Dispersing hydrophilic nanoparticles in hydrophobic polymers: HDPE/ZnO nanocomposites by a novel template-based approach

The efficiency of a novel template-based approach for the dispersion of hydrophilic nanoparticles within hydrophobic polymer matrices is investigated. The procedure envisages the permeation of a well dispersed nanoparticle suspension inside a micro-porous matrix, obtained through selective extraction of a sacrificial phase from a finely interpenetrated co-continuous polymer blend. Specifically, a blend of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) at 50/50 wt% is prepared by melt mixing. The addition of small amounts of organo-clay promotes the necessary refinement of the blend morphology. Once removed the PEO, the micro-porous HDPE matrix is dipped in a colloidal suspension of zinc oxide nanoparticles which exhibits low interfacial tension with HDPE. A system prepared by traditional melt mixing is used as reference. Melt- and solid-state viscoelastic measurements reveal a good quality of the filler dispersion despite the uneven distribution on micro-scale. The latter can be capitalized to minimize the filler content to attain a certain improvement of the material properties or to design nano-structured polymer composites. © BME-PT

Prioritized crop wild relatives in Spain: status on the National Inventory of Plant Genetic Resources for Agriculture and Food

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Sistemas fotovoltaicos de dessalinizacáo de água salobra para uso domiciliar na regiáo rural do semiárido brasileiro

En la región semiárida brasileña, gran parte de la población rural tiene problemas con el acceso al agua de buena calidad. El uso de las aguas subterráneas como fuente es una de las principales alternativas para el suministro de agua para este grupo, pero muchos pozos se encuentran lejos de las líneas eléctricas. Esto se puede resolver mediante el uso de sistemas de bombeo fotovoltaico. Sin embargo, La mayoría de los pozos perforados en la región tiene agua con altos niveles de sales disueltas. En este artículo se investiga si el uso de una planta de desalinización fotovoltaica por osmosis inversa puede mejorar la difusión de los sistemas fotovoltaicos para el bombeo de los pozos de agua salobre y si esto puede representar una fuente alternativa de agua para esta población. Se analizó un sistema dual para el tratamiento de agua de tipo "punto de uso”.In the Brazilian semi-arid region, much of the rural population has problems with access to good quality water. The use of groundwater as a source is one of the main alternatives to supply water to this group, but many wells are located away from power lines.This problem can be solved through the use of photovoltaic pumping systems. However, most wells drilled in the region have water with high levels of dissolved salts. This article investigates whether the use of a photovoltaic desalination plant by reverse osmosis can improve dissemination of photovoltaic systems for pumping brackish water wells and whether this may represent an alternative source of water for this population. A point of use dual system was analyzed for water treatment type.Asociación Argentina de Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente (ASADES

Marco Regulatório da Educação à Distância no Brasil de 1961 a 2017: uma Análise Histórico-Crítica

This article contextualizes public policies in the scope of Distance Education (DE), reflecting on its processes of privatization and precarious state. It presents a chronological framework with a regulatory mark for DE in Brazil covering the years between 1990 to 2018 and analyzing the documents critically. It concludes that international entities and meetings directly influence public policies in Brazil, contributing to the definition of the agenda of educational reforms for the peripheral world; that public educational policies have favored large companies, which have been making even more profit from the precariousness of the educational system; and that the most recent flexible policies have been favoring the growth of DE in Brazil, which may gain strength with the recently approved offer of secondary education through this modality, marking a neoconservative conjuncture and commercialization of education. Keywords: Distance education. Public policies. Historical-critical theory. Legislation.Este trabalho contextualiza as políticas públicas no âmbito da Educação a Distância - EaD, refletindo sobre seus processos de privatização e precarização. Apresenta quadro cronológico com marco regulatório em EaD no Brasil abrangendo os anos de 1990 a 2018, analisando os documentos criticamente. Conclui que entidades e reuniões internacionais influenciam diretamente as políticas públicas no Brasil, contribuindo para a definição da pauta das reformas educacionais para o mundo periférico, que as políticas públicas educacionais têm favorecido as grandes empresas, que vêm lucrando ainda mais com a precarização da educação e que as mais recentes políticas de flexibilização vêm favorecendo o crescimento da EaD no Brasil, que pode ganhar um fortalecimento com o oferecimento do ensino médio nessa modalidade, aprovado recentemente, marcando uma conjuntura neoconservadora e de mercantilização da educação. Palavras-chave: Educação a distância. Políticas públicas. Teoria histórico-crítica. Legislação

