Estudi de la viscositat i capacitat de penetració de pastes de ciment aluminós dopades per al seu us com a matrius per a fibrociments reforçats amb noteixits de fibra vegetal.

The production of calcium aluminate cement, or CAC, is currently reduced as it is used in highly specialized applications and it is up to four times more expensive than Portland Cement (the most common one). In the fiber cement industry, there are no references about the use of CAC, however, this cement has some characteristics that, by applying them to fibrocement, can provide many benefits, as well as avoid certain problems in the use of portland cement. In this Bachelor's thesis we will analyze some properties of the aluminous cement such as viscosity, penetration in nonwoven fiber and granulometry. The main objective is to achieve a product with better properties than the fibrocement produced with Portland cement, having a greater durability and trying to overcome the weaknesses of the use of CAC. In order to carry out the experiment we have studied different samples of CAC with metakaolin (an addition that can improve its properties) from quantities 100% -0% up to 50% -50% of the cement matrix. We have done essays for each sample with 3 different water contents (35%, 40% and 45%) and for each different experiment we have done a repetition adding a superplasticizer agent and another without adding it. The results indicate that the cement paste with metakaolin is a viscoplastic fluid. The viscosity increases as we reduce the amount of water and add more metakaolin. The variation in the penetration of cement on the nonwoven fiber does not follow any relation with the presence of the plasticizer agent. On the other hand, penetration increases a bit by adding more water in the cement paste without the presence of superplasticizer.La producció del ciment d'aluminat de calci, o CAC, és, actualment, reduïda ja que s'utilitza en aplicacions molt especialitzades i és fins a quatre cops més costós econòmicament que el ciment pòrtland (el més comú). A la indústria del fibrociment no s'han trobat referències d'ús del CAC, no obstant això, aquest ciment té unes característiques que aplicant-les al fibrociment ens poden proporcionar molts beneficis, així com aconseguir evitar certs problemes que té l'ús del ciment pòrtland. En aquest treball de final de grau analitzarem propietats del ciment aluminós tals com la viscositat, la penetració en fibra noteixit i la seva granulometria. L'objectiu principal és arribar a aconseguir un producte amb millors propietats que el fibrociment produït amb ciment pòrtland, tenir una major durabilitat i intentar superar les febleses de l'ús del CAC. Per tal de dur a terme l'experiment hem estudiat diferents mostres de CAC amb metacaolí (una addició que ens pot millorar les propietats) des de quantitats 100%-0% fins 50%-50% de la matriu de ciment respectivament. Hem fet assajos per cada mostra amb 3 continguts d'aigua diferents (35%, 40% i 45%) i per cada experiment diferent també s'ha realitzat una repetició afegint fluïdificant i una altra sense afegir-ne. Els resultats ens indiquen que la pasta de ciment amb metacaolí és un fluid viscoplàstic. La viscositat augmenta a mesura que reduïm la quantitat d'aigua i afegim més metacaolí. La variació de la penetració del ciment en la fibra de noteixit no té cap relació clara amb presència d'agent superfluïdificant. En canvi, la penetració augmenta subtilment incrementant la quantitat d'aigua de la pasta de ciment sense presència de superfluïdificant.La producción del cemento de aluminato de calcio, o CAC, es, actualmente, reducida debido a que se utiliza en aplicaciones muy especializadas y es hasta cuatro veces más caro económicamente que el cemento portland (el más común). En la industria del fibrocemento no se han encontrado referencias en el uso del CAC, no obstante, este cemento tiene unas características que aplicándolas al fibrocemento nos pueden proporcionar muchos beneficios y también evitar ciertos problemas que tiene el uso del cemento portland. En este trabajo de final de grado analizaremos las propiedades del cemento aluminoso tales como la viscosidad, la penetración en la fibra de no tejido y su granulometría. El objetivo principal es conseguir un producto con mejores propiedades que el fibrocemento producido con cemento portland, tener una mayor durabilidad e intentar superar las debilidades del uso del CAC. Para llevar a cabo el experimento hemos estudiado diferentes muestras de CAC con metacaolín (una adición que puede mejorar las propiedades) des de cantidades 100%- 0% hasta 50%-50% en la matriz de cemento, respectivamente. Hemos hecho ensayos para cada muestra con 3 contenidos de agua diferentes (35%, 40% i 45%) y para cada experimento diferente se ha realizado una repetición añadiendo fluidificante y otra sin añadirlo. Los resultados nos indican que la pasta de cemento con metacaolín es un fluido viscoplástico. La viscosidad aumenta a medida que reducimos la cantidad de agua y añadiendo más metacaolín. La variación de la penetración del cemento en la fibra de no tejido no tiene ninguna relación clara en la presencia de agente superfluidificante. En cambio, la penetración incrementa sutilmente aumentando la cantidad de agua en la pasta de cemento sin la presencia de superfluidificante

