Portable low-power electronic interface for explosive detection using microcantilevers

Microcantilevers have been recently revealed as a highly effective technique for gas detection at trace level when acting as chemical sensors. However, an important milestone still remains to achieve a full-scale development in commercial applications: the cumbersome systems traditionally used to read-out its responses. To accomplish this, a portable low-power electronic interface, based on an analog lock-in amplifier processing square signals, which is fully capable of creating the excitation signal as well as obtaining the response values from resonating microcantilevers functionalized with zeolite based coatings has been herein attempted. The so obtained read-out results are in good agreement with the commercial lock-in amplifier's measurements, demonstrating the accuracy and reliability of the electronic interface. Finally, its performance has been validated for 2-nitrotoluene (o-MNT) detection at ppm V level, as an example of an explosive-related molecule, with BEA zeolite coated microcantilevers. Theoretical limit of detection (LOD) values below 100 ppb have been obtained for Co exchanged BEA modified sensors

Capillary irrigation by wick in the lettuce crop ( Lactuca sativa L.) in a combined system of hydroponic solution and soil, as an alternative in urban agriculture of Bolivia

[EN] Some of the main cities of Bolivia are located in semiarid and arid zones, where there are recurrent droughts that cause rationing in the water supply. The present study was carried out in the Cota Cota Experimental Center, dependent on the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, located in the city of La Paz at 3400 m.s.n.m. In that sense. the objective of the present work was to evaluate the wick irrigation in the lettuce crop ( Lactuca sativa L.) in combined system of soil and hydroponic solution, during two crop cycles. To do this, disposable plastic containers of 5 liters capacity were used. In one part of the container was placed the substrate (sand or loam) and in the other the hydroponic solution (FAO, La Molina and the Local) and cotton wick. Water consumption by transpiration in irrigation systems with and without wick was similar, however, there were highly significant differences in water yield and productivity in favor of the FAO solution, mainly in the second cycle. In this type of irrigation systems there was a great reduction in water consumption, and there is no additional energy expenditure, which is why it is an alternative for the cultivation of leafy vegetables, in small areas of land.[ES] Algunas de las principales ciudades de Bolivia se encuentran ubicadas en zonas semiáridas y áridas, donde se tiene sequías en forma recurrente que provocan racionamiento en la dotación de agua. El presente estudio fue realizado en el centro Experimental de Cota Cota, dependiente de la Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, ubicado en la ciudad de La Paz a 3400 m.s.n.m. En tal sentido. el objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar el riego por mecha en el cultivo de lechuga (Lactuca sativa L.) en sistema combinado de suelo y solución hidropónica, durante dos ciclos de cultivo. Para ello se usaron recipientes desechables de plástico de 5 litros de capacidad. En una parte del envase se puso el sustrato (arena o suelo franco) y en la otra la solución hidropónica (FAO, La Molina y la Local) y mecha de algodón. El consumo de agua por transpiración en los sistemas de riego con y sin mecha fue similar, sin embargo, hubo diferencias altamente significativas en el rendimiento y productividad del agua a favor de la solución FAO, principalmente en el segundo ciclo. En este tipo de sistemas de riego se observó una gran reducción del consumo de agua, además no existe gasto de energía adicional, por lo que se constituye en una alternativa para el cultivo de hortalizas de hoja, en pequeñas superficies de terreno.Se agradece el apoyo proporcionado por el Proyecto de Establecimiento del Centro de Capacitación e Investigación en Gestión Sostenible del Agua y Riego en Regiones Áridas y Semiáridas (FISAR), financiado por la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).Medrano-García, P.; Chipana-Rivera, R.; Moreno-Pérez, M.; Roldán-Cañas, J. (2019). Riego capilar por mecha en el cultivo de lechuga (Lactuca sativa L.) en sistema combinado de solución hidropónica y suelo, como alternativa en la agricultura urbana de Bolivia. Ingeniería del Agua. 23(1):53-63. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.2019.10602SWORD5363231Allen, R., Pereira, L., Raes, D., Smith, M. 1998. Crop evapotranspiration-Guidelines for computing crop water requirements. Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56, FAO, Rome.Escarabajal-Henarejos, D., Molina-Martínez, J.M., Fernández-Pacheco, D.G., García-Mateos, G. 2015. Methodology for obtaining prediction models of the root depth of lettuce for its application in irrigation automation. Agricultural Water Management, 151, 167-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2014.10.012FAO (Organización de las Naciones Unidad para la Agricultura y la Alimentación). 2003. La Huerta Hidropónica Popular, Manual Técnico. 3ra Edición. Santiago, Chile. p. 131.Gacula, M.C., Singh, J. 1984. Statistical methods in food and consumer research. Academic Press Inc., Orlando. P. 505.Gallardo, M., Jackson, L.E., Schulbach, K. 1996. Production and water use in lettuces under variable water supply. Irrigation Science, 16, 125-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02215620Gutiérrez, T.J. 2011. Producción hidropónica de lechuga con y sin recirculación de solución nutritiva. Tesis de Maestría. Universidad Autónoma Chapingo. México. 66 p.Kamalam, J. 2016. Wick Irrigation - A smart and user - friendly irrigation method for container grown plants. SB Academic Review. XIX. OA1.: 17-21.Kuntz, L.B. 2013. Wick Irrigation Systems for Subsistence Farming. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. U.S.A. 61 p.Rodríguez, D. 2009. El consumo de agua del cultivo en su máximo estado de desarrollo. Lima, Perú. p. 35.Sammis, T.W., Kratky, B.A., Wu, I.P. 1988. Effects of limited irrigation on lettuce and chinese cabbage yields. Irrigation Science, 9, 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00275431Sanchez, F., Escalante, E. 1988. Hidroponía: Principios y métodos de cultivo. Ed. Imprenta Universitaria, Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo, México. p 194.UNALM (Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina). 2005. Centro de Investigación de Hidroponía y nutrición Mineral. Solución Nutritiva La Molina. Lima - Perú. Disponible en http://www.lamolina.edu.pe/hidroponia/sol_presentacion.ht

