obtain new insights into the evolutionary dynamics between homoeologous chromosomes and syntenic chromosomal regions.