Comment on "Theory of tailoring sonic devices: Diffraction dominates over refraction"

Recently N. Garcia et al. (Phys. Rev. E 67, 046606 (2003)) theoretically studied several acoustic devices with dimensions on de order of several wavelenghts. The authors discussed on experimental results previously reported by several of us (F. Cervera et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 023902 (2002)). They concluded that diffraction and not refraction is the ominating mechanism that explain the focusing effects observed in those experiments. In this Comment we reexamined their calculations and discussed why some of their interpretations of our results are misleading.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, a comment on an articl

Lopsidedness of cluster galaxies in modified gravity

We point out an interesting theoretical prediction for elliptical galaxies residing inside galaxy clusters in the framework of modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND), that could be used to test this paradigm. Apart from the central brightest cluster galaxy, other galaxies close enough to the centre experience a strong gravitational influence from the other galaxies of the cluster. This influence manifests itself only as tides in standard Newtonian gravity, meaning that the systematic acceleration of the centre of mass of the galaxy has no consequence. However, in the context of MOND, a consequence of the breaking of the strong equivalence principle is that the systematic acceleration changes the own self-gravity of the galaxy. We show here that, in this framework, initially axisymmetric elliptical galaxies become lopsided along the external field's direction, and that the centroid of the galaxy, defined by the outer density contours, is shifted by a few hundreds parsecs with respect to the densest point.Comment: accepted for publication in JCA

Low-Temperature Soldering of Surface Mount Devices on Screen-Printed Silver Tracks on Fabrics for Flexible Textile Hybrid Electronics

[EN] The combination of flexible-printed substrates and conventional electronics leads to flexible hybrid electronics. When fabrics are used as flexible substrates, two kinds of problems arise. The first type is related to the printing of the tracks of the corresponding circuit. The second one concerns the incorporation of conventional electronic devices, such as integrated circuits, on the textile substrate. Regarding the printing of tracks, this work studies the optimal design parameters of screen-printed silver tracks on textiles focused on printing an electronic circuit on a textile substrate. Several patterns of different widths and gaps between tracks were tested in order to find the best design parameters for some footprint configurations. With respect to the incorporation of devices on textile substrates, the paper analyzes the soldering of surface mount devices on fabric substrates. Due to the substrate's nature, low soldering temperatures must be used to avoid deformations or damage to the substrate caused by the higher temperatures used in conventional soldering. Several solder pastes used for low-temperature soldering are analyzed in terms of joint resistance and shear force application. The results obtained are satisfactory, demonstrating the viability of using flexible hybrid electronics with fabrics. As a practical result, a simple single-layer circuit was implemented to check the results of the research.This work was supported by the Spanish Government FEDER funds (RTI2018-100910B-C43) (MINECO/FEDER). The work presented is also funded by the Conselleria d'Economia Sostenible, Sectors Productius i Treball, through IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial) and cofunded by ERDF funding from the EU Stretch Project, application No.: IMAMCA/2022/6.Silvestre, R.; Llinares Llopis, R.; Contat-Rodrigo, L.; Serrano Martínez, V.; Ferri, J.; Garcia-Breijo, E. (2022). Low-Temperature Soldering of Surface Mount Devices on Screen-Printed Silver Tracks on Fabrics for Flexible Textile Hybrid Electronics. Sensors. 22(15):1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22155766123221

An investigation into CLIL-related sections of EFL coursebooks : issues of CLIL inclusion in the publishing market

The current ELT global coursebook market has embraced CLIL as a weak form of bilingual education and an innovative component to include in General English coursebooks for EFL contexts. In this paper I investigate how CLIL is included in ELT coursebooks aimed at teenaged learners, available to teachers in Argentina. My study is based on the content analysis of four series which include a section advertised as CLIL-oriented. Results suggest that such sections are characterised by (1) little correlation between featured subject specific content and school curricula in L1, (2) oversimplification of contents, and (3) dominance of reading skills development and lower-order thinking tasks. Through this study, I argue that CLIL components become superficial supplements rather than a meaningful attempt to promote weak forms of bilingual education

Leprosy Associated with Atypical Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Nicaragua and Honduras

