Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and adherence to Mediterranean diet in an adult population: the Mediterranean diet index as a pollution level index.

BACKGROUND: Research related to sustainable diets is is highly relevant to provide better understanding of the impact of dietary intake on the health and the environment. AIM: To assess the association between the adherence to an energy-restricted Mediterranean diet and the amount of CO2 emitted in an older adult population. DESIGN AND POPULATION: Using a cross-sectional design, the association between the adherence to an energy-reduced Mediterranean Diet (erMedDiet) score and dietary CO2 emissions in 6646 participants was assessed. METHODS: Food intake and adherence to the erMedDiet was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaire and 17-item Mediterranean questionnaire. Sociodemographic characteristics were documented. Environmental impact was calculated through greenhouse gas emissions estimations, specifically CO2 emissions of each participant diet per day, using a European database. Participants were distributed in quartiles according to their estimated CO2 emissions expressed in kg/day: Q1 (≤2.01 kg CO2), Q2 (2.02-2.34 kg CO2), Q3 (2.35-2.79 kg CO2) and Q4 (≥2.80 kg CO2). RESULTS: More men than women induced higher dietary levels of CO2 emissions. Participants reporting higher consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole cereals, preferring white meat, and having less consumption of red meat were mostly emitting less kg of CO2 through diet. Participants with higher adherence to the Mediterranean Diet showed lower odds for dietary CO2 emissions: Q2 (OR 0.87; 95%CI: 0.76-1.00), Q3 (OR 0.69; 95%CI: 0.69-0.79) and Q4 (OR 0.48; 95%CI: 0.42-0.55) vs Q1 (reference). CONCLUSIONS: The Mediterranean diet can be environmentally protective since the higher the adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the lower total dietary CO2 emissions. Mediterranean Diet index may be used as a pollution level index.

Association between coffee consumption and total dietary caffeine intake with cognitive functioning: cross-sectional assessment in an elderly Mediterranean population.

PURPOSE: Coffee is rich in compounds such as polyphenols, caffeine, diterpenes, melanoidins and trigonelline, which can stimulate brain activity. Therefore, the possible association of coffee consumption with cognition is of considerable research interest. In this paper, we assess the association of coffee consumption and total dietary caffeine intake with the risk of poor cognitive functioning in a population of elderly overweight/obese adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: PREDIMED-plus study participants who completed the Mini-Mental State Examination test (MMSE) (n = 6427; mean age = 65 ± 5 years) or a battery of neuropsychological tests were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Coffee consumption and total dietary caffeine intake were assessed at baseline using a food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the association between total, caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption or total dietary caffeine intake and cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Total coffee consumers and caffeinated coffee consumers had better cognitive functioning than non-consumers when measured by the MMSE and after adjusting for potential confounders (OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.44-0.90 and OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.38-0.83, respectively). Results were similar when cognitive performance was measured using the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and Trail Making Test B (TMT-B). These associations were not observed for decaffeinated coffee consumption. Participants in the highest tertile of total dietary caffeine intake had lower odds of poor cognitive functioning than those in the reference tertile when screened by the MMSE (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.47-0.87) or other neurophysiological tests evaluating a variety of cognitive domains (i.e., CDT and TMT-A). CONCLUSIONS: Coffee consumption and total dietary caffeine intake were associated with better cognitive functioning as measured by various neuropsychological tests in a Mediterranean cohort of elderly individuals with MetS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN89898870. Registration date: July 24, 2014.

Real-Time Dynamics of Plasma Balls from Holography.

Plasma balls are droplets of deconfined plasma surrounded by a confining vacuum. We present the first holographic simulation of their real-time evolution via the dynamics of localized, finite-energy black holes in the five-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) soliton background. The dual gauge theory is four-dimensional N=4 super Yang-Mills theory compactified on a circle with supersymmetry-breaking boundary conditions. We consider horizonless initial data sourced by a massless scalar field. Prompt scalar field collapse produces an excited black hole at the bottom of the geometry together with gravitational and scalar radiation. The radiation disperses to infinity in the noncompact directions and corresponds to particle production in the dual gauge theory. The black hole evolves toward the dual of an equilibrium plasma ball on a time scale longer than naively expected. This feature is a direct consequence of confinement and is caused by long-lived, periodic disturbances bouncing between the bottom of the AdS soliton and the AdS boundary.

