Comportamiento frente a la corrosión de armaduras de acero inoxidable

Se presentan los resultados de la exposición a la corrosión por cloruros durante dos años de tres tipos de armaduras de acero inoxidable embebidas en probetas de mortero

A full-scale in situ heating test for high-level nuclear waste disposal: observations, analysis and interpretation

The paper describes the performance, observations and interpretation of a large-scale in situ heating test that simulates a disposal concept for heat-emitting, high-level nuclear waste. In the experiment, heaters are emplaced in the axis of a tunnel excavated in granite to simulate the heat production of radioactive waste. The test is fully instrumented, and attention is focused on the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behaviour of the near-field region constituted by the compacted bentonite barrier surrounding the heater and the immediately adjacent rock. Interpretation of the test is assisted by the performance of a coupled numerical analysis based on a formulation that incorporates the relevant THM phenomena. Initial and boundary conditions for the analysis as well as material parameters are determined from an extensive programme of field and laboratory experiments. The paper presents and discusses the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical observations in the bentonite barrier and in the host rock. Special attention is paid to the progress of hydration in the barrier, to the effects of heating and vapour transport, and to the development of swelling pressures in the barrier. After five years of heating, one of the heaters was switched off and the experiment was partially dismantled, allowing the final state of the barrier to be observed directly. The numerical analysis performed has proved able to represent the progress of the experiment very satisfactorily. In addition, predictions concerning the final state of the clay barrier are very close to the observations obtained during dismantling. The performance and analysis of the in situ test have significantly enhanced the understanding of a complex THM problem and have proved the capability of the numerical formulation to provide adequate predictive capacit

Eye drop Self-medication: Comparative Questionnaire-based study of two Latin American cities.

A broad spectrum of ocular symptoms are treated by self-medication with commercial eye-drops.  This behavior threatens individuals' visual health. In Latin America, evidence is poor. Objective:  To  detect,  characterize  and  compare  patterns  of  ophthalmic  self-medication  between  Córdoba (Argentina) and Barranquilla (Colombia).Design:  Analytic, cross-sectional and comparative population-based study. Setting: Two private tertiary care ophthalmology centers from Córdoba, Argentina, and Barranquilla, Colombia.Participants:  Patients 18 years of age or older who consulted for the first time in this two institutions duringAugust-November 2009, were included. A number of 570 patients were enrrolled.Methods:  Data collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. Main outcome measure: To determine thefrequency of self-medication with eyedrops on a specific population of two cities in Latin America.Results:  Comparable  rates  of  ocular  self-medication  were  found  (25.6%  and  25.7%  for  Cordoba  and Barranquilla, respectively). The percentage of men and women who self-medicated was not significantly different between both samples. The major source of eye drops recommendation in the Argentineans patients was the pharmacist (31%); while the social source was predominant in Colombian individuals (53%). In Cordoba, the most frequently used product was a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drop in combination with a vasoconstrictive agent (32%); while in Barranquilla, antibiotic eye drops were preferred (33%). Self-medication was higher between the ages of 31 and 50 years old in Argentinean citizens (28%) and between 18 to 31 years old in the Colombiancommunity (39%). This habit was found mostly in patients who completed university studies in Cordoba (33%); in Barranquilla, individuals with lower educational level practice more this behavior (36%).Conclusion:  In both populations, patients commonly treat ocular conditions by self-medicating. Currently, anincreasing number of eye drops are obtainable without prescription and a high percentage of self-medicated patients in both samples ignore the possible side effects of the used medication.Fil: Marquez, Gabriel. Fundación VER; ArgentinaFil: Hildegard Piñeros-Heilbron. Fundación Oftalmológica del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Sanchez, Victoria M.. Fundación VER; ArgentinaFil: Torres, Victor Eduardo Roque. Fundación VER; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad; ArgentinaFil: Gramajo, Ana L.. Fundación VER; ArgentinaFil: Juarez, Claudio P.. Fundación VER; Argentina. Fundación Oftalmológica del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Peña, Fernando. Fundación Oftalmológica del Caribe; ColombiaFil: Luna, José D.. Fundación VER; Argentin

Mechanical behaviour of heavily compacted bentonite under high suction changes

The paper reports the results of an experimental study carried out on a bentonite compacted to a dry density of up to 1·7 Mg=m3, a high value for this type of soil. The soil fabric has been studied using a variety of techniques, revealing a clear bimodal pore distribution that corresponds to two distinct structural levels: a microstructural one and a macrostructural one. The main testing programme has been performed using oedometers especially designed to apply a very large range of suctions. By applying the axis-translation technique (using nitrogen as the gas fluid), it has been possible to reach suctions up to 15 MPa. The higher suction range has been achieved by applying a controlled atmosphere where the relative humidity has been fixed by a solution of sulphuric acid or salts. In this way suctions up to 550 MPa could be reached. The maximum vertical stress that could be applied in the apparatus was 10 MPa. Two types of test have been carried out: (a) tests in which a combination of loading paths at constant suction and drying/wetting paths at constant load were applied; (b) swelling tests under constant-volume conditions in order to determine the swelling pressure and the stress path followed during wetting. The results of the experimental programme are examined, taking into account the role of the soil fabric in controlling observed mechanical behaviour. In addition, the results of the laboratory tests are reproduced and interpreted using a generalised plasticity model that considers explicitly the interaction between macrostructure and microstructure. In this way, it is possible to achieve a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that underlie observed behaviour, and in particular the interplay between the two structural level

Systematic generation of finite-range atomic basis sets for linear-scaling calculations

Basis sets of atomic orbitals are very efficient for density functional calculations but lack a systematic variational convergence. We present a variational method to optimize numerical atomic orbitals using a single parameter to control their range. The efficiency of the basis generation scheme is tested and compared with other schemes for multiple zeta basis sets. The scheme shows to be comparable in quality to other widely used schemes albeit offering better performance for linear-scaling computations

Cell-to-cell transfer of Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes is mediated by immunomodulatory LAMP-rich parasitophorous extrusions

The last step of Leishmania intracellular life cycle is the egress of amastigotes from the host cell and their uptake by adjacent cells. Using multidimensional live imaging of long-term-infected macrophage cultures we observed that Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes were transferred from cell to cell when the donor host macrophage delivers warning signs of imminent apoptosis. They were extruded from the macrophage within zeiotic structures (membrane blebs, an apoptotic feature) rich in phagolysosomal membrane components. the extrusions containing amastigotes were selectively internalized by vicinal macrophages and the rescued amastigotes remain viable in recipient macrophages. Host cell apoptosis induced by micro-irradiation of infected macrophage nuclei promoted amastigotes extrusion, which were rescued by non-irradiated vicinal macrophages. Using amastigotes isolated from LAMP1/LAMP2 knockout fibroblasts, we observed that the presence of these lysosomal components on amastigotes increases interleukin 10 production. Enclosed within host cell membranes, amastigotes can be transferred from cell to cell without full exposure to the extracellular milieu, what represents an important strategy developed by the parasite to evade host immune system.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Medi, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Inst Trop Med, Lab Soroepidemiol & Imunobiol, São Paulo, BrazilFdn Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ, INCT DT, Salvador, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Medi, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Inst Trop Med, Lab Soroepidemiol & Imunobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 10/19335-4Web of Scienc

Malária transfusional: relato de caso de doador assintomático infectado por Plasmodium malariae

Malaria in Brazil is endemic in the Amazon region, but autochthonous cases with low parasitaemia occur in the Atlantic Forest area of the country. According to Brazilian legislation no test is mandatory for blood donors from non-endemic areas. However if they have traveled to malaria transmission regions they are deferred for six months before they can donate. This report describes a transfusion-transmitted malaria case in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where one recipient received infected blood and developed the disease. He lived in Sao Paulo and had no previous transfusion or trips to endemic areas, including those of low endemicity, such as Atlantic Forest. Thick blood smears confirmed Plasmodiummalariae. All donors lived in Sao Paulo and one of them (Donor 045-0) showed positive hemoscopy and PCR. This asymptomatic donor had traveled to Juquia, in the Atlantic Forest area of S ao Paulo State, where sporadic cases of autochthonous malaria are described. DNA assay revealed P. malariae in the donor's (Donor 045-0) blood. Serum archives of the recipient and of all blood donors were analyzed by ELISA using both P. vivax and P. falciparum antigens, and IFAT with P. malariae. Donor 045-0's serum was P. malariae IFAT positive and the P. vivax ELISA was reactive. In addition, two out of 44 donors' archive sera were also P. vivax ELISA reactive. All sera were P. falciparum ELISA negative. This case suggests the need of reviewing donor selection criteria and deferral strategies to prevent possible cases of transfusion-transmitted malaria.No Brasil a malária é endêmica na Amazônia, porém casos autóctones com baixas parasitemias ocorrem na área costeira de Mata Atlântica. De acordo com a legislação brasileira, não são obrigatórios testes para detecção de malária em doadores de sangue de áreas não-endêmicas; entretanto são excluídos por seis meses aqueles com relato de deslocamento para áreas de transmissão. Este trabalho descreve um caso de malária transfusional ocorrido em São Paulo, Brasil, em que um paciente recebeu sangue infectado, desenvolvendo a doença. Ele residia em São Paulo e não apresentava histórico de transfusão anterior ou deslocamentos para áreas endêmicas, incluindo as de baixa endemicidade, como a Mata Atlântica. A gota espessa revelou Plasmodium malariae. Os doadores eram residentes em São Paulo e um deles (045-0) apresentou hemoscopia e PCR positivos. Este era assintomático com PCR positiva para P. malariae e viagem para Juquiá, Mata Atlântica de São Paulo, onde são descritos casos esporádicos de malária autóctone. Amostras de soro do receptor e de todos os doadores foram ensaiadas por ELISA com antígenos de P. vivax e P. falciparum e RIFI com P. malariae. O doador 045-0 apresentou RIFI positiva para P. malariae. ELISA-P. vivax foi reagente no doador infectado (045-0) e em dois dos 44 doadores. Todos os soros foram negativos com antígeno de P. falciparum. Este caso aponta a necessidade de revisão dos critérios de triagem clínico-epidemiológica para evitar casos transfusionais e também adequar as estratégias de exclusão de doadores de sangue

Active immunotherapy in the treatment of haematological neoplasias

Abstract The continuous search for therapeutic approaches that improve the conventional treatments of neoplasms, together with an improved understanding of the immune system, has led in recent years to the development of Immunotherapy. Basically, a distinction can be made between two forms of immunotherapy: passive immunotherapy, which consists in the transfer of antibodies or cells previously generated in vitro that are directed against the tumour, and active immunotherapy, which attempts to activate in vivo the immune system and induce it to elaborate a specific response against the tumor antibodies. Hematological neoplasms, specifically some B lymphomas, express in their membrane an immunoglobulin that is considered a specific antigen of the tumour, which is why these diseases have become the ideal target for immunotherapy treatments. There are many alternatives, ranging from protein vaccines, which have already shown clinical benefits, to those of the second generation, which make use of the new techniques of molecular biology to increase the efficacy of the vaccines and obtain their production in a quicker and less costly way, but with which there are not yet definitive clinical results

Análisis del régimen bomberil nacional aplicado en el municipio de Popayán

Existe una responsabilidad compartida en donde las entidades públicas y las instituciones; en este caso los cuerpos de bomberos que es el de servir y prevenir los riesgos de incendios, atención de rescates e incidentes de una manera integral, pero es también compromiso del Estado o entes territoriales brindar iniciativas para promover los recursos necesarios para el sostenimiento de esta actividad y lograr así la prestación de un buen servicio. Los cuerpos de bomberos en Colombia son entidades sin ánimo de lucro regidos actualmente por la Ley General de Bomberos en Colombia (Presidencia de la República de Colombia, 2012) ley 1575 de 2012 la cual deroga la Ley 322 del 4 de octubre de 1996