Pyrite-induced uv-photocatalytic abiotic nitrogen fixation : implications for early atmospheres and Life

Acknowledgements This work has been supported by the MINECO project ESP2017- 89053. Te Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial supported the work performed at CAB. Tomas and Celina Huttel Serrano are acknowledged for providing the pyrite samples. This Project has been partially funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) Project No. MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Solid and Aqueous Speciation of Yttrium in Passive Remediation Systems of Acid Mine Drainage

International audienceYttrium belongs to the rare earth elements (REEs) together with lanthanides and scandium. REEs are commonly used in modern technologies, and their limited supply has made it necessary to look for new alternative resources. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a potential resource since it is moderately enriched in REEs. In fact, in passive remediation systems, which are implemented to minimize the environmental impacts of AMD, REEs are mainly retained in basaluminite, an aluminum hydroxysulfate precipitate. In this study, the solid and liquid speciation and the local structure of yttrium are studied in high-sulfate aqueous solutions, basaluminite standards, and samples from remediation columns using synchrotron-based techniques and molecular modeling. Pair distribution function (PDF) analyses and ab initio molecular dynamics density functional theory models of the yttrium sulfate solution show that the YSO4+ ion pair forms a monodentate inner-sphere complex. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and PDF analyses show that Y is retained by basaluminite, forming a monodentate inner-sphere surface complex on the aluminum hydroxide surface. EXAFS of the column samples shows that more than 72% of their signal is represented by the signal of basaluminite with which YSO4+ forms an inner-sphere complex. The atomic view of the REE configuration in AMD environments could facilitate a deeper research of REE recovery from waste generated in AMD remediation systems

The Mediterranean diet protects against waist circumference enlargement in 12Ala carriers for the PPARgamma gene: 2 years' follow-up of 774 subjects at high cardiovascular risk.

The PPARgamma gene regulates insulin sensitivity and adipogenesis. The Pro12Ala polymorphism of this gene has been related to fat accumulation. Our aim was to analyse the effects of a 2-year nutritional intervention with Mediterranean-style diets on adiposity in high-cardiovascular risk patients depending on the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPARgamma gene. The population consisted of a substudy (774 high-risk subjects aged 55-80 years) of the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea (PREDIMED) randomised trial aimed at assessing the effect of the Mediterranean diet for CVD prevention. There were three nutritional intervention groups: two of them of a Mediterranean-style diet and the third was a control group advised to follow a conventional low-fat diet. All the participants were genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The results showed that carriers of the 12Ala allele allocated to the control group had a statistically significant higher change in waist circumference (adjusted difference coefficient = 2.37 cm; P = 0.014) compared with wild-type subjects after 2 years of nutritional intervention. This adverse effect was not observed among 12Ala carriers allocated to both Mediterranean diet groups. In diabetic patients a statistically significant interaction between Mediterranean diet and the 12Ala allele regarding waist circumference change was observed ( - 5.85 cm; P = 0.003). In conclusion, the Mediterranean diet seems to be able to reduce waist circumference in a high-cardiovascular risk population, reversing the negative effect that the 12Ala allele carriers of the PPARgamma gene appeared to have. The beneficial effect of this dietary pattern seems to be higher among type 2 diabetic subjects

Phase imaging with intermodulation atomic force microscopy

Intermodulation atomic force microscopy (IMAFM) is a dynamic mode of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with two-tone excitation. The oscillating AFM cantilever in close proximity to a surface experiences the nonlinear tip-sample force which mixes the drive tones and generates new frequency components in the cantilever response known as intermodulation products (IMPs). We present a procedure for extracting the phase at each IMP and demonstrate phase images made by recording this phase while scanning. Amplitude and phase images at intermodulation frequencies exhibit enhanced topographic and material contrast.Comment: 6 pages, 6 page

Klippel Trenaunay Weber syndrome in pregnancy. A Case report and literature review.

Introducción: El síndrome de Klippel-Trenaunay (SKT) es un trastorno congénito que se caracteriza por la presencia de nevo cutáneo vascular, malformaciones venosas e hipertrofia de tejidos blandos y huesos que afectan una o más extremidades. Caso clínico: Una mujer de 20 años, primípara, diagnosticada con SKT desde la infancia, fue atendida a las 34 semanas de gestación con múltiples várices cervicales y vulvares y la presencia de un nevo vasculocutáneo en el miembro pélvico derecho; Se realizó angiorresonancia de contraste, donde se confirmaron múltiples malformaciones arteriovenosas a nivel de la extremidad pélvica derecha, comprometiendo la región inguinal, vulvar, femoral y discretamente el segmento uterino. El tratamiento con heparina de bajo peso molecular se inició hasta que se suspendió 24 horas antes de la programación de la cesárea a las 39,1 semanas de gestación. Discusión: Se obtuvo un recién nacido sin complicaciones con sangrado transquirúrgico de 450 ml. Se fue a su casa 48 horas después de la cirugía sin evidencia de complicaciones y posterior seguimiento en una clínica ambulatoria de angiología y medicina crítica obstétrica

New evidence of dominant processing effects in standard and oxygenated silicon diodes after neutron irradiation

Abstract Silicon diodes processed on standard and oxygenated silicon substrates by three different manufacturers have been irradiated by neutrons in a nuclear reactor. The leakage current density ( J D ) increase is linear with the neutron fluence. J D and its annealing curve at 80°C do not present any sizeable dependence on substrate oxygenation and/or manufacturing process. The acceptor introduction rate ( β ) of the effective substrate doping concentration ( N eff ) is independent from the oxygen concentration when standard and oxygenated devices from the same manufacturer are considered. On the contrary, β significantly varies from one manufacturer to another showing that the β dependence on the particular process can be important, overtaking the small substrate oxygenation effect. Finally, the average saturation value of the N eff reverse annealing is slightly lower for the oxygenated samples, pointing out a positive effect of the substrate oxygenation even for devices irradiated by neutrons

Molecular features in a biphenotypic small cell sarcoma with neuroectodermal and muscle differentiation

We report a case of a 13-year-old girl with soft tissue sarcoma of the hand, which showed muscle and neuroectodermal immunophenotypes. Molecular studies were performed on RNA collected from fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and peripheral blood samples by nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot analysis. This biphenotypic tumor showed simultaneous expression of EWS-FLI1 and PAX3-FKHR transcripts, specific of Ewing family tumors and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, respectively. Although childhood sarcomas with simultaneous muscle and neural differentiation have been described to have EWS-FLI1 transcripts, there are no reports of tumors with both transcripts. Cytological specimens are a good source of RNA for molecular studie

Tissue and serum markers of inflammation during the follow-up of patients with giant-cell arteritis—a prospective longitudinal study

Objective. To evaluate the association between inflammatory markers and relapse in GCA patients longitudinally assessed in a clinical trial of infliximab and glucocorticosteroids