Metal–organic fireworks: MOFs as integrated structural scaffolds for pyrotechnic materials

A new approach to formulating pyrotechnic materials is presented whereby constituent ingredients are bound together in a solid-state lattice. This reduces the batch inconsistencies arising from the traditional approach of combining powders by ensuring the key ingredients are ‘mixed’ in appropriate quantities and are in intimate contact. Further benefits of these types of material are increased safety levels as well as simpler logistics, storage and manufacture. A systematic series of new frameworks comprising fuel and oxidiser agents (group 1 and 2 metal nodes & terephthalic acid derivatives as linkers) has been synthesised and structurally characterised. These new materials have been assessed for pyrotechnic effect by calorimetry and burn tests. Results indicate that these materials exhibit the desired pyrotechnic material properties and the effect can be correlated to the dimensionality of the structure. A new approach to formulating pyrotechnic materials is proposed whereby constituent ingredients are bound together in a solid-state lattice. A series of Metal–organic framework frameworks comprising fuel and oxidiser agents exhibits the desired properties of a pyrotechnic material and this effect is correlated to the dimensionality of the structure

Introducing surface functionality on thermoformed polymeric films

Altres ajuts: this work has been performed within the PLASTFUN project (Planta Pilot de Peces Plàstiques amb Superficies Funcionals Avançades), within the Industries of the Future community (IDF) RIS3CAT, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the operative frame FEDER of Catalonia 2014-2020 EC [COMRDI 16-1-0018], included in the 7th Framework Program. AF, NK and CMST acknowledge support from the CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya.We present a fabrication process for the production of 3-dimensional micro-structured polymeric films. The microstructures are fabricated in a single step using thermal nanoimprint lithography as patterning technique. The micro-structured polymer films are then transformed into a 3D shape by means of a plug-assisted thermoforming process, while keeping the functionality of the micro-patterned areas. The preserved functionality is characterized by water contact angle measurements, while the deformation of the micro-structured topographies due to the thermoforming process is analyzed using confocal microscopy and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) techniques. This combined fabrication process represents a promising solution to complement in-mold decoration approaches, enabling the production of new functional surfaces. As the microstructures are fabricated by means of a mechanical modification of the surface, without the need of chemical treatments or coatings, the presented technique represents a promising, simple and green solution, suitable for the industrial fabrication of 3D nonplanar shaped functional surfaces

Computation of the Transient in Max-Plus Linear Systems via SMT-Solving

This paper proposes a new approach, grounded in Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT), to study the transient of a Max-Plus Linear (MPL) system, that is the number of steps leading to its periodic regime. Differently from state-of-the-art techniques, our approach allows the analysis of periodic behaviors for subsets of initial states, as well as the characterization of sets of initial states exhibiting the same specific periodic behavior and transient. Our experiments show that the proposed technique dramatically outperforms state-of-the-art methods based on max-plus algebra computations for systems of large dimensions.Comment: The paper consists of 22 pages (including references and Appendix). It is accepted in FORMATS 2020 First revisio

Late Silurian plutons in Yucatan

This is the published version. Copyright 1996 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.U-Pb measurements of zircons from two composite plutons in the Maya Mountains of the Yucatan Block (Belize) give Late Silurian ages. Zircons from one of the five compositional phases of the Mountain Pine Ridge pluton yield an age of 418±3.6 Ma. A second compositional phase gives a minimum age of 404 Ma, and zircons from a third phase, although plagued with high common Pb, yield ages consistent with the other two. Zircons from one compositional phase of the Hummingbird-Mullins River pluton indicate an age of about 410–420 Ma. These data demonstrate that two of the three Maya Mountains plutons residing among the strata of the Late Pennsylvanian through Permian Santa Rosa Group are older than that sedimentation. Although the third pluton was not dated, both the similarity of sedimentary facies patterns adjacent to it to those adjacent to one of the plutons dated as Late Silurian and a published single Rb-Sr age of 428 ± 41 Ma suggest this third pluton also was emergent during Santa Rosa deposition. Thus the new U/Pb dates and other data suggest that all three Maya Mountains plutons pre-date Late Carboniferous sedimentation and that none intrude the Santa Rosa Group. Although very uniform ages of about 230 Ma amongst all plutons, derived from abundant earlier dating by the K-Ar system, led to the conclusion that intrusion mostly had occurred in the Late Triassic, the U-Pb ages (obtained from the same sites as the K-Ar dates) demonstrate that the K-Ar ages do not derive from a Late Triassic intrusive episode. The K-Ar dates probably are a signature of the rifting associated with Pangean breakup and formation of the Gulf of Mexico. In a reconstructed Pangea, the position of the Maya Mountains Late Silurian plutons suggests that the Late Silurian Acadian-Caledonian orogen of eastern North America extended through the region of the future Gulf of Mexico. Finally, the U-Pb ages of the Maya Mountains plutons are the same as those of a group of shocked zircons found in the Chicxulub impact structure and its fallout layer. The presence of these ages in both locations suggests that the Maya Mountains exposures may be representative of the basement of the Yucatan Block, hence of the basement impacted by the Chicxulub object

