Effects of Electromagnetic Stimulation on Soil’s Hydraulic Conductivity

Our research involves the identification of the different effects that electromagnetic (EM) stimulation has on varying soil properties; properties such as hydraulic conductivity. This work could prove to be of importance in furthering our understanding of the effects of EM stimulation with regard to the hydraulic conductivity of soil. A positive correlation between EM stimulation and an increase in hydraulic conductivity could have broad applications for environmental contaminant mitigation in soils and for various geotechnical construction applications such as minimizing soil setup during pile driving operations. EM waves can be used to enhance soil and groundwater remediation in a way that no heat is generated, yet the desired mechanisms in soil are stimulated. Our approach in this project involved the construction of a customized permeameter that enabled us to measure the change in hydraulic conductivity given a tuned EM wave from an antenna. An EM wave with a fixed frequency and varying power output was sent through the permeameter while the hydraulic conductivity was measured in real time. Tests performed for the research project were successful in showing a correlation between hydraulic conductivity and EM stimulation

Propuesta de mejoramiento para el proceso de embalaje de las ofertas realizadas en la planta de Coca-Cola Femsa Bogotá D.C., para cada una de las etapas deAlmacenamiento, picking, cargue y su correspondiente estado al momento de llegar a su destino

El presente proyecto se desarrolla en Coca-Cola FEMSA Bogotá D.C. (embotelladora más grande de la marca Coca-Cola Company), este proyecto será útil tanto para la compañía como para los autores optando así por el título de Ingenieros Industriales, mediante la aplicación de herramientas y métodos en el énfasis de logística. Según el diagnóstico realizado, la oportunidad de mejora se enfatiza en las etapas de embalaje y cargue a camiones para los diferentes Sku s de ofertas producidas y distribuidas por Coca-Cola FEMSA Bogotá D.C.This project is developed in CocaCola FEMSA Bogotá D.C. (the biggest bottler in the CocaCola Company). This project will be useful for the authors as they are attempting to get their Bachelor title in Industrial Engineering and the company, via the application of logistics tools and methods. According to the diagnosis, the opportunity to improve is emphasized in the stages of packing and charge on trucks for different Sku's deals produced and distributed by CocaCola FEMSA Bogota D.C.Ingeniero (a) IndustrialPregrad

Clostridium difficile spores and its relevance in the persistence and transmission of the infection

Indexación: Web of Science; Scielo.Clostridium difficile es un patógeno anaerobio, formador de esporas y el agente etiológico más importante de las diarreas asociadas a antimicrobianos, tanto nosocomiales como adquiridas en la comunidad. Las infecciones asociadas a C. difficile poseen una elevada tasa de morbilidad en países desarrollados y en vías de desarrollo. Los dos factores de virulencia principales son TcdA y TcdB, toxinas que causan la remodelación del citoesqueleto lo cual desencadena los síntomas clínicos asociados a esta enfermedad infecciosa. A pesar que las esporas de C. difficile son el principal vehículo de infección, persistencia en el hospedero y de transmisión, pocos estudios se han enfocado sobre este clave aspecto. Es altamente probable que la espora juegue roles esenciales en los episodios de recurrencia y de transmisión horizontal de la infección por este microorganismo. Estudios recientes han revelado características únicas de las esporas de C. difficile que las hacen capaces de ser altamente transmisibles y persistir dentro del hospedero. Más aún, algunas de estas propiedades están relacionadas con la resistencia de sus esporas a los desinfectantes más comúnmente usados en los recintos hospitalarios. La presente revisión resume los conocimientos más relevantes en la biología de las esporas de C. difficile, con un énfasis en aquellos aspectos con implicancias clínicas, incluido el control de infecciones en el ambiente hospitalario.C. difficile is an anaerobic spore former pathogen and the most important etiologic agent of nosocomial and community acquired antibiotics associated diarrheas. C. difficile infections (CDI) are responsible for an elevated rate of morbidity in developed and developing countries. Although the major virulence factors responsible for clinical symptoms of CDI are the two toxins TcdA and TcdB, C. difficile spores are the main vehicle of infection, persistence and transmission of CDI. Recent work has unrevealed unique properties of C. difficile spores that make them remarkable morphotypes of persistence and transmission in the host, including their resistance to antibiotics, the host immune response and disinfectants. The present review summarizes relevant aspects of C. difficile spore biology that have major implications from a clinical and medical perspective.http://ref.scielo.org/3xfbk

Contrasting soil thermal responses to fire in Alaskan tundra and boreal forest

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 120 (2015): 363–378, doi:10.1002/2014JF003180.Recent fire activity throughout Alaska has increased the need to understand postfire impacts on soils and permafrost vulnerability. Our study utilized data and modeling from a permafrost and ecosystem gradient to develop a mechanistic understanding of the short- and long-term impacts of tundra and boreal forest fires on soil thermal dynamics. Fires influenced a variety of factors that altered the surface energy budget, soil moisture, and the organic-layer thickness with the overall effect of increasing soil temperatures and thaw depth. The postfire thickness of the soil organic layer and its impact on soil thermal conductivity was the most important factor determining postfire soil temperatures and thaw depth. Boreal and tundra ecosystems underlain by permafrost experienced smaller postfire soil temperature increases than the nonpermafrost boreal forest from the direct and indirect effects of permafrost on drainage, soil moisture, and vegetation flammability. Permafrost decreased the loss of the insulating soil organic layer, decreased soil drying, increased surface water pooling, and created a significant heat sink to buffer postfire soil temperature and thaw depth changes. Ecosystem factors also played a role in determining postfire thaw depth with boreal forests taking several decades longer to recover their soil thermal properties than tundra. These factors resulted in tundra being less sensitive to postfire soil thermal changes than the nonpermafrost boreal forest. These results suggest that permafrost and soil organic carbon will be more vulnerable to fire as climate warms.We are pleased to acknowledge funding from the US National Science Foundation, grants DEB-1026843 and EF-1065587, to the Marine Biological Laboratory. Additional logistical support was provided by Toolik Field Station and CH2MHill, funded by NSF's Office of Polar Programs.2015-08-2

Comportamento informacional versus comunicação: aplicação de modelos em contextos multidisciplinares

This paper deals with the information behavior as support for models of communication design in the areas of Information Science, Library and Music. The communication models proposition is based on models of Tubbs and Moss (2003), Garvey and Griffith (1972), adapted by Hurd (1996) and Wilson (1999). Therefore, the questions arose: (i) what are the informational skills required of librarians who act as mediators in scholarly communication process and informational user behavior in the educational environment?; (ii) what are the needs of music related researchers and as produce, seek, use and access the scientific knowledge of your area?; and (iii) as the contexts involved in scientific collaboration processes influence in the scientific production of information science field in Brazil? The article includes a literature review on the information behavior and its insertion in scientific communication considering the influence of context and/or situation of the objects involved in motivating issues. The hypothesis is that the user information behavior in different contexts and situations influence the definition of a scientific communication model. Finally, it is concluded that the same concept or a set of concepts can be used in different perspectives, reaching up, thus, different results.Este artículo aborda el comportamiento informacional como subsidio para el diseño de modelos de la comunicación en las áreas de Ciencias de la Información, Bibliotecología y Música. La proposición de modelos de comunicación se basa en modelos de Tubbs y Moss (2003), Garvey y Griffith (1972), adaptados por Hurd (1996) y Wilson (1999). Con este fin, se plantearon los temas: (i) ¿Cuáles son las habilidades informacionales requeridas de bibliotecarios que actúan como mediadores en los procesos de comunicación científica y comportamiento informativo de los usuarios, en el contexto educativo?; (ii) ¿Cuáles son las necesidades de los investigadores en el área de la música y cómo producir, buscar, utilizar y acceder a los conocimientos científicos de su área?; ¿y (iii) cómo influyen los contextos implicados en procesos de colaboración científica en la producción científica del área de Ciencias de la información en Brasil? El artículo es una revisión de la literatura sobre el comportamiento informacional y su inserción en la comunicación científica teniendo en cuenta la influencia del contexto o situación de los objetos involucrados en los temas motivadores. La hipótesis es que el comportamiento del usuario en diferentes contextos y situaciones informativo influyen en la definición de un modelo de comunicación científica. Al final, se concluye que un mismo concepto o un conjunto de conceptos puede utilizarse bajo diferentes perspectivas, obteniéndose, de esta manera, diferentes resultados.Este artigo trata do comportamento informacional como subsídio para o desenho de modelos de comunicação nas áreas de Ciência da Informação, Biblioteconomia e Música. A proposição de modelos de comunicação está fundamentada nos modelos de Tubbs e Moss (2003), Garvey e Griffith (1972), adaptado por Hurd (1996), e Wilson (1999). Para tanto, levantaram-se as questões: (i) quais são as competências informacionais requeridas dos bibliotecários que atuam como mediadores nos processos de comunicação científica e comportamento informacional do usuário, no contexto educacional?; (ii) quais as necessidades dos pesquisadores da área de música e como produzem, buscam, utilizam e acessam o conhecimento científico de sua área?; e (iii) como os contextos envolvidos nos processos de colaboração científica influenciam na produção científica da área de Ciência da Informação no Brasil? O artigo faz uma revisão de literatura a respeito do comportamento informacional e de sua inserção na comunicação científica considerando a influência do contexto e/ou situação dos objetos envolvidos nas questões motivadoras. A hipótese é que o comportamento informacional do usuário em diferentes contextos e situações influenciam na definição de um modelo de comunicação científica. Ao final, conclui-se que um mesmo conceito, ou um conjunto de conceitos pode ser utilizado sob diferentes perspectivas, alcançando-se, deste modo, diferentes resultados

Secondary atomization of inelastic non-newtonian liquid drops in the bag and multimode regimes

Secondary atomization of inelastic shear thinning non-Newtonian liquids in the bag and multimode regimes was studied. Six mixtures were formulated from deionized (DI) water, Avantor Performance Materials\u27 USP grade 100% vegetable based glycerin, and Ashland\u27s Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-7MF or CMC-7HF). The resulting solutions had power law parameters flow behavior index, n, between 0.71 and 0.93 and consistency index, K, in the range of 0.0464 to 0.37 Pa·s n. The effective viscosity for each mixture was estimated using the power-law model and experimentally measured strain rates up to the initiation time. Secondary atomization was achieved using a continuous jet setup. Breakup events were captured using a Vision Research Phantom v7.3 high speed camera operated at \u3e6600 fps. This typically yielded more than 100 frames for each breakup event. Post processing was performed using an in-house MATLAB code. Breakup was observed to occur in the bag and multimode regimes. The measurement approach was validated by comparing DI-water values with literature results. The flow conditions and liquid properties varied between: 10 \u3c We \u3c 50, 0.00212 \u3c Oh \u3c 0.41, 0.71 ≤ n ≤ 0.93, 0.0464 ≤ K ≤ 0.37 Pa·sn, 990 \u3c ρL \u3c 1210 kg/m3, and 0.065 \u3c σ \u3c 0.073 N/m. Data obtained using the MATLAB code includes: initiation time, cross-stream diameter, drop displacement, velocity and acceleration, plus the coefficient of drag at initiation time. The bag breakup time was measured, along with the corresponding rim diameter, bag length, displacement, and velocity. Many of these quantities exhibited peaks in the bag or bag-and-stamen regimes, with magnitudes that varied with liquid properties. Results from the videos show shear thinning, inelastic drop breakup modes share many morphological features with those for Newtonian liquid drops. The only minor differences are persistent ligaments throughout every stage of breakup and non-uniform bag growth in the bag breakup regime. The similarity between current and Newtonian drop results means the classical We versus Oh regime map remains valid for shear thinning, inelastic drops. Two other correlations were found to adequately act as alternate regime maps. These include We versus liquid Reynolds number and We versus Rayleigh-Taylor Wave number. Finally, the Taylor Analogy Breakup (TAB) model was applied to the current results to determine its accuracy when predicting shear thinning, inelastic drop deformation. The aerodynamic force term was altered to account for the increasing drop projected area and drop viscosity modeled using the approximated strain rate up to initiation time. Data from post processing was used in order to further improve the TAB model. The result was quantitative agreement between predictions and experiments to within 29% for initiation time and 36% for drop velocity at initiation time

Current pharmacological therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, factors for its effectiveness and associated complications: systematic review

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune, and systemic inflammatory disease that mainly affects diarthrodial joints. Its global prevalence is 0,5-1 % in adults, increasing to 5 % in women over 55 years old. RA reduces the quality of life and life expectancy by 3-10 years, mainly due to associated cardiovascular diseases. Current treatment is based on initiating early disease-modifying therapy with the goal of suppressing inflammation, inducing remission, preventing joint damage, and improving functionality. Antirheumatic medications include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, non-biological immunosuppressants like methotrexate, and biological immunomodulators such as anti-TNF or anti-interleukins, which have shown high clinical effectiveness. However, there is individual variability in therapeutic response, adverse effects, and loss of efficacy over time. This study conducted a systematic literature review following the PRISMA methodology. The search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using MESH terms and keywords related to rheumatoid arthritis, treatments, effectiveness, and prognostic factors. Studies published between 2015-2022 were included, ultimately selecting 30 articles that met eligibility criteria. The objective of this review was to compile and synthesize available evidence on currently used medications and therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, factors associated with therapeutic success, and the most frequently reported complications or adverse effects. The results contribute to enhancing treatment strategies, considering a personalized approach based on each patient\u27s needs