Current US algae biorefineries, projects and perspectives

Large challenges remain to take advantage of algae (cyanobacteria, microalgae, and macroalgae) as a bioenergy, biofuels, and bioproducts crop. Traditional applications in the nutraceutical and food industry, have shown more promise. New efforts in combining a biorefinery approach with wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion, and biomass utilization are becoming more popular and successful towards providing a middle ground for implementation of algae cultivation systems. An overview will be provided of the growth in fundamental and applied algae research in recent years, which will include a review of the scientific literature and key programs in bioenergy in the US leading to a resurgence and interest in algae. With this presentation, a discussion will ensue on the challenges being tackled to make the algae biorefinery a viable industry, including progress and opportunities available to develop algae as a key crop for the bioenergy and the bioproducts industries.Universidad de Málaga.Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucia Tec

Monte Carlo simulation of damage and amorphization induced by swift-ion irradiation in LiNbO3

This paper presents a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation tool which is applied to describe the ion beam induced damage generated by electronic excitation in LiNbO3. Based on a previously published thermal spike based analytical model, the MC technique allows for a more flexible and accurate treatment of the problem. A main advantage of this approach with respect to the analytical one is the possibility of studying the role of statistical fluctuations, relevant at low fluences. The paper recalls the main features of the physical model, describes the MC algorithm, and compares simulation results to experimental data (irradiations of LiNbO3 using silicon ions at 5 and 7.5 MeV and oxygen ions at 5 MeV). © 2006 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe

Optical determination of three-dimensional nanotrack profiles generated by single swift-heavy ion impacts in lithium niobate

Three-dimensional (3D) profiles of single nanotracks generated by a low impact density of Cl ions at 46 MeV have been determined by optical methods, using an effective-medium approach. The buried location of the maximum stopping power induces a surface optical waveguiding layer even at ultralow fluences (1011-1013 at./cm2) that allows to obtain the effective refractive index profiles (from dark-mode measurements). Combining the optical information with Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy/channeling experiments, the existence of a surrounding defective halo around the amorphous track core has been ascertained. The 3D profile of the halo has also been determined. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe

Optical determination of three-dimensional nanotrack profiles generated by single swift-heavy ion impacts in lithium niobate

Three-dimensional (3D) profiles of single nanotracks generated by a low impact density of Cl ions at 46 MeV have been determined by optical methods, using an effective-medium approach. The buried location of the maximum stopping power induces a surface optical waveguiding layer even at ultralow fluences (1011-1013 at./cm2) that allows to obtain the effective refractive index profiles (from dark-mode measurements). Combining the optical information with Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy/channeling experiments, the existence of a surrounding defective halo around the amorphous track core has been ascertained. The 3D profile of the halo has also been determined. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe

Monte Carlo simulation of damage and amorphization induced by swift-ion irradiation in LiNbO3

This paper presents a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation tool which is applied to describe the ion beam induced damage generated by electronic excitation in LiNbO3. Based on a previously published thermal spike based analytical model, the MC technique allows for a more flexible and accurate treatment of the problem. A main advantage of this approach with respect to the analytical one is the possibility of studying the role of statistical fluctuations, relevant at low fluences. The paper recalls the main features of the physical model, describes the MC algorithm, and compares simulation results to experimental data (irradiations of LiNbO3 using silicon ions at 5 and 7.5 MeV and oxygen ions at 5 MeV). © 2006 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe

Fascioliasis prevalence in livestock from abattoirs in southern Chile

Fascioliasis is a widely distributed parasitic zoonosis caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica that affects livestock production and generates high economic losses. In Chilean authorised abattoirs, the infected livestock livers are condemned during the veterinary inspection. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of fascioliasis in Chile from 2014 to 2016 and also monthly from 2002 to 2015 in livestock (cattle, pig, sheep, horse and goat) slaughtered in abattoirs of La Araucanía region, southern Chile. To do this, the available records on abattoirs provided by the sanitary authority were analysed. A descriptive statistics and trend analysis of the data by jointpoint regression was carried out. The Biobío and La Araucanía regions registered the highest levels of parasitosis in the country recording levels of 59.18 and 44.74%, respectively, and presented 50.03% of the liver condemnation rate in cattle. During the study period, a total of 2,239,164 animals were slaughtered and 40.59% infected livers with F. hepatica were condemned in the 9 existing abattoirs of La Araucanía region. The abattoirs located in the cities of Temuco (51.43%) and Angol (65.09%) recorded the highest percentages of fascioliasis. The cattle species recorded the highest number of slaughtered animals and liver condemnation (54.52%). The presence of the parasite was recorded annually and monthly and it was possible to observe a slight increase in fascioliasis over the years. This study provides updated information on the fascioliasis prevalence in the country and the dynamics of condemnation in endemic areas such as La Araucanía region, which could contribute to the control and prevention of this zoonosis