Efectos adversos neuropsiquiátricos de dolutegravir en la práctica clínica real

Introducción Los inhibidores de la integrasa, y especialmente dolutegravir (DTG), son el tratamiento de primera línea antirretroviral por su eficacia y seguridad. Aunque en los ensayos pivotales la tasa de efectos adversos (EA) era baja (2-3%), en los estudios de vida real parece ser mayor, especialmente los EA neuropsiquiátricos. El objetivo fue determinar el porcentaje de EA e interrupción de DTG en nuestro centro y la relación con los antecedentes psiquiátricos. Métodos Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de pacientes que iniciaron DTG entre 2015-2017. Se registraron: interrupción del tratamiento, EA y enfermedad psiquiátrica. Se realizó seguimiento desde el inicio del del tratamiento con DTG y se registraron las hospitalizaciones y las visitas a urgencias y atención primaria. Fue autorizado por el Comité Ético de Investigación Clínica de Aragón. Resultados Se incluyeron 283 pacientes, entre 11-87 años, 70% varones. El 21% naive. Interrumpieron el tratamiento con DTG el 24%, un 10% por EA. Se detectó un 5% de EA neuropsiquiátricos. Este grupo tenía más antecedentes psiquiátricos (62 vs. 41%; p = 0, 002) que el de pacientes que continuaron el tratamiento, y precisaron más visitas en atención primaria (18, 8 vs. 8, 4%; p = 0, 016) y urgencias (8, 7 vs. 3, 3%; p = 0, 061). Conclusión Los pacientes que interrumpieron el tratamiento con DTG tenían más antecedentes psiquiátricos. Por ello, aunque se precisan más estudios, sería necesario valorar este antecedente previamente al tratamiento con inhibidores de la integrasa. Síntomas como ansiedad, insomnio o depresión pueden ser EA de DTG con una frecuencia mayor de la esperada. Ser identificados por los médicos de atención primaria y urgencias podría evitar una cascada de prescripción innecesaria. Introduction: Integrase inhibitors and especially dolutegravir (DTG) are placed as a first-line antiretroviral treatment for their efficacy and safety. Although in the pivotal trials the rate of adverse effects (AEs) was low (2-3%), in real-life studies it appears to be higher, especially neuropsychiatric AEs. The objective is to determine the percentage of AEs and discontinuation of DTG in our site and the relationship with the psychiatric background. Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of patients starting DTG from 2015 to 2017. Discontinuation of treatment, AEs and previous psychiatric pathology were recorded. Follow-up is carried out since the beginning of the treatment, and hospitalizations and emergency room and primary care visits were registered. The study was authorized by the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research of Aragon. Results: Two hundred and eighty-three patients were included, between 11 and 87 years old, 70% male. 21% were naive. 24% of the patients discontinued treatment with DTG, 10% due to AEs. Neuropsychiatric AEs were detected in 5%. This group of patients had a more frequent previous psychiatric history (62 vs. 41%; P =.002) than the ongoing treatment group and they needed more visits to primary care (18.8 vs. 8.4%; P =.016) and emergency room (8, 7 vs. 3.3%; P =.061). Conclusion: Patients who discontinued treatment with DTG had more psychiatric history. Although more studies are required, it is necessary to assess this background before starting treatment with integrase inhibitors. Symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia or depression can be DTG AEs more frequently than expected. Being identified by primary care and emergency physicians could avoid the unnecessary prescription of other medications

Characterization of new regulatory elements within the Drosophila bithorax complex

The homeotic Abdominal-B (Abd-B) gene expression depends on a modular cis-regulatory region divided into discrete functional domains (iab) that control the expression of the gene in a particular segment of the fly. These domains contain regulatory elements implicated in both initiation and maintenance of homeotic gene expression and elements that separate the different domains. In this paper we have performed an extensive analysis of the iab-6 regulatory region, which regulates Abd-B expression at abdominal segment A6 (PS11), and we have characterized two new polycomb response elements (PREs) within this domain. We report that PREs at Abd-B cis-regulatory domains present a particular chromatin structure which is nuclease accessible all along Drosophila development and both in active and repressed states. We also show that one of these regions contains a dCTCF and CP190 dependent activity in transgenic enhancer-blocking assays, suggesting that it corresponds to the Fab-6 boundary element of the Drosophila bithorax complex

