Ventilatory Threshold Responses at Different Percentages of Body Weight on the Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill: A Pilot Study

Santillo, N., Figueroa, M., Lasala, T., Manning, J., William Paterson University, Wayne NJ Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if changes occurred in the ventilatory threshold (VT) upon manipulation of body weight (BW) when comparing 80% to 100% of BW in healthy college aged individuals on the Alter-G® anti-gravity treadmill. Methods: A modified Bruce Protocol was used to measure oxygen consumption (VO2peak) on 10 subjects (5 males, 5 females) at 100%, and 80% of BW. Testing protocols were randomized with two weeks in between each test. VT was determined by the software algorithm in the MedGraphics Ultima Series (St. Paul, MN) open exchange spirometer. Results: Gender did not significantly affect relative VO2peak or VT at either percentage of BW. No significant differences were found with regards to VO2peak (ml×kg-1×min-1) or VT at 100%BW & 80% BW. Conclusion: Upon the unweighting of a subject on the Alter-G® anti-gravity treadmill, individuals are able to train at similar intensities at 80% and 100% of BW. Since the unweighting produced similar metabolic responses, one could suggest that those with orthopedic limitations, who are not fully weight bearing, can maintain their cardiovascular conditioning. This type of training may also be advantageous for athletes who wish to reduce musculoskeletal strain within their training

The design of CO2-based working fluids for high-temperature heat source power cycles

The application of CO2power cycles is advantageous to exploit high-temperature sources (500-800°C) in the case of available low-temperature heat sinks (15-25°C). However, their efficiency is strongly reduced for higher heat sink temperatures. At these temperatures, due to the low-critical temperature of CO2(about 31°C), CO2is in fact compressed in the supercritical vapor phase rather than in the liquid phase, thus increasing energetic demand for compression. One of the solutions envisaged to overcome this problem is the addition of one or more chemicals that allow having a mixture with a higher critical temperature than the one of pure CO2. This preserve the working fluid compression in its liquid phase, even in the case of heat sinks with temperatures greater than 25°C. This research shows that the addition to CO2of a properly selected chemical component enables to increase the critical temperature up to 45°C with relevant improvements of cycle efficiency with respect to pure-CO2power cycles. In particular, it summarizes the most relevant criteria to be accounted for when selecting CO2-additives. Moreover, the paper warns of the thermodynamic effects deriving from adding to CO2a second characterized by a much more high critical temperature, such as the occurrence of infinite-pressure critical points and multiple-phase liquid-liquid and vapor-liquid critical points. Finally, the paper analyses the thermodynamic properties of a high-critical temperature CO2-based mixture, suitable for these applications, that presents multiple phase critical points. In this regard, it is specified that the paper also aims at filling a knowledge gap in the study of thermodynamic properties of mixtures presenting how do enthalpy and specific volume change in response to pressure variations in the event of liquid-liquid and vapour-liquid critical points. Finally, we present the comparison between performances of power cycles which use, as working fluid, either pure CO2or the novel designed higher temperature CO2-based mixture

Generar conciencia sobre minibasurales, contaminación por plásticos y otros R.S.U. una tarea de (responsabilidad) de todos

El presente artículo se refiere a los talleres teórico-prácticos desarrollados, en el marco del Proyecto Voluntariado “Las 3R” financiado por la SPU del Ministerio de Educación de la Nación, con el objeto de difundir y educar sobre contaminación por plásticos, residuos sólidos urbanos y el impacto ambiental negativo que se produce debido a la presencia de minibasurales en los distintos barrios de nuestra ciudad. Mediante el trabajo en conjunto entre docentes y estudiantes de los diferentes niveles educativos, instituciones, y personas interesadas en la problemática planteada se puede disminuir la contaminación debido a los mini basurales a cielo abierto, residuos plásticos (PET, HDPE, PP y otros) y en el proceso lograr que los participantes a los talleres adquieran un aprendizaje significativo sobre tipos de plásticos, usos, y la importancia que presentan los procesos de recolección, separación y reutilización de residuos plásticos. Los talleres son realizados por miembros del grupo GIESMA de la FaCENA con la participación de instituciones educativas del nivel primario y secundario y organizaciones religiosas como CARITAS Corrientes

High surface area mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable size in the sub-micrometer regime: Insights on the size and porosity control mechanisms

Mesoporous silica nanostructures (MSNs) attract high interest due to their unique and tunable physical chemical features, including high specific surface area and large pore volume, that hold a great potential in a variety of fields, i.e., adsorption, catalysis, and biomedicine. An essential feature for biomedical application of MSNs is limiting MSN size in the sub-micrometer regime to control uptake and cell viability. However, careful size tuning in such a regime remains still chal-lenging. We aim to tackling this issue by developing two synthetic procedures for MSN size mod-ulation, performed in homogenous aqueous/ethanol solution or two-phase aqueous/ethyl acetate system. Both approaches make use of tetraethyl orthosilicate as precursor, in the presence of cetyltri-methylammonium bromide, as structure-directing agent, and NaOH, as base-catalyst. NaOH catalyzed syntheses usually require high temperature (>80 °C) and large reaction medium volume to trigger MSN formation and limit aggregation. Here, a successful modulation of MSNs size from 40 up to 150 nm is demonstrated to be achieved by purposely balancing synthesis conditions, being able, in addition, to keep reaction temperature not higher than 50 °C (30 °C and 50 °C, respectively) and reaction mixture volume low. Through a comprehensive and in-depth systematic morphologi-cal and structural investigation, the mechanism and kinetics that sustain the control of MSNs size in such low dimensional regime are defined, highlighting that modulation of size and pores of the structures are mainly mediated by base concentration, reaction time and temperature and ageing, for the homogenous phase approach, and by temperature for the two-phase synthesis. Finally, an in vitro study is performed on bEnd.3 cells to investigate on the cytotoxicity of the MNSs

Negative parental responses to coming out and family functioning in a sample of lesbian and gay young adults

Parental responses to youths' coming out (CO) are crucial to the subsequent adjustment of children and family. The present study investigated the negative parental reaction to the disclosure of same-sex attraction and the differences between maternal and paternal responses, as reported by their homosexual daughters and sons. Participants' perceptions of their parents' reactions (evaluated through the Perceived Parental Reactions Scale, PPRS), age at coming out, gender, parental political orientation, and religiosity involvement, the family functioning (assessed through the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, FACES IV), were assessed in 164 Italian gay and lesbian young adults. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relation between family functioning and parental reaction to CO. The paired sample t-test was used to compare mothers and fathers' scores on the PPRS. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to analyze the relevance of each variable. No differences were found between mothers and fathers in their reaction to the disclosure. The analysis showed that a negative reaction to coming out was predicted by parents' right-wing political conservatism, strong religious beliefs, and higher scores in the scales Rigid and Enmeshed. Findings confirm that a negative parental reaction is the result of poor family resources to face a stressful situation and a strong belief in traditional values. These results have important implications in both clinical and social fields

A Combined Study on the Use of the Child Behavior Checklist 1½–5 for Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorders at 18 Months

The capacity of the Child Behavior Checklist 1½–5 (CBCL 1½–5) to identify children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 18 months was tested on 37 children clinically referred for ASD and 46 children at elevated likelihood of developing ASD due to having an affected brother/sister. At 30 months the clinically referred children all received a confirmatory diagnosis, and 10 out of 46 siblings received a diagnosis of ASD. CBCL 1½-5 profiles were compared with a group of matched children with typical development (effect of cognitive level controlled for). The capacity of the CBCL 1½-5 DSM Oriented-Pervasive Developmental Problems scale to differentiate correctly between children diagnosed with ASD and children with typical development appeared dependent on group ascertainment methodology

