Design of a Prototype of Water Purification by Plasma Technology as the Foundation for an Industrial Wastewater Plant.

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84938099563&partnerID=40&md5=c53190f5ec3d59b3c1bee87e74b2f904In order to mitigate the contamination of water sources due to the spill of sewage without any kind of treatment, mainly generated by the industrial sector; a prototype of water purification by plasma technology has been designed. The prototype will transform liquid water into plasma to eliminate the pathogens from the water, due to their exposure to ultraviolet radiation, electric fields and shock waves, which aid in the destruction of pollutants. The sewage will be accelerated at high speed to convert it into a liquid-gas mixture in order to transform it into plasma, which is achieved when the electrical discharge (of the type dielectric barrier discharge or DBD) is applied to the water by means of high voltage electrodes, from a source of alternating current (AC). Subsequently, the mixture slows down to be return into liquid phase and obtain clean water, all of these without a significantly rise of temperature. The device also has an automatic power control system. Finally, a short feasibility study was conducted in order to use this type of water cleaner in the future as a basis for a treatment plant of industrial waste water, so it comes to replace the current secondary and tertiary treatments used among the industry. It is intended that this new system will be more efficient and cheaper than the current waste water treatments. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.Ad Astra Rocket Company,Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica,International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),Universidad Nacional de Costa Ric

Functional thin films synthesized from liquid precursors by combining mist chambers and atmospheric-pressure plasma polymerization

For the creation of thin films, the use of precursors in liquid phase offers a viable alternative when these chemicals are sensitive to high temperatures and phase changes. However, it requires appropriate liquid handling and deposition technologies capable of dispensing the fluid homogeneously to produce a uniform thin film. We report different tailor-made mist chamber designs integrated in an atmospheric-pressure plasma polymerization process for the synthesis of functional thin polymer films from liquid precursors. A systematic investigation, evaluated by performance indicators, is presented on the characteristics and suitability of metallic 3D-printed mist chambers depending on inner volume, geometry and surface post-treatment, for the deposition of a thin liquid monomer film. To assess the quality of the subsequently obtained plasma-polymerized (pp) films, their properties were characterized in terms of thickness, chemical composition, surface morphology and stability in aqueous environment. It was found that the specification of the mist chambers along with the plasma process parameters influences the pp film’s thickness, surface morphology and degree of monomer conversion. This study is one of the first demonstrations of a controllable process able to tune the cross-linked polymeric chains of plasma-polymers at atmospheric pressure, highlighting the opportunities of using mist chambers and plasma technology to discover tailored organic thin films to materials sciences and life sciences

Diseño de imagen institucional para comunicar y generar notoriedad en beneficio a la Asociación Misioneros de la Misericordia en Guatemala, ciudad de Guatemala.

Diseña el isotipo y su aplicación en las diferentes soportes, que refleje la claridad la flacidez y la originalidad necesarias para precisar el fortalecimiento de la imagen institucional de la Asociación; un medio para atraer a voluntarios, y a entidades de apoyo que colaboren con el sostenimiento del proyecto

Implementación y simulación del tokamak esférico MEDUSA-CR: Etapa 1

Proyecto de Investigación (Código: 14500016) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica. Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Extensión (VIE). Escuela de Física, Área Académica de Ingeniería Mecatrónica, Escuela de Ingeniería Electromecánica, 2018El tokamak esférico MEDUSA (Madison EDUcation Small Aspect ratio spherical tokamak, con un radio mayor de R < 0.14 m, radio menor de a < 0.10 m, campo toroidal BT < 0.5 T, corriente del plasma Ip < 40 kA, y 3 ms de pulso) fue construido y operado en la Universidad de Wisconsin en Madison en EE.UU. En el 2013 el Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica recibió en donación este dispositivo experimental junto con un banco de 3000 capacitores (1500 μF, 450 VDC) que se encuentran hoy en día en el Laboratorio de Plasmas para Energía de Fusión y Aplicaciones. Un Tokamak esférico es un tipo de dispositivo que confina magnéticamente plasmas de alta temperatura para investigación en energía de fusión basado en el principio Tokamak (acrónimo de palabras rusas que en español significan cámara toroidal con bobinas magnéticas). La investigación en estos dispositivos se realiza con el objetivo futuro de tener una nueva fuente de energía renovable a partir de fusión nuclear. El objetivo general de este proyecto fue “Implementar el sistema de vacío, inyección de gas, diseñar y simular el sistema de carga y descarga de los capacitores, así como simular plasmas en el tokamak esférico MEDUSA-CR”. Para alcanzarlo se definió una metodología basada en el diseño de los sistemas utilizando el criterio de experto, referencias del estado del arte y uso de códigos computacionales para simulación de plasma disponibles en la comunidad científica de Tokamaks. Como principales resultados de este proyecto se logró implementar un nuevo sistema de vacío para MEDUSA-CR, así como un nuevo sistema de inyección de gas compacto y móvil que permite picos de 1 ms, tiempo que es lo suficientemente rápido para la inercia inherente al gas inyectado. Se logró diseñar y simular un sistema de control de corriente para las bobinas del Tokamak Esférico MEDUSA-CR que presenta la oportunidad de habilitar otros modos de operación en este dispositivo. En este caso se diseñó y simuló para que pueda operar en modo AC, el cual permite realizar descargas de larga duración. Esto le da más relevancia al experimento pues amplia la capacidad de experimentación Finalmente, se simuló el confinamiento de equilibrio para MEDUSA-CR usando los parámetros de construcción originales. Se encontró que las bobinas de campo poloidal externos de radio más pequeño son prescindibles. Además, se concluyó que la geometría para la forma del plasma más conveniente es la forme bean shape

Constructing a small modular stellarator in Latin America

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84938118149&partnerID=40&md5=1d385f1e177901beaf6f30228abdd67bThis paper aims at briefly describing the design and construction issues of the stellarator of Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1). The SCR-1 is a small modular stellarator for magnetic confinement of plasma developed by the Plasma Laboratory for Fusion Energy and Applications of the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR). SCR-1 will be a 2-field period small modular stellarator with an aspect ratio > 4.4; low shear configuration with core and edge rotational transform equal to 0.32 and 0.28; it will hold plasma in a 6061-T6 aluminum torus shaped vacuum vessel with an minor plasma radius 54.11 mm, a volume of 13.76 liters (0.01 m3), and major radius R = 238 mm. Plasma will be confined in the volume by on axis magnetic field 43.8 mT generated by 12 modular coils with 6 turns each, carrying a current of 767.8 A per turn providing a total toroidal field (TF) current of 4.6 kA-turn per coil. The coils will be supplied by a bank of cell batteries of 120 V. Typical length of the plasma pulse will be between 4 s to 10 s. The SCR-1 plasmas will be heated by ECH second harmonic at 2.45 GHz with a plasma density cut-off value of 7.45 × 1016 m-3. Two magnetrons with a maximum output power of 2 kW and 3 kW will be used. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.Ad Astra Rocket Company,Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica,International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),Universidad Nacional de Costa Ric

Getting to the Root of Selenium Hyperaccumulation—Localization and Speciation of Root Selenium and Its Effects on Nematodes

Elemental hyperaccumulation protects plants from many aboveground herbivores. Little is known about effects of hyperaccumulation on belowground herbivores or their ecological interactions. To examine effects of plant selenium (Se) hyperaccumulation on nematode root herbivory, we investigated spatial distribution and speciation of Se in hyperaccumulator roots using X-ray microprobe analysis, and effects of root Se concentration on root-associated nematode communities. Perennial hyperaccumulators Stanleya pinnata and Astragalus bisulcatus, collected from a natural seleniferous grassland contained 100–1500 mg Se kg−1 root dry weight (DW). Selenium was concentrated in the cortex and epidermis of hyperaccumulator roots, with lower levels in the stele. The accumulated Se consisted of organic (C-Se-C) compounds, indistinguishable from methyl-selenocysteine. The field-collected roots yielded 5–400 nematodes g−1 DW in Baermann funnel extraction, with no correlation between root Se concentration and nematode densities. Even roots containing \u3e 1000 mg Se kg−1 DW yielded herbivorous nematodes. However, greenhouse-grown S. pinnata plants treated with Se had fewer total nematodes than those without Se. Thus, while root Se hyperaccumulation may protect plants from non-specialist herbivorous nematodes, Se-resistant nematode taxa appear to associate with hyperaccumulators in seleniferous habitats, and may utilize high-Se hyperaccumulator roots as food source. These findings give new insight into the ecological implications of plant Se (hyper)accumulation

Health related quality of life measure in systemic pediatric rheumatic diseases and its translation to different languages: an international collaboration

Background: Rheumatic diseases in children are associated with significant morbidity and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There is no health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scale available specifically for children with less common rheumatic diseases. These diseases share several features with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) such as their chronic episodic nature, multi-systemic involvement, and the need for immunosuppressive medications. HRQOL scale developed for pediatric SLE will likely be applicable to children with systemic inflammatory diseases.Findings: We adapted Simple Measure of Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngsters (SMILEY (c)) to Simple Measure of Impact of Illness in Youngsters (SMILY (c)-Illness) and had it reviewed by pediatric rheumatologists for its appropriateness and cultural suitability. We tested SMILY (c)-Illness in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and then translated it into 28 languages. Nineteen children (79% female, n= 15) and 17 parents participated. the mean age was 12 +/- 4 years, with median disease duration of 21 months (1-172 months). We translated SMILY (c)-Illness into the following 28 languages: Danish, Dutch, French (France), English (UK), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Slovene, Spanish (USA and Puerto Rico), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Venezuela), Turkish, Afrikaans, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Arabic (Egypt), Czech, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Romanian, Serbian and Xhosa.Conclusion: SMILY (c)-Illness is a brief, easy to administer and score HRQOL scale for children with systemic rheumatic diseases. It is suitable for use across different age groups and literacy levels. SMILY (c)-Illness with its available translations may be used as useful adjuncts to clinical practice and research.Rutgers State Univ, Robert Wood Johnson Med Sch, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 USARutgers State Univ, Child Hlth Inst New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 USAHosp Special Surg, New York, NY 10021 USAUniv Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USARed Cross War Mem Childrens Hosp, Cape Town, South AfricaAin Shams Univ, Pediat Allergy Immunol & Rheumatol Unit, Cairo, EgyptAin Shams Univ, Pediat Rheumatol Pediat Allergy Immunol & Rheum, Cairo, EgyptKing Faisal Specialist Hosp & Res Ctr, Riyadh 11211, Saudi ArabiaCharles Univ Prague, Prague, Czech RepublicGen Univ Hosp, Prague, Czech RepublicUniv Hosp Motol, Dept Pediat, Prague, Czech RepublicAarhus Univ, Hosp Skejby, Aarhus, DenmarkRigshosp, Juliane Marie Ctr, DK-2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkUniv Med Ctr, Dept Pediat Immunol, Utrecht, NetherlandsWilhelmina Childrens Hosp, Utrecht, NetherlandsGreat Ormond St Hosp Sick Children, Children NHS Fdn Trust, Renal Unit, London, EnglandLyon Univ, Hosp Civils Lyon, Rheumatol & Dermatol Dept, Lyon, FranceMed Univ Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, AustriaPrim Univ Doz, Bregenz, AustriaHamburg Ctr Pediat & Adolescence Rheumatol, Hamburg, GermanyAsklepios Clin Sankt, Augustin, GermanyUniv Zurich, Childrens Hosp, Zurich, SwitzerlandAristotle Univ Thessaloniki, Pediat Immunol & Rheumatol Referral Ctr, GR-54006 Thessaloniki, GreeceIsrael Meir Hosp, Kefar Sava, IsraelSanjay Gandhi Postgrad Inst Med Sci, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSemmelweis Univ, H-1085 Budapest, HungaryAnna Meyer Hosp, Florence, ItalyUniv Siena, Res Ctr System Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Dis, I-53100 Siena, ItalyUniv Florence, Florence, ItalyOsped Pediat Bambino Gesu, IRCCS, Pediat Rheumatol Unit, Rome, ItalyUniv Genoa Pediat II Reumatol, Ist G Gaslini EULAR, Ctr Excellence Rheumatol, Genoa, ItalyUniv Cattolica Sacro Cuore, Inst Pediat, Rome, ItalyUniv Padua, Dept Pediat, Pediat Rheumatol Unit, Padua, ItalyYokohama City Univ, Sch Med, Yokohama, Kanagawa 232, JapanUniv Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pediat, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Dept Med, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Pediat, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Estado do, Adolescent Hlth Care Unit, Div Pediat Rheumatol, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Childrens Inst, Dept Pediat,Pediat Rheumatol Unit, São Paulo, BrazilChildrens Inst, Pediat Rheumatol Unit, São Paulo, BrazilClin Pediat I, Cluj Napoca, RomaniaInst Rheumatol, Belgrade, SerbiaUniv Childrens Hosp, Univ Med Ctr Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaHead Rheumatol Hosp Pedro Elizalde, Buenos Aires, DF, ArgentinaHosp Gen Mexico City, Mexico City, DF, MexicoHosp Infantil Mexico Fed Gomez, Mexico City, DF, MexicoHosp San Juan Dios, Barcelona, SpainHosp Univ Valle Hebron, Barcelona, SpainMt Sinai Med Ctr, New York, NY 10029 USAMt Sinai Med Ctr, Miami Beach, FL 33140 USAComplejo Hosp Univ Ruiz & Paez, Bolivar, VenezuelaHacettepe Univ, Dept Pediat, Ankara, TurkeyIstanbul Univ, Cerrahpasa Med Sch, Istanbul, TurkeyFMF Arthrit Vasculitis & Orphan Dis Res Ctr, Inst Hlth Sci, Ankara, TurkeyUniv Calgary, Dept Pediat, Alberta Childrens Hosp, Res Inst, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pediat, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Functional Thin Films Synthesized from Liquid Precursors by Combining Mist Chambers and Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Polymerization

For the creation of thin films, the use of precursors in liquid phase offers a viable alternative when these chemicals are sensitive to high temperatures and phase changes. However, it requires appropriate liquid handling and deposition technologies capable of dispensing the fluid homogeneously to produce a uniform thin film. We report different tailor-made mist chamber designs integrated in an atmospheric-pressure plasma polymerization process for the synthesis of functional thin polymer films from liquid precursors. A systematic investigation, evaluated by performance indicators, is presented on the characteristics and suitability of metallic 3D-printed mist chambers depending on inner volume, geometry and surface post-treatment, for the deposition of a thin liquid monomer film. To assess the quality of the subsequently obtained plasma-polymerized (pp) films, their properties were characterized in terms of thickness, chemical composition, surface morphology and stability in aqueous environment. It was found that the specification of the mist chambers along with the plasma process parameters influences the pp film’s thickness, surface morphology and degree of monomer conversion. This study is one of the first demonstrations of a controllable process able to tune the cross-linked polymeric chains of plasma-polymers at atmospheric pressure, highlighting the opportunities of using mist chambers and plasma technology to discover tailored organic thin films to materials sciences and life sciences

Estructura de la vegetación arbórea en los parques de la zona urbana Puebla-Cholula

Las áreas verdes de las ciudades son importantes puntos de biodiversidad vegetal. Sin embargo, el desarrollo urbano ha tenido un fuerte impacto sobre éstas, por lo que es primordial realizar estudios ecológicos que incorporen las actividades humanas. Para este proyecto se seleccionaron 12 parques de la zona urbana Puebla-Cholula. En cada uno de ellos se analizó la estructura de la vegetación arbórea midiendo el DAP y la cobertura de la copa de los individuos que cayeran dentro de parcelas de 400 m2. La estructura de la vegetación se analizó descriptivamente obteniendo las densidades, áreas básales y valores de importancia de las especies arbóreas de los parques estudiados. A través de esta información, se concluyó que los Fuertes, la Reserva Flor del Bosque, la UDLA y la BUAP son los parques con mayor número de árboles. El Zócalo de Puebla, el Panteón Piedad y el Paseo Bravo son los puntos con mayor área basal. De acuerdo a los valores de importancia, las especies más importantes para nuestros sitios de estudio son Fraxinus udhei, Cupressus lindleyi, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ligustrum japonicum, Ficus indica y Casuarina equisetifolia. Se determinó también la relación entre la abundancia y el área basal, de la cual obtuvimos un valor de la edad relativa de los parques. Los zócalos (Puebla y Cholula) y los panteones (Piedad y Municipal) resultaron tener los valores más altos. Lo anterior indica que estos sitios albergan árboles más viejos (mayor DAP) en comparación de comunidades arbóreas más jóvenes como las de la UDLA, el Parque Ecológico y Flor del Bosque. Típicamente se asume que la cobertura de la copa se relaciona positivamente con el área basal del tronco, por lo cual se exploró dicha relación a través de regresiones lineales. Se consideró únicamente a las especies cuya relación resultó estadísticamente significativa (P<0.05). Para la mayoría de las especies la bondad del ajuste (R2) resultó mayor al 50%. Finalmente se realizaron análisis de agrupamientos con el programa PAST con base en los valores de importancia de los parques y las abundancias de los cuadrantes de cada parque. Esto se hizo con el objetivo de observar la diversidad entre los diferentes grupos de unidades de muestreo. Las medidas de diversidad utilizadas fueron el número de taxones (S), el número de individuos (N), el índice de Shannon (H´), el índice de Simpson y la equitabilidad (J´). Nuestros resultados son un gran aporte para el desarrollo de la Ecología Urbana en la zona conurbada de Puebla-Cholula. El análisis de la edad relativa y la relación entre la cobertura de la copa y el área basal son una aplicación muy interesante y útil en el estudio de los parques urbanos y otras áreas verdes

Influencia del diseño de una cámara de niebla en la deposición de nano-películas delgadas líquidas – prueba de concepto

Different designs of mist chambers, intended for the generation of a fine aerosol, were evaluated in terms of its application to deposit a thin liquid film homogeneously on solid surfaces. The developed approach comprises a spray generator that is adapted to the different chambers studied, which is called hereinafter mist chamber. In particular, the utilization of small volume of liquids for the generation of fine mist was in the focus of interest because of its importance for applications where aerosol concentration and size distribution need to be tailored to specific needs. Four mist chamber proposals were evaluated and subjected to experimentation in order to characterize the performance of each proposal. For the proof of concept of the designed mist chambers, a liquid acrylate-based monomer mixture was deposited on silicon wafers and subsequently polymerized by means of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. A thorough surface analysis of the obtained films revealed a thickness in the nanometer range as well as a homogeneous deposition pattern.Diferentes diseños de cámaras de niebla, cuyo propósito es la generación de un fino aerosol, fueron evaluados en términos de su aplicación para la deposición de capas delgadas homogéneas sobre superficies sólidas. El abordaje desarrollado comprende un generador de aerosol que se adapta a las diferentes cámaras estudiadas, lo que se denomina en adelante como cámara de niebla (mist chamber). Particularmente, el foco de interés fue la utilización de pequeños volúmenes de líquidos para la generación de una niebla fina, debido a su importancia en aplicaciones donde la concentración de aerosol y la distribución del tamaño de las gotas deben ser ajustadas a necesidades específicas. Cuatro cámaras de niebla fueron evaluadas y sometidas a pruebas experimentales, con el fin de caracterizar el rendimiento de cada propuesta. Como prueba de concepto para las cámaras de niebla diseñadas, una mezcla líquida de monómeros de base acrílica fue depositada en obleas de silicio y posteriormente polimerizadas mediante un plasma jet a presión atmosférica. Finalmente, un riguroso análisis de la superficie de las capas obtenidas reveló que estas tienen un grosor en el rango nanométrico y presentan un patrón de deposición homogéneo