Anomalous Roughening in Experiments of Interfaces in Hele-Shaw Flows with Strong Quenched Disorder

We report experimental evidences of anomalous kinetic roughening in the stable displacement of an oil-air interface in a Hele-Shaw cell with strong quenched disorder. The disorder consists on a random modulation of the gap spacing transverse to the growth direction (tracks). We have performed experiments varying average interface velocity and gap spacing, and measured the scaling exponents. We have obtained beta=0.50, beta*=0.25, alpha=1.0, alpha_l=0.5, and z=2. When there is no fluid injection, the interface is driven solely by capillary forces, and a higher value of beta around beta=0.65 is measured. The presence of multiscaling and the particular morphology of the interfaces, characterized by high slopes that follow a L\'evy distribution, confirms the existence of anomalous scaling. From a detailed study of the motion of the oil--air interface we show that the anomaly is a consequence of different local velocities over tracks plus the coupling in the motion between neighboring tracks. The anomaly disappears at high interface velocities, weak capillary forces, or when the disorder is not sufficiently persistent in the growth direction. We have also observed the absence of scaling when the disorder is very strong or when a regular modulation of the gap spacing is introduced.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figure

Erythropoietin administration partially prevents adipose tissue loss in experimental cancer cachexia models

Cancer-associated cachexia is characterized, among other symptoms, by a dramatic loss of both muscle and fat. In addition, the cachectic syndrome is often associated with anemia. The object of the present investigation was to assess the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) treatment on experimental cancer cachexia models. The results clearly show that, in addition to the improvement of the hematocrit, EPO treatment promoted a partial preservation of adipose tissue while exerting negligible effects on muscle loss. Administration of EPO to tumor-bearing animals resulted in a significant increase of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in adipose tissue, suggesting that the treatment favored triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in the adipose tissue. In vitro experiments using both adipose tissue slices and 3T3-L1 adipocytes suggests that EPO is able to increase the lipogenic rate through the activation of its specific receptor (EPOR). This metabolic pathway, in addition to TAG uptake by LPL, may contribute to the beneficial effects of EPO on fat preservation in cancer cachexia

Evaluation of the efficiency of a conventional PCR protocol for the diagnosis of bacterial spot disease caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni in stone fruits and almond

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap), the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almond, has a quarantine status for the European Union and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. The symptoms in the diverse hosts show some differences and, although being quite typical, could be confused with those of some fungal diseases or other biotic or abiotic causes. Consequently, an accurate molecular diagnosis method is required for a rapid identification of the pathogen in samples of imported plants, from nurseries, orchards, etc. A protocol for conventional PCR designed by Pagani (2004) has been the only molecular analytic tool available for several years. It has been optimised for improving its specificity and sensitivity, and the results of its evaluation in 316 bacterial spot-like symptomatic samples of almond, apricot, cherry, Japanese plum and peach, compared with those of isolation and real-time PCR, are reported. The optimised PCR protocol showed specificity for a collection of Xap strains tested. Few non-desired reactions were obtained with some other xanthomonads which have not been reported from Prunus species. Sensitivity thresholds ranged from 102 to 105 CFU ml-1, depending on the hosts and type of plant material. This conventional PCR assay proved to be an excellent candidate for a rapid screening and presumptive diagnosis in cases where real-time PCR equipment is not available

Experiments of Interfacial Roughening in Hele-Shaw Flows with Weak Quenched Disorder

We have studied the kinetic roughening of an oil--air interface in a forced imbibition experiment in a horizontal Hele--Shaw cell with quenched disorder. Different disorder configurations, characterized by their persistence length in the direction of growth, have been explored by varying the average interface velocity v and the gap spacing b. Through the analysis of the rms width as a function of time, we have measured a growth exponent beta ~= 0.5 that is almost independent of the experimental parameters. The analysis of the roughness exponent alpha through the power spectrum have shown different behaviors at short (alpha_1) and long (alpha_2) length scales, separated by a crossover wavenumber q_c. The values of the measured roughness exponents depend on experimental parameters, but at large velocities we obtain alpha_1 ~= 1.3 independently of the disorder configuration. The dependence of the crossover wavenumber with the experimental parameters has also been investigated, measuring q_c ~ v^{0.47} for the shortest persistence length, in agreement with theoretical predictions.Comment: 20 pages, 22 figure

La interpretación geomorfológica en la cartografía de peligro de inundación

La interpretación geomorfológica de los procesos fluviales resulta fundamental para la elaboración de cartografía de peligro de inundación. Los ríos se comportan de una manera dinámica y pueden variar su topografía de una crecida a otra. Por ello, una cartografía de peligrosidad, excesivamente dependiente de modelos hidráulicos e hidrológicos, puede resultar ineficaz y quedarse obsoleta tras un suceso de alta energía. Conocer los elementos de geomorfología fluvial, así como sus procesos asociados permite una previsión a más largo plazo y una aproximación más realista al riesgo. En este trabajo se presentan ejemplos de interpretación geomorfológica de formas y procesos fluviales, en clave de peligro de inundación. Se han seleccionado tres cuencas de diferentes entornos morfoclimáticos que, a distintas escalas, permiten ilustrar algunos puntos donde la geomorfología propicia un determinado proceso y, en consecuencia, condiciona el tipo de peligro de la zona. La interpretación geomorfológica se ha llevado a cabo mediante trabajo de campo, de laboratorio y a partir de imágenes de satélite (RADARSAT e Ikonos)

Catalytic behavior of NaV6O15 bronze for partial oxidation of hydrogen sulfide

[EN] Na-containing V2O5 materials have been prepared hydrothermally from gels with Na/V ratios of 0.02-0.26, and calcined at 500 degrees C. The calcined samples have been characterized and tested as catalysts in the partial oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur. At low Na-contents, V2O5 and NaV6O15 bronze are formed, with the NaV6O15/V2O5 ratio increasing with the Na-content. Pure NaV6O15 bronze is mainly formed from gels containing a Na/V ratio of 0.18. However, NaV6O15 and Na1.164V3O8 are formed from gels with Na/V ratio higher than 0.35. NaV6O15 based catalyst shows high conversion for the oxidation of H2S with a high selectivity into elemental sulfur. These catalysts are more active and stable than pure or Na-doped V2O5 catalysts. V4O9 is observed after reaction in both pure Na-doped V2O5 catalysts but also in NaV6O15/V2O5 mixed catalysts. However, no changes in the NaV6O15 crystalline structure are observed in the Na-promoted catalysts. Accordingly, NaV6O15 crystalline phase is stable for several hours of catalysisat a difference with V2O5. The active sites in V-containing vanadium catalysts are probably V5+-O-V4+ pairs as previously proposed for V4O9 crystalline phase. The best catalytic performances were achieved on V2O5-NaV6O15 mixtures which are transformed into V4O9-NaV6O15 mixtures during the catalytic tests. These catalytic results could be due to the intrinsic physical properties of both phases but also because of the optimal dispersion obtained in the synthesis procedure. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors would like to thank the DGICYT in Spain (Projects CTQ2012-37925-C03-01, CTQ2012-37925-C03-03 and MAT2010-19837-C06-05) for financial support.Soriano Rodríguez, MD.; Rodriguez-Castellon, E.; Garcia-Gonzalez, E.; López Nieto, JM. (2014). Catalytic behavior of NaV6O15 bronze for partial oxidation of hydrogen sulfide. Catalysis Today. 238:62-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2014.02.030S626823

Vanadium oxide supported on porous clay heterostructure for the partial oxidation of hydrogen sulphide to sulfur

Vanadium oxide supported on porous clay heterostructures (PCH) catalysts have been synthesized, characterized and evaluated in the selective oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, adsorption-desorption of N-2 at -196 degrees C, diffuse reflectance UV-vis, H-2-TPR, Raman spectroscopy and XPS. The catalysts with higher vanadium content are more active and selective, exhibiting a H2S conversion close to 70% after 360h on stream with a high selectivity toward elemental sulfur and a low formation of undesired SO2. The catalysts with V2O5 crystallites have shown a higher activity and resistance to the deactivation. The analysis of the spent catalyst has revealed the formation of V4O9 crystals during the catalytic test, which has been reported as the active phase in the selective oxidation of the H2S. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors would like to thank the DGICYT in Spain (Projects CTQ2012-37925-C03-01, CTQ2012-37925-C03-03 and FEDER funds, and MAT2010-19837-C06-05) and project of Excellence of Junta de Andalucia (project P12-RNM-1565) for financial support. A. Natoli thanks to SECAT (Spain) for a grant.Soriano Rodríguez, MD.; Cecilia, JA.; Natoli, A.; Jimenez-Jimenez, J.; López Nieto, JM.; Rodriguez Castellon, E. (2015). Vanadium oxide supported on porous clay heterostructure for the partial oxidation of hydrogen sulphide to sulfur. Catalysis Today. 254:36-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2014.12.022S364225

Late glacial and post-glacial deposits of the Navamuno peatbog (Iberian Central System): Chronology and paleoenvironmental implications

The Navamuno peatbog (Sierra de Bejar, western Spain) is a ~14 ha pseudo-endorheic depression with boundaries defined by a lateral moraine of the Cuerpo de Hombre paleoglacier and fault-line scarps on granite bedrock. The stratigraphy of the Navamu~no peatbog system is characterized here using borehole data to a depth of 20 m. An integrated interpretation from direct-push coring, dynamic probing boreholes and handheld auger drillings advances our knowledge of the Navamu~no polygenetic infill. Correlating this data with those obtained in other studies of the chronology and evolutionary sequence of the Cuerpo de Hombre paleoglacier has enabled us to establish the sequence of the hydrological system in the Navamuno depression. During the Late Pleistocene (MIS2), the depression was dammed by the Cuerpo de Hombre glacier and fed by its lateral meltwaters, and was filled with glaciolacustrine deposits. The onset of the Holocene in Navamuno is linked to a flat, fluviotorrential plain with episodes of local shallow pond/peat bog sedimentation. This evolutionary sequence is congruent with the age model obtained from available radiocarbon dating, obtaining 19 ages from ~800 cal yr BP (at depth 1.11 m) to ~16800 cal yr BP (at depth 15.90e16.0 m). Finally, the sedimentary record enabled interpretation of the environmental changes occurring in this zone during the late glacial (from the Older Dryas to the Younger Dryas) and postglacial (Holocene) stages, placing them within the paleoclimatic context of the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean regions

Fe2O3 supported on hollow micro/mesospheres silica for the catalytic partial oxidation of H2S to sulfur

[EN] A family of Fe-based catalysts supported hollow silica mesospheres has been synthesized and tested in the catalytic partial oxidation of H2S to elemental sulfur at 170.180 degrees C, atmospheric pressure and under 300 min of time-on-stream. The characterization of the synthesized catalysts by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectra (DRS), H-2-termoprogrammed reduction (H-2-TPR), N-2 adsorption-desorption at -196 degrees C and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals the formation of a catalytic system with high micro- and mesoporosity with high dispersion of the Fe2O3 species. The catalytic results reported high activity in the selective oxidation of H2S, reaching a highest conversion value close to 94% with a selectivity towards elemental sulfur of 98% after 300 min of time on stream (TOS) at 180 degrees C for the HMS-10Fe catalyst. The comparison of Fe-containing HMS (10 wt% of iron loading) with other SiO2-based supports, as a fumed silica (Cab-osil) or a mesoporous silica (SBA-15), presents different H2S conversion values, following the next trend: HMS-10Fe > SBA-10Fe > Cab-10Fe. These results suggest that the use of a support with a narrow pore tend to facilitate the iron dispersion favoring higher conversion rates.The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain) (MINECO) CTQ2015-68951-C1-3R y CTQ2015-68951-C3-3R, Junta de Andalucia (Spain) P12-RNM 1565 and FEDER funds. In addition, the authors also thank Fundacao Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (FUNCAP) by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) - Processo: PDSE 99999.002602/2014-08.Cecilia, J.; Soriano Rodríguez, MD.; Marques Correia, L.; Rodríguez-Castellón, E.; López Nieto, JM.; Silveira Vieira, R. (2020). Fe2O3 supported on hollow micro/mesospheres silica for the catalytic partial oxidation of H2S to sulfur. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 294:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2019.109875S11029

How to Handle Concomitant Asymptomatic Prosthetic Joints During an Episode of Hematogenous Periprosthetic Joint Infection:a Multicenter Analysis

BACKGROUND: Prosthetic joints are at risk of becoming infected during an episode of bacteremia, especially during Staphylocococcus aureus bacteremia. However, it is unclear how often asymptomatic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) occurs, and whether additional diagnostics should be considered. METHODS: In this multicenter study, we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients with a late acute (hematogenous) PJI between 2005-2015 who had concomitant prosthetic joints in situ. Patients without at least 1 year of follow-up were excluded. RESULTS: We included 91 patients with a hematogenous PJI and 108 concomitant prosthetic joints. The incident PJI was most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus (43%), followed by streptococci (26%) and Gram-negative rods (18%). Of 108 concomitant prosthetic joints, 13 were symptomatic, of which 10 were subsequently diagnosed as a second PJI. Of the 95 asymptomatic prosthetic joints, 1 PJI developed during the follow-up period and was classified as a "missed" PJI at the time of bacteremia with S. aureus (1.1%). Infected prosthetic joints were younger than the noninfected ones in 67% of cases, and prosthetic knees were affected more often than prosthetic hips (78%). CONCLUSIONS: During an episode of hematogenous PJI, concomitant asymptomatic prosthetic joints have a very low risk of being infected, and additional diagnostic work-up for these joints is not necessary