An efficient, economical slow-freezing method for large-scale human embryonic stem cell banking

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are one of the most interesting cell types for tissue engineering, cell therapy, basic scientific research, and drug screening. Fast advancement in these areas requires the availability of large amounts of safe and well-characterized hESCs from hESC banks. Therefore, optimized freezing protocols, allowing the cryopreservation of large amounts of hESC without direct contact with liquid nitrogen, need to be established. In this study, 6 different cryoprotector combinations [dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), ethylene glycol, and hydroxyethylstarch (HES)] combined with 2 different application methods were screened with the VUB01 cell line, to establish a new slow-freezing protocol with high recovery rates and a good expansion capacity. Our best conditions were confirmed in 4 other hESC lines: H1, H9, 181, and UGent2. To our knowledge, this is the first time that HES is evaluated as a cryoprotector for hESCs. The use of 5% DMSO + 5% HES combined with a new detachment protocol leads to efficient hESC cryopreservation. This protocol involves treating the hESC colonies with cell dissociation solution, a mild dissociation solution uncommonly used for hESC culture. A recovery ratio ranging from 45.5% to 168.2% was obtained, and these were significantly different from the other tested conditions (Student's t-test, P < 0.05). The cryopreserved hESCs were morphologically comparable to control cells, exhibited a good expansion profile, were positive for pluripotent expression markers, and could still differentiate into the 3 germ layers. This new protocol allows efficient and economical hESC cryopreservation, ideal for hESC banking

Exercise for acute respiratory infections

No abstract available

New technologies to improve root canal disinfection

Effective irrigant delivery and agitation are prerequisites to promote root canal disinfection and debris removal and improve successful endodontic treatment. This paper presents an overview of the currently available technologies to improve the cleaning of the endodontic space and their debridement efficacy. A PubMed electronic search was conducted with appropriate key words to identify the relevant literature on this topic. After retrieving the full-text articles, all the articles were reviewed and the most appropriate were included in this review. Several different systems of mechanical activation of irrigants to improve endodontic disinfection were analysed: manual agitation with gutta-percha cones, endodontic instruments or special brushes, vibrating systems activated by low-speed hand-pieces or by sonic or subsonic energy, use of ultrasonic or laser energy to mechanically activate the irrigants and apical negative pressure irrigation systems. Furthermore, this review aims to describe systems designed to improve the intracanal bacterial decontamination by a specific chemical action, such as ozone, direct laser action or light-activated disinfection. The ultrasonic activation of root canal irrigants and of sodium hypochlorite in particular still remains the gold standard to which all other systems of mechanical agitation analyzed in this article were compared. From this overview, it is evident that the use of different irrigation systems can provide several advantages in the clinical endodontic outcome and that integration of new technologies, coupled with enhanced techniques and materials, may help everyday clinical practice

Salt efflorescences in the iberian pyrite belt: occurrence and distribution

The evolution of sulfide wastes promotes acid mine drainage and phenomena of supergenic neoformation. These contribute to a secondary paragenesis, often dominated by salt efflorescences. These can be used as mineralogical indicators of reactivity conditions and of AMD potential. The present study shows the salt efflorescences that develop in the Spanish sector of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, as a result of the strong acid mine drainage observed in this region. The obtained results showed dominance of metallic sulfates. Depending on the proximity to the sulfide sources, there are different types of assemblages. Iron and cooper minerals dominate inside the mining areas, whereas magnesium sulfates occur more abundantly in the receiving river networkFinancial support was provided by the Andalusian Autonomous Government Excellence Project, code P06-RNM-02167. This work was also co-funded by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, based on COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional da Competitividade e Internacionalização), project ICT (UID/GEO/04683/2013) with reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER- 007690 and national funds provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Water quality in the Municipality of São Domingos (Santiago island, Cape Verde)

O presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a qualidade da água e potencialidades de uso no concelho de São Domingos, na ilha de Santiago (Cabo Verde). Os resultados obtidos mostram, o carácter mineralizado destas águas, com valor médio de condutividade elétrica de 1361 µS/cm. A classificação hidroquímica, de acordo com o diagrama de Piper, conduziu à discriminação dos seguintes tipos: águas mistas (bicarbonatadas, cloretadas) e mistas sódicas (cloretadas e bicarbonatadas). Considerando o que está estabelecido na legislação Cabo-verdiana e Portuguesa relativamente à qualidade da água, verificouse que apenas 36 % das amostras têm qualidade suficiente para consumo humano. No que respeita à utilização da água para rega, cerca de 68 % das amostras apresentam evidências de risco de salinização alto a muito alto.This research aims the evaluation of water quality and potential uses at São Domingos municipality, at Santiago Island (Cape Verde). The results show the mineralized nature of these waters, with an average electrical conductivity of 1361 μS/cm. The hydrochemical classification, according to the Piper diagram, led to the following types: mixed (bicarbonate and chloride) and mixed with sodium (chloride and bicarbonate). Considering what is established for water quality in the Cape Verde and Portuguese legislation, only 36 % of the water samples are able for human consumption. Regarding irrigation use, approximately 68 % of the samples present high-to-very-high salinization risk.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rendición de cuentas de las ONGs ante los donantes: ¿mejor dicho que hecho?

The growing involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in solving development problems has led to an increase in the number of NGOs around the world and therefore in their visibility and influence. Although concerns about the role and responsibility of NGOs have been raised from more than 20 years, there is still a need to ensure good practices in NGOs and to determine what measures will improve NGOs’ accountability to their stakeholders. Our study aims to contribute to this initiative from the donor accountability approach. To achieve this goal, we conducted a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis to analyze the constraints and needs that donor accountability pose to NGOs. Our findings suggest that donor accountability could interfere with NGOs’ activities, leading them to generate short-term results, focus more on financial results, and feel increased pressure on overhead costs. The most recent literature opens an opportunity, however, to make upward accountability more useful for NGOs. Following this trend, we propose that donor accountability be considered as a dimension to assess NGO quality so that it becomes a powerful marketing tool to attract and retain donors.La creciente participación de las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG) en la solución de los problemas de desarrollo ha dado lugar a un aumento del número de ONG en todo el mundo y a una mayor visibilidad e influencia. &nbsp;Aunque durante más de 20 años se han planteado el papel y la responsabilidad de las ONG, sigue siendo necesario garantizar las buenas prácticas en las ONG y determinar qué medidas mejorarán su rendición de cuentas ante sus partes interesadas. Nuestro estudio tiene como objetivo contribuir a esta iniciativa desde el enfoque de la rendición de cuentas a los donantes. &nbsp;Para lograr este objetivo, se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura y un análisis bibliométrico para analizar las limitaciones y necesidades que la rendición de cuentas a los donantes plantea a las ONG. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que la rendición de cuentas de los donantes &nbsp;interfiere con las actividades de las ONG, lo que las lleva a generar resultados a corto plazo, centrarse más en los resultados financieros y sentir una mayor presión sobre los costos generales. Sin embargo, la &nbsp;literatura más reciente abre una oportunidad para hacer que la rendición de cuentas ascendente sea &nbsp;más útil para las ONG. &nbsp;Siguiendo esta tendencia, proponemos que la rendición de cuentas de los donantes se considere como una dimensión para evaluar &nbsp;la &nbsp;calidad de las ONG, de modo que se convierta en una poderosa herramienta de marketing para atraer y retener a los donantes

Post-traumatic pseudoaneurysm of internal mammary artery: a case report

Pseudoaneurysm of the internal mammary artery can be a rare complication of surgery, particularly post-sternotomy, or determined by a direct trauma, usually a stab wound. This report presents a pseudoaneurysm by a stab, diagnosed by chest computed tomography scan performed for hemothorax recurrence. The patient underwent left thoracotomy in third intercostal space; mammary vessels were identified above and below the pseudoaneurysm sac and tied. The postoperative course was uneventful

Probabilistic Safety Analysis of High Speed and Conventional Lines Using Bayesian Networks

[EN] A Bayesian network approach is presented for probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) of railway lines. The idea consists of identifying and reproducing all the elements that the train encounters when circulating along a railway line, such as light and speed limit signals, tunnel or viaduct entries or exits, cuttings and embankments, acoustic sounds received in the cabin, curves, switches, etc. In addition, since the human error is very relevant for safety evaluation, the automatic train protection (ATP) systems and the driver behavior and its time evolution are modelled and taken into account to determine the probabilities of human errors. The nodes of the Bayesian network, their links and the associated probability tables are automatically constructed based on the line data that need to be carefully given. The conditional probability tables are reproduced by closed formulas, which facilitate the modelling and the sensitivity analysis. A sorted list of the most dangerous elements in the line is obtained, which permits making decisions about the line safety and programming maintenance operations in order to optimize them and reduce the maintenance costs substantially. The proposed methodology is illustrated by its application to several cases that include real lines such as the Palencia-Santander and the Dublin-Belfast lines.Grande Andrade, Z.; Castillo Ron, E.; Nogal, M.; O'connor, A. (2016). Probabilistic Safety Analysis of High Speed and Conventional Lines Using Bayesian Networks. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 362-371. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.3428OCS36237

Mn mining wastes as an industrial income for concrete production: inventory of waste dumps and resources estimation in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain

The present work aims to evaluate the possibility of achieving an environmental and economic valorisation of Mn-wastes through their recycling for concrete production. The study area is located in the Spanish sector of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), where there are numerous abandoned mine-waste dumps, resulted from exploitation of manganese mines. The methodological approach included field surveys for elaborating an inventory and a general map of all the abandoned exploitations, remote sensing methods for identifying old mines and for estimation of affected areas; and laboratory analyses for characterizing the mine wastes regarding evaluation of their potential as filler for concrete production. The obtained results indicated the existence of 149 mines, representing a total affected area of 235 ha. Among these waste dumps, about eleven of them have more than 10 000 m3 of Mn-gangue with chemical composition compatible with the normative for concrete production. The recycling of such wastes may accomplish two main purposes: to supply the market with low cost aggregates and, simultaneously, to contribute for the environmental rehabilitation of the affected areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mapping mining wastes and analyzing affected areas through expeditious physico-chemical parameters

FCT; European Social Fundinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio