Size-Controlled Water-Soluble Ag Nanoparticles

Ag nanoparticles of two different sizes (1 and 4 nm) were prepared within an apoferritin cavity by using an Ag+-loaded apoferritin as a nanoconfined environment for their construction. The initial amount of Ag' ions injected in the apoferritin cavity dictates the size of the final Ag particles. The protein shell prevents bulk aggregation of the metal particles, which renders them water soluble and extremely stable

Chiral condensates from tau decay: a critical reappraisal

The saturation of QCD chiral sum rules is reanalyzed in view of the new and complete analysis of the ALEPH experimental data on the difference between vector and axial-vector correlators (V-A). Ordinary finite energy sum rules (FESR) exhibit poor saturation up to energies below the tau-lepton mass. A remarkable improvement is achieved by introducing pinched, as well as minimizing polynomial integral kernels. Both methods are used to determine the dimension d=6 and d=8 vacuum condensates in the Operator Product Expansion, with the results: {O}_{6}=-(0.00226 \pm 0.00055) GeV^6, and O_8=-(0.0053 \pm 0.0033) GeV^8 from pinched FESR, and compatible values from the minimizing polynomial FESR. Some higher dimensional condensates are also determined, although we argue against extending the analysis beyond dimension d = 8. The value of the finite remainder of the (V-A) correlator at zero momentum is also redetermined: \Pi (0)= -4 \bar{L}_{10}=0.02579 \pm 0.00023. The stability and precision of the predictions are significantly improved compared to earlier calculations using the old ALEPH data. Finally, the role and limits of applicability of the Operator Product Expansion in this channel are clarified.Comment: Replaced versio

Comparison between FS-MPC control strategy for an UPS inverter application in α-β and abc frames

The voltage source inverter (VSI) of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a system where the main objective is to obtain a high quality output sinusoidal voltage with independence on the output load. For this reason, it includes an output LC filter. The presence of the filter increases the complexity of the controller design thus it is necessary to evaluate the performance of the control strategy in terms of the output voltage quality and computational cost of the algorithm. In this paper, both analysis are developed for the finite states model predictive control (FS-MPC) of a VSI performed in the abc and α-βframes. Both algorithms are summarized and compared in order to establish an objective criteria to choose among them when a hardware implementation is developed. Simulation results are presented for both algorithms to validate the analysis

Detection of mecC-Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in river water : a potential role for water in the environmental dissemination

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a public health concern due to limited treatment options. The recent description of a mecA homologue, mecC in human and cattle, led to studies to detect this new variant in human and other animal species. Detection of mecC in wild boar and fallow deer in a Spanish game estate led us to further investigate the presence of mecC-MRSA at this location. Samples from cattle, wild animals, workers and river water were tested. A further three mecC-MRSA isolates were obtained from river water. Molecular characterization (multilocus sequence typing and spa typing) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (broth microdilution) showed that isolates were similar to those detected in wild animals. Whole genome sequencing confirmed that the isolates from the river water and wild animals in the same geographic area were all closely related isolates of ST425 mecC-MRSA. The presence of mecC-MRSA in the river water highlights the potential role of water in the dissemination of mecC-MRSA

The Importance of User in ISD. Do We Really Teach?

In 1999, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) defined the framework that regulates all degrees, including Computer Engineering (CE), within the environment of the European Union. Each country, in turn, regulated each of these studies on the basis of that common framework.In the case of Computer Engineering, among the specific competencies the profession entails, there are concrete references to the effective incorporation of user and need for IT (Information Technology) professionals to learn how to manage and work in multidisciplinary environments. However, these competencies are difficult to teach to students. This paper presents a critical view of the way we are teaching future developers of information systems to work with user. Besides, it analyses the consequences that it may bring to future professionals. The paper also offers some considerations and intends to motivate a future discussion on this topic

A DNA vaccine encoding foot-and-mouth disease virus B and T-cell epitopes targeted to class II swine leukocyte antigens protects pigs against viral challenge

Development of efficient and safer vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a must. Previous results obtained in our laboratory have demonstrated that DNA vaccines encoding B and T cell epitopes from type C FMDV, efficiently controlled virus replication in mice, while they did not protect against FMDV challenge in pigs, one of the FMDV natural hosts. The main finding of this work is the ability to improve the protection afforded in swine using a new DNA-vaccine prototype (pCMV-APCH1BTT), encoding FMDV B and T-cell epitopes fused to the single-chain variable fragment of the 1F12 mouse monoclonal antibody that recognizes Class-II Swine Leukocyte antigens. Half of the DNA-immunized pigs were fully protected upon viral challenge, while the remaining animals were partially protected, showing a delayed, shorter and milder disease than control pigs. Full protection in a given vaccinated-pig correlated with the induction of specific IFNγ-secreting T-cells, detectable prior to FMDV-challenge, together with a rapid development of neutralizing antibodies after viral challenge, pointing towards the relevance that both arms of the immune response can play in protection. Our results open new avenues for developing future FMDV subunit vaccines.Fil: Borrego, Belén. No especifíca;Fil: Argilaguet, Jordi M.. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Pérez Martín, Eva. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Dominguez, Javier. No especifíca;Fil: Pérez Filgueira, Daniel Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Escribano, José M.. No especifíca;Fil: Sobrino, Francisco. No especifíca;Fil: Rodriguez, Fernando. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Españ

Fast Algorithms For Josephson Junction Arrays : Bus--bars and Defects

We critically review the fast algorithms for the numerical study of two--dimensional Josephson junction arrays and develop the analogy of such systems with electrostatics. We extend these procedures to arrays with bus--bars and defects in the form of missing bonds. The role of boundaries and of the guage choice in determing the Green's function of the system is clarified. The extension of the Green's function approach to other situations is also discussed.Comment: Uuencoded 1 Revtex file (11 Pages), 3 Figures : Postscript Uuencode

Short-course thrombolysis as the first line of therapy for cardiac valve thrombosis

AbstractObjective: To retrospectively evaluate the clinical and echocardiographic criteria of thrombolytic therapy for mechanical heart valve thrombosis. Methods: Nineteen consecutive patients with 22 instances of prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (14 mitral, 2 aortic, 3 tricuspid, and 3 pulmonary) were treated with short-course thrombolytic therapy as first option of treatment in absence of contraindications. The thrombolytic therapy protocol consisted of streptokinase (1,500,000 IU in 90 minutes) (n = 18) in one (n = 7) or two (n = 11) cycles or recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (100 mg in 90 minutes) (n = 4). Results: Overall success was seen in 82%, immediate complete success in 59%, and partial success in 23%. Six patients without total response to thrombolytic therapy underwent surgery, and pannus was observed in 83%. Six patients showed complications: allergy, stroke, transient ischemic attack, coronary embolism, minor bleeding, and one death. At diagnosis, 10 patients evidenced atrial thrombus by transesophageal echocardiography, 3 of whom experienced peripheral embolism during thrombolysis. Four episodes of rethrombosis were observed (16%). The survivorship was 84% with a mean follow-up of 42.6 months. Conclusions: A short-course of thrombolytic therapy may be considered first-line therapy for prosthetic heart valve thrombosis. The risk of peripheral embolism may be evaluated for the presence of atrial thrombus by transesophageal echocardiography at diagnosis. (J Thorac Cardiobasc Surg 1998;115:780-4

The Holocene volcanism at El Hierro: insights from petrology and geochemistry

The Holocene volcanism at El Hierro consists of basaltic monogenetic volcanic fields associated with o the three rift systems present in this island. In this work we report preliminary petrological and geochemical data of Holocene lava flows belonging to the WNW-striking rift. Sampling was focused in three zones: Orchilla, Verodal-Sabinosa, and Tanganasoga. Petrography of the studied lavas shows that they are homogeneous. All samples are porphyritic with macrocrysts of clinopyroxene and olivine immersed in a groundmass formed by microcrysts of plagioclase, Fe-Ti oxides and clinopyroxene. Clinopyroxenes are diopsides, olivines have forsterite contents ranging from 74 to 84 % and anorthite in plagioclase varies from 66 to 76% (labradorite). Whole-rock geochemical results evidence that all magmas are basic in composition, ranging from picrobasalts to phonotephrites. Major, trace elements and isotope suppor fractional crystallization as the main process of magma evolution. However, petrography and chemistry of clinopyroxene cores agree with a xenocrystic nature of some of them. We suggest that these clinopyroxene cores crystallized from a genetically related magma and subsequently were entrapped o cannibalized by the basic rising magmas

Equilibrium properties of a Josephson junction ladder with screening effects

In this paper we calculate the ground state phase diagram of a Josephson Junction ladder when screening field effects are taken into account. We study the ground state configuration as a function of the external field, the penetration depth and the anisotropy of the ladder, using different approximations to the calculation of the induced fields. A series of tongues, characterized by the vortex density $\omega$, is obtained. The vortex density of the ground state, as a function of the external field, is a Devil's staircase, with a plateau for every rational value of $\omega$. The width of each of these steps depends strongly on the approximation made when calculating the inductance effect: if the self-inductance matrix is considered, the $\omega=0$ phase tends to occupy all the diagram as the penetration depth decreases. If, instead, the whole inductance matrix is considered, the width of any step tends to a non-zero value in the limit of very low penetration depth. We have also analyzed the stability of some simple metastable phases: screening fields are shown to enlarge their stability range.Comment: 16 pp, RevTex. Figures available upon request at [email protected] To be published in Physical Review B (01-Dec-96