Influence of Polyphosphoric Acid on the Consistency and Composition of Formulated Bitumen: Standard Characterization and NMR Insights

Over the recent years, bitumen modification with polymers, acids, or mineral fillers has gained relevance to adjust its performance properties. This work reports the use of polyphosphoric acid (PPA) for the modification of formulated bitumen. With this objective, an in-depth literature review on PPA modification was firstly performed. Subsequently, five individual refinery components were selected for the preparation of bitumen blends, namely, as phaltic residue, vacuum residue, and three lube oils extracts. Seven binary/ternary bitumen blends were prepared and then treated with PPA. Afterwards, the five components and the unmodified and PPA-modified bitumen were characterized by standard methods (penetration, softening point, and penetration index), SARA analysis, elemental analysis, and P-31 and H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The results evidenced higher asphaltenes and lower saturates/resins contents in PPA-modified bitumen. The NMR data suggest that the paraffinic chains became longer, the content of condensed aromatics increased, more substituted aromatic structures appeared, and alpha-hydrogen in aromatic structures diminished. These findings disclosed the improved consistency and oxidation stability of PPA-modified bitumen blends

Silica-Based Nanocoating Doped by Layered Double Hydroxides to Enchance the Paperboard Barrier Properties

Paperboard is an environment -friendly multi -layer material widely used for packaging applic a- tions. However, for food packaging paperboard lacks essential barrier properties towards oxygen and water vapor. Conventional solutions to enhance these barrier properties (e.g. paperboard film coating with synthetic polymers) require special manufacturing facilities and difficult the end -of - life disposal and recycling of the paperboard. Paperboard coating with silica -based formulations is an eco -friendly alternative hereby disclosed. Silica -nanocoating s were prepared by sol -gel synth e- sis, with or without the addition of Zn(2) -Al -NO 3 layered double hydroxides (LDHs), and applied on the surface (ca 2 g/m 2 ) of industrial paperboard samples by a roll -to -roll technique. The ph y- sicochemical features of silica -nanocoatings were studied by FTIR -ATR, SEM/EDS, XRD analysis and surface energy measurements. The barrier properties of uncoated and silica -coated pape r- board were accessed by water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen permeability ( J O 2 ) measurements. The best barrier results were obtained for paperboard coated with a mixture of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3 -aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), with and without the in- corporation of LDHs

Neuron-Microglia Contact-Dependent Mechanisms Attenuate Methamphetamine-Induced Microglia Reactivity and Enhance Neuronal Plasticity

Exposure to methamphetamine (Meth) has been classically associated with damage to neuronal terminals. However, it is now becoming clear that addiction may also result from the interplay between glial cells and neurons. Recently, we demonstrated that binge Meth administration promotes microgliosis and microglia pro-inflammation via astrocytic glutamate release in a TNF/IP(3)R2-Ca2+-dependent manner. Here, we investigated the contribution of neuronal cells to this process. As the crosstalk between microglia and neurons may occur by contact-dependent and/or contact-independent mechanisms, we developed co-cultures of primary neurons and microglia in microfluidic devices to investigate how their interaction affects Meth-induced microglia activation. Our results show that neurons exposed to Meth do not activate microglia in a cell-autonomous way but require astrocyte mediation. Importantly, we found that neurons can partially prevent Meth-induced microglia activation via astrocytes, which seems to be achieved by increasing arginase 1 expression and strengthening the CD200/CD200r pathway. We also observed an increase in synaptic individual area, as determined by co-localization of pre- and post-synaptic markers. The present study provides evidence that contact-dependent mechanisms between neurons and microglia can attenuate pro-inflammatory events such as Meth-induced microglia activation

Leiomioma uterino - repercussões clínicas e manejo cirúrgico: Uterine leiomyoma - clinical repercussions and surgical management

