Applications of Direct Injection Soft Chemical Ionisation-Mass Spectrometry for the Detection of Pre-blast Smokeless Powder Organic Additives

Analysis of smokeless powders is of interest from forensics and security perspectives. This article reports the detection of smokeless powder organic additives (in their pre-detonation condition), namely the stabiliser diphenylamine and its derivatives 2-nitrodiphenylamine and 4-nitrodiphenylamine, and the additives (used both as stabilisers and plasticisers) methyl centralite and ethyl centralite, by means of swab sampling followed by thermal desorption and direct injection soft chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry. Investigations on the product ions resulting from the reactions of the reagent ions H3O+ and O2+ with additives as a function of reduced electric field are reported. The method was comprehensively evaluated in terms of linearity, sensitivity and precision. For H3O+, the limits of detection (LoD) are in the range of 41-88 pg of additive, for which the accuracy varied between 1.5 and 3.2%, precision varied between 3.7 and 7.3% and linearity showed R20.9991. For O2+, LoD are in the range of 72 to 1.4 ng, with an accuracy of between 2.8 and 4.9% and a precision between 4.5 and 8.6% and R20.9914. The validated methodology was applied to the analysis of commercial pre-blast gun powders from different manufacturers.(VLID)4826148Accepted versio

Efficacy of Anakinra in Refractory Adult-Onset Still's Disease: Multicenter Study of 41 Patients and Literature Review

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is often refractory to standard therapy. Anakinra (ANK), an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, has demonstrated efficacy in single cases and small series of AOSD. We assessed the efficacy of ANK in a series of AOSD patients. Multicenter retrospective open-label study. ANK was used due to lack of efficacy to standard synthetic immunosuppressive drugs and in some cases also to at least 1 biologic agent. Forty-one patients (26 women/15 men) were recruited. They had a mean age of 34.4 ± 14 years and a median [interquartile range (IQR)] AOSD duration of 3.5 [2-6] years before ANK onset. At that time the most common clinical features were joint manifestations 87.8%, fever 78%, and cutaneous rash 58.5%. ANK yielded rapid and maintained clinical and laboratory improvement. After 1 year of therapy, the frequency of joint and cutaneous manifestations had decreased to 41.5% and to 7.3% respectively, fever from 78% to 14.6%, anemia from 56.1% to 9.8%, and lymphadenopathy from 26.8% to 4.9%. A dramatic improvement of laboratory parameters was also achieved. The median [IQR] prednisone dose was also reduced from 20 [11.3-47.5] mg/day at ANK onset to 5 [0-10] at 12 months. After a median [IQR] follow-up of 16 [5-50] months, the most important side effects were cutaneous manifestations (n = 8), mild leukopenia (n = 3), myopathy (n = 1), and infections (n = 5). ANK is associated with rapid and maintained clinical and laboratory improvement, even in nonresponders to other biologic agents. However, joint manifestations are more refractory than the systemic manifestations

Conocimientos y habilidades sobre lactancia materna, 2006

An intervention study was made to 30 pregnant women from 10 doctor´s office from polyclinic Jimmy Hirtzel, Bayamo municipality, Granma province to determine knowledge and abilities about breastfeeding before, and after of applying an educative program. A survey was applied with different variables: age, intelectual level and occupation. It was evaluated knowledge and abilities using a written exam, then there was applied an educative program created for this purpose and finally a verifying exam. There were used as measures absolute numbers and per cent, together with chi squared to related samples with a significance level of α = 0.05. Before the application of the program prevailed pregnant women evaluated with bad qualification in 53.3% in the group from 20 to 34 years old. After the intervention all pregnant women (100%) had acquired good Knowledge and abilities. All pregnant women received information from their own physician during pregnancy.Se realizó un estudio de intervención a 30 embarazadas de 10 consultorios médicos del Policlínico “Jimmy Hirtzel”, con el objetivo de determinar los conocimientos y habilidades sobre lactancia materna de las mismas, antes y después de aplicado un programa educativo. Se les llenó un cuestionario donde se recogieron las variables: edad, nivel intelectual y ocupación; se les evaluó sus conocimientos y habilidades sobre lactancia materna a través de un examen escrito; luego se les aplicó un programa educativo elaborado al efecto, y finalmente, un examen comprobatorio de los conocimientos y habilidades adquiridos. Se utilizaron como medidas de resumen los números absolutos y por ciento y se analizaron las pruebas de Chi Cuadrado para muestras relacionadas con un nivel de significación (α = 0.05). Se concluyó que antes de aplicar el programa educativo predominaron las embarazadas evaluadas de mal en un 53.3%; las del grupo de 20 a 34 años. Después de la intervención, el 100% había adquirido buenos conocimientos y habilidades. Las 30 embarazadas recibieron la mayor información de su médico de familia, durante el embarazo