Polygenic risk score analysis of pathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease

Previous estimates of the utility of polygenic risk score analysis for the prediction of Alzheimer’s disease have given Area Under the Curve estimates of <80%. However, these have been based on the genetic analysis of clinical case control series. Here we apply the same analytic approaches to a pathological case control series and show a predictive AUC of 84%. We suggest that this analysis has clinical utility and that there is limited room for further improvement using genetic data

Doublecortin-expressing cell types in temporal lobe epilepsy

Doublecortin (DCX) is widely regarded as a marker of immature and migrating neurons during development. While DCX expression persists in adults, particularly in the temporal lobe and neurogenic regions, it is unknown how seizures influence its expression. The aim of the present study was to explore the distribution and characteristics of DCX-expressing cells in surgical and postmortem samples from 40 adult and paediatric patients, with epilepsy and with or without hippocampal sclerosis (HS), compared to post mortem controls. The hippocampus (pes and body), parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, temporal pole and temporal cortex were examined with DCX immunohistochemistry using four commercially-available DCX antibodies, labelled cells were quantified in different regions of interest as well as their co-expression with cell type specific markers (CD68, Iba1, GFAP, GFAP∂, nestin, SOX2, CD34, OLIG2, PDGFRβ, NeuN) and cell cycle marker (MCM2). Histological findings were compared with clinical data, as well as gene expression data obtained from the temporal cortex of 83 temporal lobe epilepsy cases with HS. DCX immunohistochemistry identified immature (Nestin-/NeuN-) neurons in layer II of the temporal neocortex in patients with and without epilepsy. Their number declined significantly with age but was not associated with the presence of hippocampal sclerosis, seizure semiology or memory dysfunction. DCX+ cells were prominent in the paralaminar nuclei and periamygdalar cortex and these declined with age but were not significantly associated with epilepsy history. DCX expressing cells with ramified processes were prominent in all regions, particularly in the hippocampal subgranular zone, where significantly increased numbers were observed in epilepsy samples compared to controls. DCX ramified cells co-expressed Iba1, CD68 and PDGFRβ, and less frequently MCM2, OLIG2 and SOX2, but no co-localization was observed with CD34, nestin or GFAP/GFAP ∂. Gene expression data from neocortical samples in patients with TLE and HS supported ongoing DCX expression in adults. We conclude that DCX identifies a range of morphological cell types in temporal lobe epilepsy, including immature populations, glial and microglial cell types. Their clinical relevance and biological function requires further study but we show some evidence for alteration with age and in epilepsy

A Genome-wide gene-expression analysis and database in transgenic mice during development of amyloid or tau pathology

