Simultaneous catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and soot with Ce–Zr–Nd mixed oxides in simulated diesel exhaust conditions

Ce0.73−xZr0.27NdxO2 mixed oxides (x ≤ 0.3) were prepared, characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption isotherms and H2-TPR, and tested for simultaneous CO, propylene, benzene and soot oxidation in a gas mixture containing O2, NOx, H2O, CO2, CO, propylene (model aliphatic hydrocarbon) and benzene (model aromatic hydrocarbon) that simulates a diesel exhaust. Ce–Zr mixed oxide doping with a low atomic fraction of neodymium (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.09) promotes the creation of oxygen vacancies, has a minor effect in the BET specific surface areas of the oxides, increases the surface ceria reducibility and has a positive effect in the catalytic activity. On the contrary, higher neodymium atomic fractions (x = 0.2 and 0.3) promote sintering, with a drastic decrease of the BET specific surface area, surface reducibility and catalytic activity. The Ce0.73−xZr0.27NdxO2 catalysts with x ≤ 0.09 are able to accelerate simultaneously soot, propylene and benzene combustion, and as a general trend, the catalytic behavior of Ce0.73Zr0.27O2 is improved by low atomic fraction neodymium doping (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.09). These Ce0.73−xZr0.27NdxO2 mixed oxides with 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.09 are also able to accelerate CO oxidation in a certain extent, but there is a net production of CO during soot combustion because the oxidation capacity of these oxides is not high enough to oxidize all CO released as soot combustion product.The authors thank the financial support of CNPq – National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (Brazil), of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (ProjectCTQ2012-30703) and of the UE (FEDER funding)

Irrigation of thymus in Paraiso Pedres lineage (Gallus gallus domesticus) birds

A vascularização arterial do timo (número, origem e ordenação) bem como a distribuição parenquimal dos ramos penetrantes foram estudadas em 40 aves da linhagem Paraíso Pedrês. Trinta aves foram injetadas com látex e dissecadas, enquanto 10 aves tiveram seus sistemas arteriais injetados com resina (metil metacrilato e mercox) para a preparação de moldes vasculares. A principal fonte de irrigação encontrada foi a associação dos ramos oriundos das artérias comuns do nervo vago, tireóideas e ingluviais, sendo que seus ramos penetravam o parênquima dos lobos, principalmente pelas suas extremidades cranial e caudal. A partir da penetração, os ramos tímicos apresentavam distribuição predominante para a periferia do lobo, formando uma trama capilar poligonal, com espaços irregulares, característica de um órgão linforreticular. _________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe thymus arterial vascularization (number, origin and organization) as well as the parenchymal distribution of the penetrative branches were studied in 40 birds of Paraiso Pedres lineage birds. From this total, 30 were injected with latex and dissected, while 10 had their arterial vessels injected with resin (methylmethacrylate and mercox) for the vascular matrix preparation. The main source of irrigation found was the association of branches originated from the common arteries of the vago nerve, thyroid and ingluvial, and their branches penetrated in the parenchyma of the lobes especially through the caudal and cranial endings. From this penetration, the thymic branches showed most of their distribution to the lobe periphery, creating a polygonal capilar web with irregular, spaces which is a characteristic of a linforeticular organ

The role of host soluble inflammatory mediators induced by the BCG vaccine for the initiation of in vitro monocyte apoptosis in healthy Brazilian volunteers

