Appraisal of the inherent socio-demographic dynamics of HIV/AIDS epidemic in four districts of South-Western Uganda

Although HIV prevalence in Uganda is much lower than it once was, AIDS is still claiming many lives each year with clear signs of escalating rural epidemics. The objective of this study was to appraise the socio-economic and demographic dynamics of HIV/AIDS epidemic in South-Western Uganda. Data were collected with standard closed ended semi-structured questionnaires self-administered to consenting, 605 HIV/AIDS patients, selected using the multistage random sampling technique, logistic linear regression, randomized block design and Pearson’s Chi square test (á=0.01) were used to analyse the data obtained. The duration of carriage was inversely proportional (r=-0.94) to population of HIV/AIDS patients surveyed. There were 98.2% Bantu (55.5% Banyankole and 22.6% Baganda); 77.5% females and 22.5% males; more widows (38.0%) than married (35.5%). HIV/AIDS prevalence generally decreased with increasinglevel of education. The highest (66.7%) HIV/AIDS prevalence was recorded in Bushenyi, followed by 58.4% in Masaka, 57.9% in Mbarara and 53.3% in Rukungiri. Rukungiri patients above 60 years of age harboured 57.1% HIV/AIDS followed by 45.5% among Masaka patients aged 11 - 20 years and 40% among Mbarara patients less than 10 years of age. HIV/AIDS prevalence was significantly (p<0.05) dependent on socio-economic and demographic factors of surveyed population. Therefore socio-economic and demographic factors underlie HIV/AIDS prevalence in this region. Observed differences in prevalence of HIV/AIDS between the surveyed districts wereremarkable and warrant regular surveillance for updated disease  epidemiology. Education can debunk the generally misconstrued rolesof social, economic and demographic factors in the spread of HIV/AIDS

Classification of coffee beans by GC-C-IRMS, GC-MS, and 1H-NMR

In a previous work using 1H-NMR we reported encouraging steps towards the construction of a robust expert system for the discrimination of coffees from Colombia versus nearby countries (Brazil and Peru), to assist the recent protected geographical indication granted to Colombian coffee in 2007.This system relies on fingerprints acquired on a 400MHz magnet and is thus well suited for small scale random screening of samples obtained at resellers or coffee shops. However, this approach cannot easily be implemented at harbour's installations, due to the elevated operational costs of cryogenic magnets. This limitation implies shipping the samples to the NMR laboratory, making the overall approach slower and thereby more expensive and less attractive for large scale screening at harbours. In this work, we report on our attempt to obtain comparable classification results using alternative techniques that have been reported promising as an alternative toNMR: GC-MS andGC-C-IRMS.Although statistically significant information could be obtained by all threemethods, the results showthat the quality of the classifiers dependsmainly on the number of variables included in the analysis; hence NMR provides an advantage since more molecules are detected to obtain a model with better predictions

Locational preferences and spatial arrangement in the barrow landscape of Serra do Barbanza (North-western Iberia)

As anywhere else around the world, GIS is an essential tool in Galician Archaeology (NW Spain) when examining and analysing spatial data. This is also true for the study of mounds in that area, since spatial analysis and statistics have become increasingly used for contrasting hypotheses regarding the locational preferences of these monuments, usually inferred from observations made during fieldwork or taken from studies conducted elsewhere. Drawing on this basis, in this paper, we have analysed the locational patterns of the tumuli of the upper tracts of the Serra do Barbanza (Galicia, NW Spain). Using a site-predictive modelling approach, several environmental covariates were analysed in order to explore their potential role in explaining the distribution of prehistoric mounds in the area. Subsequently, we studied the clustering of these monuments via second-order modelling. Our results suggest that tumuli in the Serra do Barbanza tended to cluster on a very local scale, a trend that can only be explained by intended site spacing strategies that may have taken place over millennia. Finally, by using significance testing via Monte Carlo Simulation, we have modelled both the effect of possible preferences regarding the location of mounds and the potential impact of tradition, with pre-existent megaliths possibly fostering the construction of more monuments in the nearby areas

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with no anastomosis

From the first radical prostatectomy (RP), this kind of surgeries have always led to the need of a vesicourethral anastomosis (VUA). We present a case of a 65 year-old patient with diagnosis of prostate cancer and candidate for laparoscopic RP. The approach was a conventional extraperitoneal access with complete urethral sparing that avoids the need of VUA. Bladder catheter was removed on the third postoperative day observing immediate urinary continence. The anatomopathological analysis revealed a pT2 adenocarcinoma with negative margins. We report for the first time, a minimally invasive technique that avoids the need of VUA with favorable functional results

GO-TiO2 as a highly performant photocatalyst maximized by proper parameters selection

The synthesis and characterization of novel graphene oxide coupled to TiO2 (GO-TiO2) was carried out in order to better understand the performance of this photocatalyst, when compared to well-known TiO2 (P25) from Degussa. Thus, its physical-chemical characterization (FTIR, XRD, N2 isotherms and electrochemical measurements) describes high porosity, suitable charge and high electron mobility, which enhance pollutant degradation. In addition, the importance of the reactor set up was highlighted, testing the effect of both the irradiated area and distance between lamp and bulb solution. Under optimal conditions, the model drug methylthioninium chloride (MC) was degraded and several parameters were assessed, such as the water matrix and the catalyst reutilization, a possibility given the addition of H2O2. The results in terms of energy consumption compete with those attained for the treatment of this model pollutant, opening a path for further research.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2019/091Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. PID2020-113667GB-I0

Fluoride-doped TiO2 photocatalyst with enhanced activity for stable pollutant degradation

Fluoride-doped TiO2 (F-TiO2) was synthesized by an efficient and simple one-step synthesis and successfully used for the UV-photo-degradation of the toxic and stable pollutants methylene blue (MB) and bisphenol A (BPA). Initially, the synthesized catalyst was characterized and compared to untreated TiO2 (P25 Degussa) by different physical–chemical analyses such as XRD, band gap calculation, SEM, EDS, FITR, ECSA, or EIS. F-TiO2 defeated commercial TiO2, and almost complete pollutant removal was achieved within 30 min. The energy consumption was reduced as a result of the suitable reactor set-up, which reduced light scattering, and by the application of a long-pulse radiation procedure, where the lamp was switched off during periods where the radical degradation continued. This enhanced the overall photocatalysis process performance. Under these conditions, 80% of MB removal was attained within 15 min radiation with an energy consumption of only 0.070 Wh min−1, demonstrating a much better efficiency when compared to previously reported data. The catalyst was reusable, and its performance can be improved by the addition of H2O2. The results were validated by BPA degradation and the treatment of real wastewaters with both pollutants. The results were so encouraging that a scale-up reactor has been proposed for future studies.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481B 2019/091Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2021-43Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. PCI2022-132941Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación | Ref. PID2020- 113667GB-I0

Structured organic frameworks as endocrine disruptor adsorbents suitable for Fenton regeneration and reuse

New porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), have been actively investigated due to their environmental applications. In this study, four of such structured materials, namely Fe3O4 @COF, MIL-53(Al), MIL-53(Al)-F127 and NH2-MIL-101(Fe) were synthetized. These materials have been tested for the first time for the adsorption in aqueous media of two endocrine disruptor pollutants, bisphenol A (BPA) and prednisolone (PDN). The adsorbents were characterized by the analysis of the point of zero charge (PZC), the functional groups (FTIR) and their physic-chemical structure (N2-isotherms, SEM, XRD and XPS). MIL-53-Al provided the highest uptake of both BPA (177.78 mg g− 1) and PDN (280.70 mg g− 1) even when using a real wastewater matrix. Additionally, this MOF resulted to be a so-called catalytic-adsorbent, maintaining an appropriate adsorbent capacity after five regenerations cycles via Fenton-like process, causing only 20% and 5% adsorption detriment for BPA and PDN, respectively. This avoids spent adsorbent disposal issues and make this new kind of adsorbent to have the potential to be used in real environmental application scenarios.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2020-113667GB-I00Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PDC2021-121394-I00Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED481D-2023/015Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Intensification of heterogeneous photocatalysis by applying a kenics® static mixer as catalyst support

Despite scientific community’s efforts, overcoming mass and photon transfer limitations remain a main challenge for heterogeneous photocatalysis with immobilized catalysts. Here, a Kenics® static mixer was used for the first time as catalyst support for heterogeneous photocatalysis in tubular reactors. This permitted not only to take advantage of the enhanced mass transfer supplied by the intense mixing, but also to provide a total illumination of the photocatalyst surface area with front-irradiation mechanism by using sunlight combined with compound parabolic collectors. Stainless steel Kenics® static mixers were coated with TiO2 or Fe2O3 photocatalyst and applied for oxytetracycline (OTC) degradation in aqueous solutions. The photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated as a function of different parameters: (i) catalyst deposition technique (dip coating or spray coating), (ii) photocatalyst film thickness, (iii) oxidant (H2O2) concentration, and (iv) number of static mixing elements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Including coronary ostia in patient-specific 3D models of the whole aortic valve apparatus, derived from TEE, for biomechanical simulations

There is an increasing interest in the numerical modeling and simulation of the aortic valve behavior and functioning, on the different stages involved as healthy, stenotic or replacement procedure. As echocardiography is a ubiquitous and economic modality, the geometric model construction based on such images is therefore of major interest. In this paper, a new patient-specific approach for modeling the complete aortic valve apparatus - derived from parameters extracted from 3D transesophageal echocardiographs -that includes for the first time the left ventricle outflow tract and the coronary ostia, both crucial for proper assessment of valve biomechanical behavior, is presented. An innovative method for characterizing coronary pressures from patient-specific clinical data, to be used as boundary conditions for the numerical simulation is also described. Results from experiments were presented to evaluate the novel aspects of the model, that permits to compare the existing models (non-coronary model NCM) and the proposed new coronary model (CM). Variations of displacement and stress on each leaflet prove the need of considering leaflet asymmetry. Computed quantities in the results sections are within the range of physiological data. This permits to conclude that the proposed aortic valve apparatus model of the aortic valve apparatus improves on previous ones by considering this extremely complex structure in greater detail.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. IN606A-2017/02

Gravitational perturbations of Schwarzschild spacetime at null infinity and the hyperboloidal initial value problem

We study gravitational perturbations of Schwarzschild spacetime by solving a hyperboloidal initial value problem for the Bardeen-Press equation. Compactification along hyperboloidal surfaces in a scri-fixing gauge allows us to have access to the gravitational waveform at null infinity in a general setup. We argue that this hyperboloidal approach leads to a more accurate and efficient calculation of the radiation signal than the common approach where a timelike outer boundary is introduced. The method can be generalized to study perturbations of Kerr spacetime using the Teukolsky equation.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure