Abstract
The carbon monofluoride cation (CF+) has been detected recently in Galactic and extragalactic regions. Therefore, excitation rate coefficients of this molecule in collision with He and H2 ...are necessary for a correct interpretation of the astronomical observations. The main goal of this work is to study the collision of CF+ with He in full dimensionality at the close-coupling level and to report a large set of rotational rate coefficients. New ab initio interaction energies at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pv5z level of theory were computed, and a three-dimensional potential energy surface was represented using a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. Close-coupling scattering calculations were performed at collisional energies up to 1600 cm−1 in the ground vibrational state. The vibrational quenching cross-sections were found to be at least three orders of magnitude lower than the pure rotational cross-sections. Also, the collisional rate coefficients were reported for the lowest 20 rotational states of CF+ and an even propensity rule was found to be in action only for j > 4. Finally, the hyperfine rate coefficients were explored. These data can be useful for the determination of the interstellar conditions where this molecule has been detected.
Economic and population growth have led to rapidly growing fuel consumption in South America. In order to supply this increasing demand while also using environmentally friendly and locally available ...feedstock, several countries have implemented the use of biofuels, in which biodiesel deserves special attention. While this alternative source of energy may reduce dependence on refining or importing fossil diesel, it also requires well-established policies and logistics for local industries to compete and succeed in producing a satisfactory quantity of biodiesel. This review compares the effectiveness of implemented policies in South American countries, providing a better understanding on cases of success and failure on the road to making biodiesel a regularly found fuel in the local transportation network. This assessment also clearly identifies different stages of development, pointing out that countries from the same region can have totally different outcomes according to political and market aspects. The main factors associated to cases of success, represented by Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, were early implemented regulation policies, the solidity of local soybean industry and response to foreign competition. Finally, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a new and efficient green fuel used in Diesel engines and will likely present additional challenges for this sector, potentially replacing both diesel and biodiesel in the fuel network, and posing a challenge to even the most stable biodiesel industries, along with the potential vehicle electrification.
•South American countries are in different stages of biodiesel production.•Argentinean, Brazilian and Uruguayan industries are considered cases of success.•Early regulations and soybean availability are important for positive outcomes.•Foreign competition was only reported as a major issue in Peru.•Imminent use of HVO is likely to pose a challenge for biodiesel producers.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has a very high heritability (0.8), suggesting that about 80% of phenotypic variance is due to genetic factors. We used the integration of statistical ...and functional approaches to discover a novel gene that contributes to ADHD. For our statistical approach, we started with a linkage study based on large multigenerational families in a population isolate, followed by fine mapping of targeted regions using a family-based design. Family- and population-based association studies in five samples from disparate regions of the world were used for replication. Brain imaging studies were performed to evaluate gene function. The linkage study discovered a genome region harbored in the Latrophilin 3 gene (LPHN3). In the world-wide samples (total n=6360, with 2627 ADHD cases and 2531 controls) statistical association of LPHN3 and ADHD was confirmed. Functional studies revealed that LPHN3 variants are expressed in key brain regions related to attention and activity, affect metabolism in neural circuits implicated in ADHD, and are associated with response to stimulant medication. Linkage and replicated association of ADHD with a novel non-candidate gene (LPHN3) provide new insights into the genetics, neurobiology, and treatment of ADHD.
To date, there is no specific antiviral therapy for severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Since there is no specific therapy ...against SARS-CoV2, current efforts aim to prevent contagion through public health measures and develop a protective vaccine. While waiting for the latter, it is necessary to evaluate the drugs that at least, in initial studies, suggested some degree of utility in the management of Covid-19 or its complications. The main objective of the study was to describe the clinical manifestations and outcomes of patients with severe Covid-19 Pneumonia treated with corticosteroids and colchicine.
A cross sectional study of 301 adult patients with Covid-19 Pneumonia confirmed by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for SARS-CoV2 (RT-PCR SARS-CoV2), Berlin protocol, who required hospitalization in three hospitals in Antioquia, Colombia. Patients were treated according to the institutional protocol (from March 20, 2020 to June 30, 2020) with corticosteroid if the patient required supplemental oxygen. From July 1, 2020, the management protocol changed with the addition of colchicine to all patients admitted to the institutions. The treatment was supervised and monitored by the same specialist in Infectology of the institutions. We describe the clinical manifestations and outcomes of the patients who received these treatments. The information of the patients was analyzed according to the outcome of interest (alive/dead) with univariate, bivariate, and multivariate measures to adjust the variables that presented statistical association.
All patients had pneumonia documented by chest computed tomography with ground glass images and presented an alveolar pressure/inspired oxygen fraction (PaFi) less than 300. Three hundred one patients were included, 240 (79.7%) received corticosteroids, within these 145 (48.2%) received colchicine also, and the remaining 61 (20.3%) patients did not receive corticosterioids or colchicine. Mortality in the group that received colchicine was lower compared to the group that did not receive it (9.6 vs 14.6%, p-value = 0.179).