Holographic Complex Conformal Field Theories.

The loss of criticality in the form of weak first-order transitions or the end of the conformal window in gauge theories can be described as the merging of two fixed points that move to complex values of the couplings. When the complex fixed points are close to the real axis, the system typically exhibits walking behavior with Miransky (or Berezinsky-Kosterlitz-Thouless) scaling. We present a novel realization of these phenomena at strong coupling by means of the gauge/gravity duality, and give evidence for the conjectured existence of complex conformal field theories at the fixed points.

UV Sensitivity of MOS Structures with Silicon Nanoclusters.

Selective UV sensitivity was observed in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor structures with Si nanoclusters. Si nanocrystals and amorphous Si nanoparticles (a-Si NPs) were obtained by furnace annealing of SiOx films with x = 1.15 for 60 min in N2 at 1000 and 700 °C, respectively. XPS and TEM analysis prove phase separation and formation of Si nanocrystals in SiO2, while the a-Si NPs are formed in SiO1.7 matrix. Both types of structures show selective sensitivity to UV light; the effect is more pronounced in the structure with nanocrystals. The responsivity of the nanocrystal structure to 365 nm UV light is ~ 4 times higher than that to green light at 4 V applied to the top contact. The observed effect is explained by assuming that only short wavelength radiation generates photocarriers in the amorphous and crystalline nanoclusters.

Restoration and repair of Earth's damaged ecosystems.

Given that few ecosystems on the Earth have been unaffected by humans, restoring them holds great promise for stemming the biodiversity crisis and ensuring ecosystem services are provided to humanity. Nonetheless, few studies have documented the recovery of ecosystems globally or the rates at which ecosystems recover. Even fewer have addressed the added benefit of actively restoring ecosystems versus allowing them to recover without human intervention following the cessation of a disturbance. Our meta-analysis of 400 studies worldwide that document recovery from large-scale disturbances, such as oil spills, agriculture and logging, suggests that though ecosystems are progressing towards recovery following disturbances, they rarely recover completely. This result reinforces conservation of intact ecosystems as a key strategy for protecting biodiversity. Recovery rates slowed down with time since the disturbance ended, suggesting that the final stages of recovery are the most challenging to achieve. Active restoration did not result in faster or more complete recovery than simply ending the disturbances ecosystems face. Our results on the added benefit of restoration must be interpreted cautiously, because few studies directly compared different restoration actions in the same location after the same disturbance. The lack of consistent value added of active restoration following disturbance suggests that passive recovery should be considered as a first option; if recovery is slow, then active restoration actions should be better tailored to overcome specific obstacles to recovery and achieve restoration goals. We call for a more strategic investment of limited restoration resources into innovative collaborative efforts between scientists, local communities and practitioners to develop restoration techniques that are ecologically, economically and socially viable.

Holographic Collisions across a Phase Transition.

We use holography to analyze relativistic collisions in a one-parameter family of strongly coupled gauge theories with thermal phase transitions. For a critical value of the parameter, the transition is second order, for subcritical values it is first order, and for supercritical values it a smooth crossover. We extract the gauge theory stress tensor from collisions of gravitational shock waves on the dual geometries. Regardless of the nature of the transition, for values of the parameter close to the critical value, almost all the energy of the projectiles is deposited into a long-lived, quasistatic blob of energy at midrapidity. This configuration is well described by the constitutive relations of second-order hydrodynamics that include all second-order gradients that are purely spatial in the local rest frame. In contrast, a Müller-Israel-Stewart-type formulation of hydrodynamics fails to provide a good description. We discuss possible implications for searches of the QCD critical point.

Revising the economic imperative for US STEM education.

