Methodology for the study of weathering of granitic building stone

[Resumen] En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de los análisis realizados sobre un sillar granítico extraído del Claustro de San Martín Pinario (Santiago de Compostela). La oportunidad de disponer de esta muestra nos ha permitido realizar una serie de determinaciones que no siempre es posible llevar a cabo en los monumentos. Además del análisis desde el punto de vista petrográfico-mineralógico y geoquímico, se han determinado varias propiedades físicas. Por una parte, aquellas que condicionan el movimiento del agua a través de la roca, como la porosidad accesible al agua, grados de absorción y saturación y coeficiente de capilaridad, y por otra, aquellas que definen la resistencia mecánica del material a la compresión y flexotracción. También se han determinado los coeficientes de dilatación térmica y por hinchamiento. Estas propiedades son fundamentalmente para caracterizar una roca como material de construcción y pueden dar la clave de su comportamiento frente a diversos mecanismos de alteración.[Abstract] We report the results of analyses of a granite ashlar extracted during a restoration work from the cloister of the Monatery of San Martín Pinario (Santiago de Compostela, Spain). Petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses were supplemented by determination of physical properties governing water transport in the stone (open porosity, degree of absortion and saturation, and capillary coefficient), compressive and bending strength and termal dilation coefficient and swelling coefficient. These fundamental characteristics of building stone may throw light on its response to diverse weathering mecanism

Scientific visualization in mineral and material processing

Journal ArticleScientific visualization is an ideal methodology for investigating complex phenomena that are characterized by large amounts of data. Furthermore, it is invaluable in the study of processes that evolve in time. Scientific visualization relies heavily on computer graphics, image processing and video technologies. Specific applications of scientific visualization in the minerals and materials processing fields that are considered in this paper include: 1) applied CT technology for multiphase materials and minerals, 2) time averaged density profiles in airsparged hydrocyclone (ASH) flotation and 3) dynamic motion analysis of ball mill grinding

IDO1 is an Integral Mediator of Inflammatory Neovascularization.

The immune tolerogenic effects of IDO1 (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1) have been well documented and genetic studies in mice have clearly established the significance of IDO1 in tumor promotion. Dichotomously, the primary inducer of IDO1, the inflammatory cytokine IFNγ (interferon-γ), is a key mediator of immune-based tumor suppression. One means by which IFNγ can exert an anti-cancer effect is by decreasing tumor neovascularization. We speculated that IDO1 might contribute to cancer promotion by countering this anti-neovascular effect of IFNγ, possibly through IDO1-potentiated elevation of the pro-tumorigenic inflammatory cytokine IL6 (interleukin-6). In this study, we investigated how genetic loss of IDO1 affects neovascularization in mouse models of oxygen-induced retinopathy and lung metastasis. Neovascularization in both models was significantly reduced in mice lacking IDO1, was similarly reduced with loss of IL6, and was restored in both cases by concomitant loss of IFNγ. Likewise, the lack of IDO1 or IL6 resulted in reduced metastatic tumor burden and increased survival, which the concomitant loss of IFNγ abrogated. This insight into IDO1\u27s involvement in pro-tumorigenic inflammatory neovascularization may have important ramifications for IDO1 inhibitor development, not only in cancer where clinical trials are currently ongoing, but in other disease indications associated with neovascularization as well

The growing and changing middle class in Latin America: an update

Includes bibliograph

Efectos de Valoración en la Posición de Inversión Internacional de España

The international Investment Position (IPP) is a statement that shows the value of external financial assets and liabilities of residents of an economy at a point in time. Its evolution at the end of a specific period reflects balance of payments financial account transactions, valuation changes (in asset prices and exchange rates) and other adjustments, which consist mainly of reclassifications of external financial assets and liabilities. The purpose of this paper is to provide figures on trends of valuation adjustments due to price and exchange rate changes implicit in Spain´s International Investment Position (IIP), and to briefly analyze their limitations. We found that valuation effects depend on the characteristics of the financial instruments involved, and on the sources of information available for each component. In the case of portfolio investment transactions, we used security by security market prices that were available for the years 2003 and 2004. Additionally, in Spain´s international investment position, most foreign direct investment data are not available at market values. As these assets and liabilities have experienced important price increases between 1993 and 2006, we present a new methodology for measuring foreign direct investment positions that includes valuation effects. The results presented in this paper show that in Spain, revaluations of stocks explain a very important part of changes in the IIP during recent years: 55% of the increase in the net liability position of the Spanish economy between 1993 and 2004 reflects changes of value due to variations in prices or in exchange rates of external assets and liabilities. Overall, the sum of these revaluation effects represent 19% of GDP of the year 2004. Between 1997 and 2004, Spain’s net liability position increased 247,930 million euros, of which balance of payments financial account transactions accounted for 52,6%, whereas revaluations and other adjustments explain the remaining 47,3%. The latter is broken own into 27,6% due to price effects, 10,1% to exchange rate changes, and 9,6% to other adjustments.

On the new translational shape invariant potentials

Recently, several authors have found new translational shape invariant potentials not present in classic classifications like that of Infeld and Hull. For example, Quesne on the one hand and Bougie, Gangopadhyaya and Mallow on the other have provided examples of them, consisting on deformations of the classical ones. We analyze the basic properties of the new examples and observe a compatibility equation which has to be satisfied by them. We study particular cases of such equation and give more examples of new translational shape invariant potentials.Comment: 9 pages, uses iopart10.clo, version