En memoria de Marie-Joseph Lagrange, Doctor de la tradición bíblica

La alabanza que tributa Xavier Zubiri a Marie-Joseph Lagrange se sitúa en un marco poco convencional, si se piensa que fue escrita en 1938. Su tesis es que Lagrange entendió mejor que otros exegetas las enseñanzas de León XIII en la encíclica Providentissimus Deus (1893). Es indudable que la revelación de Dios se hace por medio de la inspiración. Pero la inspiración del hagiógrafo no es ni infusión de meras palabras, ni pura recepción de conceptos. Es, más bien, una iluminación en orden a juzgar con más profundidad, claridad y acierto las ideas que el escritor quiere comunicar. En la inspiración, el hagiógrafo expone –iluminado por una luz especial de Dios– ideas que él ha adquirido natural o sobrenaturalmente. Por ello, al leer al hagiógrafo se puede descubrir qué ha querido enseñar Dios. En esto se fundamenta la primacía del sentido literal y la importancia del método histórico-crítico. Esta había sido también la tesis de Tomás de Aquino, en la que bebió Lagrange. Por tal razón, dice Zubiri que Lagrange entendió la tradición mejor que los tradicionalistas

Can tundish deskulling waste be used as a magnesium oxide source to develop magnesium phosphate cement?

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) has a significant environmental impact since approximately 0.81 kg of CO2 is generated for every kilogram produced. Thus, it is mandatory to look for sustainable alternative cements. One of the most promising materials in this sense is magnesium phosphate cement (MPC). This study evaluates the possibility of revaluing a waste obtained from the tundish deskulling (TUN) as a raw material for formulating alternative MPC. This approach aims to promote the circular economy and minimizing the environmental impact of MPC. The tundish working lining is a crucial refractory material used in continuous steel casting. An optimal cement formulation was achieved by maximizing the compressive strength (CS) at 7 days, resulting in the combination of 60 wt% of TUN and 40 wt% of KH2PO4, with a water/cement (W/C) ratio of 0.27. The physical and mechanical properties were evaluated at three different stages: after 1, 7, and 28 days of curing. Furthermore, an exhaustive physicochemical characterization was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using it as an alternative cement. This study confirms the feasibility of formulating MPC using TUN as raw material due to the main product obtained, which is K-struvite. The use of TUN implies important economic savings and enhances sustainability criteria avoiding its management in landfills

Development of a multi-objective support tool for optimizing phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge ash: A step towards process feasibility

Phosphorus (P) recovery from Sewage Sludge Ash (SSA) represents a promising solution to P supply concerns, with the main application challenge consisting of the poor economic feasibility of current technologies, requiring Operating Expense (OPEX) reduction to compete with primary P sources. This study aims to provide a multi-objective support tool for the design and operation of P recovery from SSA by combined wet acid leaching and alkaline precipitation to produce bio-based fertilizers. First, in the view of filling literature gaps, lab-scale leaching tests based on the Design of Experiment were performed with SSA from a full-scale mono-incinerator, and multi-variate statistical techniques were applied to generate polynomial regression models for Mg, K, Cu and Zn extraction. Then, small pilot-scale leaching and precipitation tests were conducted, applying HCl and H2SO4 as leaching agents and Ca(OH)2 and a low-grade magnesium oxide mining by-product (LG-MgO) as precipitating agents. Lab- and pilot-scale data were then jointly employed to develop the support tool that was later applied for process optimization based on a set of key performance indicators. The support tool indicated the optimal leaching (HCl, 0.82 N, 10 L/kg, 0.5 h) and precipitation (Ca(OH)2) operating parameters for obtaining EU-compliant fertilizing products while minimizing OPEX in different pricing scenarios. Furthermore, as chemical supply and process solid residue disposal resulted as the most impacting cost items, priority actions for targeting the break-even point were identified

Recovery of Phosphorus Using a Low-Grade Magnesium Oxide (Industrial By-Product) as an Alternative Magnesium Source. The MAGNYFOS Project.

International Conference On Wider- Uptake Of Water Resource Recovery From Wastewater Treatment – Supported, International Water Association, Itàlia, Palerm, 18 al 21 de juny de 2024, p. 82-86The MAGNYFOS project aims to use of magnesium by-product for the recovery of phosphorous in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) by the precipitation of struvite. This national project has developed and optimised laboratory-scale operating conditions for the concentrate streams of different treatment plants, a pilot-scale experimental phase was done to improve hydraulic and design conditions and the process modelling is being adjusted and validated with the experimental results. The three phases have been essential to understand and validate the struvite precipitation process, using a by-product that is 10 times cheaper than MgCl2. Furthermore, agricultural application trials are also being carried out with some of the products obtained. The main results show that it is possible to achieve up to 80% of phosphorus recovery with the molar rate P:Mg 1:2, phosphorus is recovered as struvite when the calcium concentration is low and the struvite content in the precipitate is greater than 75%

Mother Knows Best: Dominant Females Determine Offspring Dispersal in Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Background: Relatedness between group members is central to understanding the causes of animal dispersal. In many group-living mammals this can be complicated as extra-pair copulations result in offspring having varying levels of relatedness to the dominant animals, leading to a potential conflict between male and female dominants over offspring dispersal strategies. To avoid resource competition and inbreeding, dominant males might be expected to evict unrelated males and related females, whereas the reverse strategy would be expected for dominant females. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used microsatellites and long-term data from an urban fox (Vulpes vulpes) population to compare dispersal strategies between offspring with intra- and extra-group fathers and mothers of differing social status in red foxes. Relatedness to the dominant male had no effect on dispersal in offspring of either sex, whereas there was a strong effect of relatedness to resident females on offspring dispersal independent of population density. Males with dominant mothers dispersed significantly more often than males with subordinate mothers, whereas dispersing females were significantly more likely to have subordinate mothers compared to philopatric females. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first study to demonstrate that relatedness to resident females is important in juvenile dispersal in group-living mammals. Male dispersal may be driven by inbreeding avoidance, whereas female dispersal appears to be influenced by the fitness advantages associated with residing with the same-sex dominant parent. Selection pressure for paternal influence on offspring dispersal is low due to the limited costs associated with retaining unrelated males and the need for alternative inbreeding avoidance mechanisms between the dominant male and his female offspring. These findings have important implications for the evolution of dispersal and group living in social mammals, and our understanding of a key biological process.peerReviewe

Association of clinical factors and recent anticancer therapy with COVID-19 severity among patients with cancer: a report from the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium

BACKGROUND: Patients with cancer may be at high risk of adverse outcomes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We analyzed a cohort of patients with cancer and coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) reported to the COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) to identify prognostic clinical factors, including laboratory measurements and anticancer therapies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with active or historical cancer and a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis recorded between 17 March and 18 November 2020 were included. The primary outcome was COVID-19 severity measured on an ordinal scale (uncomplicated, hospitalized, admitted to intensive care unit, mechanically ventilated, died within 30 days). Multivariable regression models included demographics, cancer status, anticancer therapy and timing, COVID-19-directed therapies, and laboratory measurements (among hospitalized patients). RESULTS: A total of 4966 patients were included (median age 66 years, 51% female, 50% non-Hispanic white); 2872 (58%) were hospitalized and 695 (14%) died; 61% had cancer that was present, diagnosed, or treated within the year prior to COVID-19 diagnosis. Older age, male sex, obesity, cardiovascular and pulmonary comorbidities, renal disease, diabetes mellitus, non-Hispanic black race, Hispanic ethnicity, worse Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, recent cytotoxic chemotherapy, and hematologic malignancy were associated with higher COVID-19 severity. Among hospitalized patients, low or high absolute lymphocyte count; high absolute neutrophil count; low platelet count; abnormal creatinine; troponin; lactate dehydrogenase; and C-reactive protein were associated with higher COVID-19 severity. Patients diagnosed early in the COVID-19 pandemic (January-April 2020) had worse outcomes than those diagnosed later. Specific anticancer therapies (e.g. R-CHOP, platinum combined with etoposide, and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors) were associated with high 30-day all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical factors (e.g. older age, hematological malignancy, recent chemotherapy) and laboratory measurements were associated with poor outcomes among patients with cancer and COVID-19. Although further studies are needed, caution may be required in utilizing particular anticancer therapies. CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFIER: NCT04354701

Introducción a la neuropsicolinguística

Los autores resumen la evolucion que ha conducido al nacimiento de la neuropsicolingüística actual cuyo panorama revisan en forma sumaria, propo-niendo una definición general de Ias afasias desde este nuevo plano, para finalizar haciendo una breve referencia a sus diversas formas