Generation of high-confinement step-like optical waveguides in LiNbO3 by swift heavy ion-beam irradiation

3 pages, 4 figures, 1 table.We demonstrate a swift ion-beam irradiation procedure based on electronic (not nuclear) excitation to generate a large index jump step-like optical waveguide (Δn0 ≈ 0.2, Δne ≈ 0.1) in LiNbO3. The method uses medium-mass ions with a kinetic energy high enough to assure that their electronic stopping power Se(z) reaches a maximum value close to the amorphous (latent) track threshold inside the crystal. Fluorine ions of 20 and 22 MeV and fluences in the range (1–30)×1014 are used for this work. A buried amorphous layer having a low refractive index (2.10 at a wavelength of 633 nm) is then generated at a controlled depth in LiNbO3, whose thickness is also tuned by irradiation fluence. The layer left at the surface remains crystalline and constitutes the core of the optical waveguide which, moreover, is several microns far from the end of the ion range. The waveguides show, after annealing at 300 °C, low propagation losses ( ≈ 1 dB/cm) and a high second-harmonic generation coefficient (50%–80% of that for bulk unirradiated LiNbO3, depending on the fluence). The formation and structure of the amorphous layer has been monitored by additional Rutherford backscattering/channeling experiments.We acknowledge the funding of the project MAT2002– 03220 (MEC). A. García-Navarro acknowledges the financial support of the MEC through a FPU Fellowship and of the Madrid City Hall-Residencia de Estudiantes.Peer reviewe

Siw 2D planar array with four cross slots radiator and tuning vias

A Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) planar array is presented using a right handed circularly polarized (RHCP) element with four crossed tilted radiating slots. In addition, a pair of metallic tuning vias is included to really improve the reflection of longest slots. A corporate feeding network over SIW has been designed for distributing the input signal to 128 radiating elements, divided into 8 progressive wave linear arrays of 16 elements each. The designed planar array has been manufactured and measured to verify the antenna performance. 25.5 dB gain, 2.33 dB axial ratio, as well as 85% radiation efficiency values have been experimentally achieved at 17 GHz. A 3% usable bandwidth (16.75{17.25 GHz) is obtained due to the typical frequency main beam tilt dispersion in the elevation plane of the progressive wave arrays

Static circularly symmetric perfect fluid solutions with an exterior BTZ metric

In this work we study static perfect fluid stars in 2+1 dimensions with an exterior BTZ spacetime. We found the general expression for the metric coefficients as a function of the density and pressure of the fluid. We found the conditions to have regularity at the origin throughout the analysis of a set of linearly independent invariants. We also obtain an exact solution of the Einstein equations, with the corresponding equation of state $p=p(\rho)$, which is regular at the origin.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, revtex 4. This paper is in honor of Alberto Garcia's sixtieth birthday. Accepted by Gen. Rel. Gra

Influencia del tratamiento químico con cloroformo/metanol en el comportamiento elástico del pericardio de ternera utilizado en la construcción de bioprótesis cardiacas

Se estudia el comportamiento mecánico del pericardio de ternera utilizado en la construcción de bioprótesis cardiacas cuando se trata químicamente cloroformo/metanol (CM) comparándolo con tratamiento estándar con glutaraldehído.(G). Se ensayan a tracción hasta rotura 40 probetas, veinte con cada tratamiento y de estas el 50% suturadas en su parte central con seda 4/0.La perdida de resistencia media a la rotura de las probetas suturadas fue de alrededor de 6 MPa sin encontrar diferencias entre el tipo de tratamiento utilizado. No obstante en el análisis de las curvas promedio estrés/deformación para valores de estrés a tracción inferiores a 2.5 MPa, apenas encontramos diferencias entre las series suturadas y no suturadas tratadas con cloroformo/metanol anulando parcialmente el efecto deletéreo de la sutura en ese rango de estrés que incluye el estrés estimado de trabajo, de 0.25MPa.El tratamiento con cloroformo/metanol podría, además de retrasar los procesos de calcificación del pericardio, mejorar el comportamiento elástico de las probetas suturadas disminuyendo la interacción con la sutura. Ensayos de fatiga real con este tratamiento químico deberán ser realizados para verificar esta hipótesis.Peer Reviewe