Techno-economic assessment of an industrial carbon capture hub sharing a cement rotary kiln as sorbent regenerator

The concept of CCS cluster brings together multiple CO2 industrial emitters using shared capture and/or transportation infrastructure and offers several advantages for network partners compared with point-to-point individual projects. It reduces costs for CCS, and enables CO2 capture from small volume industrial facilities. The proposed concept connects a cluster of industrial sites with significant heat demands with a cement plant through the implementation of a Ca-looping CCS system. This system treats the flue gas from all the industrial emitters in independent boiler/carbonators while uses the kiln furnace as calciner for the cement and the capture plant. The carbonator reactors located in each one of the industry sites are fed by CaO from the cement plant to capture the CO2 content of their own flue gas. After carbonation reaction, the exhaust sorbent is transported back to the cement plant for regeneration in the kiln furnace. The aim of this work is to analyse the techno-economic feasibility of the proposed Ca-looping CCS cluster. The economic assessment, assuming 20 euro/ton CaO and carbon market 30 euro/ton CO2 points out the feasibility of this kind of centralized carbon capture system to handle the carbon from small emitters. Results show that the operating costs of small companies that use coal or natural gas reduce from 21.3 Meuro to 18.8 Meuro or from 25.5 to 23.0 Meuro. For the cement industry this income lessens its operating costs 1.9 Meuro lower than a reference situation where CCS is only implemented in cement plant

Combined Treatment with Open and Endovascular Surgery of a Mycotic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

AbstractWe report the treatment of a 67-year-old male patient with a suprarenal mycotic aortic aneurysm. A 67-year-old male developed renal failure during the treatment of a urine infection and a paracervical abscess. Further investigations revealed a 5.6cm saccular suprarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. A successful combined treatment was carried out with endovascular techniques and open surgery, realizing a retrograde aorto-superior mesenteric bypass. Postoperative follow up scans showed exclusion and thrombosis of the aneurysm. Treatment of mycotic aneurysms is mainly surgical, but endovascular therapy helps to avoid highly complicated surgery and reduces mortality

Alq mutation increases fruit set rate and allows the maintenance of fruit yield under moderate saline conditions

[EN] Arlequin (Alq) is a gain-of-function mutant whose most relevant feature is that sepals are able to become fruit-like organs due to the ectopic expression of the ALQ-TAGL1 gene. The role of this gene in tomato fruit ripening was previously demonstrated. To discover new functional roles for ALQ-TAGL1, and most particularly its involvement in the fruit set process, a detailed characterization of Alq yield-related traits was performed. Under standard conditions, the Alq mutant showed a much higher fruit set rate than the wild type. A significant percentage of Alq fruits were seedless. The results showed that pollination-independent fruit set in Alq is due to early transition from flower to fruit. Analysis of endogenous hormones in Alq suggests that increased content of cytokinins and decreased level of abscisic acid may account for precocious fruit set. Comparative expression analysis showed relevant changes of several genes involved in cell division, gibberellin metabolism, and the auxin signalling pathway. Since pollination-independent fruit set may be a very useful strategy for maintaining fruit production under adverse conditions, fruit set and yield in Alq plants under moderate salinity were assessed. Interestingly, Alq mutant plants showed a high yield under saline conditions, similar to that of Alq and the wild type under unstressed conditions.This work was supported by the research grants AGL2015-64991-C3-3-R and AGL2015-64991-C3-1-R from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO/FEDER). The PhD grant to CRA (BES-2013-063778) was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.The authors thank Dr Isabel Lopez-Diaz and Dr Esther Carrera for their help in hormone quantification carried out at the Plant Hormone Quantification Service, IBMCP,Valencia, Spain. The authors thank David Harry Rhead for reviewing the manuscript in the English language.Ribelles Alfonso, C.; García Sogo, B.; Yuste-Lisbona, FJ.; Atarés Huerta, A.; Castañeda, L.; Capel, C.; Lozano, R.... (2019). Alq mutation increases fruit set rate and allows the maintenance of fruit yield under moderate saline conditions. Journal of Experimental Botany. 70(20):5731-5744. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erz342S57315744702

IRE1β negatively regulates IRE1α signaling in response to endoplasmic reticulum stress

IRE1β is an ER stress sensor uniquely expressed in epithelial cells lining mucosal surfaces. Here, we show that intestinal epithelial cells expressing IRE1β have an attenuated unfolded protein response to ER stress. When modeled in HEK293 cells and with purified protein, IRE1β diminishes expression and inhibits signaling by the closely related stress sensor IRE1α. IRE1β can assemble with and inhibit IRE1α to suppress stress-induced XBP1 splicing, a key mediator of the unfolded protein response. In comparison to IRE1α, IRE1β has relatively weak XBP1 splicing activity, largely explained by a nonconserved amino acid in the kinase domain active site that impairs its phosphorylation and restricts oligomerization. This enables IRE1β to act as a dominant-negative suppressor of IRE1α and affect how barrier epithelial cells manage the response to stress at the host–environment interface

Análisis de las notificaciones de ototoxicidad, con sintomatología de acúfenos, en la base de datos del sistema español de farmacovigilancia de medicamentos de uso humano

Background: One of the adverse drug reactions (ADR) can be the Ototoxicity, either in a cochlear level or in a vestibular one. This may cause an incapacitating symptomatology due to a hearing impairment or deafness, tinnitus, or a vertiginous syndrome. The objective of this work was to analyze the notifications of ototoxic ADRs registered in the FEDRA database of the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Medicinal products for Human Use (SEFV-H), manifested as tinnitus, describing epidemiological and prognostic factors, as well as active principles and associated therapeutic groups. Methods: An observational retrospective study based on the incoming registers in the FEDRA database of the SEFV-H, with tinnitus symptomatology due to ototoxicity between 1984 and 2017 has been earned out. SPSS v.20.0 program has been used for the descriptive and inferential statistics searching elements related to the emergence, seriousness or recuperation of the tinnitus. Results: A total of 662 patients notifications were obtained with 899 suspected drugs. 64% of the patients were women. The average age was 55.8 years old. An 8.5% of the tinnitus were classified as serious, meaning a significant and persistent disability. Evaluating the causality through the modified Karch-Lasagna algorithm (SEFV-H algorithm). a causal group credible or well defined, was discovered in 48.6% In the ATC ranking, the most frequent group of cause drugs was the N. nervous system. It was concluded. among others, that the seriousness is more significant in men and that the elder group have a great influence in the tinnitus recovery. Conclusions: The appearance of tinnitus brought on by medical ototoxicity may determine an important limitation on the patient. A vestibular and cochlear function monitoring must he carried out on patients under treatment with high ototoxicity drugs. The task of the pharmacovigilance seems to be essential. by spreading its results and stimulating the ADR notifications in order to identify pharmacological threats

The SlCBL10 calcineurin B-like protein ensures plant growth under salt stress by regulating Na+ and Ca2+ homeostasis

[EN] Characterization of a new tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) T-DNA mutant allowed for the isolation of the CALCINEURIN B-LIKE PROTEIN 10 (SlCBL10) gene whose lack of function was responsible for the severe alterations observed in the shoot apex and reproductive organs under salinity conditions. Physiological studies proved that SlCBL10 gene is required to maintain a proper low Na+/Ca2+ ratio in growing tissues allowing tomato growth under salt stress. Expression analysis of the main responsible genes for Na+ compartmentalization (i.e. Na+/H+ EXCHANGERs, SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE, HIGH-AFFINITY K+ TRANSPORTER 1; 2, H+-pyrophosphatase AVP1 [SlAVP1] and V-ATPase [SlVHA-A1]) supported a reduced capacity to accumulate Na+ in Slcbl10 mutant leaves, which resulted in a lower uploading of Na+ from xylem, allowing the toxic ion to reach apex and flowers. Likewise, the tomato CATION EXCHANGER 1 and TWO-PORE CHANNEL 1 (SlTPC1), key genes for Ca2+ fluxes to the vacuole, showed abnormal expression in Slcbl10 plants indicating an impaired Ca2+ release from vacuole. Additionally, complementation assay revealed that SlCBL10 is a true ortholog of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CBL10 gene, supporting that the essential function of CBL10 is conserved in Arabidopsis and tomato. Together, the findings obtained in this study provide new insights into the function of SlCBL10 in salt stress tolerance. Thus, it is proposed that SlCBL10 mediates salt tolerance by regulating Na+ and Ca2+ fluxes in the vacuole, cooperating with the vacuolar cation channel SlTPC1 and the two vacuolar H+-pumps, SlAVP1 and SlVHA-A1, which in turn are revealed as potential targets of SlCBL10.This study was supported by grants from the Plant KBBE Program (EUI2009-04074), the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (AGL2012-40150, AGL2015-64991-C3-1-R/2-R/3-R, and BIO2016-79187-R), as well as the French National Research Agency ENDOREPIGEN project. A.O.-A. was supported by a PhD fellowship from the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (BIO2009-11484).Egea, I.; Pineda Chaza, BJ.; Ortiz Atienza, A.; Plasencia, F.; Drevensek, S.; García Sogo, B.; Yuste-Lisbona, FJ.... (2018). The SlCBL10 calcineurin B-like protein ensures plant growth under salt stress by regulating Na+ and Ca2+ homeostasis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY. 176(2):1676-1693. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.17.01605S16761693176

Simulation study of the link between molecular association and reentrant miscibility for a mixture of molecules with directional interactions

The reentrant liquid-liquid miscibility of a symmetrical mixture with highly directional bonding interactions is studied by Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. The resulting closed loop of immiscibility and the corresponding lower critical solution temperature are shown to be a direct consequence of the dramatic increase in association between unlike components as the temperature is lowered. Our exact calculations for an off-lattice system with a well-defined anisotropic potential confirm the findings of previous theoretical studies.Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica PB94-144

Disappearance of myocardial perfusion defects on prone SPECT imaging: Comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients without established coronary artery disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It is of great clinical importance to exclude myocardial infarction in patients with suspected coronary artery disease who do not have stress-induced ischemia. The diagnostic use of myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in this situation is sometimes complicated by attenuation artifacts that mimic myocardial infarction. Imaging in the prone position has been suggested as a method to overcome this problem.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, 52 patients without known prior infarction and no stress-induced ischemia on SPECT imaging were examined in both supine and prone position. The results were compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) with delayed-enhancement technique to confirm or exclude myocardial infarction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 63 defects in supine-position images, 37 of which disappeared in the prone position. None of the 37 defects were associated with myocardial infarction by CMR, indicating that all of them represented attenuation artifacts. Of the remaining 26 defects that did not disappear on prone imaging, myocardial infarction was confirmed by CMR in 2; the remaining 24 had no sign of ischemic infarction but 2 had other kinds of myocardial injuries. In 3 patients, SPECT failed to detect small scars identified by CMR.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Perfusion defects in the supine position that disappeared in the prone position were caused by attenuation, not myocardial infarction. Hence, imaging in the prone position can help to rule out ischemic heart disease for some patients admitted for SPECT with suspected but not documented ischemic heart disease. This would indicate a better prognosis and prevent unnecessary further investigations and treatment.</p