Proyecto de gestión de redes en BioCen

BioCen is a scientific institution made up of several production units that are dedicated to different lines in the Cuban biotechnology and pharmaceutical universe. To guarantee the security and management of the information generated in the institution, and to reduce the impact of IT risk, it has a set of tools, procedures and strategies, collected in a network management project that is updated every year. The project includes everything related to the configuration, structure, control and monitoring, both of the data network, the process network, and the Wi-Fi network; in addition to the organization of services, servers, and the systems that comprise them. This paper presents the management tools used in BioCen for the control and monitoring of the services provided on the network, its internal and external traffic; as well as the detection of incidents. Examples of monitoring and control are shown with the management tools that are applied in some functional areas, as well as the design of the local BioCen network. Finally, the tests carried out on the network system, internal audits, statistical analysis of services and response to incidents are addressed.BioCen es una institución científica integrada por varias unidades productivas que se dedican a diferentes líneas en el universo biotecnológico y farmacéutico cubano. Para garantizar la seguridad y gestión de la información que se genera en la institución y minimizar el impacto de los riesgos asociados a fallas en la infraestructura, se cuenta con un conjunto de herramientas, procedimientos y estrategias, recogidas en un proyecto de gestión de redes que se actualiza todos los años. El proyecto recoge lo relacionado a la configuración, estructura, control y monitoreo, tanto de la red de datos, la de proceso, como de la wifi; además de la organización de los servicios, servidores, y los sistemas que los conforman. En este trabajo se presentan las herramientas de gestión utilizadas en BioCen para el control y monitoreo de los servicios que se prestan en la red, el tráfico interno y externo de la misma; así como la detección de incidentes. Se muestran ejemplos de monitoreo y control con las herramientas de gestión que se aplican en algunas áreas funcionales, así como el diseño de la red local de BioCen. Finalmente se abordan las pruebas realizadas al sistema de red, las auditorías internas, el análisis estadístico de los servicios y la respuesta a incidentes

A relict oasis of living deep-sea mussels Bathymodiolus and microbial-mediated seep carbonates at newly-discovered active cold seeps in the Gulf of Cádiz, NE Atlantic Ocean

Extensive beds of the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus mauritanicus (currently also known as Gigantidas mauritanicus) linked to active cold seeps related to fissure-like activity on Al Gacel mud volcano, Gulf of Cádiz, were filmed and sampled for the first time during the oceanographic expedition SUBVENT-2 aboard R/V Sarmiento de Gamboa. Al Gacel mud volcano is one of up to 80 fluid venting submarine structures (mud volcanoes and mud volcano/diapir complexes) identified in the Gulf of Cádiz as result of explosive venting of hydrocarbon-enriched fluids sourced from deep seated reservoirs. This mud volcano is a cone-shaped edifice, 107 m high, 944 m in diameter constituted by mud breccias and, partially covered by pavements of seep carbonates. Extensive beds of this deep-sea mussel were detected at the northern flank at 810–815 m water depth associated with bacterial mats around intermittent buoyant vertical bubble methane plumes. High methane concentrations were measured in the water column above living mussel beds. Other chemosymbiotic species (Siboglinum sp., Solemya elarraichensis, Isorropodon sp., Thyasira vulcolutre and Lucinoma asapheus) were also found in different parts of Al Gacel mud volcano. Al Gacel mud volcano may currently represent one of the most active mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Cádiz, delivering significant amounts of thermogenic hydrocarbon fluids which contribute to foster the extensive chemosynthesis-based communities detected. This finding is of paramount importance for linking extremophile bivalve populations along the North Atlantic, including cold seeps of the Gulf of México, hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and now, detailed documented at the Gulf of Cádiz.Versión del edito

Small-scale solar magnetic fields

As we resolve ever smaller structures in the solar atmosphere, it has become clear that magnetism is an important component of those small structures. Small-scale magnetism holds the key to many poorly understood facets of solar magnetism on all scales, such as the existence of a local dynamo, chromospheric heating, and flux emergence, to name a few. Here, we review our knowledge of small-scale photospheric fields, with particular emphasis on quiet-sun field, and discuss the implications of several results obtained recently using new instruments, as well as future prospects in this field of research.Comment: 43 pages, 18 figure

Medium effects in proton-induced K0K^{0} production at 3.5 GeV

We present the analysis of the inclusive $K^{0}$ production in p+p and p+Nb collisions measured with the HADES detector at a beam kinetic energy of 3.5 GeV. Data are compared to the GiBUU transport model. The data suggest the presence of a repulsive momentum-dependent kaon potential as predicted by the Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT). For the kaon at rest and at normal nuclear density, the ChPT potential amounts to $\approx 35$ MeV. A detailed tuning of the kaon production cross sections implemented in the model has been carried out to reproduce the experimental data measured in p+p collisions. The uncertainties in the parameters of the model were examined with respect to the sensitivity of the experimental results from p+Nb collisions to the in-medium kaon potential.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure