Nonlinear Meissner effect in a high-temperature superconductor: Local versus nonlocal electrodynamics

Measured intermodulation distortion (IMD) power at 1.5 GHz in a series of YBa[subscript 2]Y[subscript 3]O[subscript 7−δ] stripline resonators of varying strip widths is compared to the predictions of two qualitatively distinct theories of the nonlinear Meissner effect. The stripline resonators are patterned from a single wafer to ensure uniformity of the material properties. According to the first theory [T. Dahm and D. J. Scalapino, Phys. Rev. B 60, 13125 (1999)], the IMD power is dominated by contributions from the strip edges, while according to the second theory [D. Agassi and D. E. Oates, Phys. Rev. B 72, 014538 (2005)] it is dominated by contributions from the body of the strip. The parameter-free comparison of the measured data with the theoretical predictions clearly favors the latter theory. We conclude that the nonlinear component of the penetration depth must be treated with nonlocal electrodynamics. The origins of this outcome are discussed briefly in the framework of a Green’s-function approach

A pilot study of circulating levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 as biomarkers of bone healing in patients with non-hypertrophic pseudoarthrosis of long bones

Regeneración ósea; Células estromales mesenquimales multipotentes; PseudoartrosisRegeneració òssia; Cèl·lules estromals mesenquimals multipotents; PseudoartrosiBone regeneration; Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells; PseudoarthrosisBackground Pseudoarthrosis or non-union is a complication with an incidence of 5–10% of bone fractures, most frequently located in the diaphysis of long bones. The management of this complication is addressed by means of complex surgical procedures and is a concern for orthopaedic and trauma surgeons nowadays. The use of biomarkers for diagnosing patients at risk of non-union would help us to establish special measures for early corrective treatment. Methods Prospective exploratory pilot study with a cohort of 20 patients diagnosed of non-hypertrophic pseudoarthrosis of long bones who were treated surgically with either autologous bone graft or a Tissue Engineering Product composed of bone marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. Patients were followed for 12 months and plasma blood samples were obtained to determine circulating levels of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 and Beta 2 (TGF-β1 and TGF-β2, respectively) at inclusion, and at 1 week, 2 weeks, and months 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 after surgery. Radiological bone healing was evaluated by the Tomographic Union Score (TUS). Results Basal levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 were determined in the twenty patients (26,702 ± 14,537 pg/mL and 307.8 ± 83.1 pg/mL, respectively). Three of them withdrew from the study, so complete follow-up was conducted on 17 patients (9 successfully healed vs. 8 that did not heal). Statistically significant differences between the bone healing group and the non-union group were found at month 12 for both TGF-β1 (p = 0.005) and TGF-β2 (p = 0.02). Conclusions TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 are biomarkers that correlate with clinical evidence of bone regeneration and may be used to monitor patients, although early predictive value after intervention needs to be further studied in combination with other molecules

Valorization of toxic cyanobacteria biomass - disruption efficiency assessment and consequent bioproduct availability using different disruption techniques

The worldwide occurrence of hepatotoxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and accumulation of its toxin microcystin-LR, have been responsible for several human deaths and animal intoxication incidents. In recognition to its toxicity, the World Health Organization and several national governments established guideline values for this toxin in water, which gave rise to an increasing demand for microcystin′s analytical standards. These standards might be useful either as laboratory standards to apply in human and environmental risk assessment or as tools for molecular and cell biology studies. However, their availability is still limited due to constraints found in production and purification processes, which inflate the final price to values as high as 28000 €/mg. As an example of the increasing interest observed over the last years, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recently announced that cyanotoxins became part of its list of substances to be studied as a precursor to regulatory action between 2018 and 2020. Consequently, the optimization of this cyanobacterium cultivation and toxin purification techniques is needed to decrease the production cost of such high added-value product. In biotechnological industrial scale processes, the costs associated with downstream processing often represent more than 60 % of the overall expenses. The aim of this work is therefore to provide an insight regarding the development of a costeffective process for obtaining high-quality and affordable microcystin-LR by evaluating the efficiency of three different methodologies (microwave, freeze-thaw cycles and bead mill) on the disruption of M. aeruginosa and consequent availability of bioproducts. For that purpose, several parameters including time, power, and temperature were tested. The best conditions determined for each extraction method were the following: i) 1.5 minutes at 800 W (microwave), ii) three 12- hour cycles at -20 ºC (freeze-thaw cycles), and iii) 7 minutes using 20 % (v/v) of glass beads (bead mill). According to cell counting and intracellular organic matter release determining techniques, freeze-thaw cycles have shown to be the best disruption method presenting an overall efficiency around 97 %

Ecology and Geography of Transmission of Two Bat-Borne Rabies Lineages in Chile

Rabies was known to humans as a disease thousands of years ago. In America, insectivorous bats are natural reservoirs of rabies virus. The bat species Tadarida brasiliensis and Lasiurus cinereus, with their respective, host-specific rabies virus variants AgV4 and AgV6, are the principal rabies reservoirs in Chile. However, little is known about the roles of bat species in the ecology and geographic distribution of the virus. This contribution aims to address a series of questions regarding the ecology of rabies transmission in Chile. Analyzing records from 1985–2011 at the Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile (ISP) and using ecological niche modeling, we address these questions to help in understanding rabies-bat ecological dynamics in South America. We found ecological niche identity between both hosts and both viral variants, indicating that niches of all actors in the system are undifferentiated, although the viruses do not necessarily occupy the full geographic distributions of their hosts. Bat species and rabies viruses share similar niches, and our models had significant predictive power even across unsampled regions; results thus suggest that outbreaks may occur under consistent, stable, and predictable circumstances.Universidad Andres Bello supported the PhD scholarship and provided an international internship grant at the University of Kansas for LEE

Fatiga de vigilancia (fatigatio vigilantiae) durante epidemias

Se presenta el concepto de "fatiga de vigilancia" (fatigatio vigilantiae) para describir un escenario epidemiológico en el que es evidente el subreporte de casos durante epidemias abrumadoras. Revisamos epidemias pasadas y encontramos que la fatiga de vigilancia es un patrón común, por lo tanto, puede ser un concepto útil en la epidemiología moderna

The current state of knowledge on imaging informatics: a survey among Spanish radiologists

Medical informatics; Radiology; Surveys and questionnairesInformàtica mèdica; Radiologia; Enquestes i qüestionarisInformática médica; Radiología; Encuestas y cuestionariosBackground There is growing concern about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on radiology and the future of the profession. The aim of this study is to evaluate general knowledge and concerns about trends on imaging informatics among radiologists working in Spain (residents and attending physicians). For this purpose, an online survey among radiologists working in Spain was conducted with questions related to: knowledge about terminology and technologies, need for a regulated academic training on AI and concerns about the implications of the use of these technologies. Results A total of 223 radiologists answered the survey, of whom 76.7% were attending physicians and 23.3% residents. General terms such as AI and algorithm had been heard of or read in at least 75.8% and 57.4% of the cases, respectively, while more specific terms were scarcely known. All the respondents consider that they should pursue academic training in medical informatics and new technologies, and 92.9% of them reckon this preparation should be incorporated in the training program of the specialty. Patient safety was found to be the main concern for 54.2% of the respondents. Job loss was not seen as a peril by 45.7% of the participants. Conclusions Although there is a lack of knowledge about AI among Spanish radiologists, there is a will to explore such topics and a general belief that radiologists should be trained in these matters. Based on the results, a consensus is needed to change the current training curriculum to better prepare future radiologists

Mars Science Helicopter Conceptual Design

Robotic planetary aerial vehicles increase the range of terrain that can be examined, compared to traditional landers and rovers, and have more near-surface capability than orbiters. Aerial mobility is a promising possibility for planetary exploration as it reduces the challenges that difficult obstacles pose to ground vehicles. The first use of a rotorcraft for a planetary mission will be in 2021, when the Mars Helicopter technology demonstrator will be deployed from the Mars 2020 rover. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Ames Research Center are exploring possibilities for a Mars Science Helicopter, a second-generation Mars rotorcraft with the capability of conducting science investigations independently of a lander or rover (although this type of vehicle could also be used assist rovers or landers in future missions). This report describes the conceptual design of Mars Science Helicopters. The design process began with coaxial-helicopter and hexacopter configurations, with a payload in the range of two to three kilograms and an overall vehicle mass of approximately twenty kilograms. Initial estimates of weight and performance were based on the capabilities of the Mars Helicopter. Rotorcraft designs for Mars are constrained by the dimensions of the aeroshell for the trip to the planet, requiring attention to the aircraft packaging in order to maximize the rotor dimensions and hence overall performance potential. Aerodynamic performance optimization was conducted, particularly through airfoils designed specifically for the low Reynolds number and high Mach number inherent in operation on Mars. The final designs show a substantial capability for science operations on Mars: a 31 kg hexacopter that fits within a 2.5 m diameter aeroshell could carry a 5 kg payload for 10 min of hover time or over a range of 5 km

Refinement and standardization of storage procedures for clonal crops. Global Public Goods Phase 2: Part 1. Project landscape and general status of clonal crop in vitro conservation technologies

Among the collective actions of the World Bank-funded Global Public Goods Phase II Project (GPG2), the following collaborative activity: “Refinement and standardization of storage procedures for clonal crops” was given to the CGIAR’s In Vitro Genebanks, represented by the Clonal Crop Task Force (CCTF) composed of genetic resources research staff from the four centres: Bioversity International, CIAT, CIP and IITA. These hold the in trust collections of Musa, cassava, potato, sweetpotato, yam and Andean root and tuber crops (ARTCs). The overarching aims of this activity were to: (1) review the status of vitro conservation in the context of the GPG2 project with an emphasis on the mandated clonal crops; (2) survey the facilities, storage protocols and practices of CGIAR’s clonal crop genebanks; (3) collate and review this information with a view to developing quality and risk management systems to support the production and validation of multi-crop best practice guidelines. Outputs from this activity are designated as a three part ‘trilogy’: Part I, entitled “Project landscape and general status of clonal crop in vitro conservation technologies” introduces the GPG2 project within the CGIAR landscape and overviews the status of in vitro plant conservation in the wider conservation community of practice. This part describes the role of risk and quality management for the effective maintenance of in vitro genebanks in the context of research and the development and validation of best practices

Refinement and standardization of storage procedures for clonal crops. Global Public Goods Phase 2. Part 2: Status of in vitro conservation technologies for: Andean root and tuber crops, cassava, Musa, potato, sweetpotato and yam

Among the collective actions of the World Bank-funded Global Public Goods Phase II Project (GPG2), the following collaborative activity: “Refinement and standardization of storage procedures for clonal crops” was given to the CGIAR’s In Vitro Genebanks, represented by the Clonal Crop Task Force (CCTF) composed of genetic resources research staff from the four centres: Bioversity International, CIAT, CIP and IITA. These hold the in trust collections of Musa, cassava, potato, sweetpotato, yam and Andean root and tuber crops (ARTCs). The overarching aims of this activity were to: (1) review the status of vitro conservation in the context of the GPG2 project with an emphasis on the mandated clonal crops; (2) survey the facilities, storage protocols and practices of CGIAR’s clonal crop genebanks; (3) collate and review this information with a view to developing quality and risk management systems to support the production and validation of multi-crop best practice guidelines. Outputs from this activity are designated as a three part ‘trilogy’: Part II, “Status of in vitro conservation technologies for Andean root and tuber crops, cassava, Musa, potato, sweetpotato and yam” provides a status update on the mandate clonal crops. As tasked by GPG2, it includes lessons learnt, critical point analyses and the priority research needs of CGIAR’s in vitro genebanks

Refinement and standardization of storage procedures for clonal crops. Global Public Goods Phase 2. Part 3: Multi-crop guidelines for developing in vitro conservation best practices for clonal crops

Among the collective actions of the World Bank-funded Global Public Goods Phase II Project (GPG2), the following collaborative activity: “Refinement and standardization of storage procedures for clonal crops” was given to the CGIAR’s In Vitro Genebanks, represented by the Clonal Crop Task Force (CCTF) composed of genetic resources research staff from the four centres: Bioversity International, CIAT, CIP and IITA. These hold the in trust collections of Musa, cassava, potato, sweetpotato, yam and Andean root and tuber crops (ARTCs). The overarching aims of this activity were to: (1) review the status of vitro conservation in the context of the GPG2 project with an emphasis on the mandated clonal crops; (2) survey the facilities, storage protocols and practices of CGIAR’s clonal crop genebanks; (3) collate and review this information with a view to developing quality and risk management systems to support the production and validation of multi-crop best practice guidelines. Outputs from this activity are designated as a three part ‘trilogy’: Part III, “Multi-crop guidelines for developing in vitro conservation best practices for clonal crops” is a compilation of quality and risk management best practices and guidelines from both plant and other bioresources communities. This collective knowledge provided the foundation for developing the GPG2 multi-crop best practice guidelines. They are compiled in two parts. Section I comprises general operational guidelines for quality and risk management in in vitro plant genebanks. Section II provides generic, multi-crop technical guidelines for the medium-term (slow growth) and long-term (cryopreservation) storage of crop germplasm held in In vitro active genebanks (IVAGs) and In vitro base genebanks (IVBGs) respectively