Ionic liquid/metal salt mixtures at the graphene interface: A density functional theory approach

[Abstract] The interaction of graphene sheets with metal cations is very relevant because of the modifications that are induced in the electrochemical properties of the 2D material. Ionic liquids are a promising kind of materials with several applications in electrochemical devices, so understanding how they affect the graphene-metal interaction is key for their practical implementation. Therefore, we have studied the adsorption of a mixture of an ionic liquid and a metal salt on a graphene surface by means of first-principles calculations. Several metals were chosen to analyze the effect they have on the optoelectronic properties of the graphene monolayer and to understand the trends in their adsorption behavior. We have characterized the ground state configurations in terms of their binding energies and the distance between the metal atom and the graphene layer. From the analysis of the charge transfer behavior, calcium and magnesium have been identified as the species that transfer the highest and the lowest amount of charge, respectively, which is related to their ionization energies. Band structure diagrams and projected density of states calculations also show that the energy shift of the Dirac cone increases with the degree of charge transfer. In addition, a stronger interaction of magnesium with the ionic liquid compared to that of other metal atoms was observed. The analysis of several electromagnetic parameters indicated an anisotropic behavior for electric fields polarized both perpendicular and parallel to the graphene layer. Our density functional theory study offers fundamental insights into the adsorption behavior of ionic liquids mixed with metal ions on monolayer graphene.The financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2021-126148NA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033/FEDER, UE) is gratefully acknowledged. Moreover, this work was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (GRC ED431C 2020/10). A. R.-P. and J.M.O.-M. thank the Spanish Ministry of Education for their FPU grants (FPU16/01500 and FPU18/01597). C. D. R. F. thanks the support of Xunta de Galicia through the grant ED481A-2018/032. T. M. M. acknowledges her contract funded by the pilot program of the USC for the recruitment of distinguished research personnel—call 2021 under the agreement between the USC and the Santander Bank for 2021–2024. H.M.C. thanks the USC for his “Convocatoria de Recualificación do Sistema Universitario Español-Margarita Salas” postdoctoral grant under the “Plan de Recuperación Transformación” program funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities with European Union's NextGenerationEU funds. This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC)) to CIQUP, Faculty of Science, University of Porto (Project UIDB/00081/2020), IMS-Institute of Molecular Sciences (LA/P/0056/2020). Facilities provided by the Galician Supercomputing Centre (CESGA) are also acknowledged.Xunta de Galicia ; ED431C 2020/10Xunta de Galicia ; ED481A-2018/03

Incidence of complications in breast reconstruction with autologous tissue in a third level hospital

Background: The objective of this study is to analyze the incidence of complications after breast reconstruction with pedicled or free flaps at the hospital general de Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”. Methods: A retrospective, single-center study, including 44 female patients, who underwent immediate or delayed breast reconstruction after breast cancer, between 2019 and 2020, and had at least a 2-year follow up, evaluating the association between patient risk factors (age, history of radiotherapy, presence of overweight or obesity and immediate or delayed reconstruction) with the presence of complications such as seroma, hematoma, wound infection or wound dehiscence. We analyzed data with SPSS software, v23.0. Results: There was no statistically significant difference for the presence of complications associated with risk factors studied. Conclusions: We need more prospective, multicenter studies, including larger sample and strict follow up of patients

Epidemiological aspects of facial trauma in a third level hospital in Mexico

Background: Facial trauma is common in early adulthood and may require complex surgery and even high mortality. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional study at the Hospital General de México during the period from January 2018 to December 2021. Patients with a diagnosis of fracture of the facial region, who had a complete clinical record, of any age, were included. Patients who did not comply with the treatment in the hospital unit, with incomplete clinical records, were excluded. Through non-probability sampling, a sample of 156 patients was formed. The descriptive data analysis was carried out by calculating frequencies and percentages for the qualitative variables. For the quantitative variables, measures of central tendency and dispersion were calculated according to the distribution of the variables (mean and standard deviation). for variables with normal distribution and median with interquartile range for variables with non-normal distribution). Results: 156 patients were included, the male sex predominated (89.7%), the age group from 21 to 30 years (35.3%), the injury mechanism of aggression by a third party (54.5%). Facial fractures occurred in the following descending order: orbit (64.7%), zygoma (41.7% n=65), mandibular (23.1% n=36), nasal (22.4% n=35), maxilla (21.8% n=34), NOE (4.5% n=7), Le Fort (3.8% n=6), and palate (3.8% n=6). Within orbital fractures, the most frequently affected region was the orbital floor (42.3%). The patients with orbital fracture were mostly men (88.1% versus 11.9%). The highest frequency of these fractures was between the ages of 21 and 30 (38.6%). Surgical treatment of fractures in general was established in 44.9%, performing open reduction and internal fixation of fractures in 41.0%. Conclusions: The most frequent facial fractures are: orbit, zygoma, and mandibular; they mainly affect the male sex in the second decade of life, they are produced mainly by aggressions to third parties. The management of facial fractures is predominantly surgical, through open reduction and internal fixation

