Nuevo catalizador a base de un óxido metálico sulfatado, procedimiento para su preparación y aplicaciones

Referencia OEPM: P200100637.-- Fecha de solicitud: 19/03/2001.-- Titular: Compañía Española de Petróleos, S.A. (CEPSA).Dicho catalizador es un sólido fuertemente ácido que comprende esencialmente un soporte de un hidróxido sulfatado de un metal del grupo IV del Sistema Periódico de los Elementos, sobre el cual se encuentra soportado un metal del Grupo V y un metal del Grupo VIII. El procedimiento comprende: (a) sulfatación de dicho soporte, (b) incorporación del componente metálico del Grupo V al producto de (a); (c) incorporación del metal del Grupo VIII al producto de (b); (d) calcinación del producto de (c); (e) reducción del producto calcinado de (d). Uso en los procesos de isomerización de parafinas lineales o cíclicas.Peer reviewe

Deregulation of miR-324/KISS1/kisspeptin in early ectopic pregnancy: mechanistic findings with clinical and diagnostic implications

[Abstract] BACKGROUND: Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition for which novel screening tools that would enable early accurate diagnosis would improve clinical outcomes. Kisspeptins, encoded by KISS1, play an essential role in human reproduction, at least partially by regulating placental function and possibly embryo implantation. Kisspeptin levels are elevated massively in normal pregnancy and reportedly altered in various gestational pathologic diseases. Yet, the pathophysiologic role of KISS1/kisspeptin in ectopic pregnancy has not been investigated previously. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes of KISS1/kisspeptin levels in ectopic pregnancy and their underlaying molecular mechanisms and to ascertain the diagnostic implications of these changes. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 122 women with normal pregnancy who underwent voluntary termination of pregnancy and 84 patients who experienced tubal ectopic pregnancy were recruited. Measurements of plasma kisspeptins and KISS1 expression analyses in human embryonic/placental tissue were conducted in ectopic pregnancy and voluntary termination of pregnancy control subjects during the early gestational window (<12 weeks). Putative microRNA regulators of KISS1 were predicted in silico, followed by expression analyses of selected microRNAs and validation of repressive interactions in vitro. Circulating levels of these microRNAs were also assayed in ectopic pregnancy vs voluntary termination of pregnancy. RESULTS: Circulating kisspeptins gradually increased during the first trimester of normal pregnancy but were reduced markedly in ectopic pregnancy. This profile correlated with the expression levels of KISS1 in human embryonic/placental tissue, which increased in voluntary termination of pregnancy but remained suppressed in ectopic pregnancy. Bioinformatic predictions and expression analyses identified miR-27b-3p and miR-324-3p as putative repressors of KISS1 in human embryonic/placental tissue at <12 weeks gestation, when expression of microRNAs was low in voluntary termination of pregnancy control subjects but significantly increased in ectopic pregnancy. Yet, a significant repressive interaction was documented only for miR-324-3p, occurring at the predicted 3'-UTR of KISS1. Interestingly, circulating levels of miR-324-3p, but not of miR-27b-3p, were suppressed distinctly in ectopic pregnancy, despite elevated tissue expression of the pre-microRNA. A decision-tree model that used kisspeptin and miR-324-3p levels was successful in discriminating ectopic pregnancy vs voluntary termination of pregnancy, with a receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve of 0.95±0.02 (95% confidence interval). CONCLUSION: Our results document a significant down-regulation of KISS1/kisspeptins in early stages of ectopic pregnancy via, at least partially, a repressive interaction with miR-324-3p. Our data identify circulating kisspeptins and miR-324-3p as putative biomarkers for accurate screening of ectopic pregnancy at early gestational ages.Ministerio de E$conomía y Competitividad (España); BFU2014-57581-PMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad ; BFU2017-83934-PInstituto de Salud Carlos III; PIE-00005Junta de Andalucía; P08-CVI-03788Junta de Andalucía; P12-FQM-0194

The use of social networking sites as an innovative tool at university: Facebook as a collaborative learning tool in Immunology

En la actualidad los docentes universitarios tienen el reto de enseñar a la conocida como “generación Y”, alumnos nacidos entre los años 1980 y 2000, los cuales no han conocido el mundo sin internet o teléfono móvil. Esto por supuesto implica que el acercamiento al conocimiento, y por tanto los modos de aprendizaje, son completamente diferentes a los de generaciones anteriores. Esto unido a la implementación de las nuevas titulaciones acordes con el proceso de convergencia europea y el sistema de créditos ECTS, y siguiendo los desafíos de la enseñanza contemplados en el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES), hace inevitable la implementación de nuevas formas de comunicación entre los alumnos y los profesores en el ámbito Universitario. Aunque en este aspecto la mayoría de las Universidades cuentan ya con diferentes herramientas de e-Learning, su uso e implementación en algunas ocasiones puede resultar insuficiente. En este escenario, por el contrario, son muchas las posibilidades que ofrecen las redes sociales y su extenso uso entre el alumnado, quien accede generalmente con mucha frecuencia a sus perfiles y grupos, proporcionando una comunicación rápida, fácil y flexible. En el presente proyecto de innovación docente hemos combinado el uso de un grupo de Facebook con los recursos tradicionales en la docencia relativa a la asignatura de Inmunología, usando esta red social como herramienta de apoyo para compartir materiales e información. Todo ello buscando un nuevo ambiente de comunicación más directo entre alumnos y profesorado, sin por supuesto tener que sustituir las vías de comunicación formales como el correo electrónico y Moodle. Esto nos ha permitido evaluar su uso, participación y satisfacción entre el alumnado que ha participado en el proyecto.Nowadays, University teachers face the challenge of teaching the so-called “Y generation”, students born between 1980 and 2000, who haven't experienced their lives without the Internet or the mobile phone. This has a direct consequence on their approach to knowledge and, therefore, to the learning styles, which are completely different to those of former generations. This fact, together with the implementation of new degrees more in line with the European convergence process and the ECTS credit system, and following the educative challenges included in the new European Space of Higher Education (EEES), makes it necessary to implement new forms of communication between pupils and teachers in the university context. Although most universities already make use of different e-Learning tools, their use and implementation can sometimes be insufficient. In this scenery, on the contrary, the social networking sites and their extended use by students, who check their profiles and groups very often, offer a lot of possibilities, as they allow a fast, easy and flexible communication. In the present project of teaching innovation, we have combined the use of a Facebook group with the traditional resources used in Immunology, so that this social networking site becomes a support tool to share materials and information. In the same sense, we look for a new atmosphere where a more direct communication between students and teachers is possible, without avoiding the more formal forms of communication such as the email or Moodle. This has allowed us to evaluate its use, participation and satisfaction, both between the students and the teachers taking part in the project

Bio-inspired computation: where we stand and what's next

In recent years, the research community has witnessed an explosion of literature dealing with the adaptation of behavioral patterns and social phenomena observed in nature towards efficiently solving complex computational tasks. This trend has been especially dramatic in what relates to optimization problems, mainly due to the unprecedented complexity of problem instances, arising from a diverse spectrum of domains such as transportation, logistics, energy, climate, social networks, health and industry 4.0, among many others. Notwithstanding this upsurge of activity, research in this vibrant topic should be steered towards certain areas that, despite their eventual value and impact on the field of bio-inspired computation, still remain insufficiently explored to date. The main purpose of this paper is to outline the state of the art and to identify open challenges concerning the most relevant areas within bio-inspired optimization. An analysis and discussion are also carried out over the general trajectory followed in recent years by the community working in this field, thereby highlighting the need for reaching a consensus and joining forces towards achieving valuable insights into the understanding of this family of optimization techniques

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Óxido ácido que presenta características micro y mesoporosas: ITQ-36

Traducción de Patente Europea E99953986 (fecha de solicitud, 26/10/1999).-- Prioridad: ES199810279802283.-- Titulares: Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).La presente invención se refiere a un óxido que es un material con pilares, denominado ITQ-36, con una estructura micro y mesoporosa y un área de la superficie externa importante, capaz de soportar centros ácidos de Brönsted y Lewis y que se caracteriza por su difractograma de rayos X y por su adsorción y sus propiedades catalíticas. El material ITQ-36 tiene una composición química representada por la fórmula: (XO2)n(Y2O3)m(H2O)p, en la que X representa, al menos, un elemento tetravalente seleccionado de entre silicio, titanio y germanio e Y representa, al menos, un elemento trivalente seleccionado de entre aluminio, hierro, boro, cromo y galio, siendo la relación atómica entre X e Y de al menos 5. En las realizaciones preferidas, la relación atómica entre X e Y es mayor de 10, o incluso mayor de 30. En una realización más preferida, dicha relación atómica es mayor de 30, o incluso mayor de 40. Los límites adecuados de dicha relación atómica pueden estar entre 30 y 500.Peer reviewe

Parametrization and validation of a tool for the electrical design of tubular redox flow stacks

All-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) with a tubular cell geometry offer advantages over the common planar design: improved stability, reduced sealing lengths, cost-saving potentials through production of the components by (co-)extrusion and a more flexible electric cell-setup, possibly reducing shunt currents. In prior works a tubular cell design for VRFBs was developed and further improved by our research group. To transfer the single cell performance to industrial levels, a design tool for stacks suited to the tubular cell geometry is necessary. We report on the progress of parametrisation and validation of the design tool.Bundesministerium für Bildung und ForschungAlternativeReviewe

Long term multi-observable measurements for SOC/SOH analysis and crossover modelling

The operation of vanadium redox-flow batteries (VRFB) is accompanied by electrolyte crossover through the membrane which can lead to selfdischarge and electrolyte imbalances. These imbalances lead to capacity losses, which decrease the state of health (SOH) of the battery. In commercial VRFB systems the state of charge (SOC) of the battery is typically monitored either by coulomb counting, via an open circuit potential or by a combination of both. With these methods electrolyte imbalances cannot be detected. For a reliable imbalance detection, half-cell specific SOCs are needed. Several SOC/SOH monitoring methods have been developed, which are mostly based on one or two measured quantities. We aim for the development of a stable SOC/SOH monitoring method including crossover effects based on the measurement of several SOC/SOH related observables. To establish a long term data basis for the corresponding analysis we perform correlated and partially redundant in situ measurements in a 500h charge/discharge cycling test. In the next step, a comprehensive SOC and SOH model accompanied by an empiric VRFB crossover model shall be developed.Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und KlimaschutzAlternativeReviewe

Correlating observables for state of charge and state of health monitoring and crossover modelling of vanadium redox flow batteries

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und EnergieUnknow

Creating a design tool for tubular redox flow battery stacks

Stack production costs for electrochemical energy conversion can be reduced by tubular cell designs which enable the extrusion production of cell components and require smaller sealing lengths. In this study we consider the all vanadium redox flow system for the demonstration of the feasibility and the competitiveness of the approach. Starting from single cell studies, we report on recent progress in experimental characterization and model based design in the development of tubular stacks.Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und KlimaschutzAlternativeReviewe