Transformation Temperatures and Electrochemical behavior of Polycrystalline Fe-Doped Ni-Mn-Ga and Co-Ni-Ga Alloys

The effect of Fe addition on martensitic transformation temperatures and electrochemical behavior was studied in polycrystalline Ni51.4Mn24.8-XGa23.8FeX alloys (1˂x˂2.2) and Co38.3Ni32.1Ga29.6 as alternative to Ni-Mn-Ga alloys which are used as ferromagnetic shape memory alloys. The analysis of corrosion rates was conducted by cyclic polarization curves with potentiostat-galvanostat equipment. The corrosion morphologies were also analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The kinetics of corrosion was found to decrease with increasing Fe content in the alloy, while the martensitic transformation temperatures increased with increasing Fe content. The Co38.3Ni32.1Ga29.6 alloy shows icorr lower than the Ni-Mn-Ga alloy. From results, the studied alloys exhibited a general dissolution in the anodic branch where a spontaneous passive zone occurred at certain potential and some elements like Co, Mn and also Ni were present in a higher percentage in corrosion deposits

Catheter-related bloodstream infection caused by Enterococcus spp.

AbstractThe role of Enterococcus spp. as a cause of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSI) is almost unexplored. We assessed the incidence and clinical characteristics of enterococcal CR-BSI (ECR-BSI) over an 8-year period in our hospital. We performed a retrospective study (January 2003 to December 2010) in a large teaching institution. We recorded the incidence, and the microbiological and clinical data from patients with ECR-BSI. The incidence per 10 000 admissions for enterococcal BSI and ECR-BSI was 25 and 1.7, respectively. ECR-BSI was the fourth leading cause of CR-BSI in our institution (6%). A total of 75 episodes of ECR-BSI were detected in 73 patients (6% of all enterococcal BSI). The incidence of ECR-BSI increased by 17% annually (95% CI 19.0–21.0%) during the study period. Nineteen percent of ECR-BSI episodes were polymicrobial. Overall mortality was 33%. ECR-BSI is an emerging and increasingly common entity with a high mortality. This finding should be taken into account when selecting empirical treatment for presumptive CR-BSI

Interactive effects of vertical mixing, nutrients and ultraviolet radiation: In situ photosynthetic responses of phytoplankton from high mountain lakes of Southern Europe.

Global change, together with human activities, has resulted in increasing amounts of organic material (includ-ing nutrients) that water bodies receive. This input further attenuates the penetration of solar radiation, leading to the view that opaque lakes are more “protected” from solar ul-traviolet radiation (UVR) than clear ones. Vertical mixing, however, complicates this view as cells are exposed to fluc-tuating radiation regimes, for which the effects have, in gen-eral, been neglected. Furthermore, the combined impacts of mixing, together with those of UVR and nutrient inputs are virtually unknown. In this study, we carried out complex in situ experiments in three high mountain lakes of Spain (Lake Enol in the National Park Picos de Europa, Asturias, and lakes Las Yeguas and La Caldera in the National Park Sierra Nevada, Granada), used as model ecosystems to evaluate the joint impact of these climate change variables. The main goal of this study was to address the question of how short-term pulses of nutrient inputs, together with vertical mixing and increased UVR fluxes modify the photosynthetic responses of phytoplankton. The experimentation consisted in all pos-sible combinations of the following treatments: (a) solar radi-ation: UVR + PAR (280–700 nm) versus PAR (photosynthet-ically active radiation) alone (400–700 nm); (b) nutrient ad-dition (phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N)): ambient versus ad-dition (P to reach to a final concentration of 30 µg P L−1, and N to reach N:P molar ratio of 31); and (c) mixing: mixed (one rotation from surface to 3 m depth (speed of 1 m 4 min−1, to-tal of 10 cycles)) versus static. Our findings suggest that un-der ambient nutrient conditions there is a synergistic effect between vertical mixing and UVR, increasing phytoplank-ton photosynthetic inhibition and excretion of organic carbon (EOC) from opaque lakes as compared to algae that received constant mean irradiance within the epilimnion. The opposite occurs in clear lakes where antagonistic effects were deter-mined, with mixing partially counteracting the negative ef-fects of UVR. Nutrient input, mimicking atmospheric pulses from Saharan dust, reversed this effect and clear lakes be-came more inhibited during mixing, while opaque lakes ben-efited from the fluctuating irradiance regime. These climate change related scenarios of nutrient input and increased mix-ing, would not only affect photosynthesis and production in lakes, but might also further influence the microbial loop and trophic interactions via enhanced EOC under fluctuat-ing UVR exposure.Fil: Helbling, Eduardo Walter. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina;Fil: Carrillo, P.. Universidad de Granada. Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Agua; España;Fil: Medina Sanchez, J. M.. Universidad de Granada. Facultad de Ciencias. Departamento de Ecología; España;Fil: Durán, C.. Universidad de Granada. Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Agua; España;Fil: Herrera, G.. Universidad de Granada. Instituto Universitario de Investigación del Agua; España;Fil: Villar Argaiz, M.. Universidad de Granada. Facultad de Ciencias. Departamento de Ecología; España;Fil: Villafañe, Virginia Estela. Fundación Playa Unión. Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión; Argentina

