Effects of concrete composition on transmission length of prestressing strands

The bond behaviour of prestressing strands in precast pretensioned concrete members, and its transmission length, depends on several factors. However, no consensus exists on the main parameters to be considered in the expressions to predict the transmission length. Usually when the concrete properties are considered, only the concrete compressive strength is included. This study analyzes the influence of concrete composition made up of different cement contents and water/cement ratios on the bond behaviour in transmission of seven-wire prestressing strands. The bond properties and the transmission lengths have been determined. The results show that the influence of the water/cement ratio is very small for concretes with lows cement contents, but the influence of the water/cement ratio on the transmission lengths is highly significant when cement content is high. The effect of cement content in the transmission lengths can reveal different tendencies based on the level of the water/cement ratioThe content of this article forms a part of research that the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia's Institute of Concrete Science and Technology (ICITECH) is presently conducting in conjunction with PREVALESA and ISOCRON. This study was funded by the Ministry of Education and Science and ERDF (Project BIA2006-05521). The authors wish to thank the above companies as well as the concrete structures laboratory technicians at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for their cooperation. Also, the authors wish to pay their respects to C.A. Arbelaez.Martí Vargas, JR.; Serna Ros, P.; Navarro Gregori, J.; Bonet Senach, JL. (2012). Effects of concrete composition on transmission length of prestressing strands. Construction and Building Materials. 27(1):350-356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.07.038S35035627

Independència de la deambulació i la defecació en un camp obert poc atemoridor, posada de manifest en un estudi generacional

El principal objetivo del presente trabajo ha sido poner en evidencia la independencia de la deambulación y la defecación en un campo abierto poco atemorizador, mediante un estudio generacional. Los sujetos experimentales que formaban una nueva generación eran descendientes de padres seleccionados por puntuaciones extremas de deambulación. Cruzando entre sí los sujetos con más altas puntuaciones en deambulación y, a su vez, los de más bajas puntuaciones, obteníamos dos líneas con características de deambulación distintas. Un análisis de la evolución de la característica defecación, muestra la independencia de esta medida con la deambulación.The main purpose of the present paper has been to make evident that ambulation and defecation scores in a low-frigtening open field are independent. Subjects with highest and lowest expression of the ambulation character are selected. Mating like with like will tend to increase the mean score in subsequent generations giving two lines: high and low ambulator ' ones. The effect of ambulation upon the leve1 of defecation is analized. The results showed that ambulation measure is independent to defecation one

New Insights into the Geochemical Processes Occurring on the Surface of Stuccoes Made of Slaked Lime Putty

The fresco technique performed with slaked lime putty as binding material has been well known since Antiquity. However, the geochemical processes that occur on the surface have been generally described as part of the carbonation process of the intonaco itself. When approaching this technique from experimental archaeology, it has been observed for the first time that during the execution period (from 0 to 20 h, approximately) the processes occurring on the surface of the stucco are different from those occurring inside. Furthermore, these processes lead to the formation of an epigenetic film of specific texture, stiffness and compactness. This study investigates the formation and evolution of this surface film using a series of slaked lime putty stucco test tubes. Samples were extracted at different intervals and subsequently analyzed by polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results indicate that the development of the film, composed of an amorphous gel-like stratum and a micro-crystalline stratum, occurs in parallel to the carbonation occurring inside the stucco. Moreover, this process does not respond to the classical geological processes of calcium carbonate formation. It was also observed that its presence slows down the carbonation in the underlying strata (intonaco, intonachino, arriccio, etc.) and that the surface becomes more crystalline over time. The identification of this film has implications for the field of the conservation-restoration of fresco paintings and lime-based wall paintings

The impact of secondary cytoreductive surgery on survival in first recurrence of platinum sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer

Objective: Analyze the effect on survival of secondary cytoreduction surgery (SCS) in treatment of first recurrence platinumsensitive epithelial ovarian cancer (REOC). Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with first REOC who had platinum timefree interval (TFIp) > 6 months and were treated either with SCS followed by chemotherapy or chemotherapy only (CT). Clinical data such as patient’s performance status and number of sites with metastases were specifically assessed. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Results: Seventyone patients were treated either by SCS (n = 37) or CT (n = 34). Complete resection after SCS was achieved in 89% of patients. After a median followup of 51.2 months, median OS, and progressionfree survival (PFS) were 68.2 and 21.6 months, respectively, for the whole series of the SCS patients had better survival and disease progression survival than the CT only patients (HR: 0.33, 95%CI: 0.170.6; p= 0.001) and (HR: 0.28, 95%CI: 0.150.5; p= 0.001), respectively. TFIp < 12 months and multiple metastases were most important prognostic factors for risk of death (HR: 7.7 and 6.2, respectively) and recurrence (HR: 5.8 and 3.8, respectively). Probability to undergo successful SCS is related to oligometastatic disease and no residual disease after first surgery (OR: 30.0 and 5.9, respectively). Conclusions: In women with REOC oligometastatic disease and no residual disease at first surgery are associated with successful SCS. In these patients oligometastatic disease and long platinum TFI are associated with improved probability of survival

Human exposure and risk assessment of PAHs bound to three PM fractions (10, 2.5 and 1) in an area influenced by a cement plant

In the present study, we evaluated the concentrations of PAHs in 3 PM fractions (10, 2.5 and 1) collected in the surroundings of a cement plant located in Barcelona. PAH content and speciation were developed for the three fractions to elucidate their distribution among different sizes. Complementarily, the human health risks associated to the PAH exposure were risks by considering the daily activity pattern of an average adult living in of Barcelona (Spain).Financial support was received by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), through the project CTM2012-32778. F. Sánchez-Soberón received a doctoral scholarship as part of the project above mentioned. We also want to thank the European Union Seventh Framework Program for the funding received through the HEALS project (grant agreement No. 603946).Peer reviewe

Basement structure of the Hontomín CO2 Geological storage facility (Burgos, Spain): integration of microgravity & 3D seismic reflection data

The structure of the Hontomín CO2 geological storage research facility has been addressed combining 3D seismic reflection data, borehole information and microgravity data. The integrated interpretation constrains the basement structural setting geometry and that of the sedimentary succession. The study unravels the deep structure and topography of the basement and quantifies the thickness of the Triassic Keuper evaporites. We describe a half-graben setting filled with Keuper evaporites (up to 2000 m) forming an extensional forced fold. Three set of faults are identified with two main fault systems compartmentalizing the area into three differentiated blocks. These faults have been interpreted to be reactivated normal faults that have led to the formation of the Hontomín dome.The datasets in this work have been funded by Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (Spanish Government, www.ciuden.es) and by the European Union through the “European Energy Programme for Recovery” and the Compostilla OXYCFB300 project. Dr. Juan Alcalde is currently funded by NERC grant NE/M007251/1.Peer Reviewe

Basement structure of the Hontomín CO2 Geological storage facility (Burgos, Spain): integration of microgravity & 3D seismic reflection data

The structure of the Hontomín CO2 geological storage research facility has been addressed combining 3D seismic reflection data, borehole information and microgravity data. The integrated interpretation constrains the basement structural setting geometry and that of the sedimentary succession. The study unravels the deep structure and topography of the basement and quantifies the thickness of the Triassic Keuper evaporites. We describe a half-grabensetting filled with Keuper evaporites (up to 2000 m) forming an extensional forced fold. Three set of faults are identified with two main fault systems compartmentalizing the area into three differentiated blocks. These faults have been interpreted to be reactivated normal faults that have led to the formation of the Hontomín dome.The datasets in this work have been funded by Fundación Ciudad de la Energía (Spanish Government, www.ciuden.es) and by the European Union throughthe “European Energy Programme for Recovery” and the Compostilla OXYCFB300 project. Dr. Juan Alcalde is currently funded by NERC grant NE/M007251/1.Peer Reviewe

SEOM clinical guidelines for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) (2019)

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of lung cancers. Only one-third of patients are diagnosed at limited stage. The median survival remains to be around 15-20 months without significative changes in the strategies of treatment for many years. In stage I and IIA, the standard treatment is the surgery followed by adjuvant therapy with platinum-etoposide. In stage IIB-IIIC, the recommended treatment is early concurrent chemotherapy with platinum-etoposide plus thoracic radiotherapy followed by prophylactic cranial irradiation in patients without progression. However, in the extensive stage, significant advances have been observed adding immunotherapy to platinum-etoposide chemotherapy to obtain a significant increase in overall survival, constituting the new recommended standard of care. In the second-line treatment, topotecan remains as the standard treatment. Reinduction with platinum-etoposide is the recommended regimen in patients with sensitive relapse (≥ 3 months) and new drugs such as lurbinectedin and immunotherapy are new treatment options. New biomarkers and new clinical trials designed according to the new classification of SCLC subtypes defined by distinct gene expression profiles are necessary

Resting-state frontostriatal functional connectivity in Parkinson's disease-related apathy

Background: One of the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms in PD is apathy, affecting between 23 and 70% of patients and thought to be related to frontostriatal dopamine deficits. In the present study, we assessed functional resting-state frontostriatal connectivity and structural changes associated with the presence of apathy in a large sample of PD subjects and healthy controls, while controlling for the presence of comorbid depression and cognitive decline. Methods: Thirty-one healthy controls (HC) and 62 age, sex and education-matched PD patients underwent resting-state functional MRI. Apathy symptoms were evaluated with the Apathy Scale (AS). The 11 Beck Depression Inventory-II items that measure dysphoric mood symptoms as well as relevant neuropsychological scores were used as nuisance factors in connectivity analyses. Voxel-wise analyses of functional connectivity between frontal lobes (limbic, executive, rostral motor and caudal motor regions), striata (limbic, executive, sensorimotor regions) and thalami were performed. Subcortical volumetry/shape analysis and fronto-subcortical voxel-based morphometry were performed to assess structural changes. Results: Twenty-five PD patients were classified as apathetic (PD-A) (AS>13). PD-A patients showed functional connectivity reductions compared with HC and with non-apathetic patients (PD-NA), mainly in left-sided circuits, and predominantly involving limbic striatal and frontal territories. Similarly, severity of apathy negatively correlated with connectivity in these circuits. No significant effects were found in structural analyses. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the presence of apathy in PD is associated with functional connectivity reductions in frontostriatal circuits, predominating in the left hemisphere and mainly involving its limbic components

Continuously variable true time delay optical feeder for phased array antenna employing chirped fiber gratings

In this paper we propose and demonstrate a novel approach of true-time delay (TTD) optical feeder for phased-array antennas. A continuously variable TTD is achieved by employing tunable lasers and a wide bandwidth chirped fiber grating as dispersive element. The results show that a very high resolution performance (equivalent to a 6 bit microwave phase shifter) is obtained for a L-band phased-array antenna employing narrow tuning bandwidth lasers with a wavelength stability of 0.005 nm and a 4 nm bandwidth chirped grating with dispersion 835 ps/nm