Hipodoncia: utilidad de hallazgos dentales en la determinación de patologías y parentesco en poblaciones antiguas. Estudio de dos casos en la necrópolis oriental de Carthago Spartaria

The use of forensic techniques when studying partial or badly-conserved human remains is very important when we want to determine age, sex, and race, as well as parental relation between two or more individuals. Of these techniques, some of the simplest but most reliable are those related to the dental studies of the retrieved remains. Finding dental anomalies may give useful information about diseases suffered by the individual (congenital or infecto-contagious) and possible family relation between several individuals. This study describes several cases of dental agenesia (absence of teeth caused by lack of formation of these teeth) found in populations living during the fi fth to seventh centuries (a.D.), retrieved in the oriental necropolis of Carthago Spartaria, in the neighborhood of the present University (Cartagena, Murcia).La utilización de técnicas forenses a la hora de estudiar restos humanos parciales o en mal estado de conservación son muy importantes cuando queremos determinar la edad, sexo y raza, así como el parentesco entre dos o más individuos. De estas técnicas, algunas de las más sencillas pero de resultados bastante fi ables son aquellas relacionadas con el estudio dental de los restos encontrados. El hallazgo de anomalías dentarias puede facilitar información acerca de enfermedades padecidas por el individuo (tanto infectocontagiosas como congénitas) y de posibles relaciones familiares entre varios individuos. El presente estudio describe varios casos de agenesias dentales (ausencia dental debida a la falta de formación de algún diente) encontradas en una población de los siglos V-VII d.C., recuperados en la necrópolis oriental de Carthago Spartaria, en la zona del actual Barrio Universitario. (Cartagena, Murcia

Association between interleukin-6 promoter polymorphism (-174 G/C), serum interleukin-6 levels and mortality in severe septic patients

The association between interleukin (IL)-6 promoter polymorphism (-174 G/C), circulating IL-6 levels and mortality in septic patients has scarcely been addressed, and then only in studies of small sample size, and a direct association among them has not been previously reported. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to determine whether this association exists. An observational, prospective and multicenter study including severe septic patients was undertaken and serum IL-6 levels at severe sepsis diagnosis and IL-6 promoter polymorphism (-174 G/C) were determined. The end-point of the study was 30-day mortality. The study included 263 patients with the following genotypes of IL-6 promoter polymorphism (-174 G/C): 123 (46.8%) GG, 110 (41.8%) GC and 30 (11.4%) CC. CC homozygous patients showed lower sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, serum IL-6 levels and mortality at 30 days compared to those with other genotypes (GC or GG). On regression analysis, CC homozygous patients showed lower 30-day mortality than those with genotype GG (odds ratio = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.053-0.838; p = 0.03) or GC (hazard ratio = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.074-1.037; p = 0.06). The most important results of our study were that CC might be a favorable genotype in septic patients showing lower serum IL-6 levels and lower risk of death within 30 days

Differences between 1999 and 2010 across the Falkland Plateau: fronts and water masses

Decadal differences in the Falkland Plateau are studied from the two full-depth hydrographic data collected during the ALBATROSS (April 1999) and MOC-Austral (February 2010) cruises. Differences in the upper 100 dbar are due to changes in the seasonal thermocline, as the ALBATROSS cruise took place in the austral fall and the MOCAustral cruise in summer. The intermediate water masses seem to be very sensitive to the wind conditions existing in their formation area, showing cooling and freshening for the decade as a consequence of a higher Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) contribution and of a decrease in the Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) stratum. The deeper layers do not exhibit any significant change in the water mass properties. The Subantarctic Front (SAF) in 1999 is observed at 52.2–54.8 W with a relative mass transport of 32.6 Sv. In contrast, the SAF gets wider in 2010, stretching from 51.1 to 57.2 W (the Falkland Islands), and weakening to 17.9 Sv. Changes in the SAF can be linked with the westerly winds and mainly affect the northward flow of Subantarctic Surface Water (SASW), SAMW and AAIW/Antarctic Surface Water (AASW). The Polar Front (PF) carries 24.9 Sv in 1999 (49.8–44.4 W), while in 2010 (49.9–49.2 W) it narrows and strengthens to 37.3 Sv.En prens

Calidad térmica a través de un gradiente altitudinal para una comunidad de lagartijas en la sierra del Ajusco y el Pedregal de San Ángel, México

ResumenSe evaluó y comparó la calidad térmica del hábitat para una comunidad de lagartijas (9 especies) en un gradiente altitudinal (2 320-3 530 m) en la sierra del Ajusco y Pedregal de San Ángel para determinar si los ambientes térmicos diferentes pueden definir límites de distribución y termorregulación. Se seleccionaron 6 sitios diferentes en altitud y tipo de vegetación para monitorear la temperatura operativa ambiental. Se calculó la calidad térmica mediante la desviación de la temperatura operativa con respecto al intervalo de temperaturas seleccionadas por las lagartijas. Los resultados sugieren 3 tendencias: 1) la temperatura operativa y calidad térmica fueron más altas en los sitios más bajos (2 320 y 2 540 m) con matorral xerófilo; 2) los valores más bajos fueron registrados en los sitios con cobertura vegetal densa con bosque de pino (2 870 y 3 220 m); 3) las zonas abiertas (3 000 y 3 530 m) de pastizal alpino tuvieron valores medios de temperatura operativa y calidad. Estos resultados sugieren que la altitud y el tipo de vegetación tienen influencia en la calidad térmica y los trabajos sobre ecología térmica deben realizarse en varias escalas espaciales para entender los factores involucrados en el nicho térmico y en la termorregulación.AbstractWe evaluated and compared the thermal quality for a lizard community (9 species) in Sierra del Ajusco and Pedregal de San Ángel (central Mexico) along an altitudinal gradient (2 320-3 530 m) to determine whether different thermal environments may be influencing species distribution and thermoregulatory behavior. Six areas that differ in elevation and vegetation type are chosen to survey environmental operative temperatures. Habitat thermal quality is estimated from the mean deviation of operative temperatures from lizards’ selected thermal range. Results indicate 3 key findings: 1) operative temperature and thermal quality are higher at lower elevations (2 320 and 2 540 m), where xeric scrub vegetation was abundant; 2) thermal quality is lowest in closed-canopy pine forest (2 870 and 3 220 m); and 3) intermediate values of operative temperature and thermal quality are observed in open grassland habitat (3 000 and 3 530 m). These results support our hypothesis that elevation and vegetation type affect thermal quality and we conclude that thermal ecology studies should be conducted at multiple spatial scales to gain a better understanding of factors influencing the thermal niche and thermoregulatory profiles

Flujos atrioventriculares normales evaluados por la técnica Doppler espectral en caninos

Los autores realizaron un estudio de las posiciones más adecuadas para estudiar los flujos transmitral y transtricuspídeo por medio de Doppler espectral pulsado en caninos normales y determinar los valores medios de los siguientes parámetros: velocidad pico, velocidad media, gradiente pico de presión, gradiente medio de presión, integral tiempo–velocidad y relación entre ondas E y A. Las mejores posiciones para la obtención de valores del flujo mitral y tricuspídeo fueron la imagen apical de cinco cámaras captada desde la ventana paraesternal izquierda para la primera y la oblicua del tracto de entrada ventricular derecho en la misma ventana para la segunda

Valorización de un aceite residual de alta acidez generado en las industrias de reciclaje de aceites de desecho de cocinas

A sludge fraction is obtained from the industries which recycle cooking oil and this sludge contains a large amount of oil with an extremely high acidity ( > 60%). In this work, we propose a scheme for methyl ester production from this residual oil consisting of the esterification of the free fatty acids followed by the transesterification of the remaining triglycerides. Esterifications were carried out with different methanol:oil molar ratios, and various catalysts in different weight ratios. The results revealed that homogeneous catalysts produced higher yields than heterogeneous ones in the esterification reaction. With the aim of improving the process, a previous triglyceride hydrolysis was assayed using lipases from Candida rugosa. Finally, the 3-stage process was performed under the most favorable conditions for each stage obtaining 84% wt. fatty acid methyl esters, which shows the potential of this residual oil as a source of biodiesel.En las industrias de recogida y reciclado de aceites de fritura usados se obtiene una fracción de lodos que contiene un gran porcentaje de aceite con un extremadamente alto índice de acidez ( > 60%). En este trabajo proponemos un esquema de producción de ésteres metílicos basado en la esterificación de los ácidos grasos libres seguida de la transesterificación de los triglicéridos remanentes. Las esterificaciones se llevaron a cabo usando diferentes relaciones molares metanol:aceite y diversos catalizadores en diferentes concentraciones en peso. Los resultados ilustraron que los catalizadores homogéneos alcanzaron mayores rendimientos en la esterificación que los catalizadores heterogéneos. Para mejorar el proceso, se probó una hidrólisis previa con lipasas de Candida rugosa. Finalmente, se llevó a cabo el proceso con las 3 etapas, en las condiciones más favorables de cada una de ellas, obteniendo un 84% en peso de ésteres metílicos, lo que muestra el potencial de este aceite residual como fuente de biodiésel

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees.

Premise of the studyField methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes.Methods and resultsLiving trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness.ConclusionsSonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees

Understanding ozone generation in electrochemical cells at mild pHs

In this work, the production of ozone at mild pH conditions using a commercial electrochemical PEM cell CONDIAPURE Ⓡ is evaluated, at once a phenomenological model is proposed to understand the basis of the processes that occur inside the cell. At these pH conditions, the production of ozone can be explained from the oxidation of water, while the decomposition of ozone is found to be extremely important to explain the global experimental behavior observed. Not only is this decomposition a chemical but also an electrochemically assisted process which, in turn, can be related to the production of other oxidants in the cell which interact with ozone behaving as predators. The model formulated explains and satisfactorily reproduces the influence of the operation mode, the current intensity applied and presence and destruction of organics, with regression coefficients (r2) ranging from 0.88 to 0.99, helping to understand how the production of ozone should be promoted during electrochemical processes

Is ozone production able to explain the good performance of CabECO® technology in wastewater treatment?

This work intends to go a step further in the application of electrochemical technology to produce ozone, by evaluating the production of ozone with a commercial cell registered as CabECO®, which has been previously used to disinfect heavily polluted water in a successful manner, with a view to ascertaining whether this success may be related to the production of ozone. The CabECO® cell is a PEM electrolyzer; that is to say, one in which anode and cathode are connected through a PEM membrane. Since ozone production on the electrolyte is important and depends on the composition of the liquid, attention must be paid to the electrochemical production of scavengers. Dosing of oxygen as microbubbles has a very positive effect on the production of ozone, while temperature regulation is as well considerably important, as the increase in temperature generated by ohmic losses can lead to important decreases in the efficiency of ozone electrogeneration. Rates within the range 0.06–0.60 mg O3 min−1 are observed; this means that the maximum current efficiency reached is as high as 6.11% (considering oxygen as raw matter). These results are extremely promising as compared with other references in the literature, at once they also indicate there is room for further improvements and a long way to prevent the effect of scavengers and increase the efficiency of the process

Scale-up in PEM electro-ozonizers for the degradation of organics

This work focuses on the scale-up of electro-ozonizers by evaluating the production of ozone and the degradation of clopyralid synthetic wastes using three commercial PEM electrolyzers. The mechanical concept of the three cells is similar: a single compartment cell equipped with a MEA (consisting of a polymer exchange membrane and two pressed diamond coatings electrodes), powered with monopolar electric connection and where water flows on the surface of the electrodes, although the main electrolyte is the Nafion proton exchange membrane. However, their size and recommended operating conditions are not as similar, and their comparison becomes a good scaleup case study. The CabECO® cell consists of 2 MEAs with a total surface area of 24 cm2, a maximum operating current density of 2. 0A. The Mikrozom® cell consists of only one MEA with a net surface electrodic area of 112 mm2 and a maximum operation current density of 1.0 A. Finally, the CONDIAPURE® cell consists of a single MEA with a total surface area of 146 cm2 and a maximum operation current density of 10.0 A. The performance under mild and extreme operating conditions was compared and the results show that, although the cell concept is similar, the results obtained differ very significantly. The three PEM electrolyzers tested can produce ozone efficiently and mineralize completely clopyralid. The only intermediates measured come from the cathodic hydrodechlorination of clopyralid and oxidative intermediates were only detected at trace concentrations. CabECO® cell demonstrates an outstanding performance with very high current efficiencies in the production of ozone. However, the highest mineralization efficiencies are obtained with the Microzon®, which, although it is the PEM electrolyzer with the smallest active area, is the most efficient because can reach high ozone concentrations and achieve the best clopyralid mineralization. Efficiencies as high as 0.47 mg O3 Wh−1 can be obtained with this cell. Slightly lower values are reached by the CabECO® cell (0.38 mg O3 Wh−1). Enlarging electrode surface area does not seem to be a good strategy from the viewpoint of efficiency and it seems to promote side reactions that compete with ozone production and with the degradation of organics. This means that stacking rather than electrode enlarging should be the strategy more advisable for scaling up the electro-ozonation technology.Este trabajo se centra en la ampliación de los electro-ozonizadores mediante la evaluación de la producción de ozono y la degradación de los desechos sintéticos de clopiralida utilizando tres electrolizadores PEM comerciales. El concepto mecánico de las tres celdas es similar: una celda de un solo compartimiento equipada con un MEA (compuesto por una membrana de intercambio de polímero y dos electrodos de revestimiento de diamante prensado), alimentada con conexión eléctrica monopolar y donde el agua fluye en la superficie de los electrodos, aunque el electrolito principal es la membrana de intercambio de protones Nafion. Sin embargo, su tamaño y las condiciones operativas recomendadas no son tan similares, y su comparación se convierte en un buen caso de estudio de ampliación. La celda CabECO® consta de 2 MEA con una superficie total de 24 cm 2, una densidad de corriente operativa máxima de 2. 0A. La celda Mikrozom® consta de un solo MEA con un área superficial neta de electrodos de 112 mm 2 y una densidad de corriente máxima de operación de 1,0 A. Finalmente, la celda CONDIAPURE® consta de un solo MEA con un área superficial total de 146 cm 2y una densidad de corriente máxima de operación de 10.0 A. Se comparó el desempeño en condiciones de operación suaves y extremas y los resultados muestran que, aunque el concepto de celda es similar, los resultados obtenidos difieren muy significativamente. Los tres electrolizadores PEM probados pueden producir ozono de manera eficiente y mineralizar completamente la clopiralida. Los únicos intermedios medidos provienen de la hidrodecloración catódica de clopiralida y los intermedios oxidativos solo se detectaron en concentraciones mínimas. La celda CabECO® demuestra un desempeño sobresaliente con eficiencias de corriente muy altas en la producción de ozono. Sin embargo, las mayores eficiencias de mineralización se obtienen con el Microzon® que, si bien es el electrolizador PEM con menor área activa, es el más eficiente porque puede alcanzar altas concentraciones de ozono y lograr la mejor mineralización de clopiralida. Eficiencias de hasta 0,47 mg OCon esta celda se pueden obtener 3 Wh −1 . La celda CabECO® alcanza valores ligeramente inferiores (0,38 mg O 3 Wh −1 ). Ampliar el área de la superficie del electrodo no parece ser una buena estrategia desde el punto de vista de la eficiencia y parece promover reacciones secundarias que compiten con la producción de ozono y con la degradación de compuestos orgánicos. Esto significa que el apilamiento en lugar de la ampliación de electrodos debería ser la estrategia más recomendable para escalar la tecnología de electro-ozonización