Recent advances in the design and photocatalytic enhanced performance of gold plasmonic nanostructures decorated with non-titania based semiconductor hetero-nanoarchitectures

Plasmonic photocatalysts combining metallic nanoparticles and semiconductors have been aimed as versatile alternatives to drive light-assisted catalytic chemical reactions beyond the ultraviolet (UV) regions, and overcome one of the major drawbacks of the most exploited photocatalysts (TiO2 or ZnO). The strong size and morphology dependence of metallic nanostructures to tune their visible to near-infrared (vis-NIR) light harvesting capabilities has been combined with the design of a wide variety of architectures for the semiconductor supports to promote the selective activity of specific crystallographic facets. The search for efficient heterojunctions has been subjected to numerous studies, especially those involving gold nanostructures and titania semiconductors. In the present review, we paid special attention to the most recent advances in the design of gold-semiconductor hetero-nanostructures including emerging metal oxides such as cerium oxide or copper oxide (CeO2 or Cu2O) or metal chalcogenides such as copper sulfide or cadmium sulfides (CuS or CdS). These alternative hybrid materials were thoroughly built in past years to target research fields of strong impact, such as solar energy conversion, water splitting, environmental chemistry, or nanomedicine. Herein, we evaluate the influence of tuning the morphologies of the plasmonic gold nanostructures or the semiconductor interacting structures, and how these variations in geometry, either individual or combined, have a significant influence on the final photocatalytic performance

Effective flexural stiffness of slender reinforced concrete columns under axial forces and biaxial bending

Most of the design codes (ACI-318-2008 and Euro Code-2-2004) propose the moment magnifier method in order to take into account the second order effect to design slender reinforced concrete columns. The accuracy of this method depends on the effective flexural stiffness of the column. This paper proposes a new equation to obtain the effective stiffness EI of slender reinforced concrete columns. The expression is valid for any shape of cross-section, subjected to combined axial loads and biaxial bending, both for short-time and sustained loads, normal and high strength concretes, but it is only suitable for columns with equal effective buckling lengths in the two principal bending planes. The new equation extends the proposed EI equation in the "Biaxial bending moment magnifier method" by Bonet et al. (2004) [6], which is valid only for rectangular sections. The method was compared with 613 experimental tests from the literature and a good degree of accuracy was obtained. It was also compared with the design codes ACI-318 (08) and EC-2 (2004) improving the precision. The method is capable to verify and design with sufficient accuracy slender reinforced concrete columns in practical engineering design applications. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to the Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion" for help provided through projects BIA2008-03734 and BIA2009-10207 and to the European Community with the Feder funds.Bonet Senach, JL.; Romero, ML.; Miguel Sosa, P. (2011). Effective flexural stiffness of slender reinforced concrete columns under axial forces and biaxial bending. Engineering Structures. 33:881-893. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2010.12.009S8818933

Synergistic assembly of gold and copper-iron oxide nanocatalysts to promote the simultaneous depletion of glucose and glutathione

Glucose and glutathione (GSH) are key biomolecules for the regulation and growth of tumor cells. The use of inorganic nanocatalysts in biomedicine to target and deplete such specific molecules represents a novel and promising strategy against cancer. In this work, we present a ternary assembled nanohybrid based on Au and CuFe2O4 with the capability to simultaneously deplete glucose and GSH and generate reactive oxidative species (ROS) in a cascade process. We describe an example of a synergistic heterogeneous nanoarchitecture able to maintain the glucose oxidase-like activity of Au while preventing its deactivation in the presence of GSH. Au sites remain active due to the rapid response of the Cu–Fe co-catalyst to deplete GSH levels. This example of hybrid heterostructure represents an appealing alternative with dual-activity within the tumor microenvironment (TME) for potential anticancer therapy

HGF -rs12536657 and Ocular Biometric Parameters in Hyperopic Children, Emmetropic Adolescents, and Young Adults: A Multicenter Quantitative Trait Study

Introduction. Even though ocular refractive state is highly heritable and under strong genetic control, the identification of susceptibility genes remains a challenge. Several HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) gene variants have been associated with ocular refractive errors and corneal pathology. Purpose. Here, we assess the association of an HGF gene variant, previously reported as associated with hyperopia, and ocular biometric parameters in a multicenter Spanish cohort. Methods. An observational prospective multicenter cross-sectional study was designed, including a total of 403 unrelated subjects comprising 188 hyperopic children (5 to 17 years) and 2 control groups: 52 emmetropic adolescents (13 to 17 years) and 163 emmetropic young adults (18 to 28 years). Each individual underwent a comprehensive eye examination including cycloplegic refraction, and topographic and ocular biometric analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted from oral swabs. HGF single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12536657 was genotyped. Genotypic, allelic, and logistic regression analyses were performed comparing the different groups. A quantitative trait association test analyzing several biometric parameters was also performed using generalized estimating equations (GEEs) adjusting for age and gender. Results. No association between rs12536657 and hyperopia was found through gender-adjusted logistic regression comparing the hyperopic children with either of the two control groups. Significant associations between mean topographic corneal curvature and rs12536657 for G/A (slope = +0.32; CI 95%: 0.04-0.60; p=0.023) and A/A (slope = +0.76; CI 95%: 0.12-1.40; p=0.020) genotypes were observed with the age- and gender-adjusted univariate GEE model. Both flat and steep corneal topographic meridians were also significantly associated with rs12536657 for the G/A and A/A genotypes. No association was found between rs12536657 and any other topographic or biometric measurements. Conclusions. Our results support a possible role for HGF gene variant rs12536657 in corneal curvature in our population. To our knowledge, this is the first multicenter quantitative trait association study of HGF genotypes and ocular biometric parameters comprising a pediatric cohort

Experimental study of high strength concrete-filled circular tubular columns under eccentric loading

The paper describes 37 tests conducted on slender circular tubular columns filled with normal and high strength concrete subjected to eccentric axial load. The test parameters were the nominal strength of concrete (30, 70 and 90 MPa), the diameter to thickness ratio Dt, the eccentricity ratio eD and the column slenderness (LD). The experimental ultimate load of each test was compared with the design loads from Eurocode 4, which limits the strength of concrete up to 50 MPa. The aim of the paper is to establish the advisability of the use of high strength concretes as opposed to that of normal strength concretes by comparing three performance indices: concrete contribution ratio, strength index and ductility index. The results show for the limited cases analyzed that the use of high strength concrete for slender composite columns is interesting since this achieves ductile behavior despite the increase in load-carrying capacity is not greatly enhanced. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Education for help provided through project BIA2005_255 and BIA 2009_09411, to the European Community for FEDER funds, and to the Fundacio Caixa Castello-Bancaixa.Portoles, J.; Romero, ML.; Bonet Senach, JL.; Filippou, F. (2011). Experimental study of high strength concrete-filled circular tubular columns under eccentric loading. Journal of Constructional Steel Research. 67(4):623-633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2010.11.017S62363367

Experimental tests of slender reinforced concrete columns under combined axial load and lateral force

The use of high strength concrete (HSC) in columns has become more frequent since a substantial reduction of the cross-section is obtained, meaning that slenderness increases for the same axial load and length, producing higher second order effects. However, the experimental tests in the literature of reinforced concrete columns subjected to axial load and lateral force focus on shear span ratios, according to Eurocode 2 (2004), clause 5.6.3., (M/(V·h)) lower than 6.5. This gap in the literature limits technological development for the construction of these structural elements. This paper presents 44 experimental tests on reinforced concrete columns subjected to constant axial load and monotonic lateral force. The aim of this is to gain greater knowledge of the types of elements which will also be of use in calibrating the numerical models and validating the simplified methods. The test parameters are strength of concrete (normal- and high-strength concrete), shear span ratio, axial load level and longitudinal and transversal reinforcement ratios. The strength and deformation of the columns were studied, and an analysis of the simplified methods from Eurocode 2 (2004) and ACI-318 (2008) concluded that both are very conservative. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the help provided through project BIA2009-10207 and to the European Union for the financial support from Feder funds.Barrera Puerto, A.; Bonet Senach, JL.; Romero, ML.; Miguel Sosa, P. (2011). Experimental tests of slender reinforced concrete columns under combined axial load and lateral force. Engineering Structures. 33(12):3676-3689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2011.08.003S36763689331

Effects of concrete composition on transmission length of prestressing strands

The bond behaviour of prestressing strands in precast pretensioned concrete members, and its transmission length, depends on several factors. However, no consensus exists on the main parameters to be considered in the expressions to predict the transmission length. Usually when the concrete properties are considered, only the concrete compressive strength is included. This study analyzes the influence of concrete composition made up of different cement contents and water/cement ratios on the bond behaviour in transmission of seven-wire prestressing strands. The bond properties and the transmission lengths have been determined. The results show that the influence of the water/cement ratio is very small for concretes with lows cement contents, but the influence of the water/cement ratio on the transmission lengths is highly significant when cement content is high. The effect of cement content in the transmission lengths can reveal different tendencies based on the level of the water/cement ratioThe content of this article forms a part of research that the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia's Institute of Concrete Science and Technology (ICITECH) is presently conducting in conjunction with PREVALESA and ISOCRON. This study was funded by the Ministry of Education and Science and ERDF (Project BIA2006-05521). The authors wish to thank the above companies as well as the concrete structures laboratory technicians at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for their cooperation. Also, the authors wish to pay their respects to C.A. Arbelaez.Martí Vargas, JR.; Serna Ros, P.; Navarro Gregori, J.; Bonet Senach, JL. (2012). Effects of concrete composition on transmission length of prestressing strands. Construction and Building Materials. 27(1):350-356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.07.038S35035627

Clinical outcomes of temporary mechanical circulatory support as a direct bridge to heart transplantation: a nationwide Spanish registry

Background: In Spain, listing for high-urgent heart transplantation is allowed for critically ill candidates not weanable from temporary mechanical circulatory support (T-MCS). We sought to analyse the clinical outcomes of this strategy. Methods and results: We conducted a case-by-case, retrospective review of clinical records of 291 adult patients listed for high-urgent heart transplantation under temporary devices from 2010 to 2015 in 16 Spanish institutions. Survival after listing and adverse clinical events were studied. At the time of listing, 169 (58%) patients were supported on veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), 70 (24%) on temporary left ventricular assist devices (T-LVAD) and 52 (18%) on temporary biventricular assist devices (T-BiVAD). Seven patients transitioned from VA-ECMO to temporary ventricular assist devices while on the waiting list. Mean time on T-MCS was 13.1 ± 12.6 days. Mean time from listing to transplantation was 7.6 ± 8.5 days. Overall, 230 (79%) patients were transplanted and 54 (18.6%) died during MCS. In-hospital postoperative mortality after transplantation was 33.3%, 11.9% and 26.2% for patients bridged on VA-ECMO, T-LVAD and T-BiVAD, respectively (P = 0.008). Overall survival from listing to hospital discharge was 54.4%, 78.6% and 55.8%, respectively (P = 0.002). T-LVAD support was independently associated with a lower risk of death over the first year after listing (hazard ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.30–0.92). Patients treated with VA-ECMO showed the highest incidence rate of adverse clinical events associated with T-MCS. Conclusion: Temporary devices may be used to bridge critically ill candidates directly to heart transplantation in a setting of short waiting list times, as is the case of Spain. In our series, bridging with T-LVAD was associated with more favourable outcomes than bridging with T-BiVAD or VA-ECMO