Effect of cooling rate on phase transformation in 6-8 wt % YSZ APS TBCs

In properly produced as-sprayed thermal barrier coatings of yttria partially stabilized zirconia (7YSZ) the only phase that can be found is the metastable tetragonal prime structure t’. Even though t’ is sometimes called “not transformable”, because it behaves as practically stable up to rather high temperature, long term exposure much above 1200 °C produces its equilibrium transformation in tetragonal and cubic phases. During cooling down to room temperature the tetragonal phase will transform in monoclinic one. Although it is considered a martensitic transformation, fast cooling after prolonged high temperature exposure (over 1300°C) can avoid or limit the evolution from tetragonal to monoclinic structure. The effect of the cooling rate on this transformation has been investigated in free standing TBCs both with porous microstructure and dense vertically cracked one, exposed at 1400°C for 100 hours. The samples have been analysed by XRD and subsequent Rietveld refinement analysis to quantify the phase content: the results highlight that different cooling rates give different monoclinic contents, confirming the cooling rate effect on the transformation. If the phase equilibrium was not achieved due to fast cooling, it could be restored at low temperature for short duration independent of cooling rate. It was demonstrated that after exposure at 1400°C followed by fast cooling, the equilibrium phase composition could be achieved by a low temperature heat treatment of 12h at 200°C. For validation, the quantitative phase analysis has been performed before and after that low temperature heat treatment. Moreover the unit cell volume per each phase has been measured, for both samples at equilibrium and samples after fast cooling. Therefore the strain induced by the volume increase due to monoclinic phase formation has been calculated and compared with TBC maximum allowable strain

Composición y peso del cuerpo vacio de cabras gestantes bajo alimentación restringida y ad libitum.

sumarios (En, Es)Caprinos-Capra hircu

Utilidad del índice UDT-65 en adultos con dolor torácico y electrocardiograma normal o no diagnóstico

Objetivo: Evaluar la utilidad del índice UDT-65 para la estratificación del dolor torácico en urgencias en una población colombiana en la que se sospecha enfermedad coronaria. Método: Se condujo la validación externa del índice UDT-65 en una cohorte concurrente que incluyó pacientes que ingresaron a urgencias de una clínica cardiovascular en Bogotá con dolor torácico no traumático, y electrocardiograma normal o no diagnóstico. Se evaluaron 1320 pacientes de 18 o más años y se determinó la utilidad del índice en términos de calibración (uso de gráfico, ji al cuadrado para datos agrupados y prueba de bondad de ajuste de Hosmer-Lemeshow) y de capacidad de discriminación del modelo (curva de características operativas del receptor [ROC] y área bajo ella [AUC]). Resultados: El índice UDT-65 en esta población suministró evidencia de su utilidad en términos de calibración y capacidad de discriminación, para efectuar una buena aplicación de él en aquellos pacientes que consulten al servicio de urgencias de una clínica cardiovascular por dolor torácico no traumático de posible origen coronario. La capacidad de discriminación del índice UDT-65 fue adecuada, pues con un área bajo la curva ROC de 0.867 (IC 95% 0-847-0.885), que se acerca al valor obtenido (AUC 0.87) en la población española en que se desarrolló el índice. Conclusiones: Se necesitan más estudios similares en otras instituciones, dado el buen resultado, en beneficio de más pacientes.Q4Objective: To evaluate the clinical usefulness, in the emergency service, of the UDT-65 index for chest pain stratification in colombian population with suspected coronary disease. Method: The external validation of the UDT-65 index was conducted in a concurrent cohort that included patients admitted to the emergency service of the cardiovascular clinic in Bogotá with non-traumatic chest pain and normal or non-diagnostic electrocardiogram. 1320 patients were evaluated and the usefulness of this instrument was determined in terms of calibration (use of graph, Chi-square test for group data and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test) and discrimination capacity of the model (curve of receiver operating characteristics [ROC] and by finding the area under the curve [AUC]). Results: The UDT-65 index in the population under study, provided evidence of its usefulness in terms of calibration and discrimination capacity; this, in pursuance of a good application of the instrument in those patients who consult the Emergency Department of the cardiovascular clinic for non-traumatic chest pain of possible coronary origin. The discrimination capacity of the UDT65 index was adequate, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.867 (95 % CI 0.847-0.885), which is close in value to the one obtained (AUC 0.87) in the Spanish population where the original index was developed. Conclusions: More similar studies are needed in other institutions, due to the excellent and beneficial outcomes.Revista Nacional - Indexad

A clinical trial of oral hyposensitization in systemic allergy to nickel.

Nickel allergy is the most common contact allergy. Some nickel-sensitive patients present systemic (cutaneous and/or digestive) symptoms related to the ingestion of high nickel-content foods, which significantly improve after a specific low nickel-content diet. The etiopathogenetic role of nickel in the genesis of systemic disorders is, furthermore, demonstrated by the relapse of previous contact lesions, appearance of widespread eczema and generalized urticaria-like lesions after oral nickel challenge test. The aim of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of a specific oral hyposensitization to nickel in patients with both local contact disorders and systemic symptoms after the ingestion of nickel-containing foods. Inclusion criteria for the recruitment of these patients were (other than a positive patch test) a benefit higher than 80% from a low nickel-content diet and a positive oral challenge with nickel. Based on the previous experiences, our group adopted a therapeutic protocol by using increasing oral doses of nickel sulfate associated to an elimination diet. Results have been excellent: this treatment has been effective in inducing clinical tolerance to nickel-containing foods, with a low incidence of side effects (gastric pyrosis, itching erythema)

The Global Durum Wheat Panel (GDP): An International Platform to Identify and Exchange Beneficial Alleles

Representative, broad and diverse collections are a primary resource to dissect genetic diversity and meet pre-breeding and breeding goals through the identification of beneficial alleles for target traits. From 2,500 tetraploid wheat accessions obtained through an international collaborative effort, a Global Durum wheat Panel (GDP) of 1,011 genotypes was assembled that captured 94-97% of the original diversity. The GDP consists of a wide representation of Triticum turgidum ssp. durum modern germplasm and landraces, along with a selection of emmer and primitive tetraploid wheats to maximize diversity. GDP accessions were genotyped using the wheat iSelect 90K SNP array. Among modern durum accessions, breeding programs from Italy, France and Central Asia provided the highest level of genetic diversity, with only a moderate decrease in genetic diversity observed across nearly 50 years of breeding (1970-2018). Further, the breeding programs from Europe had the largest sets of unique alleles. LD was lower in the landraces (0.4 Mbp) than in modern germplasm (1.8 Mbp) at r 2 = 0.5. ADMIXTURE analysis of modern germplasm defined a minimum of 13 distinct genetic clusters (k), which could be traced to the breeding program of origin. Chromosome regions putatively subjected to strong selection pressure were identified from fixation index (F st ) and diversity reduction index (DRI) metrics in pairwise comparisons among decades of release and breeding programs. Clusters of putative selection sweeps (PSW) were identified as co-localized with major loci controlling phenology (Ppd and Vrn), plant height (Rht) and quality (gliadins and glutenins), underlining the role of the corresponding genes as driving elements in modern breeding. Public seed availability and deep genetic characterization of the GDP make this collection a unique and ideal resource to identify and map useful genetic diversity at loci of interest to any breeding program

Severe asthma: One disease and multiple definitions

Introduction: There is, so far, no universal definition of severe asthma. This definition usually relies on: number of exacerbations, inhaled therapy, need for oral corticosteroids, and respiratory function. The use of such parameters varies in the different definitions used. Thus, according to the parameters chosen, each patient may result in having severe asthma or not. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the choice of a specific definition of severe asthma can change the allocation of patients. Methods: Data collected from the Severe Asthma Network Italy (SANI) registry were analyzed. All the patients included were then reclassified according to the definitions of U-BIOPRED, NICE, WHO, ATS/ERS, GINA, ENFUMOSA, and TENOR. Results: 540 patients, were extracted from the SANI database. We observed that 462 (86%) met the ATS/ERS criteria as well as the GINA criteria, 259 (48%) the U-Biopred, 222 (41%) the NICE, 125 (23%) the WHO, 313 (58%) the Enfumosa, and 251 (46%) the TENOR criteria. The mean eosinophil value were similar in the ATS/ERS, U-Biopred, and Enfumosa (528, 532 and 516 cells/mcl), higher in WHO and Tenor (567 and 570 cells/mcl) and much higher in the NICE classification (624 cells/mcl). Lung function tests resulted similarly in all groups, with WHO (67%) and ATS/ERS-GINA (73%), respectively, showing the lower and upper mean FEV1 values. Conclusions: The present observations clearly evidence the heterogeneity in the distribution of patients when different definitions of severe asthma are used. However, the recent definition of severe asthma, provided by the GINA document, is similar to that indicated in 2014 by ATS/ERS, allowing mirror reclassification of the patients examined. This lack of homogeneity could complicate the access to biological therapies. The definition provided by the GINA document, which reflects what suggested by ATS/ERS, could partially overcome the problem

Multiqubit noise deconvolution and characterization

We present a noise deconvolution technique for obtaining noiseless expectation values of noisy observables at the output of multiqubit quantum channels. For any number of qubits or in the presence of correlations, our protocol applies to any mathematically invertible noise model, even when its inverse map is not physically implementable, i.e., when it is neither completely positive nor trace preserving. For a generic observable affected by Pauli noise it provides a quadratic speedup, always producing a rescaling of its Pauli basis components. We show that it is still possible to achieve the deconvolution while experimentally estimating the noise parameters, whenever these are unknown (bypassing resource-heavy techniques such as quantum process tomography). We provide a simulation, with examples for both Pauli and non-Pauli channels

Lenguaje, tweets y pantallas: entre escrituras y visualidades

The purpose of this article is to ponder about the way in which written modes are redefined under the new media ecosystems. We start from a revision of Wittgenstein’s the language-game proposal and then we look at how Benjamin redefines the idea of the writing ability and, from that standpoint, we use those conceptual tools to explore the phenomena of manifold possibilities of writing within a particular media ecosystem, namely Twitter. The final part of the paper explores the way in which the seeming solidity of the written form is shaken and the path is set to think about different semiotic possibilitiesO objetivo deste artigo é refletir sobre a maneira pela qual os modos de escrita são redefinidos no âmbito dos novos ecossistemas de mídia. Nós começamos com uma revisão do conceito de jogo proposto por Wittgenstein para, em seguida, demonstrar a maneira em que Benjamin re-articula a ideia de linguagem e alfabetização, a partir daí, para abordar o fenómeno de múltiplas possibilidades de escrita no meio de um ecossistema particular no Twitter. Na parte final do texto a forma como a aparente solidez da escrita torna-se instável e abre o caminho para pensar sobre a explorar novas possibilidades semiótica.El propósito de este artículo es pensar la forma en la que se reconfiguran los modos escriturales en medio de los nuevos ecosistemas mediáticos. Partimos de una revisión del concepto de juego de lenguaje propuesto por Wittgenstein para, posteriormente, evidenciar el modo en el que Benjamin re-articula la idea de la escrituralidad y, desde allí, abordar el fenómeno de las posibilidades múltiples de la escritura en medio de un ecosistema particular como Twitter. En la parte final del texto se explora el modo en el que se desestabiliza la aparente solidez de lo escritural y se abre el camino para pensar en nuevas posibilidades semióticas

Heterosis en cruzamientos varietales de maíz de amplia diversidad genética y geográfica

La heterosis o vigor híbrido es el comportamiento superior de la generación F1 con respecto a sus progenitores, y como tal es una medida para evaluar un conjunto de híbridos y sus respectivos progenitores. Se espera que cuanto mayor sea la heterosis mayor el rendimiento total. Este trabajo se realizó con el propósito de aportar información básica sobre el comportamiento agronómico de cinco híbridos varietales de maíz de diferente origen geográfico y de amplia diversidad genética. La siembra del material experimental se realizó en 1981 en el C.N.I. Tibaitatá, ubicado en el municipio de Mosquera (Departamento de Cundinamarca, Colombia) a 2543 msnm. En general, se encontró heterosis en los cruzamientos varietales en estudio y por los altos rendimientos, la mayor cantidad de mazorcas por planta y las buenas características agronómicas alcanzadas, los híbridos varietales MB515 X ICA V 155 y MB515 X ICA V 453 se sugieren como posibles recursos germoplásticos promisoriospara futuros programas de mejoramiento.Hetrosis or hybrid vigor is the superior performance of the F1 population with respect to their parents and hence it isa measure for evaluating a set of hybrids and their parents. It is expected to a higher heterosis a higher total yield. This study was done with the objective of providing basic information of the agronomic behavior of five maize hybrid varieties of different genetic and geographical diversity. The experimental material was planted at the C.N.I. Tibaitatá, located in Mosquera at 2543 m.a.s.l. In general it was found heterosis in the hybrid varieties studied and because the high yield, prolificacy and the prominent agronomic qualities, the hybrids MB515 X ICA V 155 and MB515 X ICA V 453 were suggested as promisories genetic resources in future breeding programs