In Central America, few cases of leprosy have been reported, but the disease may be unrecognized. Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and histology. Preliminary field work in Nicaragua and Honduras found patients, including many children, with skin lesions clinically suggestive of atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis or indeterminate leprosy. Histology could not distinguish these diseases although acid-fast organisms were visible in a few biopsies. Lesions healed after standard antimicrobial therapy for leprosy. In the present study, patients, family members, and other community members were skin-tested and provided nasal swabs and blood samples. Biopsies were taken from a subgroup of patients with clinical signs of infection. Two laboratories analyzed samples, using local in-house techniques. Mycobacterium leprae, Leishmania spp. and Leishmania infantum were detected using polymerase chain reactions. Mycobacterium leprae DNA was detected in blood samples and nasal swabs, including some cases where leprosy was not clinically suspected. Leishmania spp. were also detected in blood and nasal swabs. Most biopsies contained Leishmania DNA and coinfection of Leishmania spp. with M. leprae occurred in 33% of cases. Mycobacterium leprae DNA was also detected and sequenced from Nicaraguan and Honduran environmental samples. In conclusion, leprosy and leishmaniasis are present in both regions, and leprosy appears to be widespread. The nature of any relationship between these two pathogens and the epidemiology of these infections need to be elucidated

Long-Term Optical Monitoring of Eta Carinae. Multiband light curves for a complete orbital period

The periodicity of 5.5 years for some observational events occurring in Eta Carinae manifests itself across a large wavelength range and has been associated with its binary nature. These events are supposed to occur when the binary components are close to periastron. To detect the previous periastron passage of Eta Car in 2003, we started an intensive, ground-based, optical, photometric observing campaign. We continued observing the object to monitor its photometric behavior and variability across the entire orbital cycle. Our observation program consisted of daily differential photometry from CCD images, which were acquired using a 0.8 m telescope and a standard BVRI filter set at La Plata Observatory. The photometry includes the central object and the surrounding Homunculus nebula. We present up-to-date results of our observing program, including homogeneous photometric data collected between 2003 and 2008. Our observations demonstrated that Eta Car has continued increasing in brightness at a constant rate since 1998. In 2006, it reached its brightest magnitude (V ~ 4.7) since about 1860s. The object then suddenly reverted its brightening trend, fading to V = 5.0 at the beginning of 2007, and has maintained a quite steady state since then. We continue the photometric monitoring of Eta Car in anticipation of the next "periastron passage", predicted to occur at the beginning of 2009.Comment: Accepted by A&A. The paper contains 3 figures and 2 table

Clinical relevance of monitoring serum levels of adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in daily practice

[Objectives]: We aimed to assess the usefulness of measuring serum levels of adalimumab (ADL) and anti-ADL antibodies in 57 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with ADL for at least 3 months in daily practice. [Methods]: All patients received concomitant disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). Receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to obtain the cut-off value of ADL for low disease activity (DAS28-ESR ≤3.2). [Results]: Anti-ADL antibodies were detected in 4 (7%) patients with a mean (SD) DAS28 score of 4.6 (0.9). Patients with positive anti-ADL antibodies had significantly lower levels of ADL and higher DAS28 scores than those with negative antibodies. Patients with DAS28 ≤3.2 as compared with patients with DAS28 >3.2 showed significantly better SDAI score, higher serum concentrations of ADL and none of them showed anti-ADL antibodies. The cut-off of serum level of ADL for DAS28 11.3 mg/L. Patients in the medium group were closed to clinical remission (median DAS28 2.7) and patients in the high group were on clinical remission (DAS28 2.1). [Conclusion]: Serum levels of ADL should be maintained >4.3 mg/L. In patients with ADL levels >11.3 mg/L, a decrease of the dose of ADL or an increase in the interval between doses may be planned. The presence of anti-ADL antibodies was associated with a loss of clinical efficacy of ADL.Peer Reviewe

Galactic orbital motions in the Dark Matter, MOdified Newtonian Dynamics and MOdified Gravity scenarios

We simultaneously integrate in a numerical way the equations of motion of both the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) in MOND, MOG and CDM for -1 <= t <= +1 Gyr to see if, at least in principle, it is possible to discriminate between them (Abridged version).Comment: LaTex2e, 11 pages, 2 tables, 8 figures. Issues concerning the masses of MCs clarified. Integration time changed to -1 Gyr <= t <= +1 Gyr. To appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS

Microsporidia as a Potential Threat to the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)

