Amorphous zinc borate as a simple standard for baseline correction in Raman spectra

In this paper, our research group proposes a simple solution to a usual problem that appears in the Raman analysis of some substances, which is the presence of weak Raman signals, probably in combination with a high‐intensity luminescence background, affected by the presence of distortions in the baseline. Under this condition, the spectroscopist has to face spectra hard to edit and correct and thus hard to study. There are already some standard solutions that allow the correction of spectra from relative intensity to absolute intensity that also solves this problem and also allow quantitative analyses. But these solutions imply expensive standards or devices that could not be a worthy option when not working in absolute intensity or the Raman analyses stay at qualitative level and a quantitative study is not needed. The alternative Do It Yourself solution proposed in this paper is based on the use of amorphous zinc borate, an easy‐to‐find substance, which after a simple processing allows us to correct the baseline of Raman spectra qualitatively, offering a useful and economic reference when an absolute intensity correction is not needed. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this procedure, some spectra were corrected using amorphous zinc borate and then compared the signal‐to‐noise ratio of some Raman signals before and after this correction. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.MINECO ESP2014-56138-C3-1-

Semi‐quantification of binary saline solutions by Raman spectroscopy: Implications for Europa

Producción CientíficaThe Europa lander is a concept for a potential future planetary exploration mission which purpose is to characterize the icy shell of Europa and to search for organics. To achieve this objective, the current concept of the lander includes a Raman spectrometer, such as RLS instrument, that could be able to analyze (sub) surface targets in their solid and liquid form. Knowing that ice and brines of Europa are potentially enriched by sulfate and chlorides, this work seeks to evaluate if Raman spectroscopy could be used to semi quantify the saline content of water solutions using space-like instrumentation. To do so, MgSO4 and MgCl2 were used to prepare three sets of water solutions. Raman analyses were then performed by the laboratory simulator of the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS), which has been defined as the threshold system for the Europa Lander. After data analysis, two different semi-quantification approaches were tested, and their results compared. Although univariate calibration curves proved to successfully quantify the content of SO42− and Cl− anions dissolved in mono-analyte water solutions, this strategy provided very poor results when applied to binary saline mixtures. Overcoming this issue, the non-linearity prediction ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) in combination with bandfitting allows to successfully resolve the complexity of the vibrational perturbation suffered by the OH region, which is caused by the cross interaction of H2O molecules with different anions.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Grant/Award Number: PID2019-107442RBC31

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS): development of chemometric tools to classify ultramafic igneous rocks on Mars

Producción CientíficaThis work aims to evaluate whether the multi-point analysis the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) will perform on powdered samples could serve to classify ultramafc rocks on Mars. To do so, the RLS ExoMars Simulator was used to study terrestrial analogues of Martian peridotites and pyroxenites by applying the operational constraints of the Raman spectrometer onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover. Besides qualitative analysis, RLS-dedicated calibration curves have been built to estimate the relative content of olivine and pyroxenes in the samples. These semi-quantitative results, combined with a rough estimate of the concentration ratio between clino- and ortho-pyroxene mineral phases, were used to classify the terrestrial analogues. XRD data were fnally employed as reference to validate Raman results. As this preliminary work suggests, ultramafc rocks on Mars could be efectively classifed through the chemometric analysis of RLS data sets. After optimization, the proposed chemometric tools could be applied to the study of the volcanic geological areas detected at the ExoMars landing site (Oxia Planum), whose mineralogical composition and geological evolution have not been fully understoodProyecto MINECO Retos de la Sociedad. Ref. ESP2017-87690-C3-1-RProyecto MINECO Retos de la Sociedad. Ref. ESP2017-87690-C3-1-

Raman semi-quantification on Mars: ExoMars RLS system as a tool to better comprehend the geological evolution of martian crust

Producción CientíficaThis work presents the latest chemometric tools developed by the RLS science team to optimize the scientific outcome of the Raman system onboard the ExoMars 2022 rover. Feldspar, pyroxene and olivine samples were first analyzed through the RLS ExoMars Simulator to determine the spectroscopic indicators to be used for a proper discrimination of mineral phases on Mars. Being the main components of Martian basaltic rocks, lepidocrocite, augite and forsterite were then used as mineral proxies to prepare binary mixtures. By emulating the operational constraints of the RLS, Raman datasets gathered from laboratory mixtures were used to build external calibration curves. Providing excellent coefficients of determination (R2 0.9942÷0.9997), binary curves were finally used to semi-quantify ternary mixtures of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine minerals. As Raman results are in good agreement with real concentration values, this work suggests the RLS could be effectively used to perform semi-quantitative mineralogical studies of the basaltic geological units found at Oxia Planum. As such, crucial information about the geological evolution of Martian Crust could be extrapolated. In light of the outstanding scientific impact this analytical method could have for the ExoMars mission, further methodological improvements to be discussed in a dedicated work are finally proposed.Consejo Europeo de Investigación (grant 687302)Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (grants PID2019-107442RB-C31 and RDE2018-102600-T

Application of chemometrics on Raman spectra from Mars: Recent advances and future perspectives

Producción CientíficaThe SuperCam and SHERLOC instruments onboard the NASA/Perseverancerover are returning the first Raman spectra to be ever collected from anotherplanet. Similarly, the RLS instrument onboard the ESA/Rosalind Franklinrover will collect Raman spectra from powdered rocks sampled from thesubsurface of Mars. To optimize the scientific exploitation of Raman spectrareturned from planetary exploration missions, tailored chemometric tools arebeing developed that take into account the analytical capability of the men-tioned Raman spectrometers. In this framework, the ERICA research groupis using laboratory simulators of SuperCam and RLS to perform representa-tive laboratory studies that will enhance the scientific outcome of bothMars2020 and ExoMars missions. On one hand, preliminary studies provedthe chemometric analysis of RLS datasets could be used to obtain a reliablesemi-quantitative estimation of the main mineral phases composing Martiangeological samples. On the other hand, it was proved the data fusion ofRaman and LIBS spectra gathered by SuperCam could be used to enhancethe discrimination of mineral phases from remote geological targets. Besidesdescribing the models developed by the ERICA group, this work presents anoverview of the complementary chemometric approaches so far tested in thisfield of study and propose further improvements to be addressed in thefuture.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Beca/Concesión Número:PID2019-107442RBC31European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. grant agreement no. 68730

The Raman laser spectrometer ExoMars simulator (RLS Sim): A heavy‐duty Raman tool for ground testing on ExoMars

Producción CientíficaThe Raman laser spectrometer (RLS) instrument onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover of the ExoMars 2022 mission will analyze powdered samples on Mars to search for traces of life. To prepare for the mission, the RLS scientific team has developed the RLS ExoMars Simulator (RLS Sim), a flexible model of RLS that operates similarly to the actual instrument, both in laboratory and field conditions, while also emulating the rover operational constraints in terms of sample distribution that are relevant to the Raman analysis. This system can operate autonomously to perform RLS-representative analysis in one or several samples, making it very useful to perform heavy experimental tasks that would otherwise be impossible using a flight-representative model of the instrument. In this work, we introduce the current configuration of the RLS Sim that has incorporated new hardware elements such as the RAman Demonstrator 1 (RAD1) spectrometer with the objective of approaching its performance to that of the actual RLS instrument. To evaluate the scientific capability of the RLS Sim, we have compared it with a replica model of RLS, the RLS Flight Spare (FS). Several acquisition aspects have been evaluated based on the analysis of select samples, assessing the performance in terms of spectral range and resolution and also studying several issues related to the evolution of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with different acquisition parameters, especially the number of accumulations. This performance analysis has shown that the RLS Sim in its updated configuration will be a key model to perform support science for the ExoMars mission and the RLS instrument on the Rosalind Franklin rover. Designed to work intensively, the use of the RLS Sim in combination with the RLS FS will facilitate maximizing the scientific return of the RLS spectrometer during Martian operations.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (grant PID2019-107442RBC31)European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant 687302

Lipoprotein(A) Concentrations In Rheumatoid Arthritis On Biologic Therapy: Results From The Cardiovascular In Rheumatology [Carma] Study Project