PSA Kinetics as Prognostic Markers of Overall Survival in Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Treated with Abiraterone Acetate

Background: Abiraterone acetate (AA) is widely used in the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, a significant percentage of patients will still progress, highlighting the need to identify patients more likely to benefit from AA. Parameters linked to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics are promising prognostic markers. We have examined clinical and PSA-related factors potentially asso- ciated with overall survival (OS) in patients treated with AA. Methods: Between 2011 and 2014, 104 patients with mCRPC treated with AA after progression to docetaxel at centers of the Catalan Institute of Oncology were included in this retrospective study. Patients were assessed monthly. Baseline characteristics and vari- ables related to PSA kinetics were included in univariate and multivariate analyses of OS. Results: Median OS was 16.4 months (range 12.4-20.6) for all patients. The univariate analysis identified the following baseline characteristics as significantly associated with OS: ECOG PS, location of metastases, time between starting androgen deprivation therapy and starting AA, time between stopping docetaxel treatment and starting AA, neutrophil- lymphocyte ratio (NLR), alkaline phosphatase levels, and PSA levels. Factors related to PSA kinetics associated with longer OS were PSA response >50%, early PSA response (>30% decline at four weeks), PSA decline >50% at week 12, PSA nadir 140 days, the combination of PSA nadir and time to PSA nadir, and low end-of- treatment PSA levels. The multivariate analysis identified ECOG PS (HR 37.46; p<0.001), NLR (HR 3.7; p<0.001), early PSA response (HR 1.22; p=0.002), and time to PSA nadir (HR 0.39; p=0.002) as independent prognostic markers. Conclusion: Our results indicate an association between PSA kinetics, especially early PSA response, and outcome to AA after progression to docetaxel. Taken together with other factors, lack of an early PSA response could identify patients who are unlikely to benefit from AA and who could be closely monitored with a view to offering alternative therapies

The systemic lupus erythematosus IRF5 risk haplotype is associated with systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a fibrotic autoimmune disease in which the genetic component plays an important role. One of the strongest SSc association signals outside the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region corresponds to interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a major regulator of the type I IFN pathway. In this study we aimed to evaluate whether three different haplotypic blocks within this locus, which have been shown to alter the protein function influencing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility, are involved in SSc susceptibility and clinical phenotypes. For that purpose, we genotyped one representative single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of each block (rs10488631, rs2004640, and rs4728142) in a total of 3,361 SSc patients and 4,012 unaffected controls of Caucasian origin from Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy and United Kingdom. A meta-analysis of the allele frequencies was performed to analyse the overall effect of these IRF5 genetic variants on SSc. Allelic combination and dependency tests were also carried out. The three SNPs showed strong associations with the global disease (rs4728142: P = 1.34×10&lt;sup&gt;−8&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 1.22, CI 95% = 1.14–1.30; rs2004640: P = 4.60×10&lt;sup&gt;−7&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 0.84, CI 95% = 0.78–0.90; rs10488631: P = 7.53×10&lt;sup&gt;−20&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 1.63, CI 95% = 1.47–1.81). However, the association of rs2004640 with SSc was not independent of rs4728142 (conditioned P = 0.598). The haplotype containing the risk alleles (rs4728142*A-rs2004640*T-rs10488631*C: P = 9.04×10&lt;sup&gt;−22&lt;/sup&gt;, OR = 1.75, CI 95% = 1.56–1.97) better explained the observed association (likelihood P-value = 1.48×10&lt;sup&gt;−4&lt;/sup&gt;), suggesting an additive effect of the three haplotypic blocks. No statistical significance was observed in the comparisons amongst SSc patients with and without the main clinical characteristics. Our data clearly indicate that the SLE risk haplotype also influences SSc predisposition, and that this association is not sub-phenotype-specific

Megabank found? Flanks record sea level

On Leg 101, the first international voyage for the Ocean Drilling Program, the deep-sea drilling ship JOIOES Resolution (SEDCO/BP 471) left Miami, Fla., on Jan. 31 to investigate the geology of the Bahamas. (Leg 100 tested the Resolution's readiness. See July Geotimes.) Before returning to Miami on March 14, the crew had drilled 19 holes al 11 sites and recovered 46.2% of the cored section (about 1.5 of 3.1 km cored). The scientific party wanted to test conflicting hypotheses about the development of the modern shallow water carbonate banks and intervening deep -water throughs in the Bahamas, and to study the growth patterns of carbonate slopes and their response to sea-level fluctuations. Those objectives (the 'deep ' and the 'shallow') were selected beause recent advances in interpreting the micropaleontology of shallow-water carbonate platforms, coupled with data from previous sedimentological investigations and regional and site-specific seismic surveys, now permit consistent stratigraphic comparisons in the Bahamas