Over the last decade macroeconomic studies have established a clear link between student achievement on science and math tests and per capita gross domestic product (GDP) growth, supporting the widely held belief that science, technology, engineering, and math(STEM) education are important factors in the production of economic prosperity. We critique studies that use science and math tests to predict GDP growth, arguing that estimates of the future economic value of STEM education involve substantial speculation because they ignore the impacts of economic growth on biodiversity and ecosystem functionality, which, in the long-term, limit the potential for future economic growth. Furthermore, we argue that such ecological impacts can be enabled by STEM education. Therefore, we contend that the real economic imperative for the STEM pipeline is not just raising standardized test scores, but also empowering students to assess, preserve, and restore ecosystems in order to reduce ecological degradation and increase economic welfare.

Structural and functional loss in restored wetland ecosystems.

Wetlands are among the most productive and economically valuable ecosystems in the world. However, because of human activities, over half of the wetland ecosystems existing in North America, Europe, Australia, and China in the early 20th century have been lost. Ecological restoration to recover critical ecosystem services has been widely attempted, but the degree of actual recovery of ecosystem functioning and structure from these efforts remains uncertain. Our results from a meta-analysis of 621 wetland sites from throughout the world show that even a century after restoration efforts, biological structure (driven mostly by plant assemblages), and biogeochemical functioning (driven primarily by the storage of carbon in wetland soils), remained on average 26% and 23% lower, respectively, than in reference sites. Either recovery has been very slow, or postdisturbance systems have moved towards alternative states that differ from reference conditions. We also found significant effects of environmental settings on the rate and degree of recovery. Large wetland areas (>100 ha) and wetlands restored in warm (temperate and tropical) climates recovered more rapidly than smaller wetlands and wetlands restored in cold climates. Also, wetlands experiencing more (riverine and tidal) hydrologic exchange recovered more rapidly than depressional wetlands. Restoration performance is limited: current restoration practice fails to recover original levels of wetland ecosystem functions, even after many decades. If restoration as currently practiced is used to justify further degradation, global loss of wetland ecosystem function and structure will spread.

Longitudinal coherence in a holographic model of asymmetric collisions.

As a model of the longitudinal structure in heavy ion collisions, we simulate gravitational shock wave collisions in anti-de Sitter space in which each shock is composed of multiple constituents. We find that all constituents act coherently, and their separation leaves no imprint on the resulting plasma, when this separation is ≲0.26/T_{hyd}, with T_{hyd} the temperature of the plasma at the time when hydrodynamics first becomes applicable. In particular, the center-of-mass of the plasma coincides with the center-of-mass of all the constituents participating in the collision, as opposed to the center-of-mass of the individual collisions. We discuss the implications for nucleus-nucleus and proton-nucleus collisions.

Restoring ecological complexity in a changing environment.

As land use leaves massive tracts of land vacant for recovery, restoration must undergo a substantial shift to incorporate a complexity perspective beyond the traditional community, biodiversity or functional views. With an interaction-function perspective, we may be able to achieve ecosystems with better chances to adapt to current environmental changes and, especially, to climate change. We explore combined approaches that include still unused and underexplored techniques that will soon go mainstream and produce massive amounts of information to address the complexity gap. As we understand how complexity reassembles after the end of agriculture, we will be able to design actions to restore or enhance it at unprecedented spatial scales while increasing its adaptability to environmental changes.