Background Plasma concentrations of lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), a lipoprotein with atherogenic and thrombogenic properties, have a strong genetic basis, although high concentrations of Lp(a) have also been reported in the context of inflammation, as in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Few studies evaluate the impact of biologic therapies (BT) on Lp(a) in RA, taking into account that with these new therapies a better control of inflammation is achieved. Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the plasma concentrations of Lp(a) in Spanish RA patients on BT attending rheumatology outpatient clinics. Methods Baseline analysis of the CARdiovascular in rheuMAtology project, a 10-year prospective study, evaluating the risk of cardiovascular events in RA and other forms of inflammatory arthritis. RA patients were classified according to treatment: no biologic, anti-tumor necrosis factor, anti-interleukin-6 receptor tocilizumab (TCZ), and other biologic (rituximab or abatacept). A model of linear multivariate regression was built in which the dependent variable was Lp(a) concentration and the explanatory variable was BT. The model was adjusted for confounding factors. Results Seven hundred and seventy-five RA patients were analyzed. Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly higher in TCZ-treated patients. Nevertheless, no significant difference in the atherogenic index between TCZ-treated patients and patients without BT was found. After adjusting for confounding factors, patients with BT had lower concentrations of Lp(a) than those without BT; however, only TCZ-treated patients achieved statistically significant differences (?: ?0.303, 95% confidence interval: ?0.558 to ?0.047; P = .02). Conclusions RA patients treated with TCZ show lower plasma concentrations of Lp(a) compared with patients without BT.This project has been supported by an unrestricted grant from Abbvie, Spain. The design, analysis, interpretation of results, and preparation of the article have been done independently of Abbvie. Dr González-Gay's studies have been supported by grants from “Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias” PI06/0024, PS09/00748, and PI12/00060 and RD12/0009/0013 (RIER) from “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” (ISCIII) (Spain)

Boletín MOMENTO ECONÓMICO, año 2, núms. 23-24, Julio-Agosto 2012.

Las campañas realizadas para las elecciones federales del pasado 1 de julio, pusieron en evidencia la necesidad de un amplio debate sobre cuál debe ser la estrategia a seguir para construir en México un proceso económico de desarrollo incluyente, sustentable y con equidad social. Fueron diversas variables las que pusieron de manifiesto la urgencia de avanzar en esta dirección: la ausencia de reflexión sobre el tema, la parcialidad de los enfoques y la falta de objetividad en la evaluación de los resultados del modelo aplicado en las tres últimas décadas, entre otras. Culminado el proceso electoral, a dos semanas de que el Tribunal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Federación lo califique y a escasos tres meses de que dé inicio un nuevo mandato presidencial, el entorno económico nacional y mundial nos exigen, una vez más, reflexionar sobre la validez de la estrategia económica aplicada para promover el desarrollo y enfrentar la profunda crisis por la que atraviesa el sistema económico en su conjunto

Comorbidities in patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A comparative registries-based study

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of the main comorbidities in 2 large cohorts of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a focus on cardiovascular (CV) diseases. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional multicenter study where the prevalence of more relevant comorbidities in 2 cohorts was compared. Patients under followup from SJOGRENSER (Spanish Rheumatology Society Registry of Primary SS) and RELESSER (Spanish Rheumatology Society Registry of SLE), and who fulfilled the 2002 American-European Consensus Group and 1997 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria, respectively, were included. A binomial logistic regression analysis was carried out to explore potential differences, making general adjustments for age, sex, and disease duration and specific adjustments for each variable, including CV risk factors and treatments, when appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 437 primary SS patients (95% female) and 2,926 SLE patients (89% female) were included. The mean age was 58.6 years (interquartile range [IQR] 50.0-69.9 years) for primary SS patients and 45.1 years (IQR 36.4-56.3 years) for SLE patients (P?<?0.001), and disease duration was 10.4 years (IQR 6.0-16.7 years) and 13.0 years (IQR 7.45-19.76 years), respectively (P?<?0.001). Smoking, dyslipidemia, and arterial hypertension were associated less frequently with primary SS (odds ratio [OR] 0.36 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.28-0.48], 0.74 [95% CI 0.58-0.94], and 0.50 [95% CI 0.38-0.66], respectively) as were life-threatening CV events (i.e., stroke or myocardial infarction; OR 0.57 [95% CI 0.35-0.92]). Conversely, lymphoma was associated more frequently with primary SS (OR 4.41 [95% CI 1.35-14.43]). The prevalence of severe infection was lower in primary SS than in SLE (10.1% versus 16.9%; OR 0.54 [95% CI 0.39-0.76]; P?<?0.001). CONCLUSION: Primary SS patients have a consistently less serious CV comorbidity burden and a lower prevalence of severe infection than those with SLE. In contrast, their risk of lymphoma is greater

Seminario de Economía Mexicana

Serie de ponencias referentes al Seminario de Economía Mexicana. Memorias del Seminario de Economía Mexicana de 199