Prediction of explosive yield and other characteristics of liquid propellant rocket explosions Final report

Explosive hazards and yield predictions for liquid rocket propellant

Is positive communication sufficient to modulate procedural pain and anxiety in the emergency room? A randomized controlled trial.

Research suggests that therapeutic communication could enhance patient comfort during medical procedures. Few studies have been conducted in clinical settings, with adequate blinding. Our hypothesis was that a positive message could lead to analgesia and anxiolysis, and that this effect would be enhanced by an empathetic interaction with the nurse performing the procedure, compared to an audio-taped message. This study aimed to modulate the contents and delivery vector of a message regarding peripheral intravenous catheter (PIC) placement in the emergency room (ER). This study was a 2 + 2 randomized controlled trial registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03502655). A positive versus standard message was delivered through audio tape (double blind) in the first phase (N = 131) and through the nurse placing the catheter (single blind) in the second phase (N = 120). By design, low practitioner empathic behavior was observed in the first phase (median 1 out of 5 points). In the second phase, higher empathic behavior was observed in the positive than in the standard message (median 2 vs. 3, p < 0.001). Contrary to our hypothesis, the intervention did not affect pain nor anxiety reports due to PIC placement in either phase (all p values>0.2). The positive communication intervention did not impact pain nor anxiety reports following PIC. There might have been a floor effect, with low PIC pain ratings in a context of moderate pain due to the presenting condition. Hence, such a therapeutic communication intervention might not be sufficient to modulate a mild procedural pain in the ER

USP49 deubiquitinase regulates the mitotic spindle checkpoint and prevents aneuploidy.

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is an essential mechanism that ensures the accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis, thus preventing genomic instability. Deubiquitinases have emerged as key regulators of the SAC, mainly by determining the fate of proteins during cell cycle progression. Here, we identify USP49 deubiquitinase as a novel regulator of the spindle checkpoint. We show that loss of USP49 in different cancer cell lines impairs proliferation and increases aneuploidy. In addition, USP49-depleted cells overcome the arrest induced by the SAC in the presence of nocodazole. Finally, we report new binding partners of USP49, including ribophorin 1, USP44, and different centrins.We thank A.P. Ugalde, D. Rodríguez, J.G. Pérez-Silva, Y. Español and F. Rodríguez for helpful comments and advice. We also thank S.A. Miranda, D. Álvarez-Puente and C. Garabaya for excellent technical assistance, as well as the staff of the scientific core facilities from the University of Oviedo (Unidad de Ensayos Biotecnológicos y Biomédicos, Servicios Científico-Técnicos). This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SAF2017-87655-R, PDI2020-118394RB-100 and PGC2018- 097019-B-I00), “la Caixa” Banking Foundation (project code HR17-00247), and the European Research Council (742067, DeAge). The IUOPA is funded by the Asturian Government and Fundación Cajastur-Liberbank.S

The chaperonin CCT controls T cell receptor-driven 3D configuration of centrioles

T lymphocyte activation requires the formation of immune synapses (IS) with antigen-presenting cells. The dynamics of membrane receptors, signaling scaffolds, microfilaments, and microtubules at the IS determine the potency of T cell activation and subsequent immune response. Here, we show that the cytosolic chaperonin CCT (chaperonin-containing TCP1) controls the changes in reciprocal orientation of the centrioles and polarization of the tubulin dynamics induced by T cell receptor in T lymphocytes forming an IS. CCT also controls the mitochondrial ultrastructure and the metabolic status of T cells, regulating the de novo synthesis of tubulin as well as posttranslational modifications (poly-glutamylation, acetylation, ?1 and ?2) of ??-tubulin heterodimers, fine-tuning tubulin dynamics. These changes ultimately determine the function and organization of the centrioles, as shown by three-dimensional reconstruction of resting and stimulated primary T cells using cryo-soft x-ray tomography. Through this mechanism, CCT governs T cell activation and polarity.Cryo-SXT work was supported by ALBA Synchrotron standard proposals 2015021148 and 2016021638 to F.J.C., N.B.M.-C., and J.M.V. This study was supported by grants SAF2017-82886-R (to F.S.-M.), PID2019-105872GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (AEI/FEDER, UE), BFU2016-75984 (to J.M.V.), and BIO2015-67580-P and PGC2018-097019-B-I00 (to J.V.) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), grants INFLAMUNE-S2017/BMD-23671 (to F.S.-M.) and P2018/NMT-4389 (to J.M.V.) from the Comunidad de Madrid, ERC-2011-AdG 294340-GENTRIS (to F.S.-M.), a 2019 grant from the Ramón Areces Foundation “Ciencias de la Vida y la Salud” and a 2018 grant from Ayudas Fundación BBVA a Equipos de Investigación Científica (to F.S.-M.), and grants PRB3 (IPT17/0019-ISCIII-SGEFI/ERDF), the Fundació Marató TV3 (grant 122/C/2015), and “La Caixa” Banking Foundation (HR17-00016 to FSM and HR17-00247 to J.V.). D.T. is supported by a PhD fellowship from La Caixa Foundation. Work in the Vernos lab was supported by the grant CSD2006-00023 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and grants BFU2012-37163 and BFU2015-68726-P from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The CRG acknowledges support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to the EMBL partnership, the Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa, and the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. CIBER Cardiovascular (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funding by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER). The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the Pro-CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MINECO award SEV-2015- 0505). The Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB) is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MINECO award SEV 2017-0712). Funding agencies have not intervened in the design of the studies, with no copyright over the stud

BH3 domains of BH3-only proteins differentially regulate Bax-mediated mitochondrial membrane permeabilization both directly and indirectly

activate Bax directly and can only act indirectly to reliev

THz waveguide adapters for efficient radiation out-coupling from double metal THz QCLs

We report the development of on-chip optical components designed to improve the out-coupling of double-metal terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). A visible reshaping of the optical beam is achieved, independent of the precise waveguide configuration, by direct incorporation of cyclic-olefin copolymer (COC) dielectric optical fibers onto the QCL facet. A major improvement is further achieved by incorporating a micromachined feed-horn waveguide, assembled around the THz QCL and integrated with a slit-coupler. In its first implementation, we obtain a ± 20° beam divergence, offering the potential for high-efficiency radiation coupling from a metal-metal waveguide into optical fibers

Creating New Strategies to Enhance Postpartum Health and Wellness

Over the past 5 years there have been a number of new initiatives focused on improving birth outcomes and reducing infant mortality, including a renewed focus on the complex interactions between motherhood and infancy that influence lifelong health trajectories. Beginning in 2012, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) facilitated a series of meetings to enhance coordination across initiatives. Emerging from these conversations was a shared desire across stakeholders to reimagine the postpartum visit and improve postpartum care and wellness. AMCHP convened a Postpartum Think-Tank Meeting in 2014 to map the system of postpartum care and identify levers for its transformation. The meeting findings are presented in an infographic which frames the challenges and proposed solutions from the woman’s perspective. The infographic describes maternal issues and concerns along with a concise summary of the recommended solutions. Strategies include creating integrated services and seamless care transitions from preconception through postpartum and well-baby; business, community, and government support, including paid parental leave, health insurance and spaces for new parents to meet each other; and mother-centered care, including quality visits on her schedule with complete and culturally appropriate information. These solutions catalyze a postpartum system of care that supports women, children, and families by infusing new ideas and capitalizing on existing opportunities and resources

Immune system deregulation in hypertensive patients chronically RAS suppressed developing albuminuria

Albuminuria development in hypertensive patients is an indicator of higher cardiovascular (CV) risk and renal damage. Chronic renin-angiotensin system (RAS) suppression facilitates blood pressure control but it does not prevent from albuminuria development. We pursued the identification of protein indicators in urine behind albuminuria development in hypertensive patients under RAS suppression. Urine was collected from 100 patients classified in three groups according to albuminuria development: (a) patients with persistent normoalbuminuria; (b) patients developing de novo albuminuria; (c) patients with maintained albuminuria. Quantitative analysis was performed in a first discovery cohort by isobaric labeling methodology. Alterations of proteins of interest were confirmed by target mass spectrometry analysis in an independent cohort. A total of 2416 proteins and 1223 functional categories (coordinated protein responses) were identified. Immune response, adhesion of immune and blood cells, and phagocytosis were found significantly altered in patients with albuminuria compared to normoalbuminuric individuals. The complement system C3 increases, while Annexin A1, CD44, S100A8 and S100A9 proteins showed significant diminishment in their urinary levels when albuminuria is present. This study reveals specific links between immune response and controlled hypertension in patients who develop albuminuria, pointing to potential protein targets for novel and future therapeutic interventions.Sin financiación4.122 JCR (2017) Q1, 12/64 Multidisciplinary Sciences0.809 SJR (2017) Q2, 4/10 OptometryNo data IDR 2017UE