Induction of engineered residual stresses fields and enhancement of fatigue life of high reliability metallic components by laser shock processing

Laser shock processing (LSP) is being increasingly applied as an effective technology for the improvement of metallic materials mechanical and surface properties in different types of components as a means of enhancement of their corrosion and fatigue life behavior. As reported in previous contributions by the authors, a main effect resulting from the application of the LSP technique consists on the generation of relatively deep compression residual stresses field into metallic alloy pieces allowing an improved mechanical behaviour, explicitly the life improvement of the treated specimens against wear, crack growth and stress corrosion cracking. Additional results accomplished by the authors in the line of practical development of the LSP technique at an experimental level (aiming its integral assessment from an interrelated theoretical and experimental point of view) are presented in this paper. Concretely, follow-on experimental results on the residual stress profiles and associated surface properties modification successfully reached in typical materials (especially Al and Ti alloys characteristic of high reliability components in the aerospace, nuclear and biomedical sectors) under different LSP irradiation conditions are presented along with a practical correlated analysis on the protective character of the residual stress profiles obtained under different irradiation strategies. Additional remarks on the improved character of the LSP technique over the traditional “shot peening” technique in what concerns depth of induced compressive residual stresses fields are also made through the pape

Análisis de los factores de mortalidad empresarial en Huánuco: Causas, impactos y medidas de prevención

Objetivo: Este artículo tiene como principal objetivo determinar los factores que se vinculan con la mortalidad empresarial en la provincia de Huánuco. Metodología: Se adoptó un enfoque cuantitativo y descriptivo para analizar la mortalidad empresarial en la provincia. La muestra se seleccionó mediante un muestreo estratificado proporcional, dividiendo la población en estratos según la actividad económica y el tamaño de la empresa. Se aplicó un muestreo aleatorio simple en cada estrato, resultando en una muestra de 157 emprendedores. Resultados: Los empresarios en Huánuco perciben un impacto económico significativo, con más del 69% indicando un gran impacto. Se destaca la importancia crítica de gestionar eficazmente los factores económicos y externos para la supervivencia empresarial. Conclusión: La percepción de los empresarios en Huánuco subraya la relevancia crítica de gestionar de manera eficiente los factores económicos y externos para garantizar la supervivencia y el éxito empresarial

Inter-laboratory evaluation, development and validation of fungal preservation regimes used in different European biological resources centres (BRCs)

Successful preservation of fungi relies on the application of optimised preservation protocols that do not compromise the genomic integrity of the organism. Most major European BRCs use lyophilisation and cryopreservation as the methods of choice. Although based on generic principals, protocols can vary between institutions and do not always result in successful recovery. In order to evaluate the efficacy of the methods, a range of fungal strains were circulated around partner collections in the EMbaRC project and the organisms preserved using the standard methods used in each collection. The effectiveness of preservation was assessed using a series of techniques including DNA fingerprinting and sequencing, analysis of culture characteristics, viability assessments and the use of MALDI-TOF. The results showed that when viable cultures were obtained after preservation, they appeared to retain their genomic integrity, but there was evidence of delayed growth and attenuation in some cultures. Not all fungi were successfully preserved by all methods. It was found that a cryopreservation protocol used by the MUCL collection in Belgium, that limited manipulation of the fungus before preservation, was particularly effective in preserving some of the more delicate fungi and this method is being evaluated by the project partners. A further investigation was undertaken to assess the integrity of four specific strains of fungi deposited in different collections. They were compared using culture analysis, sequence analysis, DNA fingerprinting and MALDI-TOF. It was found that some limited variation was observed at the phenotypic level from the analysis of culture characteristics, but this could be expected, especially in organisms such as Aspergillus which can be prone to strain drift. More importantly, molecular integrity remained consistent with no significant differences observed between lines of the same strain. Therefore, despite the strains having been maintained by different methods over the intervening years from their initial deposit, the collections had maintained them in a stable manner. This is indicative of the benefits of applying proven regimes, resulting in high quality operations

Socioeconomic status and the incidence of non-central nervous system childhood embryonic tumours in Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Childhood cancer differs from most common adult cancers, suggesting a distinct aetiology for some types of childhood cancer. Our objective in this study was to test the difference in incidence rates of 4 non-CNS embryonic tumours and their correlation with socioeconomic status (SES) in Brazil.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data was obtained from 13 Brazilian population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) of neuroblastoma (NB), Wilms'tumour (WT), retinoblastoma (RB), and hepatoblastoma (HB). Incidence rates by tumour type, age, and gender were calculated per one million children. Correlations between social exclusion index (SEI) as an indicator of socioeconomic status (SES) and incidence rates was investigated using the Spearman's test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>WT, RB, and HB presented with the highest age-adjusted incidence rates (AAIRs) in 1 to 4 year old of both genders, whereas NB presented the highest AAIR in ≤11 month-olds. However, differences in the incidence rates among PBCRs were observed. Higher incidence rates were found for WT and RB, whereas lower incidence rates were observed for NB. Higher SEI was correlated with higher incidences of NB (0.731; p = 0.0117), whereas no SEI correlation was observed between incidence rates for WT, RB, and HB. In two Brazilian cities, the incidence rates of NB and RB were directly correlated with SEI; NB had the highest incidence rates (14.2, 95% CI, 8.6-19.7), and RB the lowest (3.5, 95% CI, 0.7-6.3) in Curitiba (SEI, 0.730). In Natal (SEI, 0.595), we observed just the opposite; the highest incidence rate was for RB and the lowest was for NB (4.6, 95% CI, 0.1-9.1).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Regional variations of SES and the incidence of embryonal tumours were observed, particularly incidence rates for NB and RB. Further studies are necessary to investigate risk factors for embryonic tumours in Brazil.</p

Treatment of CoQ10 Deficient Fibroblasts with Ubiquinone, CoQ Analogs, and Vitamin C: Time- and Compound-Dependent Effects

Background: Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) and its analogs are used therapeutically by virtue of their functions as electron carriers, antioxidant compounds, or both. However, published studies suggest that different ubiquinone analogs may produce divergent effects on oxidative phosphorylation and oxidative stress.Methodology/Principal Findings: To test these concepts, we have evaluated the effects of CoQ(10), coenzyme Q(2) (CoQ(2)), idebenone, and vitamin C on bioenergetics and oxidative stress in human skin fibroblasts with primary CoQ(10) deficiency. A final concentration of 5 mu M of each compound was chosen to approximate the plasma concentration of CoQ(10) of patients treated with oral ubiquinone. CoQ(10) supplementation for one week but not for 24 hours doubled ATP levels and ATP/ADP ratio in CoQ(10) deficient fibroblasts therein normalizing the bioenergetics status of the cells. Other compounds did not affect cellular bioenergetics. In COQ2 mutant fibroblasts, increased superoxide anion production and oxidative stress-induced cell death were normalized by all supplements.Conclusions/Significance: These results indicate that: 1) pharmacokinetics of CoQ(10) in reaching the mitochondrial respiratory chain is delayed; 2) short-tail ubiquinone analogs cannot replace CoQ(10) in the mitochondrial respiratory chain under conditions of CoQ(10) deficiency; and 3) oxidative stress and cell death can be counteracted by administration of lipophilic or hydrophilic antioxidants. The results of our in vitro experiments suggest that primary CoQ(10) deficiencies should be treated with CoQ(10) supplementation but not with short-tail ubiquinone analogs, such as idebenone or CoQ(2). Complementary administration of antioxidants with high bioavailability should be considered if oxidative stress is present

Financial feasibility of end-user designed rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems for high water use households

© 2017, The Author(s). Water availability pressures, competing end-uses and sewers at capacity are all drivers for change in urban water management. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) and greywater reuse (GWR) systems constitute alternatives to reduce drinking water usage and in the case of RWH, reduce roof runoff entering sewers. Despite the increasing popularity of installations in commercial buildings, RWH and GWR technologies at a household scale have proved less popular, across a range of global contexts. For systems designed from the top-down, this is often due to the lack of a favourable cost-benefit (where subsidies are unavailable), though few studies have focused on performing full capital and operational financial assessments, particularly in high water consumption households. Using a bottom-up design approach, based on a questionnaire survey with 35 households in a residential complex in Bucaramanga, Colombia, this article considers the initial financial feasibility of three RWH and GWR system configurations proposed for high water using households (equivalent to >203L per capita per day). A full capital and operational financial assessment was performed at a more detailed level for the most viable design using historic rainfall data. For the selected configuration (‘Alt 2’), the estimated potable water saving was 44% (equivalent to 131m3/year) with a rate of return on investment of 6.5% and an estimated payback period of 23years. As an initial end-user-driven design exercise, these results are promising and constitute a starting point for facilitating such approaches to urban water management at the household scale

Bladder cancer index: cross-cultural adaptation into Spanish and psychometric evaluation

BACKGROUND: The Bladder Cancer Index (BCI) is so far the only instrument applicable across all bladder cancer patients, independent of tumor infiltration or treatment applied. We developed a Spanish version of the BCI, and assessed its acceptability and metric properties. METHODS: For the adaptation into Spanish we used the forward and back-translation method, expert panels, and cognitive debriefing patient interviews. For the assessment of metric properties we used data from 197 bladder cancer patients from a multi-center prospective study. The Spanish BCI and the SF-36 Health Survey were self-administered before and 12 months after treatment. Reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through the multi-trait multi-method matrix. The magnitude of change was quantified by effect sizes to assess responsiveness. RESULTS: Reliability coefficients ranged 0.75-0.97. The validity analysis confirmed moderate associations between the BCI function and bother subscales for urinary (r = 0.61) and bowel (r = 0.53) domains; conceptual independence among all BCI domains (r ≤ 0.3); and low correlation coefficients with the SF-36 scores, ranging 0.14-0.48. Among patients reporting global improvement at follow-up, pre-post treatment changes were statistically significant for the urinary domain and urinary bother subscale, with effect sizes of 0.38 and 0.53. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish BCI is well accepted, reliable, valid, responsive, and similar in performance compared to the original instrument. These findings support its use, both in Spanish and international studies, as a valuable and comprehensive tool for assessing quality of life across a wide range of bladder cancer patients

Gaia Early Data Release 3: The celestial reference frame (Gaia-CRF3)

Context. Gaia-CRF3 is the celestial reference frame for positions and proper motions in the third release of data from the Gaia mission, Gaia DR3 (and for the early third release, Gaia EDR3, which contains identical astrometric results). The reference frame is defined by the positions and proper motions at epoch 2016.0 for a specific set of extragalactic sources in the (E)DR3 catalogue. Aims. We describe the construction of Gaia-CRF3 and its properties in terms of the distributions in magnitude, colour, and astrometric quality. Methods. Compact extragalactic sources in Gaia DR3 were identified by positional cross-matching with 17 external catalogues of quasi-stellar objects (QSO) and active galactic nuclei (AGN), followed by astrometric filtering designed to remove stellar contaminants. Selecting a clean sample was favoured over including a higher number of extragalactic sources. For the final sample, the random and systematic errors in the proper motions are analysed, as well as the radio-optical offsets in position for sources in the third realisation of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF3). Results. Gaia-CRF3 comprises about 1.6 million QSO-like sources, of which 1.2 million have five-parameter astrometric solutions in Gaia DR3 and 0.4 million have six-parameter solutions. The sources span the magnitude range G = 13-21 with a peak density at 20.6 mag, at which the typical positional uncertainty is about 1 mas. The proper motions show systematic errors on the level of 12 μas yr-1 on angular scales greater than 15 deg. For the 3142 optical counterparts of ICRF3 sources in the S/X frequency bands, the median offset from the radio positions is about 0.5 mas, but it exceeds 4 mas in either coordinate for 127 sources. We outline the future of Gaia-CRF in the next Gaia data releases. Appendices give further details on the external catalogues used, how to extract information about the Gaia-CRF3 sources, potential (Galactic) confusion sources, and the estimation of the spin and orientation of an astrometric solution

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research