Lynx pardinus is one of the world’s most endangered felines inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula. The present study was performed to identify the presence of microsporidia due to the mortality increase in lynxes. Samples of urine (n = 124), feces (n = 52), and tissues [spleen (n = 13), brain (n = 9), liver (n = 11), and kidney (n = 10)] from 140 lynxes were studied. The determination of microsporidia was evaluated using Weber’s chromotrope stain and Real Time-PCR. Of the lynxes analyzed, stains showed 10.48% and 50% positivity in urine and feces samples, respectively. PCR confirmed that 7.69% and 65.38% belonged to microsporidia species. The imprints of the tissues showed positive results in the spleen (38.46%), brain (22.22%), and liver (27.27%), but negative results in the kidneys. PCR confirmed positive microsporidia results in 61.53%, 55.55%, 45.45%, and 50%, respectively. Seroprevalence against Encephalitozoon cuniculi was also studied in 138 serum samples with a positivity of 55.8%. For the first time, the results presented different species of microsporidia in the urine, feces, and tissue samples of Lynx pardinus. The high titers of anti-E. cuniculi antibodies in lynx sera confirmed the presence of microsporidia in the lynx environment. New studies are needed to establish the impact of microsporidia infection on the survival of the Iberian lynx

Evolución de las infecciones de transmisión sexual en la ciudad de Valencia. Periodo 2004-2009

Las infecciones de transmisi&oacute;n sexual (ITS) han aumentado en los &uacute;ltimos a&ntilde;os en toda la Uni&oacute;n Europea. La puesta en marcha de sistemas de notificaci&oacute;n y registro de las enfermedades de declaraci&oacute;n obligatoria (AVE) y sistemas de notificaci&oacute;n automatizada de resultados de microbiolog&iacute;a(RedMiVa) han permitido una mejora de la exhaustividad en la detecci&oacute;n de casos y por tanto una mejor identificaci&oacute;n y prevenci&oacute;n de la transmisi&oacute;n de estas enfermedades.Un dise&ntilde;o cl&aacute;sico de vigilancia de salud p&uacute;blica para los registros de S&iacute;filis del periodo 2005-2009 y de Infecci&oacute;n gonoc&oacute;cica del periodo 2004-2009, nos permite analizar las caracter&iacute;sticas de los sujetos, su evoluci&oacute;n temporal y h&aacute;bitos sexuales en la ciudad de Valencia. Durante el periodo fueron notificados 321 casos de S&iacute;filis y 596 de Infecci&oacute;n Gonoc&oacute;cica. La evoluci&oacute;n temporal de la incidencia pas&oacute; de 2,13 (2005) a 15,60 (2009) para la S&iacute;filis; y de 2,13 (2004) a 26,36 (2009) para la Infecci&oacute;n gonoc&oacute;cica. La introducci&oacute;n de la notificaci&oacute;n microbiol&oacute;gica increment&oacute; la detecci&oacute;n de nuevos casos de ITS.La desproporci&oacute;n por g&eacute;nero muestra una evoluci&oacute;n creciente de la Raz&oacute;n de masculinidad. La S&iacute;filis presenta cifras superiores entre los inmigrantes tanto en varones como en mujeres, mientras que para la Infecci&oacute;n Gonoc&oacute;cica destaca una incidencia superior en mujeres aut&oacute;ctonas que entre las inmigrantes. El factor sexual de riesgom&aacute;s frecuente para ambas enfermedades fue la existencia de parejas m&uacute;ltiples. El 42,68% de los pacientes con S&iacute;filis y el 36,91% de los pacientes con Infecci&oacute;n Gonoc&oacute;cica indicaron esta conducta.La tendencia creciente observada, con independencia de lo anterior, es concordante con informes de similar origen en nuestro pa&iacute;s. No obstante, nuestras cifras de Incidencia Anual son sustancialmente mayores que las registradas en el conjunto de la naci&oacute;n.Esta evoluci&oacute;n sugiere la necesidad de incrementar las&nbsp; estrategias activas de prevenci&oacute;n y uso de preservativos. De igual modo la detecci&oacute;n temprana y el tratamiento correcto de las ITS requieren, en nuestra opini&oacute;n, unamayor difusi&oacute;n de la informaci&oacute;n epidemiol&oacute;gica sobre ITS a los profesionales cl&iacute;nicos