Synthesis, characterization and spectroscopic studies of two new schiff-base bithienyl pendant-armed 15-crown-5 molecular probes

Nickel(II); Palladium(II); Mercury(II); Sodium(I); ; Crown ether, Schiff base, LuminescenceTwo new ligands provided with a 15-crown-5 as receptor unit and bithiophen unit as emissive probe have been synthesized and characterized in order to evaluate the coordination capabilities and their sensor effect. Ligand L1 presents an aromatic crown ether moiety directed linked to the imine-2,2´-bithiophene π–conjugated system and ligand L2 is constituted by an aliphatic crown ether moiety linked to the same imine-2,2´-bithiophene system through a methylene unit. Solid metal complexes of Ni(II), Pd(II), Hg(II) and Na(I) have been synthesized using both macrocyclic compounds, and have been studied in solution in the presence of the same metal ions. All solid compounds have been characterized by common analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The sensorial effect has been studied using absorption, emission and MALDI-TOF-MS spectroscopies.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Contributions on Transmitarrays for Far-Field Applications

XI Encuentro Ibérico de Electromagnetismo Computacional-IIEC, 8-11 de noviembre de 2016, Asturias (España)Different contributions made to the development of Transmitarrays (TA) for Far-Filed applications are presented in this contribution. Firstly, a unit cell, based on four patches coupled by a slot or a symmetric cross, is introduced, and then, an arraybased model used to analyze a system formed by a TA and a planar lens in a time-efficient manner without using a full-wave method. Thus, both features are used to design and analyze the different prototypes reviewed in this contribution. That is, an ultra-thin planar lenses based on a 2-bit unit cell and a dualpolarized TA that has been designed in order to be used in polarized agile antenna. Thus, by rotating the feed of the system, a linear polarized antenna, it is possible to obtain any kind of polarization, form linear to circular. Finally, this TA has been used in a multibeam application fed with a network of quasi-yagi antenna

Morfología y germinación de semillas de Euphorbia heterophylla L.

El conocimiento de las características morfo-fisiológicas de frutos y semillas es importante para estudiar la forma reproductiva y la posibilidad de domesticar una especie nativa de interés agropecuario o farmacéutico. El propósito de este estudio fue determinar las características morfológicas y la capacidad de germinación de las semillas de Euphorbia heterophylla L., debido a su importancia agropecuaria y económica. Se realizaron análisis morfológicos con 20 frutos y 50 semillas recién cosechadas y seleccionadas al azar. Se determinaron las características morfológicas del embrión, así como su desarrollo. Adicionalmente, se estudiaron las características fisiológicas de las semillas a través del contenido de humedad, la viabilidad y la germinación a diferentes fotoperiodos. El fruto maduro de E. heterophylla es una cápsula de tres lóbulos con un promedio de 3 semillas por fruto. Las semillas son cónicas con base ancha, carunculadas y de color marrón oscuro. El embrión es espatulado, con un eje hipocótilo-radícula bien definido y cotiledones en forma de espátula. El contenido de humedad al momento de la cosecha fue de 9,846 %, la viabilidad fue de 75,83 % y el porcentaje de germinación del 55 % en presencia de luz. Los frutos, semillas y embriones de E. heterophylla tienen características representativas del género Euphorbia. Nuestros resultados sugieren que las semillas germinan en un mayor porcentaje en precencia de luz, sin que se observe dormancia. Este estudio es un punto de partida para trazar futuras estrategias en relación con la domesticación de esta especie, dada la importancia agropecuaria y farmacéutica de la planta

Adsorption of marine phycotoxin okadaic acid on a covalent organic framework

Phycotoxins, compounds produced by some marine microalgal species, can reach high concentrations in the sea when a massive proliferation occurs, the so-called harmful algal bloom. These compounds are especially dangerous to human health when concentrated in the digestive glands of seafood. In order to generate an early warning system to alert for approaching toxic outbreaks, it is very important to improve monitoring methods of phycotoxins in aquatic ecosystems. Solid-phase adsorption toxin tracking devices reported thus far based on polymeric resins have not been able to provide an efficient harmful algal bloom prediction system due to their low adsorption capabilities. In this work, a water-stable covalent organic framework (COF) was evaluated as adsorbent for the hydrophobic toxin okadaic acid, one of the most relevant marine toxins and the parental compound of the most common group of toxins responsible for the diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. Adsorption kinetics of okadaic acid onto the COF in seawater showed that equilibrium concentration was reached in only 60 min, with a maximum experimental adsorption of 61 mg g1. Desorption of okadaic acid from the COF was successful with both 70% ethanol and acetonitrile as solvent, and the COF material could be reused with minor losses in adsorption capacity for three cycles. The results demonstrate that COF materials are promising candidates for solid-phase adsorption in water monitoring devices.This article is a result of the project Nanotechnology Based Functional Solutions (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000019), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 600375.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Un estudio de las propiedades estructurales, magnéticas y eléctricas de los compuestosBa1-xNaxCoO3(x = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75)

Cobaltite-like materials having metal-insulator transitions are relevant in the consumer electronics market. In this work, we present the structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of Ba1-xNaxCoO3(with x= 0.25, 0.5, 0.75) cobaltite. All samples were synthesized using a solid-state reaction process. Their crystal structure was determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) data by the Rietveld method, which showed that all the samples were crystallized in the orthorhombic space group C2221(N.° 20). The microstructure of the sintered samples was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed a paramagnetic behavior for x≥ 0.5in the temperature range that was used. Likewise, a broad peak around 33 Kin the sample x = 0.25,andcharacteristic of antiferromagnetic behaviors wereobserved. Onthe other hand, resistivity contributed to determining the insulating behavior of samples where x = 0.5and x = 0.75. In contrast, at low sodium content (x = 0.25), a metal-insulator transition was observed with transition temperature near 105 K.Los materiales de tipo cobaltita que presentan transición metal-aislante tienen relevancia en el mercado de la electrónica de consumo. En este trabajo presentamos las propiedades estructurales, magnéticas y eléctricas de las cobaltitas Ba1-xNaxCoO3(con x= 0.25, 0.5, 0.75). Todas las muestras se sintetizaron mediante un proceso de reacción en estado sólido y su estructura cristalina se determinó a partir de datos de difracción de rayos X (DRX),mediante el método de Rietveld, el cual indicó que las muestras cristalizan en el grupo espacial ortorrómbico C2221(N.o20). La microestructura de las muestras sinterizadas se caracterizó mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido (MEB). Las medidas de susceptibilidad magnética confirmaron un comportamiento paramagnético para x≥ 0.5en el rango de temperatura estudiado y un pico amplio alrededor de 33 Ken la muestra x= 0.25,lo cual es característico de los comportamientos antiferromagnéticos. Las medidas de resistividad permitieron determinar el comportamiento aislante de muestras con x= 0.5y x= 0.75, mientras que a bajo contenido de sodio (x= 0.25),se observó una transición metal-aislante con temperatura de transición cercana a 105K

Efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in children with COVID-19: a call for evidence.

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic poses a serious threat to public health and local economies around the globe. This has created an urgent need to identify effective medications for its prevention and treatment (1). Among these treatments, the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a less toxic derivate of chloroquine, has become a common practice among clinicians, including pediatricians, despite lack of evidence of its clinical efficacy for this indication (especially for pediatric patients) at present time (2)

Propensity-matched analysis of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or mixed hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing a liver transplant

BACKGROUND Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is a rare tumor that arises from the epithelium of the bile ducts. It is classified according to anatomic location as intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal. Intrahepatic CC (ICC) is rare in patients with cirrhosis due to causes other than primary sclerosing cholangitis. Mixed hepatocellular carcinoma-CC (HCC-CC) is a rare neoplasm that shows histologic findings of both HCC and ICC within the same tumor mass. Due to the difficulties in arriving at the correct diagnosis, patients eventually undergo liver transplantation (LT) with a presumptive diagnosis of HCC on imaging when, in fact, they have ICC or HCC-CC. AIM To evaluate the outcomes of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma or mixed hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma on pathological examination after liver transplant. METHODS Propensity score matching was used to analyze tumor recurrence (TR), overall mortality (OM), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in LT recipients with pathologically confirmed ICC or HCC-CC matched 1:8 to those with HCC. Progression-free survival and overall mortality rates were computed with the Kaplan-Meier method using Cox regression for comparison. RESULTS Of 475 HCC LT recipients, 1.7% had the diagnosis of ICC and 1.5% of HCC-CC on pathological examination of the explant. LT recipients with ICC had higher TR (46% vs 11%; P = 0.006), higher OM (63% vs 23%; P = 0.002), and lower RFS (38% vs 89%; P = 0.002) than those with HCC when matched for pretransplant tumor characteristics, as well as higher TR (46% vs 23%; P = 0.083), higher OM (63% vs 35%; P = 0.026), and lower RFS (38% vs 59%; P = 0.037) when matched for posttransplant tumor characteristics. Two pairings were performed to compare the outcomes of LT recipients with HCC-CC vs HCC. There was no significant difference between the outcomes in either pairing. CONCLUSION Patients with ICC had worse outcomes than patients undergoing LT for HCC. The outcomes of patients with HCC-CC did not differ significantly from those of patients with HCC

Identificación de genotipos contrastantes para características de importancia agronómica en algodón

La elección de genotipos progenitores a incluir en el panel de cruzamientos es fundamental en cualquier programa de mejora. Una de las técnicas en la cual se ha utilizado y se sigue utilizando para la mejora de los cultivos es la obtención de poblaciones segregantes, la cual se obtienen a partir del cruzamiento de dos progenitores y posterior autofecundación de las generaciones obtenidas; entre ellas las diferentes filiales (F2, F3, F4…).EEA ReconquistaFil: Dileo, Pablo Nahuel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Scarpin, Gonzalo Joel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Winkler, Horacio Martín. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Paytas, Marcelo Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Fernandes, Iago. Universidad del Oeste Paulista; BrasilFil: Senna, Rafael. Universidad del Oeste Paulista; BrasilFil: Cordeiro, Carlos Felipe. Universidad del Oeste Paulista; BrasilFil: Troncoso, Carlos. Universidad Tolima; ColombiaFil: Lorenzini, Fernando. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez, Gustavo Rubén. Universidad Nacional de Rosario; Argentin

High within-host diversity found from direct genotyping on post-mortem tuberculosis specimens in a high-burden setting

Objectives: To characterize the clonal complexity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infections considering factors that help maximize the detection of coexisting strains/variants. Methods: Genotypic analysis by Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive-Unit-Variable-Number Tandem-Repeats (MIRU-VNTR) was performed directly on 70 biopsy specimens from two or more different tissues involving 28 tuberculosis cases diagnosed post-mortem in Mozambique, a country with a high tuberculosis burden. Results: Genotypic data from isolates collected from two or more tissues were obtained for 23 of the 28 cases (82.1%), allowing the analysis of within-patient diversity. MIRU-VNTR analysis revealed clonal diversity in ten cases (35.7%). Five cases showed allelic differences in three or more loci, suggesting mixed infection with two different strains. In half of the cases showing within-host diversity, one of the specimens associated with clonal heterogeneity was brain tissue. Conclusions: Direct MTB genotyping from post-mortem tissue samples revealed a frequent within-host Mycobacterium tuberculosis diversity, including mixed and polyclonal infections. Most of this diversity would have been overlooked if only standard analysis of respiratory specimens had been performed

Recomendaciones para la gestión de los recursos acuáticos en Latinoamérica y el Caribe

58 pages, figuresEl Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) es el mayor organismo público de investigación en España y el tercero en Europa. Tiene como misión el fomento, la coordinación, el desarrollo y la difusión de la investigación científica y tecnológica de carácter multidisciplinar. Su fin último es contribuir al avance del conocimiento y al desarrollo económico, social y cultural, así como a la formación de personal y al asesoramiento de entidades públicas y privadas en estas materias. Dentro de un marco de ciencia de excelencia con compromiso social, emergen acciones de transferencia del conocimiento como esta. Así, gracias a la ayuda del CSIC y del programa INTERCOONECTA de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID), dependiente del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, se ha hecho posible esta programación titulada: Mejora de la productividad y la gestión acuícola mediante el empleo de herramientas de diagnóstico y gestión, y mediante programas de selección en especies nativas de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, salvajes o cultivadas, de importancia ecológica y comercial. [...