Reutilización de botellas de plástico en la localidad de Saladas

El proyecto de extensión “Construir reciclando”, financiado por la Secretaría de Políticas Universitarias fue realizado por alumnos del Profesorado en Ciencias Químicas y del Ambiente junto a docentes de la FaCENA - UNNE. El mismo estuvo destinado a crear una actitud comprometida con el medio ambiente. El reciclado es un tema que nos afecta a todos por igual. El medio ambiente, los recursos naturales y el ser humano con todas sus actividades están estrechamente relacionados y si alguno de estos componentes influye de manera positiva o negativa sobre el/los otro/s, todo el sistema va a notar ese cambio. Este trabajo se realizó con alumnos y docentes de la Escuela Técnica Dr. Juan Gregorio Pujol, de la localidad de Saladas de la provincia de Corrientes. Las actividades desarrolladas se orientaron hacia la elaboración de ladrillos ecológicos como así también a la confección de “puff ” a partir de botellas de plástico descartable.Fil: Giménez, Andrea F.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Sotelo Gasfrascoli, Lucía V.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Legizamón, Andrea M.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Coronel, Silvia C.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: López, Romina N.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Booth, Yanina M. R.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: López, Antonella E.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Lasala, César G.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Peyrano, Felicitas. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Vallejos, Margarita. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Chaves, María Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Avanza, María Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Acevedo, Belén Andrea. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentin

Chikungunya virus infections among travellers returning to Spain, 2008 to 2014

Since the first documented autochthonous transmission of chikungunya virus in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin in 2013, the infection has been reported within the Caribbean region as well as North, Central and South America. The risk of autochthonous transmission of chikungunya virus becoming established in Spain may be elevated due to the large numbers of travellers returning to Spain from countries affected by the 2013 epidemic in the Caribbean and South America, as well as the existence of the Aedes albopictus vector in certain parts of Spain. We retrospectively analysed the laboratory diagnostic database of the National Centre for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III (CNM-ISCIII) from 2008 to 2014. During the study period, 264 confirmed cases, of 1,371 suspected cases, were diagnosed at the CNM-ISCIII. In 2014 alone, there were 234 confirmed cases. The highest number of confirmed cases were reported from the Dominican Republic (n = 136), Venezuela (n = 30) and Haiti (n = 11). Six cases were viraemic in areas of Spain where the vector is present. This report highlights the need for integrated active case and vector surveillance in Spain and other parts of Europe where chikungunya virus may be introduced by returning travellers

Postnatal Development of Hepatic Innate Immune Response

The liver is an immunocompetent organ that plays a key role in the immune response to infections, and the development of hepatic immune function during early postnatal stages has not been thoroughly characterized. This study analyzed the constitutive expression of complement factors, namely C3 and C9, and pattern recognition receptors, namely CD14, toll-like receptor (TLR)-4, and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), in the liver of postnatal day (P)1, P21, and P70 rats, and compared the kinetics of induction of cytokines and chemokines in the liver of P 1 and P 21 animals. Our studies found that while the mRNA expression of C3, C9, CD14, and TLR-4 was lower in P1 animals, the mRNA level of LBP was higher in P1 animals as compared to older animals, and that the kinetics of induction of cytokines and chemokines was significantly delayed in P1 as compared to P21 liver following LPS stimulation. Our data suggest that hepatic innate immunity is deficient in the neonates and undergo significant development during early postnatal life

Drug-Eluting Stents in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Prospective Registry Study

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly associated with adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). There are limited data on the effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with CKD. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of 3,752 consecutive patients enrolled in the Guthrie PCI Registry between 2001 and 2006, 436 patients with CKD - defined as a creatinine clearance <60 mL/min - were included in this study. Patients who received DES were compared to those who received bare metal stents (BMS). Patients were followed for a mean duration of 3 years after the index PCI to determine the prognostic impact of stent type. Study end-points were all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR), stent thrombosis (ST) and the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as death, MI or TVR. Patients receiving DES in our study, by virtue of physician selection, had more stable coronary artery disease and had lower baseline risk of thrombotic or restenotic events. Kaplan-Meier estimates of proportions of patients reaching the end-points were significantly lower for DES vs. BMS for all-cause death (p = 0.0008), TVR (p = 0.029) and MACE (p = 0.0015), but not MI (p = 0.945) or ST (p = 0.88). Multivariable analysis with propensity adjustment demonstrated that DES implantation was an independent predictor of lower rates of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25-0.92), TVR (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.27-0.94) and MACE (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: In a contemporary PCI registry, selective use of DES in patients with CKD was safe and effective in the long term, with lower risk of all-cause death, TVR and MACE and similar risk of MI and ST as compared with BMS. The mortality benefit may be a result of selection bias and residual confounding, or represent a true finding; a hypothesis that warrants clarification by randomized clinical trials