Dimension and support of underground slate mines

[Abstract] We've studied the conditions about dimensions and support ofan underground mine of roofing slate in Galice, worked by rooms with continuous pillars. The rock mass was characterized by the empiric and analitic methods, calculating the stable pillar wide along the mine by the theory of attributed area and by a model of finite elements, where the breaking criterion ofHoek and Brown was applied. The result was a parabolic relationship between pillar wide and mine length. Stability studies in an isolated stope give an elastic performance on the periphery of the room, without tractions. Although the stability ofthe mine is good, a systematic support is recommended on the basis of bolts, that will be reinforced with projected concret at the top, and a singular treatment of the detected wedges

Irrigation efficiency and water-policy implications for river basin resilience

Rising demand for food, fiber, and biofuels drives expanding irrigation withdrawals from surface water and groundwater. Irrigation efficiency and water savings have become watchwords in response to climate-induced hydrological variability, increasing freshwater demand for other uses including ecosystem water needs, and low economic productivity of irrigation compared to most other uses. We identify three classes of unintended consequences, presented here as paradoxes. Ever-tighter cycling of water has been shown to increase resource use, an example of the <i>efficiency paradox</i>. In the absence of effective policy to constrain irrigated-area expansion using "saved water", efficiency can aggravate scarcity, deteriorate resource quality, and impair river basin resilience through loss of flexibility and redundancy. Water scarcity and salinity effects in the lower reaches of basins (symptomatic of the <i>scale paradox</i>) may partly be offset over the short-term through groundwater pumping or increasing surface water storage capacity. However, declining ecological flows and increasing salinity have important implications for riparian and estuarine ecosystems and for non-irrigation human uses of water including urban supply and energy generation, examples of the <i>sectoral paradox</i>. This paper briefly considers three regional contexts with broadly similar climatic and water-resource conditions – central Chile, southwestern US, and south-central Spain – where irrigation efficiency directly influences basin resilience. The comparison leads to more generic insights on water policy in relation to irrigation efficiency and emerging or overdue needs for environmental protection

Síndrome compartimental en joven con alteración hemática

El síndrome compartimental es una patología bien conocida que se produce por un aumento de la presión dentro de un compartimiento miofascial. Presentamos el caso de un paciente con trombopenia que sufrió un traumatismo banal. Necesitó fasciotomía del compartimiento anteroexterno de la pierna y, más tarde, esplenectomía. El diagnóstico y tratamiento tardíos de esta complicación, así como una descomprensión inadecuada, pueden conducir a la pérdida de función en una extremidad.The compartment syndrome is a well described cli- nical entity that results from increased pressure within a myo- fascial compartment. An unusual case of a patient with thrombopenia and a minimal traumatism, is reported. He required fasciotomy of the anterolateral compartment of the leg and, later, splenectomy. Late recognition and treatment of this complication, as well as inadequate decompression, can lead to loss of limb

Pasivación de aceros inoxidables dúplex en disoluciones que simulan el hormigón contaminado con cloruros

Most studies published to date on the corrosion behaviour of stainless reinforcing steel are based on austenitic steel. The market presence of corrugated duplex steel is growing, however. The present study compared passivity in 2205 type duplex and 304 type austenitic stainless steel. Polarization tests in chloride-containing Ca(OH)2 solutions confirmed the exceptional performance of duplex steels. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the passive layer generated on duplex stainless steel in media simulating concrete pore solutions had a higher Cr content than the layer formed on steel in contact with the air. The XPS results also revealed that in duplex steel the form adopted by the passive layer Fe oxides was Fe3O4 in the solutions simulating concrete, rather than Fe2O3, as in duplex steel exposed to air. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) can be used to monitor the transformations taking place in the passive layer and analyze the factors involved.La mayoría de los estudios publicados hasta el momento sobre el comportamiento frente a la corrosión de armaduras de acero inoxidable se basan en aceros austeníticos. Sin embargo, la presencia en el mercado de aceros corrugados dúplex es cada vez más importante. En este trabajo se analiza la pasividad de un acero inoxidable dúplex tipo 2205 en comparación con la de un inoxidable austenítico tipo 304. Los ensayos de polarización en disoluciones de Ca(OH)2 con cloruros confirman el excepcional comportamiento de los aceros dúplex. La espectroscopía fotoelectrónica de rayos X (XPS) informa de que la capa pasiva generada en aceros inoxidables dúplex en medios que simulan la disolución de los poros del hormigón posee mayor contenido en óxidos de Cr que la formada en aire. También se puede deducir de los resultados de XPS que los óxidos de Fe de la capa pasiva de los aceros dúplex se encuentran en forma de Fe3O4 en las disoluciones que simulan el hormigón en vez de en forma de Fe2O3, como ocurre en aceros dúplex expuestos al aire. La espectroscopía de impedancia electroquímica (EIE) permite realizar un seguimiento de las transformaciones que tienen lugar en la capa pasiva y analizar los factores que influyen en ellas

Rv2577 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a virulence factor with dual phosphatase and phosphodiesterase functions