Adalimumab reduces photoreceptor cell death in a mouse model of retinal degeneration

Growing evidence suggests that inflammation is involved in the progression of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) both in patients and in animal models. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Adalimumab, a monoclonal anti-TNFα antibody, on retinal degeneration in a murine model of human autosomal recessive RP, the rd10 mice at postnatal day (P) 18. In our housing conditions, rd10 retinas were seriously damaged at P18. Adalimumab reduced photoreceptor cell death, as determined by scoring the number of TUNEL-positive cells. In addition, nuclear poly (ADP) ribose (PAR) content, an indirect measure of PAR polymerase (PARP) activity, was also reduced after treatment. The blockade of TNFα ameliorated reactive gliosis, as visualized by decreased GFAP and IBA1 immunolabelling (Müller cell and microglial markers, respectively) and decreased up-regulation of TNFα gene expression. Adalimumab also improved antioxidant response by restoring total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase activity. Finally, we observed that Adalimumab normalized energetic and metabolic pattern in rd10 mouse retinas. Our study suggests that the TNFα blockade could be a successful therapeutic approach to increase photoreceptor survival during the progression of RP. Further studies are needed to characterize its effect along the progression of the diseaseThis work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Institute of Health Carlos III, PI12/0481, SAF2013-41059-R and SAF2013-41945 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MEC). CIBERER is an initiative of the Institute of Health Carlos III from the MEC. Regina Rodrigo has a research-contract SNS Miguel Servet (CP09/118) from Institute of Health Carlos II

El treball social sanitari en l'atenció del risc social i la disfunció social durant l'edat pediàtrica

Treball social; Risc social; Disfunció social; PediatriaTrabajo social; Riesgo social; Disfunción social; PediatríaSocial work; Social risk; Social dysfunction; PediatricsDocument que defineix els continguts disciplinaris del treball social en pediatria i sistematitza la intervenció del treball social sanitari amb els pacients pediàtrics i les seves famílies.Documento que define los contenidos disciplinarios del trabajo social en pediatría y sistematiza la intervención del trabajo social sanitario con los pacientes pediátricos y sus familias.Document that defines the disciplinary contents of social work in pediatrics and systematizes the intervention of health social work with pediatric patients and their families

Involvement of workers in closed and semiclosed institutions in outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis due to norovirus

Norovirus outbreaks frequently occur in closed or semiclosed institutions. Recent studies in Catalonia and various countries indicate that, during outbreaks in these institutions, norovirus is detected in between 23% and 60% of workers, and the prevalence of infection in asymptomatic workers involved in outbreaks ranges from 17% to 40%. In this work, we carried out a prospective study to investigate the involvement of workers in closed and semiclosed institutions during outbreaks. The attack rates (ARs) and the rate ratios (RRs) were calculated according to the type of transmission and occupational category. The RRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between workers and users were calculated. The mean cycle of quantification (Cq) values were compared according to the genogroup and the presence of symptoms. ARs were higher in person-to-person transmission than in common vehicle outbreaks, and 38.8% of workers were symptomatic. The RR between workers and users was 0.46 (95% CI 0.41-0.52). The ARs in workers were high, particularly in workers with closer contact with users. The mean Cq was lower in patients than in asymptomatic infected persons, although the difference was only significant for genogroup I (GI). The frequency of asymptomatic infected persons suggests that personal hygiene measures should be followed by all workers in the centers affected

The effect of excess fluid balance on the mortality rate of surgical patients: a multicenter prospective study

INTRODUCTION: In some studies including small populations of patients undergoing specific surgery, an intraoperative liberal infusion of fluids was associated with increasing morbidity when compared to restrictive strategies. Therefore, to evaluate the role of excessive fluid infusion in a general population with high-risk surgery is very important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of intraoperative fluid balance on the postoperative organ dysfunction, infection and mortality rate. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study during one year in four ICUs from three tertiary hospitals, which included patients aged 18 years or more who required postoperative ICU after undergoing major surgery. Patients who underwent palliative surgery and whose fluid balance could change in outcome were excluded. The calculation of fluid balance was based on preoperative fasting, insensible losses from surgeries and urine output minus fluid replacement intraoperatively. RESULTS: The study included 479 patients. Mean age was 61.2 ± 17.0 years and 8.8% of patients died at the hospital during the study. The median duration of surgery was 4.0 (3.2 to 5.5) h and the value of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3 score was 41.8 ± 14.5. Comparing survivors and non-survivors, the intraoperative fluid balance from non-survivors was higher (1,950 (1,400 to 3,400) mL vs. 1,400 (1,000 to 1,600) mL, P <0.001). Patients with fluid balance above 2,000 mL intraoperatively had a longer ICU stay (4.0 (3.0 to 8.0) vs. 3.0 (2.0 to 6.0), P <0.001) and higher incidence of infectious (41.9% vs. 25.9%, P = 0.001), neurological (46.2% vs. 13.2%, P <0.001), cardiovascular (63.2% vs. 39.6%, P <0.001) and respiratory complications (34.3% vs. 11.6%, P <0.001). In multivariate analysis, the fluid balance was an independent factor for death (OR per 100 mL = 1.024; P = 0.006; 95% CI 1.007 to 1.041). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with excessive intraoperative fluid balance have more ICU complications and higher hospital mortality

A numerical model analysis of the tidal flows in the Bay of Algeciras, Strait of Gibraltar

A numerical model has been applied to study the tidal flows of the Bay of Algeciras in the eastern part of the Strait of Gibraltar, focusing on the M-2 semidiurnal constituent. The numerical model was satisfactorily validated against a comprehensive set of observations collected in the bay in the year 2011 and the model outputs were used for a detailed analysis of the local tidal circulation. The M-2 net (vertically integrated) transport across the mouth of the bay has an amplitude of 2.7 x 10(-3) Sv, while that of the sea surface signal is of similar to 30 cm and is in quadrature with this flow. However, the vertically integrated flow is the result of a pronounced baroclinic structure consisting of an upper (S 37.5) layers, whose associated transports are one order of magnitude higher. This reveals a noticeable internal tide that is characterized by an inward (to the head of the bay) propagation and a likely quarter-wave resonance. During the rising tide, Atlantic water from the strait comes in and produces the thickening of the upper (Atlantic) layer in the bay, while Mediterranean water of the lower layer is pushed out to join the Mediterranean water stream that is flowing to the west along the Strait of Gibraltar. During the falling tide, Atlantic water flows out of the bay and incorporates to the eastward flow in the strait. In this tidal phase, Mediterranean water flows into the bay. Therefore, Atlantic and Mediterranean waters accumulate in the bay during the rising and falling tide, respectively. This pattern is opposite to that observed in the strait, where the Mediterranean layer thickens during the rising tide and becomes thinner during the falling tide. This suggests that the internal tide in the bay is basically determined by the baroclinic forcing at its mouth imposed by the baroclinic tide of the Strait of Gibralta

Enriched mannose glycosylation contributes to Act d 2 allergenicity.

Allergens are responsible for the Th2 response in patients as part of complex mixtures of proteins, fatty acids and other molecules. Plant allergens have hitherto been included in several protein families that share no common biochemical features. Their physical, biochemical and immunological characteristics have been widely studied, but no definite conclusion has been reached about what makes a protein an allergen. N-glycosylation is characteristic of plant allergen sources but is not present in mammals