Analysis of non-regulated vehicular emissions by extractive FTIR spectrometry: tests on a hybrid car in Mexico City

International audienceA methodology to acquire valuable information on the chemical composition and evolution of vehicular emissions is presented. The analysis of the gases is performed by passing a constant flow of a sample gas from the tail-pipe into a 10 L multi-pass cell. The absorption spectra within the cell are obtained using an FTIR spectrometer at 0.5 cm-1 resolution along a 13.1 m optical path. Additionally, the total flow from the exhaust is continuously measured from a differential pressure sensor on a Pitot tube installed at the exit of the exhaust. This configuration aims to obtain a good speciation capability by coadding spectra during 30 s and reporting the emission (in g/km) of key and non-regulated pollutants, such as CO2, CO, NO, SO2, NH3, HCHO, NMHC, during predetermined driving routines. The advantages and disadvantages of increasing the acquisition frequency, as well as the effect of other parameters such as spectral resolution, cell volume and flow rate, are discussed. With the aim of testing and evaluating the proposed technique, experiments were performed on a dynamometer running FTP-75 and typical driving cycles of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) on a Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle. This car is an example of recent automotive technology to reach the market dedicated to reduce emissions and therefore pressing the need of low detection techniques. This study shows the potential of the proposed technique to measure and report in real time the emissions of a large variety of pollutants, even from a super ultra-low emission vehicle (SULEV). The emissions of HC's, NOx, CO and CO2 obtained here are similar to experiments performed in other locations with the same vehicle model. Some differences suggest that an inefficient combustion process and type of gasoline used in the MCMA may be partly responsible for lower CO2 and higher CO and NO emission factors. Also, a fast reduction of NO emission to very low values is observed after cold ignition, giving rise to moderate N2O and eventually NH3 emissions. The proposed technique provides a tool for future studies comparing in detail the emissions of different technologies using alternative fuels and emission control systems

Tecnical Note: Analysis of non-regulated vehicular emissions by extractive FTIR spectrometry: tests on a hybrid car in Mexico City

International audienceA methodology to acquire valuable information on the chemical composition and evolution of vehicular emissions is presented. The analysis of the gases is performed by passing a constant flow of a sample gas from the tail-pipe into a 10 L multi-pass cell. The absorption spectra within the cell are obtained using an FTIR spectrometer at 0.5 cm?1 resolution along a 13.1 m optical path. Additionally, the total flow from the exhaust is continuously measured from a differential pressure sensor on a \textit{Pitot} tube installed at the exit of the exhaust. This configuration aims to obtain a good speciation capability by coadding spectra during 30 s and reporting the emission (in g/km) of both criteria and non-regulated pollutants, such as CO2, CO, NO, SO2, NH3, HCHO and some NMHC, during predetermined driving cycles. The advantages and disadvantages of increasing the measurement frequency, as well as the effect of other parameters such as spectral resolution, cell volume and flow rate, are discussed. To test and evaluate the proposed technique, experiments were performed on a dynamometer running FTP-75 and typical driving cycles for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) on a Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle. This car is an example of recent marketed automotive technology dedicated to reduced emissions, increasing the need for sensitive detection techniques. This study shows the potential of the proposed technique to measure and report in real time the emissions of a large variety of pollutants, even from a super ultra-low emission vehicle (SULEV). The emissions of HC's, NOx, CO and CO2 obtained here were compared to experiments performed in other locations with the same model vehicle. The proposed technique provides a tool for future studies comparing in detail the emissions of vehicles using alternative fuels and emission control systems

Resonance phenomena of a solitonlike extended object in a bistable potential

We investigate the dynamics of a soliton that behaves as an extended particle. The soliton motion in an effective bistable potential can be chaotic in a similar way as the Duffing oscillator. We generalize the concept of geometrical resonance to spatiotemporal systems and apply it to design a nonfeedback mechanism of chaos control using localized perturbations.We show the existence of solitonic stochastic resonance.Comment: 3 postscript figure

3D numerical model of the Omega Nebula (M17): simulated thermal X-ray emission

We present 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the superbubble M17, also known as the Omega nebula, carried out with the adaptive grid code yguazu'-a, which includes radiative cooling. The superbubble is modelled considering the winds of 11 individual stars from the open cluster inside the nebula (NGC 6618), for which there are estimates of the mass loss rates and terminal velocities based on their spectral types. These stars are located inside a dense interstellar medium, and they are bounded by two dense molecular clouds. We carried out three numerical models of this scenario, considering different line of sight positions of the stars (the position in the plane of the sky is known, thus fixed). Synthetic thermal X-ray emission maps are calculated from the numerical models and compared with ROSAT observations of this astrophysical object. Our models reproduce successfully both the observed X-ray morphology and the total X-ray luminosity, without taking into account thermal conduction effects.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Evaluación de la severidad de la incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo con estudios urodinámicos: un estudio comparativo para detectar deficiencia intrínseca del esfínter uretral externo

ResumenObjetivoDeterminar la sensibilidad y especificidad del punto de presión de fuga abdominal (ALPP), para evaluar la presencia de deficiencia intrínseca del esfínter (DIE) comparativamente con la presión máxima de cierre uretral (MUCP, por sus siglas en inglés), estableciendo la correlación clínico-urodinámica correspondiente.ResultadosFueron evaluadas 34 pacientes con incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo (IUE); 17 paciente (50%) fueron diagnosticadas urodinámicamente con DIE por punto de ALPP; 9 tuvieron IUE severa mientras que sólo 2 (5.8%) lo fueron por MUCP, de las cuales una tuvo IUE severa y otra, IUE moderada. Dieciocho pacientes fueron catalogadas clínicamente como IUE severa, de las cuales 17 tuvieron DIE por ALPP entre severa y moderada (94%).ConclusionesLa evaluación urodinámica de la IUE permite establecer de manera clara la fisiopatología de una disfunción del tracto urinario inferior concomitante, con la posibilidad de objetivar la presencia de IUE con el ALPP en al menos 85% de los casos, con una sensibilidad y especificidad para diagnosticar DIE muy superior a la MUCP.AbstractAimsTo determine the sensitivity and specificity of the abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP) in order to comparatively evalúate the presence of intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) with máximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) and establish the corresponding clinical and urodynamic correlation.ResultsThirty-four patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were evaluated. Seventeen of those patients (50%) were urodynamically diagnosed with ISD through ALPP and 9 of them had severe SUI. Only 2 patients were diagnosed with ISD through MUCP; one of them had severe SUI and the other presented with modérate SUI. Eighteen patients were clinically classified with severe SUI, 17 of whom had moderate to severe ISD diagnosed through ALPP (94%).ConclusionsUrodynamic evaluation of SUI made it possible to clearly establish the pathophysiology of concomitant lower urinary tract dysfunction and to objectify the presence of SUI through ALPP in at least 85% of the cases. ALPP had a much higher sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing ISD than MUCP

RF plasma cleaning of optical surfaces: A study of cleaning rates on different carbon allotropes as a function of RF powers and distances

An extended study on an advanced method for the cleaning of carbon contaminations on large optical surfaces using a remote inductively coupled low pressure RF plasma source (GV10x downstream asher) is reported in this work. Technical as well as scientific features of this scaled up cleaning process are analyzed, such as the cleaning efficiency for different carbon allotropes (amorphous and diamond-like carbon) as a function of feedstock gas composition, RF power (ranging from 30 to 300W), and source-object distances (415 to 840 mm). The underlying physical phenomena for these functional dependences are discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

Complexity of Instances for Combinatorial Optimization Problems

Non

Optimizing CIGB-300 intralesional delivery in locally advanced cervical cancer

Background:We conducted a phase 1 trial in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer by injecting 0.5 ml of the CK2-antagonist CIGB-300 in two different sites on tumours to assess tumour uptake, safety, pharmacodynamic activity and identify the recommended dose.Methods:Fourteen patients were treated with intralesional injections containing 35 or 70 mg of CIGB-300 in three alternate cycles of three consecutive days each before standard chemoradiotherapy. Tumour uptake was determined using 99 Tc-radiolabelled peptide. In situ B23/nucleophosmin was determined by immunohistochemistry.Results:Maximum tumour uptake for CIGB-300 70-mg dose was significantly higher than the one observed for 35 mg: 16.1±8.9 vs 31.3±12.9 mg (P=0.01). Both, AUC 24h and biological half-life were also significantly higher using 70 mg of CIGB-300 (P<0.001). Unincorporated CIGB-300 diffused rapidly to blood and was mainly distributed towards kidneys, and marginally in liver, lungs, heart and spleen. There was no DLT and moderate allergic-like reactions were the most common systemic side effect with strong correlation between unincorporated CIGB-300 and histamine levels in blood. CIGB-300, 70 mg, downregulated B23/nucleophosmin (P=0.03) in tumour specimens.Conclusion:Intralesional injections of 70 mg CIGB-300 in two sites (0.5 ml per injection) and this treatment plan are recommended to be evaluated in phase 2 studies.Fil: Sarduy, M. R.. Medical-surgical Research Center; CubaFil: García, I.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Coca, M. A.. Clinical Investigation Center; CubaFil: Perera, A.. Clinical Investigation Center; CubaFil: Torres, L. A.. Clinical Investigation Center; CubaFil: Valenzuela, C. M.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Baladrón, I.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Solares, M.. Hospital Materno Ramón González Coro; CubaFil: Reyes, V.. Center For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology Havana; CubaFil: Hernández, I.. Isotope Center; CubaFil: Perera, Y.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Martínez, Y. M.. Medical-surgical Research Center; CubaFil: Molina, L.. Medical-surgical Research Center; CubaFil: González, Y. M.. Medical-surgical Research Center; CubaFil: Ancízar, J. A.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Prats, A.. Clinical Investigation Center; CubaFil: González, L.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Casacó, C. A.. Clinical Investigation Center; CubaFil: Acevedo, B. E.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: López Saura, P. A.. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; CubaFil: Alonso, Daniel Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, R.. Elea Laboratories; ArgentinaFil: Perea Rodríguez, S. E.. Center For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology Havana; Cuba. Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología; Cub

Neoadjuvant intralesional methotrexate for juvenile xanthogranuloma in an adult

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) is a non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis usually occurring in infants and typically located in the head or neck.1 Clinically, solitary skin lesions are found in 60%–82% of patients and the most common variant is characterized by one yellowish nodule. Adult onset is rare, and although JXG is usually self-limiting in children, spontaneous resolution is uncommon at older ages. In addition, up to 50% of patients with spontaneous regression develop an atrophy or anetodermal area.2 Thus, complete excision is frequently performed in this population subgroup to achieve better cosmetic results. In disseminated forms, different chemotherapy regimens, corticosteroids and other systemic therapies are used. Herein, we report a case of adult JXG treated with intralesional methotrexate (MTX) resulting in a rapid reduction in size