Systemic Effects of Repeated Intraocular Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant in Diabetic Patients: A Retrospective Study.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of repeated intraocular dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex) injections on metabolic control in type 2 diabetic patients. Retrospective study of 165 type 2 diabetic patients starting Ozurdex treatment who received no less than three consecutive injections. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum creatinine, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs) were evaluated during 15 months of follow-up after Ozurdex treatment onset. Fifty-seven patients met inclusion criteria. Mean baseline values for HbA1c, creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and TGs before treatment (7.1%, 1.3, 176.7, 51.1, and 125.6 mg/dl, respectively) were similar to mean values after Ozurdex onset (Wilcoxon test p values were 0.68, 0.41, 0.06, 0.87, and 0.33, respectively) and remained stable during the follow-up period. Mean LDL cholesterol levels increased slightly after Ozurdex treatment onset (90.1 vs 88.2 mg/dl, p = 0.04) but after 15 months of follow-up they had returned to baseline values. Transient increase in LDL cholesterol was remarkable in the group of 24 bilaterally treated patients (96.8 vs 88.4 mg/dl, p = 0.03). A third of these patients increased their baseline LDL values by more than 20%. Even with continuous injections of Ozurdex, LDL cholesterol levels also declined back to baseline by month 15. Ozurdex injections had no influence on HbA1c or renal function. Lipid profile changes were mild and transient. However, a significant temporary increase has been found in LDL cholesterol levels in patients receiving simultaneous bilateral injections. Lipid levels should be monitored in patients starting with bilateral Ozurdex injections especially in those with recent history of acute myocardial infarction

Complex-Orbital Order in Fe_3O_4 and Mechanism of the Verwey Transition

Electronic state and the Verwey transition in magnetite (Fe_3O_4) are studied using a spinless three-band Hubbard model for 3d electrons on the B sites with the Hartree-Fock approximation and the exact diagonalisation method. Complex-orbital, e.g., 1/sqrt(2)[|zx> + i |yz>], ordered (COO) states having noncollinear orbital moments ~ 0.4 mu_B on the B sites are obtained with the cubic lattice structure of the high-temperature phase. The COO state is a novel form of magnetic ordering within the orbital degree of freedom. It arises from the formation of Hund's second rule states of spinless pseudo-d molecular orbitals in the Fe_4 tetrahedral units of the B sites and ferromagnetic alignment of their fictitious orbital moments. A COO state with longer periodicity is obtained with pseudo-orthorhombic Pmca and Pmc2_1 structures for the low-temperature phase. The state spontaneously lowers the crystal symmetry to the monoclinic and explains experimentally observed rhombohedral cell deformation and Jahn-Teller like distortion. From these findings, we consider that at the Verwey transition temperature, the COO state remaining to be short-range order impeded by dynamical lattice distortion in high temperature is developed into that with long-range order coupled with the monoclinic lattice distortion.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Towns with extremely low mortality due to ischemic heart disease in Spain

BACKGROUND: The cause of coronary disease inframortality in Spain is unknown. The aim of this study is to identify Spanish towns with very low ischemic heart disease mortality, describe their health and social characteristics, and analyze the relationship with a series of contextual factors. METHODS: We obtained the number of deaths registered for each of 8,122 Spanish towns in the periods 1989-1998 and 1999-2003. Expected deaths, standardized mortality ratio (SMR), smoothed Relative Risk (RR), and Posterior Probability (PP) of RR > 1 were calculated using Bayesian hierarchical models. Inframortality was defined as any town that displayed an RR below the 10th percentile, an SMR of under 1 for both sexes, and a PP of RR > 1 less than or equal to 0.002 for male and 0.005 for female mortality, during the two periods covered. All the remaining towns, except for those with high mortality classified as "tourist towns", were selected as controls. The association among socioeconomic, health, dietary, lifestyle and vascular risk factors was analyzed using sequential mixed logistic regression models, with province as the random-effects variable. RESULTS: We identified 32 towns in which ischemic heart disease mortality was half the national rate and four times lower than the European Union rate, situated in lightly populated provinces spread across the northern half of Spain, and revealed a surprising pattern of geographic aggegation for 23 of the 32 towns. Variables related with inframortality were: a less aged population (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.99); a contextual dietary pattern marked by a high fish content (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.38-3.28) and wine consumption (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.08-2.07); and a low prevalence of obesity (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.22-1.01); and, in the case of towns of over 1000 inhabitants, a higher physician-population ratio (OR 3.80, 95% CI 1.17-12.3). CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that dietary and health care factors have an influence on inframortality. The geographical aggregation suggests that other factors with a spatial pattern, e.g., genetic or environmental might also be implicated. These results will have to be confirmed by studies in situ, with objective measurements at an individual level.This study was funded by research study grant no. PI06/0656 from Spain's Health Research Fund (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria).S

Challenges of viticulture adaptation to global change: tackling the issue from the roots

Viticulture is facing emerging challenges not only because of the effect of climate change on yield and composition of grapes, but also of a social demand for environmental-friendly agricultural management. Adaptation to these challenges is essential to guarantee the sustainability of viticulture. The aim of this review is to present adaptation possibilities from the soil-hidden, and often disregarded, part of the grapevine, the roots. The complexity of soil-root interactions makes necessary a comprehensive approach taking into account physiology, pathology and genetics, in order to outline strategies to improve viticulture adaptation to current and future threats. Rootstocks are the link between soil and scion in grafted crops, and they have played an essential role in viticulture since the introduction of phylloxera into Europe at the end of the 19th century. This review outlines current and future challenges that are threatening the sustainability of the wine sector and the relevant role that rootstocks can play to face these threats. We describe how rootstocks along with soil management can be exploited as an essential tool to deal with the effects of climate change and of emerging soil-borne pests and pathogens. Moreover, we discuss the possibilities and limitations of diverse genetic strategies for rootstock breeding.This work is framed in the networking activities of RedVitis (AGL2015-70931-REDT) and RedVitis 2.0 (AGL2017-90759-REDT), funded by the State Research Agency (AEI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Ms Diana Marin is beneficiary of postgraduate scholarship funded by Universidad Publica de Navarra (FPI-UPNA-2016). Dr Juan Emilio Palomares-Rius acknowledges the State Research Agency (AEI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the 'Ramon y Cajal' Fellowship RYC-2017-22228 and Dr David Gramaje acknowledges Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for the 'Ramon y Cajal' Fellowship RYC-2017-23098

Prediction of poor outcome in clostridioides difficile infection: A multicentre external validation of the toxin B amplification cycle

Producción CientíficaClassification of patients according to their risk of poor outcomes in Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) would enable implementation of costly new treatment options in a subset of patients at higher risk of poor outcome. In a previous study, we found that low toxin B amplification cycle thresholds (Ct) were independently associated with poor outcome CDI. Our objective was to perform a multicentre external validation of a PCR-toxin B Ct as a marker of poor outcome CDI. We carried out a multicentre study (14 hospitals) in which the characteristics and outcome of patients with CDI were evaluated. A subanalysis of the results of the amplification curve of real-time PCR gene toxin B (XpertTM C. difficile) was performed. A total of 223 patients were included. The median age was 73.0 years, 50.2% were female, and the median Charlson index was 3.0. The comparison of poor outcome and non–poor outcome CDI episodes revealed, respectively, the following results: median age (years), 77.0 vs 72.0 (p = 0.009); patients from nursing homes, 24.4% vs 10.8% (p = 0.039); median leukocytes (cells/μl), 10,740.0 vs 8795.0 (p = 0.026); and median PCR-toxin B Ct, 23.3 vs 25.4 (p = 0.004). Multivariate analysis showed that a PCR-toxin B Ct cut-off <23.5 was significantly and independently associated with poor outcome CDI (p = 0.002; OR, 3.371; 95%CI, 1.565–7.264). This variable correctly classified 68.5% of patients. The use of this microbiological marker could facilitate early selection of patients who are at higher risk of poor outcome and are more likely to benefit from newer and more costly therapeutic options

La infección del tracto urinario como causa principal de ingreso en pacientes cistectomizados

Introducción y objetivos La cistectomía radical con derivación urinaria asociada a linfadenectomía pélvica ampliada continúa siendo el tratamiento de elección en el cáncer vesical musculoinvasivo. Un 64% de los pacientes presentan complicaciones postoperatorias, siendo la infección urinaria responsable en un 20-40% de los casos. El objetivo del presente proyecto es valorar la tasa de infección urinaria como causa de reingreso tras cistectomía, e identificar factores protectores y predisponentes de infección urinaria en nuestro medio. Por último, conocer los resultados obtenidos al aplicar el protocolo de profilaxis antibiótica tras la retirada de los catéteres ureterales. Material y métodos Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de pacientes cistectomizados en el Servicio de Urología del Hospital Clínico Universitario desde enero de 2012 hasta diciembre de 2018. Desde octubre de 2017, de forma estandarizada, a todo paciente se le aplica un protocolo de prevención de infección del tracto urinario (ITU) tras la retirada de catéteres. Resultados La ITU es responsable del 54, 7% de los reingresos, siendo un 55, 1% de estos por causa de una ITU tras la retirada de los catéteres ureterales. El 9, 5% de los pacientes con profilaxis presenta ITU tras la retirada, frente a un 10, 6% en el grupo de pacientes sin profilaxis. El paciente que reingresa por ITU tras la retirada tiene un tiempo de catéteres medio de 24, 3 ± 7, 2 días, frente a los 24, 5 ± 7, 4 días en el grupo sin ITU (p = 0, 847). Conclusiones El tipo de derivación urinaria empleada no guarda relación con la tasa de infección urinaria. El modelo de regresión no identifica la profilaxis antibiótica, ni tampoco el tiempo de catéteres, como factores independientes de ITU tras la retirada de los catéteres. Introduction and objectives: Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion associated with extended pelvic lymphadenectomy continues to be the treatment of choice in muscle invasive bladder cancer. Sixty-four percent of patients submitted to this procedure present postoperative complications, with urinary infection being responsible in 20-40% of cases. The aim of this project is to assess the rate of urinary infection as a cause of re-admission after cystectomy, and to identify protective and predisposing factors for urinary infection in our environment. Finally, we will evaluate the outcomes after the establishment of a prophylactic antibiotic protocol after removal of ureteral catheters. Material and methods: Retrospective descriptive study of cystectomized patients in the Urology Service of the Hospital Clínico Universitario of Zaragoza, from January 2012 to December 2018. A urinary tract infection (UTI) prevention protocol after catheter removal is established for all patients since October 2017. Results: UTI is responsible for 54.7% of readmissions, with 55.1% of these being due to UTI after removal of ureteral catheters. Of the patients who received with prophylaxis, 9.5% presented UTIs after withdrawal, compared to 10.6% in the group of patients without prophylaxis. The patient who is re-admitted for UTI after withdrawal has a mean catheter time of 24.3 ± 7.2 days, compared to 24.5 ± 7.4 days for patients in the group without UTI (P =.847). Conclusions: The type of urinary diversion performed is not related to the rate of urinary infection. The regression model does not identify antibiotic prophylaxis, nor catheter time, as independent factors of UTI after catheter removal

Sphingomimetic multiple sclerosis drug FTY720 activates vesicular synaptobrevin and augments neuroendocrine secretion

Neurotransmission and secretion of hormones involve a sequence of protein/lipid interactions with lipid turnover impacting on vesicle trafficking and ultimately fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane. We previously demonstrated that sphingosine, a sphingolipid metabolite, promotes formation of the SNARE complex required for membrane fusion and also increases the rate of exocytosis in isolated nerve terminals, neuromuscular junctions, neuroendocrine cells and in hippocampal neurons. Recently a fungi-derived sphingosine homologue, FTY720, has been approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis. In its non-phosphorylated form FTY720 accumulates in the central nervous system, reaching high levels which could affect neuronal function. Considering close structural similarity of sphingosine and FTY720 we investigated whether FTY720 has an effect on regulated exocytosis. Our data demonstrate that FTY720 can activate vesicular synaptobrevin for SNARE complex formation and enhance exocytosis in neuroendocrine cells and neurons