Mixtures of Ethylammonium Nitrate and Ethylene Carbonate: Bulk and Interfacial Analysis

[Abstract] The structure and dynamics of binary mixtures of a protic ionic liquid (ethylammonium nitrate) and ethylene carbonate are studied by means of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and experimental measurements both in bulk and at the electrochemical interface. The solubility limit was experimentally found at 0.6 carbonate molar fraction. Likewise, density and conductivity experimental data are compared with computational results. Also, distribution and correlation functions obtained from bulk simulations are analyzed in the miscible range to clarify the role of the carbonate in the coordination and diffusion of ionic species. Understanding the evolution of the hydrogen bond network is of particular importance since its strength is detected as the most relevant feature in the structural organization of the mixture. Regarding the effects of the presence of an interface, the orientations of the molecules and the density and charge profiles are calculated both in the absence and in the presence of an electric field. This analysis reveals the tendency of the carbonate to displace the ionic liquid from the near-wall region when concentration is increased.The financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2021-126148NA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE) is gratefully acknowledged. Moreover, this work was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (ED431E 2018/08 and GRC ED431C 2020/10). All these research projects were partially supported by FEDER. Authors acknowledge P. Rojo-Garea (iMATUS, University of Santiago de Compostela) for the technical support in conductivity experimental measurements. A.R.P. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education for his FPU grant. M.O.L. wishes to thank the Xunta the Galicia for his “Axudas de apoio á etapa predoutoral” grant. T. M. M. acknowledges her contract funded by the pilot program of the USC for the recruitment of distinguished research personnel—call 2021 under the agreement between the USC and the Santander Bank for 2021–2024. H.M.C. thanks the USC for his “Convocatoria de Recualificación do Sistema Universitario Español-Margarita Salas” postdoctoral grant under the “Plan de Recuperación Transformación” program funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities with European Union's NextGenerationEU funds. P.V. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education for his FPI grant. J.J.P. thanks I2C postdoctoral Program of Xunta de Galicia. R.L.C. acknowledges his Predoctoral Contract under the framework of the project PID2021-126148NA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE. Facilities provided by the Galician Supercomputing Centre (CESGA) are also acknowledgedXunta de Galicia; ED431E 2018/08Xunta de Galicia; GRC ED431C 2020/1

Neutrino Physics from Charged Higgs and Slepton Associated Production in AMSB

In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with bilinear R-Parity violation, terms that violate R-Parity and lepton number are introduced in the superpotential, and sneutrino vacuum expectation values are induced. As a result, neutrino masses and mixing angles are generated via a low energy see-saw mechanism. We show that this model embedded into an anomaly mediated supersymmetry breaking scenario is testable at a linear collider using charged Higgs boson production in association with a stau. This is possible in regions of parameter space where the charged Higgs and stau have similar mass, producing an enhancement of the charged scalar mixing angles. We show that the bilinear parameter and the sneutrino vev can be determined from charged scalar observables, and estimate the precision of this determination.Comment: 21 pages, including 8 figure

Nitrate and nitrite in drinking water affect antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes of rats

The present study evaluated the effect of short term intake of nitrite and nitrate drinking water on the antioxidant system and membrane damage of rat erythrocytes. Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups as follows; the group I received only distilled water ad libitum; the group II was given water with nitrate (a dose of 124 mg/kg of nitrate-nitrogen) as drinking water and the group III was given nitrites dissolved in distilled water in a dose of 150 mg/kg for 7 days. At the end of the study, group III rats showed a significant decrease in activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and catalase (CAT), while in group II rats, the activity of GPx and CAT were significantly reduced, but no significant changes in glutathione reductase activity and peroxynitrite levels were observed. On the other hand, malondialdehyde (MDA) was increased in both groups with respect to group I. Also, our major results indicate that all treatments changed methemoglobin levels and osmotic fragility in comparison to group I rats. The intensity of alterations was found more severe in rats of group III, followed by rats of group II. It can be concluded from these observations that nitrate or nitrite leads to alterations in the erythrocytes antioxidant defense status mainly throughout NADPH relate enzymes