30 research outputs found
Technological study of kaolinitic clays from Fms. Escucha and Utrillas to be used in dermo-pharmaceutical products
The present study aims to evaluate five clay samples from different pits in the Teruel province, Spain. While these
clays are primarily utilized as raw materials in ceramics, their potential applications in pharmaceutical and
cosmetic domains, notably in sun protection and thermal mud products, are under investigation. Characterization
of these clays entailed X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, pH measurement,
analysis of technological properties, rheological assessment, and thermal property evaluation. Furthermore,
given the predominant composition of kaolin in most of the samples, their Sun Protection Factor (SPF) in suspensions
and physical stability were assessed. The studied samples exhibited varied mineralogical compositions,
primarily consisting of kaolinite (70% to 15%), quartz (75% to 5%), and illite (26% to 7%). The pH values of
these dispersions closely matched the skin's pH, exhibiting anti-thixotropic behavior at 50% w/w and demonstrating
suitable viscosity for skin application. Based on their composition and rheological properties, the
samples exhibited potential for use as therapeutic thermal muds. Analyses of cooling kinetics were performed to
validate this potential. Results showed that the dispersions systems attained temperatures between 33.89 ◦C and
34.62 ◦C within 20 min (the common application time for thermal muds) and reached 32 ◦C (skin temperature)
in 24.3 to 26.22 min, confirming their appropriateness as therapeutic muds. The SPF values of the dispersions
varied from 7.46 to 16.65, with the majority of samples showing significant stability during 45 h. Consequently,
it can be inferred that most of the studied samples show advantageous characteristics for inclusion in topical
formulations, especially in sun protection and thermal mud products
Natural Diagonal Riemannian Almost Product and Para-Hermitian Cotangent Bundles
We obtain the natural diagonal almost product and locally product structures
on the total space of the cotangent bundle of a Riemannian manifold. We find
the Riemannian almost product (locally product) and the (almost) para-Hermitian
cotangent bundles of natural diagonal lift type. We prove the characterization
theorem for the natural diagonal (almost) para-K\"ahlerian structures on the
total spaces of the cotangent bundle.Comment: 10 pages, will appear in Czechoslovak Mathematical Journa
A hot mini-Neptune and a temperate, highly eccentric sub-Saturn around the bright K-dwarf TOI-2134
Funding: ACC and TGW acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant numbers ST/R000824/1 and ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant number ST/R003203/1. RDH is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)’s Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (grant no. ST/V004735/1). SD is funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (grant no. ST/V004735/1). BSL is funded by a UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) studentship (ST/V506679/1). This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement SCORE no. 851555).We present the characterisation of an inner mini-Neptune in a 9.2292005±0.0000063 day orbit and an outer mono-transiting sub-Saturn planet in a 95.50+0.36-0.25 day orbit around the moderately active, bright (mv = 8.9 mag) K5V star TOI-2134. Based on our analysis of five sectors of TESS data, we determine the radii of TOI-2134b and c to be 2.69±0.16 R⊕ for the inner planet and 7.27±0.42 R⊕ for the outer one. We acquired 111 radial-velocity spectra with HARPS-N and 108 radial-velocity spectra with SOPHIE. After careful periodogram analysis, we derive masses for both planets via Gaussian Process regression: 9.13+0.78-0.76 M⊕ for TOI-2134b and 41.89+7.69-7.83 M⊕ for TOI-2134c. We analysed the photometric and radial-velocity data first separately, then jointly. The inner planet is a mini-Neptune with density consistent with either a water-world or a rocky core planet with a low-mass H/He envelope. The outer planet has a bulk density similar to Saturn’s. The outer planet is derived to have a significant eccentricity of 0.67+0.05-0.06 from a combination of photometry and RVs. We compute the irradiation of TOI-2134c as 1.45±0.10 times the bolometric flux received by Earth, positioning it for part of its orbit in the habitable zone of its system. We recommend further RV observations to fully constrain the orbit of TOI-2134c. With an expected Rossiter-McLaughlin (RM) effect amplitude of 7.2±1.3 m-1, we recommend TOI-2134c for follow-up RM analysis to study the spin-orbit architecture of the system. We calculate the Transmission Spectroscopy Metric, and both planets are suitable for bright-mode NIRCam atmospheric characterisation.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Coherent psi (2S) photo-production in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76TeV
We have performed the first measurement of the coherent psi(2S) photo-production cross section in ultraperipheral Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC. This charmonium excited state is reconstructed via the psi(2S) -> l(+)l(-) and ->(2S) -> J/psi pi(+)pi(-) decays, where the J/psi decays into two leptons. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 22 mu b(-1). The cross section for coherent psi(2S) production in the rapidity interval -0.9 <y <0.9is d sigma(coh)(psi(2S))/dy = 0.83 +/- 0.19 (stat+syst) mb. The psi(2S) to J/psi coherent cross section ratio is 0.34(-0.07)(+0.08)(stat+syst). The obtained results are compared to predictions from theoretical models. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe
Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults
Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We
estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from
1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories.
Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and
weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate
trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children
and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the
individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference)
and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median).
Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in
11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed
changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and
140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of
underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and
countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior
probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse
was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of
thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a
posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%)
with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and
obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for
both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such
as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged
children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls
in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and
42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents,
the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining
underweight or thinness.
Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an
increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy
nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of
underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit
SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues
Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to
genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility
and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component.
Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci
(eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene),
including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform
genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer
SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the
diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types
The HD 93963 A transiting system: A 1.04d super-Earth and a 3.65 d sub-Neptune discovered by TESS and CHEOPS
peer reviewe
Measurement of charged jet production cross sections and nuclear modification in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV
Charged jet production cross sections in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the LHC are presented. Using the anti-k(T) algorithm, jets have been reconstructed in the central rapidity region from charged particles with resolution parameters R = 0.2 and R = 0.4. The reconstructed jets have been corrected for detector effects and the underlying event background. To calculate the nuclear modification factor, R-pPb, of charged jets in p-Pb collisions, a pp reference was constructed by scaling previously measured charged jet spectra at root s = 7 TeV. In the transverse momentum range 20Peer reviewe