We provide microarray data comparing genome-wide differential expression and pathology throughout life in four lines of "amyloid" transgenic mice (mutant human APP, PSEN1, or APP/PSEN1) and "TAU" transgenic mice (mutant human MAPT gene). Microarray data were validated by qPCR and by comparison to human studies, including genome-wide association study (GWAS) hits. Immune gene expression correlated tightly with plaques whereas synaptic genes correlated negatively with neurofibrillary tangles. Network analysis of immune gene modules revealed six hub genes in hippocampus of amyloid mice, four in common with cortex. The hippocampal network in TAU mice was similar except that Trem2 had hub status only in amyloid mice. The cortical network of TAU mice was entirely different with more hub genes and few in common with the other networks, suggesting reasons for specificity of cortical dysfunction in FTDP17. This Resource opens up many areas for investigation. All data are available and searchable at http://www.mouseac.org

PAX6, brain structure and function in human adults: Advanced MRI in aniridia

Objective PAX6 is a pleiotropic transcription factor essential for the development of several tissues including the eyes, central nervous system, and some endocrine glands. Recently it has also been shown to be important for the maintenance and functioning of corneal and pancreatic tissues in adults. We hypothesized that PAX6 is important for the maintenance of brain integrity in humans, and that adult heterozygotes may have abnormalities of cortical patterning analogous to those found in mouse models. Methods We used advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques, including surface-based morphometry and region-of-interest analysis in adult humans heterozygously mutated for PAX6 mutations (n = 19 subjects and n = 21 controls). Using immunohistochemistry, we also studied PAX6 expression in the adult brain tissue of healthy subjects (n = 4) and patients with epilepsy (n = 42), some of whom had focal injuries due to intracranial electrode track placement (n = 17). Results There were significant reductions in frontoparietal cortical area after correcting for age and intracranial volume. A greater decline in thickness of the frontoparietal cortex with age, in subjects with PAX6 mutations compared to controls, correlated with age-corrected, accelerated decline in working memory. These results also demonstrate genotypic effects: those subjects with the most severe genotypes have the most widespread differences compared with controls. We also demonstrated significant increases in PAX6-expressing cells in response to acute injury in the adult human brain. Interpretation These findings suggest a role for PAX6 in the maintenance and consequent functioning of the adult brain, homologous to that found in other tissues. This has significant implications for the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Hacia un futuro energético predecible : aplicando Machine Learning para prever los precios de la electricidad

En aquest treball volem centrar-nos en l'anàlisi d'un component essencial en la societat moderna: el preu de l'electricitat. Amb l'objectiu de comprendre les complexitats del mercat elèctric i la seva dinàmica, l'estudi que hem realitzat ens proporcionarà una base teòrica sobre els articles i el mercat elèctric.En este trabajo queremos centrados en el análisis de un componente esencial en la sociedad moderna: el precio de la electricidad. Con el objetivo de entender las complejidades del mercado eléctrico, el estudio que hemos realizado nos dejara una base teórica sobre los artículos y el del mercado eléctrico .In this work, we want to focus on the analysis of an essential component in modern society: the price of electricity. With the aim of understanding the complexities of the electric market and its dynamics, the study we have carried out will provide us with a theoretical basis on the articles and the electricity market

The impact of brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism on cognition and functional brain networks in patients with intractable partial epilepsy

INTRODUCTION: Medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is the most common refractory focal epilepsy in adults. Around 30%-40% of patients have prominent memory impairment and experience significant postoperative memory and language decline after surgical treatment. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism has also been associated with cognition and variability in structural and functional hippocampal indices in healthy controls and some patient groups. AIMS: We examined whether BDNF Val66Met variation was associated with cognitive impairment in mTLE. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the association of Val66Met polymorphism with cognitive performance (n = 276), postoperative cognitive change (n = 126) and fMRI activation patterns during memory encoding and language paradigms in 2 groups of patients with mTLE (n = 37 and 34). RESULTS: mTLE patients carrying the Met allele performed more poorly on memory tasks and showed reduced medial temporal lobe activation and reduced task-related deactivations within the default mode networks in both the fMRI memory and language tasks than Val/Val patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although cognitive impairment in epilepsy is the result of a complex interaction of factors, our results suggest a role of genetic factors on cognitive impairment in mTLE

