Alcohol, liver and genes: an intricate puzzle.

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Gear Teeth Deflection Model for Spur Gears: Proposal of a 3D Nonlinear and Non-Hertzian Approach

In this paper, a three-dimensional model for the estimation of the deflections, load sharing attributes, and contact conditions will be presented for pairs of meshing teeth in a spur gear trans- mission. A nonlinear iterative approach based on a semi-analytical formulation for the deformation of the teeth under load will be employed to accurately determine the point of application of the load, its intensity, and the number of contacting pairs without a priori assumptions. At the end of this iterative cycle the obtained deflected shapes are then employed to compute the pressure distributions through a contact mechanics model with non-Hertzian features and a technique capable of obtaining correct results even at the free edges of the finite length contacting bodies. This approach is then applied to a test case with excellent agreement with its finite element counterpart. Finally, several results are shown to highlight the influence on the quasi-static behavior of spur gears of different kinds and amounts of flank and face-width profile modifications

Proposal of a novel approach for 3D tooth contact analysis and calculation of the static transmission error in loaded gears

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Carbon and energy footprint analysis of tannery wastewater treatment: A Global overview

In this study the carbon footprint and power demand of tannery wastewater treatment processes for the largest bovine leather producing regions were quantified and analysed. Moreover, we present a case in which we benchmarked the carbon footprint and energy demand analysis of tannery wastewater treatment to municipal wastewater treatment. We quantified the greenhouse gas direct and indirect emissions from tannery wastewater treatment facilities. Our results show that the total CO2-equivalent emission for tannery wastewater treatment is 1.49 103 tCO2,eq d−1. Moreover, the energy intensity of tannery wastewater treatment processes are evaluated at 3.9 kWh kg−1bCOD,removed, compared to 1.4 kWh kg−1bCOD,removed of municipal wastewater treatment processes. Based on this work in the field of tannery wastewater treatment, an effort to innovate suitable treatment trains and technologies has the strong potential to reduce the carbon footprint

Th17 involvement in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

The nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. NAFLD encompasses a wide histological spectrum ranging from benign simple steatosis to non-Alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Sustained inflammation in the liver is critical in this process. Hepatic macrophages, including liver resident macropaghes (Kupffer cells), monocytes infiltrating the injured liver, as well as specific lymphocytes subsets play a pivotal role in the initiation and perpetuation of the inflammatory response, with a major deleterious impact on the progression of fatty liver to fibrosis. During the last years, Th17 cells have been involved in the development of inflammation not only in liver but also in other organs, such as adipose tissue or lung. Differentiation of a naïve T cell into a Th17 cell leads to pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine production with subsequent myeloid cell recruitment to the inflamed tissue. Th17 response can be mitigated by T regulatory cells that secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines. Both T cell subsets need TGF-β for their differentiation and a characteristic plasticity in their phenotype may render them new therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss the role of the Th17 pathway in NAFLD progression to NASH and to liver fibrosis analyzing different animal models of liver injury and human studies.Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celula

Permutation-information-theory approach to unveil delay dynamics from time-series analysis

PACS: 05.45.Tp, 89.70.Cf, 02.30.KsIn this paper a novel approach to identify delay phenomena from time series is developed. We show that it is possible to perform a reliable time delay identification by using quantifiers derived from information theory, more precisely, permutation entropy and permutation statistical complexity. These quantifiers show clear extrema when the embedding delay of the symbolic reconstruction matches the characteristic time delay of the system. Numerical data originating from a time delay system based on the well-known Mackey-Glass equations operating in the chaotic regime were used as test beds. We show that our method is straightforward to apply and robust to additive observational and dynamical noise. Moreover, we find that the identification of the time delay is even more efficient in a noise environment. Our permutation approach is also able to recover the time delay in systems with low feedback rate or high nonlinearity.We thank Dr. L. Pesquera for very useful discussions and comments on the current research. L.Z. and O.A.R. were supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científi- cas y Técnicas CONICET , Argentina. The work of M.C.S. was supported by MEC Spain under a “Juan de la Cierva” contract. O.A.R. is supported by PVE of CAPES, Brazil. Part of this work was funded by MEC Spain , MICINN Spain , and FEDER under Projects No. TEC2006-10009/MIC PhoDeCC , No. TEC2009-14101 DeCoDicA , and No. FIS2007-60327 FISICOS , and by the EC Project PHOCUS, European Commission FET-Open Grant No. 24076Peer reviewe

Permutation-information-theory approach to unveil delay dynamics from time-series analysis

PACS: 05.45.Tp, 89.70.Cf, 02.30.KsIn this paper a novel approach to identify delay phenomena from time series is developed. We show that it is possible to perform a reliable time delay identification by using quantifiers derived from information theory, more precisely, permutation entropy and permutation statistical complexity. These quantifiers show clear extrema when the embedding delay of the symbolic reconstruction matches the characteristic time delay of the system. Numerical data originating from a time delay system based on the well-known Mackey-Glass equations operating in the chaotic regime were used as test beds. We show that our method is straightforward to apply and robust to additive observational and dynamical noise. Moreover, we find that the identification of the time delay is even more efficient in a noise environment. Our permutation approach is also able to recover the time delay in systems with low feedback rate or high nonlinearity.We thank Dr. L. Pesquera for very useful discussions and comments on the current research. L.Z. and O.A.R. were supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científi- cas y Técnicas CONICET , Argentina. The work of M.C.S. was supported by MEC Spain under a “Juan de la Cierva” contract. O.A.R. is supported by PVE of CAPES, Brazil. Part of this work was funded by MEC Spain , MICINN Spain , and FEDER under Projects No. TEC2006-10009/MIC PhoDeCC , No. TEC2009-14101 DeCoDicA , and No. FIS2007-60327 FISICOS , and by the EC Project PHOCUS, European Commission FET-Open Grant No. 24076Peer reviewe

Whole body bone scintigraphy in tenofovir-related osteomalacia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread^®) is the only nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor currently approved for the treatment of HIV. It is frequently prescribed not only for its efficacy but also for its decreased side effect profile compared with other nucleotide analogs. In addition, it is now increasingly recognized as a cause of acquired Fanconi's syndrome in individuals with HIV.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe a 48-year-old woman infected with HIV, with chronic renal insufficiency, who developed Fanconi's syndrome after inclusion of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in her antiretroviral therapy. A whole body bone scintigraphy was performed, revealing an abnormal distribution of radiotracer uptake, with characteristic changes compatible with osteomalacia. All symptoms disappeared after tenofovir discontinuation and mineral supplementation. No other explanation for the sudden and complete resolution of the bone disease was found.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The case highlights the role of whole body bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis of tenofovir-related osteomalacia.</p

Modelling the Effect of Maize Silage and Winter Oat Forage Crop on Cow-Calf Systems in Argentina

Cow-calf systems in the flooding Pampa - Argentina, are facing increasing competition with cropping systems for resources and land. In this context, to be more competitive livestock systems require system intensification, which demands an improvement on the feedbase. Forage crops and feeding silage have been used widely on dairy and beef cattle finishing systems. The purpose of the study was to assess with a model the level of intensification that can be achieved in cow calf systems and its economic effects by incorporating maize silage and winter grazing oat crops