Microbial removal of weathered hydrocarbons by well adapted-bacteria

The effectiveness of bioremediation processes may be limited by the physical and chemical properties of the pollutant, such as availability, recalcitrance, concentration and weathering, among others. The aim of this work was to evaluate the removal of recalcitrant oil fractions (aliphatic-aromatic and asphaltenic fractions) from a weathered soil, by two bacteria adapted to a high concentration of oil hydrocarbons, isolated from a soil with a concentration of 227,000 mg of total petroleum hydrocarbons per kg soil. Kinetics of hydrocarbons removal by Bacillus coagulans and/or Serratia liquefasciens was performed in liquid culture for 168 h; hydrocarbons from soil as sole carbon and energy source (600 mg/l) were added and each of the microorganisms was inoculated for evaluation independently or as a mixed culture. The aromatic fraction was removed by B. coagulans at 330 mg/l; by S. liquefasciens at 130 mg/l; and by both microorganisms at 360 mg/l. The asphaltenic fraction was removed by B. coagulans at 23 mg/l; by S. liquefasciens at 15 mg/l; and by both microorganisms at 34 mg/l. Chromatographic analysis of the aliphatic-aromatic fraction showed the presence of branched aliphatic C6 to C26, polyaromatic substituted compounds of two and three rings, and heteroaromatic compounds of dibenzothiphene type. The compounds that were removed from the aliphatic-aromatic fraction were of all types in the range of C6 to C13.Keywords: Asphaltenes, aliphatic-aromatic fraction, weathered, biodegradationAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(9), pp. 941-94

Efecto de la hipoxia en el metabolismo de purinas en células de músculo esquelético de humanos

Mammals experience some degree of hypoxia during their lifetime. In response to hypoxic challenge, mammalian cells orchestrate specific responses at transcriptional and posttranslational level which lead to changes in the purine metabolites in order to cope with threatening conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of the enzymes involved in the purine metabolism of human muscle cells to hypoxic conditions. Muscle cells in culture were exposed to hypoxia and the enzymatic activity of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), xanthine oxidase (XO), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) and hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) as well as their transcript expression were quantified under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Purine metabolite (hypoxanthine (HX), xanthine (X), uric acid (UA), inosine monophosphate (IMP), inosine, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), adenosine, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), guanosine diphosphate (GDP) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP)) concentrations were also quantified. Significant reduction of IMPDH activity and HX and IMP concentrations (p < 0.05) were observed after hypoxia, suggesting a decrease of de novo synthesis of purines. After hypoxia a global reduction of transcripts was observed, suggesting a reduction of the metabolic machinery of purine metabolism to new steady states that balance ATP demand and ATP supply pathways.Los mamíferos experimentan cierto grado de hipoxia durante su vida. Como respuesta al reto de hipoxia, las células de mamíferos orquestan respuestas específicas a nivel transcripcional y postraduccional que conducen a cambios en los metabolitos de purinas para hacer frente a las condiciones amenazantes. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la respuesta de las enzimas involucradas en el metabolismo de las purinas de células musculares humanas a condiciones hipóxicas. Las células musculares en cultivo se expusieron a hipoxia y la actividad enzimática de la inosina monofosfato deshidrogenasa (IMPDH), la xantina oxidasa (XO), la purina nucleósido fosforilasa (PNP) y la hipoxantina guanina fosforribosil transferasa (HGPRT), así como su expresión de transcripción, se cuantificaron bajo condiciones de normoxia e hipoxia. Los metabolitos de purina (hipoxantina (HX), xantina (X), ácido úrico (UA), monofosfato de inosina (IMP), inosina, dinucleótido de nicotinamida y adenina (NAD+), adenosina, monofosfato de adenosina (AMP), difosfato de adenosina (ADP), trifosfato de adenosina (ATP), difosfato de guanosina (GDP) y trifosfato de guanosina (GTP)) también se cuantificaron. Se observó una reducción significativa de la actividad de IMPDH y de las concentraciones de HX e IMP (p < 0.05) después de la hipoxia, lo que sugiere una disminución de la síntesis de novo de purinas. Después de la hipoxia, se observó una reducción global de la expresión transcripcional, lo que sugiere una reducción de la maquinaria metabólica del metabolismo de las purinas a nuevos estados estacionarios que equilibran la demanda de ATP y las vías de suministro de ATP

A novel method for automatic detection and classification of movement patterns in short duration playing activities

Autonomous devices able to evaluate diverse situations without external help have become especially relevant in recent years because they can be used as an important source of relevant information about the activities performed by people (daily habits, sports performance, and health-related activities). Specifically, the use of this kind of device in childhood games might help in the early detection of developmental problems in children. In this paper, we propose a method for the detection and classification of movements performed with an object, based on an acceleration signal. This method can automatically generate patterns associated with a given movement using a set of reference signals, analyze sequences of acceleration trends, and classify the sequences according to the previously established patterns. This method has been implemented, and a series of experiments has been carried out using the data from a sensor-embedded toy. For the validation of the obtained results, we have, in parallel, developed two other classification systems based on popular techniques, i.e., a similarity search based on Euclidean distances and machine-learning techniques, specifically a support vector machine model. When comparing the results of each method, we show that our proposed method achieves a higher number of successes and higher accuracy in the detection and classification of isolated movement signals as well as in sequences of movements

Access Control Mechanism for IoT Environments Based on Modelling Communication Procedures as Resources

Internet growth has generated new types of services where the use of sensors and actuators is especially remarkable. These services compose what is known as the Internet of Things (IoT). One of the biggest current challenges is obtaining a safe and easy access control scheme for the data managed in these services. We propose integrating IoT devices in an access control system designed for Web-based services by modelling certain IoT communication elements as resources. This would allow us to obtain a unified access control scheme between heterogeneous devices (IoT devices, Internet-based services, etc.). To achieve this, we have analysed the most relevant communication protocols for these kinds of environments and then we have proposed a methodology which allows the modelling of communication actions as resources. Then, we can protect these resources using access control mechanisms. The validation of our proposal has been carried out by selecting a communication protocol based on message exchange, specifically Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). As an access control scheme, we have selected User-Managed Access (UMA), an existing Open Authorization (OAuth) 2.0 profile originally developed for the protection of Internet services. We have performed tests focused on validating the proposed solution in terms of the correctness of the access control system. Finally, we have evaluated the energy consumption overhead when using our proposal.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadUniversidad de Alcal

Chronic fatigue syndrome: aetiology, diagnosis and treatment

Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterised by intense fatigue, with duration of over six months and associated to other related symptoms. The latter include asthenia and easily induced tiredness that is not recovered after a night's sleep. The fatigue becomes so severe that it forces a 50% reduction in daily activities. Given its unknown aetiology, different hypotheses have been considered to explain the origin of the condition (from immunological disorders to the presence of post-traumatic oxidative stress), although there are no conclusive diagnostic tests. Diagnosis is established through the exclusion of other diseases causing fatigue. This syndrome is rare in childhood and adolescence, although the fatigue symptom per se is quite common in paediatric patients. Currently, no curative treatment exists for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. The therapeutic approach to this syndrome requires a combination of different therapeutic modalities. The specific characteristics of the symptomatology of patients with chronic fatigue require a rapid adaptation of the educational, healthcare and social systems to prevent the problems derived from current systems. Such patients require multidisciplinary management due to the multiple and different issues affecting them. This document was realized by one of the Interdisciplinary Work Groups from the Institute for Rare Diseases, and its aim is to point out the main social and care needs for people affected with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For this, it includes not only the view of representatives for different scientific societies, but also the patient associations view, because they know the true history of their social and sanitary needs. In an interdisciplinary approach, this work also reviews the principal scientific, medical, socio-sanitary and psychological aspects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Influence of operational parameters on photocatalytic amitrole degradation using nickel organic xerogel under UV irradiation

The objectives of this study were to analyze the influence of different operational variables and to determine the time course of total organic carbon (TOC) and medium toxicity during amitrole (AMT) photodegradation in the presence of Ni xerogel (X-Ni) as photocatalyst. A further study objective was to analyze the influence of the type of water on the photodegradation process. Results show that the degradation rate is directly proportional to the initial X-Ni concentration up to a maximum of 250 mg/L with a slight decrease thereafter, indicating progressive photon absorption saturation of the catalyst for a given incident radiation flow. At concentrations close to 250 mg/L X-Ni, the AMT photodegradation rate is not affected by further increases in X-Ni concentration. In addition, AMT photolysis is highly pH-dependent and is generally favored at pH values at which AMT is in its ionic form. The increase observed in AMT degradation rate under alkaline conditions can be attributed to the higher generation of radicals. The presence of chloride reduces the AMT degradation rate, because Cl− anions behave as h+ and radical scavengers. The degradation rate is also decreased by addition to the medium of organic matter, which acts as a filter. The behavior of TOC removal kinetics during AMT degradation in the presence of X-Ni is similar to that observed for AMT degradation kinetics. Finally, we highlight that photocatalysis is more effective in ultrapure water than in wastewater or tap water. In all systems, the optimal catalyst concentration is 250 mg/L. The medium toxicity increases with longer treatment time, indicating the formation of by-products that are smaller than AMT and can more readily penetrate the cell.Financial support provided by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain) and FEDER (Projects CTQ-2011-29035-C02-01 and CTQ-2011-29035- C02-02), and by the University of Jaén (Project UJA 2015/06/01)

Claiming Equality: Puerto Rican Farmworkers in Western New York

n July of 1966, a group of Puerto Rican migrant workers protested against police brutality and discrimination in North Collins, a small farm community of western NewYork. Puerto Rican farmworkers made up a substantial part of the population, and had transformed the ethnic, racial, and gender landscape of the town. Local officials and residents produced and reproduced images of Puerto Ricans as inferior subjects within US racial and ethnic hierarchies. Those negative images of Puerto Ricans shaped the way in which local authorities elaborated policies of social control against these farmworkers in North Collins. At the same time, Puerto Rican farmworkers challenged those existing images and power relations that attempted to stigmatize them as inferior. They affirmed their presence in western New York and, in effect, stood up for their rights as citizens, as Puerto Ricans, and as Latinos

Utility of the Tourniquet Test and the White Blood Cell Count to Differentiate Dengue among Acute Febrile Illnesses in the Emergency Room

Dengue often presents with non-specific clinical signs, and given the current paucity of accurate, rapid diagnostic laboratory tests, identifying easily obtainable bedside markers of dengue remains a priority. Previous studies in febrile Asian children have suggested that the combination of a positive tourniquet test (TT) and leucopenia can distinguish dengue from other febrile illnesses, but little data exists on the usefulness of these tests in adults or in the Americas. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the TT and leucopenia (white blood cell count <5000/mm3) in identifying dengue as part of an acute febrile illness (AFI) surveillance study conducted in the Emergency Department of Saint Luke's Hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico. From September to December 2009, 284 patients presenting to the ED with fever for 2–7 days and no identified source were enrolled. Participants were tested for influenza, dengue, leptospirosis and enteroviruses. Thirty-three (12%) patients were confirmed as having dengue; 2 had dengue co-infection with influenza and leptospirosis, respectively. An infectious etiology was determined for 141 others (136 influenza, 3 enterovirus, 2 urinary tract infections), and 110 patients had no infectious etiology identified. Fifty-two percent of laboratory-positive dengue cases had a positive TT versus 18% of patients without dengue (P<0.001), 87% of dengue cases compared to 28% of non-dengue cases had leucopenia (P<0.001). The presence of either a positive TT or leucopenia correctly identified 94% of dengue patients. The specificity and positive predictive values of these tests was significantly higher in the subset of patients without pandemic influenza A H1N1, suggesting improved discriminatory performance of these tests in the absence of concurrent dengue and influenza outbreaks. However, even during simultaneous AFI outbreaks, the absence of leucopenia combined with a negative tourniquet test may be useful to rule out dengue

Usos sostenibles de la tierra y desarrollo humano

Compilación de los trabajos presentados al simposio nº 2 del Congreso Internacional sobre tierra y Derechos Humanos (Universidad de Sevilla, 12-14 de junio de 2019

Effect of viral storm in patients admitted to intensive care units with severe COVID-19 in Spain: a multicentre, prospective, cohort study

Background: The contribution of the virus to the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate associations between viral RNA load in plasma and host response, complications, and deaths in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods: We did a prospective cohort study across 23 hospitals in Spain. We included patients aged 18 years or older with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted to an intensive care unit between March 16, 2020, and Feb 27, 2021. RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid region 1 (N1) was quantified in plasma samples collected from patients in the first 48 h following admission, using digital PCR. Patients were grouped on the basis of N1 quantity: VIR-N1-Zero ([removed]2747 N1 copies per mL). The primary outcome was all-cause death within 90 days after admission. We evaluated odds ratios (ORs) for the primary outcome between groups using a logistic regression analysis. Findings: 1068 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 117 had insufficient plasma samples and 115 had key information missing. 836 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 403 (48%) were in the VIR-N1-Low group, 283 (34%) were in the VIR-N1-Storm group, and 150 (18%) were in the VIR-N1-Zero group. Overall, patients in the VIR-N1-Storm group had the most severe disease: 266 (94%) of 283 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), 116 (41%) developed acute kidney injury, 180 (65%) had secondary infections, and 148 (52%) died within 90 days. Patients in the VIR-N1-Zero group had the least severe disease: 81 (54%) of 150 received IMV, 34 (23%) developed acute kidney injury, 47 (32%) had secondary infections, and 26 (17%) died within 90 days (OR for death 0·30, 95% CI 0·16–0·55; p<0·0001, compared with the VIR-N1-Storm group). 106 (26%) of 403 patients in the VIR-N1-Low group died within 90 days (OR for death 0·39, 95% CI 0·26–0·57; p[removed]11 página