O leiomioma uterino (LU) é um tumor benigno que tem origem em uma única célula tronco que compõem o miométrio uterino. Essa afecção se manifesta por tumores benignos, que são os mais incidentes do aparelho reprodutor feminino, podendo variar de 20 a 50%. Vale ressaltar os principais fatores de risco, sendo eles: idade avançada, nuliparidade, obesidade, estado pré-menopausa, hipertensão, história familiar e obesidade. A origem fisiopatológica e do desenvolvimento do leiomioma ainda não foram totalmente descobertas, ainda que potenciais genéticos e mecanismos moleculares têm sido exaustivamente debatidos na literatura científica. Dentre as hipóteses do mecanismo patológico dessa doença, a principal delas está ligada às mutações do gene MED12. Em relação às manifestações clínicas, muitas pacientes com LU são assintomáticas, contudo, uma parcela significativa dessa população, por volta de 30%, pode apresentar sintomas, como metrorragia, dificuldade miccional ou fecal. Sabendo que a clínica do LU é variada, exames de imagem como a ultrassonografia são imprescindíveis para a confirmação do diagnóstico, sendo a ultrassonografia transabdominal e a transvaginal as mais utilizadas e classificadas segundo a Federação Internacional de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. Na perspectiva terapêutica, a histerectomia persiste sendo o único tratamento cirúrgico definitivo para leiomiomas sintomáticos, desde que a mulher já esteja com sua prole definida e que não se oponha à retirada do útero. Tal método propedêutico apresenta resultados favoráveis quando se trata de menor tempo de operação e menor dor pós-operatória em 24 horas

White Paper: Designing the perfect New European Bauhaus neighbourhood

The concept of Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE) emphasises the comprehensive person-centred experience as essential to promoting living environments. SHAFE takes an interdisciplinary approach, conceptualising complete and multidisciplinary solutions for an inclusive society. From this approach, we promote participation, health, and well-being experiences by finding the best possible combinations of social, physical, and digital solutions in the community. This initiative emerged bottom-up in Europe from the dream and conviction that innovation can improve health equity, foster caring communities, and sustainable development. Smart, adaptable, and inclusive solutions can promote and support independence and autonomy throughout the lifespan, regardless of age, gender, disabilities, cultural differences, and personal choices, as well as promote happier and fairer living places. The New European Bauhaus initiative gathers "beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive projects and ideas" to inspire a positive transformation around us. The New European Bauhaus 2024 Festival took place between 9-13 April. "Designing the perfect New European Bauhaus neighbourhood: New European Bauhaus meets SHAFE" was a Satellite Event of the Festival, held as an online workshop, organised by the SHAFE Foundation on April 9th, 2024. At the event, a group of 50 participants with a multidisciplinary background discussed how to meet the challenges of the European Garcia family to enable them to live in a perfect neighbourhood. The White Paper presents the findings of the participants with the New European Bauhaus inspiring projects and ideas to house the European Garcia family in their neighbourhood. The White Paper recommends developers, designers, planners, and policymakers to include person-centred design of social and physical environments and technologies. Although awareness of person-centred design is growing, many initiatives still hamper the inclusion of citizens or end-users throughout the development of products and services

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions

Del cielo y de la tierra: Mandas testamentarias en Arequipa 1750-1850

TesisLa presente tesis estudia las mandas testamentarias incluidas en los testamentos de la sociedad arequipeña durante una centuria (1750-1850). Estas nos permiten perfilar el espectro social y cultural al que pertenecía esta población. Para lograr esto, la investigación se vale del análisis de protocolos notariales, memorias testamentarias, testamentos y documentos tanto eclesiásticos como oficiales para lograr una reconstrucción histórica. La tesis sostiene que, considerando que los testamentos reflejan la última voluntad de los testadores es posible que sus mandas o legados evidencien sus reales preocupaciones en el escenario terrenal y celestial. Siguiendo esta lógica, se propone un modo de análisis de la historia cuanti-cualitativo, a través de estadísticas nos brinda información como patrimonio y obras pías, y las narraciones testamentarias se convierten en confesiones ciertas veces y otras tantas en denuncia

Las fronteras de Polanco. Una mirada al género desde el consumo simbólico

El presente texto da cuenta desde el ámbito escolar, de las relaciones que establecen los niños y las niñas, entre once y trece años, con la televisión, La hipótesis que articula este trabajo sostiene que las relaciones que se construyen entre maestros(as)-alumnos (as), entre pares y entre éstos y la televisión son producto de negociaciones y disputas que se ponen en juego. Así, los autores se preguntan cómo y a través de qué lenguajes los(as) niños(as) que asisten a una escuela privada de la colonia Polanco en México D.F, expresan sus relaciones con la televisión