Polymeric foams as the matrix of voltammetric sensors for the detection of catechol, hydroquinone, and their mixtures

Producción CientíficaPorous electrodes based on polymethylmethacrylate and graphite foams (PMMA_G_F) have been developed and characterized. Such devices have been successfully used as voltammetric sensors to analyze catechol, hydroquinone, and their mixtures. The presence of pores induces important changes in the oxidation/reduction mechanism of catechol and hydroquinone with respect to the sensing properties observed in nonfoamed PMMA_graphite electrodes (PMMA_G). The electropolymerization processes of catechol or hydroquinone at the electrode surface observed using PMMA_G do not occur at the surface of the foamed PMM_G_F. In addition, the limits of detection observed in foamed electrodes are one order of magnitude lower than the observed in the nonfoamed electrodes. Moreover, foamed electrodes can be used to detect simultaneously both isomers and a remarkable increase in the electrocatalytic properties shown by the foamed samples, produces a decrease in the oxidation potential peak of catechol in presence of hydroquinone, from +0.7 V to +0.3 V. Peak currents increased linearly with concentration of catechol in presence of hydroquinone over the range of 0.37·10−3 M to 1.69·10−3 M with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.27 mM. These effects demonstrate the advantages obtained by increasing the active surface by means of porous structures.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project AGL2015-67482-R)Junta de Castilla y Leon - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (project VA-011U16

Dendritic-branching angles of pyramidal neurons of the human cerebral cortex

In this article, we analyze branching angles of the basal dendrites of pyramidal neurons of layers III and V of the human temporal cortex. For this, we use a novel probability directional statistical distribution called truncated von Mises distribution that is able to describe more accurately the dendritic-branching angles than the previous proposals. Then, we perform comparative studies using this statistical method to determine similarities and/or differences between branches and branching angles that belong to different cortical layers and regions. Using this methodology, we found that common design principles exist and govern the patterns found in the different branches that compose the basal dendrites of human pyramidal cells of the temporal cortex. However, particular differences were found between supra and infragranular cells. Furthermore, we compared the branching angles of human layer III pyramidal neurons with data obtained in the previous studies in layer III of both the rat somatosensory cortex and of several cortical areas of the mouse. Finally, we study the branching angle differences between the humans that compose our data

Durability Assessment of a Plasma-Polymerized Coating with Anti-Biofilm Activity against L. monocytogenes Subjected to Repeated Sanitization

Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).[EN] Biofilm formation on food-contact surfaces is a matter of major concern causing food safety and spoilage issues to this sector. The aim of this study was to assess the durability of the anti-biofilm capacity of a plasma-polymerized coating composed of a base coating of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and a functional coating of acrylic acid (AcAc). Coated and uncoated AISI 316 stainless steel (SS) plates were subjected to five sanitization cycles with sodium hypochlorite (0.05%) and peracetic acid (0.5%). The effectiveness of the coating for the inhibition of multi-strain Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation was confirmed using a three-strain cocktail, which was grown on the SS plates at 12◦ C for 6 days. Compared to the uncoated SS, relative biofilm productions of 14.6% on the non-sanitized coating, 27.9% on the coating after sanitization with sodium hypochlorite, and 82.3% on the coating after sanitization with peracetic acid were obtained. Morphological and physicochemical characterization of the coatings suggested that the greater anti-biofilm effectiveness after sanitization with sodium hypochlorite was due to the high pH of this solution, which caused a deprotonation of the carboxylic acid groups of the functional coating. This fact conferred it a strong hydrophilicity and negatively charged its surface, which was favorable for preventing bacterial attachment and biofilm formation.SIThis publication is based upon work from COST Action CA19110—PlAgri, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology-www.cost.eu). XPS tests were conducted by the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory (LMA) of The Institute of Nanoscience of Aragón (INA), University of Zaragoza. The authors are thankful to the LMA-INA for the access to their equipment and their expertise. The AFM images were taken by the Central Research Support Service (SCAI) of the University of Málaga (UMA). The author P. Fernández-Gómez is grateful to Junta de Castilla y León and the European Social Fund (ESF) for awarding her a predoctoral grant (BOCYL-D-15122017-4). The author M. Oliveira is in receipt of a Juan de la Cierva contract IJC2018-035523-I awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The author E. Sainz-García, as researcher of the University of La Rioja, is thankful to the postdoctoral training program funded by the Plan Propio of the University of La Rioja. The authors I. Muro-Fraguas and A. Sainz-García are thankful to the program of pre-doctoral contracts for the training of research staff that is funded by the University of La Rioja.This study is part of the Research, Development and Innovation projects AGL2017-82779- C2-R and PID2020-113658RB-C2, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF “A way to make Europe”

Ekosistemen osasuna: klima-aldaketaren eta kutsaduraren arteko elkarrekintza

Tresna biologiko berriak behar dira klima-aldaketak lurzoruetako zein ekosistema itsastarretako organismoengan eragiten duen efektua aztertzeko. Asmo honekin Zelulen Biologia Ingurumen Toxikologian ikerketa-taldea, estres peko egonaldiaren, eragindako efektuen eta osasun-estatusaren biomarkatzaileak ugal-zikloan zehar garatzen eta aplikatzen ari da, ekosistema desberdinetako espezie sentikor zentineletan. Artikulu honetan ekosistemen osasunaren eta bere ebaluazioari buruzko auziaren egoera izan dugu ikusmiran klima-aldaketaren ikuspuntutik, eta etorkizunerako lan ildoak proposatu ditugu

Techniques and criteria for the geometric documentation of the excavation of the dolmen ‘Alto de la Huesera’ (Álava, Spain) and its virtual reconstruction

[ES] El dolmen del “Alto de la Huesera” es una de las nueve estructuras funerarias en la cara sur de la sierra de Cantabria. Está localizado en el término municipal de Laguardia (Álava, España). Fue identificada en 1947 por Domingo Fernández Medrano, quien lo excavó al año siguiente. Cuando fue descubierto, sólo eran visibles las partes superiores de las losas verticales, con la cubierta caía en el interior de tal forma que se creyó que no existía una cubierta en sí, sino que la cámara estaba construida por ortostatos inclinados que se unían en la parte superior. Esta forma de aparente pirámide y el hecho de no localizarse ninguna traza del corredor hizo pensar que se trataba del único dolmen del área que carecía de corredor. Entre los años 2010 y 2013, una nueva serie de trabajos descubrieron el corredor y completaron las excavaciones de la cámara y el túmulo. Posteriormente, el monumento fue restaurado y, actualmente, muestra un aspecto idealizado de cómo pudo haber sido en origen. A la luz de todo lo anterior, el presente artículo trata aspecto relativos a la documentación geométrica, la representación virtual del aspecto original del monumento y la preservación y difusión de la información.[EN] The dolmen of ‘Alto de la Huesera’ is one of the nine funerary constructions on the southern face of the Cantabrian mountain range. It is located in the municipality of Laguardia (Álava, Spain). It was identified in 1947 by Domingo Fernández Medrano, who excavated it the following year. When discovered, only the top of the vertical slabs of the chamber were visible, with the cover slab fallen inside, in such a way that it prompted the idea that it lacked a cover slab, in other words, that the chamber was build with leaning orthostates which joined at the upper part. This apparent pyramid-shape and the fact of not being able to locate any trace of the passage made people believe that it was the only dolmen of this area without one. Between 2010 and 2013 a new series of works discovered the missing passage and completed the excavation of the chamber and the tumulus. Afterwards, the monument was restored and, at present, it shows an idealized view of how it could have been originally. In the light of the foregoing, the paper goes over the aspects concerning the geometric documentation, the virtual representation of the original state of the monument and the preservation and dissemination of the information

Ekosistemen osasuna: klima-aldaketaren eta kutsaduraren arteko elkarrekintza

Tresna biologiko berriak behar dira klima-aldaketak lurzoruetako zein ekosistema itsastarretako organismoengan eragiten duen efektua aztertzeko. Asmo honekin Zelulen Biologia Ingurumen Toxikologian ikerketa-taldea, estres peko egonaldiaren, eragindako efektuen eta osasun-estatusaren biomarkatzaileak ugal-zikloan zehar garatzen eta aplikatzen ari da, ekosistema desberdinetako espezie sentikor zentineletan. Artikulu honetan ekosistemen osasunaren eta bere ebaluazioari buruzko auziaren egoera izan dugu ikusmiran klima-aldaketaren ikuspuntutik, eta etorkizunerako lan ildoak proposatu ditugu

Structure and properties of reactively extruded opaque post-consumer recycled PET

This article belongs to the Special Issue Recycling and Resource Recovery from Polymers.The recyclability of opaque PET, which contains TiO2 nanoparticles, has not been as well-studied as that of transparent PET. The objective of this work is to recycle post-consumer opaque PET through reactive extrusion with Joncryl. The effect of the reactive extrusion process on the molecular structure and on the thermal/mechanical/rheological properties of recycling post-consumer opaque PET (r-PET) has been analyzed. A 1% w/w Joncryl addition caused a moderate increase in the molecular weight. A moderate increase in chain length could not explain a decrease in the overall crystallization rate. This result is probably due to the presence of branches interrupting the crystallizable sequences in reactive extruded r-PET (REX-r-PET). A rheological investigation performed by SAOS/LAOS/elongational studies detected important structural modifications in REX-r-PET with respect to linear r-PET or a reference virgin PET. REX-r-PET is characterized by a slow relaxation process with enlarged elastic behaviors that are characteristic of a long-chain branched material. The mechanical properties of REX-r-PET increased because of the addition of the chain extender without a significant loss of elongation at the break. The reactive extrusion process is a suitable way to recycle opaque PET into a material with enhanced rheological properties (thanks to the production of a chain extension and long-chain branches) with mechanical properties that are comparable to those of a typical virgin PET sample.We would like to acknowledge funding by the EU Interreg H2020 program through project POCTEFA EFA329/19. This work also received funding from the Basque Government, grant IT1309-19.Peer reviewe

The Vallecas Project: a cohort to identify early markers and mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major threat for the well-being of an increasingly aged world population. The physiopathological mechanisms of late-onset AD are multiple, possibly heterogeneous, and not well understood. Different combinations of variables from several domains (i.e., clinical, neuropsychological, structural, and biochemical markers) may predict dementia conversion, according to distinct physiopathological pathways, in different groups of subjects

Transferencia universidad-secundaria: las TAC y los recursos multimedia generadores de aprendizaje y habilidades en los estudios de la lengua española, lenguas extranjeras y sus literaturas

Memoria ID-043. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2021-2022