1,696 research outputs found

    Mexico’s National Anti-Corruption System: Reaching the Finish Line?

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    Structured Deformations of Continua: Theory and Applications

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    The scope of this contribution is to present an overview of the theory of structured deformations of continua, together with some applications. Structured deformations aim at being a unified theory in which elastic and plastic behaviours, as well as fractures and defects can be described in a single setting. Since its introduction in the scientific community of rational mechanicists (Del Piero-Owen, ARMA 1993), the theory has been put in the framework of variational calculus (Choksi-Fonseca, ARMA 1997), thus allowing for solution of problems via energy minimization. Some background, three problems and a discussion on future directions are presented.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 1 diagram. Submitted to the Proceedings volume of the conference CoMFoS1

    Norbornene-chitosan spray-dried microspheres for peptide conjugation using thiol-ene “photoclick” chemistry

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    This work was financed by Portuguese funds through FCT/MCTES (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação) in the framework of the projects 2022.06048.PTDC (i3S), UIDB/50006/2020 (LAQV-REQUIMTE), LA/P/0045/2020 (ALiCE) and UIDB/00511/2020 (LEPABE). P.A. (SFRH/BD/145471/2019) and D.F. (SFRH/ BD/146890/2019) doctoral grants, were financially supported by national (FCT/Norte 2020 Framework) and European Union (ESF – European Social Fund) funds. B.E. acknowledges FCT for the contract based on the “Lei do Emprego Científico” (DL 57/2016). Maria Cristina L. Martins also acknowledges FCT (LA/P/0070/2020), project Bio2Skin Advanced (2021-24):NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-047225; and MOBILIsE Project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 951723.The action of bioactive peptides, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMP), in the human body is often compromised by limited residence time and stability in the target site. Bioconjugation of peptides to biomaterial surfaces is one of the strategies that may overcome these limitations. Herein, norbornene-chitosan (NorChit) microspheres were engineered to react with thiolated peptides by thiolene “photoclick” chemistry. NorChit microspheres were produced by spray drying and crosslinked with dithiothreitol (DTT) to prevent their solubilization. Microspheres with a diameter of 5 ± 2 µm showed round and smooth morphology with pockets over the surface that could be related with hydrophobic interactions between internal norbornene groups. Thiol-ene bioconjugation carried out using a fluorescent model peptide, showed a yield of 45%, whereas using the peptide but without UV exposure indicated a maximum of peptide adsorption of 30%. Altogether, NorChit microspheres show the potential for carrying bioactive peptides, which may open avenues for AMP activity onto harsh environments in the bod

    Las precauciones estándares para el desempeño del médico general.

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    Threats And Opportunities For High Speed Rail Transport In Competition With The Low-Cost Air Operators

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    The apparition of Low Cost air Carriers (LCC) in Europe over the last decade has been a direct effect of the liberalisation of European Skies. However, its rapid growth wasn’t anticipated for most of the traditional European transport operators. Although traditional air carriers (or Full Cost Airlines, FCC) have been seen as the main receptors of the impact of this change, the expansion of LCC from their traditional market in and from the United Kingdom and Ireland to the continental Europe threats the rail marketshare in high speed services. High speed rail in Europe has proved to be a powerful competitor against the plane for travel times up to 3 and a half hour (i. e. distances up to 750 km). One of the main weapons of high speed rail against the air competitors has been the fares policy which was much lower than the average air rates. This situation has been changed by the LCC offering average fares even lower than the rail ones. One clear example of this new situation is the Paris – Köln relation, served by Thalys high-speed rail services and the LCC “Germanwings” offering better times and lower fares. This paper analyses this concurrence scenario, at present and in the future. A Logit model for the modal air/rail distribution has been calibrated showing the capacity of LCC to compete with high speed rail just with a Low-fare policy. It also shows the variable elasticity of average travellers on the fare rate depending on travel time. The need of high speed rail to act in order to keep its marketshare is showed together with the inevitable impact of the LCC in its market. Also it is showed its capacity to compete in fares, offering lower fares with high restrictions (as LCC do), and in time, offering best door-todoor times and a far more “quality” travel time. These may be its more effective countermeasures in order to not only maintain but increase its marketshare offering a competitive and sustainable alternative to air transport.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

    Effect of salinity on the biosynthesis of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in silverside Chirostoma estor

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    The genus Chirostoma (silversides) belongs to the family Atherinopsidae, which contains around 150 species, most of which are marine. However, Mexican silverside (Chirostoma estor) is one of the few representatives of freshwater atherinopsids and is only found in some lakes of the Mexican Central Plateau. However, studies have shown that C. estor has improved survival, growth and development when cultured in water conditions with increased salinity. In addition, C. estor displays an unusual fatty acid composition for a freshwater fish with high docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) : eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratios. Freshwater and marine fish species display very different essential fatty acid metabolism and requirements and so the present study investigated long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) biosynthesis to determine the capacity of C. estor for endogenous production of EPA and DHA, and the effect that salinity has on these pathways. Briefly, C. estor were maintained at three salinities (0, 5 and 15 ppt) and the metabolism of 14C-labelled 18:3n-3 determined in isolated hepatocyte and enterocyte cells. The results showed that C. estor has the capacity for endogenous biosynthesis of LC-PUFA from 18-carbon fatty acid precursors, but that the pathway was essentially only active in saline conditions with virtually no activity in cells isolated from fish grown in freshwater. The activity of the LCPUFA biosynthesis pathway was also higher in cells isolated from fish at 15 ppt compared to fish at 5 ppt, The pathway was around 5-fold higher in hepatocytes compared to enterocytes, although the majority of 18:3n-3 was converted to 18:4n-3 and 20:4n-3 in hepatocytes whereas the proportions of 18:3n-3 converted to EPA and DHA were higher in enterocytes. The data were consistent with the hypothesis that conversion of EPA to DHA could contribute, at least in part, to the generally high DHA:EPA ratios observed in the tissue lipids of C. estor

    Nutritional and environmental regulation of the synthesis of highly unsaturated fatty acids and of fatty-acid oxidation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) enterocytes and hepatocytes

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    The aim was to determine if highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) synthesis and fatty acid oxidation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) intestine was under environmental and/or seasonal regulation. Triplicate groups of salmon were grown through a full two-year cycle on two diets containing either fish oil (FO), or a diet with 75% of the FO replaced by a vegetable oil (VO) blend containing rapeseed, palm and linseed oils. At key points in the life cycle, fatty acyl desaturation/elongation (HUFA synthesis) and oxidation activities were determined in enterocytes and hepatocytes using [1-14C]18:3n-3 as substrate. As observed previously, HUFA synthesis in hepatocytes showed peak activity at seawater transfer and declined thereafter, with activity consistently greater in fish fed the VO diet. In fish fed FO, HUFA synthesis in enterocytes in the freshwater stage was at a similar level to that in hepatocytes. However, HUFA synthesis in enterocytes increased rapidly after seawater transfer and remained high for some months after transfer before decreasing to levels that were again similar to those observed in hepatocytes. Generally, enterocyte HUFA synthesis was higher in fish fed the VO diet compared to the FO diet. Oxidation of [1-14C]18:3n-3 in hepatocytes from fish fed FO tended to decrease during the freshwater phase but then increased steeply, peaking just after transfer before decreasing during the remaining seawater phase. At the peak in oxidation activity around seawater transfer, activity was significantly lower in fish fed VO compared to fish fed FO. In enterocytes, oxidation of [1-14C]18:3 in fish fed FO showed a peak in activity just prior to seawater transfer. In fish fed VO, other than high activity at 9 months, the pattern was similar to that obtained in enterocytes from fish fed FO with a high activity around seawater transfer and declining activity in seawater. In conclusion, fatty acid metabolism in intestinal cells appeared to be under dual nutritional and environmental or seasonal regulation. The temporal patterns for fatty acid oxidation were generally similar in the two cell types, but HUFA synthesis in enterocytes peaked over the summer seawater phase rather than at transfer, as with hepatocytes, suggesting possibly different regulatory cues

    Strong CD4 T cell responses to Zika virus antigens in a cohort of Dengue virus immune mothers of congenital Zika virus syndrome infants

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    Background: There is an urgent need to understand the complex relationship between cross-reactive anti-viral immunity, disease susceptibility, and severity in the face of differential exposure to related, circulating Flaviviruses. Co-exposure to Dengue virus and Zika virus in Brazil is a case in point. A devastating aspect of the 2015-2016 South American Zika outbreak was the dramatic increase in numbers of infants born with microcephaly to mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy. It has been proposed that this is more likely to ensue from Zika infection in women lacking cross-protective Dengue immunity. In this case series we measure the prevalence of Dengue immunity in a cohort of mothers exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy in the 2015-2016 Zika outbreak that gave birth to an infant affected by microcephaly and explore their adaptive immunity to Zika virus. Results: Fifty women from Sergipe, Brazil who gave birth to infants with microcephaly following Zika virus exposure during the 2015-16 outbreak were tested for serological evidence of Dengue exposure and IFNγ ELISpot spot forming cell (SFC) response to Zika virus. The majority (46/50) demonstrated Dengue immunity. IFNγ ELISpot responses to Zika virus antigens showed the following hierarchy: Env>NS1>NS3>C protein. Twenty T cell epitopes from Zika virus Env were identified. Responses to Zika virus antigens Env and NS1 were polyfunctional with cells making IFNγ, TNFα, IL-4, IL-13, and IL-10. In contrast, responses to NS5 only produced the immune regulatory TGFβ1 cytokine. There were SFC responses against Zika virus Env (1-20) and variant peptide sequences from West Nile virus, Dengue virus 1-4 and Yellow Fever virus. Conclusion: Almost all the women in our study showed serological evidence of Dengue immunity, suggesting that microcephaly can occur in DENV immune mothers. T cell immunity to Zika virus showed a multifunctional response to the antigens Env and NS1 and immune regulatory responses to NS5 and C protein. Our data support an argument that different viral products may skew the antiviral response to a more pro or anti-inflammatory outcome, with an associated impact on immunopathogenesis
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