Deciphering a Marine Bone-Degrading Microbiome Reveals a Complex Community Effort

The marine bone biome is a complex assemblage of macro- and microorganisms; however, the enzymatic repertoire to access bone-derived nutrients remains unknown. The bone matrix is a composite material made up mainly of organic collagen and inorganic hydroxyapatite. We conducted field experiments to study microbial assemblages that can use organic bone components as nutrient source. Bovine and turkey bones were deposited at 69 m depth in a Norwegian fjord (Byfjorden, Bergen). Metagenomic sequence analysis was used to assess the functional potential of microbial assemblages from bone surface and the bone-eating worm Osedax mucofloris, which is a frequent colonizer of whale falls and known to degrade bone. The bone microbiome displayed a surprising taxonomic diversity revealed by the examination of 59 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes from at least 23 bacterial families. Over 700 genes encoding enzymes from 12 relevant enzymatic families pertaining to collagenases, peptidases, and glycosidases putatively involved in bone degradation were identified. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of the class Bacteroidia contained the most diverse gene repertoires. We postulate that demineralization of inorganic bone components is achieved by a timely succession of a closed sulfur biogeochemical cycle between sulfur-oxidizing and sulfur-reducing bacteria, causing a drop in pH and subsequent enzymatic processing of organic components in the bone surface communities. An unusually large and novel collagen utilization gene cluster was retrieved from one genome belonging to the gammaproteobacterial genus Colwellia

Sources of Cosmic Dust in the Earth's Atmosphere

There are four known sources of dust in the inner solar system: Jupiter Family comets, Asteroids, Halley Type comets, and Oort Cloud comets. Here we combine the mass, velocity and radiant distributions of these cosmic dust populations from an astronomical model with a chemical ablation model to estimate the injection rates of Na and Fe into the Earth's upper atmosphere, as well as the flux of cosmic spherules to the surface. Comparing these parameters to lidar observations of the vertical Na and Fe fluxes above 87.5 km, and the measured cosmic spherule accretion rate at South Pole, shows that Jupiter Family Comets contribute (80 ± 17) % of the total input mass (43 ± 14 t d¯¹), in good accord with COBE and Planck observations of the Zodiacal Cloud

La depresión submarina de Guaracayal, estado Sucre, Venezuela: Una barrera para la propagación de la ruptura cosísmica a lo largo de la falla de el pilar

La depresión de Guaracayal, en el golfo de Cariaco, estado Sucre, Venezuela, fue inicialmente reconocida a partir de un levantamiento batimétrico realizado en la década de los ochenta. Un levantamiento de sísmica somera de alta resolución adquirido en el golfo de Cariaco a bordo del B/O Guaiquerí II en enero 2006 reveló que esta depresión resulta ser una cuenca en tracción activa (“active pull-apart basin”) sobre la traza activa submarina de la falla dextral de El Pilar, por su geometría y lo fresco y prominente de los escarpes de fallas que la limitan. Esta cuenca, con una profundidad de aguas de ~15m mayor que el fondo plano ubicado a unos -80m, mide aproximadamente 8km de longitud en dirección este-oeste y unos 2km transversalmente. La cuenca se forma en un relevo dextro, es decir transtensivo, de la traza submarina de la falla de El Pilar, que secciona en dos porciones lo propuesto anteriormente como un único segmento de falla con extensión entre Cumaná y Casanay-Guarapiche. Esta separación entre ambas trazas de 2km parece ser suficiente barrera para la propagación lateral de la ruptura sísmica, tal como lo evidencia la sismicidad contemporánea e histórica. El tramo de falla Cumaná-Casanay, de unos 80km de longitud, ha requerido en dos ocasiones de la conjunción de dos sismos contiguos en dirección oeste-este (1797-1684 y 1929-1997) para romperse en su totalidad. No obstante, no se excluye la posibilidad de un evento que rompa toda la extensión del segmento, a pesar de este comportamiento sísmico reiterado

Outpatient visits for psychiatric disorders in Peru: a nationwide analysis using administrative data

Objetivo: Cuantificar la frecuencia de trastornos psiquiátricos en el ámbito ambulatorio en Perú, del 2018 al 2021. Métodos: Estudio observacional transversal utilizando información de la Superintendencia Nacional de Salud del Perú. Los diagnósticos psiquiátricos se identificaron mediante códigos de CIE-10. La frecuencia de trastornos psiquiátricos mayores se describe mediante variables demográficas. También se presentan las tendencias mensuales, así como elnúmero de visitas ambulatorias por cada 10.000 habitantes a nivel subnacional. Resultados: Entre 2018-2021, los trastornos psiquiátricos presentaron 3.142.685 visitas ambulatorias (2,3% del total) en el Perú. En todos los grupos de edad laboral, los trastornos de ansiedad y depresión representaron aproximadamente 6 de cada 10 visitas ambulatorias psiquiátricas en mujeres y 4 de cada 10 en hombres. Las tendencias mensuales mostraron dos picos en el número absoluto de visitas ambulatorias psiquiátricas durante el período prepandémico: abril-mayo y septiembre. Las provincias de la sierra tuvieron la frecuencia más baja de visitas ambulatorias por cada 10.000 habitantes. Conclusiones: Los trastornos psiquiátricos representan una pequeña fracción de las consultas ambulatorias en el Perú, con los trastornos de ansiedad y depresivos como los más frecuentes. Estrategias nacionales en relación a pacientes ambulatorios con trastornos psiquiátricos deben considerar diferencias demográficas, tendencias mensuales y el impacto de la pandemia.   COVID-19.Objective: To quantify the frequency of psychiatric disorders in the outpatient setting in Peru, from 2018 to 2021. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study using outpatient morbidity data from Perú’s National Superintendence of Health. Psychiatric diagnoses were identified using ICD-10 codes. The frequency of major psychiatric disorder groups is described by demographic variables. Monthly trends, as well as the number of outpatient visits per 10,000 population at the subnational level, are also presented. Results: Between 2018-2021, psychiatric disorders accounted for 3,142,685 outpatient visits (2.3% of all) in Peru. Across working age groups, anxiety and depressive disorders comprised approximately 6 out of 10 psychiatric outpatient visits in women, and 4 out of 10 in men. Monthly trends showed two peaks in the absolute number of psychiatric outpatient visits during the pre-pandemic period: April-Mayand September. Provinces in the Highlands had the lowest outpatient visits per 10,000 population. Conclusions: Psychiatric disorders represent a small fraction of the outpatient visits in Peru, with anxiety and depressive disordersas the most frequent. National strategies targeting outpatients with psychiatric disorders should consider demographic differences, monthly trends, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Relationship between Prenatal or Postnatal Exposure to Pesticides and Obesity: A Systematic Review

In recent years, the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults and children has dramatically increased. The conventional model regarding the onset of obesity is based on an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. However, other possible environmental factors involved, such as the exposure to chemicals like pesticides, cannot be discarded. These compounds could act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) that may interfere with hormone activity related to several mechanisms involved in body weight control. The main objective of this study was to systematically review the data provided in the scientific literature for a possible association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to pesticides and obesity in offspring. A total of 25 human and 9 animal studies were analyzed. The prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal exposure to organophosphate, organochlorine, pyrethroid, neonicotinoid, and carbamate, as well as a combined pesticide exposure was reviewed. This systematic review reveals that the effects of pesticide exposure on body weight are mostly inconclusive, finding conflicting results in both humans and experimental animals. The outcomes reviewed are dependent on many factors, including dosage and route of administration, species, sex, and treatment duration. More research is needed to effectively evaluate the impact of the combined effects of different pesticides on human health.This study was supported by grants from the Spanish Government (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and Instituto Mixto de Investigación-Escuela Nacional de Sanidad (IMIENS)) and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (MINECO-FEDER) Grant numbers: PSI2017-90806-REDT, PSI2017-83038-P, PSI2017-83893-R, PSI2017-86396-P, PSI2017-86847-C2-2-R MINECO-FEDER, and IMIENS: PIC-IMIENS-2018-003.S