Effects of Regular Exercise on the Biochemical, Oxidative, and Inflammatory Profiles and Quality of Life in Older Spaniards with Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The regular practice of physical activity is a crucial factor for healthy aging and for controlling and preventing chronic diseases. To assess the effects of regular physical activity on the biochemical and inflammatory profiles, as well as the quality of life of older adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Participants (aged 55-70 years; living in the Balearic Islands, Spain) were divided into two groups (n = 50 each) according to the degree of physical activity measured by metabolic equivalents of task (METs). Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, biochemical and hematological parameters, and inflammatory biomarkers were measured. Beck Depression Inventory and adherence to the Mediterranean diet questionnaires, as well as the Dietary Inflammatory Index, chair test, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity, were also determined. The characterization of the patients was similar in both groups, showing a homogeneous sample. The group with the highest METs experienced a decrease in depression and an increase in the intensity of physical activity. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and HRQoL physical dimensions increased in participants with the highest METs, also showing a decrease in glycemia and glycosylated hemoglobin values. Inflammatory biomarkers, including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, interleukin-1ß, and osteoprotegerin, decreased in patients practicing more physical activity. High levels of physical activity are related to a healthier lifestyle, characterized by high adherence to the Mediterranean diet, decreased depressive behavior, oxidative stress, and inflammatory status in older people with metabolic syndrome.

From full stopping to transparency in a holographic model of heavy ion collisions.

We numerically simulate planar shock wave collisions in anti-de Sitter space as a model for heavy ion collisions of large nuclei. We uncover a crossover between two different dynamical regimes as a function of the collision energy. At low energies the shocks first stop and then explode in a manner approximately described by hydrodynamics, in close similarity with the Landau model. At high energies the receding fragments move outwards at the speed of light, with a region of negative energy density and negative longitudinal pressure trailing behind them. The rapidity distribution of the energy density at late times around midrapidity is not approximately boost invariant but Gaussian, albeit with a width that increases with the collision energy.

Nitrate and salt water contamination associated with the transition of an agrarian basin into an irrigated area.

The introduction of irrigation to agrarian areas involves several environmental changes that can be aggravated by physical and agronomic factors. The aim of this study is to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of the environmental impact on water resources that result from the transition of an agrarian basin into an irrigated area. During five hydrological years, a spatiotemporal comparison was carried out on the quantity and quality of drainage from the four zones in which the study area was subdivided. Introduction of irrigation activities incorporated flows that lowered salinity and increased nitrate concentration in the basin. The zones/years with most irrigation showed the greatest exports of salts and nitrates, with temporal variations related to rainfall patterns and spatial variations related to soil salinity and nitrogenous fertilization. The agro-environmental impacts of the gradual introduction of irrigation into a previously non-irrigated area were congruent to that of established irrigation areas with similar characteristics.

Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Biomarkers Are Related to High Intake of Ultra-Processed Food in Old Adults with Metabolic Syndrome.

In the last few decades the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) worldwide has substantially augmented. Increasing evidence suggests that high UPF consumption is associated with an increase in non-communicable diseases, being overweight, and obesity. The aim of this study was to assess how UPF consumption affects oxidative and inflammatory status in the plasma, neutrophils, and urine of old adults with metabolic syndrome. Participants (n = 92) were classified into two groups according to UPF consumption. Dietary intakes were measured by a validated semi-quantitative 143-item food frequency questionnaire and UPF consumption was determined according to the NOVA classification system. Low UPF consumers showed higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet than high UPF consumers. A high intake of fiber and a high concentration of polyphenols in urine were also observed in subjects with low UPF consumption. Despite the absence of differences in biochemical profile, oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers showed some significant changes. Catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were lower in high UPF consumers, whereas myeloperoxidase activity was higher. ROS production in neutrophils stimulated with zymosan was higher in high UPF consumers than in low UPF consumers. Biomarkers such as xanthine oxidase, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-15, and leptin levels were higher in participants with high intake of UPF. No differences were found in malondialdehyde and other inflammatory cytokines. The current study evidenced that MetS participants with high UPF consumption have a more pro-oxidant and inflammatory profile than those with low UPF consumption, despite showing similar blood biochemical profiles.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Dietary Emissions Are Related to Oxidative and Inflammatory Status in Adult Population.

BACKGROUND: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a primary greenhouse gas (GHG) causing global temperature to rise. Unsustainable diets induce an increment in the risk of obesity and noncommunicable diseases but also contribute to the global GSG burden. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether CO2 dietary emissions influence the inflammatory and oxidative status of subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS: As part of the PREDIMED-Plus study, 100 adults (55-75 years old) from the Balearic Islands, Spain, were recruited and classified according to their dietary CO2 emissions. Anthropometric parameters were determined, fasting blood samples were collected and plasma, neutrophils, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained. Dietary inflammatory index (DII), adherence to a Mediterranean diet (ADM), fatty liver index (FLI), and estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) were calculated. Clinical biochemical parameters, blood count, and oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarker levels were also determined. RESULTS: DII was higher in participants with high dietary CO2 emissions. Adherence to the MedDiet was inversely associated with CO2 emissions. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were higher in urine and plasma samples from subjects with high dietary CO2 emissions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by PBMCs was greater in participants with high CO2 emissions. Interleukin-15, resistin, and leptin plasma levels were increased in participants with high dietary CO2 emissions. CONCLUSION: Dietary CO2 emissions influence oxidative status and inflammation in relation to the increased prooxidative and proinflammatory status in PBMCs and plasma. These biomarkers were useful for monitoring diet sustainability and health.

Graphene-based versus alumina supports on CO2 methanation using lanthanum-promoted nickel catalysts.

The valorization of CO2 as a biofuel, transforming it through methanation as part of the power-to-gas (P2G) process, will allow the reduction of the net emissions of this gas to the atmosphere. Catalysts with 13 wt.% of nickel (Ni) loading incorporated into alumina and graphene derivatives were used, and the effect of the support on the activity was examined at temperatures between 498 and 773 K and 10 bar of pressure. Among the graphene-based catalysts (13Ni/AGO, 13Ni/BGO, 13Ni/rGO, 13Ni-Ol/GO, 13Ni/Ol-GO, and 13Ni/Ol-GO Met), the highest methane yield was found for 13Ni/rGO (78% at 810 K), being the only system comparable to the catalyst supported on alumina 13Ni/Al2O3 (89.5% at 745 K). The incorporation of 14 wt.% of lanthanum (La) into the most promising supports, rGO and alumina, led to nickel-support interactions that enhanced the catalytic activity of 13Ni/Al2O3 (89.5% at lower temperature, 727 K) but was not effective for 13Ni/rGO. The resistance against deactivation by H2S poisoning was also studied for these catalysts, and a fast deactivation was observed. In addition, activity recovery was impossible despite the regeneration treatment carried out over catalysts. The resistance against deactivation by H2S poisoning was also studied for these catalysts, observing that both suffered a rapid/immediate deactivation and which in addition/unfortunately was impossible to solve despite the regeneration treatment carried out over catalysts.

Polyunsaturated and Saturated Oxylipin Plasma Levels Allow Monitoring the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Progression to Severe Stages.

Hepatic fat accumulation is the hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our aim was to determine the plasma levels of oxylipins, free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and markers of lipid peroxidation in patients with NAFLD in progressive stages of the pathology. Ninety 40-60-year-old adults diagnosed with metabolic syndrome were distributed in without, mild, moderate or severe NAFLD stages. The free PUFA and oxylipin plasma levels were determined by the UHPLC-MS/MS system. The plasma levels of oxylipins produced by cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450, such as prostaglandin 2α (PGF2α), lipoxinB4 and maresin-1, were higher in severe NAFLD patients, pointing to the coexistence of both inflammation and resolution processes. The plasma levels of the saturated oxylipins 16-hydroxyl-palmitate and 3-hydroxyl-myristate were also higher in the severe NAFLD patients, suggesting a dysregulation of oxidation of fatty acids. The plasma 12-hydroxyl-estearate (12HEST) levels in severe NAFLD were higher than in the other stages, indicating that the hydroxylation of saturated fatty acid produced by reactive oxygen species is more present in this severe stage of NAFLD. The plasma levels of 12HEST and PGF2α are potential candidate biomarkers for diagnosing NAFLD vs. non-NAFLD. In conclusion, the NAFLD progression can be monitored by measuring the plasma levels of free PUFA and oxylipins characterizing the different NAFLD stages or the absence of this disease in metabolic syndrome patients.