Soluble Fibrinogen Triggers Non-cell Autonomous ER Stress-Mediated Microglial-Induced Neurotoxicity

Aberrant or chronic microglial activation is strongly implicated in neurodegeneration, where prolonged induction of classical inflammatory pathways may lead to a compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) or vasculature, features of many neurodegenerative disorders and implicated in the observed cognitive decline. BBB disruption or vascular disease may expose the brain parenchyma to “foreign” plasma proteins which subsequently impact on neuronal network integrity through neurotoxicity, synaptic loss and the potentiation of microglial inflammation. Here we show that the blood coagulation factor fibrinogen (FG), implicated in the pathogenesis of dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), induces an inflammatory microglial phenotype as identified through genetic microarray analysis of a microglial cell line, and proteome cytokine profiling of primary microglia. We also identify a FG-mediated induction of non-cell autonomous ER stress-associated neurotoxicity via a signaling pathway that can be blocked by pharmacological inhibition of microglial TNFα transcription or neuronal caspase-12 activity, supporting a disease relevant role for plasma components in neuronal dysfunction

L\u27adaptation de l\u27organe visu el aux intermittences lumineuses et aux phosphènes électriques papillotants

U vezi s problemom mehanizma vidnih osjeta i s pitanjem, kako djeluje svijetlo na vidnu funkciju. izvršene su tri serije eksperimenata, i to: 1. ispitano je, kojom brzinom i u kojim granicama dolazi do adaptacije na treperenje izazvano isprekidanim svijetlom odnosno isprekidanim električnim podražajima oka; 2. ispitano je, kako utječe na kritičnu frekvenciju prethodno podraživanje oka treptavim svijetlom različite frekvencije a stalnog trajanja; i 3. ispitan je utjecaj intermitentnih električnih fosfena na frekvenciju fuzije svijetla. Rezultati tih pokusa bili su: a) pri podraživanju oka isprekidanom električnom strujom dolazi mnogo brže do adaptacije na treperenje i opseg adaptacije znatno je veći, nego kad se oko podražuje isprekidanim svijetlom; b) prethodno podraži van je vidnog organa različitim subfuzionalnim frekvencijama svijetla smanjuje kritičnu frekvenciju za svijetlo. Maksimalno smanjenje nađene je nakon ekspozicije na treptave svijetlo od oko 20/sek. sa simetričnim opadanjem smanjenja za brže i sporije frekvencije; c) prethodno podraživanje oka isprekidanom strujom različite frekvencije ne utječe na kritičnu frekvenciju za svijetlo. Na osnovi tih rezultata autor se priklanja hipotezi, da je brza adaptacija na intermitentne električne fosfene uvjetovana u prvom redu inhibicijom, koja nastaje u živčanim elementima retine, dok bi relativno uska adaptacija na treperenje svijetla bila rezultat prvenstveno pogoršanja u funkcionalnom stanju vidnog korteksa. Kod normalnog kontinuiranog podraživanja svijetlom dolazi do zaštitne inhibicije u· centrima, koja sprečava da kortikalne strukture dođu u takvo stanje uzbuđenja, koje ih iscrpljuje. Naprotiv diskontinuirano uzbuđivanje sprečava, da se ta zaštitna inhibicija razvije u dovoljnoj mjeri, a to tada dovodi do smanjenja funkcionalne sposobnosti centara, što se očituje u subjektivnoj fuziji isprekidanih podražaja, odnosno u sniženju kritične frekvencije. Maksimalno sniženje kritične frekvencije nakon ekspozicije na treperenje svijetla od oko 20/sek odgovara pristizanju grupiranih živčanih impulsa u momentima, kad se vidni korteks nalazi u svojoj supranormalnoj fazi podražljivosti.Dans le cadre des problèmes concernant le mécanisme de la vision et l\u27influence de la lumière intermittente nous avons étudié: 1) l\u27adaptation au papillotement produit soit par la lumière intermittente soit par la stimulation électrique interrompue à des fréquences préfusionnelles: 2) les changements de la fréquence critique sous J\u27influence des stimulations lumineuses intermittentes de diverses cadences et d\u27une durée de 30 sec.; et 3) l\u27influence des stimulations intermittentes électriques sur la fréquence de fusion de la lumière. Les résultats ont montré; a) l\u27adaptation au papillotement provoqué par une stimulation intermittente électrique (courant continu interrompu) se produit beaucoup plus vite et dans une marge des fréquences beaucoup plus grande que l\u27adaptation aux intermittences lumineuses. En général, l\u27adaptation au papillotement est d\u27autant plus rapide que la fréquence d\u27intermittences est plus grande. Le nombre total d\u27intermittences nécessaires à la disparition du papillotement augmente proportionnellement à la diminution de la fréquence; b) la stimulation préalable de l\u27oeil par la lumière à des fréquences préfusionnelles diminue la fréquence de fusion. La diminution maximum de la fréquence de fusion était obtenue après une stimulation à la cadence d\u27environ 20 cycles par sec. L\u27influence de la stimulation intermittente préalable sur la fréquence de fusion décroît presque symétriquement pour les fréquences de stimulation supérieures ou inférieures à 20/sec. L\u27exposition préalable de l\u27oeil aux fréquences suprafusionnelles ne change pas la fréquence de fusion; c) la stimulation électrique interrompue ne modifie pas la fréquence critique de la lumière. L\u27auteur émet l\u27hypothèse que l\u27adaptation rapide aux phosphènes électriques intermittents, qui se manifeste par la disparation des phosphènes, pourrait être attribuée à. l\u27inhibition des éléments rétiniens. Au contraire, l\u27adaptation lente au papillotement lumineux (homogénéisation apparente de stimulus) - l\u27adaptation que l\u27on peut obtenir seulement avec des fréquences assez voisines à la fréquence de fusion - serait plutôt l\u27effet d\u27une détérioration des éléments corticaux. Des modifications centrales semblables pourraient être aussi responsables de la diminution de la fréquence de fusion après l\u27exposition aux intermittences lumineuses

Peripheral Serotonin 1B Receptor Transcription Predicts the Effect of Acute Tryptophan Depletion on Risky Decision-Making

BACKGROUND: The effects of acute tryptophan depletion on human decision-making suggest that serotonin modulates the processing of rewards and punishments. However, few studies have assessed which of the many types of serotonin receptors are responsible. METHODS: Using a within-subject, double-blind, sham-controlled design in 26 subjects, we examined whether individual differences in serotonin system gene transcription, measured in peripheral blood, predicted the effect of acute tryptophan depletion on decision-making. Participants performed a task in which they chose between successive pairs of fixed, lower-stakes (control) and variable, higher-stakes (experimental) gambles, each involving wins or losses. In 21 participants, mRNA from 9 serotonin system genes was measured in whole blood prior to acute tryptophan depletion: 5-HT1B, 5-HT1F, 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, 5-HT3A, 5-HT3E, 5-HT7 (serotonin receptors), 5-HTT (the serotonin transporter), and tryptophan hydroxylase 1. RESULTS: Acute tryptophan depletion did not significantly influence participants' sensitivity to probability, wins, or losses, although there was a trend for a lower tendency to choose experimental gambles overall following depletion. Significant positive correlations, which survived correction for multiple comparisons, were detected between baseline 5-HT1B mRNA levels and acute tryptophan depletion-induced increases in both the overall tendency to choose the experimental gamble and sensitivity to wins. No significant relationship was observed with any other peripheral serotonin system markers. Computational analyses of decision-making data provided results consistent with these findings. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the 5-HT1B receptor may modulate the effects of acute tryptophan depletion on risky decision-making. Peripheral levels of serotonin markers may predict response to treatments that act upon the serotonin system, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors