Innovation of Coagulation-Flocculation Processes Using Biopolyelectrolytes and Zeta Potential for Water Reuse

The coagulation-flocculation process is one of the conventional technologies used for the treatment of different types of industrial wastewater. The zeta potential is a key parameter that allows to determine the effective pH, the type and the correct biopolyelectrolyte dose to return the water quality using coagulation-flocculation. In this chapter, we present the application of a natural cationic biopolyelectrolyte (chitosan) to make the separation and recovery of cellulose fiber more efficient and to increase the reuse of treated water from the pulp and paper industry. The result of the coagulation-flocculation test at pH 5.4 and a chitosan dose = 10 mg/L shows that the treated water has the following values: biochemical oxygen demand = 150 mg O2/L, turbidity = 5 FAU, total suspended solids = 2 mg/L, chemical oxygen demand = 200 mg/L and hardness = 250 mg CaCO3/L. The quality of water obtained allows its discharge to a natural water body, in which it is possible to continue with a biological treatment stage, or to reuse the treated water for the manufacture of paper. Additionally, this coagulation-flocculation process can be coupled to an advanced oxidation process to increase the quality of the water and mineralize the content of organic material

In vivo forced expression of myocardin in ventricular myocardium transiently impairs systolic performance in early neonatal pig heart

[Abstract] The aim of this study was to determine the effects of forced expression of myocd-A in the left ventricular (LV) myocardium on cardiac performance in early neonatal piglets. LV transfection with the gene for homeodomain only protein (hop), an antagonist of myocd-mediated activities, was also performed. Gene delivery was performed in 6-day-old piglets using a low-traumatic, catheter-based, video-assisted procedure developed by us for direct intra-myocardial injections of plasmid DNA into 3-4 target areas of the ventral LV free wall (LVFW). Two isoforms of porcine myocd were identified, cloned and characterized: the exon 11-lacking myocd-A and its larger exon 11-containig variant, myocd-B. In neonatal piglets, myocd-A seems to be a cardio-predominant isoform enriched in the LVFW/septum, whereas the myocd-B isoform is detected not only in the heart but also in various smooth muscle cell-containing tissues. Intramyocardial myocd-A gene delivery resulted in forced transgene expression in the target areas of the LVFW as compared to controls. On day 2 post-delivery, a marked decrease of LV-end systolic pressure values (an accepted marker for impaired LV function) was observed in myocd-A-transfected piglets as compared to hop-transfected and control groups. In addition, forced myocd-A expression in the LVFW caused abnormal ECG. A significant up-regulation of the gene for fetal-predominant muscle light chain 3F myosin was detected in myocd-A-transfected LVFWs harvested on day 2 post-delivery. Extended analysis on day 7 post-delivery revealed a drop decrease in myocd-A transgene expression in target LVFW regions which was correlated with normalization of the LV systolic parameters in experimented piglets.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia; SAF2004-01462Galicia. Consellería de Innovación, Industria e Comercio; PGIDIT04BTF16001 PR

Exon-skipping brain natriuretic peptide variant is overexpressed in failing myocardium and attenuates brain natriuretic peptide production in vitro

Original research[Abstract] Brain natriuretic peptide/natriuretic peptide precursor B (NPPB) is one of the most studied genes in relation to heart failure (HF) conditions. However, it is still unclear as to whether alternative splicing could create NPPB mRNA variants, which may be expressed in normal and diseased myocardium. We aimed to identify and characterize a novel alternatively spliced variant of porcine and human NPPB resulting from exon 2 skipping (designated as ΔE2-NPPB). A variety of conventional molecular, biochemical and immunochemical methods were used to examine the expression and functional consequences of ΔE2-NPPB in vitro and in vivo. The pig ΔE2-NPPB mRNA is effectively translated into stable protein in cell-based assays but, in contrast to normally spliced NPPB, the ΔE2-NPPB protein is not secreted into the media. Co-transfection assays demonstrate that ΔE2-NPPB attenuates production and secretion of normally spliced NPPB, suggesting a negative feedback loop of NPPB signaling through generation of ΔE2-NPPB. The inhibitory effects of ΔE2-NPPB on the expression of NPPB are associated with sequence elements residing in exon 3 of ΔE2-NPPB. In piglets, ΔE2-NPPB gene expression is downregulated in both ventricles after birth, but it is markedly re-activated in the postnatal myocardium in experimental diastolic heart failure. In addition, we demonstrate that the exon-skipped NPPB variants are expressed in the postnatal and adult human myocardium and upregulated at end-stage HF due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Our work uncovers an important role of alternative exon skipping in the regulation of NPPB gene expression, thereby pinpointing a putative new mechanism for post-transcriptional regulation of NPPB production and secretion.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; SAF2008- 00337Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; SAF2004-0146

Intron retention generates ANKRD1 splice variants that are co-regulated with the main transcript in normal and failing myocardium

[Abstract] The cardiac ankyrin repeat domain 1 protein (ANKRD1, also known as CARP) has been extensively characterized with regard to its proposed functions as a cardio-enriched transcriptional co-factor and stress-inducible myofibrillar protein. The present results show the occurrence of alternative splicing by intron retention events in the pig and human ankrd1 gene. In pig heart, ankrd1 is expressed as four alternatively spliced transcripts, three of which have non-excised introns: ankrd1-contained introns 6, 7 and 8 (i.e., ankrd1-i6,7,8), ankrd1-contained introns 7 and 8 (i.e., ankrd1-i7,8), and ankrd1 retained only intron 8 (i.e., ankrd1-i8). In the human heart, two orthologues of porcine intron-retaining ankrd1 variants (i.e., ankrd1-i8 and ankrd1-i7,8) are detected. We demonstrate that these newly-identified intron-retaining ankrd1 transcripts are functionally intact, efficiently translated into protein in vitro and exported to the cytoplasm in cardiomyocytes in vivo. In the piglet heart, both the intronless and intron-retaining ankrd1 mRNAs are co-expressed in a chamber-dependent manner being more abundant in the left as compared to the right myocardium. Our data further indicate co-upregulation of the ankrd1 spliced variants in myocardium in the porcine model of diastolic heart failure. Most significantly, we demonstrate that in vivo forced expression of recombinant intronless ankrd1 markedly increases the levels of intron-retaining ankrd1 variants (but not of the endogenous main transcript) in piglet myocardium, suggesting that ANKRD1 may positively regulate the expression of its own intron-containing RNAs in response to cardiac stress. Overall, our findings demonstrate that in cardiomyocytes ANKRD1 can exist in multiple isoforms which may contribute to the functional diversity of this factor in heart development and disease.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; SAF2004-01462Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; SAF2008-00337Galicia. Consellería de Economía e Industria; 08CSA008161P

Catalytic reforming of dimethyl ether in microchannels

© . This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The steam reforming and oxidative steam reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) were tested at 573–773¿K over a CuZn/ZrO2 catalyst in microreactors with three different types of channels: ceramic square channels with side lengths of 900 and 400¿µm, and silicon microchannels of 2¿µm of diameter. The channels were first coated with ZrOCl2 (ceramic channels) or Zr(i-PrO)4 (silicon microchannels) and calcined at 773¿K for 2¿h to obtain a homogeneous and well-adhered ZrO2 layer, as determined by SEM, and then Cu and Zn (Cu:Zn¿=¿1:1¿M, 20¿wt% total metal) were co-impregnated. Operation at highly reduced residence time (10-3¿s) while achieving hydrogen yields similar to those recorded over the ceramic channels was possible for the silicon microchannels due to the three orders of magnitude increased contact area. In addition, the amount of catalyst used for coating the silicon microchannels was two orders of magnitude lower with respect to the conventional ceramic channels. Outstanding specific hydrogen production rates of 0.9 LN of H2 per min and cm3 of reactor volume were achieved as well as stable operation for 80¿h, which demonstrates the feasibility of using on-site, on-demand hydrogen generation from DME for portable fuel cell applications.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Colémbolos (Hexapoda, Collembola) asociados con carpóforos de basidiomicetes recolectados en el SW de Cataluña

Collembola (Hexapoda, Collembola) associated with Basidiomycetes sporocarps in SW Catalonia. We have studied the collembola species found in basidiomata of 41 different species of fungi belonging to the Class Basidiomycetes, collected in several districts of the mediterranean SW Catalonia. We have found 5575 individuals of collembola of nine different species. Ceratophysella tergilobata represents the 99,8% of the total individuals and is present in the 94,8% of analysed basidiomata. In consequence this species must be considered an habitual inhabitant of the basidiomata of the mediterranean districts of Catalonia. The examination of the gut content of the studied col1embola reveals that their relationship with the basidiomata is of nutritional type.Se han estudiado las especies de colémbolos presentes en basidiomas de 41 especies distintes de hongos de la Clase Basidiomicetes, recolectadas en diferentes comarcas de la Cataluña mediterrànea. Se han encontrado 5.575 ejemplares de colémbolos, pertenecientes a nueve especies. Ceratophysella tergilobata representa el 99,8% del total de ejemplares y esta presente en el 94,8% de los basidiomes examinados, por lo que se considera un habitante habitual de las setas de las comarcas de la Cataluña mediterránea. El examen del contenido intestinal de los colémbolos estudiados revela que su relación con los cuerpos fruetíferos de los hongos es de tipo nutricional

A good gesture: exploring nonverbal communication for robust SLDSs

Actas de las IV Jornadas de Tecnología del Habla (JTH 2006)In this paper we propose a research framework to explore the possibilities that state-of-the-art embodied conversational agents (ECAs) technology can offer to overcome typical robustness problems in spoken language dialogue systems (SLDSs), such as error detection and recovery, changes of turn and clarification requests, that occur in many human-machine dialogue situations in real applications. Our goal is to study the effects of nonverbal communication throughout the dialogue, and find out to what extent ECAs can help overcome user frustration in critical situations. In particular, we have created a gestural repertoire that we will test and continue to refine and expand, to fit as closely as possible the users’ expectations and intuitions, and to favour a more efficient and pleasant dialogue flow for the users. We also describe the test environment we have designed, simulating a realistic mobile application, as well as the evaluation methodology for the assessment, in forthcoming tests, of the potential benefits of adding nonverbal communication in complex dialogue situations.This work has been possible thanks to the support grant received from project TIC2003-09068-C02-02 of the Spanish Plan Nacional de I+D

Differential induction of apoptosis, interferon signaling, and phagocytosis in macrophages infected with a panel of attenuated and nonattenuated poxviruses

Due to the essential role macrophages play in antiviral immunity, it is important to understand the intracellular and molecular processes that occur in macrophages following infection with various strains of vaccinia virus, particularly those used as vaccine vectors. Similarities as well as differences were found in macrophages infected with different poxvirus strains, particularly at the level of virus-induced apoptosis and the expression of immunomodulatory genes, as determined by microarray analyses. Interestingly, the attenuated modified vaccinia Ankara virus (MVA) was particularly efficient in triggering apoptosis and beta interferon (IFN- ) secretion and in inducing changes in the expression of genes associated with increased activation of innate immunity, setting it apart from the other five vaccinia virus strains tested. Taken together, these results increase our understanding of how these viruses interact with human macrophages, at the cellular and molecular levels, and suggest mechanisms that may underlie their utility as recombinant vaccine vectorsThis work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health, FIS2011-00127 (S.G.) and FISPI11/00350 (E.L.-C), and by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM)-Banco de Santander (S.G.

Colémbolos (Hexapoda, Collembola) asociados con carpóforos de basidiomicetes recolectados en el SW de Cataluña

Collembola (Hexapoda, Collembola) associated with Basidiomycetes sporocarps in SW Catalonia. We have studied the collembola species found in basidiomata of 41 different species of fungi belonging to the Class Basidiomycetes, collected in several districts of the mediterranean SW Catalonia. We have found 5575 individuals of collembola of nine different species. Ceratophysella tergilobata represents the 99,8% of the total individuals and is present in the 94,8% of analysed basidiomata. In consequence this species must be considered an habitual inhabitant of the basidiomata of the mediterranean districts of Catalonia. The examination of the gut content of the studied col1embola reveals that their relationship with the basidiomata is of nutritional type.Se han estudiado las especies de colémbolos presentes en basidiomas de 41 especies distintes de hongos de la Clase Basidiomicetes, recolectadas en diferentes comarcas de la Cataluña mediterrànea. Se han encontrado 5.575 ejemplares de colémbolos, pertenecientes a nueve especies. Ceratophysella tergilobata representa el 99,8% del total de ejemplares y esta presente en el 94,8% de los basidiomes examinados, por lo que se considera un habitante habitual de las setas de las comarcas de la Cataluña mediterránea. El examen del contenido intestinal de los colémbolos estudiados revela que su relación con los cuerpos fruetíferos de los hongos es de tipo nutricional

Assessment of severe apnoea through voice analysis, automatic speech, and speaker recognition techniques

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://asp.eurasipjournals.com/content/2009/1/982531This study is part of an ongoing collaborative effort between the medical and the signal processing communities to promote research on applying standard Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) techniques for the automatic diagnosis of patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Early detection of severe apnoea cases is important so that patients can receive early treatment. Effective ASR-based detection could dramatically cut medical testing time. Working with a carefully designed speech database of healthy and apnoea subjects, we describe an acoustic search for distinctive apnoea voice characteristics. We also study abnormal nasalization in OSA patients by modelling vowels in nasal and nonnasal phonetic contexts using Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) pattern recognition on speech spectra. Finally, we present experimental findings regarding the discriminative power of GMMs applied to severe apnoea detection. We have achieved an 81% correct classification rate, which is very promising and underpins the interest in this line of inquiry.The activities described in this paper were funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology as part of the TEC2006-13170-C02-02 Project