Integral (VOCs, CO2, mercaptans and H2S) photosynthetic biogas upgrading using innovative biogas and digestate supply strategies

Producción CientíficaThe performance of a pilot high rate algal pond (HRAP) interconnected with a biogas absorption column during the simultaneous upgrading of biogas and treatment of digestate was evaluated under two innovative biogas and nutrient supply strategies. Process operation with biogas supply during the night at a liquid recirculation/biogas ratio of 0.5 to prevent N2 and O2 stripping resulted in a biomethane complying with most international regulations for injection into natural gas grids (99.1 ± 1% CH4, 0.5 ± 0.2% CO2, 0.6 ± 0.5% N2 and 0.07 ± 0.08% O2). The potential of this technology to remove methyl mercaptan (MeSH), toluene and hexane from biogas (typically present at trace levels) was assessed, for the first time, with removal efficiencies under steady-state correlating with pollutant hydrophobicity (7 ± 7% for hexane, 66 ± 4% for MeSH and 98 ± 1% for toluene). Finally, the supply of digestate during the dark period shifted both microalgae population structure and biomass composition in the HRAP without a significant impact on biomethane quality. Overall, the removal of nitrogen and phosphorous from digestate in the HRAP was almost complete (96–99%) regardless of the nutrient supply strategy.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - FEDER (Proyect CTM2015-70442-R and Red Novedar)Junta de Castilla y León (UIC71)Mexican Secretary of Marine (SEMAR-Conacyt 207151) and Fondo Sectorial CONACyT-SENER, CEMIE-Bio project No. 24700

Analysis of the Perceived Thermal Comfort in a Portuguese Secondary School: Methodology and Results

This paper presents a methodology to assess the thermal environment in non-university classrooms, using the example of the results obtained from a multipurpose classroom of a Portuguese secondary school during a week of November. According to the defined protocol, both hygrothermal parameter values and thermal assessments were obtained and used for the calculation of both static and adaptive thermal comfort indicators, including Matias’ Portuguese adaptive comfort indicator. Occupants perceived a neutral thermal environment (Thermal Sensation Vote, TSV, of -0.03), while their thermal preference was a warmer environment (Thermal Preference Vote, TPV, of +0.64). Female occupants tended to demand a warmer environment during this study, despite their thermal perception was similar to male occupants. Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) was lower than TSV in 0.35 points, so it underestimates occupants’ real thermal perception. When occupants’ acceptance vote are compared with Adaptive indicators, Matias’ obtains similar acceptance values (80 %) than the occupants’ assessments (85 %), while ASHRAE indicator shows lower values (27 %). In conclusion, the exposed methodology allows to characterise the thermal comfort level of Iberian non-university classrooms, so further investigation is required

Diseño de un modelo de negocio para la comercialización de taxis cero kilómetro a gas natural vehicular : una propuesta para la masificación del gas natural en Colombia /

Se presenta un modelo de negocio innovador para comercializar taxis cero kilómetro a bicombustible (gasolina y GNV1 ), con garantía de las marcas, en el mercado Colombiano. El proyecto ofrecerá al cliente final un taxi cero kilómetro; a bicombustible, al mismo costo que el taxi sólo a gasolina, con garantía de las marcas. Permitirá aprovechar las ventajas comparativas que el país posee dadas sus abundantes reservas de gas natural: 4,7 terapies cúbicos de gas de reservas probadas, suficientes para abastecer al país hasta el año 2052. Para hacer realidad este proyecto se hace necesario establecer una alianza estratégica entre todos los actores de la cadena de suministro de GNV: productores de Gas Natural , transportadores de Gas Natural, distribuidores de Gas Natural, propietarios de estaciones de servicio de Gas Natural Vehícular GNV; sumado a la cadena de comercialización de taxis, y el Gobierno Nacional. Cada uno de estos actores debe contribuir a financiar el proyecto y realizar actividades de la cadena de valor. Es necesario un actor líder. Para productores; transportadores, distribuidores, propietarios de estaciones de servicio, de GNV, este proyecto les permitirá obtener ventas marginales durante 5 años, estimadas de 1.098.000.000M3, que se traducen en ingresos estimados en 1.8 billones de pesos en 5 años solamente a las Estaciones de servicio de GNV.Incluye bibliografía, anexo

Prevalence of anti-sperm antibodies, risk factors associated and their impact on spermatobioscopy in infertile men

Background: The first immunological correlation with male infertility was reported in 1954 by Wilson and Rumke with the identification of anti-sperm antibodies. The prevalence of anti-sperm antibodies in infertile men varies from 9%-36%, the main cause being the loss of the blood-testicular barrier and otherwise the association with chronic inflammation. It has been shown that immune infertility is found in 15% of patients with varicocele.Methods: A transversal comparative study was carried out with 360 infertile men who were tested for anti-sperm antibodies between January 2011 and July 2018. Two groups were integrated; Group 1, infertile men with positive anti-sperm antibodies >50%, group 2, infertile men with negative anti-sperm <50%. Seminogram parameters were evaluated according to the WHO 5th edition and associated risk factors with anti-sperm antibodies.Results: 360 infertile men were evaluated during the study, 42 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, the prevalence of anti-sperm antibodies was 14.5%. Group 1; n=46 (14.5%) and group 2, n=272 (85.5%), the clinical characteristics and the hormonal profile were compared at study admission without significant difference. There was a significant decrease in progressive motility in group 1 (38.7±23.8) vs group 2 (50.1±18.9) p=0.03. Analyzing the risk factors, varicocele was found to be significant 23.7%, OR 2.14 (1.27-3.61) p=0.004 as well as retractable testicle 26.4%, OR 2.13 (1.23-3.70) p= 0.008.Conclusions: The affectation of motility was confirmed, which leads to the suspect varicocele and retractable testicle as risk factors

Effects of the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor nimesulide on cerebral infarction and neurological deficits induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor nimesulide has a remarkable protective effect against different types of brain injury including ischemia. Since there are no reports on the effects of nimesulide on permanent ischemic stroke and because most cases of human stroke are caused by permanent occlusion of cerebral arteries, the present study was conducted to assess the neuroprotective efficacy of nimesulide on the cerebral infarction and neurological deficits induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) in the rat. METHODS: Ischemia was induced by permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in rats, via surgical insertion of a nylon filament into the internal carotid artery. Infarct volumes (cortical, subcortical and total) and functional recovery, assessed by neurological score evaluation and rotarod performance test, were performed 24 h after pMCAO. In initial experiments, different doses of nimesulide (3, 6 and 12 mg/kg; i.p) or vehicle were administered 30 min before pMCAO and again at 6, 12 and 18 h after stroke. In later experiments we investigated the therapeutic time window of protection of nimesulide by delaying its first administration 0.5–4 h after the ischemic insult. RESULTS: Repeated treatments with nimesulide dose-dependently reduced cortical, subcortical and total infarct volumes as well as the neurological deficits and motor impairment resulting from permanent ischemic stroke, but only the administration of the highest dose (12 mg/kg) was able to significantly (P < 0.01) diminish infarct volume. The lower doses failed to significantly reduce infarction but showed a beneficial effect on neurological function. Nimesulide (12 mg/kg) not only reduced infarct volume but also enhanced functional recovery when the first treatment was given up to 2 h after stroke. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that nimesulide protects against permanent focal cerebral ischemia, even with a 2 h post-treatment delay. These findings have important implications for the therapeutic potential of using COX-2 inhibitors in the treatment of stroke

Distribution of Six Polymorphisms in Two Communities with a Historical High Incidence of Diabetes and Obesity in Yucatan, Mexico

Aims: Maya ancestry populations from Yucatan have exhibited a high prevalence of diabetes and obesity; consequently, the aim of this study was to determine the allelic and genotype frequencies of six polymorphisms associated with diabetes and obesity in two Maya populations. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN; Laboratorios de Genética y Hematología, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales “Dr. Hideyo Noguchi”, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán between September 2014 and March 2016. Methodology: Healthy individuals with Maya ancestry were recruited in small rural and urban communities from Yucatan. Six polymorphisms present in five genes (PPARGC1A, NRF1, SLC30A8, ADRA2A and UCP3) were genotyped using TaqMan assays. Linkage disequilibrium analysis was performed for rs13266634 and rs11558471 (SLC30A8). Results: The observed frequencies in the small rural community (SRC) and Merida were in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. Frequencies of five polymorphisms (rs8192678, rs1882095, rs13266634, rs11558471 and rs3781907) correlated with 1000 genomes project data, furthermore, statistical analysis did not reveal a significant difference between genotype frequencies of the SRC and Merida populations. Contrary, frequencies from Mexicans living in Los Angeles compared with frequencies obtained in Yucatan (SRC and Merida) indicated significant difference on genotype frequencies in the ADRA2A gene (P-value= .017). The polymorphisms rs13266634 and rs11558471 in the SLC30A8 gene displayed strong linkage disequilibrium (D’= 0.96), displaying frequencies of 0.725, 0.255, and 0.015 for haplotypes C-A, T-G, and C-G respectively. Conclusion: Distribution of A allele in rs553668 (ADRA2A) in the Yucatan populations was higher than the frequency reported for Mexicans from LA, Americans, Europeans, and Africans. This finding could be related to blood pressure levels in the Maya populations. Additionally, a high frequency of C-A haplotype (rs13266634 and rs11558471) in the SLC30A8 gene could be associated with an increased risk of diabetes and obesity in these populations

Kritica 1.0: contenidos, encuadres y discursos en los medios de comunicación

PublishedEste libro debe servir de apoyo a la investigación que deseamos consolidar en nuestros estudiantes. Por esto mostramos, diferentes miradas de investigadores de dedicación exclusiva que vienen reflexionando sobre las posibilidades del análisis de contenido en los medios de comunicación más cerca de lo cuantitativo que parte de la tradición del empirismo sociológico norteamericano, el análisis de los discursos desde la filosofía y una postura crítica a los estudios críticos europeos y finalmente, a ver la importancia de los enfoques desde la teoría de la Agenda Setting y el Framing mostrando la riqueza de estos modelos para la investigación de los procesos comunicativos

Análisis de la integridad del sellado en viales utilizados en empresas biotecnológicas

The research objective was to characterize the seal integrity of vials used for pharmaceutical products as a basis for an operational reliability analysis. The vial/stopper/seal height measuring method, experimental methods and expert evaluations were used. The main result was the technical characterization of the vial capping process, as well as the determination of its working parameters and ranges.El objetivo de la investigación fue caracterizar la integridad del sellado de los viales para productos El objetivo de la investigación fue caracterizar la integridad del sellado de los viales para productos farmacéuticos, como base de un análisis de confiabilidad operacional. Se utilizó el método de medición de la altura del conjunto vial/tapón/sello, métodos experimentales y análisis de expertos. El principal resultado consistió en la caracterización técnica del retape, así como el establecimiento de sus rangos y parámetros de trabajo

Equilibrium and kinetics studies on bibrachial lariat aza-crown/Cu(II) systems reveal different behavior associated with small changes in the structure

The high-yield synthesis of a new bibrachial lariat azacrown constituted by two tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (tren) units functionalized in one of its arms with a 4-methylquinoline group linked by dimethylene pyridine spacers (L2) is reported for the first time. The speciation studies show formation of mono- and binuclear Cu2+ complexes of similar stability. Comparisons are established with the complexes formed by the precursor tren-quinoline derivative (L4) and with the previously reported ligands containing naphthalene instead of quinoline as the fluorophore (L1, L3). The kinetics of formation and decomposition of Cu2+ complexes with L1 and L2 has been studied. For L1, the acid-promoted decomposition of mono and dinuclear complexes occurs in all cases with a rapid step within the stopped-flow mixing time that leads to the formation of an intermediate that decomposes in two additional steps. In the dinuclear complexes, both metal ions dissociate from the ligand with statistically-controlled kinetics. Complex formation with L1 occurs through the same intermediate observed during the decomposition. For L2, only the formation and decomposition of binuclear complexes could be studied, and the kinetic data show that the metal ion can coordinate both in square pyramidal sp and trigonal bipyramidal (tbp) geometries, coordination being faster in the sp environment and dissociation being faster from tbp. DFT and TD-DFT have been also carried out to determine the geometries with both coordination environments as well as their electronic spectra. The results of calculations indicate that the appearance or not of a mixture of coordination geometries does not necessarily require the participation of the quinoline ring

Radial distribution of dust properties in nearby galaxies

We present a detailed analysis of the radial distribution of dust properties (extinction, PAH abundance and dust-to-gas ratio) in 57 galaxies in the SINGS sample, performed on a multi-wavelength set of UV, IR and radio surface brightness profiles, combined with published molecular gas profiles and metallicity gradients