Submitted by sandra infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-05-19T13:22:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 jessica_lima_etal_IOC_2015.pdf: 744742 bytes, checksum: 99a63cc9c9e60f83c0f69452eda1cef9 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by sandra infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-05-19T13:31:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 jessica_lima_etal_IOC_2015.pdf: 744742 bytes, checksum: 99a63cc9c9e60f83c0f69452eda1cef9 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-19T13:31:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 jessica_lima_etal_IOC_2015.pdf: 744742 bytes, checksum: 99a63cc9c9e60f83c0f69452eda1cef9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Imunologia Clínica. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is the second greatest killer worldwide that is caused by a single infectious agent. For its control, studies of TB vaccines are needed. Since Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the only vaccine against TB currently in use, studies addressing the protective role of BCG in the context of inducible inflammatory mediators are urgently required. METHODS: In this study, groups of HIV-negative adult healthy donors (HD; n = 42) and neonates (UV; n = 18) have been voluntarily enrolled, and BCG Moreau strain was used for the in vitro mononuclear cell infections for an initial period of 48 h. Subsequently, harvested conditioned medium (CM) was added to autologous resting cells for an additional 24, 48, and 120 h, and Annexin V, in conjunction with a vital dye, was then used for apoptosis detection. CM was also assayed for nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), interferon (IFN)-β, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 levels. The p values were set up for any differences between two groups of individuals using Student's t-test and considered significant when ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: At 120 h, CM induced the highest apoptosis levels in both group studied, but necrosis was high in UV group only (p-value < 0.05). NO was released equally during BCG infection in both groups, but higher levels were found in HD when compared with UV group (p-value < 0.05). Overall, BCG Moreau triggered high PGE2, LTB4 and IFN-β productions in macrophages from the UV group (p-value ≤ 0.05), whereas the prostanoid PGE2 and TGF-β1 had an opposite pattern in the HD group. CONCLUSIONS: This study uncovers critical roles for endogenous compounds in the instruction of host macrophage cell death patterns. Understanding the regulation of human immune responses is critical for vaccine development and the treatment of infectious diseases. These findings shed new light on the potential condition for a booster immunization in individuals already vaccinated with BCG for TB protection, and further studies are warranted

Combination of operational modal analysis algorithms to identify modal parameters of an actual centrifugal compressor

The novelty of the current work is precisely to propose a statistical procedure to combine estimates of the modal parameters provided by any set of Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) algorithms so as to avoid preference for a particular one and also to derive an approximate joint probability distribution of the modal parameters, from which engineering statistics of interest such as mean value and variance are readily provided. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is assessed considering measured data from an actual centrifugal compressor. The statistics obtained for both forward and backward modal parameters are finally compared against modal parameters identified during standard stability verification testing (SVT) of centrifugal compressors prior to shipment, using classical Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA) algorithms. The current work demonstrates that combination of OMA algorithms can provide quite accurate estimates for both the modal parameters and the associated uncertainties with low computational costs.Comment: 6 figure

Diseño en Argentina, diseño para Argentina. El papel de Asia del Este en la industria de electrodomésticos, cambio de siglo

Since the early 2000s, well-known national appliance brands have reappeared in the market that years before had seen them become extinct.&nbsp;Desde principios del 2000, reconocidas marcas nacionales de electrodomésticos reaparecieron en el mercado que años atrás las había visto extinguirse.&nbsp;&nbsp;Desde o início dos anos 2000, ressurgiram no mercado renomadas marcas nacionais de eletrodomésticos que, anos antes, as haviam extinguido.&nbsp

Amazon commercial fishing dynamics: a space macroscale analysis on fishing variables/ A dinâmica da pesca comercial amazônica: uma análise em macroescala espacial sobre variáveis da pesca

The landscape and the dynamics of seasonal flooding should be considered in the development of fishery management measures in the Amazon, as these factors determine the distribution and ecology of fishery resources and consequently the behavior of fisherman and fishery. In this context, the spatial dynamics of commercial fishing in the upper and lower reaches of the Solimões River were analyzed and the hypothesis that fishing is homogeneously developed by the Amazonian landscape was discussed. Catch data, number of fishers per trip, duration of fisheries and fishing locations were collected in 2012 at the main landing centers of the municipalities of Benjamin Constant and Iranduba. The geographical coordinates of fishing locations were recorded in 2018 using a hydrographic map of municipalities, a list of fishing locations documented in 2012 and the help of fishermen. The spatialization of fishery information was performed by municipality, by fishing location and by river regime period using the QGIS software (2.18). Thirty-two fishing sites were identified in the municipalities. The fishermen operated within a 175 km radius of Benjamin Constant during both periods of the river regime. In Iranduba the area of operation was 28 km in high water and 35 km in low water. In Benjamin Constant the Solimões River recorded the highest catches in both periods. In Iranduba the Iranduba coast and Manaquiri beach recorded the highest catches during periods of high and low waters, respectively. In Benjamin Constant the highest yields were recorded in the 35 km zone far from the municipal headquarters in both periods. While in Iranduba, in the high water period the highest yield was recorded in locations closer to the municipal headquarters than in the low water period. With the analysis of the spatial dynamics of commercial fishing we reject the hypothesis that fishing is homogeneously distributed throughout the Amazonian landscape and we propose to consider the spatial aspects of this activity in management systems

Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load and Clinical Evolution of Pediatric Patients in a General Hospital From Buenos Aires, Argentina

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations and severity. Pediatric cases represent <10% of total cases, with a mortality rate below 1%. Data of correlation between SARS-CoV-2 viral load in respiratory samples and severity of disease in pediatric patients is scarce. The cycle threshold (CT) value for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 could be used as an indirect indicator of viral load in analyzed respiratory samples. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe CT values and their correlation with clinical manifestations, epidemiology and laboratory parameters in pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19. Methods: In this observational, retrospective, analytic and single-center study we included patients under 15 years with confirmed COVID-19 by RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 admitted to the Isidoro Iriarte Hospital (Argentina) between March 1st 2020 and April 30th 2021. Results: 485 patients were included, the distribution according to disease severity was: 84% (408 patients) presented mild disease, 12% (59 patients) moderate disease and 4% (18 patients) severe disease. Patients with moderate and severe illness had an increased hospitalization rate, prolonged hospitalization, higher frequency of comorbidities and oxygen and antibiotics use. CT values, that could be used as an indirect measure of viral load, was associated with severity of clinical manifestations and age under 12 months. No patient required admission to PICU nor mechanical ventilation. No deaths were registered. Conclusions: In this study, the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples, determined by the cycle threshold, was significantly correlated with moderate to severe cases and with age.Fil: Brizuela, Martin Eduardo. Municipalidad de Quilmes (buenos Aires). Hospital Zonal General de Agudos Doctor Isidoro Iriarte.; ArgentinaFil: Goñi, Sandra Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cardama, Georgina Alexandra. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Zinni, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Castello, Alejandro Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Sommese, Leandro Matías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Farina, Hernán Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentin

Effect of colistin and tylosin used as feed additives on the performance, diarrhea incidence, and immune response of nursery pigs

For the last several decades, antimicrobial compounds have been used as feed additives to promote piglet growth at weaning, through the prevention of subclinical and clinical disease. However, few studies have assessed the influence of these antibiotics on the immune response of nursery pigs, as well as the relation between performance, health, and immunity of animals that receive feed additives. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of colistin and tylosin when used as feed additives on the performance, incidence of diarrhea, and immune response of nursery pigs. In this study, 72 weaned pigs (average age, 28 days) were allotted into one of three treatment groups: a control group (feed with no antibiotics), tylosin group (feed containing 22 ppm tylosin), and colistin group (feed containing 20 ppm colistin). Weekly, during a five week period, the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio of the pigs were evaluated. Stools were scored daily, in accordance with a fecal texture scale. Blood samples were collected on the day of housing (d0) and on d7, d21, d28, and d35 for immune cell phenotyping. The results of this study showed that piglets in both the colistin and tylosin groups exhibited a significantly higher average daily feed intake, resulting in a higher body weight at the end of the experimental period (d35) when compared with piglets from the control group. Colistin and tylosin also significantly reduced the incidence of diarrhea. Colistin and tylosin modulated the piglets’ immune responses, particularly on d28, by changing the percentage of circulating B lymphocytes, CD4+CD8+ T cells, and the CD4:CD8 ratio

Response of Prochilodus nigricans to flood pulse variation in the central Amazon

The influence of the flood pulse on fish populations has been posited, but infrequently tested or quantified. Here, we tested the effect of habitat on population size, using Prochilodus nigricans as a case study species. Floodplain habitat was based on the littoral zone area occupied by P. nigricans to feed. The magnitude of this habitat in each hydrological year, the moving littoral (ML), was expressed as the sum of daily littoral areas during the advancing flood pulse, using satellite-based passive microwave data. Annual population size was estimated by age class, using a dynamic age-structured model (MULTIFANCL) based on catches, effort and fish length frequencies from the Manaus-based fishery over 12.75 years. The principal null hypothesis was that the ML, using three lag times, had no effect on population size of a single age class of P. nigricans. The population size at 29 months of age was positively related (p = 0.00030) to floodplain habitat (ML) earlier in the same year, when the fish were 21-27 months old. The result implies a density-dependent relationship for the population with respect to its feeding habitat. Potential mechanisms governed by flood pulse variation and habitat quality for this and other species using floodplain habitats are discussed