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

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

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und EnergieUnknow

Sustainable production of hydrogen via steam reforming of furfural (SRF) with Co-catalyst supported on sepiolite

Natural sepiolite is a mineral very abundant in Spain, being the main producer worldwide. This material is presented by the first time as promised support to prepare cobalt catalysts with high activity and hydrogen selectivity in the steam reforming of furfural (SRF). Two methods for cobalt incorporation on natural sepiolite, precipitation (PP) and incipient wetness impregnation (IWI), are explored and their influence in the preparation of catalysts highly active and selective in the SRF is studied. PP method makes possible to synthesize a catalytic material with high catalytic performance (high conversion of furfural, > 95%, and high hydrogen selectivity, 70%). Furthermore the production of non-desired byproducts such as CO, CH and acetone, decrease significantly in the catalyst prepared by PP (CoSep). Characterization by N adsorption-desorption to determine surface area, XRD, TPR and TEM shows that PP method favors the formation of smaller metallic particles of Co with a high dispersion. These differential physicochemical properties seem to explain the better catalytic performance exhibited by the sepiolitic catalyst prepared by the PP method (CoSep). In addition, this catalyst exhibits also a higher resistance to deactivation after 24 h of reaction time. This fact seems to be related to the lower coke deposition on the catalyst prepared by precipitation and particularly, with the lower sinterization of the metallic Co particles during the steam reforming of furfural.Thank you to the Spanish Government (Project RTI2018-102161-I00) and Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2018/006 grant) for the fanatical supporting. The support of the microscopy service at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) for the SEM and TEM analysis is also recognized

Sólido microporoso deslaminado

Traducción de Patente Europea E99936880 (fecha de solicitud, 04/08/1999).-- Prioridad: ES199808049801689.-- Titular: BP Oil International LimitedEsta invención se refiere a un óxido inorgánico, a su procedimiento de preparación, a catalizadores que lo contienen y a su uso en procedimientos de conversión de hidrocarburos tales como procedimientos de isomerización, desparafinado e isodesparafinado y procedimientos de cracking. Los materiales laminares tales como arcillas que se expanden en presencia de agua son capaces, en condiciones adecuadas, de ser intercalados con sustancias orgánicas y/o inorgánicas con el objeto de separar sus laminillas de forma tal que las fuerzas que los mantienen juntos disminuyen drásticamente hasta que son tan débiles que la agitación es capaz de separarlos, es decir, dispersarlos.Peer reviewe

Zeolite-supported Ni catalysts for CO2 methanation: Effect of zeolite structure and Si/Al ratio

The urgent need to reduce CO emissions requires the development of efficient catalysts for the conversion of CO into chemicals and fuels. In this study, a series of nickel catalysts supported on ITQ-2 and ZSM-5 zeolites have been prepared, characterized and tested in the hydrogenation reaction of CO towards methane. Specifically, two ITQ-2 and two ZSM 5 zeolites with different aluminum content have been studied. For both types, the higher Si/Al ratio of the material, the more active the catalyst due probably to its higher hydrophobicity. The largest difference was found for the ITQ-2 samples, being the CO conversion for the sample with a greater Si/Al ratio 50 points higher at 350 °C. Comparing both zeolite structures, while similar catalytic results were obtained with the samples with lower Si/Al ratio, a distinctly higher activity was found for the ITQ-2 zeolite without aluminum, pure silica. Therefore, this result suggests that the presence of aluminum is of particular relevance. Among the studied materials, the catalyst supported on the delaminated ITQ-2 zeolite without Al was the most active catalyst. Its higher activity was mainly attributed to the smaller crystallite size of nickel supported on the large external surface area presented by this zeolite.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, grant numbers SVP-2014-068713 and RTI2018-102161-B-I00