Treatment with corticosteroids and colchicine for managing patients with severe Covid-19 Pneumonia was associated with low mortality at the hospital level. Randomized, placebo-controlled studies are required to evaluate the effect of corticosteroids and colchicine on complications or death from Covid-19.
A
bstract
The minimal seesaw extension of the Standard SU(3)
c
⊗SU(2)
L
⊗U(1)
Y
Model requires two electroweak singlet fermions in order to accommodate the neutrino oscillation parameters at tree ...level. Here we consider a next to minimal extension where light neutrino masses are generated radiatively by two electroweak fermions: one singlet and one triplet under SU(2)
L
. These should be odd under a parity symmetry and their mixing gives rise to a stable weakly interactive massive particle (WIMP) dark matter candidate. For mass in the GeV-TeV range, it reproduces the correct relic density, and provides an observable signal in nuclear recoil direct detection experiments. The fermion triplet component of the dark matter has gauge interactions, making it also detectable at present and near future collider experiments.
Immune response stimulation to prevent infection progression may be an adjuvant to antimicrobial treatment. Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) is an immunomodulator involved in immune cell recruitment and ...activation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of LPC in combination with colistin, tigecycline, or imipenem in experimental murine models of peritoneal sepsis and pneumonia. We used Acinetobacter baumannii strain Ab9, which is susceptible to colistin, tigecycline, and imipenem, and multidrug-resistant strain Ab186, which is susceptible to colistin and resistant to tigecycline and imipenem. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters for colistin, tigecycline, and imipenem and the 100% minimal lethal dose (MLD100) were determined for both strains. The therapeutic efficacies of LPC, colistin (60 mg/kg of body weight/day), tigecycline (10 mg/kg/day), and imipenem (180 mg/kg/day), alone or in combination, were assessed against Ab9 and Ab186 at the MLD100 in murine peritoneal sepsis and pneumonia models. The levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, i.e., tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the same experimental models after inoculating mice with the MLD of both strains. LPC in combination with colistin, tigecycline, or imipenem markedly enhanced the bacterial clearance of Ab9 and Ab186 from the spleen and lungs and reduced bacteremia and mouse mortality rates (P < 0.05) compared with those for colistin, tigecycline, and imipenem monotherapies. Moreover, at 4 h post-bacterial infection, Ab9 induced higher TNF-α and lower IL-10 levels than those with Ab186 (4 μg/ml versus 3 μg/ml P < 0.05 and 2 μg/ml versus 3.4 μg/ml P < 0.05, respectively). LPC treatment combined with colistin, tigecycline, or imipenem modestly reduced the severity of infection by A. baumannii strains with different resistance phenotypes compared to LPC monotherapy in both experimental models.
The Media Luna spring, Mexico, is the main reservoir of the endemic and endangered fish
Ataeniobius toweri
. In the last decades, the ecosystem has been modified by tourism, and the habitat has ...changed for this species. Therefore, for better conservation management of the natural fish population, it is necessary to understand its abundance status and suitable habitat conditions, in ecological and spatial scenarios, on a temporal scale. In the present study, we modeled
A. toweri
’s ecological responses and spatial distribution for adult and juvenile life stages, in three summer periods (years 1999, 2009, and 2019). As habitat variables, we used water depth and underwater coverage. Ecological response curves were obtained from a Generalized Linear Model; distribution models were obtained with DOMAIN. In the modeling evaluation, for the Linear Regression Model, we obtained true statistical skills metric > 0.30 and, for DOMAIN, an area under the curve (AUC) > 0.70 with an AUC ratio > 1.00. In general, as the summer periods progressed, we found the highest probability of occurrence (
P
> 0.20) and distribution (
P
> 0.60) in areas with conditions of large coverage of underwater vegetation, in the first 1.5 m of depth, and near the shores of the spring. Also, the variations of relative abundance were always observed at sites with these habitat conditions. Thus, we concluded that our models had the performance to discern between suitable and unsuitable habitat conditions for
A. toweri
, and that areas with little or no anthropogenic pressure are more important for this species.
The non-linear optical rectification (NOR), the generation of the second (SHG) and third harmonic (THG) of a singly ionized double donor (SIDD) confined in an asymmetric
Ga
1
-
x
Al
x
As
/
GaAs
/
Ga
...1
-
y
Al
y
As
V-groove nanowire are theoretically calculated. The calculated energy levels exhibit a molecular-like behavior with anticrossing points due to V-groove’s pinch-offs. The carefully selected morphological parameters values of the V-groove allowed tuning the optical coefficients within the THz band. The NOR, SHG, and THG were found to be strongly dependent on the donor–donor distance. Larger values of the NOR for the SIDD in comparison to the single electron system were obtained. In contrast, larger values of the SHG and THG coefficients for single electrons can be calculated compared to the SIDD at small donor–donor distances.
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