Development of low-pH cementitious materials for HLRW repositories. Resistance against ground waters aggression

One of the most accepted engineering construction concepts of underground repositories for high radioactive waste considers the use of low-pH cementitious materials. This paper deals with the design of those based on Ordinary Portland Cements with high contents of silica fume and/or fly ashes that modify most of the concrete “standard” properties, the pore fluid composition and the microstructure of the hydrated products. Their resistance to long-term groundwater aggression is also evaluated. The results show that the use of OPC cement binders with high silica content produces low-pH pore waters and the microstructure of these cement pastes is different from the conventional OPC ones, generating C–S–H gels with lower CaO/SiO2 ratios that possibly bind alkali ions. Leaching tests show a good resistance of low-pH concretes against groundwater aggression although an altered front can be observe

Comparison of two-step transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) and automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) for universal newborn hearing screening programs

Producción CientíficaBoth transitory auditory otoemissions (TEOAE) and automated auditory brainstem responses (AABR) are considered adequate methods for universal hearing screening. The goal of this study was to compare the results obtained with each device, applying the same screening procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS:From 2001 to 2003, all the newborns in our health area (2454 infants) were evaluated with TEOAE (ILO92, otodynamics) and all those born from 2004 to 2006 (3117) were evaluated with AABR (AccuScreen, Fischer-Zoth). The population studied included all well newborns and those admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The first screening was normally undertaken with well babies during the first 48h of life, before hospital discharge. Infants referred from this first step underwent a second screening after hospital discharge, before they were a month old. RESULTS:The results from each study group were compared and analyzed for significant differences. TEOAE screening yielded 10.2% fail results from the first screening step; AABR gave 2.6%. In the second screening step, 2% of the newborns screened with TEOAE were referred, whereas 0.32% of those screened with AABR were referred. These differences are statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS:Although AABR screening tests involve a slightly higher cost in time and money than TEOAE, the results obtained compensate this difference. AABR gives fewer false positives and a lower referral rate; the percent of infants lost during follow-up is consequently smaller. Therefore, in our environment, universal newborn auditory screening with AABR is more effective than that with TEOAE

Laser-induced tuning of carbon nanosensitizers to maximize nitrogen doping and reactive oxygen species production in the visible range

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) have emerged as novel fluorescent nanosensitizers able to expand the photocatalytic response of conventional semiconductors beyond the ultraviolet spectral window. Key aspects of CNDs related with their high photostability, resistance to photobleaching and optical properties (including downconversion and upconversion luminescence) are often associated with the capacity to dope the carbogenic network with light heteroatoms, especially nitrogen. In this work, we present the use of laser pyrolysis as a versatile and convenient synthesis technique to generate different N-doped CNDs. The level of N doping can be tuned through the selection of a single liquid solvent containing N as carbon precursor. This liquid precursor can be alternatively enriched with additional N sources co-fed in the form of gas (i.e. NH3) or disolved solid precursors (i.e. phtalocyanine-Ph). We demonstrate that the N-CNDs retrieved after the additional N cofeeding treatments improve their photoactivity when assembled to P25 nanoparticles towards the conversion of methyl orange (MO) under white LED illumination. All the N-CNDs act as photosensitizers expanding the response of P25 beyond the UV region and exhibit an active role generating different types of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) via singlet oxygen, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals that can pave the way for multiple potential applications in environmental and green processes

Caracterización de residuos procedentes de los procesos de combustión de biomasa. Viabilidad de uso como materiales de Construcción.

En España, y más específicamente en Andalucía, la producción de energía a partir de la quema de biomasa presenta una actividad creciente, por lo que la caracterización de los residuos procedentes de esta combustión facilitaría su empleo futuro. En el presente trabajo se estudia la viabilidad técnica que presentan ciertos residuos (cenizas volantes y cenizas de fondo) procedentes de dicha combustión, para ser empleados en materiales de construcción, evaluando la composición química y mineralógica de estos residuos. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los residuos analizados poseen propiedades aceptables para ser utilizados en la producción de materiales que tomen como base el cemento, si bien su calidad y tipo de aplicación depende de la procedencia del residu

CDC42EP5/BORG3 modulates SEPT9 to promote actomyosin function, migration, and invasion.

Fast amoeboid migration is critical for developmental processes and can be hijacked by cancer cells to enhance metastatic dissemination. This migratory behavior is tightly controlled by high levels of actomyosin contractility, but how it is coupled to other cytoskeletal components is poorly understood. Septins are increasingly recognized as novel cytoskeletal components, but details on their regulation and contribution to migration are lacking. Here, we show that the septin regulator Cdc42EP5 is consistently required for amoeboid melanoma cells to invade and migrate into collagen-rich matrices and locally invade and disseminate in vivo. Cdc42EP5 associates with actin structures, leading to increased actomyosin contractility and amoeboid migration. Cdc42EP5 affects these functions through SEPT9-dependent F-actin cross-linking, which enables the generation of F-actin bundles required for the sustained stabilization of highly contractile actomyosin structures. This study provides evidence that Cdc42EP5 is a regulator of cancer cell motility that coordinates actin and septin networks and describes a unique role for SEPT9 in melanoma invasion and metastasis

Evaluación de los recursos solares en el sur de la Península utilizando el modelo MM5

Ponencia presentada en: XXIX Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el VII Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en Pamplona, del 24 al 26 de abril de 2006

From bioavailability science to regulation of organic chemicals

The bioavailability of organic chemicals in soil and sediment is an important area of scientific investigation for environmental scientists, although this area of study remains only partially recognized by regulators and industries working in the environmental sector. Regulators have recently started to consider bioavailability within retrospective risk assessment frameworks for organic chemicals; by doing so, realistic decision-making with regard to polluted environments can be achieved, rather than relying on the traditional approach of using total-extractable concentrations. However, implementation remains difficult because scientific developments on bioavailability are not always translated into ready-to-use approaches for regulators. Similarly, bioavailability remains largely unexplored within prospective regulatory frameworks that address the approval and regulation of organic chemicals. This article discusses bioavailability concepts and methods, as well as possible pathways for the implementation of bioavailability into risk assessment and regulation; in addition, this article offers a simple, pragmatic and justifiable approach for use within retrospective and prospective risk assessment

Quantum invariants for the graph isomorphism problem

Graph Isomorphism is such an important problem in computer science, that it has been widely studied over the last decades. It is well known that it belongs to NP class, but is not NP-complete. It is thought to be of comparable difficulty to integer factorisation. The best known proved algorithm to solve this problem in general, was proposed by László Babai and Eugene Luks in 1983. Recently, there has been some research in the topic by using quantum computing, that also leads the present piece of research. In fact, we present a quantum computing algorithm that defines an invariant over Graph Isomorphism characterisation. This quantum algorithm is able to distinguish more non-isomorphic graphs than most of the known invariants so far. The proof of correctness and some hints illustrating the extent and reason of the improvement are also included in this paper

Chromosomal instability in aneuploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia associates with disease progression

Chromosomal instability (CIN) lies at the core of cancer development leading to aneuploidy, chromosomal copy-number heterogeneity (chr-CNH) and ultimately, unfavorable clinical outcomes. Despite its ubiquity in cancer, the presence of CIN in childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (cB-ALL), the most frequent pediatric cancer showing high frequencies of aneuploidy, remains unknown. Here, we elucidate the presence of CIN in aneuploid cB-ALL subtypes using single-cell whole-genome sequencing of primary cB-ALL samples and by generating and functionally characterizing patient-derived xenograft models (cB-ALL-PDX). We report higher rates of CIN across aneuploid than in euploid cB-ALL that strongly correlate with intraclonal chr-CNH and overall survival in mice. This association was further supported by in silico mathematical modeling. Moreover, mass-spectrometry analyses of cB-ALL-PDX revealed a "CIN signature" enriched in mitotic-spindle regulatory pathways, which was confirmed by RNA-sequencing of a large cohort of cB-ALL samples. The link between the presence of CIN in aneuploid cB-ALL and disease progression opens new possibilities for patient stratification and offers a promising new avenue as a therapeutic target in cB-ALL treatment.</p

Relevance of gastrointestinal manifestations in a large Spanish cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: what do we know?

SLE can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. GI symptoms are reported to occur in >50% of SLE patients. To describe the GI manifestations of SLE in the RELESSER (Registry of SLE Patients of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology) cohort and to determine whether these are associated with a more severe disease, damage accrual and a worse prognosis. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective, multicentre, cross-sectional cohort study of 3658 SLE patients who fulfil =4 ACR-97 criteria. Data on demographics, disease characteristics, activity (SLEDAI-2K or BILAG), damage (SLICC/ACR/DI) and therapies were collected. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between lupus patients with and without GI damage to establish whether GI damage is associated with a more severe disease. RESULTS: From 3654 lupus patients, 3.7% developed GI damage. Patients in this group (group 1) were older, they had longer disease duration, and were more likely to have vasculitis, renal disease and serositis than patients without GI damage (group 2). Hospitalizations and mortality were significantly higher in group 1. Patients in group 1 had higher modified SDI (SLICC Damage Index). The presence of oral ulcers reduced the risk of developing damage in 33% of patients. CONCLUSION: Having GI damage is associated with a worse prognosis. Patients on a high dose of glucocorticoids are at higher risk of developing GI damage which reinforces the strategy of minimizing glucocorticoids. Oral ulcers appear to decrease the risk of GI damage. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology