Revalorización de la fracción orgánica de los residuos de recubrimientos de cables eléctricos

El objetivo del proyecto es reaprovechar los residuos plásticos provenientes de recubrimientos de cables eléctricos. Se emprende un estudio para evaluar las propiedades de un material compuesto creado a partir de este residuo (R) y una matriz de poliestireno(PS). El R está compuesto principalmente por policloruro de vinilo (PVC) y poliestireno (PE), además incluye trazas de materiales elastoméricos y metales (cobre y aluminio). Primeramente, se realiza un tratamiento al residuo en el que se extraen las trazas de metal y se selecciona una granulometría entre 0,59mm y 1,68mm. Posteriormente, se preparan 5 composiciones de residuo tratado (R*) con PS, a diferentes porcentajes de residuo tratado. Luego, cada composición se mezcla mediante un proceso de extrusión. Se inyectan las probetas necesarias para realizar ensayos de tracción y flexión. A partir de estos ensayos podemos determinar que la incorporación de este R* en el PS hace que las propiedades de tensión máxima y módulo de Young de las mezclas sean menores a las del PS puro. Por otro lado, se puede observar que la deformación máxima aumenta, pasando así de un comportamiento rígido del PS a un comportamiento más dúctil en las mezclas. En la siguiente fase del proyecto se realizan estos mismos ensayos con el material reprocesado, es decir, se vuelven a inyectar las mazarotas y las probetas no utilizadas. Los resultado obtenidos en los ensayos de tracción y flexión no presentan mucha variación con las probetas obtenidas de primera inyección. Además de los ensayos comentados, se realiza una observación visual de las superficies de fractura mediante una lupa. De este modo, se puede ver como la presencia de las partículas infundidas de R* influye en los valores obtenidos en tracción y flexión. Se obtiene además la densidad de las mezclas y del R*. Se complementa el trabajo con un estudio de como la implantación de este R* en una aplicación concreta (una bandeja de oficina) disminuye el impacto ambiental que supone la producción de dicho objeto. Podemos concluir que el uso de este material (R* + PS) contribuye a disminuir los costes de producción y disminuye el impacto ambiental que supone su fabricación. Se podría comparar como una carga la cual tiene el fin de abaratar costes, con el extra de que dejamos de enviar este R a vertederos (lo cual tiene un coste) para reutilizarlo

Synthesis and Functionalization of Monodisperse Near-ultraviolet and Visible Excitable Multifunctional Eu3+, Bi3+:REVO4 Nanophosphors for Bioimaging and Biosensing Applications

Near-ultraviolet and visible excitable Eu- and Bi-doped NPs based on rare earth vanadates (REVO4, RE = Y, Gd) have been synthesized by a facile route from appropriate RE precursors, europium and bismuth nitrate, and sodium orthovanadate, by homogeneous precipitation in an ethylene glycol/water mixture at 120 °C. The NPs can be functionalized either by a one-pot synthesis with polyacrylic acid (PAA) or by a Layer-by-Layer approach with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and PAA. In the first case, the particle size can also be tuned by adjusting the amount of PAA. The Eu- Bi-doped REVO4 based nanophosphors show the typical red luminescence of Eu(III), which can be excited through an energy transfer process from the vanadate anions, resulting in a much higher luminescence intensity in comparison to the direct excitation of the europium cations. The incorporation of Bi into the REVO4 structure shifts the original absorption band of the vanadate anions towards longer wavelengths, giving rise to nanophosphors with an excitation maximum at 342 nm, which can also be excited in the visible range. The suitability of such nanophosphors for bioimaging and biosensing applications, as well as their colloidal stability in different buffer media of biological interest, their cytotoxicity, their degradability at low pH, and their uptake by HeLa cells have been evaluated. Their suitability for bioimaging and biosensing applications is also demonstrated.European Union 267226Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-54852-

Rare earth based nanostructured materials: Synthesis, functionalization, properties and bioimaging and biosensing applications

Rare earth based nanostructures constitute a type of functional materials widely used and studied in the recent literature. The purpose of this review is to provide a general and comprehensive overview of the current state of the art, with special focus on the commonly employed synthesis methods and functionalization strategies of rare earth based nanoparticles and on their different bioimaging and biosensing applications. The luminescent (including downconversion, upconversion and permanent luminescence) and magnetic properties of rare earth based nanoparticles, as well as their ability to absorb X-rays, will also be explained and connected with their luminescent, magnetic resonance and X-ray computed tomography bioimaging applications, respectively. This review is not only restricted to nanoparticles, and recent advances reported for in other nanostructures containing rare earths, such as metal organic frameworks and lanthanide complexes conjugated with biological structures, will also be commented on.European Union 267226Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-54852-

Angular emission properties of a layer of rare-earth based nanophosphors embedded in one-dimensional photonic crystal coatings

