Application of molecular topology to the prediction of antiparasitic activity against Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis of 2-Acylamino-nitro-1,3-thiazole products

Giardia intestinalis y Trichomonas vaginalis destacan por su importancia clínica. G. intestinalis causa la giardiosis, una parasitosis de gran importancia epidemiológica y clínica por presentar una elevada prevalencia. T. vaginalis causa la tricomoniasis, la enfermedad de transmisión sexual (ETS) no viral con mayor incidencia del mundo. Ambas parasitosis comparten el mismo tratamiento farmacológico: los nitroimidazoles. Se ha aplicado la topología molecular en la búsqueda de derivados del 2-Acylamino-nitro-1,3-tiazol con actividad antiparasitaria frente a G. intestinalis y T. vaginalis . Con el análisis lineal discriminante se obtuvo un modelo capaz de clasificar correctamente el 92,85 % de los compuestos estudiados en ambos parásitos. Para predecir la actividad antiparasitaria, se llevó a cabo un análisis de regresión multilineal capaz de explicar el 83,2 % de la varianza en G. intestinalis , y el 89,4 % en T. vaginalis . Por último, se llevó a cabo un cribado molecular para buscar nuevos compuestos potencialmente activos frente a ambos parásitos.Giardia intestinalis and Trichomonas vaginalis stand out for their clinical importance. G. intestinalis causes giardiasis, a parasitism of great epidemiological and clinical importance due to its high prevalence. T. vaginalis causes trichomoniasis, the non-viral sexually transmitted disease (STD) with the highest incidence in the world. Both parasitisms share the same pharmacological treatment: nitroimidazoles. Molecular topology has been applied in searching for derivatives of 2-Acylamino-nitro-1,3-thiazole with antiparasitic activity against G. intestinalis and T. vaginalis. After using linear discriminant analyses, results show a model that could correctly classify the activity of 92.85 % of the compounds studied in both parasites. To predict antiparasitic activity, a multilinear regression analysis was carried out that could explain 83.2 % of the variance in G. intestinalis , and 89.4 % in T. vaginalis . Finally, a molecular screening was carried out to look for new potentially active compounds against both parasitesCiencias Experimentale

Numerical analysis of microwave heating cavity: Combining electromagnetic energy, heat transfer and fluid dynamics for a NaY zeolite fixed-bed

[EN] Three-dimensional mathematical model was developed for a rectangular TE10n microwave heating cavity system, working at 2.45 GHz. Energy/heat, momentum equations were solved together with Maxwell's electromagnetic field equations using comm. MULTIPHYSICS (R) simulation environment. The dielectric properties, epsilon' and epsilon '', of NaY zeolite (Si/Al = 2.5) were evaluated as a function of temperature. Considering these values, the microwave heating of a porous fixed-bed made of dry NaY zeolite was simulated. Electric field distribution, axial and radial temperature profiles and temperature evolution with time were obtained. The zeolite fixed bed was heated up to 180 degrees C in 5 min, with 30 W power. The fixed-bed temperature evolution under non-steady state conditions showed the same trend as the one observed experimentally with only an average deviation of 10.3%. The model was used to predict microwave heating of other materials improving energy efficiency of the microwave cavity. Furthermore, the developed model was able to predict thermal runaway for zeolites.Financial support from the European Research Council ERC-Advanced Grant HECTOR-267626 is gratefully acknowledged. Hakan Nigar acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Education for the FPU grant (Formacion del Profesorado Universitario - FPU12/06864), and also for the academic short stay grant (Estancia Breve - FPU2016) at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.Nigar, H.; Sturm, GSJ.; García-Baños, B.; Penaranda-Foix, FL.; Catalá Civera, JM.; Mallada, R.; Stankiewicz, A.... (2019). Numerical analysis of microwave heating cavity: Combining electromagnetic energy, heat transfer and fluid dynamics for a NaY zeolite fixed-bed. Applied Thermal Engineering. 155:226-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.03.117S22623815

Forward SCT Module Assembly and Quality Control at IFIC Valencia

This note discusses the assembly and the quality control tests of 282 forward detector modules for the ATLAS Semiconductor Tracker assembled at the Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular (IFIC) in Valencia. The construction and testing procedures are outlined and the laboratory equipment is briefly described. Emphasis is given on the module quality achieved in terms of mechanical and electrical stability

ATLAS silicon module assembly and qualification tests at IFIC Valencia

ATLAS experiment, designed to probe the interactions of particles emerging out of proton proton collisions at energies of up to 14 TeV, will assume operation at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in 2007. This paper discusses the assembly and the quality control tests of forward detector modules for the ATLAS silicon microstrip detector assembled at the Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular (IFIC) in Valencia. The construction and testing procedures are outlined and the laboratory equipment is briefly described. Emphasis is given on the module quality achieved in terms of mechanical and electrical stability.Comment: 23 pages, 38 EPS figures, uses JINST LaTeX clas

A double-sided, shield-less stave prototype for the ATLAS upgrade strip tracker for the high luminosity LHC

A detailed description of the integration structures for the barrel region of the silicon strips tracker of the ATLAS Phase-II upgrade for the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, the so-called High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), is presented. This paper focuses on one of the latest demonstrator prototypes recently assembled, with numerous unique features. It consists of a shortened, shield-less, and double sided stave, with two candidate power distributions implemented. Thermal and electrical performances of the prototype are presented, as well as a description of the assembly procedures and tools

A double-sided silicon micro-strip super-module for the ATLAS inner detector upgrade in the high-luminosity LHC

The ATLAS experiment is a general purpose detector aiming to fully exploit the discovery potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It is foreseen that after several years of successful data-taking, the LHC physics programme will be extended in the so-called High-Luminosity LHC, where the instantaneous luminosity will be increased up to 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. For ATLAS, an upgrade scenario will imply the complete replacement of its internal tracker, as the existing detector will not provide the required performance due to the cumulated radiation damage and the increase in the detector occupancy. The current baseline layout for the new ATLAS tracker is an all-silicon-based detector, with pixel sensors in the inner layers and silicon micro-strip detectors at intermediate and outer radii. The super-module is an integration concept proposed for the strip region of the future ATLAS tracker, where double-sided stereo silicon micro-strip modules are assembled into a low-mass local support structure. An electrical super-module prototype for eight double-sided strip modules has been constructed. The aim is to exercise the multi-module readout chain and to investigate the noise performance of such a system. In this paper, the main components of the current super-module prototype are described and its electrical performance is presented in detail

Microwave sensor system for continuous monitoring of adhesive curing processes

A microwave sensor system has been developed for monitoring adhesive curing processes. The system provides continuous, real-time information about the curing progress without interfering with the reaction. An open-coaxial resonator is used as the sensor head, and measurements of its resonance frequency and quality factor are performed during cure to follow the reaction progress. Additionally, the system provides other interesting parameters such as reaction rate or cure time. The adhesive dielectric properties can also be computed off-line, which gives additional information about the process. The results given by the system correlate very well with conventional measurement techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry, combining accuracy and rate with simplicity and an affordable cost. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.The authors thank Rut Benavente Martinez for her assistance in the DSC experiments. The contract of BG-B is financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain, through the 'Torres Quevedo' Sub-programme, which is also co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). This work has been financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain through the project MONIDIEL (TEC2008-04109).García Baños, B.; Catalá Civera, JM.; Penaranda-Foix, FL.; Canós Marín, AJ.; Sahuquillo Navarro, O. (2012). Microwave sensor system for continuous monitoring of adhesive curing processes. Measurement Science and Technology. 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/23/3/035101S233Jost, M., & Sernek, M. (2008). Shear strength development of the phenol–formaldehyde adhesive bond during cure. Wood Science and Technology, 43(1-2), 153-166. doi:10.1007/s00226-008-0217-2Costa, M. L., Botelho, E. C., Paiva, J. M. F. de, & Rezende, M. C. (2005). Characterization of cure of carbon/epoxy prepreg used in aerospace field. Materials Research, 8(3), 317-322. doi:10.1590/s1516-14392005000300016Chen, J., & Hojjati, M. (2007). Microdielectric analysis and curing kinetics of an epoxy resin system. Polymer Engineering & Science, 47(2), 150-158. doi:10.1002/pen.20687Sernek, M., & Kamke, F. A. (2007). Application of dielectric analysis for monitoring the cure process of phenol formaldehyde adhesive. International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives, 27(7), 562-567. doi:10.1016/j.ijadhadh.2006.10.004Núñez, L., Gómez-Barreiro, S., Gracia-Fernández, C. A., & Núñez, M. R. (2004). Use of the dielectric analysis to complement previous thermoanalytical studies on the system diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/1,2 diamine cyclohexane. Polymer, 45(4), 1167-1175. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2003.12.024Lefebvre, D. R., Han, J., Lipari, J. M., Long, M. A., McSwain, R. L., & Wells, H. C. (2006). Dielectric analysis for in-situ monitoring of gelatin renaturation and crosslinking. 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MIKON - 2000. Conference Proceedings (IEEE Cat. No.00EX428). doi:10.1109/mikon.2000.913931Canos, A. J., Catala-Civera, J. M., Penaranda-Foix, F. L., & Reyes-Davo, E. (2006). A novel technique for deembedding the unloaded resonance frequency from measurements of microwave cavities. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 54(8), 3407-3416. doi:10.1109/tmtt.2006.877833Marks, R. B., & Williams, D. F. (1992). A general waveguide circuit theory. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 97(5), 533. doi:10.6028/jres.097.024Harrington, R. F. (1967). Matrix methods for field problems. Proceedings of the IEEE, 55(2), 136-149. doi:10.1109/proc.1967.5433Baker-Jarvis, J., Janezic, M. D., Domich, P. D., & Geyer, R. G. (1994). Analysis of an open-ended coaxial probe with lift-off for nondestructive testing. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 43(5), 711-718. doi:10.1109/19.328897Taylor, B. N. (1994). 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Implementation of a multidisciplinary psychoeducational intervention for Parkinson's disease patients and carers in the community: study protocol

Background: Parkinson’s disease progressively limits patients at different levels and as a result family members play a key role in their care. However, studies show lack of an integrative approach in Primary Care to respond to the difficulties and psychosocial changes experienced by them. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary psychoeducational intervention focusing on improving coping skills, the psychosocial adjustment to Parkinson’s disease and the quality of life in patients and family carers in a Primary Care setting. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with control group and mixed methods was designed to evaluate a multidisciplinary psychoeducational intervention. Based on the study power calculations, 100 people with Parkinson’s disease and 100 family carers will be recruited and assigned to two groups. The intervention group will receive the ReNACE psychoeducational intervention. The control group will be given a general educational programme. The study will be carried out in six community-based health centres. The results obtained from the two groups will be collected for evaluation at three time points: at baseline, immediately after the intervention and at 6 months post-intervention. The results will be measured with these instruments: the Quality of Life Scale PDQ39 for patients and the Scale of Quality of Life of Care-givers SQLC for family carers, and for all participants the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness scale and the Brief COPE Inventory. Focus groups will be organised with some patients and family carers who will have received the ReNACE psychoeducational intervention and also with the healthcare professionals involved in its development. Discussion: An important gap exists in the knowledge and application of interventions with a psychosocial approach for people with PD and family carers as a whole. This study will promote this comprehensive approach in Primary Care, which will clearly contribute in the existing knowledge and could reduce the burden of PD for patients and family carers, and also in other long-term conditions

TOPz: Photometric redshifts for J-PAS

The importance of photometric galaxy redshift estimation is rapidly increasing with the development of specialised powerful observational facilities. We develop a new photometric redshift estimation workflow TOPz to provide reliable and efficient redshift estimations for the upcoming large-scale survey J-PAS which will observe 8500 deg2 of the northern sky through 54 narrow-band filters. TOPz relies on template-based photo-z estimation with some added J-PAS specific features and possibilities. We present TOPz performance on data from the miniJPAS survey, a precursor to the J-PAS survey with an identical filter system. First, we generated spectral templates based on the miniJPAS sources using the synthetic galaxy spectrum generation software CIGALE. Then we applied corrections to the input photometry by minimising systematic offsets from the template flux in each filter. To assess the accuracy of the redshift estimation, we used spectroscopic redshifts from the DEEP2, DEEP3, and SDSS surveys, available for 1989 miniJPAS galaxies with r < 22 magAB. We also tested how the choice and number of input templates, photo-z priors, and photometric corrections affect the TOPz redshift accuracy. The general performance of the combination of miniJPAS data and the TOPz workflow fulfills the expectations for J-PAS redshift accuracy. Similarly to previous estimates, we find that 38.6% of galaxies with r < 22 mag reach the J-PAS redshift accuracy goal of dz/(1 + z) < 0.003. Limiting the number of spectra in the template set improves the redshift accuracy up to 5%, especially for fainter, noise-dominated sources. Further improvements will be possible once the actual J-PAS data become available.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figure