Electron scattering cross sections for pyridine in the energy range 0-100 eV, which we previously measured or calculated, have been critically compiled and complemented here with new measurements of ...electron energy loss spectra and double differential ionization cross sections. Experimental techniques employed in this study include a linear transmission apparatus and a reaction microscope system. To fulfill the transport model requirements, theoretical data have been recalculated within our independent atom model with screening corrected additivity rule and interference effects (IAM-SCAR) method for energies above 10 eV. In addition, results from the R-matrix and Schwinger multichannel with pseudopotential methods, for energies below 15 eV and 20 eV, respectively, are presented here. The reliability of this complete data set has been evaluated by comparing the simulated energy distribution of electrons transmitted through pyridine, with that observed in an electron-gas transmission experiment under magnetic confinement conditions. In addition, our representation of the angular distribution of the inelastically scattered electrons is discussed on the basis of the present double differential cross section experimental results.
Tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) thrives in aquatic habitats with high levels of total nitrogen (TAN) and unionized ammonia (NH3). However, the tolerance of TAN and NH3, the excretion mechanisms ...involved, and the effects of these chemicals on routine metabolism are still unknown. Therefore, our objectives were to assess the acute toxicity of TAN and NH3 in A. tropicus juveniles after a 96-h exposure (LC50-96 h) to NH4Cl and after chronic exposure to two concentrations (15% and 30% of LC50-96 h TAN) for 12 days, as well as to evaluate the transcriptional effects associated with Rhesus proteins (rhag, rhbg, rhcg) and ion transporters (NHE, NKA, NKCC, and CFTR) in gills and skin; and to determine the effects of TAN and NH3 on routine metabolism through oxygen consumption (μM g-1 h-1) and gill ventilation frequency (beats min-1). LC50-96 h values were 100.20 ± 11.21 mg/L for TAN and 3.756 ± 0.259 mg/L for NH3. The genes encoding Rhesus proteins and ion transporters in gills and skin showed a differential expression according to TAN concentrations and exposure time. Oxygen consumption on day 12 showed significant differences between treatments with 15% and 30% TAN. Gill ventilation frequency on day 12 was higher in fish exposed to 30% TAN. In conclusion, A. tropicus juveniles are highly tolerant to TAN, showing upregulation of the genes involved in TAN excretion through gills and skin, which affects routine oxygen consumption and energetic cost. These findings are relevant for understanding adaptations in the physiological response of a tropical ancestral air-breathing fish.
Display omitted
•The median lethal concentration at 96 h of total ammonia is 100.20 ± 11.21 mg/L.•The median lethal concentration at 96 h of unionized ammonia is 3.756 ± 0.259 mg/L.•Genes encoding Rhesus proteins are actively expressed in the skin and gills under ammonia exposure.•Genes encoding ion transporters are actively expressed in the skin and gills under ammonia exposure.•The oxygen consumption rate and gill ventilation showed signs of the early adaptation syndrome.
► Farmed gilthead seabream were administered feeds supplemented with aromatic plant oils and extracts. ► The effects on postmortem quality during storage on ice were assessed. ► Animals fed diets ...with BHT, carvacrol and rosemary showed lower oxidation levels. ► The antibacterial effect of thymol was higher than in the rest of the groups. ► Deterioration in terms of sensory perception was slower with BHT and thymol.
The effect on quality were assessed for gilthead seabream fed five different diets: control (basal diet); BHT (basal diet with 200mgkg−1 of butylated hydroxytoluene); rosemary (basal diet with 600mgkg−1 of rosemary extract –Rosmarinus officinalis); carvacrol (basal diet with 500mgkg−1 of essential oil of Thymbra capitata, carvacrol chemotype); and thymol (basal diet with 500mgg−1 of essential oil of Thymus zygis, subspecies gracilis, thymol chemotype). After 18weeks of experimentation, the animals were stored on ice at 4°C for 0, 7, 14, and 21days. Physical–chemical, microbiological and sensory analyses were carried out at each sampling point to determine the degree of deterioration in the gilthead seabream. Lower indices of oxidation were observed in animals who were administered feeds supplemented with BHT, carvacrol and (to a lesser degree) rosemary. Lower bacteria counts were observed for the BHT and thymol groups, in addition to a slower deterioration in terms of sensory perception. Accordingly, the addition of natural antioxidants to the diet may have an added effect on fish quality, delaying post mortem deterioration.
Abstract Currently, there is an urgent need to implement whole life carbon emissions reduction measures in Mediterranean regions. In the Spanish context, although there are several initiatives there ...is no national harmonised LCA method or national database of construction products with associated environmental data. This paper presents a summary of the methodology, preliminary results and lessons learnt from the INDICATE project Spain, whose focus on accelerating the data infrastructure for implementing WLC metrics in the building sector in Spain. It aims to provide a scientific-technical support to develop data of the national building stock harmonised with Level(s) framework and develop a robust national data infrastructure to conduct the WLC assessment, as well as providing agreed outcomes including reference values, baselines and benchmarks, contributing to the integration of the WLC in policy makers’ decisions, existing regulations, and market innovation, involving key actors from representative regions in Spain and creating a multi-stakeholder network. The method is based on three main pillars: co-creation, development of new data, and collection of real LCA data. Several areas for future action have been identified, including the application of data science and technologies such as AI for the analysis of synthetic and real cases and the address of specific data gaps.
Display omitted
•Geopolymers were obtained using a natural pozzolan from México with clinoptilolite as the main component.•Natural pozzolan was alkalized using silicate/hydroxide solutions of Na or K ...to obtain geopolymers.•The way geopolymer matrix evolves at different ages is influenced by the chemical nature of alkali.•The microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of geopolymers depend on the alkali used.•The sodium solution favors the different stages of geopolymerization reaction.
The present work studied the effect of the type of alkali on the structural evolution of a natural pozzolan from Hidalgo, México, alkalinized with sodium or potassium solution to obtain geopolymers. The Pozzolan is composed of clinoptilolite-type zeolite, calcite, and quartz. The alkali solution was a mixture of silicate/hydroxide of sodium or potassium with a volume ratio of 12. Alkali solution/pozzolan weight ratio was 0.6, and curing was at 25 °C. The geopolymerization reaction from the natural pozzolan alkalized to geopolymer was followed at different stages by isothermal calorimetry showing that the sodium solution promotes higher aluminosilicates dissolution from the pozzolan than the potassium one, and the condensation step is favored to allow the generation of interconnected structures. This step is delayed at intermediates curing times at the presence of potassium solution due to the less dissolution of aluminosilicates and the loss of water observed by FT-IR analysis, consequently slowing down the evolution of compressive strength at this curing time. The alkalized pozzolan produces a gel identified by the amorphous halo at 2θ < 10° and between 20°-40° 2θ in the XRD patterns. This gel is characteristic of the presence of geopolymer. The final geopolymer microstructure shows the morphology of thick plates. The compressive strength of the geopolymers at 28 days shows similar values (±10.8 MPa) independent of the type of alkali solution used, although this evolved differently.
The prerequisite to prevent childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is to decipher its etiology. The current model suggests that infection triggers B-ALL development through induction ...of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID; also known as AICDA) in precursor B-cells. This evidence has been largely acquired through the use of ex vivo functional studies. However, whether this mechanism governs native non-transplant B-ALL development is unknown. Here we show that, surprisingly, AID genetic deletion does not affect B-ALL development in Pax5-haploinsufficient mice prone to B-ALL upon natural infection exposure. We next test the effect of premature AID expression from earliest pro-B-cell stages in B-cell transformation. The generation of AID off-target mutagenic activity in precursor B-cells does not promote B-ALL. Likewise, known drivers of human B-ALL are not preferentially targeted by AID. Overall these results suggest that infections promote B-ALL through AID-independent mechanisms, providing evidence for a new model of childhood B-ALL development.
Abstract Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is the single most important long-term limitation to heart transplantation. This study aimed to assess the value of monitoring soluble human leukocyte ...antigen-G (sHLA-G) during the first year post-transplantation to predict the severity of CAV, in 21 out of 77 heart recipients assessed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Serum sHLA-G concentration increased after transplant in recipients free of severe CAV, but decreased in recipients suffering from severe CAV, significant differences between these two groups were found 6 to 12 months post-transplantation. The optimal value of the change in post-transplant sHLA-G for identifying severe CAV was ⩾0.062%, which maximized sensitivity (80%) and specificity (100%). Importantly, increases in post-transplant sHLA-G were inversely associated with severe CAV, but directly associated with human cytomegalovirus reactivation. In addition, recipients presenting non-severe CAV or an increased sHLA-G post-transplantation, showed higher numbers of CD8+ CD28− T cells and a down-modulation of CD28 on CD4+ lymphocytes, which typically identifies CD8+ regulatory T cells and anergic/tolerogenic T helper cells, respectively. In conclusion, quantification of sHLA-G might offer a complementary non-invasive method for identifying recipients at risk of more severe CAV and who might benefit from earlier preventive therapies, although these results need to be confirmed in larger series.
To test the hypothesis that the addition of an aminoglycoside to a β-lactam antibiotic could provide better outcomes than β-lactam monotherapy for the initial empirical treatment of hematological ...neutropenic patients with subsequently documented Gram-negative bacillus (GNB) bloodstream infection (BSI), a multinational, retrospective, cohort study of GNB BSI episodes in hematological neutropenic patients in six centers (2010 to 2017) was conducted. Combination therapy (β-lactam plus aminoglycoside) was compared to β-lactam monotherapy. The primary endpoint was the case fatality rate, assessed at 7 and 30 days from BSI onset. Secondary endpoints were nephrotoxicity and persistent BSI. Propensity score (PS) matching was performed. Among 542 GNB BSI episodes, 304 (56%) were initially treated with combination therapy, with cefepime plus amikacin being most common (158/304 52%). Overall, Escherichia coli (273/304 50.4%) was the main etiological agent, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which predominated in the combination group (76/304 25% versus 28/238 11.8%;
< 0.001). Multidrug resistance rates were similar between groups (83/294 28.2% versus 63/233 27%;
= 0.95). In the multivariate analysis, combination therapy was associated with a lower 7-day case fatality rate (odds ratio OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.91;
= 0.035) with a tendency toward lower mortality at 30 days (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.29 to 1.08;
= 0.084). After PS matching, these differences remained for the 7-day case fatality rate (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.82;
= 0.017). In addition, aminoglycoside use was not significantly associated with renal function impairment (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.26 to 4.87;
= 0.9). The addition of an aminoglycoside to the initial empirical therapy regimen for febrile neutropenic hematological patients should be considered.
We provide a full description of the clinical, histopathological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features of the current human monkeypox virus. A skin snip was obtained in a HIV-infected ...patient in the wake of the monkeypox outbreak in Spain. Immunohistochemistry was strongly positive for anti-vaccinia virus. Under electron microscopy, mature viruses and virions were clearly visible.
PDF