The angular properties of light emitted from rare-earth based nanophosphors embedded in optical resonators built in one-dimensional photonic crystal coatings are herein investigated. Strong directional dependence of the photoluminescence spectra is found. Abrupt angular variations of the enhancement caused by the photonic structure and the extraction power are observed, in good agreement with calculated polar emission patterns. Our results confirm that the optical cavity favors the extraction of different wavelengths at different angles and that integration of nanophosphors within photonic crystals provides control over the directional emission properties that could be put into practice in phosphorescent displays.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MAT2008- 02166, CSD2007-00007Junta de Andalucía FQM3579, FQM524

Europium-doped NaGd(WO4)2 nanophosphors: synthesis, luminescence and their coating with fluorescein for pH sensing

Uniform Eu-doped NaGd(WO4)2 nanophosphors with a spherical shape have been synthesized for the first time by using a wet chemistry method based on a homogeneous precipitation process at low temperature (120 °C) in ethylene glycol/water mixtures. The obtained nanoparticles crystallized into the tetragonal structure and presented polycrystalline character. The europium content in such phosphors has been optimized through the analysis of the luminescence dynamics (lifetime measurements). By coating the Eu3+-doped wolframate based nanoparticles with fluorescein through a layer-by-layer (LbL) approach, a wide range (4¿10) ratiometric pH-sensitive sensor has been developed, which uses the pH insensitive emission of Eu3+ as a reference.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-54852-RConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC PIE 201460E005, PIE 201560E056European Union 26722

Effect of a Graduated Walking Program on the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disease. The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of a graduated walking program in reducing the apnea–hypopnea index number in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial with a two-arm parallel in three tertiary hospitals was carried out with seventy sedentary patients with moderate to severe OSAS. Twenty-nine subjects in each arm were analyzed by protocol. The control group received usual care, while usual care and an exercise program based on progressive walks without direct supervision for 6 months were offered to the intervention group. Results: The apnea–hypopnea index decreased by six points in the intervention group, and improvements in oxygen desaturation index, total cholesterol, and Low-Density Lipoprotein of Cholesterol (LDL-c) were observed. A higher decrease in sleep apnea–hypopnea index (45 ± 20.6 vs. 34 ± 26.3/h; p = 0.002) was found in patients with severe vs. moderate OSAS, as well as in oxygen desaturation index from baseline values (43.3 vs. 34.3/h; p = 0.046). Besides, High-Density Lipoprotein of Cholesterol (HDL-c) values showed a higher increase in the intervention group (45.3 vs. 49.5 mg/dL; p = 0.009) and also, a higher decrease in LDL-c was found in this group (141.2 vs. 127.5 mg/dL; p = 0.038). Conclusion: A home physical exercise program is a useful and viable therapeutic measure for the management of OSAS

Elucidation of water promoter effect of proton conductor in wgs reaction over pt-based catalyst: An operando drifts study

A conventional Pt/CeO2/Al2O3 catalyst physically mixed with an ionic conductor (Mo-or Eu-doped ZrO2) was tested at high space velocity (20,000 h−1 and 80 L h−1 gcat−1) under model conditions (only with CO and H2O) and industrial conditions, with a realistic feed. The promoted system with the ionic conductor physically mixed showed better catalytic activity associated with better water dissociation and mobility, considered as a rate-determining step. The water activation was assessed by operando diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transformed spectroscopy (DRIFTS) studies under reaction conditions and the Mo-containing ionic conductor exhibited the presence of both dissociated (3724 cm−1) and physisorbed (5239 cm−1) water on the Eu-doped ZrO2 solid solution, which supports the appearance of proton conductivity by Grotthuss mechanism. Moreover, the band at 3633 cm−1 ascribed to hydrated Mo oxide, which increases with the temperature, explains the increase of catalytic activity when the physical mixture was used in a water gas shift (WGS) reaction.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades ENE2015-66975-C3-2-R, RTI2018-096294-B-C

Clinical Utility of microRNAs in Exhaled Breath Condensate as Biomarkers for Lung Cancer.

This study represents a novel proof of concept of the clinical utility of miRNAs from exhaled breath condensate (EBC) as biomarkers of lung cancer (LC). Genome-wide miRNA profiling and machine learning analysis were performed on EBC from 21 healthy volunteers and 21 LC patients. The levels of 12 miRNAs were significantly altered in EBC from LC patients where a specific signature of miR-4507, miR-6777-5p and miR-451a distinguished these patients with high accuracy. Besides, a distinctive miRNA profile between LC adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was observed, where a combined panel of miR-4529-3p, miR-8075 and miR-7704 enabling discrimination between them. EBC levels of miR-6777-5p, 6780a-5p and miR-877-5p predicted clinical outcome at 500 days. Two additional miRNA signatures were also associated with other clinical features such as stage and invasion status. Dysregulated EBC miRNAs showed potential target genes related to LC pathogenesis, including CDKN2B, PTEN, TP53, BCL2, KRAS and EGFR. We conclude that EBC miRNAs might allow the identification, stratification and monitorization of LC, which could lead to the development of precision medicine in this and other respiratory diseases