Tuberculosis, a lung disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is one of the ten leading causes of death worldwide affecting mainly developing countries. Mtb can persist and survive inside infected cells through modulation of host antibacterial attack, i.e., by avoiding the maturation of phagosome containing mycobacteria to more acidic endosomal compartment. In addition, bacterial phosphatases play a central role in the interplay between host cells and Mtb. In this study, we characterized the Rv2577 of Mtb as a potential alkaline phosphatase/phosphodiesterase enzyme. By an in vitro kinetic assay, we demonstrated that purified Rv2577 expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis displays both enzyme activities, as evidenced by using the artificial substrates p-NPP and bis-(p-NPP). In addition, a three-dimensional model of Rv2577 allowed us to define the catalytic amino acid residues of the active site, which were confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and enzyme activity analysis, being characteristic of a member of the metallophosphatase superfamily. Finally, a mutation introduced in Rv2577 reduced the replication of Mtb in mouse organs and impaired the arrest of phagosomes containing mycobacteria in early endosomes; which indicates Rv2577 plays a role in Mtb virulence.Instituto de BiotecnologíaFil: Forrellad, Marina Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Federico Carlos. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marrero Diaz de Villegas, Rubén. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vazquez, Cristina Lourdes. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Yaneff, Agustín. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Elizabeth Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gutierrez, Maximiliano Gabriel. The Francis Crick Institute, Host-Pathogen Interactions in Tuberculosis Laboratory; Reino UnidoFil: Durán, Rosario. Institut Pasteur de Montevideo; Uruguay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable; UruguayFil: Villarino, Andrea. Universidad de la República (UdelaR). Facultad de Ciencias. Sección Bioquímica; UruguayFil: Bigi, Fabiana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas; Argentin

Rv2577 of mycobacterium tuberculosis Is a virulence factor with dual phosphatase and phosphodiesterase functions

Tuberculosis, a lung disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is one of the ten leading causes of death worldwide affecting mainly developing countries. Mtb can persist and survive inside infected cells through modulation of host antibacterial attack, i.e., by avoiding the maturation of phagosome containing mycobacteria to more acidic endosomal compartment. In addition, bacterial phosphatases play a central role in the interplay between host cells and Mtb. In this study, we characterized the Rv2577 of Mtb as a potential alkaline phosphatase/phosphodiesterase enzyme. By an in vitro kinetic assay, we demonstrated that purified Rv2577 expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis displays both enzyme activities, as evidenced by using the artificial substrates p-NPP and bis-(p-NPP). In addition, a three-dimensional model of Rv2577 allowed us to define the catalytic amino acid residues of the active site, which were confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and enzyme activity analysis, being characteristic of a member of the metallophosphatase superfamily. Finally, a mutation introduced in Rv2577 reduced the replication of Mtb in mouse organs and impaired the arrest of phagosomes containing mycobacteria in early endosomes; which indicates Rv2577 plays a role in Mtb virulence

Wavelet analysis of epileptic spikes

Interictal spikes and sharp waves in human EEG are characteristic signatures of epilepsy. These potentials originate as a result of synchronous, pathological discharge of many neurons. The reliable detection of such potentials has been the long standing problem in EEG analysis, especially after long-term monitoring became common in investigation of epileptic patients. The traditional definition of a spike is based on its amplitude, duration, sharpness, and emergence from its background. However, spike detection systems built solely around this definition are not reliable due to the presence of numerous transients and artifacts. We use wavelet transform to analyze the properties of EEG manifestations of epilepsy. We demonstrate that the behavior of wavelet transform of epileptic spikes across scales can constitute the foundation of a relatively simple yet effective detection algorithm.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Characterization of the microvascular cerebral blood flow response to obstructive apneic events during night sleep

Altres ajuts: This work was funded by the "Severo Ochoa" Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (Grant No. SEV-2015-0522), the Obra Social "la Caixa" Foundation (Grant Nos. LlumMedBcn, Programa de Matemàtica Col·laborativa), LASERLABEUROPE IV (Grant No. EU-H2020 654148), Marie Curie initial training network (Grant No. OILTEBIA 317526), Societat Catalana de Pneumologia (SOCAP), and Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica (SEPAR).Obstructive apnea causes periodic changes in cerebral and systemic hemodynamics, which may contribute to the increased risk of cerebrovascular disease of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome. The improved understanding of the consequences of an apneic event on the brain perfusion may improve our knowledge of these consequences and then allow for the development of preventive strategies. Our aim was to characterize the typical microvascular, cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in an OSA population during an apneic event. Sixteen patients (age , 75% male) with a high risk of severe OSA were measured with a polysomnography device and with diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) during one night of sleep with 1365 obstructive apneic events detected. All patients were later confirmed to suffer from severe OSA syndrome with a mean of apneas and hypopneas per hour. DCS has been shown to be able to characterize the microvascular CBF response to each event with a sufficient contrast-to-noise ratio to reveal its dynamics. It has also revealed that an apnea causes a peak increase of microvascular CBF () at the end of the event followed by a drop () similar to what was observed in macrovascular CBF velocity of the middle cerebral artery. This study paves the way for the utilization of DCS for further studies on these populations