Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis with and without associated collagen vascular diseases: results of a two year follow up

Background: Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis is a disease with a highly variable clinical course. To ascertain if an inadequate selection of patients might explain part of this variability, two different groups of patients with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, those with the 'lone' form of the disease (LIPF) and those with associated collagen vascular disorders (AIPF), were studied separately. Methods: Twenty consecutive patients (nine with LIPF and 11 with AIPF) were included. Their clinical and radiographic findings and results of pulmonary function tests, gallium-67 lung scanning, and cellular analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were compared at diagnosis. Moreover, the evolution of LIPF and AIPF was contrasted after a follow up of two years, both groups having received a similar treatment regimen of corticosteroids. Results: At enrollment, patients with LIPF and AIPF were of similar age, and had similar symptoms and derangement of lung function, but patients with LIPF presented with finger clubbing, more obvious radiographic abnormalities, and a greater percentage of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Two years later, patients with LIPF had significantly decreased FVC, FEV1, TLC, TLCO, and PaO2. By contrast, lung function remained unaltered in patients with AIPF. Similarly, when the percentage change from entry to the study was compared, patients with LIPF showed a significant decrease in FVC, FEV1, and PaO2. Conclusions: Unlike the patients with AIPF, those with LIPF showed a deterioration in lung function and developed further restrictive impairment and poorer gas exchange. This has implications in their clinical management

Challenges in modelling homogeneous catalysis : new answers from ab initio molecular dynamics to the controversy over the Wacker process

The controversial reaction mechanism considering experimental results and theoretical treatment from static to ab initio molecular dynamic simulations is reviewed.</p

A study on the forecast quality of the mediterranean cyclones

Comunicación presentada en: 4th Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Storms celebrada del 2 al 4 de octubre de 2002 en Palma de Mallorca.The main general objective of MEDEX is stated to be the improvement of knowledge and forecasting of cyclones that produce high impact weather in the Mediterranean area. So, for this scope one of the intermediate goals of the project concerns the development of an objective method to evaluate the quality of the forecast of the cyclones. The topic of the present study is to investigate the cyclone's forecast errors in that area and to propose an objective methodology to quantify them. An investigation on the performance of the HIRLAM(INM)-0.5 model in the forecast of cyclonic centres has been done. Databases of analysed and forecasted cyclones for the Western Mediterranean have been used in this study. The "distance" between the analysed and forecasted cyclone has been measured calculating the differences in the value of the parameters chosen to describe them at the sea level surface. Results on the characteristics of the errors are shown. An index constructed by means of these differences has been introduced to evaluate the ability of the model forecasting cyclones, and to quantify it. From this index, two others indexes have been derived in order to discriminate if the forecast has overestimated or underestimated some magnitudes in the description of the cyclone. Three different time forecast ranges, H+12,H+24 and H+48, have been considered to investigate temporal trend in their quality. Finally, to check this methodology, it has been applied to some MEDEX cases

Does Helicobacter pylori have a pathogenic role in bronchiectasis?

SummaryAimTo investigate the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in bronchial biopsies of patients with bronchiectasis, by histochemical and immunochemical staining.Setting800-bed tertiary university hospital.MethodsObservational study. Patients: forty-six patients with bronchiectasis in a stable clinical condition and 8 control patients. Interventions: Serum samples determination of IgG levels for H. pylori by ELISA. Inmunostaining with an anti-H. pylori antibody (NCL-HPp, Novocastra) of bronchial mucosa obtained by fiberoptic bronchoscopy from both patients with bronchiectasis and controls.ResultsTwenty-one out of 46 patients with bronchiectasis (46%) had positive serologies for H. pylori. We obtained 40 bronchial biopsies in patients with bronchiectasis and 8 bronchial biopsies in control patients. No evidence of H. pylori was obtained in the bronchial samples of both patients and controls.ConclusionsThe results of our study could not demonstrate the presence of H. pylori in bronchial specimens from patients with bronchiectasis

Does the plant defense priming compound β-aminobutyric acid affect the performance of Macrolophus pygmaeus when used to control Bemisia tabaci in tomato?

The β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) is a plant defense priming compound highly effective in controlling important tomato diseases and plant-parasitic nematodes. It has also been shown to induce resistance against phytophagous insects such as aphids. This study examines the effect of BABA on the performance of the tomato pest Bemisia tabaci (MEAM 1, previously known as Biotype B) and its zoophytophagous predator Macrolophus pygmaeus under laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Tomato plants were treated with BABA 25 mM applied by soil drenching. The effect of BABA on the fertility and juvenile development of two generations of B. tabaci and M. pygmaeus was evaluated. Our results showed no effect of BABA on the juvenile development or adult fecundity/fertility of both the whitefly and its predator. The non-interference of BABA with M. pygmaeus and B. tabaci assures that the control of the whitefly with this mirid bug will not be affected when this elicitor is applied to the crop. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying BABA-plant-whitefly-predatory myrids interactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Small signal interactions involving a synchronous machine and a grid forming converter

Interactions between synchronous machines (SMs) and grid forming converters (GFMs) will become increasingly relevant as the power system transitions from a conventional fossil fueled synchronous based system to a renewable generation rich and converter-based system. This paper investigates and confirms the possibility of electromechanical oscillatory modes between conventional SMs and converter connected generation using a GFM control algorithm as well as between two GFMs. The study employs small-signal models and performs small-signal eigenvalue analysis. Moreover, parametric sweeps are performed, to investigate the impact of network and GFM control parameters in controlling the electromechanical modes

Chemical markers to distinguish the homoand heterozygous bitter genotype in sweet almond kernels

Bitterness in almonds is controlled by a single gene (Sk dominant for sweet kernel, sk recessive for bitter kernel) and the proportions of the offspring genotypes (SkSk, Sksk, sksk) depend on the progenitors’ genotype. Currently, the latter is deduced after crossing by recording the phenotype of their descendants through kernel tasting. Chemical markers to early identify parental genotypes related to bitter traits can significantly enhance the efficiency of almond breeding programs. On this basis, volatile metabolites related to almond bitterness were investigated by Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry coupled to univariate and multivariate statistics on 244 homo- and heterozygous samples from 42 different cultivars. This study evidenced the association between sweet almonds’ genotype and some volatile metabolites, in particular benzaldehyde, and provided for the first time chemical markers to discriminate between homo- and heterozygous sweet almond genotypes. Furthermore, a multivariate approach based on independent variables was developed to increase the reliability of almond classification. The Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis classification model built with selected volatile metabolites that showed discrimination capacity allowed a 98.0% correct classification. The metabolites identified, in particular benzaldehyde, become suitable markers for the early genotype identification in almonds, while a DNA molecular marker is not yet available.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chemical Markers to Distinguish the Homo- And Heterozygous Bitter Genotype in Sweet Almond Kernels

Bitterness in almonds is controlled by a single gene (Sk dominant for sweet kernel, sk recessive for bitter kernel) and the proportions of the offspring genotypes (SkSk, Sksk, sksk) depend on the progenitors' genotype. Currently, the latter is deduced after crossing by recording the phenotype of their descendants through kernel tasting. Chemical markers to early identify parental genotypes related to bitter traits can significantly enhance the efficiency of almond breeding programs. On this basis, volatile metabolites related to almond bitterness were investigated by Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry coupled to univariate and multivariate statistics on 244 homo- and heterozygous samples from 42 different cultivars. This study evidenced the association between sweet almonds' genotype and some volatile metabolites, in particular benzaldehyde, and provided for the first time chemical markers to discriminate between homo- and heterozygous sweet almond genotypes. Furthermore, a multivariate approach based on independent variables was developed to increase the reliability of almond classification. The Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis classification model built with selected volatile metabolites that showed discrimination capacity allowed a 98.0% correct classification. The metabolites identified, in particular benzaldehyde, become suitable markers for the early genotype identification in almonds, while a DNA molecular marker is not yet available