Physically-sound simulation of low-velocity impact on fiber reinforced laminates

A high-fidelity virtual tool for the numerical simulation of low-velocity impact damage in unidirectional composite laminates is proposed. A continuum material model for the simulation of intraply damage phenomena is implemented in a numerical scheme as a user subroutine of the commercially available Abaqus finite element package. Delaminations are simulated using of cohesive surfaces. The use of structured meshes, aligned with fiber directions allows the physically-sound simulation of matrix cracks parallel to fiber directions, and their interaction with the development of delaminations. The implementation of element erosion criteria and the application of intraply and interlaminar friction allow for the simulation of fiber splits and their entanglement, which in turn results in permanent indentation in the impacted laminate. It is shown that this simulation strategy gives sound results for impact energies bellow and above the Barely Visible Impact Damage threshold, up to laminate perforation condition

Inducible model for β-six-mediated site-specific recombination in mammalian cells

The prokaryotic β recombinase catalyzes site-specific recombination between two directly oriented minimal six sites in chromatin-integrated substrates. Here, we demonstrate that an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-fused version of β recombinase (β-EGFP) is fully active, retaining most specific activity. It is used to develop a recombination-dependent activatable gene expression (RAGE) system based on the androgen receptor (AR) ligand-binding domain (LBD). Two hybrid molecules, a direct fusion of the LBD-AR to the C-terminus of β recombinase (β-AR) and a triple fusion of β-EGFP to the same ligand-binding domain (β-EGFP-AR), were engineered and their subcellular behavior, stability and catalytic activity were evaluated. Both chimeric β recombinase proteins showed in vivo inducible recombinogenic activity dependent on addition of an androgen receptor agonist, although the β-AR fusion protein demonstrated more accurate ligand-dependent translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus

Larval Development in Tropical Gar (Atractosteus tropicus) Is Dependent on the Embryonic Thermal Regime: Ecological Implications under a Climate Change Context

In ectotherm species, environmental temperature plays a key role in development, growth, and survival. Thus, determining how temperature affects fish populations is of utmost importance to accurately predict the risk of climate change over fisheries and aquaculture, critical to warrant nutrition and food security in the coming years. Here, the potential effects of abnormal thermal regimes (24, 28 and 32 C; TR24, TR28, and TR32, respectively) exclusively applied during embryogenesis in tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) has been explored to decipher the potential consequences on hatching and growth from fertilization to 16 days post-fertilization (dpf), while effects on skeletal development and body morphology were explored at fertilization and 16 dpf. Egg incubation at higher temperatures induced an early hatching and mouth opening. A higher hatching rate was obtained in eggs incubated at 28 C when compared to those at 24 C. No differences were found in fish survival at 16 dpf, with values ranging from 84.89 to 88.86%, but increased wet body weight and standard length were found in larvae from TR24 and TR32 groups. Thermal regime during embryogenesis also altered the rate at which the skeletal development occurs. Larvae from the TR32 group showed an advanced skeletal development, with a higher development of cartilaginous structures at hatching but reduced at 16 dpf when compared with the TR24 and TR28 groups. Furthermore, this advanced skeletal development seemed to determine the fish body morphology. Based on biometric measures, a principal component analysis showed how along development, larvae from each thermal regime were clustered together, but with each population remaining clearly separated from each other. The current study shows how changes in temperature may induce craniofacial and morphological alterations in fish during early stages and contribute to understanding the possible effects of global warming in early development of fish and its ecological implications.Versión del edito

Eficàcia i seguretat d’un tractament oral a base de mucopolisacàrids, col·lagen tipus I i vitamina C en pacients amb tendinopaties

Introducció i objectius La tendinopatia és una lesió freqüent durant la pràctica esportiva que es manifesta amb una alteració estructural del tendó. L’objectiu d’aquest estudi fou avaluar l’eficàcia i la seguretat d’un complement alimentari a base de mucopolisacàrids, col·lagen tipus i i vitamina C (Tendoactive®) sobre l’evolució clínica i estructural de les tendinopaties del tendó d’Aquil·les, del rotular i de l’epicòndil lateral del colze. Material i mètodes Es realitzà un estudi multicèntric prospectiu, de tipus exploratori en fase iv, obert i no comparatiu. S’inclogueren un total de 98 pacients amb tendinopaties (32 d’Aquil·les, 32 de rotular i 34 de l’epicòndil lateral) que reberen una dosi diària de 435 mg de mucopolisacàrids, 75 mg de col·lagen tipus i i 60 mg de vitamina C (equivalent a 3 càpsules al dia de Tendoactive®) durant 90 dies consecutius. Mensualment s’avaluà el dolor en repòs i en activitat mitjançant una escala visual analògica (EVA), la funció articular mitjançant els qüestionaris VISA-A, VISA-P i PRTEE, i el tendó afectat es caracteritzà ecogràficament. Resultats En els 3 tipus de tendinopatia es registrà una reducció significativa del dolor, tant en repòs com en activitat, des de la primera visita de control (dia 30) fins al final de l’estudi (dia 90). Així mateix, el dia 90 es detectà una millora del 38% en VISA-A, del 46% en VISA-P i del 77% en PRTEE (p < 0,001). Simultàniament es registrà una reducció del 12% en el gruix del tendó d’Aquil·les, del 10% en el rotular i del 20% en el tendó de l’epicòndil lateral (p < 0,05). Conclusions Els resultats de l’estudi indiquen que l’administració de Tendoactive® és segura i eficaç per millorar els símptomes clínics i l’evolució estructural de les tendinopaties del tendó d’Aquil·les, del tendó rotular i del tendó de l’epicòndil lateral

The efficacy and safety of oral mucopolysaccharide, type I collagen and vitamin C treatment in tendinopathy patients

Introduction and objectives Tendinopathy, which is accompanied by structural changes to the tendon, is a common sporting injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a nutritional supplement containing mucopolysaccharides, type I collagen and vitamin C (TendoactiveTM) on the clinical and structural evolution of tendinopathies of the Achilles tendon, patellar tendon and lateral epicondyle tendon in the elbow. Materials and methods A multicenter, open-label, non-comparative, prospective, exploratory phase iv study was performed. A total of 98 tendinopathy patients (32 Achilles, 32 patellar and 34 lateral epicondylar), who received a daily dose of 435 mg mucopolysaccharides, 75 mg type i collagen and 60 mg vitamin C (equivalent to three capsules of TendoactiveTM per day) for 90 consecutive days, were included. Every month, pain at rest and when active was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS), joint function was assessed using the VISA-A, VISA-P and PRTEE questionnaires, and the tendon affected was characterized by ultrasound. Results A significant reduction in pain both at rest and when active was observed between the first control visit (day 30) and the end of the study (day 90) for all three types of tendinopathy. Thus, a 38% improvement in VISA-A, 46% in VISA-P and 77% in PRTEE was observed on day 90 (P < .001). Similarly, a 12% decrease in the thickness of the Achilles tendon, a 10% decrease in the patellar tendon and a 20% decrease in the lateral epicondyle tendon was observed (P < .05). Conclusions The results of this study show that the administration of TendoactiveTM is safe and effective for improving the clinical symptoms and structural evolution of tendinopathies of the Achilles, patella and lateral epicondyle tendons

Eficacia y seguridad de un tratamiento oral a base de mucopolisacáridos, colágeno tipo i y vitamina C en pacientes con tendinopatías

Introducción y objetivos La tendinopatía es una lesión frecuente durante la práctica deportiva que cursa con una alteración estructural del tendón. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia y la seguridad de un complemento alimentario a base de mucopolisacáridos, colágeno tipo i y vitamina C (Tendoactive®) sobre la evolución clínica y estructural de las tendinopatías del tendón de Aquiles, rotuliano y del epicóndilo lateral del codo. Material y métodos Se realizó un estudio multicéntrico prospectivo, de tipo exploratorio en fase iv , abierto y no comparativo. Se incluyeron un total de 98 pacientes con tendinopatías (32 de Aquiles, 32 de rotuliano y 34 del epicóndilo lateral) que recibieron una dosis diaria de 435 mg de mucopolisacáridos, 75 mg de colágeno tipo i y 60 mg de vitamina C (equivalente a 3 cápsulas al día de Tendoactive®) durante 90 días consecutivos. Mensualmente se evaluó el dolor en reposo y en actividad mediante una escala visual analógica (EVA), la función articular mediante los cuestionarios VISA-A, VISA-P y PRTEE, y se caracterizó ecográficamente el tendón afectado. Resultados En los 3 tipos de tendinopatía se registró una reducción significativa del dolor tanto en reposo como en actividad desde la primera visita de control (día 30) hasta el final del estudio (día 90). Asimismo el día 90 se detectó una mejora del 38% en VISA-A, del 46% en VISA-P y del 77% en PRTEE (p < 0,001). Simultáneamente se registró una reducción del 12% en el grosor del tendón de Aquiles, del 10% en el rotuliano y del 20% en el tendón del epicóndilo lateral (p < 0,05). Conclusiones Los resultados del estudio indican que la administración de Tendoactive® es segura y eficaz para mejorar los síntomas clínicos y la evolución estructural de las tendinopatías del tendón de Aquiles, tendón rotuliano y tendón del epicóndilo lateral

Biofouling Formation and Bacterial Community Structure in Hybrid Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor-Membrane Bioreactors: Influence of Salinity Concentration

Two pilot-scale hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor-membrane bioreactors were operated in parallel for the treatment of salinity-amended urban wastewater under 6 hours of hydraulic retention time and 2500 mg L-1 total solids concentration. Two salinity conditions were tested: the constant salinity of 6.5 mS cm-1 electric conductivity (3.6 g L-1 NaCl) and the tidal-like variable salinity with maximum 6.5 mS cm-1 electric conductivity. An investigation was developed on the biofouling produced on the ultrafiltration membrane surface evaluating its bacterial community structure and its potential function in the fouling processes. The results showed that biofouling was clearly affected by salinity scenarios in terms of a-diversity and β-diversity and bacterial community structure, which confirms lower bacterial diversity under variable salinity conditions with Rhodanobacter and Dyella as dominant phylotypes. Microorganisms identified as bio-mineral formers belonged to genera Bacillus, Citrobacter, and Brevibacterium. These findings will be of help for the prevention and control of biofouling in saline wastewater treatment systems.The authors would like to acknowledge the support given by the Institute of Water Research, the Department of Civil Engineering, the Department of Microbiology and the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology with all from the University of Granada. Additionally, they would like to acknowledge the economic support given by the Government of Spain and the Ministry of Economy and Competitivity under the funding project CTM2013-48154-P and grant BES-2014-067852

Prognostic significance of FLT3-ITD length in AML patients treated with intensive regimens

FLT3-ITD mutations are detected in approximately 25% of newly diagnosed adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and confer an adverse prognosis. The FLT3-ITD allelic ratio has clear prognostic value. Nevertheless, there are numerous manuscripts with contradictory results regarding the prognostic relevance of the length and insertion site (IS) of the FLT3-ITD fragment. We aimed to assess the prognostic impact of these variables on the complete remission (CR) rates, overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) of AML patients with FLT3-ITDmutations. We studied the FLT3-ITD length of 362 adult AML patients included in the PETHEMA AML registry. We tried to validate the thresholds of ITD length previously published (i.e., 39 bp and 70 bp) in intensively treated AML patients (n = 161). We also analyzed the mutational profile of 118 FLT3-ITD AML patients with an NGS panel of 39 genes and correlated mutational status with the length and IS of ITD. The AUC of the ROC curve of the ITD length for OS prediction was 0.504, and no differences were found when applying any of the thresholds for OS, RFS or CR rate. Only four out of 106 patients had ITD IS in the TKD1 domain. Our results, alongside previous publications, confirm that FLT3-ITD length lacks prognostic value and clinical applicability. © 2021, The Author(s)

Persistence of COVID-19 Symptoms after Recovery in Mexican Population

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a highly contagious infectious disease that has caused many deaths worldwide. Despite global efforts, it continues to cause great losses, and leaving multiple unknowns that we must resolve in order to face the pandemic more effectively. One of the questions that has arisen recently is what happens, after recovering from COVID-19. For this reason, the objective of this study is to identify the risk of presenting persistent symptoms in recovered from COVID-19. This case-control study was conducted in one state of Mexico. Initially the data were obtained from the participants, through a questionnaire about symptoms that they had at the moment of the interview. Initially were captured the collected data, to make a dataset. After the pre-processed using the R project tool to eliminate outliers or missing data. Obtained finally a total of 219 participants, 141 recovered and 78 controls. It was used confidence level of 90% and a margin of error of 7%. From results it was obtained that all symptoms have an associated risk in those recovered. The relative risk of the selected symptoms in the recovered patients goes from 3 to 22 times, being infinite for the case of dyspnea, due to the fact that there is no control that presents this symptom at the moment of the interview, followed by the nausea and the anosmia with a RR of 8.5. Therefore, public health strategies must be rethought, to treat or rehabilitate, avoiding chronic problems in patients recovered from COVID-19

The Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

This paper describes the Seventh Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), marking the completion of the original goals of the SDSS and the end of the phase known as SDSS-II. It includes 11663 deg^2 of imaging data, with most of the roughly 2000 deg^2 increment over the previous data release lying in regions of low Galactic latitude. The catalog contains five-band photometry for 357 million distinct objects. The survey also includes repeat photometry over 250 deg^2 along the Celestial Equator in the Southern Galactic Cap. A coaddition of these data goes roughly two magnitudes fainter than the main survey. The spectroscopy is now complete over a contiguous area of 7500 deg^2 in the Northern Galactic Cap, closing the gap that was present in previous data releases. There are over 1.6 million spectra in total, including 930,000 galaxies, 120,000 quasars, and 460,000 stars. The data release includes improved stellar photometry at low Galactic latitude. The astrometry has all been recalibrated with the second version of the USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC-2), reducing the rms statistical errors at the bright end to 45 milli-arcseconds per coordinate. A systematic error in bright galaxy photometr is less severe than previously reported for the majority of galaxies. Finally, we describe a series of improvements to the spectroscopic reductions, including better flat-fielding and improved wavelength calibration at the blue end, better processing of objects with extremely strong narrow emission lines, and an improved determination of stellar metallicities. (Abridged)Comment: 20 pages, 10 embedded figures. Accepted to ApJS after minor correction